The Cowboy And The Debutante by Stella Bagwell Read Free Book Online

anything. And in the morning please go over to Miguel’s and explain to him what’s happened and that it looks as though we’ll be away for a few days.”
    â€œGo over to Miguel’s? Mother, there’s no need for that! The man will probably be down at the stables by daybreak. I’ll let him know then.”
    Chloe frowned at her daughter. “He won’t be down at the stables in the morning. The men are going to be doing roundup without him tomorrow. He was going to Alamogordo to make a deal on some liquid feed.”
    â€œThen I’ll tell him when he gets back.”
    Chloe shot her an exasperated look. Anna groaned and scrubbed her eyes with both fists. “I know, Mother. I’m being a pain. It’s just that I’m worried sick about Adam, and I’d rather go see him than stay here with...Miguel Chavez! You might as well know right now that we’ve had...a run-in.”
    Chloe made a palms-up gesture as if to tell her daughter so what. “Then the two of you will just have to get back on track. I can’t concentrate on Adam unless I know this place is being taken care of, and that’s going to mean both you and Miguel seeing after things.”
    Anna always loved having a chance to help her parents, to pay them back for all the wonderful years they’d given her. But why the heck did she have to do it with Miguel Chavez?
    â€œDon’t worry,” Anna assured her mother. “I won’t let you down. If need be, I’ll murder Miguel and persuade Lester to come back.”
    â€œFat chance.” She headed toward the door, then paused with her hand on the knob. “By the way, just what did Miguel do to get you so stirred up?”
    â€œWell...” Anna’s mouth opened and closed, then she decided where her mother was concerned honesty was always the best policy. “For starters he...kissed me!”
    No stunned gasp or words of outrage. Chloe simply threw back her head and laughed. “I’m sure that was sheer punishment.”
    Anna flung her tangled red hair out of her eyes. “Humiliating torture.”
    Chloe chuckled once again. “Oh, Anna, I can see I’m not going to have to worry about you while I’m gone.”
    Her mother hurried on out the door, and Anna groaned and fell back against the pillows. It was after two o’clock. Morning and dealing with Miguel was going to be here all too soon.
    Â 
    The rambling log house, perched precariously on the side of the mountain, was just as Anna remembered. The front, with its plate-glass windows and wide wooden deck, faced the west and looked out over a deep arroyo. Tall ponderosa pine, spruce and aspen spilled down the rugged bluff behind the house and crowded around the structure, shading the roof and the deck.
    Anna had always loved the quiet, rustic beauty of the place. Even though it didn’t compare to the splendor of the Bar M hacienda, the house was a lovely one, and the solitude it provided appealed to Anna far more than the bustle of activity that was always going on down at the ranch house.
    As she walked across the deck, she wondered if Miguel liked it here in the Hondo Valley, then just as quickly the question of what had brought him to this place floated through her mind.
    However, Anna needed to know about Miguel Chavez as much as she needed another kick in the head. So she did her best to thrust the thought from her mind, then squared her shoulders and punched the doorbell.
    Long moments passed before the door opened. As Anna stood looking at him across the threshold, she was embarrassed to see she’d caught him in the act of shaving. He was dressed only in a pair of jeans and boots. A small white towel hung around his neck. Anna couldn’t help but notice the bold contrast it and the specks of white lather on his face made against his dark skin.
    â€œSorry about the interruption,” she said as coolly as she could manage,