Sweet Texas Kiss (Sweet Texas Secrets) Read Online Free Page A

welcome and necessary, though. With nothing and nobody waiting for her at home, work was the only thing keeping her sane most days. Being alone with her thoughts too long was dangerous and could lead to some really self-destructive behavior if she wasn’t careful.
    Macy paid the bill for her solo dinner of a basket of foods fried beyond recognition and worth every calorie, and drained the last of her beer. Tonight she’d sleep in her clean and cozy room at Sweet Ridge Inn, the town’s charming, and only, hotel, and check out the Cooper house in the morning. It was hers, but it didn’t feel like it, and it didn’t seem right to spend the night there yet. Maybe seeing it would help her decide what to do with the property.
    Either the Silver Spurs patrons were enjoying themselves too much to fawn over a celebrity, or they thought of her as nothing more than Macy Young, the girl they grew up with, but nobody was giving her a second look. Their lack of enthusiasm for her was positively glorious, and she enjoyed her walk through the crowded bar with a freedom she rarely felt. Genuine fans approaching her for a moment of real connection was something she enjoyed, but lately it seemed that people either openly stared and said nothing or approached her only for a picture opportunity and didn’t actually want to engage with her.
    When she and Tori first started out, being famous was fun. Nothing else in life could compare to the feeling of standing on a stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, seeing their names in lights, and watching their albums blast up the charts, hitting number one every time. It was different in the beginning, when people were excited to meet them and would stop them to talk about their music. Macy never tired of finding out that their songs had gotten someone through a breakup, or provided the soundtrack for a couple falling in love. That their ballad “So in Love” was the first song couples danced to at their weddings never got old, either. Women in their twenties used to approach them all the time to share how much they related to the duo’s girl-power song, “Take That.” Meeting the real people who loved their music was so much more satisfying than snapping a quick picture with someone so they could share it on Facebook. The explosion of smartphones and social media made everything so fake and impersonal, and Macy couldn’t remember the last time she had a meaningful conversation with a fan. Being a sideshow was tiresome, and Sweet Ridge was turning out to be a welcome reprieve. Everyone in her old hometown already knew her story, and apparently they didn’t care.
    Anticipating a great night’s sleep in the quiet hotel room waiting for her, Macy tucked a generous tip under her empty beer mug and headed for the door. Three handsome men, apparently missing the memo about pretending she wasn’t a hugely famous country star, stared as she sidestepped dancers and pool players. Before she had a chance to shut down their gawking with a direct look of her own, they stood, and she realized that they weren’t fans. They were Jack Cooper’s sons.
    Gage Cooper left the trio and met her as she approached their table. “Macy Young! We haven’t seen you in years. We were just talking about you.”
    His bear hug surprised her, but there was no time to wonder what it meant as he led her over to his brothers. Grayson picked up where he left off, wrapping her in a quick hug and giving her a split second to breathe in his expensive cologne. “Hey, girl. It’s good to see you. It’s been a long time.”
    Gavin Cooper stayed in his seat, making sure she knew he noticed her and wasn’t happy to see her. Pity, because they’d been friendly enough in high school, and he’d been Tori’s best friend for a long time. He’d been angry enough when Macy ended up as valedictorian of their class instead of him, but now he blamed her for everything bad in the world, including the state’s epic drought, New