Read Online Count on a Cowboy by Patricia Thayer - Free Book Online Page B

my recruits, just don’t overdo it.”
    “If I’m going to indulge on anything, I would rather it be on chocolate.”
    A wide grin transformed his face, causing warmth to spread through her, and settling deep in her stomach.
    “What is it with women and chocolate?”
    She could play this game, for a while, anyway. She leaned forward, and looked him in the eye. “If you have to ask, then my telling you isn’t going to help.”
    When he frowned, she couldn’t help laughing.
    The bartender brought over two beers. Trent thanked him, then lifted his glass toward Brooke. “To a night hearing more of your sweet laughter.”
    Brooke swallowed. She couldn’t let Trent’s words turn her head. “Oh, my, you’re full of blarney, Mr. Landry.” She took a long drink of her beer to cool off. “And you aren’t even Irish.”
    He tipped his head back and laughed. “What about you, Miss Harper? Do you have any Irish in you?”
    Brooke gripped her glass, playing with the condensation. “Don’t we all claim to be part Irish?”
    Before he could answer her, two platters arrived at the table. All she could do was groan on seeing the stacks of ribs on her plate. “Looks like I’m going to have enough leftovers for several days.”
    “Not me.” Trent rubbed his hands together, then tore off the first rib and took a big bite. Then he released a deep groan and something stirred in Brooke’s stomach. Need. Want. Desire.
    She quickly looked down at her plate, picked up her own rib and took a bite. Her taste buds went nuts. “Oh, my Lord, this is so good. Sweet and tangy at the same time.”
    “Told you,” Trent said.
    She couldn’t help thinking back to the years when things had been really tight for her and her mother. There’d been times when they hadn’t had enough to eat. And never could her mother afford a meal like this.
    Over the next twenty minutes, they both were more interested in the food rather than conversation. But eating ribs was messy. Brooke kept trying to clean her hands off with her napkin. Hard to do when she couldn’t resist gnawing the tender meat all the way to the bone.
    Trent couldn’t help watching Brooke as she enjoyed her meal. Although she had no problem digging into the ribs, she did it in a way that intrigued him. She had quite an appetite. He couldn’t help wondering what other things she enjoyed.
    Yesterday, she’d taken charge of dismantling a wedding reception like a pro. Then today, on horseback, even though she was afraid, she wouldn’t let that keep her from learning to ride. But now...one on one, she seemed almost shy with him, especially when he tried to give her compliments. Maybe she had spent all her time with her career and her mother, and hadn’t had much time for socializing. She hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend.
    He studied her pretty face. Her complexion was creamy smooth, and those incredible green eyes... His libido kicked into overdrive. All right, he was attracted to her, but he couldn’t let that distract him from finding out more about her and her mother.
    She looked at him as her tongue snaked out and licked sauce from her full lips. “Is something wrong?” she asked innocently.
    He managed to hold back his groan as he leaned forward, reached out and wiped barbecue sauce off her cheek.
    “Just a little something the napkin missed.” When his fingers made contact with her skin, he had trouble concentrating. She was as soft as he imagined.
    She didn’t pull back but her face turned rosy red. “As my mother used to say, you can’t take me anywhere.” She forced a laugh to hide her embarrassment.
    Why would she say that? “I like to watch a woman enjoy her food.”
    “Maybe because I enjoy eating so much. I had to grab food when I had the chance.” She rushed on to say, “Between school and working.”
    He bet there was a lot more to that story. “I’ve never been known to miss a meal, not growing up, anyway. And there’s something about home cooking that