Read A Ballad for Her Cowboys for Free Online

woman in their minds, and he felt sure reality wouldn’t match up to the fantasy. But now she was there in front of them and looking just as perfect as she did last time he touched her.
    They hadn’t shared a woman since that night with Misty. They never even discussed doing it again either. Both of them seemed to come to a silent understanding that no one would ever match up to her, so why bother. They both dated individually on and off over the years, but it had never been anything serious for either of them. Aiden didn’t really want the burden of a wife and family to worry about along with everything else, but Seth seemed far less afraid of the responsibility it would bring. So why hadn’t one of the very beautiful women he dated ever gotten him to put a ring on their finger? Maybe Seth held them up to some imaginary standard set by Misty and they all left him wanting.
    Aiden closed his eyes and let her voice wash over him for a second. She’d lost none of her natural talent. If anything, she improved. What in the hell was she doing squandering her gift in a place like this? If nothing else, she was gonna have to answer to him for that.
    ‘Is there a back way out of here?’ he asked the bartender after he ordered a couple of beers. He elbowed Seth in the ribs to stop him gawking at the stage. ‘You’re staring,’ he murmured out of the side of his mouth.
    The guy placed the beers on the counter. ‘Not except for the fire exits.’
    ‘Where are they?’
    The bartender pointed to a couple of doors located in plain view on either side of the hall. Aiden ignored the weird look he got from the guy as he walked away.
    He turned to Seth. ‘You know, I figured she stayed here until we left last night. This is the only way out.’
    ‘So she is avoiding us.’ The defeat in Seth’s voice matched Aiden’s mood.
    ‘I guess so. But like I said, she’s probably embarrassed.’
    Seth shushed him and pointed to the stage. ‘She still sounds amazing,’ he whispered. Aiden nodded but didn’t speak. She looked amazing, too.
    Misty finished the song and left the stage quickly, all but ignoring the applause of the audience. Aiden craned his neck to see what the layout was beside the stage and saw her disappear through a doorway. He turned to find Seth, just in time, to spin around and watch him head down the hall toward the door Misty used.
    Aiden shouted for him to come back, but Seth already knocked before he could reach him. Aiden had no choice but to stand there with Seth and wait for her to answer.
    Suddenly the door opened, a hard and angry version of the soft, happy woman they once known faced them. Misty’s brown eyes lost the warmth Aiden remembered as she stared from one to the other of them.
    Seth tried to speak. ‘Misty, hey…’
    He dropped her gaze, leaving an awkward silence hanging between the three of them. Aiden and Misty stared at Seth but it appeared he had nothing more to say.
    Aiden stepped forward. ‘Sorry about that. We just wanted to say hello. Just wanted to see how you were.’
    The smile died on his face when she continued to stare at him like he’d murdered a kitten. Her demeanor began to irritate him a little, especially considering that if anybody had the right to be pissed; it was them, not her. He bit his tongue, still keen to show her that they were her friends.
    ‘What’s wrong?’
    Misty sighed, shrugging her shoulders. ‘Well, I guess I kinda hoped you two would show a little class and not do this.’
    ‘Do what?’ Seth rediscovered his voice.
    ‘Approach me, speak to me in the hopes of…well, I’m sure I don’t need to spell it out for you boys.’
    ‘No, you don’t.’ Aiden took a step back, placed a hand on Seth’s arm. ‘Come on buddy. We made a mistake.’
    Misty’s eyes narrowed, glittering with scorn. ‘You sure did.’ Her brittle laugh saddened Aiden. He didn’t know this person. ‘You are sorely mistaken if you think I’m the naïve little fool I once