Treasuring Amber: The Temptation Saga: Book Five Read Online Free Page B

guy for having sex. Heck, I got pregnant out of wedlock after sex with Chad, and I was a completely willing participant.”
    “Yeah, I know.” Amber smiled. “That’s what led to me being rodeo queen.”
    “And you’re a much better one than I ever would have been.”
    Nausea gripped Amber’s throat. If Catie only knew… Turns out she wasn’t the perfect rodeo queen after all. She shook her head. She’d actually thought she could escape her past, start again somewhere new. A small town, where no one had heard of Rachel’s. Where no one had ever heard of Ambrosia Love.
    Why hadn’t she dyed her hair? She’d thought to do it when she came to Bakersville. But she loved her ultra-light blond hair. It was natural, inherited from her Swedish mother. Judy could attest to its authenticity. She hadn’t touched Amber’s hair since she moved here.
    Of course it wasn’t her hair Blake had recognized. Nope, damn those long legs. She couldn’t change them, that was for sure. And truth be told, she didn’t want to change them any more than she wanted to change her hair. They were part of her. She’d learned to like herself again. Why did Blake Buchanan have to come to town and threaten to spoil everything that was going right?
    “Whatcha thinking?” Catie asked.
    Amber shook her head again. “Just wondering, is all. You know, why Blake Buchanan would come back here after all the gossip.”
    “I hear he needs work. That’s why I thought of him when you said you wanted to take up racing.”
    “Why doesn’t Chad hire him at the ranch?”
    “We don’t really need anyone right now, and neither do Zach or Dallas. You know, I should ask Harper if he could use him at Cha Cha.”
    God, would this ever end? “I got the feeling Harper doesn’t think too highly of him.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah.” It wasn’t actually a lie. Tension clearly existed between the two men.
    “Well, I’ll just have to have a talk with Harp then. Blake’s a good guy who’s had some tough breaks. He deserves a chance. I mean, look at my mama, giving my Uncle Jeff another chance.”
    “He’s the father of her oldest child. There’s a little bit of a difference there.”
    “I suppose. But still… Here comes Harp now.”
    The handsome cowboy ambled toward them, his lips pursed and forehead wrinkled.
    Amber’s tummy sank. He did not look happy.

Chapter Four
    “ C atie , why in the hell are you hanging out with Blake Buchanan?”
    Amber exhaled, relieved. Harper was angry with Catie, not with her. Blake hadn’t gotten to him, though Harper had no doubt already guessed her secret.
    “He’s a friend of Chad’s.”
    “I just spoke with Chad. They aren’t friends. Blake used to work here. Chad thinks he’s okay, but they aren’t friends.”
    “I just thought, since Amber wanted to learn to race and all, and Blake knows more about racing than anyone else in this town, except maybe Dusty—”
    “You weren’t thinking at all, little bit. The man’s no good. I want both you and Amber to stay away from him.”
    Fine with me, Amber thought. Not that she took orders from men, not even a man with kissing skills like Harper Bay. This edict, however, she’d be happy to obey. In fact, if Harper decided to chase Mr. Buchanan right out of this town, she’d be okay with that.
    “Chad says he’s okay,” Catie said.
    “Chad says he was a good worker. That’s what he told me. He also said he’s not hiring him back right now, and he asked both his brothers not to either.”
    “Right. Because none of them need anyone.”
    “True enough. But also because Blake doesn’t have the best reputation. He got chased out of Bakersville three years ago and he maintains his innocence. No one knows for sure who fathered Evie’s miscarried baby except Evie herself. Hell, I don’t care if it was Blake. They were both consenting adults at the time, and it’s ancient history. So he runs off to San Antonio and now he’s back. Why now?”
    “I don’t