Brazen by Bobbi Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

effortlessly.
    "Mother wanted me to attend the university."
    "I'm glad you did, otherwise we wouldn't have known
each other as well as we do, but haven't you missed this
life?"
    Michael was thoughtful as he answered, "I did the first
few months, you know that, but then I started to enjoy
the life we were leading." He looked around at the open
countryside. "I didn't realize how much I'd missed
thiuntil now."
    "Michael, some of the men have been wondering: Are
you going to stay and take over running things for your
pa, or are you planning to head back East again?" Tom
asked in his usual forthright manner.
    "I'm staying for now," was all he could answer.
    "Good. They'll be glad to hear it. They've been uneasy
because they didn't know what was going to happen. We
didn't know if your mother was going to sell out or if she
was going to try to keep things running by herself." Tom
was relieved, too. With Michael's return, things were looking better for the Circle D.
    They finally reached the site of the ambush. Tom
showed them where Frank had been found, and they in spected the area carefully, searching for any clue. Their
efforts proved futile, though. They turned up nothing.

    Michael was frustrated when they finally gave up and
started back to the house. They took a different route this
time, riding along the river.
    "Did Michael ever tell you how he used to go swimming
down here?" Tom asked Nick, wanting to lighten their
mood. He ignored the quick warning look Michael shot
his way.
    "It looks like a good place," Nick agreed. It was private,
and the river was cool and clean and slow-running.
    "It is a good place someone catches you
skinny-dipping," Tom joked.
    "You got caught skinny-dipping?" Nick was grinning at
Michael. "Who caught you?"
    "Go on," Tom urged Michael. "Tell him."
    "Casey Turner." Michael was annoyed with Tom for
even bringing the subject up. It was one episode in his
life he would like to forget.
    "Our Casey?" Nick said, his grin broadening as he now
understood more fully his cousin's reaction to the girl.
    "Yes," he answered tersely.
    "You've met Casey?" Tom asked.
    "In town," Nick answered. "This story sounds interesting, Michael. I want to know more. What happened?"
    "Tom, why don't you tell him, since you're enjoying
yourself so much?" Michael said testily.
    "Don't mind if I do," Tom went on. "Casey rode up on
him while he was swimming. She stole his clothes before he could climb out of the river and stop her. She ran his
horse off, too."

    "She left you out here naked? No wonder you're not
too fond of her." Nick laughed as he remembered Casey's
remark about Michael's clothes. "What did you do? How
did you get home?"
    "It wasn't easy," Michael answered.
    "Did you have to walk?"
    "He was lucky," Tom explained. "His horse came back
to him, but he still had to wait until dark to make the ride
home. We were just getting ready to go out looking for
him when he rode in."
    "I bet everybody was really glad to see you," Nick
added, laughing at the image that came to mind.
    Michael groaned at his cousin's pitiful attempt at humor.
    "They sure were," Tom agreed.
    "How long ago did this happen?"
    "About five years," Tom offered.
    "I knew I liked Casey from the first moment I met her."
    "You're a bad judge of character, Nick," Michael countered.
    "No, I'm not. Casey Turner is some kind of woman."
    "That's putting it mildly," Michael said.
    "You have to admit, she's different from your ordinary
female," Nick observed.
    "There's no doubt about that."
    "How did she get to be so wild?"
    "Her mother died when she was real young. Her father
raised her."

    Nick nodded. "So, have you gone swimming here since
then?"
    "No," Michael answered. "Somehow this place has lost
its appeal for me."
    "That's a shame. It looks like a good swimming hole."
    "Feel free to ride out here and go swimming anytime
you want." Michael started to laugh. "Maybe Casey will
ride by and find you skinny-dipping."
    All