9781618857279MakeMineaCowboySullivanNC Read Free Page A

huge walk-in
closet with rows of clothes hanging on each side. Everything was color coded
with yellows together, blues together, and so on.
    “Damn.”
    “I
have a thing for clothes. My husband calls it an obsession.” She shrugged. “What
can I say, I love to shop, although most of this never
gets worn since we live out here on the ranch. I’m usually in jeans.” Nina
grabbed a red sundress off the rack. “This should fit you. Plus, red would look
fabulous on you with your black hair.” With a tilt of her head, she looked Mesa
over from head to toe. “Do you have Native American blood?”
    “Yes. Somewhere in my past, anyway. I’m not sure how far
back.”
    “Ah.”
Nina handed her the dress before she walked to the window to look out. “You’re
lucky to have received the thick, dark hair of your heritage like some of my
sons did from me. I am a quarter Choctaw.”
    “I
have no idea how much or what tribe my ancestors were. It’s not talked about
much in my family.”
    Nine
turned back to face her with a stern look in her blue eyes. “You should be
proud of your heritage no matter how little Indian blood runs through your
veins. We are a proud people. I try to bestow on my sons the love of the tribal
people.”
    “How
many sons do you have? I’ve met four so far.”
    “I
have nine. My wishes for a daughter were never answered, although I hope to
have beautiful daughter-in-laws and lots of granddaughters when the time comes.
I have one grandson already, from my oldest son’s failed marriage, whom I adore, but it’s not the same as having a
granddaughter to spoil.” Nina took her hands and spread them wide. “You would
make a beautiful daughter-in-law.”
    “Wait
a minute. I don’t even live near here. I live in California.”
    “I’m
joking, Mesa, although you are a beautiful young woman and any one of my sons
would be proud to call you wife.”
    “I’m
only here for a few days. No matchmaking while I’m here.”
    Nina
laughed and tipped her chin toward the floor. “No matchmaking.” She walked
toward the door. “I’ll leave you to change. If you bring your wet clothes and
shoes down the hall, we’ll get them washed and dried for you. The supper bell
will be ringing soon. You will join us for dinner, won’t you?”
    “I
would love to, Nina. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. You have a beautiful
home. I wish I could stay longer to explore. It would make a great backdrop for
one of my books.”
    “You’re
a writer?”
    “Yes,
ma’am.” Mesa blushed, dropping her gaze to the dress in her
hands.
    “You
must tell me all about it at dinner. I can’t wait to hear what you write about.”
She opened the door. “I’ll see you in a few minutes. Take your time. There are
sandals at the bottom of the closet that might fit you temporarily until your
shoes dry.”
    With
a soft snick of the door, she was gone, leaving Mesa in the middle of the huge
bedroom to contemplate the turn of events her day had taken. First she ran out
of gas, and then was rescued by a handsome, melt your panties cowboy, and now
she stood in the middle of a magnificent bedroom borrowing clothing from a
woman so gorgeous she could stop traffic. Wow, what a day this turned out to
be. She surely didn’t think things like this happened to ordinary women like
her. Adventures didn’t come her way on a routine basis. She could count on one
hand how many men she’d been out with her in lifetime. Slept with? That would
only take a few fingers.
    After
she quickly slipped off her wet clothes and put on the red sundress, she
smoothed the material over her hips. The dress fit perfectly. A pair of leather
beaded sandals sat inside the closet. They looked like they would fit. Slipping
her feet into the cool leather, she wasn’t surprised to realize they too fit
perfectly. Weird. Joel’s mother wore the same sizes she did?
    Not
wanting to be late for dinner as she heard the clang of the dinner bell, she
grabbed the clothes