Read Online Send Me a Cowboy by Joann Baker - Free Book Online

can drive you home.” The look he gave her
was so flinty she was surprised the bedcovers didn’t catch fire. “I
hope you realize you’ve broken Marcia’s heart. She’s in love with
my brother.”
    Though hurt beyond words, Katie was glad that
anger was her primary emotion. “Well, maybe she’ll realize that
having sex with one of the Kinkaid brothers doesn’t mean a
damn thing.” She crawled from the bed thanking her lucky stars
she’d pulled on her underwear and t-shirt as soon as James had
left. She didn’t know if she could do this if she’d had been naked.
It was bad enough she was exposing this amount of flesh to a man
who now despised her. She gritted her teeth as she put weight on
her ankle.
    Her jeans and sweater were on the dresser,
clean and dry thanks to Mrs. Carter. Marcia had brought them up
earlier, before John had brought her supper. She gritted her teeth
as she pulled the denim over her hips. Luckily the snap closed
easily. How embarrassing it would be if she had to lay on the bed
to zip up her pants.
    She pulled her sweater on over the t-shirt.
There was no way she was taking it off in front of him. Too damn
bad if he wanted it back. She stalked across the floor, blocking
out the pain walking was causing. She fought back the tears that
stung her eyes. She’d die before she let him see any weakness.
She’d leave even if she had to crawl. She stuffed her bra into her
purse and grabbed her laptop and the borrowed briefcase she’d
brought with her on her first day at the ranch. This man had been
in her life a little over two weeks and he’d already broken her
heart.
    The man was crazy if he thought that she—or
any other woman in her right mind—would leave his bed for his
brother’s. The things they’d done…
    Maybe she was the crazy one for thinking
something like that could have lasted.
    *****
    It was two days before Valentine’s Day and if
Katie saw another chocolate heart or fake rose she was going to
puke. Jessica would be happy now. Katie no longer obsessed about
Valentine’s Day. In fact, she was starting to hate the day.
    Once again she would not be receiving
anything for Valentine’s Day. And now, she didn’t care. Her heart
ached for what she’d shared with John and the hope for a future
that would never be. That dream had died before it had gotten a
chance to soar.
    And why not? Her heart was broken. No matter
how illogical, Katie knew she’d started to fall in love with John
Kinkaid. How could that be after just a couple of weeks? The time
spent with him had awoken something within her. She’d felt alive
and loved. He’d had an upbringing that was far from ideal just as
she had. It had shaped him in ways that called to her.
    With John, she hadn’t felt like society’s
‘before’ picture of how a woman should look. She’d been Katie
Lenard, desirable woman.
    Rain had started to fall late in the
afternoon. If the temperature had been just a little lower, snow
would be covering the city. She’d gotten wet as she left work and
took a long hot shower once she’d made it home. But no amount of
hot showers or warm blankets could warm Katie. Her heart was
cold.
    She was so lonely. Lonelier than she’d ever
been in her life. Before she’d known John, she’d always known she
was alone. But now she knew that she would always be lonely. Maybe
time would lessen the pain, but the emptiness would remain.
    A knock sounded at the door. It was too early
for the pizza she’d ordered before taking her shower and Jessica
was out of town for the night. It was probably her next door
neighbor wanting to borrow some butter or sugar. The woman baked
excessively during any holiday.
    She went to the door dressed in a fuzzy pair
of lounging pajamas, polar bear house shoes and a thermal top. It
was too small and the material stretched across her chest and
showed a band of white skin along the bottom but she didn’t care.
Her hair wasn’t styled and her makeup had washed away under