Read Online Love on the Range: A Looking Glass Lake Prequel by Rebecca Nightsong - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Rebecca Nightsong
Ads: Link
of her sleeping bag stuck out of the tent. She must have scootched down sometime in the night. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was half-eaten by skeeters.
He nudged her foot with the toe of his boot.
She stirred, but then a small snore drifted up.
He nudged her again, harder this time.
She groaned, and rolled over on her back.
“Marlee,” he barked, and kicked softly at her foot. Maybe tomorrow, he should hook up an IV and attach Crazy Hoss’s coffee. It was straight caffeine and mud. The smell alone could wake a hibernating bear from ten paces.
“Marlee.”
She squawked and sat up, hair wild and face wilder still.
He laughed. She was cute. Like a disgruntled bear cub.
She hurled a potato at him, and burrowed back under the sleeping bag.
He chuckled. She was feisty. He should have known that when she’d assaulted those veggies yesterday with knives flashing. He’d never seen spinach and peppers surrender so fast.
But feisty or not, Marlee posed a problem. Besides the fact that she’d slept in, a woman who would sleep with potatoes in her tent didn’t know the first thing about securing food in camp.
He’d bet his eyeteeth she didn’t know how to put food up to keep it from bears. Besides, there was the signs of rustlers he’d seen on the way up. He couldn’t leave her in camp alone. She’d be a sitting duck.
Nope. He was going to have to leave Fern and Crazy Hoss in camp with her this entire trip. That meant he’d be down another team of wranglers.
He wrinkled his nose as a strong odor wafted toward him from her tent.
He grinned. She had used his muscle rub.
Maybe he’d let her sleep in a bit longer after all. But only because he didn’t want to follow Fern’s advice to wake her with a kiss. He imagined her lips tasted like strawberry lip gloss.
He pressed his own lips together in a tight line.
Whoa, Jett. Ease up.
He had things to do. He had a family’s entire livelihood resting on his shoulders. Best he get on the trail and take care of business.
Moonin’ around Marlee’s tent just because he wanted to see her pretty face first thing in the morning didn’t do anyone any good. Besides, what would he do, anyway, if she woke up and smiled at him?
Probably stare. Wouldn’t be able to squeeze a single word out.
Yup. He was one smooth cowboy, all right.
If anybody could make a fool out of himself without saying a single word, it was Jett Maddox.
CHAPTER NINE
Marlee stretched and rubbed her eyes. They felt gritty after the dusty ride yesterday.
She was going to have to teach Jett some manners. She did not appreciate his little practical joke. Waking her in the middle of the night. What was that? Some kind of western hazing?
But then she smelled bacon.
Wait. What?
She grabbed her phone, a groan dying on her lips.
Dead.
No. Her phone never died. She’d bought one with an extra-long battery life on purpose, and it had a full charge when she went to sleep last night.
But her heart sunk to her frozen toes as she squirmed around and jerked her boots on. It had to have been the cold that drained her battery so fast.
Wishing she were dead wouldn’t help. But it gave Marlee’s brain something to distract her from the stiffness in her body as she crawled out of her tent and tried to stand.
She stumbled toward the fire where Crazy Hoss and Fern sat with coffee in hand.
“Mornin’ sunshine.” Crazy Hoss grinned, his gray whiskers bristling with almost as much cheer as his eyes. He handed her a steaming mug.
Marlee took two gulps of the bitter stuff and squeezed her eyes shut to keep them from falling out. She’d heard tales of cowboy coffee, but had assumed they were exaggerations.
They weren’t.
But she was in desperate need of caffeine. She’d slept deeply, but was so groggy by the time the sun came up, she’d hallucinated throwing a potato at someone.
She couldn’t tell if the grogginess came from the cold fresh air, or if it was a side effect of the ointment Jett
He nudged her foot with the toe of his boot.
She stirred, but then a small snore drifted up.
He nudged her again, harder this time.
She groaned, and rolled over on her back.
“Marlee,” he barked, and kicked softly at her foot. Maybe tomorrow, he should hook up an IV and attach Crazy Hoss’s coffee. It was straight caffeine and mud. The smell alone could wake a hibernating bear from ten paces.
“Marlee.”
She squawked and sat up, hair wild and face wilder still.
He laughed. She was cute. Like a disgruntled bear cub.
She hurled a potato at him, and burrowed back under the sleeping bag.
He chuckled. She was feisty. He should have known that when she’d assaulted those veggies yesterday with knives flashing. He’d never seen spinach and peppers surrender so fast.
But feisty or not, Marlee posed a problem. Besides the fact that she’d slept in, a woman who would sleep with potatoes in her tent didn’t know the first thing about securing food in camp.
He’d bet his eyeteeth she didn’t know how to put food up to keep it from bears. Besides, there was the signs of rustlers he’d seen on the way up. He couldn’t leave her in camp alone. She’d be a sitting duck.
Nope. He was going to have to leave Fern and Crazy Hoss in camp with her this entire trip. That meant he’d be down another team of wranglers.
He wrinkled his nose as a strong odor wafted toward him from her tent.
He grinned. She had used his muscle rub.
Maybe he’d let her sleep in a bit longer after all. But only because he didn’t want to follow Fern’s advice to wake her with a kiss. He imagined her lips tasted like strawberry lip gloss.
He pressed his own lips together in a tight line.
Whoa, Jett. Ease up.
He had things to do. He had a family’s entire livelihood resting on his shoulders. Best he get on the trail and take care of business.
Moonin’ around Marlee’s tent just because he wanted to see her pretty face first thing in the morning didn’t do anyone any good. Besides, what would he do, anyway, if she woke up and smiled at him?
Probably stare. Wouldn’t be able to squeeze a single word out.
Yup. He was one smooth cowboy, all right.
If anybody could make a fool out of himself without saying a single word, it was Jett Maddox.
CHAPTER NINE
Marlee stretched and rubbed her eyes. They felt gritty after the dusty ride yesterday.
She was going to have to teach Jett some manners. She did not appreciate his little practical joke. Waking her in the middle of the night. What was that? Some kind of western hazing?
But then she smelled bacon.
Wait. What?
She grabbed her phone, a groan dying on her lips.
Dead.
No. Her phone never died. She’d bought one with an extra-long battery life on purpose, and it had a full charge when she went to sleep last night.
But her heart sunk to her frozen toes as she squirmed around and jerked her boots on. It had to have been the cold that drained her battery so fast.
Wishing she were dead wouldn’t help. But it gave Marlee’s brain something to distract her from the stiffness in her body as she crawled out of her tent and tried to stand.
She stumbled toward the fire where Crazy Hoss and Fern sat with coffee in hand.
“Mornin’ sunshine.” Crazy Hoss grinned, his gray whiskers bristling with almost as much cheer as his eyes. He handed her a steaming mug.
Marlee took two gulps of the bitter stuff and squeezed her eyes shut to keep them from falling out. She’d heard tales of cowboy coffee, but had assumed they were exaggerations.
They weren’t.
But she was in desperate need of caffeine. She’d slept deeply, but was so groggy by the time the sun came up, she’d hallucinated throwing a potato at someone.
She couldn’t tell if the grogginess came from the cold fresh air, or if it was a side effect of the ointment Jett
Similar Books
