Cowgirl Crazy (#2, Cowboy Way) by Becky McGraw Read Free Book Online Page A

dumbass, what can I say?”
he said and his one opened eye rolled.
    “ Why’d you come? I told you I was
done.”
    And Twyla had meant it. Even if she’d had her
doubts about her decision since she left, she knew it had been the
right one. Moving on, getting over her useless crush on Ryan Easter
was what was best for her. Seeing Ryan again though made all those
feelings come back, and that made her angry. Dammit, she wanted to
be over him as easily as she said those words. Why couldn’t it be
that easy?
    “ I came to tell you I’m sorry for
saying those things to you,” he said, his voice sincere.
    That was why. Ryan was a good man, as much as
he was as dumb as a box of rocks, and his head as hard as one.
“Close your eye,” she grumbled, gathering up her determination as
she swiped the cloth over his uninjured eye, then gently patted the
other. “I appreciate that, Ryan, but you didn’t have to come here
to tell me that. I didn’t want to see you.”
    Ryan grabbed her wrist, and his eye popped
open again. “I wanted to see you , Twy. I thought it was
right to tell you I’m sorry in person…and I wanted to make sure you
were okay. I care about you, Twyla.”
    Like a sister . She knew it was on the
tip of his tongue to add those words. He’d said that to her often
enough. Firmly established a line between them she hadn’t ever been
allowed to cross, one he’d only come close to crossing once with
her. That night at the bonfire when she was sixteen. The night of
the almost kiss that had captured her heart as surely as if he’d
done it.
    Ten years of her life she could never get back
wanting him to finish that kiss.
    Twyla wasn’t wasting another minute on him
now. When she left the rodeo, left him, she accepted things were
never going to change between them. Now she was moving on. He just
needed to accept that and leave her the hell alone.
    “ Don’t apologize. You telling me
to get a life was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And
that’s what I’m doing, Ryan.” Twyla turned to the sink and rinsed
the rag under the tap. “I don’t need you to worry about me. You
just mind your business, and stay away from me. I’m sure we’ll see
each other around at family gatherings sometimes.” There,
put that in your pipe and smoke it, bucko . She squeezed the
water out of the rag, like she wanted to squeeze his neck. You
want to be my brother, buddy? That’s exactly what you’ll be from
here on out.
    She turned back toward him for round two of
cleaning up his face, and his fingers closed on her forearm.
“Twyla, please listen—”
    She put her finger over his lips. “Stop. We’ve
said all we need to say, Ryan. Just let it go. Let me go. I’ll be
fine.”
    He mumbled around her finger, “It’s obvious
you’re not fine. You’re working at a fricking strip—”
    Twyla slapped her palm over his mouth. “It’s
not a strip club. I dance and serve drinks, and I’m making damned
good money doing it. Who the hell are you to judge me anyway? I’ve
been to those places with you and Zack, remember?”
    He mumbled something behind her hand, and
Twyla moved it, but she didn’t wait for him to repeat himself. She
grabbed the string hanging from his nose and yanked. Ryan howled,
and grabbed her wrist. “No, wait,” he whispered, sucking in a
breath. “I’ll do it.”
    “ Fine, I’ll get the bag of frozen
peas from the freezer. That will help the swelling.” And it would
also give her an excuse to get away from him, from his intoxicating
scent which was wearing down her defenses. Twyla spun away and
walked down the hall and to the kitchen. She flung open the freezer
and shifted stuff around until she found the bag of
peas.
    Tiredness mixed with depression inside of her
as she shut the freezer door and leaned her head against the cool
exterior. She needed to get Ryan out of there and on his way back
to wherever he was supposed to be. She didn’t know how long she was
going to be able to