The You I Never Knew Read Online Free PDF Page B

and magnetism of a true pro. She got a good look at him as he led his horse, showman-style, along the rail. The years had hardly left a mark on him. He still filled a pair of jeans like a Levi’s poster boy. He still had that slightly crooked grin that had once made her heart melt. Accepting the accolades, he still had that funny, enchanting “aw-shucks” manner about him.
    And he was still caught up in the shallow thrills of the rodeo, she reminded herself with a superior sniff as a leggy brunette handed him a trophy, accompanying it with a kiss.
    Was it the rodeo that had seduced him away from her? That had made him disappear overnight? She had never seen him again. Until now.
    “That was kind of cool, wasn’t it?” Cody came up behind her.
    “What, the calf roping?” Good God, thought Michelle. Panic beat so hard in her chest it felt like a heart attack. Cody didn’t know. She never thought she would have to tell him.
Good God
.
    “Yeah, the calf roping, whatever.” He watched the handlers, done up like clowns, shooing dogies into pens. “It was pretty cool.”
    Was it genetic? Michelle wondered. “I thought you were into wholesome pursuits like slam dancing and body piercing.”
    “How about driving, Mom? Can I drive from here to your father’s place?”
    Michelle nodded, thinking irrationally that if she gave in, she wouldn’t have to deal with the other. “All right. You can drive.”
    For a few moments longer, he watched Sam with interest. And why not? The tall cowboy, with his easy smile and smooth way with the ladies, was sure to appeal to a boy’s imagination.
    Her heart chilled, aching in her chest. Sam was here. Sam and Cody were both here. And they didn’t know about each other.

Chapter 4
    I t felt damned good to win. Winning always gave Sam a rush. Cheap thrills. They never lasted long, but they were easier to come by than the real thing.
    “Nice ride.” Edward Bliss fell in step with Sam while he walked Rio to cool out the big horse. “You done good, pardner.” Beyond the paddock, some of the rigs were getting ready to leave, diesel engines idling.
    “I guess I’ll be buying all of Ruby’s blankets.” Sam led Rio in a wide circle. Steam rose from the quarter horse’s body and plumed from his nostrils.
    “You’re too late. I just sold the last one. To a pretty blond lady I didn’t recognize.” Edward handed him a bottle of water.
    “I assume you introduced yourself.” Sam took a swig from the bottle.
    “Nope. She was in a hurry. Had some whiny longhaired kid with her who kept saying it was his turn to drive.”
    “When you’re a kid, it’s
always
your turn to drive.” Sam finished the water. Out in the parking lot, the sound of gunning engines roared. “So, you got a hot date?”
    “Does a coyote have fleas?” Edward gestured at a plump, dark-haired woman in denims and a chinook jacket. She waved to him. “Pearl, from the bank. We’re going up to Polson to have a few beers. Want to come?”
    Sam grinned, thinking about the suggestion Loretta Sweeney had whispered in his ear when she’d given him the winner’s trophy and check. “I’ve had a better offer.”
    Edward read his mind. “Loretta’s a slut.”
    “That’s what I like about her.”
    Edward took off. Sam bent to put on Rio’s boots—he always put boots on the horses so they wouldn’t damage their hooves in the trailer—when the whir of a spinning tire made the horse shy.
    “Damn it.” Sam dodged an iron-shod hoof.
    A second later, he heard the unmistakable metal-on-metal crunch of two vehicles meeting. Rio grunted and flattened his ears. Looping the horse’s lead around a rail, Sam went to see what the problem was.
    “Shit,” he said. “Shit, shit, shit.”
    The yuppie Range Rover from Washington had backed into his trailer. Its bumper was hooked into the rear, brake lights casting an eerie red glow over the dirty, churned-up snow. As Sam stalked across the parking lot, the yuppie gunned it