Cherokee Baby. Sheri WhiteFeather

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ laughed. “Now there’s a man after my own heart.”

      He laughed, too. Even though he could still feel the loss, the fear, the pain from that depressing birthday. “I hated every minute of it.”

      “Then I guess that makes you my forty-support buddy.”

      “Yeah, I guess it does,” he agreed. “After all, no one should have to go through it alone.”

      “Amen to that.” She sighed, lifted her face to the sun. “And no one should have to be subjected to a cake with a tombstone on it.”

      Or bury a wife, he thought.

      They continued in silence, passing several large barbecue grills, a host of shaded picnic benches and the chef’s organic garden.

      When they reached the lodge, Bobby pointed to the parking lot. “I’m going that way.”

      “Oh, okay. I think I’ll book my first horseback-riding lesson for tomorrow. Should I do that at the reception desk?”

      He nodded. “Guess who your instructor will be?”

      “You?” she asked. “My forty-support buddy?”

      “Yep.” He tipped his hat. “Ancient cowboy at your service.”

      “Then I’ll see you tomorrow, old man.”

      “You got it.”

      He walked to his truck and then stopped to glance over his shoulder, to catch one more glimpse of her hair. But she was already gone, already out of sight.

      He reached for his keys, wondering what Julianne McKenzie would say if he told her the truth about his wife.

      That Sharon Elk had put her faith in him on the night she’d died.

      On the night he’d killed her.

      Two

      Julianne sat on the edge of a rolling-pin bed, poring over a color brochure.

      Her room at the lodge, artistically crafted from oak beams and plastered limestone, offered a cedar chest, a cypress table and multipaned windows.

      The architecture, she read, was inspired by the German immigrants who’d originally settled in the Texas Hill Country, but the colorful baskets and clay pottery represented the Elk family’s Cherokee roots.

      Curious to know more, she scanned the back of the brochure, hoping to learn more about Bobby’s family, but the rest of the information centered on the ranch.

      “So, what did he say?”

      Julianne glanced up. Kay sat at the table, watching her with a keen eye. Her cousins were staying in the room next door, but they seemed determined to remain by her side, probing her for details about Bobby Elk.

      “He accepted my apology.”

      “And?” Kay prompted.

      “And we talked about my birthday. About coping with turning forty. He seemed to understand how I feel.”

      “Did you tell him you were divorced?”

      Julianne nodded. “I mentioned it.”

      “We think he’s perfect for you.” Kay shot a gleaming grin at Mern. She, too, sat at the table, but she wasn’t nearly as devilish as the dark-haired Kay. Mern behaved like the innocent partner in crime, with her ladylike mannerisms and angelic gold locks. She merely inclined her head, waiting for Julianne’s reaction.

      Just her luck. Her cousins, who used to drive her to distraction when they were kids, had decided to play match-makers. “And just how am I supposed to date him? I’m only going to be here for a week.”

      Kay spoke up again. “We were thinking more along the lines of a fling. Something fast, fulfilling and fun.”

      Julianne’s jaw nearly dropped. “You mean, an affair? You’ve got to be kidding.” She’d slept with one man in her entire life. And she’d been married to him. “I don’t do things like that.”

      “Think about it, Jul. Sex with a gorgeous stranger. It’s just what you need to pull you out of this slump.”

      Stunned by the casual suggestion, by the sheer raciness of it, she shifted her gaze between her cousins. “That’s what this vacation was supposed to do.”

      Kay flashed her impish smile. “So, consider Bobby Elk an added bonus.”

      Dear God. “What about sexually transmitted diseases?”

      “You can make sure there’s protection available,” Mern said in her quiet, no-nonsense manner. “You can keep condoms in a drawer. Or in your purse. It’s possible to have a responsible affair.”

      “And they sell prophylactics in the gift shop,” Kay added. “This place has everything. You don’t even need to go into town.”

      Julianne’s mind reeled. Her cousins had been here all of three hours and already they’d scoped out a box of condoms and a tantalizing man to go with them.

      Kay reached for her diet soda, the caffeine jolt she thrived on. “It’s time you got back into life, Jul. You’ve been divorced for two years.”

      She fidgeted with the brochure in her hand, trying to get her thoughts in order. The idea of making love to Bobby Elk scared the stuffing out of her.

      But deep down, it thrilled her, too.

      “What if I made a play for him and he turned me down?” She’d be mortified. Crushed. Destroyed.

      Kay took another swig of her soda. “Come on, Jul. He’s a red-blooded American male. And he’s attracted to you.”

      “This whole thing is crazy.” Julianne popped up and paced the room. Now she wanted to throttle her cousins for putting the idea in her head.

      “Just think about it,” Mern said.

      Julianne stopped to study the blonde, noting how striking she was with her tiny waist, rounded hips and ample bust. Mern could seduce a man without even trying. And so could Kay. The brunette had a straightforward, free-spirited charm that drew men to her like magnets. No wonder they’d kept their husbands.

      She plopped back onto the bed, picked up the brochure again. And when she caught sight of Bobby’s name, her heart raced.

      Kay finished her drink. “Let it simmer for a day or so. You don’t have to rush into anything this minute.”

      Let it simmer? What did that mean? That she was supposed to face Bobby Elk tomorrow with sex on her mind?

      “Easy for you to say.” Already she was panicked about what tomorrow would bring. Panicked about just seeing Bobby, let alone imagining herself in bed with him.

      The following morning Bobby woke with a СКАЧАТЬ