Southern Comfort by Ciana Stone Read Free Book Online

twenty-two?"
    "Yes sir. Twenty-three in March."
    "Right and she's – she’s a few years older  Besides, I don't think Cody's looking for a fella.”
    "Oh." Bobby nodded. "Now it make sense. I wondered why I never saw her with any men. Funny though, I wouldn't have thought she was a lesbian."
    This time Riley spewed coffee, choked and wheezed for a bit. When he finally caught his breath he spoke. "She's not a lesbian."
    "Oh!  Oh, when you said she's not looking for a fella I thought you meant—"
    "I just meant she's not looking to get involved with anyone."
    "Oh. Oh, okay. Well, maybe one day she will be. And who knows, one day when I've won all these ribbons and belt buckles and I'm one of those guys that people say ‘hey, look, that's Bobby Daniels, rodeo champion ‘ – maybe then she'd think twice."
    Riley just shook his head,  "Well, you never know do you, Bobby?"
    "No, sir you never do."
    Riley smiled. In some ways he envied Bobby. There was a time when he had the dreams of youth, the ‘pie-in-the-sky dreams’ as his father called them. And look what happened. His dreams had come true. He'd found fame and fortune and what had it netted him?  He'd spent half a life chasing skirts and being chased, of making insane amounts of money and wasting most of it and here he was, back where he'd started. Those dreams of his youth had been realized and tarnished by his own bad choices.
    And the saddest part was he didn't seem to have any more dreams.
     
    *****
    Analise smiled as she read the text from Cody. It was odd, but since that first message Cody had sent her, they had been messaging and texting every day. It had been a month since that first text and now Analise felt like she'd made a new friend.
    Cody was much younger, but what a spirited and independent woman she was. She seemed so self-confident and comfortable in her own skin and could laugh at her own short-comings.
    Like not being able to cook. Analise had literally laughed out loud reading about Cody's attempt to make a Beef Wellington for her sisters, Riley and some guy named Bobby. It had been such a disaster that they ended up roasting hotdogs over an open fire and eating them sans buns with cold canned beans.
    Despite the cooking fiasco, it sounded like fun to Analise and she admired Cody's ability to bounce back and not let it get her down.
    Can't wait to meet you in person. She typed as she got out of the hotel elevator on her floor. Headed to my room to shower and change. Big formal dress dinner tonight and I found a really pretty dress at a local shop.
    Send pictures! Was the response she received. And have fun!
    Will do! Analise replied and inserted the keycard into her room's door. She looked up as she stepped into the room and froze. The room was in shambles. Her belongings were scattered all over the floor, along with the bedcovers. Analise just stood there and stared in disbelief for a few seconds before panic set in. Her eyes darted one direction and then another. Was there someone still in the room? Her heart hammered in her chest.
    Careful not to make a sound she eased to the bathroom door. The room was empty. Analise crept into the bedroom. Like the bathroom it was empty. Relief washed through her until a thought dawned.
    Her laptop!
    One glance told her it was no longer on the small table in the corner. Her eyes darted to the armoire containing the television and then to the dresser. Nothing. With rising panic she threw herself onto her hands and knees and started sorting through the mess on the floor.
    Ten minutes later, having gone through the entire room, piling sheets and bed pillows back onto the bed and tossing clothing into her travel case in the closet, she admitted defeat. Her laptop and Kindle were not in the room!
    There was nothing else to do but pick up the hotel phone and call the manager. She did just that. Ten minutes that seemed like an hour later, a manager arrived.
    "Mrs. Becke, I understand you have a problem?"
    "Yes,