Second Chance Cowboy Read Free Page A

her toes visible in the open-toed heeled
sandals she wore.
    When his eyes had made it back to her
face, he’d held out a hand for her taking. “You said if I came
you’d save a dance for me.”
    Carly remembered staring at his open
palm for the longest time while her girlfriends encouraged her with
words of anticipation. “I did?” She hadn’t forgotten, but she’d
wanted to play hard to get, at least a little.
    “ That wasn’t the only thing
you promised,” he’d teased.
    “ So, you want to learn to
line dance, huh?” She’d laughed when her friends’ collection of
sighs and laughs echoed. She knew what indecent thoughts spun
through her friends’ minds. Probably the same naughty ideas she’d
been thinking at that moment.
    They danced every dance. Made love
under the stars that night. And a week later, they married. They
were known among their friends as the ‘bed to wed’ couple. She’d
been the envy of many brokenhearted women in Shelby.
    She caught the cowboy.
    * * * *
    Carly needed to push all thoughts of
Chance Taylor to the back of her mind. They were divorced now. No
more midnight calls. No more stimulating images of him naked in her
bed, delighting her with his magical touch.
    Adjusting the straps on her mile-high
heels, Carly rose to her feet. She wobbled slightly, her limbs
still weak from the night of wild sex, and strode across the
bedroom. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the full-length
mirror hanging on the wall and stopped.
    Her eyes twinkled with a light that
wasn’t there yesterday. Forget anti-aging creams and repairing
serums. She’d found the fountain of youth in the shape of a brawny
cowboy. The night of passion did wonders for her pale
features.
    Carly frowned. She’d have to get used
to the idea that her and Chance were now divorced.
    She glanced at the clock with a
grimace. Damn.
    Heading out of the room, she grabbed a
slender gold bracelet off her dresser and fumbled with the delicate
clasp as she walked toward the stairs.
    Distracted, she stepped onto the edge
of the top rung, and the heel of her shoe snapped in half. She
grasped frantically for the banister, but her hand slipped on the
polished wood and her body lurched forward.
    Her scream echoed off the white walls
while she bounced and rolled down the steep hardwood stairs. The
tumble brought her shoulders hard against the steps and her body
involuntarily plunged downward.
    She landed in a heap at the bottom.
Her breath swooshed from her lungs. Her groan came from deep within
and she slowly opened her eyes.
    Staring up at the antique chandelier,
the shiny teardrop crystals twinkled and vibrated. The brightness
reminded her of Devon’s pale eyes and his toothless
grin.
    Her heart pounded a heavy tempo
against her ribs until it paced. Amazingly, her anger, confusion
and guilt dissipated and her mind cleared. She still loved Chance.
She swore that if she lived, she wouldn’t waste another minute on
sorrow. She’d make her cowboy her husband again.
    A flash of white caused her to
blink.
    She attempted to rise but stopped when
a sharp pain shot through her head. She reached around and gently
probed the lump forming at the base of her skull.
    Her stomach twisted and nausea crawled
through her intestines. A last image bombarded her mind before
everything faded to black. “Chance,” she whispered.
    * * * *
    “ I’m glad you came,
Chance.”
    Chance’s mouth spread into a tight
smile. He wasn’t sure why Harry McAllister called and asked him to
come, but Chance could be damn sure Carly wasn’t home. Invitations
inside the house didn’t come with her there.
    He followed Harry through the
tastefully decorated foyer with sleek oak flooring and expensive
framed art. Carly once told him the name of the famous artist, but
art wasn’t his interest, not like it was for the McAllisters. The
vase of colorful flowers filled the room with a sweet, strong
smell.
    Harry’s office was right off the
hallway and Chance stopped