Read Online The Rancher's Twin Troubles by Laura Marie Altom - Free Book Online Page A

“Not only could you both have been hurt, but what if you’d landed on top of the poor llama? Why do you think the fence is even there?”
    â€œJust to bug us?” Betsy suggested. “It would’ve been lots easier to kiss him if there wasn’t any fence.”
    â€œYeah,” Bonnie said. “That’s my answer, too.”
    â€œYou two are a mess.” Dallas looked to the sky. “No wonder Miss Josie’s tired of trying to fix your impossible behavior.”
    â€œThat’s not nice.” Betsy’s big blue eyes looked near tears. Directing her pouty look toward her teacher, she asked, “Do you hate us?”
    â€œOf course, I don’t hate you,” Josie assured. “But your dad’s right. I am tired of always scolding you. You’re big girls. Too big to even think about going someplace you know you’re not supposed to be.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œStop,” Dallas said to Bonnie. “You’re not going to talk your way out of this.” Taking each girl by their hands, he led them toward the exit.
    â€œYou’re going too fast!” Betsy complained.
    â€œShould’ve thought about that before you tried breaking into a cage.”
    â€œAre we going to ride the Ferris wheel now?” The closer they got to the midway, the more excited Bonnie looked. “I love riding rides. It’s the best.”
    Much to Josie’s surprise—and delight—Dallas marched right past the Tilt-A-Whirl with its pulsing rock music. He did the same with fifteen other rides.
    â€œDaddy, we’re missing all of the good stuff.” Betsy looked longingly toward the fun house.
    â€œUh-huh.” On and on Dallas walked until finally stopping at his truck.
    â€œAre we going to the auntie em to get more money to buy us more stuff?” Assuming this must be the case, she jumped up and down with excitement.
    Betsy joined in on the celebration.
    As the girls scrambled into the backseat of the extended cab, fastening their safety belts, Josie asked Dallas under her breath, “Where are we really going?”
    â€œHome.”
    Josie flashed him a surreptitious thumbs-up.
    Considering the twins’ numerous tantrums followed by the attempted llama raid, enough was enough. Punishments were in order. “There’s an auntie em , Daddy.” Bonnie pointed at a bank. “Get lots of money. I want a gorilla and more cotton candy and some of those purses.”
    â€œI want cheesecake on a stick!” Betsy bounced on her seat.
    â€œSurprise,” Dallas said, glancing in the rearview as he steered the truck off Yale Drive and onto westbound I44, “the only place you two are going is Choreville.”
    â€œWhere’s that, Daddy?” Bonnie had so much cotton candy in her mouth Josie was surprised she could even speak. “Is there lots of money?”
    â€œNot likely.” He passed a painfully slow minivan. “Since you’ll be mucking out the horse stalls.”
    â€œWhat? Why?” Bonnie pitched her cotton candy baginto the front seat. “I thought we were going back to the fair?”
    â€œNope.”
    From the backseat, tears and wails erupted. Wails so loud Josie had to fight the urge to cover her ears.
    â€œSorry about this,” Dallas said.
    â€œMe, too. I was looking forward to riding the mini coaster.”
    His sideways glance and smile made her heart flutter. He’d always been handsome, but in light of his stern reaction to the fence-climbing incident, her new respect for him was infinitely more appealing than his rugged cowboy face. “Rain check for tomorrow night—this time, without squawking kiddos?”
    â€œI can’t,” she said with genuine regret above continued backseat sobs, “I have a dance class.”
    â€œSeriously?”
    â€œYou say that like you can’t imagine me performing even the most simple pirouette.” Did she