Riding Red Read Free Page A

was to simply cross her arms over her chest and stare out of the window, revealing to BJ that was exactly what her best friend wanted her to do.
    “Stop being ridiculous,” BJ said finally, as she cranked the engine then pulled out onto the paved road that would lead her to Westside—Teresa’s family ranch—just a few miles away.
    Several seconds passed before BJ realised Teresa was determined to subject her to the silent treatment, even though she knew her friend wasn’t really mad at her. Truth be told, BJ knew she wasn’t mad at Jeff Downing, either. Teresa was mad at herself, because as much as she swore she wasn’t, she was attracted to the man, and had been for a long, long time.
    When another silent minute ticked by, BJ told herself she should just leave it alone, but how much longer was she supposed to put up with Teresa’s constant refusal to date again, to love again, to be intimate with a man who actually cared about her happiness? Her friend could say whatever she wanted about Jeff’s playboy ways, but BJ knew for a fact those days were long gone. Jeff Downing wasn’t taking trips to Cottonmouth twice a month just to see his brother, he was there because almost from the moment he’d met Teresa, he’d staked his claim on her. He was there because he cared about her. Jeff was offering Teresa a second chance at love, and if she wasn’t careful, BJ was convinced her friend was going to let it pass her by.
    “It’s been two years, honey,” BJ began, treading carefully upon a subject neither of them had broached in as many years. “How long are you going to shut yourself off from the rest of the world?”
    “I haven’t shut myself off from the rest of the world,” she denied. “I am an active member of this community with many friends, including you, who I see all the time. Does that sound like a recluse to you?”
    “You know what I mean.” BJ frowned. “You’re a beautiful, intelligent, vibrant woman who has had plenty of offers from men, and yet you refuse them all.”
    “And you know the reason why, so I don’t see the point in hashing this out again—”
    “No, I don’t know why,” BJ shot back at the stubborn defiance in Teresa’s voice. “That son-of-a-bitch ex-husband of yours is just that—a son-of-a-bitch. No matter what he told you, you have so much to offer a man and you deserve someone who will love and cherish you just as you are. I know that man is out there, Teresa.”
    And his name is Jeff Downing .
     
    Teresa continued to stare out of the window, mostly because she didn’t want her best friend to catch sight of the tears, which threatened to spill over her lids. Knowing BJ, she would immediately stop the car and make a big deal out of it, and before they knew it, they would both be in tears.
    The funny thing was, she wasn’t even sad, so she couldn’t say why it was she was close to tears. What she could say, however, was, having been best friends since the age of five, she and BJ were as tight as sisters, and that explained why her friend loved her so fiercely, why she wanted nothing but the best for her, why she still hoped Teresa would find love again.
    But Teresa was never going to find love again.
    The thought stiffened her spine, and she understood then why the tears hovering in her eyes remained there.
    No wonder BJ constantly worried for her. It was a sad existence to never want to know love again, but that was exactly how she felt. Despite what BJ said, men would never want her if they knew the truth.
    She just wasn’t strong enough to risk her heart again, not after what she’d endured with Derek. After her divorce, she’d accepted that she would spend the rest of her life alone, but she’d never mourned the loss of her dreams to have a family. She’d stubbornly refused to talk about it, let alone think about it.
    Teresa had never had to confront the bleak future that promised to be her life…until Jeff Downing had started poking around, offering