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.“Oh! I didn’t hear you come in.”“I figured you might not hear me coming because Zip loves the sound of his own voice, but you’re here all alone.”“Dean went to go check on Daisy.”He nodded.“I’m not surprised.Those two have quite a bond.”“So do the two of you, it seems.”“He’s the brother I never had.” Bobby hitched one hip on the edge of the table.“I know I wouldn’t be standing here on my own two feet without him.”“And it’s a pretty impressive place to be standing.”He faced her again.“That seems to be your favorite word when describing my home.”She looked around.“Well, it’s…big.”His internal radar went on full alert.What wasn’t she saying? “Why don’t you tell me what you really think?”Leeann shrugged, still refusing to meet his eyes.“Your decorators did an amazing job.”“But?”“But something about it is just too…”“Too…” He prodded again when her voice trailed off.“Come on, Lee, we’ve known each other too long for you to be firewalling me like this.”“Excuse me?”“Sorry, racing term.Just tell me what you think, okay?”She raised one hand in a helpless gesture before letting it fall back to her side.“It’s really more of an attraction than a home.Yes, all the artwork, expensive furniture and fixtures are beautiful, but it feels…lifeless.” She turned back to the awards wall.“Like it’s all just for show.”Her words caused a deep freeze low in his gut.“For show? As in showing off?”“Look at all of these.” She waved at the section of framed photographs.“You with the vice president, with George Clooney, with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.Heck, this one has you sandwiched between Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen.”“That was taken at their wedding.I was a guest.”“Of course you were.” She again crossed her arms over her chest and took a step backward even though there was at least three feet between them already.“Destiny is a small town with real people living normal lives.They worry about keeping their jobs, paying their bills and finding a way to put their kids through college.“But you know all that, Bobby, because you too once lived in this town.Back when you made a promise not to set foot in it again until you could return a big success with all the money in the world.”An icy wave coursed through him despite the warmth of the sun hitting his back through the glass doors.He remained silent and allowed her to speak, to throw his words back at him this time.Yes, he’d said all that—and more—the day she’d told him she’d chosen a shot at the glamorous life of high-fashion modeling over being his teenage bride.“What can I say?” His reply came out clipped and edgy, sharp as a shard of cut glass.“Mission accomplished.”“Yes, so it seems.” She pressed the fingers of one hand against her lips, as if she was stopping herself from saying anything more.“It’s probably best if I go now.Don’t worry, I can show myself out.”And just like that, Leeann Harris walked out on him.Again.Chapter Five“And then the great Bobby Winslow walked into the Youth Center and the kids went nuts.” Leeann crushed another shell between her fingers.Digging out the peanuts, she tossed them into her mouth and chased them down with a healthy swallow of frozen margarita.She was babbling.Unusual for her, but she couldn’t stop.The way she’d talked to Bobby this morning, in his own home no less, still made her cringe.Even as the words had flowed from her mouth, she couldn’t believe what she’d heard herself saying.He’d invited her into his house and what had she done? Torn him up one side and down the other for making a hard-won success of his life.Would she feel better if he’d turned out to be a bum?Her two best friends sat across from her in one of the circular booths at the Blue Creek Saloon, a legendary bar in Destiny, and had let her blather nonstop since they’d arrived a half hour ago.She’d told them everything, from the surprising reunion yesterday on the side of the road, to her mouthy critique of his log mansion, to his surprise appearance this afternoon during her volunteer stint at the Youth Center.“Can you believe that? Then before he leaves he pulls out his checkbook and just like that—” she snapped her fingers “—we have the cash to take the teens on the previously-canceled-for-lack-of-funds ski trip scheduled for the Christmas holidays.”A deep breath, another chug on her margarita, then one more deep breath, this time released with an audible sigh that signaled she was done.Finally.Eyeing Racy and Maggie, her confidants since grade school, she waited for them to agree with her.