No Strings Attached (Last Hope Ranch Book 1) by Amanda McIntyre Read Free Book Online Page B

she lit the last votive.
    “She is very good with the animals at the clinic, but I think she misses living in the city where there’s more things to choose to do on a Friday night.”
    “Seems she may have already found something that could keep her nights busy.” Liberty smiled as she drew the afghan around her shoulders and parked herself on the couch between Aimee and Sally.
    Kaylee returned, arms laden with a stack of logs that she dumped in the basket. She went about the task of building the fire back to blazing, the heat reaching out into the room.
    “So,” Liberty said, capturing Sally’s gaze. “Why don’t you give us your criteria, Ms. Andersen.”
    Sally had finished refilling her guest’s drinks and settled in beside her friend. “What do you mean, criteria?”
    Liberty shrugged, glanced at Aimee and Angelique, then back at Sally. “We’ve all heard the rumors. You’ve just stated that dating doesn’t interest you. So, tell us what your criteria for this baby daddy of yours?”
    Sally looked away, took a long swallow of wine, and sighed. She knew getting out of this was going to prove far more difficult than just coming clean with the truth. “Okay, first, part of what you’ve heard may be true. Aimee knows my thoughts on this and has already tried to talk me out of it.”
    Liberty rolled her hand as if to say get on to the good stuff.
    “Look, I’ve dated just about every guy in a sixty-mile radius of this tow n at one time or another.”
    All eyes were on her in the silent room.
    “Long story, short.”
    “Yes, please,” Liberty replied with a grin.
    Sally held up her finger. “Healthy. Trustworthy.”
    “ That’s your second?” Liberty asked.
    “I’m not looking for commitments. Truthfully, I had wanted to go with artificial insemination and do this alone. But the money I’d saved has been eaten up…by all of this.” She gestured to the plastic strips covering her kitchen entrance. At the other end was a framework of her house where a wall was being torn down to create a family room at the back of the house. Sally shrugged and looked around at her friends. “I guess I figure there must be some guy out there who’s not interested in the long term. Maybe someone I don’t know very well, so it doesn’t get awkward to run into him in town. I don’t know, maybe even someone from out of town.”
    “That could be risky.” Aimee frowned. “No, I don’t like that idea at all.”
    Sally knew her friends meant well, but a team effort hadn’t been in her plans, either. “This is something I need to work out on my own, okay? And I promise I won’t do anything stupid.”
    The fresh log in the fireplace snapped, jarring everyone back from the unified silence.
    “So, back to the auction?” Liberty said as she untangled from the blanket to skewer another marshmallow.
    A thumping sound joined the whistling of the wind outdoors, causing them to look at each other. A knock, more urgent sounded at the front door.
    Kaylee stifled a scream.
    Curious as to who could possibly be out in the weather and at this hour, Sally grabbed a candle, and as an afterthought, her umbrella, by the door before she peeked through the peephole.
    A large, dark silhouette stood on the porch. For a moment, she debated opening the door.
    “Sally, open up. It’s Clay Saunders.”
    Sally glanced over and saw her friends huddled together in the arched entrance to the front room.
    “For God’s sake, let the poor man in.” Liberty pointed at the door, pulling Sally from her thoughts.
    She unbolted the lock and the harsh wind snuffed out the candle even before she could open the door completely. Sally narrowed her eyes to the icy pelts of snow following Clay inside. He quickly hustled inside, his presence swallowing the space in the small foyer.
    “Sorry it’s so late. I had to stop and help this guy who’d gotten stuck in a snow drift.”
    He removed his knit hat and swept a gloved hand over his hair, sending