Cowboy Outcasts by Stacey Espino Read Free Book Online Page A

room
now? If so, what would become of her now that she’d given up her place at the
boarding house? The landlady said she had a waiting list, so getting it back
was an impossibility—not that she had money without a new grant.
    She watched
Arden
depart, his spurs
chiming as he walked, then turned and ran over to Callum. He was already
dusting himself off with his Stetson, no worse for wear. “Are you okay?” she
asked, patting him down for injuries.
    “I’m fine,” he
said curtly. “Where’s that watermelon of yours?”
    She pointed to
the ground. It was still in once piece. Callum bent over and picked it up,
bringing it to the cash out. The lady took his money without a word, everyone
staring as they returned to the truck.
    He started up
the engine and drove in complete silence, looking straight at the road ahead.
She felt a twisted knot in her gut, a mix of unease, pity, and insecurity.
    “Who was that
guy? Did you know him?”
    “Jeremy Majors.
We went to school together.”
    The truck
jostled as he handled the dirt roads with less caution than necessary. She
didn’t say anything else. He was likely pissed off and embarrassed. Hailey
wouldn’t even try to imagine what it was like to live in his shoes. Once back
at the O’Shea Ranch, Callum took off, slamming the truck door, and disappeared
into the barn. She didn’t know if she should go after him or give him time to
cool off. She’d never known someone so passionate, both tender and volatile all
rolled into one.
    It was probably
the worst choice, but she followed him.
    “Callum?” she
whispered. The inside of the barn was dim. It smelled strong of hay dust, oats,
and leather. There was a creak in the wooden floorboards above her, some dust
raining down on her, so she knew he was up in the loft. Hailey climbed the
rickety ladder and found him standing at the open loft doors, staring out into
the fields. The sun was lowering on the horizon, not yet set.
    “You shouldn’t
be up here,” he said without turning around.
    “I’m worried
about you.”
    “Why?”
    “You could have
been hurt. Were you hurt?”
    “I’m not a
fucking child,” he snapped. “I said I’m fine.”
    She felt
slightly apprehensive. Was he capable of hurting a woman? Did she know him
enough to feel completely safe?
    “Obviously
you’re not. It can help to talk things out.” His random noises were increasing,
along with the throat clearing. The harsh sounds stole the peaceful calm of
twilight—but she didn’t blame him.   Instead, she felt drawn to the mysterious cowboy, desperate to help his
plight in any way she could.
    He whirled
around, fire in his eyes. “If I liked to talk I wouldn’t be living out here
alone, now would I? Everything was just fine until you showed up. And I’m no better off than before you came, the hogs
still running amuck.”
    She took a
cleansing breath, reminding herself he was speaking out of anger. Her years of
studies flooded her mind. He was reacting to the unjust treatment, and
Tourette’s was known to flare up in times of undue stress. Still, she wouldn’t
encourage him to alienate her. “You know what? I thought you were a nice guy,
but maybe I was wrong.”
    “Damn straight
you were wrong. I’m on the town’s most unwanted list, or didn’t you check
before taking the job? It was only a matter of time until you discovered what
kind of a freak I was anyway.”
    “What kind of
freak would that be, Callum?” Her patience was wearing thin. His self-abuse was
unhealthy and unnecessary. “You can stop trying to scare me off because it
won’t work.”
    “Are you that
hard up for a room that you’d put up with the likes of me?”
    “Stop it,” she
warned. “I’m here because I want to be.”
    “Well ain’t that
just dandy. I’ll stay out of your way until you get your research done. No
reason we need to deal with each other.”   He walked by her to leave, but she grabbed his arm. His muscles were
tense, his bicep too large