Not My 1st Rodeo Read Free

her fingers on his arm, only briefly as she suddenly realized it probably seemed a little too familiar. “Brett, I’d like to buy you a coffee. Will you let me do that?”
    James had been a stickler about paying for everything. He’d hated her trying to pay, like it was an insult, an assumption that he couldn’t afford things, an affront to his masculinity. She really hadn’t realized how much financial trouble he’d been in until he’d filed for bankruptcy. Anyone she dated had to get over that sort of male-pride thing. She figured this was a good first test.
    He met her gaze for a long moment and then nodded. “I guess that’d be all right.” He raised an eyebrow. “This once.”
    Meaning there’d be a next time?
    â€œGood. Now what’ll you have?”
    He grinned. “A big mug of black. I’m a man of simple tastes.”
    She smiled back, encouraged. “You got it.”
    She ordered his coffee and then her own, which was slightly more complicated as there was a flavor shot and some steamed milk involved. But within a few minutes, they were headed to a table in the back corner of the shop that looked out over Gibson’s Main Street. To her surprise and pleasure, Brett held her chair for her and waited for her to be seated before sitting across from her. Good looking—check. Manners—check. She wondered what else he had going for him?
    â€œSo,” she said, laughing nervously. “Here we are.”
    â€œHere we are,” he echoed, one corner of his mouth tipping up a little. He raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess. You’re mentally going over my profile and trying to figure out if I lied.”
    Her cheeks heated again. “Clearly, you didn’t.” Rustling up her courage, she added, “If anything, the reality’s better than the profile.”
    His laugh was low and warm and sent tingly feelings rushing through her body.
    â€œI have to come clean,” he confessed. “I didn’t set up that profile. My sister did. I didn’t even know about it until two days ago.”
    Disappointment flowed through her, and embarrassment. “Oh. I see. And she’s the one who…?” Now she was feeling foolish. Naïve. “She sent the hat tip.”
    â€œYes. I was really mad at her when I found out.”
    â€œI can imagine.” Suddenly the coffee in front of her wasn’t so appealing. Was he gracefully looking for a way to exit? He hadn’t even asked her here today. His sister had. “You know, I was a little worried you were going to be a no-show.”
    He chuckled again. “I thought the same about you. And I thought about messaging you and canceling, but I realized it wasn’t your fault my sister’s an interfering pain in my butt. So I figured I’d show up, see if you did too, and have a cup of coffee. What could it hurt?”
    This was sounding worse and worse. Like it was a pity date, for Pete’s sake. She wondered how long she needed to sit here before she could get up and leave without being impolite. He hadn’t wanted to be here. He was just showing good manners.
    â€œMelly?”
    She lifted her head and looked at him, surprised when he used the preferred shortened version of her name.
    â€œYou know, I’m not so mad at my sister anymore.” And he smiled.
    He had a good smile. The kind that made a girl feel like he was letting her in on some sort of secret. The kind that felt like it was for her and her alone. It was intimate, a little shy, a little bit cheeky. He rested his elbows on the table and it stretched the cotton of his shirt across his broad shoulders.
    â€œYou’re glad you came?” she asked.
    â€œMore every second.”
    â€œMe too,” she replied and smiled back at him. Okay, so less than a stellar beginning on both their parts…but it was showing potential. It was the smiling at each other that made