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

leave the room, then tossed over his shoulder, “I’ll join you in five minutes.”
    When Miguel entered the kitchen a short time later, Anna was perched on a bar stool, nursing a mug of coffee. At the sound of his footsteps she turned and looked at him.
    Earlier, when he’d discovered her at the front door, Miguel had hardly been able to get his gaze beyond the purplish blue lump on her forehead. But now he was very nearly transfixed at the utterly beautiful picture she made with her bright hair, pale skin and green, green eyes.
    She was wearing a rich apricot blouse tucked into a pair of faded jeans. Hand-tooled boots were on her feet and a cream colored felt hat that cost more than an average week’s wages hung carelessly from a stampede string against her back. A silver and turquoise cuff bracelet circled her wrist, and tiny turquoise birds dangled from her earlobes.
    She epitomized everything he despised in a woman. Yet Miguel was beginning to realize there was more to her than just the surface. And that troubled him. Maybe she wasn’t a spoiled little rich girl like Charlene had been. But she was rich and she was young, and he had no business being attracted to her.
    â€œYou haven’t heard from your parents this morning?”
    He went to the refrigerator and pulled out bacon and eggs.
    â€œNo. I talked to both my aunts to tell them what happened. Rose and Harlan said to let them know if you need help with anything.”
    â€œRose and Harlan have their own ranch to take care of,” he remarked as he slapped several slices of bacon into an iron skillet.
    From the corner of her eye Anna watched him work at the gas range. And just as she feared, she wasn’t seeing the white cotton shirt he was wearing, she was picturing him without it.
    â€œYou don’t like Rose and Harlan?” she asked a bit defensively.
    â€œI like them very much. That’s why I don’t want to overload them with work that you and I can take care of. Or am I being presumptuous in thinking you’re going to work out at this job?”
    Anna racked her brain trying to recall any man who had infuriated her as much as this one. Yet it was impossible. She’d never met a man like Miguel. Period.
    â€œDon’t you mean work, rather than work out?” she asked in a saccharine-sweet voice.
    He didn’t bother turning to look at her as he tended the sizzling bacon. “However you want to say it, I’m not sure you’re up to filling Chloe’s boots.”
    Anna expected he’d made the flip remark to irritate and probably even challenge her. He couldn’t know just how insecure, how lacking she felt compared to her mother.
    When she failed to reply, Miguel glanced over his shoulder and was surprised to see her staring vacantly into her cup. He’d expected her to be on her feet, blasting away at him.
    â€œWhat’s the matter?”
    His voice jerked her back to the moment and she lifted her eyes to him. “Nothing. And don’t worry,” she added flatly. “I may not be able to win the All American Futurity but I can see the horses are properly taken care of.”
    â€œYou look like you need to be in bed. That’s a hell of a bruise on your forehead. Does it hurt?”
    â€œAunt Justine came over last night and brought me a few pain pills. Since she’s a nurse, she wanted to make sure I didn’t have a concussion.”
    A lesser woman wouldn’t have been on her feet today, and that in itself amazed Miguel. “What was your aunt’s diagnosis?”
    Anna grimaced. “That I have an unusually hard head.”
    â€œShe wasted a trip. I could have told her that.”
    Anna couldn’t stop herself. There was something about the man that pulled at her. Her mind said she didn’t want to be within a hundred yards of him. Yet the rest of her craved to touch him, smell him, kiss his lips all over again.
    Sliding from the bar