[WS02] Taming Alex Read Online Free Page A

little valley.
     It was too dark to see now, but his mind played over every detail.
    His stone house sat off to the left, a larger gray barn to the right. It held his
     three horses, five goats, two pigs, and two cattle. Off to the back, there was a small
     chicken coop between the barn and the house. It was all his. Every last spot of this
     place screamed his future. The future he’d decided he'd wanted three years ago after
     the tragic accident that had changed the course of his life forever. The second biggest
     secret he'd ever kept from uttering out loud.
     

    Alex was in a deep slumber when she was attacked by a large, hairy creature. Its razor
     sharp fangs clawed out and scratched her on her arms, causing her to sit up and push
     the creature off her. She felt bad when the small three-legged dog went flying off
     her mattress and landed with a small thump on the floor next to her bed.
    “Oh, Buddy, I'm sorry.” She reached for the small dog, only to have him scamper away.
     She jumped from the bed and raced after the little thing. He was surprisingly fast
     for a three-legged dog, but she finally caught up with him in the kitchen. She was
     down on her hands and knees and had just caught him and was giving him a hug and nuzzling
     her face into his soft fur, when she heard someone clear his throat.
    Looking up through her mass of messy flyaway hair, she gasped. Grant sat with Chase
     at the kitchen table. Chase had a smile on his face, but Grant looked like he would
     have preferred to be anywhere but sitting at her kitchen table. His face was beet
     red, which only caused his blue eyes to look even bluer.
    Dropping the small dog back on his three legs, she quickly stood up and watched Grant's
     eyes travel over her. Looking down at herself, she smiled a little when she realized
     that her white silk tank top and her shorts were almost completely see-through. She'd
     bought them at Victoria’s Secret last month, and had hoped that they would be a wedding
     surprise for Travis, but after what had happened a few nights ago, she'd started wearing
     everything she'd bought for that lying, cheating….Shaking her head, she cleared her
     mind of Travis. Then she realized that this was the first time in two days that she'd
     been out of her bed and that she must look horrible. Quickly turning, she rushed from
     the room without saying a word.
    Heading to the bathroom, she jumped in the shower and tried not to think about the
     last time she'd seen Grant. How could she have let herself get so carried away with
     the kiss? It had rocked her so much that it had been on her mind constantly for the
     few days.
    After showering, she'd come up with the idea of clearing her mind by going on a long
     horseback ride after grabbing some food. She dressed quickly in her riding clothes
     and was a little sad when she walked back into the kitchen and saw that Grant was
     no longer present. Chase and Lauren sat at the table, eating sandwiches.
    “Morning,” she said as she walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a large
     cup.
    “Good afternoon,” Lauren said and looked over her cup at her sister.
    “Yes, well. I suppose it is. What was Grant Holton doing here?” She leaned back on
     the countertop and took a deep sip of the lukewarm coffee.
    Chase actually giggled, then answered, “Getting an eyeful.”
    Lauren giggled, then she coughed and went back to reading the newspaper.
    “Real funny.” Alex smiled a little at her brother-in-law.
    “You really ought to invest in a robe,” Chase said, leaning back in his chair.
    “I have several.” Alex's chin went up and her smile grew even more. “But when that
     three-legged beast of yours goes on the prowl and attacks a sleeping person, you don't
     expect me to stop and put on a robe as I'm chasing the beast through the house, do
     you?”
    Chase looked down at his feet at the sleeping dog in question. “Beast?” His eyebrows
     shot up. “You hear that, Buddy?