Lone Star Burn: Broncos & Bouquets (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Free Page A

wouldn’t have turned out so bad. “So what happened after that? How’d that lead to starting your own business?”
    “Um…” She turned away from him, back to the tables, straightening chairs. She continued, but her demeanor had changed. “I found a college in Dallas with a design program. I worked at the shop while I went to school and after I graduated she hired me full-time. Six months ago I moved to Fort Mavis and started my own business.”
    She’d definitely skipped over a chunk of time, but he wasn’t going to ask about it. He definitely skipped a chunk of his own timeline when people asked about his life. “I don’t know anything about flowers, but I got a glance at that book of yours. It all looked really pretty.”
    “Thanks.” The smile returned.
    “So, what time should I pick you up on Friday?”
    She looked at him, those plump lips in a smirk, an eyebrow cocked. “How about thirteen o’clock?”
    All he could do was shake his head and drain his cup.
    He was back again on Thursday, learning more about her, sharing a few laughs. Who knew there was another person in his age bracket who held a love for classic country music like Patsy Cline and Hank Williams? He felt comfortable with her. It was something he hadn’t ever felt with another person.  He actually shared a few details of his own life, skipping the parts he didn’t want her to know. The parts only few people knew.
    Friday morning, he was ready to pull out the big guns.
    “I made a reservation for seven o’clock. You’re not gonna make me eat pasta all alone, are you?”
    She sighed dramatically, a smirk on those gorgeous lips, and he knew he was inches away from her saying yes.
    “I have to wash my hair.”
    “That’s the worst excuse ever. Is that the best you can do?”
    “Aliens are coming for me tomorrow so I have to pack.” She could barely contain her giggles.
    “I give you points for creativity on that one.” He stood and set his coffee cup and the plate from his muffin on the counter. “See you on Monday. If you decide to stay in Fort Mavis and not go with the aliens, that is.”
    She was something else. And it all just made him like her more.
     

Chapter 3
     
    “How’s mom?” Laney asked as she lounged on the couch with her cell phone in her apartment above the hardware store. She was tired, having spent most of her Saturday doing flower work, then Sunday delivering it, setting it all up, then tearing it all down.
    “Same as always,” replied her little sister, Raelyn. “Busy with work and church and all the activities she does.”
    Laney and Raelyn had grown up outside Dallas, the daughter of a single mother slash real estate agent extraordinaire. Dad was around, but busy with his other family. Typical suburban life.
    “Will she even mention my name yet?”
    It had been six months since Laney’s life had fallen apart. Six months since her mother had told her how much of an embarrassment she was to her.
    “Not really. Grandma was here the other day and asked about you. She just shrugged her shoulders and said, ‘Ask your other granddaughter.’ I think she’s pissed that I talk to you.”
    Laney got it. She’d messed up. Big time. She’d brought shame to her family and on top of that, her mother had taken it all as a personal attack.
    “So, when are you coming to visit?” Laney asked, ready for a change of topic. “I really miss you.”
    “Depends. How’s the guy scene there?”
    “Haven’t really noticed.”
    “Liar.”
    “I’m not lying. I’m too busy to notice.”
    “You work at the only coffee shop in town and you haven’t noticed any of the guys that come in?”
    Maybe. Just one. But noticing cute guys was the last thing she needed right now.
    “You took too long to answer, so I’ll guess that you have. Who is he?”
    “Okay. There’s one guy. Sawyer. He’s a ranch hand at one of the ranches nearby.”
    “Oooh! Real cowboys are sexy. Tell me more.”
    “He’s nice. And he makes