Lone Stallion's Lady by Lisa Jackson Read Free Book Online

laughed brightly at the thought. “He’s seventeen and all thumbs around the baby, but I figure it’s time he learned about kids before he gets wrapped up in some girl and has one of his own.”
    “Best form of birth control there is,” Trent observed.
    Suzanne’s smile slid away and Garrett’s expression turned sober. “We’d better wash up.”
    Realizing the old man was apparently having trouble with his son’s indiscretions, Trent didn’t say anything else. He walked through a long hallway to the main stairs but at the archway leading to the living room, his footsteps slowed. He heard Gina’s muffled voice.
    “I said I’d be back as soon as this was finished, Jack,” she said hotly, then paused for a few seconds while the guy on the other end of the line had his say. “Yeah, I know, I know. I’ll wrap this up as soon as I can.”
    Another pause.
    Trent told himself to move on, that she deserved some privacy, but then he reminded himself that she hadn’t been all that interested in preserving his. For all he knew, she’d dug into the most intimate details of his life.
    And didn’t you try to do the same to her? Didn’t youhire a private investigator to find Celia O’Hara and when that didn’t pan out, have him look into Garrett Kincaid’s life?
    He ignored the attack of sudden conscience.
    “I’m not sure, Jack,” Gina said with a long-suffering sigh. “I’m still looking into it. But I’ll be back soon, I promise.” She laughed then, that deep, throaty laugh that had caught his attention in Dallas, and he felt a moment of jealousy. “Yeah, I miss you, too… Oh, come on, you know I do. What? …Now, listen, quit worrying! I can take care of myself.” He must’ve said something incredibly amusing again because this time she chuckled. “Fine, I’ll remember. If I’m not gonna be back in a couple of days, then you’ll just have to carry on without me, and yes, I’m sure it’ll break your heart, but believe me, Jack, you can handle it.” She listened again, then sighed theatrically. “Me, too. Okay, I’ve gotta run. I’ll call again.” Another minute’s hesitation while the guy on the other end of the telephone line said his goodbyes. “Love you, too,” she said as she hung up.
    Trent, feeling like the eavesdropper he was, considered climbing the stairs and high-tailing it to his room. But that seemed a little sneaky and he’d always prided himself on being a straight shooter.
    Jamming his fists into his pockets, he sauntered into the living room and found her nestled in the corner of a floral couch that had seen better days, staring at the cold grate of the fireplace. “Boyfriend?” he asked, startling her.
    “What?”
    He pointed at the phone. “I overheard the tail end of your conversation with your boyfriend. Sounds like he’s missing you.”
    A smile tugged at the corner of those full lips. “Oh, he is.” She nodded, her green eyes flashing with amusement, as if she’d just pulled a fast one on him.
    “Special guy?” He couldn’t help but ask and tried to ignore another jab of unlikely jealousy.
    “Very.” He could see the pride in the way she held her head. She cared about the man very much. Sunlight pierced the windows and caught in the fiery strands of her hair.
    “Known him long?”
    “All my life.”
    That bothered Trent. This guy Jack had watched her grow up while he’d only met her a few weeks earlier. “So, he’s kind of a boy next door?”
    “You could say that.” She was more than amused now, he thought. Curled up on the faded sofa, her bare feet tucked beneath her, a notepad on her lap, she looked cozy and warm, as if she belonged in this rambling old house with its out-of-date, yellowed wallpaper and odd collection of memorabilia. There were all manner of guns mounted on the walls, antlers and animal heads, trophies from long-ago kills now collecting dust in the den and even, down one hallway, a showcase of old Western costumes and Native