Read Online Cowboy's Pride (Welcome to Covendale Book 1) by Morgan Blaze - Free Book Online Page A

to know if he’s really going to fix it.”
    The instant she mentioned Cam’s name, Tommy’s eyes narrowed. And his angry stare settled on Sydney. “You went out there again?” he said. “I told you not to talk to him.
    Sydney jumped instantly from slightly annoyed to pissed off. This time she spoke before she thought. “You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t talk to,” she said. “He was fixing my truck. I was going to have Kenny do it, but he decided he wouldn’t.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because I stuck up for Cam.” She returned the glare full force. “I told you, he’s doing us a favor. A little appreciation from you would be nice. He’s been nothing but helpful.”
    “Yeah. He’s a goddamned knight in shining armor.”
    “Tommy, I swear to God—”
    “Shit. I’m sorry, babe.” Tommy relaxed and let out a sigh. “I’m just worried about you, is all. The guy’s nuts—he chases people off his ranch with a shotgun.”
    Her mouth went dry. “He does?”
    “Yeah,” he said. “It’s the truth. Brian and Jesse went out there on a church drive. His old man used to donate every year, so they thought he might want to keep it going. But Thatcher put a bullet in the ground, not three feet from them.”
    Sydney shivered. She knew Cam was rude and unwelcoming, but she couldn’t believe he’d actually shoot at somebody. He wasn’t a monster. “Are you sure?” she half-whispered.
    He nodded. “And he said if they came back, next time he wouldn’t miss.”
    “Come on,” she said. “There’s no way he’d follow through. It was an empty threat.”
    “Sydney, he shot at me too.” Tommy’s voice was tight and low. “The man is dangerous. He’s gone off the deep end, and he doesn’t care who he drags down with him.”
    “Right.” Maybe there was something to the idea of avoiding Cam, but she just couldn’t believe he was that bad. Not murderous. “Look, I’m going to go get a drink,” she said. “And by the way, I like mojitos. Not beer, not Tom Collins, not lime daiquiris.”
    It was a petty jab, and she felt kind of bad about it. But she had just enough no-you-didn’t left in her to throw it out there and walk away before he could respond.
    She made her way to the bar, returning the occasional greeting from people she knew. That got her thinking again about small-town life, and how different things were going to be soon. Here, she couldn’t go anywhere without running into someone she could stop and chat with for a few minutes. The grocery store, the gas station, the pizza shop—everyone frequented the same places, knew the same faces.
    In New York, it’d be just her and Tommy…and while he was at work, she’d be alone. She hadn’t really thought much about that.
    And she didn’t know if she could handle it.
    The bar was still crowded, and it took her a few minutes to be noticed. Finally, Jim came over with a smile, depositing a beer in front of someone on the way. “Hey, Sydney,” he said. “How are your folks?”
    She smiled. “Just fine. The lovebirds went to a movie tonight. How’s Gina?”
    “She’s great. Three-point-eight average so far.” Gina Wyatt, another member of the Pretty People, had gone out to California for college to major in theater. Everyone expected to see her in the movies soon—especially her proud father. “What are you drinking tonight?”
    “I’d like a lime mojito, please.”
    “Coming right up.”
    He went to fix the drink, and Sydney turned around to lean on the bar. The crowd seemed a little quieter—strange, because it didn’t look any less packed. But the noise level was definitely dropping. After a minute, there was nothing but the music and hushed murmurs of conversation.
    Then came the unmistakable heavy tread of boots on the wooden floor.
    Sydney’s heart started pounding crazily. Somehow she knew what was happening, who it was, even as the steps drew closer and the murmurs became a buzz. The crowd that was gathered