Some Like It Hot (Sweetrock Cowboy Romance Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

liked being solo. Unencumbered. Besides, she was here for the contest and the sooner she won and got out of Sweetrock with her ten thousand dollar winnings, the better.
    She chanced another glance over, to find Nick looking at her. Their eyes locked and heat flushed through her body. Why did her biggest competitor have to be the hottest cowboy in Montana?
    Her cheeks burned as she realized Nick was probably thinking about their almost-kiss too, and Sam was glad she and Tessa had made an early night of it.
    Tessa was a riding instructor and trail guide at a ranch called Happy Trails. She’d had an early morning trail ride scheduled, so she’d wanted to go home shortly after the dance. Sam had been reluctantly happy to oblige. She knew in her heart that there could be nothing between her and Nick—long distance romances never worked out. Plus, she wanted a good night’s sleep so she could have a fresh mind for the first day of the chili contest.
    The contest was what was most important to her.
    So then why did she keep thinking about the feel of Nick’s body pressed against hers and that dark, lusty look in his eyes?
    And why on earth had she told him she had a secret? Because he’d been acting so superior, that’s why.
    His comments about men making the best chili and how someone from New England couldn’t possibly cook it had gotten to her and she just had to take him down a notch.
    Daddy always said she was too impulsive. Didn’t think enough before she opened her mouth. It had gotten her in trouble before, and she realized she shouldn’t have lost her cool. She had a feeling she was going to regret telling Nick she had a secret.
    She chewed her bottom lip, catching Nick’s eye once again. Was he looking over here to check her out or was he trying to figure out her secret?
    Around ten o’clock the customer traffic picked up and she got busy, leaving no time to think about Nick. The spicy smells of the chili and the din of the crowds surrounded her and in no time, Sam got into her cooking groove.
    Food prep and cooking put her into a meditative trance, and she moved easily from one job to the next. Juggling the tasks of ladling out bowls of steaming chili while making sure she had enough peppers chopped and the ground beef browned to go into the next batch, all the while keeping her crockpots and stove pots simmering so she would have a ready supply for the hungry customers.
    She was busy taking the seeds out of a jalapeño pepper, being careful not to wipe her eyes, when a gravelly voice chimed up from the front of the tent.
    “So, you’re the new contestant.”
    Sam spun around but didn’t actually see anyone there. Where had the voice come from?
    “Well, let’s have a taste of your chili,” the voice demanded.
    It appeared to be coming from behind one of the large stainless steel crockpots she had sitting on the front table.
    Sam stepped forward and peered over to find a little old lady bent over with her nose to the lid of the pot. She was only about four feet tall and rail thin. Her brown hair was pulled in a tight knot on top of her head, her face wrinkled like a piece of paper that had been crumpled and then gone through the wash several times. But her eyes, peeking out from behind turquoise-rimmed rhinestone studded half-moon glasses, were clear blue and as sharp as one of Sam’s best Henckels chef’s knives.
    Sam wiped her hands on her apron, pulled off her gloves, and stuck out her hand to shake. “Hi, there. I’m Sam Dunn.”
    “Beulah Grady.” The name sounded familiar, but Sam didn’t have time to remember from where before the old lady crushed Sam’s hand in her gnarled one, her handshake as firm as a trucker’s. She jerked her head in the direction of Nick’s tent. “So you’re fixing to compete with Nick Bradford, eh? He’s a hometown favorite, you know.”
    Sam’s eyes flicked over to see Nick laughing and joking with a crowd of people as he served them chili. Her stomach