Read Online Her Lone Cowboy by Donna Alward - Free Book Online

to looking completely inept in public, either, or losing his cool.
    And he wasn’t used to the way Lily had looked at him, and touched him. The gentleness of her fingers, the way the feel of them against him made him feel more of a man than he had in many weeks. Which was foolish. She didn’t want him. They were merely thrown together. The last thing she’d want was a man with his scars. The touch on his stump today was as close as she was going to get to seeing his wounds. He didn’t want the ugliness of war to touch her the way it had him.
    And yet he found himself telling her things he couldn’t bring himself to say to Andrew, or even to his army buddies when he one-finger typed e-mails to them.
    He took the pen in his left hand and painstakingly signed his name to the document and credit card slip. He scowled at the uneven letters that looked the equivalent of a child’s scrawl. Learning to write with his opposite hand was yet another one of his challenges.
    The clerk stared at the card and then the signature and paused. Noah stiffened, but was determined to hang on to his temper. He knew the clerk was only doing his job, comparing signatures. “I used to be right-handed. I’m having to relearn to write with my opposite hand.”
    The clerk flushed deeply. “I’m sorry…I mean…I didn’t realize. I’m required to match the signatures….”
    Lily put her hand on Noah’s arm. The gesture was reassuring and he exhaled. He couldn’t fault the man for sticking to his orders, even if it was an inconvenience to him. “It’s okay. I know you’re just following procedure.”
    Lily spoke up, squeezing Noah’s wrist. “If you like, I’ll give you my credit card number.”
    “No, this will be fine,” the clerk assured them. He lifted his chin. “There won’t be a problem, sir.”
    Noah pocketed his wallet again and they left. Once they got into her car, he let out a gigantic sigh.
    “I’m so sorry, Noah. For all of it.”
    “This is why I hate going out. I spent my entire day either being stared at or poked. I should be able to sign my own damn name! A five-year-old could do better.”
    “Give it time. I’m sure the occupational therapy will help.”
    Noah let out a bitter laugh. “Do I strike you as a patient man, Lily?”
    “Not particularly.”
    He turned his head to look at her. Lily put the car in gear and headed out toward Highway 22. “Do you want to stop for dinner on the way back? We haven’t really eaten all day.”
    “If I have to see one more person today…”
    Lily spluttered out a laugh. The aggravated tone reminded her of the old Honeymooners reruns her Gram had watched on the television. But she understood his need for quiet. She couldn’t blame him for not wanting to spend any more of his day in public. She suddenly wondered if part of his reluctance to be in the wedding had to do with feeling on display. She certainly felt that way, and she had nothing as gossipworthy as a war injury to contend with.
    “Fair enough. No restaurant then.” But it was going to be early evening before they got back. She couldn’t just drop him home. The only thing they’d had during the day was a coffee at a drive-through.
    “Why don’t you let me cook you dinner?”
    They were stopped at a light and she looked over. His jaw was so firm, so defiant. He needed to relax, needed a night away from Lazy L and doctors and reminders.
    “At my house. You haven’t seen my house yet. I have lotsof groceries and a bottle of wine I’ve been saving for when I had company.”
    He raised an eyebrow and her lips twitched. “Sue me,” she said carelessly. “I don’t usually sip alone.”
    “That actually sounds good.”
    “Then it’s a date.”
    At Noah’s shocked expression she backpedaled. “Well, obviously not a real date…”
    Silence fell in the vehicle once more as the light changed. As they accelerated down the highway, Lily wondered how much deeper she was going to let herself get in before