Rodeo Romance (Contemporary Western Romance Short) Read Online Free PDF Page A

was she going to put it back where she got it. She’d hold the damn thing all night if she had to, but instead, she just laid it on the pool table. The whole time she played pool, she could feel Jake’s eyes on her.
    “Did you give him a dollar?” Cindy asked before Trisha could sit down.
    “Ah, no.” Trisha glared. “I didn’t know we were playing for anything.”
    “Hey Hank,” Cindy called out. “Come over here and get your winnings.”
    “Jeez, do you have to be so loud?” Trisha dug in her pocket pulling out a dollar.
    “That’s okay,” Hank called back, grabbing another beer. “I can’t take money from a woman.”
    Trisha’s narrowed glare met Cindy’s. “How about another game, Hank?”
    “Ah, shit.” Cindy cringed. “He had to go there.”
    “Sure, why not. I’ll even give you some pointers.” Spoken like a typical male.
    Personally, Trisha didn’t have anything against Hank. He seemed like a good guy, but good guy or not, she would take his dollar. She let him rack the balls and when he finished, she nodded toward the table.
    “You want to break?” Hank asked, grabbing his pool stick.
    “Nope. You won, you break.” She picked up the blue chalk, to chalk the end of the pool stick, reminding her of what happened with Jake. Putting it down quickly, she peeked his way, only to find his eyes on her, causing a flutter of butterflies to take flight in her stomach.
    “Looks like you got your choice,” Hank said as he studied the table. On his break, no balls had gone in the pockets. “I think you should go for solids. The shots are easier.”
    Trisha studied the table and decided he was right, but also decided to take the stripes instead, just to make a point. Hitting five striped balls in the pockets, she missed her sixth.
    Hank stared at the table, then at her with surprise. “Nice shooting.” He took a long drink of beer. “Didn’t leave me much.” Hank studied the table for a few more minutes. He pocketed three balls, missing his fourth.
    She almost felt sorry for him, but not enough to throw another game. Hitting the rest of her balls in, she was left with the eight ball. “I’m going to bank it off the side”—she pointed with her pool stick—“and into the right corner pocket.” Carefully, she aimed, hit the cue ball, which hit the eight ball, sending it off the side and into the right corner pocket. A few snickers filled the quiet room.
    “I’ll be damned.” Hank sat there and looked from her to the table. “Guess you had to warm up.”
    She smiled. “Something like that.” She glanced at Cindy who shook her head at her, then raised her beer in salute.
    “Good game.” Hank reached into his pocket, pulling out a dollar.
    Trisha put her pool stick back down on the table then looked up at the dollar. “Let’s call it even.”
    “Want to play another one?” Hank grinned.
    “Nope, think I’m going to call it a night.” Trisha smiled, wanting nothing more than to get out of there. Jake’s stares were getting to her, bad, confusing the crap out of her. “But thanks.”
    ******
    “You look a little preoccupied.” Tim grinned, eyeing his brother who hadn’t taken his eyes off Trisha Summers, their new ranch hand. “What do you think of our two city girls?”
    “They seem nice.” Jake turned his attention to his brother. “Haven’t really talked to them much.”
    “Trisha seems nice, but the other one has a mouth on her.” Tim glanced toward Cindy, who still sat with Jeb.
    “She’s gorgeous and your type.” Jake chuckled, but sighed when he didn’t get a response. Before his accident, Tim had been engaged to Rebecca Hardin. After about a month of intense surgeries and therapy, she had walked out on him. It had devastated his brother. Since that time, no woman fazed his brother. That was until this Cindy woman. Even though he seemed irritated by her, Tim was showing emotion toward a woman, and that was a definite improvement. When Tim didn’t respond,