“Boy, what a jerk.” Racy Steele tried but failed to hide her grin behind her glass of iced tea.“I’ll have Gage lock him up the next time he dares show his face in town.”“Oh, I totally agree,” Maggie Cartwright added, cracking open a peanut shell for herself.“One hundred percent, grade-A slime.”“Sorry I’m late.” Gina Steele, Racy’s sister-in-law, slid into the booth next to Leeann.“Justin and I had a heck of a time finding the video Jacoby wanted to take with him on his sleepover with Anna.I swear that little boy is as messy as his father, but I’ve got to tell you, Maggie, he is so excited about spending time out at your ranch with your little girl.So, what’d I miss? Who’s slime?”“Bobby Winslow,” Racy and Maggie said in unison.Gina blinked.“Bobby ‘Sexy as Sin, Sweet as Candy’ Winslow? Hometown hero and stock car driver extraordinaire?”“Hey, don’t let my brother hear you talking like that,” Racy said, then grinned.“Justin might get jealous.”“I’m taken, not dead,” Gina shot back.“And if you all can look at Bobby’s Wrangler-encased butt and not sigh, then you’re stronger than me.”“He probably wears Wranglers because he gets paid to,” Leeann said.“So?” Gina replied.“I guess the female population of Destiny will just have to suffer with the hardship of a great-looking backside.”“Speaking of backsides…” Maggie paused, a twinkle in her blue eyes.“Check out the cowboys at the end of the main bar.”Gina and Racy immediately did as Maggie requested, but Leeann resisted.Or at least she tried to.She knew what she would see.She didn’t know how, but she did.Bobby was here.Unable to stand it any longer, she turned and scoped out the area, easily locating the group of men through the growing crowd.Even from the back she identified Landon, Maggie’s husband, the only true cowboy in the bunch.Next to him stood Gage, Racy’s husband and Gina’s brother, and as the sheriff of Destiny, Leeann’s former boss.Also with them was Racy’s brother, Justin Dillon, who happened to be Gina’s fiancé, even if she still wore the engagement ring he’d given her last spring on her right hand rather than her left [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.“Oh! I didn’t hear you come in.”“I figured you might not hear me coming because Zip loves the sound of his own voice, but you’re here all alone.”“Dean went to go check on Daisy.”He nodded.“I’m not surprised.Those two have quite a bond.”“So do the two of you, it seems.”“He’s the brother I never had.” Bobby hitched one hip on the edge of the table.“I know I wouldn’t be standing here on my own two feet without him.”“And it’s a pretty impressive place to be standing.”He faced her again.“That seems to be your favorite word when describing my home.”She looked around.“Well, it’s…big.”His internal radar went on full alert.What wasn’t she saying? “Why don’t you tell me what you really think?”Leeann shrugged, still refusing to meet his eyes.“Your decorators did an amazing job.”“But?”“But something about it is just too…”“Too…” He prodded again when her voice trailed off.“Come on, Lee, we’ve known each other too long for you to be firewalling me like this.”“Excuse me?”“Sorry, racing term.Just tell me what you think, okay?”She raised one hand in a helpless gesture before letting it fall back to her side.“It’s really more of an attraction than a home.Yes, all the artwork, expensive furniture and fixtures are beautiful, but it feels…lifeless.” She turned back to the awards wall.“Like it’s all just for show.”Her words caused a deep freeze low in his gut.“For show? As in showing off?”“Look at all of these.” She waved at the section of framed photographs.“You with the vice president, with George Clooney, with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.Heck, this one has you sandwiched between Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen.”“That was taken at their wedding.I was a guest.”“Of course you were.” She again crossed her arms over her chest and took a step backward even though there was at least three feet between them already.“Destiny is a small town with real people living normal lives.They worry about keeping their jobs, paying their bills and finding a way to put their kids through college.