Silk and Spurs Read Online Free PDF Page A

done it a thousand times before.
    It really wasn’t good for her heart to be here alone with him. She had no doubt that he wasn’t the kind of man to cheat on his fiancée, but it was going to make it all the harder for her. She could already see how easy it would be to fall for the sexy cowboy.
    She felt his presence the moment he walked into the kitchen and she glanced up from straining the fresh squash that she’d just steamed. When he reached her she caught his warm, masculine scent and a part of her sighed with longing. His hair was damp and he wore clean wranglers and a blue T-shirt that went with the blue of his eyes. The T-shirt stretched across his biceps and showed his powerful muscled chest that she’d had the opportunity to view when he’d taken his shirt off.
    With a smile she said, “Have a seat. The table is set.”
    “I’ll get the beans.” He picked up the pot and she grabbed a bowl of salad and a trivet.
    They reached the table together and she put the trivet down for him to set the beans on, then put the salad bowl on the table. “I just need to grab the squash,” she said and left him to get the serving pan that she’d put the veggie into.
    Everything else was on the table, including sliced chicken breast, iced tea, the cornbread, salsa, hot sauce, and salad dressings along with grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, and onions to put on the beans if he liked to dress them up like she did.
    When they were seated, he took her bowl and ladled pinto beans into it before passing it back to her. They loaded their plates and began eating. It pleased her to see him tearing into dinner and he seemed to enjoy every bite.
    “Phoebe said to give her a call and you can photograph her place tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll draw you a map and give you her phone number.”
    Jessie nodded as he took second helpings. “How long have you and Phoebe been engaged?” she found herself asking.
    He paused and swallowed the bite of cornbread he’d just taken. “Close to six months now.”
    “Why the wait?” She tilted her head to the side. “Is it going to be a big wedding?”
    He took a drink of his iced tea then set the glass on the table. “I’d have a big get together but Phoebe prefers a small one. She even wanted to just get it done at the courthouse in Sierra Visa.”
    “Are you two compromising?” Jessie couldn’t help herself from asking more questions. Something made her want to know more about him and the woman he was going to marry.
    “It won’t be too big, but I do have lots of friends in these parts who would feel slighted if they didn’t get invited.”
    Jessie nodded, but she had the feeling that it didn’t matter what Zane wanted. If she had read the woman right, Phoebe was all about Phoebe.
    Maybe she wasn’t being fair. After all, she’d only seen the woman throwing a hissy fit and hadn’t spent any time with her.
    “How did you meet her?” she asked.
    “She married the guy who owned the ranch she now owns. Nice guy. Older guy. They met at his cousin’s wedding back in Phoenix and they hit it off,” Zane said. “She moved out here and they ended up married two months later. They didn’t really seem to go together, though.” He continued, “I knew Mike for years. He had never been married and I was happy for him.”
    “Did they divorce?” Jessie asked.
    “No, Mike was killed.” Zane shook his head. “I was as shocked as everyone else around here. At the viewing and funeral I talked with Phoebe. She called on me a week after his funeral. She was lonely and needed someone to talk to. We kinda hit it off and things moved kinda fast.”
    “How did Mike die?” Jessie asked.
    “He was working on a truck in front of the ranch house,” Zane said. “He had it jacked up and the jack slipped out and the truck crushed him.”
    “That’s awful,” Jessie said.
    Zane nodded. “Yep, it sure was. Just a sad deal all around.”
    Something made her keep going. “How long did you date