Read Must Love Cowboys for Free Online Page A

pay in kisses, I’ll carry my suitcase myself.”
    The expression in Dean’s eyes reminded me of the way Ophelia stared at me whenever she wanted to stay inside rather than go out in the cold. “Aw, come on, Tina. Nick got a kiss.”
    I arched a brow. “He was paying me back for fixing his computer. That was his choice of payment, not mine.”
    â€œWell, shit.” He blew out a breath, then grinned. “Guess I’ll have to work on my strategy.”
    I hoped his strategy wasn’t anything like Nick’s had been. Nick hadn’t asked for that kiss. He’d taken it. Or given it. I honestly couldn’t say which. If Dean wanted more than a kiss—and something told me he did—he’d damn well better be asking me first.
    The trouble was, I had no idea what my reply would be.

Chapter 4
    The foreman’s quarters were actually quite nice. In addition to a private bathroom, the room boasted its own television and recliner, a sturdy wooden desk and chair, along with a dresser, nightstand, and closet. I’d spent the night in a couple of hotels along my route that weren’t as well appointed, nor had they been as clean. I wouldn’t have expected a bunch of cowboys to be any great shakes as housekeepers, but they’d obviously had some practice.
    I was surprised Joe hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity to move in there, although I was glad he hadn’t. Somehow I couldn’t see sleeping in the bunkhouse or bumping Joe or Calvin out of their room. I didn’t even mind that the bed was only a twin.
    The guys carried in my bags and thankfully didn’t linger.
    â€œWe know you must be tired,” Dean said when he caught me yawning. “We’ll be in the mess hall if you decide you want some company.” He pointed toward a door at the far end of the room. “That opens onto the hallway behind the kitchen so you can get to the mess hall without going outside. Calvin’s room is next to yours.”
    â€œThanks.” My smile became another yawn. “Don’t bother waiting up for me. I’m about done in.”
    He laughed. “And you were gonna drive to Cheyenne tonight.”
    â€œYeah, well, best laid plans and all that.” I said good night and closed my door.
    Strange how quickly we slide into that mind-set. My room at the hotel. My room at home. My apartment—although I didn’t have an apartment anymore and was essentially homeless. I couldn’t see Mom throwing me out, but without a place to call my own, I felt as though I’d been set adrift, leaving me vulnerable to the entreaties of a bunch of cowboys who seemed to want nothing more than the pleasure of my company.
    I didn’t wonder why anymore, but this was no place for me. After their computers were debugged, they would have no need of me, and I certainly had no intention of becoming the bunkhouse whore.
    As if I could. Bunkhouse virgin would be more like it. Anyone taking on the whore job would need far more experience than I’d ever had. I doubted that reading steamy romance novels and fantasizing about hot, sweaty firefighters qualified me for the job.
    Exhaustion left my brain wide open for thoughts of that nature to creep in. Whether I was ever intimate with a man didn’t matter in the greater scheme of things. No planets would go undiscovered. No grand plans for world peace would be derailed.
    Then again, maybe they would. Perhaps my unborn sons and daughters would be the very ones to save the planet from global warming and terrorism.
    Or not. God, I was going nuts. I needed to shed a layer of…something. I had no idea what. Inhibitions? My own persona and history?
    Ophelia licked my hand as though she understood my problem—or at least wanted to help.
    I considered joining the men in the mess hall. The bed, however, was much too inviting. Recalling that I’d traveled through several states and three time