Read Online Boots and the Heartbreaker: Ugly Stick Saloon, Book 11 by Myla Jackson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Myla Jackson
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She started walking again and her uncle fell in step beside her.
“He did. And she said yes.” Her uncle scrubbed a hand down his face. “I chose to step out of the picture. John was a good man—a better man than I was, and she was happy with him. They had three fine sons and a good life together.”
“John died more than eight years ago. Why didn’t you come back sooner?”
“You don’t know how much I wanted to, but her sons were there for her and I didn’t want her to think I was insincere, poaching on a dead man’s widow.”
“You never married,” Fancy said, her heart tightening. “Because you were always in love with another man’s wife?”
Uncle Carl patted her hand. “For me, I’m a one-woman man.”
“Then why did they call you the Heartbreaker?”
He snorted. “I didn’t say I was celibate. I just never let another woman close enough. Whenever a woman wanted more, I let her go. My heart always belonged to Maggie.”
“Are you two coming?” Colin called out from ahead.
He and Mrs. M stood in front of the Fun House, tickets in hand.
“If you’ll excuse me, my date is waiting.” He disengaged his arm from Fancy’s, grabbed Maggie’s hand and hurried toward the entrance to the Fun House.
Colin held up two tickets. “What was keeping you two?”
“We were talking.” Fancy took the tickets from Colin’s hand and handed them to the carnival worker. “Come on. We need to keep up with them.” She didn’t want to go into the details of what her uncle told her. The way it stood, her heart wasn’t into coming between her uncle and his only love. Knowing what she did made it seem mean and spiteful to keep the two apart.
Colin handed her into the big Fun House trailer and turned to say a few words to the carnival worker before he entered. They stepped into a glass and mirrored maze, stretching the length of the trailer.
The giggles of others who’d gone ahead echoed back to them.
Fancy walked to what she thought was the opening only to find it was a trick of the mirrors and was a dead end. “How do we get through?”
Colin grinned. “This way.” He led her through an opening to the next passage where their reflections were distorted. One mirror made Fancy’s head appear to be as big as a medicine ball, the next made her look short and fat. The next mirror made her look like a giant Q-tip, her middle pencil thin, her head and feet huge.
She glanced at Colin in front of the short and fat mirror and she burst out laughing.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her against his side. “Now we both look the same.”
“This is what eating too much cotton candy will do to us.” She laughed again. Seeing Colin short tickled her funny bone.
Colin turned to her and cupped her face with one of his hands, smoothing his thumb across her cheek. “You should laugh more.”
She stared up at him in the dim lighting, her gaze captured by the intensity of his dark eyes. More than anything, she wanted to kiss him. But she’d followed her misguided instincts more than once with Colin and it led to heartache. “We should catch up with the others.”
“We will,” he said, stepping closer, his other hand curving around her waist to press against her back. “In a moment.”
Being alone with Colin was a very bad thing. It made her forget what she was trying so hard to do.
He tipped her head up and bent down until his mouth was a mere inch from hers.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice a whisper in the suddenly silent trailer.
“I would think you’d know by now.”
“I don’t want to kiss you,” she lied.
“Then don’t.” His breath was warm and minty against her lips a tempting promise of a kiss.
Fancy wanted it, but refused to rise up and take it. “You’re the devil.”
“I’ve been called that before,” he said, still refusing to go the extra inch to claim her mouth, daring her.
All she had to do was rise up on her toes. One lousy inch. Her feet flexed and she
“He did. And she said yes.” Her uncle scrubbed a hand down his face. “I chose to step out of the picture. John was a good man—a better man than I was, and she was happy with him. They had three fine sons and a good life together.”
“John died more than eight years ago. Why didn’t you come back sooner?”
“You don’t know how much I wanted to, but her sons were there for her and I didn’t want her to think I was insincere, poaching on a dead man’s widow.”
“You never married,” Fancy said, her heart tightening. “Because you were always in love with another man’s wife?”
Uncle Carl patted her hand. “For me, I’m a one-woman man.”
“Then why did they call you the Heartbreaker?”
He snorted. “I didn’t say I was celibate. I just never let another woman close enough. Whenever a woman wanted more, I let her go. My heart always belonged to Maggie.”
“Are you two coming?” Colin called out from ahead.
He and Mrs. M stood in front of the Fun House, tickets in hand.
“If you’ll excuse me, my date is waiting.” He disengaged his arm from Fancy’s, grabbed Maggie’s hand and hurried toward the entrance to the Fun House.
Colin held up two tickets. “What was keeping you two?”
“We were talking.” Fancy took the tickets from Colin’s hand and handed them to the carnival worker. “Come on. We need to keep up with them.” She didn’t want to go into the details of what her uncle told her. The way it stood, her heart wasn’t into coming between her uncle and his only love. Knowing what she did made it seem mean and spiteful to keep the two apart.
Colin handed her into the big Fun House trailer and turned to say a few words to the carnival worker before he entered. They stepped into a glass and mirrored maze, stretching the length of the trailer.
The giggles of others who’d gone ahead echoed back to them.
Fancy walked to what she thought was the opening only to find it was a trick of the mirrors and was a dead end. “How do we get through?”
Colin grinned. “This way.” He led her through an opening to the next passage where their reflections were distorted. One mirror made Fancy’s head appear to be as big as a medicine ball, the next made her look short and fat. The next mirror made her look like a giant Q-tip, her middle pencil thin, her head and feet huge.
She glanced at Colin in front of the short and fat mirror and she burst out laughing.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her against his side. “Now we both look the same.”
“This is what eating too much cotton candy will do to us.” She laughed again. Seeing Colin short tickled her funny bone.
Colin turned to her and cupped her face with one of his hands, smoothing his thumb across her cheek. “You should laugh more.”
She stared up at him in the dim lighting, her gaze captured by the intensity of his dark eyes. More than anything, she wanted to kiss him. But she’d followed her misguided instincts more than once with Colin and it led to heartache. “We should catch up with the others.”
“We will,” he said, stepping closer, his other hand curving around her waist to press against her back. “In a moment.”
Being alone with Colin was a very bad thing. It made her forget what she was trying so hard to do.
He tipped her head up and bent down until his mouth was a mere inch from hers.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice a whisper in the suddenly silent trailer.
“I would think you’d know by now.”
“I don’t want to kiss you,” she lied.
“Then don’t.” His breath was warm and minty against her lips a tempting promise of a kiss.
Fancy wanted it, but refused to rise up and take it. “You’re the devil.”
“I’ve been called that before,” he said, still refusing to go the extra inch to claim her mouth, daring her.
All she had to do was rise up on her toes. One lousy inch. Her feet flexed and she
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