Read The Cowboy Wins a Bride (The Cowboys of Chance Creek) for Free Online

with everything that moves,” Claire said. She speared a mini quiche with her fork and cut it in two. Judging by the smirk on her face, she thought she had him by the short hairs.
    Actually, she did.
    “It doesn’t mean anything,” he tried again. She had to know that. Flirting was like breathing to him – people expected him to act that way.
    “Whatever. Those are my terms.”
    “But…there’s bound to be women among the guests. How do I talk to them?”
    She put down her fork and raised an eyebrow. “Really? You don’t know how to talk to women without flirting with them? No, why am I even surprised? Of course you don’t.” She shook her head. “Just talk to them. Pretend they’re men."
    Jamie turned away. Hell, she had him this time. He didn’t mean to do it, but flirting came as naturally as the beating of his heart and it made life a hell of a lot easier. A smile and a look, and women just took care of your needs. It wasn’t his fault God gave him a handsome face. He wasn’t stuck up about it, either. He knew what he had and he used it to make other people happy, and if that meant flirting with a pretty girl at the local takeout place or an older woman manning the desk at some office in town, why not? It didn’t hurt anyone.
    And if he'd slept with women from time to time during the years, so what? He wasn't a monk. He'd always known the minute he got Claire's attention all that would stop. And so it had. Except she'd instantly gone off with that Daniel guy.
    Claire watched him, her sharp blue eyes taking in all the arguments he wasn’t speaking out loud. If he couldn’t touch her, then how was he supposed to convince her during their six weeks’ time together that she belonged with him back on the Cruz ranch?
    By letting her figure it out all by herself .
    He considered that notion and nodded. She couldn’t tell him that she didn’t itch to be back among the Cruz horses, training them, riding them, living and breathing those magnificent beasts. Claire rode like the wind and understood animals better than she did people – just like him. Five weeks on the ranch while she designed his interior, and one week helping him run the trail rides and she’d be hooked all over again.
    He hoped. Because if she left Montana to travel the world he didn't know what he would do. All his plans depended on her marrying him. Besides, he didn't think world travel was the answer for her, either. A few years ago when she'd started hanging around the ranch again, she'd been happier than he'd seen her in years. Then she'd quit coming. These days she looked so pale and drawn he knew she was miserable. She was doing a good job keeping that fake smile plastered on her face anytime Ethan or Autumn or one of the guests wandered by, but her eyes gave her away. Maybe a trip around the world would bring the bounce back to her step, but he doubted it. Something was really wrong with Claire and his gut told him she needed to come home – to the ranch, to her family – to her horses, or she might get to a place where she couldn’t be healed.
    “Deal,” he said aloud and her eyebrows shot up.
    “Really? You think you can handle six whole weeks without flirting with or touching a woman?” Her playful tone was at odds with the coldness in her eyes, and for one second Jamie thought he was getting close to the truth behind the mystery of her defeated expression. Some man had hurt her – bad. Ledstrom? The thought made him clench his fists.
    “Easy,” he forced himself to say. Well, not really, but hell – he should be able to survive it. Most guys did, right?
    She laughed, a sound too bitter to suit him. “Well, this I gotta see. Okay, I’m in, too.” She put out a hand and he shook it, reveling in touching her. He pulled her in and stole a kiss, not surprised when she pushed him away roughly.
    “See – you can’t even last a minute.”
    “Our bet hasn’t started yet.”
    “When does it start?”
    “Tomorrow. And