AlmostHome by India Masters Read Free Book Online Page A

know, you’re kind of cute when you’re drunk and I kind of like that you
think I’m pretty.”
    “Well, shit. At least I didn’t strip naked and dance the
hoochey-coochey.”
    “Nope. No dancing at all from what I hear.” He patted her on
the back. “It’s all right, sweet pea, your secret’s safe with me. Now, how
about I pick you up in the morning and we go get the rest of your stock?”
    Haley rested her cheek on the cool granite and squinted at
him. “You sure you wanna be seen in public with a drunkard?”
    “I’m sure. So long as I can trust you to keep your hands to
yourself.” He gave her a wink, slid out of his seat, and strutted to the door.
    “Very funny,” she grumped, winging a woven straw trivet at
his head.
    He caught it in midair and laughed. “You’re mean when you’re
hung over.”
    She sat up and pointed imperiously at the door. “Out.
Just…out.”
    * * * * *
    Wyatt picked Haley up at seven the next morning and they
drove into town to have breakfast at Margie’s Diner. The significance of taking
her to Margie’s was lost on Haley but Wyatt knew the implications beyond a
shadow of a doubt. By taking her to Margie’s, where he’d had his breakfast
every morning since the death of his father, the message was loud and clear.
Haley Kilpatrick was his and woe to any other man who tried to put the moves on
her. He figured it was just a matter of time before every round heel in the
county sat up and took notice of the pretty horse trainer and he was making it
known she was off the market before she was even on.
    He’d been looking forward to this day ever since he offered
to help collect her stock. It was a five-hour round trip, not to mention the
time it would take to load up the animals, so he’d be spending the better part
of the day with Haley—a circumstance he found appealing on several levels. She
wasn’t the most forthcoming woman he’d ever met, one of the few he’d come
across that didn’t like to talk about herself. He didn’t know if that was
because she preferred to keep her private life private, or if it was because
she had secrets. Most folks had secrets and if she wanted to keep hers to
herself, well, he couldn’t blame her. Still, there was a sadness about her that
he felt compelled to alleviate. And wasn’t that just the damndest thing? He’d
begun to wonder if he’d ever feel this way about a woman. But there it was.
Before he saw it coming, Haley had come to mean something to him.
    “So, where are we going, exactly?” he asked, glancing at her
out of the corner of his eye.
    “Just this side of Austin. A little nothing dirt ranch. It
ain’t exactly the middle of nowhere but you can see it from there if ya
squint.” She paused, took a deep breath. “It’s my brother’s place.”
    There was a cautionary tone to the words. “And?”
    She halfway turned in her seat. “And he don’t have much to
recommend him. He’ll likely be riled when I tell him I’m taking the stock.”
    Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “Does he own an interest in them?”
    Haley snorted. “Hell no. Conner figures he’ll drown if he
breaks a sweat. I bought those mares with my own money and I got the papers to
prove it.”
    Wyatt nodded. “Then I guess he can blow up a blue norther’
all he wants but we’ll still take the horses.” He drove in silence for a few
more minutes. “You wanna tell me about him?”
    She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.
“He’s three years younger than me. Spoiled to the point of thinking the world
owes him a living. My daddy went to prison when I was sixteen and Conner became
my responsibility. I’ve been taking care of him ever since.”
    He’d seen it before, no-account men who expected the women
in their lives to support them while they lay around and did nothing. No doubt
the brother was part of the pain he saw in Haley’s eyes. She was world-weary
and he figured she’d be a tough nut to crack when it came to letting any