Texas Wide Open by KC Klein Read Free Book Online Page B

breasts,
     among the other fruits and vegetables, in nothing more than a shoestring tank top.
    Life sucked.
    “Cole, I thought that was you. Where’ve you been?” Sarah said. Her voice was breathy
     and soft as if she’d just run the half mile to the store.
    “Apparently not at the same places you’ve been.” Cole’s gaze did a thorough sweep
     from Sarah’s feet to her chest . . . and then stayed at her chest. “Lookin’ good,
     Sarah.”
    And Sarah was, if you went for that sort of thing. Her hair fell past her shoulders
     in thick blond waves. Her waist looked incredibly tiny below her double D’s. Sarah’s
     denim-encased legs started somewhere underneath her armpits, and only finally ended
     in a pair of strappy-heeled sandals.
    Of all the days to wear shorts and cowboy boots.
    “Why thank you, Cole.” Sarah’s pink nails fluttered to the lacy neckline of her shirt,
     drawing even more attention to her cleavage, as if that was needed. They all but screamed,
     “Ask me who my plastic surgeon is.”
    Jealousy took seed in Katie’s heart and bloomed into a thorn bush of rage. But she
     couldn’t look away, and a painful glance at Cole showed he felt the same way—his dimple
     out and flashing like the damn North Star.
    Sarah moved and talked as if each expression was an art form in femininity: a tug
     of lip between white teeth, a lowering of mascara-thickened lashes, a flutter of well-placed
     sighs and laughs.
    Uncomfortable, Katie moved the plastic basket in front of her pale legs. Where had
     Sarah learned that? The slight tilt of her hips that drew your attention to the way
     her jeans rode low on her waist. Had her mother pulled her aside and showed her the
     intricate dance of seduction? Were all motherless girls as awkward as she? Or was
     it that girls like Sarah would always outshine girls like Katie?
    Katie pushed her hair back behind her ear for the thousandth time, and wished she’d
     at least put on lip gloss. She felt in her pocket for her cherry lip balm, and applied
     with relish.
    Was this the kind of woman Cole wanted?
    Katie’s gaze went back and forth between the two as they bantered. Her eyes stung
     as she watched Cole throw his smiles away for free when she had to work so hard for
     one flash of a dimple. And even worse, he seemed to have all but forgotten that she
     was there. They both had.
    “Well, call me,” Sarah said, winding up the conversation.
    Cole nodded. “I’ve got your number.”
    Oh God, I’m gonna throw up.
    Sarah turned to leave, the scent of lilacs in her wake, as Katie tried hard to get
     the world to stop spinning.
    Cole reached over and ruffled her head. “God, your hair’s crazy. Come on, kid, if
     we hurry I’ll get you an ice cream on the way home.”

Chapter 5
    Desperate times called for desperate measures, and if this situation wasn’t desperate
     then Katie didn’t know what was. It was time she stopped taking orders from everyone.
     Well, everyone that included Cole and Pa. It was time to prove she was ready to come
     into her own. So she’d ditched school today, and had hidden in an empty stall until
     Cole left for work. Her heart thudding in her chest the whole time. The wait hadn’t
     helped her nerves any. Her legs still trembled, barely able to support her weight,
     as she walked toward the tack room. The other ranch hands were around, but no one
     would bother her . . . or help her either.
    The scent of honeysuckle followed her through the open barn door, sweet amidst the
     smells of horse sweat and manure. Horses rustled in their stalls and nuzzled their
     gates, eyeing Katie and looking for an easy handout. But there were no treats hidden
     in her back pockets. She didn’t want Sweet Thing nipping at her clothes looking for
     a carrot or an apple. It was time to work; any treats would be for later.
    Katie swallowed hard as she scooped up a lead rope. Sweet Thing was ready. For a little
     over a week Katie had been working the