To Court a Cowgirl by Jeannie Watt Read Free Book Online Page A

arrived because she’d happened to glance out the window and noticed his truck was parked near the arena, at least an hour earlier than he’d arrived the day before.
    He was at the back, unloading a bucket of tools, and Allie leaned forward to get a better view. The guy was something, she’d give him that. She wondered how long he’d continue on her job before he’d had enough thinking time and moved on to pizza catching.
    Allie’s mouth quirked as she turned away from the window. That hadn’t been a nice thing to say, but he hadn’t taken offense. In fact, Jason Hudson seemed like a patient guy in general. She’d never sensed that about him before.
    Yeah, in all the many minutes they spent together.
    Even their chess games had been relatively quick. And, if she recalled correctly, they’d tied there, too. Not the games themselves, but the number of wins.
    Allie put on a summery dress and cardigan, pulled her damp hair into a loose knot, slipped into flats and headed out to feed her cows.
    â€œRemember,” she said to the ladies, “healthy calves on the ground when I get home.”
    Then she looked over her shoulder to make certain that Jason was indeed where he was supposed to be and not witnessing her cow conversation. Another reason she needed to get a dog. Talking to dogs was socially acceptable.
    * * *
    A LLIE LEFT A little earlier than she had the day before, stopping just long enough to say a cool hello before heading off to her job at the school. Jason watched her car until it turned onto the road, then tossed a two-by-four in a pile a little harder than necessary. If he hadn’t been working today he would have been running—straight up the mountain. His dad was driving him crazy and his former teammate Pat wasn’t helping matters.
    Jason had gotten home yesterday to find his sister one step away from throttling their old man. Jason had stepped in to referee and the fight had shifted to him. It was so hard to hold his tongue as Max outlined all of his usual gripes, but he managed. Barely.
    Once Max had stomped off to his bedroom, Jason and Kate had had a summit. They decided that Max was still working on facing his own mortality and that they should give him a little more time to come to terms with his current life situation. In other words, they gave him a pass. But the passes weren’t going to last long if he continued the controlling, demanding behavior.
    In the morning his father was back at it, trying to pick a fight about Jason not being available for his walks. Jason hadn’t reacted, but his jaw had been clenched tightly by the time he got to his truck. Then to top things off, he’d received a text from Pat, whom he hadn’t heard from in weeks. It’d been short and to the point—was Jason applying to Brandt?
    The “for the job I didn’t get” went unsaid.
    Jason texted back, saying that if he had an opportunity to apply, he would, but that the job hadn’t officially opened yet.
    Pat never responded, which concerned Jason on one level and irritated him on another. Not once had Pat confided in him during his downward spiral. He’d never reached out for any kind of help and when Jason had tried to express his concern, offer support, Pat had turned away. Now he resented Jason for having legs.
    Another two-by-four hit the pile with a clatter and Jason realized that he had the perfect job in which to take out his frustrations. Easier than running up a mountain, and almost as satisfying.
    * * *
    A LLIE HAD JUST unlocked the library and snapped on the lights when the door behind her opened.
    â€œSorry to be here so early,” Liz said without fully meeting Allie’s eyes. “I need to find a couple of books on butterflies for my science lesson today.”
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Allie asked before her friend could brush by her. Something was definitely wrong. Liz’s usually perfect hair