Sweet Texas Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

mind if I join you?”
    “No, please do. And thank you. Everyone always comments on my accent. I don’t see what’s so special about it.”
    Macy sat down and Charlotte tried to think if she’d heard any of Macy’s music. She wasn’t a big country-and-western listener, although she’d come across the odd station or fifty on her satellite radio.
    “It’s just so pretty. And sounds so proper.” Macy turned to Betty Lou. “Can I have an iced tea and your chicken fried steak special?”
    “Sure, Macy. You not eating with Gavin?”
    “Not tonight. He’s eating with his brothers, but I’m meeting him at the Silver Spurs later on.”
    “You should take Charlotte, introduce her to Gage and Grayson,” Betty Lou said with a wink before walking away. “Those boys could do with someone pretty in their lives.”
    Surely there couldn’t be two Gages living in Sweet Ridge. And surely, fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to throw Gage in her path again when she was visiting town to see the very land he wanted.
    “Please tell me she’s not talking about Gage Cooper.” She directed her question to Macy, who was humming and drumming her fingers on the table.
    “Yep, why? Do you know Gage?”
    For all Charlotte knew, Macy could be one of his ex-lovers or something. A high-profile star seemed the sort of girl Gage would chase after.
    “Umm, yes, I do. You could say our paths have crossed one or two times.”
    Macy leaned forward, a gleam in her eye. “Ohhh, now you’ve got me intrigued. Don’t tell me the two of you dated.”
    Charlotte laughed out loud. “No, definitely not. Our interactions have purely been professional.”
    Macy sat back. “Well, now, that’s disappointing. I thought you’d have something I could use to dangle over his head. Or at least tell Gavin about so he and Grayson could torment him with it.”
    Another waitress arrived with a tray loaded up with their food and drinks. Once she placed their meals in front of them, Charlotte asked Macy the question burning in the front of her mind.
    “How well do you know Gage?”
    “We all went to the same high school—me, Gavin, Grayson, and Gage—although I was just starting my senior year when he was a freshman. I did expect Gage to be a big- time football player taking my team, the Dallas Cowboys, to the Super Bowl. He was the star player on the high school team. Everyone was talking about what a great future he was going to have.”
    Charlotte filed away that piece of information. Never would she have thought Gage would’ve been a football player. He seemed way more at home in an office than on an expanse of green grass. “I don’t know that much about American football.”
    “We breathe football here in Texas. I’m dating Gage’s older brother now, and when I asked why Gage is in oil and not the NFL, Gavin clammed up. I’m guessing there’s a story there, but I’m more interested in my man than his brother.”
    A soft smile broke out over Macy’s face. She could tell that Macy cared a lot for Gage’s brother, but Charlotte was more intrigued by the story of why Gage hadn’t followed through on his potential to be a superstar football player.
    “Actually, dating is pretty tame to describe what is going on between us. Gavin is the love of my life. I inherited a beautiful house, and I’m so happy I could burst.”
    Bells started ringing in Charlotte’s head, and all thoughts of delving further into Gage’s non-football career disappeared. Not the “
Danger, Will Robinson!
”
type bells. More of the “
something is familiar here
” type.
    “You inherited a house? I’m sorry for your loss. Was it a close family member who died?”
    To her astonishment, Macy laughed. Who laughed over someone’s death? Unless they didn’t like that person and were glad they’d passed on. Even though Charlotte hadn’t known Jack a long time, she had felt extremely sad when she’d heard the news.
    Macy touched her arm, obviously seeing her surprise.