TEXAS ROADS (A Miller's Creek Novel Book 1) by Cathy Bryant Read Free Book Online

raised his eyebrows and let out a soft whistle.
    “She’s had a rough few months, and yesterday’s ordeal wore her out.” A troubled look darkened Mama Beth’s blue eyes. “The part she told me was bad enough, but there’s more she’s not telling. On top of that, she blames God.”
    She twisted her head away from him, but not before he caught the emotion inscribed on her face.
    Guilt?
    Steve chewed on the information while the squeak of the rocking chairs filled the silence between them. How could he voice his doubts without offending her? Easy answer. He couldn’t. “How long is she planning on staying?”
    She hoisted her shoulders. “A few days. It’s her Spring Break.”
    “Surely she’s not going to stay the entire week?” Her glare sent him stumbling for an explanation. “I mean, there won’t be much around here for a city woman to do.”
    “City woman?” The warning look she hurled his way made contact.
    “Sorry. I meant not much for Dani to do.” Steve sipped the rich black coffee. Touchy subject.
    “She needs rest more than anything, but I told her I’d show her around town later today.”
    Why the interest in a country town that had all but dried up? Steve rubbed his chin. Would Dani know someone who could help him find investors? He summarily dismissed the thought. She was just a school teacher. “Why didn’t you ever mention her?”
    Mama Beth didn’t look at him, but rolled her lips between her teeth before speaking, a pained expression creeping across her face. “No reason. Nothing I can explain anyway. Suffice it to say, there hasn’t been a day in her life I haven’t thought about her and prayed for her. I’m glad she finally came for a visit. I just hope it’s not too late.”
    “Too late? Too late for what?” He studied her clamped jaw and changed direction with his questions. “You could’ve told me she was coming.”
    “I was afraid she’d change her mind at the last minute.” She pelted out the words like spit wads.
    A million questions rolled through his mind. Why had Dani waited so long to make contact with her aunt? And what happened in the past that was too painful for Mama Beth to talk about? All good questions, but she looked in no mood to answer. He checked his watch and pulled himself to a standing position. Time to get a move on. Brighton would be here soon, and it wouldn’t hurt to look over the proposal one last time. He leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be back later to check on you.”
    She clicked her tongue with mock disgust. “You don’t need to check on me. When you going to find you a woman your own age?”
    Steve laughed and clomped down the wooden steps. “Not ’til I find one as purty as you.”
    With her laughter ringing in his ears, he clicked the picket fence gate into place, hauled himself into the truck, and ran a hand across his mouth. Actually it wasn’t a laughing matter. Women like Mama Beth were rare—kind, loving, selfless—everything he admired and wanted in a wife. No one measured up.
    Only Lauren had come close with her country girl charm. He’d been convinced they’d marry some day, but that was before the accident, before his carelessness caused her death.
    He swallowed, his Adam’s apple frozen in his throat. He didn’t deserve to find anyone else. And being single was much better than ending up like his parents, unhappily married to the wrong person. An Atlanta debutante with a Texas cow-poke made about as much sense as a pig in a tutu.
    With a premeditated push, he dismissed his thoughts and began to whistle. God would have to plop a woman down in his lap if He meant for him to be married. Until then, he planned on running fast and hard in the opposite direction.
    His cell phone rang out its tinny song and he flicked it open to view the number, a slow grin spreading across his face. He punched the talk button. “What do you want now?”
    “Where in tarnation are you?” Wanda Cates, the city