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Read Online The Cattle Drive [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Rebecca Joyce - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rebecca Joyce
Tags: Romance
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home.
Michael stood there dumbfounded. What in the hell did she mean by “ your help”? It wasn’t like he started this little interlude. He was content with just arguing with her, but no, she kissed him. She started this.
He just finished it.
It concerned him. Why was she so passionate one minute and skittish the next? Hadn’t she been with anyone since her husband’s death? She was a damn fine woman to look at when she wasn’t yelling and being bossy. So she had scars. Who didn’t? Well, hers might be more visible than most, but damn it to hell, she didn’t have to hide behind them. If she wanted scars to complain about, Michael thought he could tell her some things that would even frighten the bravest men. But he didn’t go around letting his past dictate how he lived his life, and he sure as hell didn’t hide behind it.
Or did he?
“Son of a bitch!” he shouted as he kicked a rock across the road. That damn infuriating woman had made him realize that he was doing the same damn thing she was. For the first time since he left his home in Montana, Michael realized he may not be hiding behind those scars, but he was sure as hell running from them.
He had been running from his past ever since he left home. Trying to make a life he wanted, he never once thought about his father. That man was the last thing he ever wanted to be like. That was why he went to school to become an engineer. He knew it would piss the old man off, and it did.
Then there was Henry. He raised that boy as far away from a ranch as possible, but knowing what ran through his veins, it shouldn’t have surprised him that Henry wanted to learn and was eager to work with Rachael. Try as he might, he couldn’t take the sweat and dirt out of his veins. It was all bred into him. He might be able to fight fate once in a while but he couldn’t stop it.
How was he ever going to get his son to understand, let alone himself? He had been running his whole life, and now, faced with the possibilities of returning to a life he hated more than anything, Michael found himself not so combative. He actually looked forward to getting back to what he knew.
Problem was that he was just fired.
That just created another set of problems that he had to figure out. He didn’t have a lot of time. With the upcoming drive, he knew he better figure something out and fast. Then there was Rachael.
“I’ll deal with her later,” he mumbled as he got in his car and drove back to his house.
Chapter 5
“Of all the stupid, idiotic, irrational things to do…stupid, stupid, stupid!” Rachael berated herself as she walked into her kitchen. Throwing her keys on the counter, she sat down at the table and cussed.
Lowering her head into her hands, Rachael tried to calm herself, but her emotions were running amuck. They were all over the place, and nothing she did or said would make anything any better.
Always an independent woman, she knew she let her emotions get the best of her. Even when she wanted something, she always went to the extreme just to get it. Over the years she had become a master at manipulation, hiding her feelings so they wouldn’t interfere with what she wanted. Then why was she allowing herself to feel? Where were these unwanted emotions coming from?
“You’re a hussy!” she scorned herself. Thinking about what she just admitted, she couldn’t help herself, and she laughed. It was so unlike her to throw caution to the wind and take a chance. Chance was not an option here at the ranch. Everything had to be calculated down to the last cow. Yet there she was, out in the open for all to see, acting like a lovesick teenager.
She knew this man was going to be trouble. She had to put a stop to it immediately. She could not be left alone with this man ever again. She would just have to go on about her business and forget what had happened. But as she stood, her legs gave out and she fell back into the chair. “What the hell!” she shouted.
Michael stood there dumbfounded. What in the hell did she mean by “ your help”? It wasn’t like he started this little interlude. He was content with just arguing with her, but no, she kissed him. She started this.
He just finished it.
It concerned him. Why was she so passionate one minute and skittish the next? Hadn’t she been with anyone since her husband’s death? She was a damn fine woman to look at when she wasn’t yelling and being bossy. So she had scars. Who didn’t? Well, hers might be more visible than most, but damn it to hell, she didn’t have to hide behind them. If she wanted scars to complain about, Michael thought he could tell her some things that would even frighten the bravest men. But he didn’t go around letting his past dictate how he lived his life, and he sure as hell didn’t hide behind it.
Or did he?
“Son of a bitch!” he shouted as he kicked a rock across the road. That damn infuriating woman had made him realize that he was doing the same damn thing she was. For the first time since he left his home in Montana, Michael realized he may not be hiding behind those scars, but he was sure as hell running from them.
He had been running from his past ever since he left home. Trying to make a life he wanted, he never once thought about his father. That man was the last thing he ever wanted to be like. That was why he went to school to become an engineer. He knew it would piss the old man off, and it did.
Then there was Henry. He raised that boy as far away from a ranch as possible, but knowing what ran through his veins, it shouldn’t have surprised him that Henry wanted to learn and was eager to work with Rachael. Try as he might, he couldn’t take the sweat and dirt out of his veins. It was all bred into him. He might be able to fight fate once in a while but he couldn’t stop it.
How was he ever going to get his son to understand, let alone himself? He had been running his whole life, and now, faced with the possibilities of returning to a life he hated more than anything, Michael found himself not so combative. He actually looked forward to getting back to what he knew.
Problem was that he was just fired.
That just created another set of problems that he had to figure out. He didn’t have a lot of time. With the upcoming drive, he knew he better figure something out and fast. Then there was Rachael.
“I’ll deal with her later,” he mumbled as he got in his car and drove back to his house.
Chapter 5
“Of all the stupid, idiotic, irrational things to do…stupid, stupid, stupid!” Rachael berated herself as she walked into her kitchen. Throwing her keys on the counter, she sat down at the table and cussed.
Lowering her head into her hands, Rachael tried to calm herself, but her emotions were running amuck. They were all over the place, and nothing she did or said would make anything any better.
Always an independent woman, she knew she let her emotions get the best of her. Even when she wanted something, she always went to the extreme just to get it. Over the years she had become a master at manipulation, hiding her feelings so they wouldn’t interfere with what she wanted. Then why was she allowing herself to feel? Where were these unwanted emotions coming from?
“You’re a hussy!” she scorned herself. Thinking about what she just admitted, she couldn’t help herself, and she laughed. It was so unlike her to throw caution to the wind and take a chance. Chance was not an option here at the ranch. Everything had to be calculated down to the last cow. Yet there she was, out in the open for all to see, acting like a lovesick teenager.
She knew this man was going to be trouble. She had to put a stop to it immediately. She could not be left alone with this man ever again. She would just have to go on about her business and forget what had happened. But as she stood, her legs gave out and she fell back into the chair. “What the hell!” she shouted.
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