Rawhide and Roses Read Online Free PDF

here.”
    Sliding her hands out of the pockets, Jillie sat beside Kim and placed them in her lap. “Kim, I apologize. I was wrong to trick you like that...”
    She rose, feeling her face redden. “Oh! So now it all comes out. It was a trick, huh? When did you decide all this, Jillie? And why? Usually I get some warning about these hair-brained schemes of yours.”
    But Kim knew the answer to that question. Mack. Her room-mate broke the gaze and looked away. “I can’t explain it, Kim. He’s just so...” She looked back at her and sighed. “I have something to confess. Do you remember the first night we arrived in Colorado ? The night you were so exhausted you crashed at eight-thirty? Well, I couldn’t sleep, mountain sickness, I guess. At any rate, I left the room about an hour after you’d dropped off, just to get some fresh air and take a walk, thinking it would make me sleepy... But I ended up at a little saloon not far down the road from the hotel. It was real western and all, you know, kind of like what you’d see in the movies, and the place was hopping. Country music was pouring out the open doors and cowboys were literally dripping out of the place.” She paused.
    “So I went in.”
    Kim groaned and shook her head. “I don’t think I want to hear the rest of this.”
    Jillie grabbed her hands and held onto them. “Yes, you do. I met Mack that night. We danced. Took a walk. Talked a lot. Kissed once or twice. That’s all. But we didn’t want to let each other go. I don’t know whether you’d call it chemistry or love at first sight, but Kim...” Jillie sighed and Kim almost envied her, “there’s just something special about that man. I don’t want to ever be away from him.”
    “But you’ve only known him a couple of days.”
    She nodded. The rest of her story tumbled out. “I know, crazy isn’t it? But I saw him again the night before last, and then I finagled you into the trail ride thing. And then, when Mack and I were in the barn putting the horses up, he told me about this pack trip. I guess we were thinking of two whole weeks together. I made up the story about Thelma and Dottie. Mack just confirmed it. At any rate, I guess I wasn’t thinking about you and your feelings. I’m sorry. So if you want to be mad at me for the rest of your life, that’s okay. I’ll tell you how to get back to Durango , it’s not hard, but it’s over an hour away. I really wish you’d stay. Wouldn’t it really be a great thing to go back to school this fall and tell our students what we did? It’ll be fun, Kim, please think about staying.”
    “That man hates me, you know. He’s going to make my life a living hell.”
    “No, Kim. He doesn’t hate you. You two got off on the wrong foot. Please don’t let that stop you.”
    Kim slowly closed her eyes. She inhaled a shallow breath, then quickly huffed it out. She knew if she opened her eyes she’d see Jillie’s pleading face looking back. It wasn’t like Jillie’s acting on impulse was something new. Kim was used to it. But this thing she had with Mack must be real, or at least needs to be given the chance to be real—and if the tables were turned, she knew what Jillie would do for her. She’d do whatever Kim wanted.
    Damn it.          
    She opened her eyes, but tried to keep her face devoid of any emotion. “This is the worst thing you’ve done to me since you filed my picture and resume with that sleazy computer dating service.”
    Jillie stepped closer and Kim glimpsed a hint of a smile of her lips. “I know. Sometimes I can’t help acting out what comes to me. Forgive me? Come on. This might be a whole lot of fun.”
    Kim huffed out a breath that lifted her bangs. “Okay. All right. I’ll do it. But I won’t let you forget it for the rest of your life and if you two get married you have to name your first-born kid after me. I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl. Got it?” She couldn’t help it then, her face broke into