Bad News Cowboy Read Online Free

said. “It’s healthy. And you people are eating French fries.”
    â€œDon’t worry, Kate,” Jack said. “We’ll get around to eating your healthy battered fried fish in a minute.”
    â€œSolution?” Liss prompted, her eyebrow arched.
    â€œAlison stopped by the Farm and Garden today,” Kate said. “She had brochures for her bakery. And she mentioned that she’s hired on a couple of other women who just got out of circumstances similar to hers. But of course, it’s a new business, and she has a lot more overhead now since she’s renting out store space. Anyway, Jack and I were talking earlier about how we wish there was more we could do.”
    â€œSo Jack was also at the Farm and Garden?” Connor asked.
    â€œI had to order a carburetor.” He ran a large hand over his jaw. His very square jaw. And she heard it. The brush of his palm over his dark five o’clock shadow. She swore she could feel the friction, deep and low in her stomach. And it wrapped itself around the general feeling of edginess firing through her veins.
    For some reason the line of conversation was irritating to Kate. Possibly because it was preventing her from figuring out just what Jack’s motives were where Alison was concerned. And even more irritating was the fact that she cared at all.
    For some reason a lot of little details about Jack’s life sometimes ended up getting magnified in her mind. And she overthought them. She more than overthought them; she turned them over to death. She couldn’t much explain it. Any more than she could make it stop.
    â€œSo you obviously stopped by the bakery and bought pies,” Kate said, trying to speed things along.
    â€œObviously,” Jack said, sweeping his hand in a broad gesture, indicating the still-stacked boxes of pie.
    â€œIt was nice of you.” She was pushing now.
    â€œI don’t know that I’d go that far,” he said, shrugging his shoulder before pushing his fingers back through his dark hair. “But you know I was raised by a single mom who couldn’t get a lick of help out of her deadbeat ex. Stuff like this... I don’t like hearing about men mistreating the people they’re supposed to care for. It sticks with me.”
    Kate felt as though a valve had been released in her chest and some of the pressure eased. “Oh. Yeah. That makes sense, I guess.”
    Jack arched a black brow, his blue eyes glittering. “I know you don’t think I make sense very often, Katie. But there’s usually a method to my madness.”
    â€œDon’t call her that,” Connor said. “She hates that.”
    â€œThank you, Connor,” Kate said, feeling exasperated now. “But I’m perfectly capable of fighting my own battles. Especially against Monaghan. He’s not the most formidable opponent.”
    â€œI’m wounded, Katie.”
    He’d said it again. That nickname that nobody else but Connor ever called her. But when Connor said it, it rubbed the wrong way, made her feel as if he was talking down to her. Like he was still thinking of her as a kid.
    When Jack said it, her skin felt as though it had been brushed with velvet, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind. It made her feel warm, made it hard to breathe. So basically the same as being rubbed the wrong way. Pretty much.
    Either way, she didn’t like it.
    â€œYou’re a slow learner, Monaghan.”
    He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, crossing his forearms over his broad chest. “There are quite a few women who would beg to differ.”
    Her cheeks caught fire. “Shut. Up. You are so gross,” she said, picking up her plate with shaking fingers and serving herself a heaping portion of fish. No fries. Ungrateful bastards not eating her fish.
    She heard the door open again, and then Eli’s and Sadie’s voices. Now the gang was all here. And she could focus on playing