One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas) by Carolyn Brown Read Free Book Online Page B

want to change your mind and go for a ride, you call me and I’ll come and get you,” he said.
    “Where’s Dammit?”
    “Right here, but you don’t get to talk to him tonight. This is my time. Where are you right now?”
    “In my bedroom.”
    “Can you see the moon out the window?”
    “Yes, I can.”
    “So we’re lookin’ at the moon and stars together?”
    “I guess we are,” she said.
    “Tell me about your students,” he said.
    “They’re fourth graders, which means that all bodily functions are funny to the boys, and the girls are at that age where there’s lots of giggling and whining but not much in between. They aren’t babies anymore, but they aren’t to the puberty stage, so they’re a lot of fun.”
    “Kind of like they’re old enough to give up that teddy bear at night but not old enough to want to really put it in the closet?” he drawled.
    “Exactly,” she said.
    “I like it when you smile.”
    “What makes you think I’m smiling?”
    “Your voice changes when you smile, and I like that,” he answered.
    “Oh really?” she asked.
    “And now you’re really smiling big,” he said.
    “Is that one of your pickup lines?”
    “No, ma’am. Just an observation.”
    “Tell me the story about those horns on your motorcycle,” she said.
    “That’s a third-date story, but I will tell you about the time I decided to go from Comfort, Texas, up to the Palo Duro Canyon for a long weekend ride.”
    She settled back against the pillows on her bed. “I’d love to hear that story.”
    “It was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and the weather was supposed to be cold but clear. A blizzard blew in about the time I dropped down into the canyon, and the trip down and out that should have taken two hours took about nine hours, and they were closing the roads behind me when I finally made it into Claude, Texas. There was one motel with one room left, and believe me, darlin’, I didn’t care how many stars it had as long as it had hot water and warm blankets.”
    Goose bumps popped up on her arms as she imagined how cold he must have been. “Holy smoke, Rhett! It’s a wonder you didn’t get frostbite. Was that two winters ago? I remember that storm. It was horrible. We got in on the tail end of it.”
    “I was pretty damned cold. I shed my clothes at the door, stood under a warm shower until I could feel my hands and feet again, and then dived under the covers on the bed and slept for twelve straight hours. I spent four days in that hotel and would have stayed longer, but Sawyer came to rescue me. We put my cycle in the bed of his truck and he drove me home. I haven’t done a lot of winter travel on the cycle since them.” He laughed.
    She liked the way his deep Texas drawl was expressed even in his laughter. It was like warm, silky lotion on her skin after a long, lingering bath.
    Three hours later, she looked at the clock and gasped. “Rhett, it’s eleven thirty.”
    “I don’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight. Do you?”
    She laughed. “No, but we should end this call now.”
    “Then good night, Leah. I loved talking to you.”
    “Me too,” she said.

Chapter 4
    Sirens woke Rhett. He sat straight up in bed and glanced at the nightstand, thinking it was part of his dream and that the noise was really his phone or the alarm clock. The phone was dark; the clock said it was five minutes past midnight.
    He bailed out of bed, pulled on his jeans, and stomped his feet down into his boots. The emergency vehicle had gone toward the general store and the bar, and they’d need all the help they could get.
    He met Jill and Sawyer in the living room. Both fully dressed even if they were sleepy eyed. A lamp had been turned on, but there were still deep shadows and an eerie feeling about the room. Rhett could have sworn he smelled smoke, so that meant fire and that it wasn’t far away. Jill had the phone to her ear and Sawyer paced.
    “Is it the store or the bar?” Jill asked and paused