Read Online Counterfeit Cowgirl (Love and Laughter) by Lois Greiman - Free Book Online Page B

drive?”
    “Four-wheel drive?”
    “Did you split a personality with a myna bird or something?” Tyrel asked, scowling at her.
    She opened her mouth to speak, but he raised his hand.
    “Just…get your coat and I’ll show you.”
    He led the way through the snow to a tan, steel building on the north side of the house. Pushing open a huge, sliding door, he flipped on the lights and made his way between several pieces of huge unidentifiable machinery to a black pickup truck.
    “Get in,” he said, pulling the door open.
    She stepped past him and climbed into the truck. It was built like a tank.
    “Shifts just like a car,” he said, “only here…” He reachedpast her to a lever on the floor. His arm brushed her knee. His words stopped.
    Her breath stopped. Their gazes met.
    “You, um…” He cleared his throat. “You smell pretty good.”
    For one rash moment she considered apologizing for the eggs, the microwave, the kitchen fire. But then she came to her senses. She raised one brow.
    “You smell good, too. For a bull in heat,” she said.
    He snorted and pulled back. “Honey, bulls don’t come in heat. But even if they did, you could freeze ‘em up with one flick of your tongue.”
    “Fiddle dee dee.”
    “I’d tell you to be careful in town, but I think I’ll just issue an all-state warning to the male population. Careful, freezer burn on contact.”
    She opened her mouth to retaliate, but his face was too close and his eyes as dark as fresh ground coffee. Suddenly she could think of nothing to say.
    “How…how do I shift it?” she asked, pulling her gaze away.
    “Figure it out,” he said, drawing back as if for safety’s sake. “You’re a smart girl.”
    Her breath stopped. “I am?” The words came unbidden. Not in two-plus decades of life had anyone ever told her that.
    “Yeah, you are,” he said. They were staring at each other again. But he ripped his attention away and began digging around in his jeans pocket, came up with a note. “You just act like an idiot,” he said. “Here. A list of groceries we need. We’re going to have to give Daniel a calcium IV if we don’t get him milk soon.”
    She tried to jerk herself back to her senses, but they were still reeling.
    He prodded her arm with the list. “You’ll find this stuff at a grocery store.”
    “I know how to buy groceries.”
    “Well, good. That’ll be a first then.”
    She gritted her teeth. “What do I use for money?”
    “Oh. Here.” He drew out his billfold and pulled out several twenties. “You’re the cook. Get whatever you need.”
    She raised her brows at him. “A little short for an airline ticket, isn’t it? But wait. I’ve got the Jimmy. ”
    His face turned serious. Maybe even a little pale. And as she drove through the brightening day, the memory of his dire expression made her smile.

5
    T HE TRIP TO V ALLEY G REEN was uneventful. Boring, in fact Hannah flipped on the radio. Country music blasted out at her. Wincing, she trolled for stations. But her only alternatives were the grain futures and a detailed report on the health of the residents of Shady Tree Rest Home. Snapping off the radio, she cruised for a while, but finally switched it on again and let someone named Vince Gill croon at her from a dusty speaker.
    Valley Green was neither green nor much of a valley. But Hannah had to admit the white, tree-dotted slopes had a sort of serene beauty. The snow-spattered sign just outside city limits boasted 12,845 people.
    Ellingson’s Farm Deere and Implement was not hard to find.
    Only one employee stood behind the counter. Still in his teens, he was fighting a losing battle against acne and a tendency to let his jaw drop open when he looked at her.
    She offered him the smile she used to charm peasants and handed him the note. Still, he didn’t focus on the paper.
    “I need one of those,” she said, tapping the slip.
    “Oh. Yes, ma’am,” he said, and catapulting back to the business at hand,