Crockett's Seduction by Tina Leonard Read Free Book Online

girl up. Gotta reinforce that when we can.”
    Crockett scowled. “Are you going?”
    “Probably. It’s good for us to do charity work. Besides, I haven’t rodeo’d in a while.”
    He’d been too busy chasing the elusive Maverick and chewing off his brothers’ heads. Crockett shrugged. “I guess I’m game if everybody else is.”
    “So…” Mason said, coming into the kitchen. “Speaking of Marvella, a little birdie told me youmight be developing a soft spot for one of her ex-employees, Valentine.”
    “Not really,” Crockett said, “but damn that birdie. What is the location of its nest so I can teach it not to idly gossip?”
    Mason held up a hand. “Don’t go off all hotheaded. It was purely speculation.”
    Since Jeffersons speculated on each other’s business, it was hard to say “butt out.” Crockett sighed. “I took Olivia’s kids into town, and now I’m behind on my chores. See ya.”
    But before he could leave Mason looked at him funny. “You know, it would probably be a good thing if you went to visit Delilah, maybe stayed in Lonely Hearts Station for a few days.”
    “What the hell?” Crockett was totally annoyed. “Because of some little birdie?”
    “No, because Last isn’t sure how he feels about the whole thing.”
    “There is no thing, ” Crockett said grimly. “If there were, you’d be the first to know, I’m sure, because Last would come telling tales to big brother. Besides, I don’t know why a thing would be a problem since Last treats Valentine like leftover soup most of the time.”
    “That’s between the two of them.” Mason’s tone was stern, and Crockett felt his blood hit slow boil.
    “There is no them .”
    “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
    “Yeah? So you’re saying that, given time, there might be a them? ” A tiny bit of guilt and a whole lot of jealousy crept up on Crockett. So he tried to change the subject. “There’s been plenty of time for you and Mimi, but maybe some Romes never get built.”
    Mason frowned. “I signed you up to ride a bull for Delilah’s salon, Bloodthirsty Black.”
    “What?” Crockett stared at his brother. As good as most of them were at rodeo, none of them had been able to stay on Delilah’s beast, which had finally won his registration as a bounty bull. “Last whines to you about me so you register me for an ass kicking? Don’t you think it’s time you realize the baby of the family is all grown-up, Mason? You don’t have to protect Last anymore. He’s quite capable of handling himself.”
    Mason shook his head. “You’ve been at loose ends ever since you gave up painting. Calhoun trying his hand at the old paint box shouldn’t have bothered you the way it did. But sometimes brothers feel things deeply, and you’ve been in a funk ever since you gave up the thing you loved best.”
    “ I’ve been in a funk?” Crockett felt white heat creeping up the back of his skull. “What have you been in ever since Mimi married Brian?”
    They stared at each other. For the first time, Crockett wondered if they might come to blows. Over the years, he’d battled with his twin, Navarro, but never with his big brother Mason. Mason usually commanded the utmost respect.
    But not at this moment.
    “She’s divorced now, Mason. Free as a bird. And if you’re wooing Mimi with this Rome-wasn’t-built-in-a-day method, can I just tell you that’s how you lost her in the first place?” Crockett took a deep, torn breath. “Time is not our friend, Mason.”
    Mason had turned as pale as the French vanilla paint in Valentine’s kitchen. Crockett felt pretty certain his brother thought he was doing all the right things—but the fact was, Mason’s “right” wasn’t everybody else’s “right.”
    “Don’t lecture me about Valentine, Mason. I have my own definition of what’s right and what’s wrong. I’ll ride Delilah’s bounty bull, but only because I want to help an old friend. Next time, how ’bout you hop your