Cowboys Mine by Stacey Espino Read Free Book Online Page A

usually the first in line. What’s up with
you lately?”
    Colton couldn’t help but scowl as he assessed his
twin brother. They were too in sync for him not to notice a mood shift. This
was a major one.
    North propped both arms under his head as he lounged
in the loft. “Nothing. I’m just starting to think that maybe Eva’s right. Maybe
we should be giving her more space.”
    “Are you playing with me?”
    “ What?”
    Something had to be seriously wrong for North to
suddenly stop caring about Eva. The little Ford girl was the only thing keeping
either of them going some days. It was natural for them to want to look out for
her.
    “Since when did you not give two shits about Eva?
You suddenly don’t care what happens to her?”
    “Maybe I care too much,” he snapped.
    “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
    “It means nothing,” said North. “Forget it.”
    Colton stepped on the bottom rung of the ladder
leading up to the loft. He gave his brother a shove to garner his attention.
“Something happen between the two of you?”
    “Like what, Colt? I’m not an asshole, alright.”
    He slowly exhaled his breath. He’d worried about his
day, wondered if it would ever come. It seemed the more North was hurt at home,
the harder he’d hold onto Eva. It was an unhealthy cycle, but one he couldn’t
resist himself. Now his twin was starting to question his feelings, but he
couldn’t.
    “You know Eva’s something special. She’s different
than us. She comes from a good family and—”
    “Don’t!”
    “I’m just saying…We have that bastard’s blood
running through our veins. What the fuck could we offer a girl like Eva? You
want her ending up like ma, popping pills to forget the pain?”
    “I’d never hurt her!” North leapt down from bed and
began to pace the tiny trailer liked a caged panther.
    “You think that now, but we’re both holding onto too
much baggage. One day it’s bound to come rushing to the surface, and I for one
don’t want Eva around when it does.”
    North crossed his arms over his chest, staring out
into the fields. “I’m not like him,” he whispered.
    “I know that, you know that, but is this really what
you think is best for her?”
    He watched his brother’s jaw clench. Colton could
feel the war playing inside him because he’d battled the same feelings before.
He’d decided it was best to leave Eva untouched, as if protecting her virtue
could undo all the wrongs he’d committed. Maybe if that one element of his life
remained pure, it would balance out all the nasty shit he had to deal with on a
daily basis. North needed to come to the same realization.
    “Let’s just find her before it gets dark,” North
said. “I’m done talking.”
    They set out on foot, watching the remaining crowds
disperse towards the parking areas. His intuition led him to the Bronco riding
event, and sure enough, he spotted Eva and Wade. Just looking at the cowboy
made his anger flare. He clenched and unclenched his fists, attempting to
maintain some semblance of control.
    As they got closer, he could hear Eva’s laughter. It
was the sound that kept him sane too many times to count. When he’d seek her
out after an especially bad day at home, her sweet innocence chased away his
demons. He didn’t want Wade sharing a minute of that sound.
    “This what you expect to find?” asked North.
    They both stopped dead before being spotted.
    “Suppose it is.” Colton ran a hand through his hair
and took a deep breath in an attempt to douse his rising frustration. All he
could envision was his fist contacting Wade’s face.
    He debated what his next move should be. North was
acting out of character so he had to make the decision on his own. The natural
thing to do would be to chase away Wade and get Eva to the safety of the silver
bullet. But to what end? Like Eva said, she wasn’t getting any younger and
wanted to find herself a husband. But no man would
ever be good enough for her in