A Buckhorn Bachelor Read Online Free Page B

firefighter’s T-shirt, one was an EMT, and the other was Tucker Turley, the sheriff. She knew him well since he’d done plenty of community outreach programs at the school library. Turley was the handsomest of the three, which was saying something since they were all pretty fine. But Isabella knew Amber’s cousin Kady was already sweet on him, and besides, he’d never, not once, looked at her with interest, and vice versa.
    The men hadn’t yet noticed them, and suddenly Isabella wanted to run.
    â€œCold feet?” Noel asked.
    She bit her lip and nodded. “Would it be terrible if I just ducked away before they saw me?”
    â€œNo. But I doubt that’d work because Amber will probably bring you right back around to them. You’re already here so you might as well talk a minute, right? No harm in that.”
    Just then Turley said, “Noel, get on over here. We need a fourth to even the teams.”
    â€œI have a better idea.” Noel gently nudged her forward. “Get Isabella to play.” And with that, Noel-the-traitor abandoned her.
    â€œShe’s on my team,” Turley said fast, drawing her in with a long muscled arm.
    The other two protested, but after quick introductions and a few jokes, they got to playing. To her surprise, she actually had fun. She’d always known she had a competitive streak, but she rarely had time to indulge it.
    After she and Turley won the first game, she tried to excuse herself, but instead she got traded off to the EMT as a “lucky charm,” and dang if she wasn’t on the winning team again.
    That meant the firefighter demanded she join him next, and after three games, three wins, and two beers, she finally got free to return to Adam.
    Unfortunately, Lisa and Gray were now in the corn booth, and Adam was nowhere to be found.
    He hadn’t waited for her.
    Maybe Noel was right and she’d blown her chance.
    Well, damn .
    * * *
    S TILL WATERS RUN DEEP . That’s what Amber claimed.
    Issy wasn’t prim or proper, she just respected propriety and knew when to mask her real nature.
    A nature, Amber claimed, that would enable Isabella to use him up and then dump him.
    Amber wanted to introduce her to a bunch of guys that, given a chance, Adam wouldn’t let anywhere near her.
    Hell, she might have met every one of those guys last night.
    She might have taken one of them to her bed.
    A strange red haze filled Adam’s gaze until he shook his head.
    No. He couldn’t believe that.
    In the small fishing boat, he crossed the lake. The family had a variety of boats and he could have used the inboard, the ski boat, or the pontoon. But Issy had a modest house back in the cove and sometimes, especially during the hottest part of summer, the cove got shallow—meaning dangerous to props.
    The fishing boat with the small trolling motor was much better suited for the mossy, narrow passage.
    Yesterday, after stupidly listening to Amber, he hadn’t waited for Issy.
    She wanted to visit other guys? He let her.
    But after a mostly sleepless night he’d faced the morning with regrets. So now, regardless of what Amber had told him, Adam intended to talk to Issy.
    First on the agenda, finding out what she had or hadn’t done.
    While he considered numerous possibilities, sweat trickled down the back of his neck and the sun baked his bare shoulders and chest. Even behind his mirrored sunglasses, he had to squint against the morning sunshine reflecting off the placid surface of the calm lake.
    This early on a Sunday, few boaters were out to disturb the tranquility. Overhead an eagle soared. Along the shore geese honked at him and a flat, lazy water turtle rested over the rocks. Some fish swam alongside the boat while others leaped, making a splash.
    Even with the mosquitoes and heat and the occasional drunk boater, Adam loved spending time on the lake. He could still remember, before his mom and Jordan had married, when