Read Online Rodeo Bride by Myrna Mackenzie - Free Book Online

it too much to heart. She could not start yearning for praise from Dillon.
    Finally, she found her voice. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I guess…it’s time for Toby’s story and bed. Then…I have some written material you might find helpful.” Which was such a stupid, inane thing to say, but he nodded, took Toby and headed for the rocking chair.
    Soon the sound of his deep, hypnotic voice could be heardin the kitchen where she had retreated so that Dillon could have some private time with his son.
    She was alone in a way she hadn’t been for the past three months. Maybe she’d never been this alone, Colleen thought. Because now she had experienced joy, a special kind of joy. And she craved it.
    Get over it, she told herself. Be happy with what you’ve been lucky enough to have been given. And stop moping. There’s still a lot to do today. And maybe this would be a good day for you to go back to eating at the bunkhouse. She was spending too much time alone with Dillon.
    But by the time the day was done and the lessons were over, Millie had gone to bed with a headache, the women in the bunkhouse had made their own dinner and she and Dillon were all that was left.
    “I’m not much of a cook, but I can manage something,” she told him when he came back from putting Toby in his crib.
    “I’d offer to do the honors, but I’ve never learned how.”
    “You’ve always had servants, haven’t you?”
    “It goes with the territory. My parents were too self-involved to cook. I was too busy. Fortunately, there are people who will cook for you if you pay them well.”
    She was pretty sure that he paid better than well. Before he’d come here she’d done her homework on him. She’d seen his name on one of those Web sites where people gossiped about which celebrities were lousy tippers at restaurants, and Dillon was a legendary highly generous tipper.
    “I can help,” he offered, but the thought of him being next to her while she cooked…after that kiss…well, she’d probably have a brain meltdown and slice off a finger or two.
    “Go. Ramble. Read. Do something,” she ordered.
    He smiled and wandered out of the room. In a minute, she heard the noise of glass doors opening and closing and wentto see what the commotion was. He had opened the china cabinet and was setting the table.
    “You really are a rodeo queen.” He motioned to the trophies and ribbons he’d had to move to get at the dishes.
    “Well, everyone has to be good at one thing,” she said.
    He frowned at that. “I’m sure you’re good at many things.”
    Automatically the sound of her stepfather telling her that she was good for absolutely nothing, that she was ugly and useless and that he couldn’t believe someone as pretty as her mother had given birth to her, dropped in. She hadn’t allowed that thought for ages.
    “I was a great barrel racer back when I had the time to practice,” she said as if she was trying to force that opinion down someone’s throat.
    “I would have liked to have seen that.”
    “I—” Colleen’s words were cut off by the sound of Dillon’s cell phone ringing.
    He looked at the display. “Unfamiliar. Probably a wrong number, but…”
    He clicked it on. Colleen went back into the kitchen to give him privacy.
    “What’s this about, Lisa? Yes, I know you called earlier. You’re in Europe. Fine. Where am I? I’m with my son.”
    Lisa, Colleen thought. Maybe Lisa wanted the baby even though she hadn’t asked one question about him these past few months. Or maybe she wanted Dillon again. A woman like Lisa tended to get the things she wanted.
    With an extra dollop of force, Colleen slammed the pan onto the stove.
    “Lisa, we haven’t talked in a year. What exactly do you want now?” Dillon continued. “I see. Well, you do what you have to do.”
    Colleen took out another pan and banged it on the stove,too. She wanted to scream, “Tell her not to call you here.” But she didn’t.
    “I’d say