The Cowboy's Little Surprise Read Free Page B

get him to look my way. And you know I can be pretty hard to miss.”
    That was an understatement. Ally was nothing if not flamboyant. Today after work she had changed into a magenta exercise leotard paired with electric-blue biker shorts and her favorite purple running shoes.
    Tina wore her navy sweatpants and her faded New Mexico State University T-shirt.
    Ally looked her up and down and shook her head. “When are you going to listen to me,
chica
?” she demanded.
    “Don’t start.”
    “Too late for that. I started on you years ago. I don’t know why I love you when you’re so darned stubborn.”
    “For my
abuela
’s Sopapilla cheesecake.”
    Ally laughed. “You’ve got a point.”
    “And as usual, my point right now would be that—as sorry as I am about your cute wrangler—you can’t throw yourself at every good-looking cowhand who walks in. Please tell me you didn’t do that with this one.”
    “I can’t help my impetuous nature.” Ally grinned. “You could learn something from me,
chica
. How to have your heart broken on a weekly basis. It would sure make your life more exciting.”
    “Once was enough for that, thanks,” she said grimly.
    Ally frowned. “You’re not looking too happy yourself. What’s wrong?”
    She hesitated. But Ally was the only friend who could understand what Cole’s return meant to her. “Your blond isn’t the only man who’s shown up in town. Cole’s back.”
    “You’re kidding me!”
    Her best friend was also the only woman Tina knew who could manage to screech in a whisper.
    “Do I look like I’m kidding?”
    Ally shook her head, sending her dark curls tumbling around her shoulders. “No. You look like you’re in shock. C’mon, let’s get going.”
    Tina moved through the parking lot and out onto the sidewalk on autopilot, in the same manner she had gotten herself to the store. Somehow, she had made it all the way here without thinking again of Cole. Blurting out the news of his return to Ally had brought him back to her again.
    A ridiculous choice of words, since he’d never been
hers
to begin with.
    All through the years, despite his reputation, she saw glimpses of a Cole no one else knew. Or so she’d thought. Those glimpses gave her just enough hope for him. For her. Just enough reason to keep her crush alive.
    But years of love from afar didn’t equal a real relationship.
    “How long is he going to be in town?” Ally demanded.
    “I don’t know.”
    “Well, we need to find out. And then you need to stay away from him. Hang out at the ranch, that’s all, like you usually do. And keep Robbie with you.”
    “I can’t hide from the man, Ally.”
    “Who’s saying hide? But Cole doesn’t deserve to know the truth. Not when he hasn’t even bothered to send you a postcard in all this time.”
    All this time.
    Five long years.
    Ally shook her head. “After what he did, I can’t believe you’ll tell him anything.”
    What Cole had done to her that lunchtime had been bad, but what she had done to herself leading up to that day was much, much worse.
    In high school, they shared a few classes, and in their senior year, her dream of getting closer to him had come true. She was ecstatic when they became lab partners in biology and then study buddies in English.
    Once Jed hired him to work at the ranch, she was thrilled for the chance to see more of him—whether he knew she was watching or not.
    Evidently, he did know. One Friday night after he had collected his paycheck from Jed, he asked her to go for a ride in his truck. She said yes, proud to have the world—or, at least, the folks in
their
world—finally see them as a couple, too.
    Only no one had seen them together at all.
    They had gone for a long ride before parking near the school baseball field, where they sat and talked for hours. She was puzzled when he took her straight back to the ranch afterward. But on Saturday, she was pleased again when he finished up work and asked her out for