Taking Chances: A Donnelley Brother's Novel by Alannah Carbonneau Read Free Book Online Page A

unwarranted feeling, but I couldn’t. Actually, my failure was so unsuccessful it was almost as though I had been trying to fail.
    “I have things to do today.”
    He lifted his chin in a nod. “You enrolled in an activity?”
    I frowned, “What?”
    He raised a brow. “An activity? Rafting, riding, climbing or hiking?” He paused for a quick moment. “Canoeing maybe? Are you enrolled?”
    It was then an image of the plastic card Gracie had given to me flashed in my mind. “No.” I shook my head. “I didn’t know I had to enroll.”
    He cocked a grin. “You don’t have to enroll necessarily, but enrolling ensures you’ve got a spot.”
    “Oh.”
    “What were you thinking of doing today? Maybe I can help you out.”
    “Um...” I shifted, toeing the gravel that had nearly sentenced me to another bout of humiliation on my behind. I banished the thought that was bringing another flush of pink to my cheeks and asked, “Do you work here?”
    “Something like that.”
    “Something like that?” I questioned, momentarily bewildered. “Do you, or don’t you work here?”
    “I work here.” He finally answered before moving on quickly from conversation of himself. “Why, what were you thinking you’d like to do today?”
    Pulling in a deep breath for courage, I replied. “I actually wasn’t planning to enroll in anything today. I was thinking I’d spend the day alone by the river or lake - or something.”
    “A woman after my own heart.” He grinned and I felt confusion twist my expression, but before I could answer, he spoke. “You like water?”
    “Always have liked water.” I lifted my coffee to my lips and felt a blush sting my cheeks as the man watched. What in the world was it about this man that had my blood boiling so damn hot? I mean, seriously? I had never, ever, been a blushing beauty. Normally, I didn’t care enough to allow myself to succumb to something so girlish as blushing. “What about you?”
    He chuckled and those emerald eyes of his danced, dazzling even the sun in the sky. “Yeah, I like water.”
    Okay, this was getting awkward - but I couldn’t ignore the fact that I didn’t exactly want to leave this man. There was something about him, as odd as it was, that was pulling me toward him. And that pull was the very thing that encouraged me to run from him.
    I took a step backward before turning to face the trail that would lead me back to the safety of my cabin, before I glanced over my shoulder with a wave.
    “I’ll see you around...” My words trailed off as I realized that I hadn’t gotten his name.
    The man quirked a grin, as he jogged to meet up with me once again. “The name’s Collin.”
    As soon as he spoke his name, I remembered someone in the cafeteria talking about a Collin, and how he was the next in line for - something. But what in the world had they been talking about, I wondered, as I remembered the way the man beside me had stiffened abruptly.
    Suddenly, he whistled loudly and the sharp sound made me jump as I looked up at him with wide, stunned eyes. Then, three dogs appeared. Three very big dogs appeared. They were all happy and slobbery as they wagged their tails and pranced ahead of Collin and I, down the path, toward my cabin. Yes, toward my cabin!
    “Um?” I pointed to the dogs. “Are they yours?”
    “Sort of.” He smiled. “They like me the most, hang around my place the most, and listen to me the best, so I feel comfortable in calling them mine.”
    “But?” I sensed there was a but.
    “But technically they belong to The Ranch. To everyone.”
    “Huh.” I took another sip of my coffee before I asked. “Do you live here or something?”
    He chuckled and the sound was deep. I mean it was so deep, I felt the barrel-tone of it in my belly. Never before had I felt this way in the presence of a man. I wasn’t a prude, but I didn’t spend my days drooling over men who had the world drooling over them already - and this man certainly had