The Reluctant Cowgirl Read Online Free Page B

she have thought even for a second that this was the man she was going to marry? She’d wasted a year of her life learning to ignore his little habits that annoyed her. “Some things can’t be ignored.”
    Brad looked puzzled again, but then he sighed. “Of course not,” he said soothingly. “I wouldn’t expect you to ignore this. But we can work through it.”
    “I hate tennis.”
    “What?”
    “And brunch.” She knew she was on the verge of hysteria, but that was the thing about hysteria, there was no rhyme or reason. She could feel the hot tears splash onto her cheeks.
    His eyes widened. “Brunch?”
    “What’s wrong with breakfast? Bacon and eggs, sausage even, with homemade biscuits and gravy?”
    He frowned. “Crystal. Are you okay?”
    “Am I okay?” She motioned toward his bare chest. “You’re standing here half dressed, and you’re asking me if I’m okay?”
    “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t intend for this to happen. I love you. It’s just that...”
    Betrayal replaced the hysteria with fury. “Just that what?” she snapped. “That Sabra threw herself at you and you couldn’t resist?”
    She heard a door behind her open and spun around as Sabra, wrapped in a tiny pink robe, red hair tousled, stepped into the hallway.
    “Brad, what’s going on?” Sabra stopped as she saw Crystal.
    “Apparently what’s going on is you decided that what’s mine is yours,” Crystal said flatly. “I think a better question might be, ‘How long has this been going on?’”
    “Crystal—” Sabra started to say, but shrank back as Crystal stepped toward her.
    “How could you?” Crystal didn’t even try to stop the tears now. “When you had the flu, who brought you 7UP? Who sat beside you and held a cold rag on your head? Who cleaned it up when you couldn’t make it to the trash can?” She clutched her stomach, the queasiness easy to remember. “I should have known what kind of friend you were when I got it the next day and you had ‘plans.’”
    Sabra’s face paled. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
    “You didn’t mean for me to get the flu either,” Crystal said quietly, “but it still made me sick.”
    Brad sighed loudly. “We didn’t do this to you on purpose.”
    Crystal turned back around toward him. “No? I thought you loved me. You asked me to marry you!”
    He looked from Crystal to Sabra then back again. “Crys...” He shifted from bare foot to bare foot. “I do love you.” His face reddened.
    Crystal stared at him, her blood pounding in her ears. Now he was embarrassed? Unbelievable.
    “You’re the one I want to marry. This...” He gestured toward Sabra without really looking at her. “This means nothing to me.”
    Sabra gasped. “Dude. You’re calling me nothing?” she screeched. “I’ll show—”
    Crystal spun around and cut her off. “Don’t bail on him now.” She reached up and wrapped her hand around the diamond daisy on her necklace. The feel of it around her neck was like an iron manacle. Gritting her teeth, she pulled, ignoring the pain of the delicate silver chain cutting into the back of her neck. One more yank and she tossed the charm, chain and all, at Sabra’s feet. “Here’s a sign of his deep commitment. It’s all yours.”
    Brad started forward. “No! That’s yours.”
    Crystal shoved him back then jerked her hand away as she touched his bare shoulder. “Let her have it. She’s earned it. Since I don’t have thirty pieces of silver lying around, this is the best I can do.”
    Sabra slouched a little and jutted out her chin. “Crys, he’s right. It didn’t mean anything.” She shot daggers at Brad with her eyes. “To either of us, obviously. It was a mistake—”
    How do you sleep with your friend’s boyfriend by mistake? Crystal thought cynically. Suddenly, her anger waned. She felt too tired to say another word.
    Brad took a step toward her. “You know what, honey? I really should go and let you cool down.”
    As soon