Her Cowboy Groom

* * *

AS LINNEA HUNG UP on the last phone call she needed to make to completely cancel her wedding, she didn’t know whether to feel relieved or empty. She did know that she should go back to Dallas, return to her life and her business. She’d been hiding out at the Brodys’ ranch for the better part of a week, and she suspected they’d like to have their man cave back.

But the idea of getting in her car and leaving the nice little cocoon the ranch provided made her stomach tie in knots. What if despite Katrina’s threat, Michael showed up at the shop the moment Linnea got back? She wanted to be strong enough to believe that it wouldn’t bother her, but she doubted she would be. She’d bought into their romance a hundred percent, and she still sometimes thought she might wake up to find the awful truth wasn’t in fact the truth.

She needed to stop thinking that way and face it head-on, no matter how horrible it was going to be. She knew that, told herself that over and over, and yet here she sat in Chloe’s old room, not taking that first step.

A knock on the door drew her attention. “Yeah?”

Owen poked his head in. “Get dressed. We’re going to the rodeo.”

“I don’t think I’m up for that, but you all have a good time.”

“Nope, not letting you wiggle your way out of this one. After all, you’re my only hope.”

She cocked her head a little to the side. “Do I even want to ask?”

“See, there’s this girl named Tiffany in town who has been after me, and I need protection.”

Linnea actually snorted at that. “Protection from a woman? You are Owen Brody, right?”

“Exactly. I’m so irresistible that I need a protection detail.”

“Lord, I need to borrow some waders because it is getting deep in here.”

Owen shot her one of those crooked grins of his that she was sure had the women of Blue Falls tripping over themselves to be with him. For a moment, she understood why. If he weren’t Chloe’s brother and she didn’t think men sucked at the moment, she might even be tempted.

Which was another good reason not to go to the rodeo, and another reason she needed to get back to Dallas.

“Owen—”

“You’re going to leave me out to dry after I saved you from a rainstorm and got your tires fixed?”

“Pulling out all the stops, huh?”

“Did it work?”

“Why are you pushing this? Do you really need me to pretend I’m with you to stave off the hordes of women?”

He leaned back against the doorframe and hung his thumbs in his jean pockets. “Because you need to get out of this house and have a good time.”

“You do remember I just had the worst week of my life, right?”

“Which is why you need to go have some fun, because I’d lay good money down that Michael isn’t having fun right now.”

The evil gleam in Owen’s eyes nearly made her laugh. It was amazing how many times he’d given her a light moment throughout the week, something she would have thought impossible when she’d driven out of Dallas with her world shattered.

“Fine, I’ll go. But I’m not promising you won’t regret it later.”

“Fair enough, but you’ll be with me. You’re guaranteed to have a good time.”

“Oh, get out,” she said as she stood. “And take your enormous ego with you.”

His grin widened as he slipped out the door. She closed it behind him and shook her head. But she found herself smiling at the idea of spending the night out while Michael was miserable. At least she hoped he was.

She turned and headed for her bag to look for something appropriate to wear. She might not really be Owen Brody’s date, but damn if she wasn’t going to take advantage of his infectious thirst for a good time. And if she happened to appreciate how he looked in his jeans, well, nobody had to know but her. After all, she’d be back home soon, back to her real life that didn’t include rodeos or cowboys in tight jeans. She glanced toward the door where Owen had stood a few moments before and wondered if she would have been better off falling for someone like him than for the man she’d thought was perfect for her.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.