Kiss Me Cowboy (Cowboys of Crested Butte 3) - Page 1
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Jace Rice was tired of being the nice guy—what in the hell was wrong with him anyway? He’d fallen in love, and instead of fighting for the woman who’d captured his heart, he’d handed her over to another man. And worse? He was about to spend Thanksgiving with her.
Today he’d see Irene Fairchild for the first time since he decided to be noble instead of smart. Later, he and Tucker, his twin, would drive over the pass from Aspen to Crested Butte to spend the holiday with their cousin Ben and his family, which included Ben’s stepdaughter, Irene.
The day he’d met her, he was on his way to the barns at Black Mountain Ranch, hoping to go for a long, quiet ride. Guests would begin arriving at the dude ranch the following week, and employees would no longer have time for afternoon pleasure rides.
When a car came barreling down the dirt road, his first inclination was to tell the driver to slow down, but when it came to a stop and he saw the woman driving, he’d changed his mind.
“What’s your name, cowgirl?” he’d asked when she opened the door and stepped out. He’d tipped his hat, welcomed her to the ranch, and offered to help carry her bags to her cabin.
When she’d told him the number of the cabin she’d been assigned, he’d been as surprised to hear it was one of the few single cabins, as he was by his reaction. If anyone had asked, Jace would’ve said he had no interest in a summer romance with someone he worked with, but knowing Irene would be sleeping in her cabin alone sent his mind racing with thoughts of the two of them together.
Something about her got under his skin the moment he met her. She was beautiful, but there was more to it. Her blue eyes sparkled in the sun, and she had an easy laugh, but something or someone had hurt her, and even then, Jace vowed not to let anything hurt her again.
“Thinking about her isn’t going to help.” Tucker nudged him.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re thinking about her. It’s over. Move on.”
“Not that easy.”
“It is that easy. Quit dwelling on it.”
“Wait until you meet her. You’ll understand.”
“I don’t need to meet her to understand she’s engaged to another man. What else is there?”
“You’ll see.”
Blythe Cochran hadn’t wanted to spend Thanksgiving in Crested Butte, but since her parents told her they were going with or without her, she gave in, hoping it wouldn’t be as bad as she was afraid it would be. Instead, it was worse.
She’d hoped that things between her and her best friend since kindergarten, Renie Fairchild, would go back to the way they had always been, but after not seeing her for almost a year, it felt more like Blythe didn’t know her friend anymore. Now that she was engaged, all Renie cared about was Billy, her fiancé, and his daughter, Willow.
They’d spent the morning having breakfast and shopping, and now, were headed back to the ranch. Once they got there, Blythe figured Renie would ditch her again.
When they walked in, Liv, Renie’s mom, was sitting at the dining room table, feet up on a chair, with a pillow under them.
“Is everything okay?” Renie asked her.
Liv laughed. “They’re babying me. Because they’ve forgotten I’ve already had one,” she shouted in the direction of the kitchen.
“What is she talking about?” asked Blythe.
Source: readsnovelonline.net