100% Pure Cowboy Read Free Page B

Danielle realized that she was being baited. Clearly, Cody Walker was hoping to goad her into packing up her girls in a fit of righteous indignation and heading back to the city. Well, this ornery cowboy had another think coming if he believed lightening the load for the horses meant dumping Troop No. 83!
    Mostly from upper-income families, these girls had everything that money could buy, and precious little of the commodities that fuel real self-esteem: their parents’ time and attention. Bored with shopping malls and too much unrestricted time on their hands, the girls had been looking forward to this excursion for a long time. It was a rare opportunity for them to shuck off the brittle masks they put on as part of their daily makeup routine and to simply be kids for a while. The image of their disappointed faces strengthened Danielle’s resolve. Dynamite wouldn’t loosen her determination to finish that which she had started.
    â€œAnd get your hands off of that. It’s mine!” she sputtered at the sight of her suitcase in Cody’s hands.
    Grabbing it from him, she gave a hard tug. The latch on the old piece of luggage snapped apart, raining clothes in all directions.
    â€œDamn it!” Danielle cried in frustration as Cody hopped out of the wagon bed and bent to help her reassemble her things.
    â€œJust leave me alone!” she snapped, wondering what more could possibly go wrong.
    The answer to that question lay on top of the pile of clothing now heaped upon the dirt—a pair of simple cotton briefs.
    Cody straightened as if a snake were coiled on top of her things. His eyebrows shot up as if to question whether someone with hair the color of hers really wore anything so prim beneath her clothes.
    Only the fact that this rough-and-tough cowboy was blushing like a schoolboy could make her believe that he wasn’t enjoying her discomfort. His embarrassment fed her own as she remembered how Scott had needled her about her sensible, boring undergarments. Little had she realized at the time that he had based his comparative analysis upon live models. Maybe that was why she was so defensive about this man’s reaction to her modest cotton briefs. Hotly reminding herself that she was far too practical a woman to spend a couple of weeks trekking along the Oregon Trail in a sexy, little thong, she mumbled under her breath, as much to Scott as to the tongue-tied cowboy in front of her, “You disgusting pervert!”
    She snatched her underwear from the ground and wadded it into a ball in her hand. “By the time I’m done reporting you to your superiors, you’ll be lucky to be the ‘master’ of any little red wagons in a children’s parade!”
    Considering that all he’d meant to do was help, Cody thought the insult totally uncalled-for. Mollie, who had spent the last two years trying to force him back into the dating game, would have laughed to have heard the term “pervert” applied to her father. Since her mother’s death, he hadn’t been in the least tempted by any of the women on the road who threw themselves like rose petals at his feet. As far as that went, he’d had his share of ladies’ underwear flung upon the stage when he was performing, and they were a whole lot skimpier than the surprisingly plain pair that had his cheeks blazing like some twelve-year-old caught peeking in the lingerie section of a clothing catalog.
    Angry that he felt the need to defend himself, Cody placed both hands on either side of her face. Eyes that turned gunmetal with anger flashed a feral challenge as he lowered his mouth to within inches of hers.
    â€œI’m no pervert,” he countered, raising himself to his full, intimidating height. “And I damned sure don’t disgust you. I think you’re just scared that if I kissed you, you might like it more than you’re willing to admit.”
    He said it just to provoke her, hoping