Read Online Tall, Dark and Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Joanne Kennedy
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a perky grin. “And a woman.”
“He’s got a woman.”
“Really? That’s news to me.” She widened her eyes and smacked her forehead with one hand. “Don’t tell me it’s Krystal.”
“Yeah, I guess they’re engaged.”
Pam gave her an incredulous stare. “Is that what she told you?”
“Nope. He told me.”
“No way.” Pam tapped her pencil on the order pad and frowned. Lacey could swear there was steam coming out of her ears, and her face was turning red. “It must have been self-defense.”
“Self-defense?”
“Against you. He’s probably scared to death you’ll break his heart again.” The smile disappeared. “You won’t, will you?”
“I…” Lacey felt color flooding her face. “No. I wouldn’t do that. What do you mean, again ? We were just friends, Pam.”
“Not to Chase, you weren’t. Are you telling me you didn’t know how he felt about you?” Pam set her fists on her hips. “No way.”
Lacey scrambled through her repertoire of polite responses for an answer, but Pam wagged the pencil at her like an angry schoolmarm.
“My brother’s been in love with you since sixth grade. You didn’t know that? He was just waiting to make his move—the dummy. When you got married, he realized maybe he’d waited a little too long.”
Lacey opened her mouth, then closed it.
“Okay, you didn’t know that.”
“No,” Lacey said. “I didn’t.”
A male voice called from the pass-through window behind the counter.
“She want anything, Pam? ’Cause I’m thinking ’bout a break.” A man peered through, his face flushed from the heat, his head wrapped in a red bandanna.
Pam flashed an annoyed scowl toward the pass-through.
“I’ll have eggs,” Lacey said. “Scrambled. And do I smell bacon?”
Pam nodded. “Toast or pancakes?”
“Whole wheat toast. Dry, please.”
“Our pancakes are better.” Pam winked. “And if you’re worried about eating right, just remember—maple syrup comes from a plant. That makes it a vegetable.”
“You’re right.” Pam’s good cheer was contagious, and Lacey had no reason to stay model skinny anymore. Trent had liked her that way, but now she didn’t have anyone to please but herself.
“So how long are you staying?” Pam asked.
“Just long enough to get my car fixed. Chase said the Quick Lube could do it.”
“Good luck with that.” Pam grinned. “If you need anything more than an oil change, Jeb’ll probably have to order the manual. He’s not the brightest bulb, and I don’t think he’s got much of a mechanic over there since Don Morris graduated and left for college.”
“Oh.”
“So if you didn’t come for Chase, what brought you here?”
Lacey cursed her pale skin, knowing the flush rising up her neck was clearly visible.
“You did come for Chase. I knew it.”
“No. I mean—I knew he was here, and I thought it would be nice to go somewhere where I knew someone. Do you remember Wade Simpson?”
“Do I ever. That kid was psycho.”
“Well, now he’s a cop. And he had something to do with Trent’s deals, somehow. He was—he was making my life pretty difficult, and then Trent disappeared, and I couldn’t get a job because everybody hates me because of what he did. I figured it would be best to just go. Start over someplace fresh.”
“God, Lacey, that’s awful.”
“Not really. It’s been kind of—well, fun.”
Pam arched a disbelieving eyebrow.
“The traveling, I mean. I feel free.”
“Well, feel free to spend some time with my brother.”
“That’s really not what I came here for.”
She was telling the truth. She hadn’t planned on starting anything with Chase—she just wanted to know she had a friend wherever she ended up. So why was her face so hot all of a sudden?
“Well, do me a favor,” Pam said. “Stick around and save him from Krystal, would you? Sounds like he’s made things even worse with that woman. It was bad enough he hired her. She used to work over at
“He’s got a woman.”
“Really? That’s news to me.” She widened her eyes and smacked her forehead with one hand. “Don’t tell me it’s Krystal.”
“Yeah, I guess they’re engaged.”
Pam gave her an incredulous stare. “Is that what she told you?”
“Nope. He told me.”
“No way.” Pam tapped her pencil on the order pad and frowned. Lacey could swear there was steam coming out of her ears, and her face was turning red. “It must have been self-defense.”
“Self-defense?”
“Against you. He’s probably scared to death you’ll break his heart again.” The smile disappeared. “You won’t, will you?”
“I…” Lacey felt color flooding her face. “No. I wouldn’t do that. What do you mean, again ? We were just friends, Pam.”
“Not to Chase, you weren’t. Are you telling me you didn’t know how he felt about you?” Pam set her fists on her hips. “No way.”
Lacey scrambled through her repertoire of polite responses for an answer, but Pam wagged the pencil at her like an angry schoolmarm.
“My brother’s been in love with you since sixth grade. You didn’t know that? He was just waiting to make his move—the dummy. When you got married, he realized maybe he’d waited a little too long.”
Lacey opened her mouth, then closed it.
“Okay, you didn’t know that.”
“No,” Lacey said. “I didn’t.”
A male voice called from the pass-through window behind the counter.
“She want anything, Pam? ’Cause I’m thinking ’bout a break.” A man peered through, his face flushed from the heat, his head wrapped in a red bandanna.
Pam flashed an annoyed scowl toward the pass-through.
“I’ll have eggs,” Lacey said. “Scrambled. And do I smell bacon?”
Pam nodded. “Toast or pancakes?”
“Whole wheat toast. Dry, please.”
“Our pancakes are better.” Pam winked. “And if you’re worried about eating right, just remember—maple syrup comes from a plant. That makes it a vegetable.”
“You’re right.” Pam’s good cheer was contagious, and Lacey had no reason to stay model skinny anymore. Trent had liked her that way, but now she didn’t have anyone to please but herself.
“So how long are you staying?” Pam asked.
“Just long enough to get my car fixed. Chase said the Quick Lube could do it.”
“Good luck with that.” Pam grinned. “If you need anything more than an oil change, Jeb’ll probably have to order the manual. He’s not the brightest bulb, and I don’t think he’s got much of a mechanic over there since Don Morris graduated and left for college.”
“Oh.”
“So if you didn’t come for Chase, what brought you here?”
Lacey cursed her pale skin, knowing the flush rising up her neck was clearly visible.
“You did come for Chase. I knew it.”
“No. I mean—I knew he was here, and I thought it would be nice to go somewhere where I knew someone. Do you remember Wade Simpson?”
“Do I ever. That kid was psycho.”
“Well, now he’s a cop. And he had something to do with Trent’s deals, somehow. He was—he was making my life pretty difficult, and then Trent disappeared, and I couldn’t get a job because everybody hates me because of what he did. I figured it would be best to just go. Start over someplace fresh.”
“God, Lacey, that’s awful.”
“Not really. It’s been kind of—well, fun.”
Pam arched a disbelieving eyebrow.
“The traveling, I mean. I feel free.”
“Well, feel free to spend some time with my brother.”
“That’s really not what I came here for.”
She was telling the truth. She hadn’t planned on starting anything with Chase—she just wanted to know she had a friend wherever she ended up. So why was her face so hot all of a sudden?
“Well, do me a favor,” Pam said. “Stick around and save him from Krystal, would you? Sounds like he’s made things even worse with that woman. It was bad enough he hired her. She used to work over at
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