Read Online Riding the River by Jeanne Harrell - Free Book Online

turned to her as her mouth dropped
open. “Do you think so?”
    “Oh, my, yes. Look at all that black, wavy
hair… Dark eyes… muscles…Trim build…” She sighed. “Altogether
yummy…”
    Sarah blushed for some reason. “It’s ‘ Big
Country’.”
    “… What is?”
    “The movie title you’re thinking of… “ Big
Country’ .”
    Tess flashed a smile at her. “Yes, that’s
right. Oh, that’s a good one.”
    Sarah just smiled. You’ve no idea…
     
    Across the room, Matt and Richie were filling
their plates. The smells were making Richie’s stomach growl. They
searched to find seats just as Sarah and Tess rose with their empty
plates.
    “Ladies, can we have these seats?” said
Richie pleasantly.
    “Sure. They’re yours,” replied Tess who was
openly admiring Matt.
    Richie nodded at Tess and then glanced at
Sarah who was scraping some spot on the table -- Matt was looking
out a window. He knit his brows and wondered what was happening
here.
     
    “Thanks,” he said and sat down. Matt sat
across from him as Tess and Sarah walked towards the door. Richie
watched Matt steal a furtive look her way. They placed their hats
under their chairs.
    Once they began eating, he started in.
    “… Okay, what was that?”
    “What was what?”
    “You know what I’m talking about…” Richie
took a big bite of his casserole.
    “I haven’t got a clue,” replied Matt getting
pissed now. “Let me eat in peace.” He began eating his salad.
    “First, you stare at her across a crowded
room and then you won’t even say hi when we get close. What gives?”
He took another forkful of casserole.
    Matt chewed and swallowed. “Nothing
gives…”
    “I’ve known you a lot of years, Matt,
something gives… with that girl.”
    “I’m not interested in any girl, Richie. Cut
it out.”
    Richie had seen Matt in various states of
sad, mad and glad, but he’d never seen him not interested in women.
He looked at him as his mouth dropped.
    “Are you going to sit there and tell me
you’re not interested in Sarah?”
    “Yes…”
    “Why not for Heaven’s sake?”
    “… Aren’t you interested in her?” Matt
looked over at him as Richie started to smile.
    “I’ve been with her all morning. Trust me
when I tell you, I might have been interested in her, but she sure
as shootin’ is not interested in me. Not even a little bit…”
    “Okay, then. This conversation is over.”
    “… Not even… You like her, Matt. Admit it… I
saw you dancing with her last night.”
    Matt looked sharply at him. “So? I’ve danced
with women before.”
    Richie started laughing. “Not from ninety
miles away. I thought she might have cooties until I saw you caress
her ponytail and smile at her.”
    “Caress? That’s a fancy word… And you’re way
off the mark.” Matt lowered his head and ate faster.
    “Well, you know what ‘caress’ means, right?
To lovingly embrace.”
    “Am I going to get a vocabulary lesson with
my lunch?” growled Matt. Then he looked away and mumbled, “Besides,
she’s only here for a week and that’s not enough time to...”
    “To what? Fall for someone?” He laughed.
“It’s plenty of time…”
    “Richie, it just complicates things… She’s
going back to Baltimore…”
    “… Maybe…”
    “There’s no maybe here…”
    “What if there was?” Richie let that thought
dangle out there.
    Matt frowned. “…Um…”
    Richie laughed and ate another big mouthful.
After he swallowed, he chuckled. “You can fight it all you want,
but she’s under your skin already… Isn’t she?”
    “…Ah…”
    “And… I think she likes you too. When we came
in and I was talking to her, she was looking past me. She was
looking at you, wasn’t she?”
    Richie’s smiled widened and Matt was ready to
leave.
    “Richie, knock it off or I’m going to get the
hell out of here.”
    “Are you fighting this because of what
happened in your past?”
    “That could be a damn fine reason, don’t