The Cowgirl Rides Away (Bluebonnet Texas Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

were dressed in holiday colors—a green turtleneck for Zack and red for Travis. Zack had a nicely trimmed goatee and his shoulder-length hair was pulled back in a tidy ponytail. I leaned closer. He had quite a tan for a redhead, and his eyes—a deeper green than his son's—looked gentle. Sweet even. He had an earring, not a stud but a tiny hoop. I smiled to myself, thinking it suited him, though he wasn't at all what I'd imagined.
    Even with the little one squatted between his legs, I could see Zack was thick-chested. Broad and stocky like a bull rider, his thick biceps were well defined under the snug turtleneck. I had a secret weakness for bull riders that dated back to my first high school crush. I'd been too bashful to act on it, and even though we were on the high school rodeo team together, Bobby Joe Farrell had never looked twice at me. He liked cheerleaders...had even married one.
    Zack's son was adorable, solemn looking with dark hair and huge pale green eyes surrounded by thick lashes. He didn't favor his daddy much, and I wondered what had happened to his mother. Zack hadn't really said. Maybe they were divorced. I studied that picture a long time, wondering who'd taken it, who'd been there and what the wrapped gift in his hand had been.
    I scolded myself for being sappy, then scolded myself for being so cynical and skeptical and considered how a normal woman might answer, might react. I wasn't a normal woman. Or rather, average. I wasn't average. Not after spending so many years in a man's world. But I forced myself to try and type my response as if I were.
     
Dear Zack,
You're very sweet. No one's ever wanted to paint me before. I worried that maybe my crooked nose would scare you off :) . Thanks so much for the picture. It's funny how descriptions and photos don't always match.
     
    Both major understatements! I was dying to know more about father and son. By the time I finished my response and shut off the light, I'd been well and truly smitten.
     
    ***
     
    "You know Trey didn't mean anything by his question, don't you?" Jace asked softly as he helped me get settled in bed a few weeks later.
    Our visit with the twins had gone great, even if I couldn't play like usual. They'd loved their presents and my pot roast had been perfect, but it was dessert that had fallen flat. Not the cake, but Trey's questions about my future during dessert.
    "I know."
    Trey was one of my oldest friends and not one to be cruel, but he could be a bit obtuse at times. I was tired, despite my nap, and Trey's probing questions had hurt.
    I was in denial and kinda likin' it.
    "So...have you given it any thought? Maybe about selling this place and going home, to the ranch? Or even buying something near Dad." Jace sat beside me on the bed, carefully avoiding my eyes.
    "Going home is not an option, Jace. You know that as well as I do." My stepmother would take great pleasure in making the experience as intolerable as possible. I wasn't a masochist. It was much easier to stay away, to keep the peace, than deal with her.
    "So what are you gonna do?" Jace was a natural-born worrier. "What's the plan?"
    "To get some sleep." I nudged him with my good leg. "Now go away. Please."
    He did, shutting out the light and closing the door behind him, but the damage was done. Tears filled my eyes and streamed down my cheeks into my hair as I stared up at the ceiling. I groped the nightstand for the box of tissues, yanked one out and wiped away the tears that only made me angrier.
    Despite my fatigue, my brain was on full alert and I lay staring at the ceiling, cursing my mind that refused to settle and Trey for his big mouth.
    What to do with the rest of my life was a question I'd ignored for weeks, but like the elephant in the room, it wasn't going anywhere. I'd ignored it because I didn't know what to do. I'd assumed I'd have another five years—at least. Money wasn't a problem, thanks to Kane who'd taken me in hand early on and taught me to invest