Pressure Rising (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

rise—and he was getting one. She had to put up a thick wall around her emotions.
    They’d shared a kiss years ago. So what. Many people kissed and it meant zilch. She just had to keep reminding herself that it was nothing.
    Gaining her equilibrium, she rinsed her glass and placed it on the counter.
    Finally back on track, she rummaged through the kitchen cabinets hoping to find something to prepare, but she came up empty. Obvious by the sparse selection, only men lived in the household. She couldn’t find one thing that didn’t contain full-fat and a load of stuff she couldn’t even pronounce.
    Opening the refrigerator door, she peered into fat city. Bacon, bacon, and more bacon. She didn’t have anything against bacon, but she believed when the meat outweighed the vegetables, there was a huge problem. There were no veggies to speak of—except she did find something at the bottom of one drawer that could have been a carrot at one time.
    Grabbing the trash can, she started going through the refrigerated containers, reading expiration dates and tossing most of the items.
    Pearl was on hands and knees scrubbing the bottom of the fridge when she heard a knock on the door. She closed the refrigerator and left the kitchen, blowing her hair off her cheek. Through the screen, she could see bleach blonde hair and long legs. “Diana?”
    “Yes, that’s me.” Diana stepped in and Pearl blinked. The woman was very tall and slender except for her large breasts that were barely contained in the tight shirt. The jean skirt came up high on her thighs leaving little to the imagination. Her brown cowboy boots clicked against the hardwood floor.
    So this was DJ’s friend. Some friend.
    “Hi there.” Diana stuck out a hand and a hoop ring dangled from her long pinky nail. On the inside of one wrist she had a tattoo of a black widow spider. Interesting. When Diana smiled her red lips spotlighted a toothpaste-ad row of white teeth. Her long hair was smooth straight and Pearl slid her fingers through her own hair that she knew must be a mess after cleaning. She hoped the little bit of mascara and tinted lip-gloss she put on that morning remained, but highly doubted it.
    Pearl shook Diana’s hand and smiled. This was a lot different than the perky, petite cheerleaders he dated in high school. “I’m Pearl…DJ’s—uhh—”
    “Thanks for coming, Diana.” DJ’s voice made Pearl swivel. He was standing directly behind her. “She’s helping while I’m incapacitated.” He reached out and plucked something from Pearl’s hair, holding it up. “And cleaning corn out of the fridge.”
    She choked back a growl. “Yeah, I’m just here helping.”
    “Nice to see you, DJ.” Diana swiped her hand down her skirt and swept past Pearl, planting her hands on DJ’s shoulders. Diana leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, leaving a crimson ring. “Glad you called.”
    There had never been a moment when Pearl felt like a third wheel, until now. “I-I need to run to the grocery. Will you be okay—I mean, will your friend be here with you…I can give you some time. I’m just planning to grab some things, but I should be a while.” Had she chewed a gob of peanut butter? She couldn’t get her mouth to work right. If it wasn’t embarrassing enough to have DJ find food in her hair, her speaking skills definitely scored humiliation points.
    She grabbed her purse from the table, almost knocking over a framed picture. With the dexterity of a two year old, she managed to put the picture back in its place. DJ was grinning. Not giving him the satisfaction of acknowledging him, she turned and walked away.
    “Take your time,” DJ called after her as she marched off the porch toward her car.
    She wasn’t ready for this—not even by a long shot.
     
     
    Chapter Three
     
    DJ watched through the screen as Pearl sauntered toward her truck. He liked the way her tight jeans fit. She had a nice sway to her hips and her long hair swung from side to