Read Online Cowgirls Don't Cry by Silver James - Free Book Online Page A

a side of him she’d never guess at, and one that scared her just a little. This was a man used to getting everything he wanted. “No.” Her brain whirled as she searched for the words to get her out of this. Where had this intensity come from? Why did he look both angry and hurt? They hadn’t even gone on a date yet—making out in the barn did not count.
    “Shotgun wedding, Chance. That’s the joke. Us getting married? You have to admit that’s a bit far-fetched. We just met. And besides, just because I took a leave of absence from my job doesn’t mean that I’m not going back to Chicago once I get the ranch squared away.”
    He trapped her with his hands braced against the wall on either side of her head. “What’s that mean?”
    “What do you think it means? I live in Chicago, Chance. I have a good job there. Friends. A life that’s not here on a ranch. I plan to sell Dad’s cattle, settle his debts and sell this place if I can so I can take care of Boots. And Buddy. Maybe a couple of the horses. Find a couple of acres where they’ll be happy.” She lifted one shoulder in a negligent shrug. “I’m not a cowgirl.”
    “So...going out with me is basically a one-night stand for
you
?”
    She furrowed her brow as he tossed her own words back in her face. His attitude totally confused her. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself, Chance. Yeah, we generate some heat, but it’s just sex.” She stared at him, trying to read his expression. “Isn’t it? We don’t know each other well enough for it to be anything else.”
    He pressed closer, crowding her, and she almost got dizzy from lack of oxygen. Cass inhaled sharply, ducked under his arm and slipped into the tack room. She emerged wearing a windbreaker and bent over to snag her T-shirt and his work shirt, which she tossed in his direction. “I’ll be ready at five if you still want to take me out. If you don’t show up, I’ll understand.”
    With as much dignity as she could muster, she pivoted and marched to the door. Luckily, Boots had left it open, and she managed to step outside without tripping. The storm was gone, the black, roiling clouds with jagged lightning pushing on to the east, leaving wet grass and mud behind. Buddy dashed past her and raced to the house, leaving her to follow a bit more sedately in his path despite the fact she wanted to run.
    When she arrived at the house, her boots clumped on the wooden steps and across the porch. The porch door banged behind her. She could hear Boots rummaging in the kitchen. She headed straight to her room. A hot shower and dry clothes would give her perspective on things. She hoped. Because at the moment, she was completely clueless as to what had just happened.
    * * *
    Chance watched Cassie walk away. What the hell had come over him? He was not the possessive type, and a one-night stand was his hookup of choice. No ties, no needy females. So how had he gone from cocky cowboy to the one clinging and needing reassurance of the relationship? As Cass said, what relationship? Dammit all to hell. He needed to get her into his bed so he could get her out of his system. Plain and simple.
    Only it wasn’t. Neither plain, nor simple. The time had come for him to think about work, not the sexy woman driving him crazy. Besides, what did it matter? Cassie was going back to Chicago. She didn’t want to stay here. She didn’t want to be with him.
    He rubbed the spot over his chest as he climbed into his truck. He didn’t start it right away, but instead sat and stared at the window he figured was Cassie’s bedroom. The place wasn’t big. Hell, his condo had more square footage than the farm house. The furniture was old, dilapidated, lived in. Loved.
    And there was his answer. That house was filled with love. A kind of love he and his brothers had missed out on growing up. Cassie was three when she lost her mother, but her daddy had loved her. And her Uncle Boots. For the first time in his life, Chance