Montana Gold. Genell Dellin

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ found the dog, the elevator stopped, Shane picked up the box again, and they stepped out. Moving right along, buddying-up real fast. Chase followed.

      Damn! There was just no end to the twists this boy could put on a situation. How long had he been here, anyhow? Maybe thirty minutes, tops. Seemed more like a week to Chase.

      She’d finished the story of finding the dog.

      “Can he walk?” Shane asked. “We had a three-legged dog once and he walked just fine. He could even run.”

      “Kodi walks a little, but he won’t eat and he’s so weak I carry him most of the time.”

      “You carry him out to potty?” Shane asked.

      At her nod, Shane said, “I’ll do it. Tell me when you want me.”

      Then he gazed at her meaningfully, no doubt hoping she’d hear a double meaning in his words.

      “Forget it,” Chase snapped. “You won’t be here that long, Shane.”

      Elle threw him a dirty look, as if to say quit picking on the kid, but Shane ignored him completely.

      “Like I said before,” he said to Elle, “you’re too little to carry him.”

      “Give it up, Shane,” Chase said, his tone coming out more scornful than he intended. He tried to soften it. “Elle’s stronger than you are. She’s a bullfighter. Did you know that?”

      Shane’s jaw dropped. “Are you really?”

      “Yeah, but so what?” she said. “Bullfighters need help, too, sometimes.”

      “Shane’s leaving in the morning,” Chase said.

      Nobody heard him.

      She got out her key and opened the door to her room. Her room, where just last night, they’d been getting to know each other…right over there….

      “What a deal,” Shane said, grinning all over his face now. “Maybe we could trade out—I’ll take your dog out, you watch me ride and teach me stuff. I’m gonna be a bull rider.”

      Chase wanted to grab the kid’s hat with both hands and jerk it down over his eyes. What a little hardhead. He wanted a dad so bad, didn’t he? So why wouldn’t he listen to a word Chase said?

      “Not this year,” he growled.

      Neither Shane nor Elle reacted to that in the least. What was he? Invisible or something?

      “You’ll have to get your start somewhere else,” she said. “These bulls on the circuit are way too bad for a beginner, plus the stock contractor won’t let you near them anyway. Go to a bull-riding school. There’re lots of good ones.”

      Oh, great. Thanks, Elle, that’s all the advice we need.

      “I know that,” Shane said, “but I don’t know if I can get the money.”

      “Save it up,” she said. “Get a job.”

      Chase set his jaw. “Next summer,” he said. “Elle, Shane’s still in high school.”

      Shane shot him an angry look as if he’d blown his cover. As if she couldn’t tell that he was wet behind the ears.

      Chase walked into the room behind them, suddenly realizing he was carrying Shane’s stuff all over the hotel as if he worked there. But he certainly couldn’t have gotten off when they passed up their floor. And now he might as well be the bellboy he was imitating for all the attention they paid him.

      Another dog, an Australian shepherd, got off the love seat and came to meet them. “Aussie,” Elle said. “Hi, there, boy. I got some new food. You can try it, too.”

      Aussie accepted her pat on the head, and while he only sniffed at Shane, he made it clear he wasn’t all too sure about Chase. He even gave a little growl, deep in his throat.

      Great. Wonderful. Now he’d probably get dog bit, if the afternoon continued in the same lucky vein that it’d started. All he’d wanted was a good dinner with Elle and more time to get to know her, and to hold her again…then some sleep and a clear mind to focus on tomorrow’s rides. Instead, here he was in the middle of a damn soap opera.

      “Looks like Missy Jo’s been here and gone again,” Elle said, glancing from the dog to the fast-food sack sitting on top of the microwave.

      She smiled at Shane. The way she’d smiled at Chase himself not too many hours ago. Was she this bent out of shape because he’d been impatient with Shane? A real smile from Elle was something that sparkled.

      But all her attention now was on the dog and the boy.

      “Okay,” she said. “Let’s get Kodiak out and move him to his bed there by the window. I’ll get his bowl and try him on this food again. With a little hot milk over it, he’ll surely slurp it up. I just thought of that. Milk’ll be better than water.”

      “Sorry,” Chase said, and it came out through his teeth although he was trying to unclench his jaw, “Shane’s gotta get going.”

      Shane barely glanced at him. “This won’t take long, Dad.”

      “I’d really appreciate the help,” Elle said, flashing her smile at him this time.

      He knew she was just trying to soften him up, but he wanted to see it again. Hell. He had to get control of himself. He had to get control of this deal.

      Shane and Elle gently transferred the dog from the carrier to the fleecy dog bed. Shane squatted on his haunches to pet the animal while she went to the small refrigerator to get the milk.

      Ignoring Chase while he stood there like a fencepost with a bag in each hand. But he’d be damned if he’d set them down. Shane was not staying here for long.

      Shane looked at him then, as if he could read his mind. “Let’s see if he’ll eat this, Dad,” he said, in such a calm, reasonable way that he sounded like the parent.

      Elle glanced back over her shoulder at Chase and nodded her thanks as if she knew they’d both stay and help her.

      “He’s driving me crazy refusing to eat,” she said. “I know he’s starving. It’s like he’s afraid to eat, or something. The veterinarian who saw him today said he might still be in shock from getting hit.”

      Chase just looked at her, his hands gripping the handles of the bags until his knuckles ached. He’d give anything to get out of here—he wanted to get away from her right now. On the other hand, he wanted her. How could he want both so much at the same time?

      She was trying to open the dog food sack while the milk heated in the microwave, arms lifted, high, firm breasts outlined against the light. They were the perfect size to fill his hand…the skin on them had felt like silky satin….

      “Chase,” she said, “do you have your knife on you? This must be super-glue on triple-thick paper.”

      Busywork. Something to make him СКАЧАТЬ