Read Lone Star Courtship for Free Online Page A

feelings about his profession? Or something worse? Her curly roots prickled at the thought.
    â€œNo thanks required, Barrett. As we say at Hearth and Home, it’s my pleasure to serve you.”
    She picked up the sack of food and headed for the elevators.
    â€œAnd as they say in Texas, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, pardner!”

    In his custom-made pajamas and favorite leather slippers Barrett made a groggy shuffle into the sitting room and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. As he drank deeply his eye caught the flash of color from the grinning fishes stuck to his hand.
    Casey Hardy.
    Was this interesting woman simply being kind or was she up to something? Caring for his cuts was one thing, but delivering dinner was another entirely. While the former act had been spontaneous, the latter was deliberate and required at least some planning. Within fifteen minutes of introduction, the lady had made her feelings about his mission quite clear. She didn’t like it. And she had given signals that she didn’t much like him, either. So what was driving her late-night concern for his nutritional needs?
    A light tap, tap, tap signaled the arrival of the bellman. As Barrett pulled the door open he caught an enchanting scent, not at all the fish he was expecting. And the reason for that stood before him, beguiling eyes gleaming as a small smile twisted her lips.
    â€œGood evening, Barrett.” Her gaze swept his buttoned-up appearance. He self-consciously stepped behind the door so that only his head was visible.
    â€œForgive me, I’m not dressed for company,” he explained.
    She waved away his concern, clearly amused by his modesty.
    â€œIt’s my fault for showing up at this unearthly hour.” She held a brown sack aloft. “But I think you’ll be glad I did.”
    A mouthwatering aroma wafted across the short distance.
    Mmm…English fish and chips! He imagined it…deep-fried, crispy batter drizzled with tart malt vinegar, dipped in creamy tartar sauce. The enticing thought made his spirit ache for the home eight thousand kilometers away. His stomach grumbled for food.
    â€œNow that I think of it, I am a bit peckish. Why don’t you let yourself into the sitting room and I’ll be right out?”
    He left the door standing open and slipped into the bedroom. When he returned with the hotel’s signature pink robe belted securely, she was sitting at the small table. The large paper sack had been torn open at the seams and flattened as if a table topper to protect the polished surface.
    The woman was thoughtful. Something he’d become unaccustomed to.
    As he settled into a chair with the table separating them, she filled two paper plates and chatted as though her appearance at his door was most natural.
    â€œThanks for letting me come up and share my dinner with you.”
    â€œIt’s not as if you gave me a choice.”
    She cast her eyes downward in a look of contrition he didn’t buy for a moment.
    â€œWould you have turned me down if I’d called to ask?”
    â€œProbably…” He smiled when her head popped up at the answer she clearly was not expecting. “…not,” he finished.
    Satisfied with the caveat, she continued.
    â€œLate-night comfort food is meant to be shared. It’s a Hardy family tradition. Actually, it’s more of a weakness. Anyway, my condo is on the other side of the causeway, too far for Captain Jack’s to deliver. But the Galvez is smack in the middle of their zone, so here I am.” She halved a still-steaming filet and dragged it through the puddle of ketchup on her plate.
    She closed her eyes to appreciate the taste, giving him the perfect opportunity to admire her smooth complexion and dancing curls. Where he’d ended the day as limp and wrinkled as an empty sausage casing, she was every bit as appealing as she’d been during their meeting in her office hours