Read Just Gettin' Started: BWWM Interracial Cowboy/Western Romance (Westbury Ranch Book 1) for Free Online Page A

the maroon, full skirt that flounced around her legs, she wasn’t sure what made her agree to this date.
    Was it the kiss?
    As sure as the sun rose in the east, it had been dynamite.
    Her toes had actually curled as his tongue danced with hers. The man had some great moves up his sleeve. If he could do this to her with one kiss, what would happen if they actually made love? She shook her head. No way. She wasn’t going to let her mind wander in that direction. It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t he just be another person who worked with her?
    Why did he have to be so special?
    She didn’t like it.
    Truth be told, Cullen felt scared. Graeme held some kind of power over her, and it wasn’t just sexual. He was a man one could depend on, lean on, and that was exactly what she didn’t want to do. Even if she started going out with him, sooner or later, the relationship would come to an end. She would get hurt, and on top of that, she would lose a hardworking foreman.
    Better to stop things in their tracks right now, than allow things to go too far. She needed to go down and tell him that she’d changed her mind. Yes, that was the right decision. Nothing good could come out of this. She strode out her bedroom. Halfway down the stairs, Cullen stopped.
    Max was waiting for her in the foyer.
    Once she’d thought he was handsome, but now she could see he was all appearance and no substance. “What are you doing here?”
    His eyes narrowed as he took in her clothes. “Going out?”
    “Actually, yes.” She planted her palms on her hips. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
    “I just heard there is a county barn dance and wanted to see if you were up for it.”
    Man! Wouldn’t he ever give up? “That’s where I’m going.”
    “With whom?”
    It was none of his business, but this was a small town, and news traveled fast. Once more, she regretted saying yes to Graeme. He was, of course, a much better option than Max. What the hell was going on? From no man in her life she’d moved straight on to two men, hot on her heels. Was Max reacting to Graeme’s presence in her life? Was that why he was asking her out? He didn’t show much interest in her for two years, and now when someone else was showing her more than a little interest, he seemed bent on having her again.
    “With Graeme,” she informed him.
    He wrinkled his brow. “The foreman?”
    “Yes.”
    “Blow him off.”
    She lifted an eyebrow. Cullen strode down the rest of the stairs and faced him. “What?”
    “Come on. He’s a substitute. You know you’ve got a thing for me, and I still got it bad for you. It was a mistake to break up.”
    Cullen folded her arms across her chest. “The mistake was that we dated in the first place. The mistake was allowing you to make a fool of me with that…with that…blonde.”
    “It was an error in judgment.”
    “You were with her for more than a month. That’s not an error. That’s a habit. In any case, I’ve moved on now.”
    “With Graeme?”
    She nodded. “With him, yes. Thank you for asking me out, Max, but I already have a date. Take care.”
    He bit his lip so hard, judging by the tension she saw in his jaw, that she thought he might draw blood. The man could get angry without warning. Was he about to explode? Although he never raised his hand on her, she was never sure with him. Much to her relief, he turned around and stomped out.
    She’d been so sure she would say no to Graeme but now Cullen changed her mind. It wasn’t a good idea to give Max so much power over her. If she didn’t go to the dance, he would learn about it and think it was because of him. She allowed him to alter the course of her life for years, but it was time to put the past behind her and make a fresh start. And frankly, Graeme was the perfect man for the job. He couldn’t be more different from Max in personality. Not that it was her reason for choosing him. She felt attracted to the guy on a primal level that was hard to