Read Online Her Cowboy Soldier by Cindi Myers - Free Book Online Page B

is a special occasion, you need something a little fancy. Besides, it’ll do you good to get away, spend a day pampering yourself. I’m free Saturday afternoon—how about you?”
    * * *
    A MY COULDN ’ T REMEMBER the last time she’d gone shopping for the entertainment of browsing through stores and buying something for herself. She shopped for Chloe, or for groceries, or for practical things for her job or the house. The idea of an entire afternoon spent trying on clothes and shoes and choosing things with sheer frivolity in mind seemed giddily decadent.
    “I don’t think I really need to dress up for this,” she said as she and Charla headed into a Junction mall Saturday afternoon. “After all, I’m there as a chaperone and a reporter. I should probably blend into the scenery.”
    “Oh, no. We can’t have a bunch of teenagers upstaging us.” Charla led the way into the large department store at one end of the mall. “Besides, you should look your best to wow Josh.”
    “I don’t want to wow Josh. I’d be happy if Josh didn’t even know I was there.”
    “You’re looking at this all wrong.” Charla took her arm and steered her toward a display of formal gowns. “The last thing you want is to hide from the man—to let him think you have anything to feel guilty about. Instead, you want to be bold—show him his opinion doesn’t matter to you. You’re putting it all out there, proud of yourself.” She gave Amy a knowing look. “And maybe show him a little of what he’s missing by being so grumpy with you.”
    “He’s not missing anything.” She pulled her arm out of Charla’s grasp. “I’m not interested in Josh—in any man—that way. And I don’t want to encourage him to think I am.”
    “Wearing a pretty dress and shoes is not ‘encouraging,’” Charla said. She pulled a gown from a rack of evening wear. “What do think of this one? I hear orange is the hot color this year.”
    Amy shook her head. “Not with your coloring. Maybe a royal blue.”
    “You’re right.” Charla replaced the dress and rifled through others. “Even if you have no interest in diving into another relationship right now, I can’t think of a safer way to test the waters. Have some good conversation, maybe a dance or two, maybe flirt a little. All completely innocent and nonthreatening.”
    Amy’s stomach knotted at the thought. “I’m going to be working. I’m not there to enjoy myself.”
    Charla laughed. “The two aren’t mutually exclusive, you know.”
    “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m not a complete stick-in-the-mud. But I’m there to focus on the kids, not the other chaperones, male or female.”
    “I’m not saying you have to do anything,” Charla said. “Just be open to new experiences. New friendships.”
    She started to say she didn’t see the point, since she wouldn’t be staying in town much longer. Her grandmother was healing well, and soon Amy would move on. But Charla might take that as a dismissal of her own friendship, and Amy didn’t mean that at all. “I’ve always had a hard time making new friends, and it seems even tougher now. I mean, I never even dated when I was younger.”
    “You mean, not as an adult, right? You married pretty young, didn’t you—right out of college?”
    “I never dated in high school or college. Not really. I didn’t even go to school for a lot of years growing up, and in college I was really shy and didn’t feel as if I had a lot in common with many of the students.” No one else had lived the kind of nomadic life she had. Their conversations were laced with pop culture references and talk of events that had passed her by. She could tell them about volcanoes in Italy, but she didn’t have a clue about rap music or the latest fashions.
    She pulled a silver sheath from the rack and frowned at the price tag. “I joined the Peace Corps right after I graduated.” She’d headed to a foreign country, where feeling out of step