Read Online Cassidy Harte and the Comeback Kid by RaeAnne Thayne - Free Book Online Page B

common goals in life. He was good-looking and even owned his own very successful guest ranch just a mile or so from the Lost Creek.
    If she married him, she could have his entire modern kitchen at her disposal. Could probably have free rein doing what she loved for the rest of her life.
    But the no-good-cowboy-who-done-her-wrong currently standing behind her, listening to every word, had left a gaping hole in her heart that no one else had ever been able to fill.
    Wade began to wind down, and she forced herself to pay attention as he reached what she discovered was the real reason for his call. “One of the repertory companies in Jackson Hole is doing a production of Shenandoah. It’s getting fairly good reviews for a small theater, and I’ve got tickets for Sunday night. Would you be interested?”
    His voice was tinged with a faint hesitation that only intensified her self-disgust. These days Wade offered each invitation with the wariness of a child whose fingers had been slapped one too many times, but who still couldn’t help hoping this time he might be able to reach the cookie jar.
    What was worse? she wondered. Continuing to turn down his tenaciousness in the hope that he would eventually give up? Or dating him when she knew she would never be able to feel anything more than friendship for him?
    She opened her mouth to decline once more, then she caught sight of Zack leaning against the door frame, looking lean and tawny and gorgeous. The heartless, cheating son of a gun.
    She jerked her gaze back to her desk and winced as she heard her next words tumble out. “Sure,” she told Wade. “Sounds like fun.”
    An awkward pause simmered across the line and she knew he was taken aback that she had agreed but he quickly recovered. “Great. Show starts at eight. I’ll pick you up at six and we can have dinner first. Will that work?”
    â€œYes. Oh, no. Wait a minute.” Her Sunday commitments jostled through her memory. “I’ll be having dinner at the Diamond Harte on Sunday with my brothers. We always do.”
    â€œOh.” The disappointment in his voice was painful to hear.
    She caught sight of Zack again and swallowed her resigned sigh, trying to inject enthusiasm in her voice. “We can eat early and finish up by six-thirty. Why don’t we skip dinner together and just go to the show? You can pick me up at the ranch.”
    The polite thing would be to invite him to dinner with her family but she didn’t want anybody—especially not Wade—getting the wrong idea.
    â€œThat would be great. I’ll spend the rest of the week looking forward to it.”
    â€œMe, too,” she lied. “I’ll see you then.”
    As soon as she hung up the phone, Zack uncoiled from the wall to loom over her. “Big plans?”
    â€œA show in Jackson.” She busied herself pretending to tidy up her desk, just to give her hands something to do.
    Zack was quiet for a moment, then his mouth tightened. “I don’t want you going anywhere with Lowry. Call him back and tell him to forget your plans.”
    It took several moments for the sheer audacity of his words to pierce her brain. When it did, she could do nothing but stare at him. “Excuse me?” she finally managed to exclaim.
    â€œHe’s trouble. Stay away from him.”
    â€œTrouble? You’re warning me that Wade Lowry is trouble?” She didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. She thought she had been as angry as she’d ever been that morning in the kitchen, but when it came to Slater she was discovering all her emotions were on a shortfuse, just looking for any excuse to come brimming to the surface.
    â€œI’m serious, Cass. I don’t want you going out with him.”
    â€œAnd I don’t want to be the topic of dinner conversation at every house in Star Valley tonight because you showed up again,” she snapped. “Here’s a