Rodeo King (Dustin Lovers Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

lap.
    He clucked his tongue. “That’s not
exactly true, darlin’. There’s Carson. And regardless of how things work out
between us, I want you both to be happy.”
    Her emotions churning, a tear slid
down her cheek. Why couldn’t she have fallen for someone like Dave? He was
handsome, solid, and dependable. Not some footloose cowboy with dreams of being
a rodeo star. Even six years ago she knew Caleb could easily end up breaking
her heart. “Carson and I are happy.”
    He brought his thumb to her cheek
and swiped at her tears. “Are you? From what I can see, you’re so tied up in
Caleb you can’t move on, can’t give another guy a chance.”
    “That’s not true. I’ve dated
plenty,” she denied, though she knew he was speaking the truth.
    Evelyn dropped off their drinks
with a quick smile for them both, and Rosemary reached for her margarita. She
needed something to help her relax. Her nerves were strung tight.
    Dave lifted his frosty beer mug,
his expression pure devilment. “Maybe you need some help working him out of
your system.”
    She choked on her drink, giving him
an incredulous look. He was so full of it. Damn, but he was cute, with that
golden brown buzz cut and those twinkling hazel eyes. Why couldn’t she have
fallen for him, instead of the town heartbreaker? Still, her tension eased and
she laughed. “Are you offering, cowboy?”
    He grinned at her over the top of
his mug, and took a swig, then wiped the foam from his mouth with the back of
his hand before replying, “Maybe.”
    Setting his mug down, his
expression grew serious. “Or maybe you need to give him another shot, or at
least an opportunity to know his son. Then you’ll be able to finally move on.”
    Should he have the right to know
his son? No! He abandoned us.
    But he hadn’t known about Carson.
He’d only abandoned her .
    Rosemary looked back at the bar and
her stomach clenched, hurt rushing through her veins. Caleb had his arm around
a floozie’s waist as she stared up at him like some puppy dog looking for a
bone.
    But his glittering gaze was solidly
locked on Rosemary, even as the woman’s hand crawled up his chest. Then the
other bimbo leaned over and whispered something in his ear as she pressed up
against his back. He glanced around to the voluptuous blonde, and smiled.
    A smile he used to turn on her
right before he made love to her.
    A smile he now gave to two sluts in
a bar; one he’d probably been giving to women all across the rodeo circuit,
along with his body.
    Rosemary’s heart hardened and she
turned away as Adrianne came up to their table with their meals. No, she didn’t
want Caleb Johnson.
    But did that give her the right to
keep him away from his son?

Chapter
Five
     
    Right about the same time Rosemary
finished her meal and got to her feet, Caleb realized the last thing he wanted
was a couple of local barflies hanging all over him. The hurt look she cast
him, before glancing quickly away, made him feel like a real jerk.
    Busy detaching the blonde’s
inch-long fingernails from his shirtsleeve, he glanced toward the dining room
again, just in time to see Rosemary pause next to Dave, slip her purse strap
over her shoulder, then lean in and kiss the bastard’s cheek. Dave watched the
sway of her jeans-clad hips all the way to the door.
    Caleb wanted to rip off Dave’s head
and stuff it up his ass. And then confront Rosemary. Remove the pain from where
it burned a hole in his gut as if he’d eaten acid. Clear the air between them,
once and for all.
    He’d purposely stayed away from her
for two days, reacquainting himself with the slower pace of Dustin, trying to
take it easy on his leg. He’d looked up a few old, still-local friends, even
reconnected with his Uncle Zip, spending an hour or so the other night yakking
to him long distance to Rock Springs, where Zip had landed after leaving
Dustin. Most of his meals Caleb had eaten at the diner off Main.
    Some needed space. That had been
his aim. For