Read Online Make Mine a Bad Boy by Katie Lane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katie Lane
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you sick?”
As Rachel walked off with her plate, Hope turned to Shirlene. “Is it my imagination, or has everyone completely lost their minds?”
Shirlene shot her a skeptical look. “You have been gone too long, honey. Since when have the people of this town had minds?” She took a couple bites of steak and eggs before she continued. “So what shall we do today? Everyone could come over to my house for a barbecue and margaritas. Or we could go out to Sutter Springs for a picnic. Or we could—”
“Find my motorcycle,” Colt stated.
“I told you I’d get it back to you.” Shirlene pointed her fork at him. “But is it too much to ask for a couple days? You would think that a man who owns—”
“Fine.” He threw her a warning look. “I’ll stay for a couple of days. But come Wednesday morning, I’m out of here.”
“A week would be better.”
“Don’t push it, baby sister.”
Her dimples flashed. “Wednesday it is.”
It was hard for Hope to keep her mouth shut when she wanted to yell “No!” at the top of her lungs. She didn’t want Colt to stay one hour longer, let alone three days. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything to do about it. Shirlene was too smart for her own good, and there wasn’t any way that she would let Hope’s objections go without a pisspot full of questions. Questions Hope wasn’t about to answer… even if she could.
“Here you go, honey.” Rachel set another plate down in front of her.
Hope stared down at the four saltine crackers and wondered if Rachel had sniffed too much diesel fuel from the clothes of her truck-driving husbands.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Crackers.”
“I know they’re crackers, but why are you giving them to me?”
“To settle your stomach.” She winked. “Every mornin’ for three entire months I ate nothin’ but saltines and a little ginger ale. ’Course around lunchtime, I was right as rain and could swallow down an entire cow without stoppin’ to spit out the hooves and horns. But until then, I couldn’t look at real food or even smell it.”
“What are you talking about, Rachel?”
“Oh, honey.” Her eyes teared up. “I realize that at a time like this you’d just as soon not have a big bunch of people makin’ a fuss over you. But we’re family, Hope. And we love you. Even if you did run off to Hollywood and get yourself—”
“It’s a mistake!”
Hope was still trying to piece together Rachel’s wordswhen Faith’s voice rang out through the diner. She swiveled around on the bar stool to find her sister standing by the door, looking all wild-eyed and sleep-tousled.
And annoyingly satisfied.
The satisfied part, no doubt, came from the handsome cowboy who stood directly behind her. Although he didn’t look exactly happy to be there.
“It’s all a mistake,” Faith continued as she stepped into the diner in a cami and pajama bottoms very similar to Hope’s. “Slate told me what you all think, and I take full responsibility for you thinking that because it was me who said it—although I didn’t mean it the way it came out—I was just trying to explain to Slate why I had left Bramble without saying a word and I didn’t realize everyone was listening and would assume what you’ve obviously assumed. But she’s not.” She held a hand to her chest. “Really.”
There was an exchange of glances as if everyone knew what Faith was rambling about—everyone but Hope, Colt, and Shirlene. Shirlene seemed to fit the pieces together quick enough.
“Lordy.” She fanned herself with one hand. “Things just keep getting more excitin’ and more excitin’. Pretty soon I’ll have to move just to get some rest.”
“What are you mumbling about, Shirl?”
“I think you’re about to find out, honey.” She winked at Hope as Harley slipped off his bar stool.
Hitching up his pants, he moved over to Faith. “Now, I realize Hope’s embarrassed about what happened, and being her sister, you want to
As Rachel walked off with her plate, Hope turned to Shirlene. “Is it my imagination, or has everyone completely lost their minds?”
Shirlene shot her a skeptical look. “You have been gone too long, honey. Since when have the people of this town had minds?” She took a couple bites of steak and eggs before she continued. “So what shall we do today? Everyone could come over to my house for a barbecue and margaritas. Or we could go out to Sutter Springs for a picnic. Or we could—”
“Find my motorcycle,” Colt stated.
“I told you I’d get it back to you.” Shirlene pointed her fork at him. “But is it too much to ask for a couple days? You would think that a man who owns—”
“Fine.” He threw her a warning look. “I’ll stay for a couple of days. But come Wednesday morning, I’m out of here.”
“A week would be better.”
“Don’t push it, baby sister.”
Her dimples flashed. “Wednesday it is.”
It was hard for Hope to keep her mouth shut when she wanted to yell “No!” at the top of her lungs. She didn’t want Colt to stay one hour longer, let alone three days. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything to do about it. Shirlene was too smart for her own good, and there wasn’t any way that she would let Hope’s objections go without a pisspot full of questions. Questions Hope wasn’t about to answer… even if she could.
“Here you go, honey.” Rachel set another plate down in front of her.
Hope stared down at the four saltine crackers and wondered if Rachel had sniffed too much diesel fuel from the clothes of her truck-driving husbands.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Crackers.”
“I know they’re crackers, but why are you giving them to me?”
“To settle your stomach.” She winked. “Every mornin’ for three entire months I ate nothin’ but saltines and a little ginger ale. ’Course around lunchtime, I was right as rain and could swallow down an entire cow without stoppin’ to spit out the hooves and horns. But until then, I couldn’t look at real food or even smell it.”
“What are you talking about, Rachel?”
“Oh, honey.” Her eyes teared up. “I realize that at a time like this you’d just as soon not have a big bunch of people makin’ a fuss over you. But we’re family, Hope. And we love you. Even if you did run off to Hollywood and get yourself—”
“It’s a mistake!”
Hope was still trying to piece together Rachel’s wordswhen Faith’s voice rang out through the diner. She swiveled around on the bar stool to find her sister standing by the door, looking all wild-eyed and sleep-tousled.
And annoyingly satisfied.
The satisfied part, no doubt, came from the handsome cowboy who stood directly behind her. Although he didn’t look exactly happy to be there.
“It’s all a mistake,” Faith continued as she stepped into the diner in a cami and pajama bottoms very similar to Hope’s. “Slate told me what you all think, and I take full responsibility for you thinking that because it was me who said it—although I didn’t mean it the way it came out—I was just trying to explain to Slate why I had left Bramble without saying a word and I didn’t realize everyone was listening and would assume what you’ve obviously assumed. But she’s not.” She held a hand to her chest. “Really.”
There was an exchange of glances as if everyone knew what Faith was rambling about—everyone but Hope, Colt, and Shirlene. Shirlene seemed to fit the pieces together quick enough.
“Lordy.” She fanned herself with one hand. “Things just keep getting more excitin’ and more excitin’. Pretty soon I’ll have to move just to get some rest.”
“What are you mumbling about, Shirl?”
“I think you’re about to find out, honey.” She winked at Hope as Harley slipped off his bar stool.
Hitching up his pants, he moved over to Faith. “Now, I realize Hope’s embarrassed about what happened, and being her sister, you want to
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