Silver River Romeo (Western Cowboy Romance) (Rancher Romance Series #1) Read Online Free Page B

Trough.”
     
                  “Who’s the girl in the truck?” Jake asked inclining his head toward the black Dodge idling on the shoulder in front of them.
     
                  “Emma Carson. She’s Hank Carson’s granddaughter. She’s gonna take over Raven Branch,” Marshall offered.
     
                  “All of three of ya’ll are showing her around then?” Jake gave them all a wide grin. “Gonna be a tough decision, I guess.”
                  “Yeah,” Cole said with a nod; he didn’t want to tell Jake that he’d pretty much removed himself from the competition very early in the game. “So, am I getting a ticket or not?”
     
                  Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then sighed. “Cole, I don’t want to do it, but I think I’m gonna have to.”
     
                  When Cole sighed in annoyance and frustration, Jake’s tone hardened.
     
    “Now, don’t give me any attitude” Jake lectured Cole. “I’ve let you slide a few times lately.”
     
                  “Lately? I haven’t even been down here in a month!” Cole defended himself.
     
                  “Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Jake said firmly as he took the drivers license Cole grudgingly handed over before walking back to his squad car to write up the ticket.
     
                  “Pretentious, ego-inflated jackass,” Cole muttered.
     
                  “Jake’s just doing his job,” Marshall insisted. When Cole glared at him, Marshall went on. “Well, you were speeding, and if you had been paying attention to your driving instead of chewing me out over Emma, this wouldn’t have happened.”
     
                  “Yeah, thanks for pointing that out,” Cole muttered. “Why can’t you be more like Darrell? He hasn’t said a word in ten years.”
     
                  Darrell snorted. “Said at least five things just today.”
     
                  “A new record.”  A few minutes passed before Cole reached out and took the ticket Jake handed him and then sat quietly and politely through the obligatory lecture on safe driving before pulling back onto the road and moving exaggeratedly slowly.  With Cole doing the exact speed limit, it took a little longer than usual to get to the diner.
     
                  “Feeling better now?” Marshall asked as they got out of the truck and watched Emma park her huge vehicle jerkily.
     
                  “Yeah. I’m feeling just peachy,” Cole lied as he watched Emma walk over to meet them. “I’m going to go get us a table.”
     
                  Darrell gave him a confused look, but he didn’t mention the fact that the Feedin’ Trough was never too full to seat people. The building was huge and the town was small. It didn’t matter. He hoped that separating himself and doing something constructive might give him the opportunity to burn off some of his bad mood.
     
    Cole strode into the restaurant and walked up the counter. All of the waitresses were bustling around serving and cleaning off tabletops. One of them, Margie, an older lady and one of his favorites, gave him a smile and called, “I’ll be right over, hon!”
     
                  “I wouldn’t dream of leaving without seeing you,” Cole drawled back with a grin of his own. Some of the bad mood was starting to slide off his shoulders. He took a deep breath of the scents of coffee, fried eggs, and bacon. It could still be a good day. Maybe he could even work up an apology to Emma over the right breakfast.
     
                  He turned in surprise when he felt a small, feminine touch on his left shoulder accompanied by the words, “Well, if it isn’t just the man I’d been thinking about.”
     
                  “Trish,” he said flatly as he turned to