Read Online What a Texas Girl Dreams (Crimson Romance) by Kristina Knight - Free Book Online

room held its breath for something.
    “We missed you last night at Vanessa’s.” Kathleen bit into a slice of melon, but didn’t give Monica a chance to respond. Maybe she felt the weirdness, too. “I’ve got the new rescue set for nine in the pool, and Jinx is second on the list at ten-thirty, if you want to come and watch. And I still don’t think it’s a good idea, but if you promise nothing strenuous, I can fit you both back in at three this afternoon. The water won’t hurt him, as long as you follow my instructions to the letter. I don’t have any trainers available, so it will be you, me, and the horse.”
    Monica bit into a tart raspberry and nodded. “It’s perfect. I thought I’d … ” Her words were cut off by a loud rumbling in the driveway. All eyes in the dining room turned to the bay window overlooking the drive. Trick’s big four-wheel-drive truck nosed in under a large oak. He got out and headed straight to the house — with a bouquet of wildflowers in his arms.
    What the — ?
    “Well, I’ll be.” Mitchum grinned from his place at the head of the table, wiped his hands on his napkin, and sat back like a king at a banquet.
    Nathaniel and Kathleen gaped as he made his way across the gravel to the mudroom door. Kathleen’s eyes widened, focused on Monica, who wanted to sink through the floor. Lord, but he looked good. Trick wore his usual vet outfit of a clinic tee shirt, faded jeans, and boots.
    What was the man up to? And why did he already have her heart going a mile a minute?
    She felt her cheeks redden, with embarrassment, she told herself, but couldn’t make her legs work to leave the table. A second later, Trick entered the room as if he delivered flowers to the ranch on a daily basis. He set his cowboy hat on a chair beside the buffet table and held the flowers out as if for inspection.
    Texas Bluebonnets filled the simple, blue vase alongside a few stems of baby’s breath and the biggest yellow-and-orange Gerbera daisies Monica had ever seen.
    “You deliverin’ for Bloomers now, Trickett?” Mitchum’s voice was loud in the quiet room.
    Trick grinned. “Nope. This is a special delivery.” He reached for the card, sticking up from the middle of the display. Monica’s heartbeat clip-clopped in her chest and she shook her head no, trying to head him off before he really got started. Trick caught her eye, winked and continued on as if she wasn’t about to die right here in the dining room. He cleared his throat and read.
    “Roses are red, Violets are blue, Monica Witte’s sure sweet, but she’s certainly hard to woo.”
    Mitchum chuckled. Nathaniel snorted. Kathleen looked like she wanted to jump over the table and dance a jig.
    “Son, your poetry could use a little work.” Nathaniel picked up his plate and started for the door. He patted Trick on the shoulder as he passed, and Monica swore she heard him whisper, “Good luck.”
    Time to nip this in the bud before her family got any more ideas circling around in their heads. She stood. Trick pressed the flowers and vase into her hands.
    “I thought about roses, but decided something wild would suit you better than hothouse flowers.”
    Monica automatically reached out to take the flowers. “If that’s your idea of a compliment-” The fresh scent tickled her nose, and she bit back a grin. He was right. She did prefer wildflowers. She should have made him take them back, but now that they were in her arms, the flowers were too pretty to turn down.
    “Not a compliment, although we might get to that later. This is me, asking you for a date. Today. We’ll start with lunch — at a restaurant not in the Lockhardt city limits.”
    “It’s barely breakfast time.”
    “Hence the not-in-the-city-limits reference. It’s going to take a little while to get there. I might even throw in a movie, if things go well.” His smile widened, and Monica’s heartbeat picked up the pace again.
    She told it to slow down. “Big