The Cowboy's Gamble: Destined For Love Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

knew she wasn’t prepared to answer any of them. “You’ve conducted your business, and now I’d appreciate it if you’d leave.”
    “In a minute,” he said, and from the back pocket of his jeans brought out a folded envelope and handed it to her. “When I picked up the deed from your father’s attorneys, he asked me to give you this letter that Jake left for you.”
    Not about to refuse the only link she might have to her father, she took the envelope from him.
    “Think about your options carefully, Josie, and I’ll be back in a few days for your answer.” He turned and headed to where he’d left his horse hitched to a post next to the stable doors. She watched him mount the chestnut in a fluid motion then direct the mare around to face her.
    His horse pranced anxiously, chomping at the bit to go. Seth effortlessly held the powerful horse in check with the slight pressure of his thighs. From atop his steed, Seth’s gaze perused the length of her one last time, from the springy auburn curls atop her head, past the blouse tied off beneath her breasts, over her faded cut-offs, to the tips of her bare toes. By the time he finished his blatant male survey, her pulse was racing out of control and she felt more restlessly inflamed than she cared to admit.
    She hated him , she mentally chanted, and shook off the disturbing sensations unfurling within her.
    He smiled, as if reading her thoughts and accepting her challenge. “Keep in mind, Josie, darlin’” he said, reverting back to that sexy, lazy drawl of his. “We’ll need to be married by next Friday, or everything is mine.”
    On that last parting remark he took off, spurring his horse across McAllister land that eventually gave way to O’Connor property, leaving Josie behind to make a decision that would either bind her to a man who’d cruelly deceived her, or give up the only home she and Kellie had.
    Either way, she saw heartache in her future.

    Seth rode his horse hard and fast toward the Paradise Wild, but no matter how ruthlessly he pushed Lexi for speed, he found he couldn’t outrun his conflicting feelings for the woman he’d just left behind.
    He slowed Lexi as they neared a wide creek that trickled down from the mountain butting against the side of McAllister and O’Connor property. He waited until his mare had settled, then slid out of the saddle and dropped the reins so she could graze.
    Bending down by the creek, he scooped the cool, clear liquid into his palm, brought it to his mouth, and quenched his thirst. Then he dipped both hands into the water and ran them through his hair, slicking the thick strands away from his face.
    Damn Josie and her trigger-happy finger anyway, he thought irritably. That had been his favorite Stetson, shaped to his head perfectly after years of use, and now he has going to have to break in a new one.
    Sighing heavily, he stared at his scowling expression reflecting off the crystalline water. He wanted to hate her, just as she claimed to despise him. And for eleven years he’d been able to believe that Josie McAllister meant nothing to him, that their brief time together in high school had been a grave mistake and taught him a valuable lesson he’d never forgotten.
    Like not to trust a McAllister’s motives.
    But try as he might, he never could forget Josie. No matter how many women he’d dated over the years, he couldn’t wipe out the memories of how silky and warm her skin felt beneath his hands, the sweet taste of her lips, her light, lilting laughter, and especially the soft sounds of pleasure she’d made when he slid deep inside her body. Those images had haunted him every night since the last time they’d made love.
    The connection between them had seemed magical, considering they’d been taught all their lives to hate the other. During grade school he’d ridiculed her mercilessly, taking his cue from his older brother, Robert. As a young boy he remembered that he hadn’t liked hurting Josie with