Read Online Cowboy on the Run by Devon McKay - Free Book Online Page A

face. Everything made sense now, and she braced herself for the argument certain to follow. An argument they had many times. There were never any winners in this debate.
    Jessie took a long sip out of her glass. The ice clinked against the side, and she preoccupied herself with trying to scoop out a sliver of the frozen cube with her tongue.
    “And your children need a father,” Rosita continued.
    She’d heard this speech before, too many times to count, but it was useless to disagree with the woman.
    “Okay, I’ll start looking for one tomorrow,” she returned sassily, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.
    Regarding her with a firm motherly stare, Rosita patted her leg with a firm hand. “Yes, that is funny, Jessie, very funny. But this is serious. It is no joke. This is no laughing matter. The children already have a father.”
    Jessie knew the battle was lost the moment she saw the tears form.
    “It’s just that I worry so much for you.” Several perfectly timed teardrops streamed down the older woman’s cheek. “And the children.”
    And the children .
    That was the clincher. An ebb of suspicion surged through her bones.
    “You are too young and too pretty to have no husband,” the caregiver stated, wiping the tears off her cheeks with a handkerchief appearing as if out of thin air. Grabbing Jessie’s hand, she pulled it to her chest. “I have always had a great fondness for Nate, so hear me out.”
    Jessie stood. The last thing she needed was for the formidable Rosita to be on his side. “I can’t talk about this right now, Rosie. I’m going to be late for work. Besides, how do you even know he’s back in town?”
    Rosita shrugged, miraculously dry-eyed. A large smile radiated across her face, highlighting her youthful beauty. She could easily be mistaken for a forty year old woman, despite the fact she was well into her sixties.
    “He might have come by for a little visit,” she replied with a nonchalant shrug. “He likes my cooking. I fed him blueberry pie.”
    “He came by here? ” Panic rose in her throat. During their outing, Jade hadn’t mentioned meeting a stranger.
    “Did the kids see him? Oh my God, Rosita, please tell me the kids didn’t see him!”
    Her meddling friend jumped to her feet. The skirt she wore swirled around her legs in a colorful dance from the sudden movement. She threw an arm around Jessie’s shoulders.
    “Don’t worry. He came by yesterday while William and the kids were in town.” She squeezed her tight. “But it would not be such a bad thing would it, for the children to meet their papa?” A finely arched brow lifted.
    “No. Yes. Honestly, I don’t know. Are you sure they were in town?”
    “Of course they were. Why else would William tell me he was going into town? Now, do you want a piece of pie?” she asked, her coy, dark eyes implying innocence.
    “No, I don’t want a piece of pie! What is wrong with you?” Jessie snapped, pulling free from the housekeeper’s grasp and swinging open the screen door. She marched into the house with Rosita close behind.
    “He still loves you...”
    The persistent woman’s words followed her inside as the door slammed behind her.
    “Who loves you mommy?” Gage asked as she stomped into the kitchen. His face was stained with streaks of dark blue fruit.
    Smiling, she grabbed a napkin, wiping the blueberries off. A tint of indigo remained on his angelic face.
    “ You love me,” she teased, opening her mouth for the bite of pie he offered.
    “Yeah,” he answered, his broad grin showcasing a full set of blue teeth.
    “Ice cream, ice cream. I get ice cream,” Jade chanted as she rushed into the kitchen, dragging her grandfather with her. At the sight of Gage enjoying his pie, her mouth fell open in shock. “Why do I get ice cream, and he gets to have blueberry pie?” A pout instantly appeared on the child’s lips.
    Rosita solved the dilemma, scooping out a slice of the desert and placing it in front of the