“But you know all that, Bobby, because you too once lived in this town.Back when you made a promise not to set foot in it again until you could return a big success with all the money in the world.”An icy wave coursed through him despite the warmth of the sun hitting his back through the glass doors.He remained silent and allowed her to speak, to throw his words back at him this time.Yes, he’d said all that—and more—the day she’d told him she’d chosen a shot at the glamorous life of high-fashion modeling over being his teenage bride.“What can I say?” His reply came out clipped and edgy, sharp as a shard of cut glass.“Mission accomplished.”“Yes, so it seems.” She pressed the fingers of one hand against her lips, as if she was stopping herself from saying anything more.“It’s probably best if I go now.Don’t worry, I can show myself out.”And just like that, Leeann Harris walked out on him.Again.Chapter Five“And then the great Bobby Winslow walked into the Youth Center and the kids went nuts.” Leeann crushed another shell between her fingers.Digging out the peanuts, she tossed them into her mouth and chased them down with a healthy swallow of frozen margarita.She was babbling.Unusual for her, but she couldn’t stop.The way she’d talked to Bobby this morning, in his own home no less, still made her cringe.Even as the words had flowed from her mouth, she couldn’t believe what she’d heard herself saying.He’d invited her into his house and what had she done? Torn him up one side and down the other for making a hard-won success of his life.Would she feel better if he’d turned out to be a bum?Her two best friends sat across from her in one of the circular booths at the Blue Creek Saloon, a legendary bar in Destiny, and had let her blather nonstop since they’d arrived a half hour ago.She’d told them everything, from the surprising reunion yesterday on the side of the road, to her mouthy critique of his log mansion, to his surprise appearance this afternoon during her volunteer stint at the Youth Center.“Can you believe that? Then before he leaves he pulls out his checkbook and just like that—” she snapped her fingers “—we have the cash to take the teens on the previously-canceled-for-lack-of-funds ski trip scheduled for the Christmas holidays.”A deep breath, another chug on her margarita, then one more deep breath, this time released with an audible sigh that signaled she was done.Finally.Eyeing Racy and Maggie, her confidants since grade school, she waited for them to agree with her.“Boy, what a jerk.” Racy Steele tried but failed to hide her grin behind her glass of iced tea.“I’ll have Gage lock him up the next time he dares show his face in town.”“Oh, I totally agree,” Maggie Cartwright added, cracking open a peanut shell for herself.“One hundred percent, grade-A slime.”“Sorry I’m late.” Gina Steele, Racy’s sister-in-law, slid into the booth next to Leeann.“Justin and I had a heck of a time finding the video Jacoby wanted to take with him on his sleepover with Anna.I swear that little boy is as messy as his father, but I’ve got to tell you, Maggie, he is so excited about spending time out at your ranch with your little girl.So, what’d I miss? Who’s slime?”“Bobby Winslow,” Racy and Maggie said in unison.Gina blinked.“Bobby ‘Sexy as Sin, Sweet as Candy’ Winslow? Hometown hero and stock car driver extraordinaire?”“Hey, don’t let my brother hear you talking like that,” Racy said, then grinned.“Justin might get jealous.”“I’m taken, not dead,” Gina shot back.“And if you all can look at Bobby’s Wrangler-encased butt and not sigh, then you’re stronger than me.”“He probably wears Wranglers because he gets paid to,” Leeann said.“So?” Gina replied.“I guess the female population of Destiny will just have to suffer with the hardship of a great-looking backside.”“Speaking of backsides…” Maggie paused, a twinkle in her blue eyes.“Check out the cowboys at the end of the main bar.”Gina and Racy immediately did as Maggie requested, but Leeann resisted.Or at least she tried to.She knew what she would see.She didn’t know how, but she did.Bobby was here.Unable to stand it any longer, she turned and scoped out the area, easily locating the group of men through the growing crowd.Even from the back she identified Landon, Maggie’s husband, the only true cowboy in the bunch.Next to him stood Gage, Racy’s husband and Gina’s brother, and as the sheriff of Destiny, Leeann’s former boss.Also with them was Racy’s brother, Justin Dillon, who happened to be Gina’s fiancé, even if she still wore the engagement ring he’d given her last spring on her right hand rather than her left [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]