Connor: A Cowboy Stepbrother Romance Novel Read Free Page A

road if we get tired. I’d like to not get stolen by some crazy redneck or something.”
    My mom looked over at me and chuckled.
    “We’ll be there any minute, Emily,” she responded. “So you don’t have to worry. Nobody is going to steal us.”
    It had been hours since we had seen any civilization and I started to wonder if the dirt road through the cornfields ever actually ended, or if it just went on forever, like my version of an eternal hell.
    It wasn’t more than a few minutes later, however, when my mom reached over and placed her hand on my shoulder, getting my attention.
    “Emily, I think we’re here,” she said.
    My mom was driving, so I quickly pulled out the map and did my best to navigate our location. I looked up as the dirt road forked in the road. On both sides of us were two huge cornfields with rows of corn as far as the eye could see. I looked over at my mom, chuckling softly.
    “This guys lives here?” I asked.
    My mom laughed and nodded her head, as she pointed out into the field, where a well-maintained farmhouse was located, surrounded by a white fence.
    “Well, actually, I think he lives there , to be exact,” she responded, as she took a right at the fork in the road and began driving us toward farmhouse.
    “Wow,” I said, as I admired the house in the distance.
    It was surprisingly beautiful, with cedar siding and bright red trim. It was the complete opposite of what I was expecting. I had imagined an old shack in the middle of a field, complete with a creepy barn and all sorts of broken down cars. So when we pulled up to the beautiful home, I found myself feeling very impressed.
    “Well, this is actually really nice,” I commented, as Mom put the car in park in front of the house.
    I glanced around, noticing that there actually was a barn nearby, but it looked just as nice as the house. And in fact, there were even two horses inside.
    “Mom, he has horses!” I exclaimed, pointing out the car window.
    “Yes, Richard told me about that. He already told me that we could ride them if we wanted to!” she responded.
    I hadn’t ridden a horse in years and as soon as I thought about it, I instantly became much happier about my decision to go on the trip with my mom. We sat there in the car for a couple of seconds before my mom reached over and placed her hand on my knee.
    “Honey,” she said.
    I looked away from the horses and brought my gaze to my mother.
    “Yeah, Mom?”
    I watched as she drew in a deep breath.
    “I’m really nervous about this,” she said. “What if he doesn’t like me?”
    I reached over and gave her a hug.
    “Mom, he’s going to love you,” I said. “You look amazing and you guys have already been talking so much. It’s not like there are going to be any surprises. So, come on. Let’s go meet him.”
    After releasing her from the hug, I turned and opened the car door, stepping out into the fresh air. I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, closing my eyes as the sun covered my face. I then turned and watched my mom step out of the driver’s side of the car. She was wearing a white sundress and had her dark hair curled over her shoulders. She looked as beautiful as ever.
    “You ready?” I asked.
    My mom looked a bit nervous, but nodded anyway.
    “As ready as I’m going to be,” she said.
    We then walked up to the house and stepped onto the porch, which was covered in beautiful antique furniture and artwork. I walked beside my mother as we approached the front door. Without any hesitation, I lifted my hand and knocked a few times.
    As we stood there waiting, I watched my mom shuffling her feet nervously. Within a few seconds, the door opened up.
    “Oh, my God,” the man said, as he pulled the door open. “You’re even more beautiful in person.”
    The grey-haired man stepped onto the porch, looking right past me and to my mother. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and he stepped forward, pulling her in for a hug.
    “Mary,” he said, as