Read Lone Star Cinderella for Free Online

clumsy.” He cocked his brow and watched her turn beet-red.
    â€œ No! I just meant, well, I’m not drinking here either.”
    â€œSo just because you’re messy and clumsy, you think I am?”
    She chuckled, and it did his heart good to hear it. Any of the shadows that had been left from the telephone conversation had disappeared. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but all he knew was this soft-spoken woman didn’t need to look sad…or stressed like she’d looked earlier.
    She pulled a leather-bound journal closer to her. “These are really interesting. Did you know that Doc Holliday was reported to have stopped here?”
    He nodded. “Yeah, I knew that. He was on his way from Dallas heading toward Colorado.”
    â€œSo you really have read these?”
    â€œYes, a long time ago, but that story was also one of my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather’s favoritecampfire stories. He loved a good campfire story, and they’ve been passed down through the years.”
    Her eyes grew big. “How could you not think this place has historical value?”
    â€œI never said I didn’t think it had historical value. All I said was I own it, and I don’t want it overrun with outsiders. I have special memories of my own here, and I don’t care to share them with the world.”
    She bit her lip, studying him hard. “I just don’t get you.”
    He laughed. “Hey, you’re the history teacher. We see things differently. I think the world will do just fine without one more stagecoach house with a plaque nailed to it.”
    She was looking cutely perturbed at his statement when the phone rang. One ring was all it took for her to pale.
    Even if he hadn’t seen her earlier he’d have known something was wrong. On the second ring, she glanced across the room at the phone.
    â€œYou want me to get that?”
    â€œNo, um, I’ll get it.” She picked up the cordless phone and looked at the digital face. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll take this…out. In the other room.” She hurried from the kitchen and headed down the hall.
    â€œHello.”
    Her hushed tone carried to him, but because of the rain he couldn’t make out anything more as her footsteps receded toward the back bedroom—but it wasn’t because he didn’t try. Politically incorrect maybe, but then he’d never been accused of being a PC kind of guy. He’d seen Melody’s strained expression and heard the less than enthusiastic way she’d said hello. It had to be the same caller.
    He tried to remember if he’d ever seen her with any of the local cowboys, but he didn’t think so. But his first thought was that maybe he and even the fellas down at the diner had missed something—maybe she did have a love life…and maybe there was trouble in paradise.
    Again, none of his business.
    Picking up the journal in front of him, he flipped it open and started reading—more like he stared at the pages. The man in him, the tried-and-true cowboy, was only thinking about the tears in her eyes earlier and the look on her face just now when the phone rang.
    He was a fixer. A man of action. Sitting here doing nothing was just not cuttin’ it for him. But the woman would think he was crazy if he stormed in there and took over her phone call…

Chapter Four
    â€œA re you okay?”
    â€œI’m fine,” Melody said and prayed she looked fine. She certainly didn’t feel fine. She felt like such a failure. She’d just managed to tell her brother once more that he needed to get help or she couldn’t send him the money…but she knew she wouldn’t hold out much longer. The conversation had been horrible. She took a deep breath. Feeling Seth watching her closely, she was determined to appear normal. He’d already seen her crying and would think he had a basket case living out