Texas Pride Read Online Free PDF

Makeshift. With her. Alone.
    The realization suddenly made her palms sweat.
    She turned to Dylan, equally amazed that he’d handled the cross-examination as well as he had, even when the questions had turned personal.
    â€œI’m sorry about that,” she said.
    â€œThat they invited me for dinner?”
    â€œNo, of course not. About the grilling they just gave you.”
    â€œThey care about you, Jessica,” Dylan said quietly, squinting into the late-morning sun as he watched the pickup disappear. “That’s nothing to be sorry about.”
    There was something in Dylan’s voice, a wistfulness or perhaps a regret, that brought an unexplained ache to Jessica’s chest.
    â€œI know what it’s like to lose your parents,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”
    He looked at her with surprise. “Thank you, but my parents are alive and well somewhere in Europe right now, I imagine. Not together, of course,” he added. “Most likely with the current spouse or live-in friend.”
    Confused, she stared at him. “But you said you had no family.”
    â€œI said I had no wife. As far as my family goes, we rarely see each other. Like I told your brother, if there’s a problem here, you’ll have to handle it.”
    Jessica had always been so close to her parents it was difficult to understand that kind of indifference. But Dylan’s personal life was none of her business, she told herself, and from the curt tone of his voice, she knew he wasn’t offering any more information.
    Quiet seemed to surround them. The breeze picked up and gently swung the wooden sign over what used to be the doctor’s office. The swinging doors of the saloon creaked. She suddenly had no idea what to do with her hands. She clasped them in front of her and turned awkwardly to Dylan. “So, uh, where do we start?”
    Dylan stared at Jessica and tried not to notice how snug her jeans were or how the T-shirt she wore defined the roundness of her breasts. He could think of a few places he’d like to start with this woman, most of them involving a bed and fewer clothes. He sighed inwardly. That line of thinking was only going to lead to trouble, so he forced it from his mind.
    â€œHow about a tour?” he suggested. “I need to take a closer look at the insides of the buildings and see what kind of condition they’re in. After I look at your blueprints, I can make a materials list.”
    â€œWell,” she said tentatively, glancing quickly away, then back again, “there is a slight problem there.”
    â€œA slight problem where?” he asked, though something told Dylan he wasn’t going to like the answer.
    â€œWell, I don’t exactly have any blueprints.”
    He was right. He didn’t like the answer. “You didn’t call in an architect on a project this size?”
    â€œOh, I called one, all right. I just couldn’t afford him. All I have are a few preliminary sketches and permits for the work Jake and Jared did. I thought maybe I could just sort of figure it out as I went along.”
    Dylan stared at Jessica in disbelief. “Let me get this straight. You thought you could just figure out how to rebuild this entire town—without blueprints?”
    â€œActually,” Jessica said, her expression full of guilt, “I was hoping you...well, whoever I hired, I mean, might be able to handle it.”
    He struggled not to raise his voice. “Me? On the salary you’re paying me, I’m supposed to spend God knows how many hours drawing up plans, too?”
    â€œI don’t expect anything, Dylan,” she said, holding his gaze with her own. “If you don’t want to do it, I’m sure I can manage to pull something together for you.”
    â€œYou don’t pull together blueprints, Jessica,” he said sharply. “You draw them. Slowly and carefully.”
    This job of his was