Loving You: A Cowboy Romance (Texas Hill Country Romance Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: Mae Martini
her brows.
“Yes, we’re still on. Oh, Annie you’re coming, right?” Calista asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Lisa blew out a breath as she looked at her watch. “I’ve gotta run, C., see you tomorrow.” Lisa said goodbye to Calista, once again ignoring Annie, and left.
“I’m sorry, Annie. She’s usually friendly, but she could be a bit standoffish at times. Give her time, she’ll get used to you.”
Annie shrugged. “What did I do?”
“Nothing. I think she feels threatened by you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I told you she has a thing for Cord.”
“Whatever. You done with your coffee? I’m itching to buy a hat.” She smiled wide, doing a little wiggle in her chair.
Calista burst out laughing. “Let’s go, Cowgirl.” She downed the last of her coffee as they got up.
Chapter 5
“I told you this was a bad idea,” Dan said as he, Jake, Rory, and Cord were rafting, well, more like floating, down the river in life vests and helmets.
“The Pedernales is too calm, especially in the summer. We should try the Sabine. Now that river is pumping,” Dan said.
He was another close friend. These four boys grew up together and did and experienced everything together.
They shared everything, thrills, clothes, secrets, fears, high times in each other’s lives as well as low, and there were a lot of low times. From Dan’s father always beating him when his father got drunk, to Rory’s car accident that landed him in the hospital for three weeks while he healed, to probably the most devastating of all, when Cord got the news that his older brother, Jacob, who was a sergeant in the army, was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb five years earlier. That was a tough one. They all knew Jacob and respected him and his decision to enlist after 9/11.
Cord will tell you that he’s okay with it, but the three friends knew, and saw the sadness, still there, in his eyes.
They got drunk for the first time together. They got into their first bar fight, together. They even shared girls, either at different times, or once in a while you’d get a girl willing to take on two, three, and heck, once there was a girl, Rita Wilson, who took on all four at the same time.
Cord and Jake did four years of college, Cord at Texas A&M, and Jake at LSU. Rory did two, but he commuted. Dan went to U of C in San Diego for two years before the funds ran out. Yet time away from each other only strengthened their bond.
They were a tight bunch and proud of the fact that they remained good friends since first grade. Everyone around them knew not to mess with one, cause then you messed with all four. That’s not to say they were bad guys. They were good guys, they wouldn’t go looking for trouble, but if trouble found them, they would never back down.
“This sucks,” Jake said. “Let’s get out of here and meet the girls. Before I left the house Annie was cooking us up a nice lunch. I’m starving.”
“Yeah, I’m with you on that, bro,” Rory said.
“I can’t wait to meet this Annie. You’ve done nothing but mention her to me for the last two months. Incidentally, I wished you guys would have called me the other night, I’m itching to get into another bar fight.”
“Yeah, right after the guy pinched Annie’s ass, I should have said ‘please wait, sir, I need to go get a friend before I beat the shit out of you’,” Cord said, a little bothered by the fact that Dan couldn’t wait to meet Annie.
They all laughed except Cord.
Annie and Calista pulled up to the swimming hole the same time Jennie and Lisa did. They set up blankets and laid out whatever food didn’t need cooling, those they left in the coolers. Annie took a peach from one of the coolers and sat down against a rock.
“Wow, this place is beautiful, and is that a waterfall I hear?”
“Yes, it’s just around that boulder over there,” Jennie said, pointing to her left.
Annie
“Yes, we’re still on. Oh, Annie you’re coming, right?” Calista asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Lisa blew out a breath as she looked at her watch. “I’ve gotta run, C., see you tomorrow.” Lisa said goodbye to Calista, once again ignoring Annie, and left.
“I’m sorry, Annie. She’s usually friendly, but she could be a bit standoffish at times. Give her time, she’ll get used to you.”
Annie shrugged. “What did I do?”
“Nothing. I think she feels threatened by you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I told you she has a thing for Cord.”
“Whatever. You done with your coffee? I’m itching to buy a hat.” She smiled wide, doing a little wiggle in her chair.
Calista burst out laughing. “Let’s go, Cowgirl.” She downed the last of her coffee as they got up.
Chapter 5
“I told you this was a bad idea,” Dan said as he, Jake, Rory, and Cord were rafting, well, more like floating, down the river in life vests and helmets.
“The Pedernales is too calm, especially in the summer. We should try the Sabine. Now that river is pumping,” Dan said.
He was another close friend. These four boys grew up together and did and experienced everything together.
They shared everything, thrills, clothes, secrets, fears, high times in each other’s lives as well as low, and there were a lot of low times. From Dan’s father always beating him when his father got drunk, to Rory’s car accident that landed him in the hospital for three weeks while he healed, to probably the most devastating of all, when Cord got the news that his older brother, Jacob, who was a sergeant in the army, was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb five years earlier. That was a tough one. They all knew Jacob and respected him and his decision to enlist after 9/11.
Cord will tell you that he’s okay with it, but the three friends knew, and saw the sadness, still there, in his eyes.
They got drunk for the first time together. They got into their first bar fight, together. They even shared girls, either at different times, or once in a while you’d get a girl willing to take on two, three, and heck, once there was a girl, Rita Wilson, who took on all four at the same time.
Cord and Jake did four years of college, Cord at Texas A&M, and Jake at LSU. Rory did two, but he commuted. Dan went to U of C in San Diego for two years before the funds ran out. Yet time away from each other only strengthened their bond.
They were a tight bunch and proud of the fact that they remained good friends since first grade. Everyone around them knew not to mess with one, cause then you messed with all four. That’s not to say they were bad guys. They were good guys, they wouldn’t go looking for trouble, but if trouble found them, they would never back down.
“This sucks,” Jake said. “Let’s get out of here and meet the girls. Before I left the house Annie was cooking us up a nice lunch. I’m starving.”
“Yeah, I’m with you on that, bro,” Rory said.
“I can’t wait to meet this Annie. You’ve done nothing but mention her to me for the last two months. Incidentally, I wished you guys would have called me the other night, I’m itching to get into another bar fight.”
“Yeah, right after the guy pinched Annie’s ass, I should have said ‘please wait, sir, I need to go get a friend before I beat the shit out of you’,” Cord said, a little bothered by the fact that Dan couldn’t wait to meet Annie.
They all laughed except Cord.
Annie and Calista pulled up to the swimming hole the same time Jennie and Lisa did. They set up blankets and laid out whatever food didn’t need cooling, those they left in the coolers. Annie took a peach from one of the coolers and sat down against a rock.
“Wow, this place is beautiful, and is that a waterfall I hear?”
“Yes, it’s just around that boulder over there,” Jennie said, pointing to her left.
Annie
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