Mistaken Gifts by Elena Aitken Read Free Book Online Page B

continued, "he’s the activity director and he leads the treks into the woods. He’ll know exactly where to look. Have you met him yet?"  
    Eva shook her head and took another bite of a muffin. "The only outdoorsy guy I met was that cowboy you told me to go talk to."
    "Jeff?" Andi’s face lit up in a smile and she tipped her head to examine Eva.  
    "That’s the guy. I still don’t understand why you want a horse. It would be so much easier if you just walked."  
    "Easier for who?"  
    Eva tossed the rest of the uneaten muffin on to the plate. "For me obviously." She wouldn’t bother telling Andi about the troubles she might have securing a horse for the ceremony. No need to stress her out even more. "Have you even met Jeff? He’s a total piece of work and— "
    "Hot."  
    Eva glared at her friend, who, judging by the look on her face, was enjoying Eva’s discomfort.  
    "He’s not my type," Eva lied.  
    "But he is hot."  
    She couldn’t deny it. If you could look past his behavior and the whole horse thing, Jeff did have a certain appeal to him. A sexy cowboy in tight jeans appeal. An appeal that she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about. Not that she was about to admit it. Not even to Andi.
    "He's totally full of himself, and he seems to take a certain pleasure in making me feel like an idiot. And I won't tolerate that in anyone, let alone some guy." Eva crossed her arms and looked away in what she knew was a pout.
    "Please don't tell me you fought with him," Andi said.  
    "Fought with him?" Eva turned back to look at her friend, who had tears glistening in the corner of her eyes again. "I didn't fight with him. Well, unless you call a little stomping, and just a bit of arguing and…okay, I fought with him. But there's no reason to get upset. It was mostly good natured and… Andi, don't cry."
    Her friend wiped at her face. "I'm not crying."  
    Eva knew better than to argue with her.  
    "I just really can't handle any more fighting. Not with anyone."
    "He's the horse guy, Andi. And I promise, it’s not fighting fighting. It’s more like…" What? Eva thought. Flirting? She pushed the thought from her head. "Anyway, it's not like I'm arguing with your fiancé."
    Andi blew her nose and focused on Eva. "I can't handle it with anyone, Eva. Not anyone. Jeff is part of the Lodge and with everything else that's going on…I just don't need one more stress, okay?"
    "Andi, it's—"
    Eva broke off when Andi started sniffling again.  
    "I don't know what's gotten into you," she said instead. "I've seen you cry more in the last few days than in the last few years combined. Maybe the stress of the wedding is too much."
    "It really is a lot to get all the family together. I knew I should have eloped."
    "Stop saying that." Eva reached out and squeezed Andi's arm. "It will be amazing, and I'll take care of everything. Don't worry about a thing."
    "And you'll get along with Jeff? Because I really think it would help if you two got along…please."
    Isn’t that what she was worried about? Getting along with Jeff? If she wasn’t careful, she’d want to get along with him too well. She stared into her coffee mug for a few more seconds to be sure her feelings weren’t showing on her face. When she looked up, she said, "Fine. I’ll do my best."
    And just like that, a switch was flipped and Andi broke into a huge smile. "Oh, good," she said. "Because I really thought you might like him."
    "Like him, like him? I thought you said I would like Troy?" Eva smiled at the inside knowledge she had on Troy but there was no point telling Andi that right away. "I'm beginning to think you're willing to set me up with any man as long as he has a pulse."  
    Andi waved away her protests. "Oh, come on," she said. "You know that's not it. Besides, you have to admit, Jeff’s hot."
    "Who’s hot?"  
    Both women startled at the voice and looked up to find the subject of their discussion looking down on them. Eva flushed what she knew