Michelle Beattie - Cowboy True

Cowboy True

A Tangled Up in Texas Romance

Michelle Beattie

Cowboy True

Copyright 2020 Michelle Beattie

EPUB Edition

The Tule Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

First Publication by Tule Publishing 2020

Cover design by The Killion Group

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-1-951190-82-8

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When Faith Stone made up her mind, she stuck with it. So, despite her galloping heartbeat and sweaty palms, she kept her foot on the gas pedal. Well, she did slow down when her car crested the hill, but who could blame her? The Texas Hill Country was gorgeous.

Acres of tidy, clipped grapevines marched on both sides of the highway. Wine tasting attracted tourists from not only all over the state but also the country. But the region had more to offer than award-winning wines.

Rolling hills of fields that, even with the bluebonnets done for the year, burst with wildflowers. From the red, orange, and yellow Indian blanket that, at a distance, resembled the kind of woven fabric people paid to buy, to the pink evening primroses and brown-eyed susans. Color abounded.

Fields and pastures from the numerous farms and ranches took advantage of the areas rich soil. Faith loved seeing the red barns that dotted the countryside and the horses and cattle that seemed content to soak up the sunshine of a warm spring day.

Unfortunately, even the postcard-worthy scenery wasnt enough to distract her from what was coming. From the inevitable conversation she was driving from San Antonio to have.

With a man she hadnt been able to stop thinking about in months. Or, truth be told, a man she hadnt been able to stop thinking about since high school. Which, given theyd graduated six years ago, was kinda pathetic.

Although, in her defense, shed managed to tuck away her memories of him for the most part. Until that night three months ago, shed only thought of Gage Granger when she was really tired or lonely, or the odd times when she had a little too much to drink. And, okay, maybe every time she kissed a guy, but shed managed to move onmostly.

Shed made a life for herself in San Antonio. Maybe it wasnt the exciting life shed lain awake at night envisioning as a child, but it was a good life. She had a full-time job at a nice restaurant on the river walk. Shed worked her way up from waitress to supervisor. She had a little savings and good friends.

And she wasnt anyones damn burden.

Faith shook her head. Shed moved out of her grandmothers house six years ago. One would think that would be long enough to get over the past. But that baggage just kept hanging around. Like a recurring dream she had where she wanted to go swimming, but no matter how many times she took her clothes off to put on her bathing suit, the clothes just reappeared. Yeah, that was her past with her grandma. No matter how much she tried to shed it, it just kept sticking to her.

Of course, with having to go home for the obligatory holidays and birthdays, it wasnt surprising she couldnt let go the past. And it wasnt surprising it was on her mind today, given that shed be staying at her grandmas tonightand possibly tomorrow night if she chickened out before telling Gage.

Not going to happen, Faith said aloud, her voice filling the inside of her car.

And, to prove to herself she was going to go through with it, she pushed the gas pedal a little harder, despite the fact her belly felt like a Rubiks Cube in the hands of an expert trying to solve the puzzle within seconds. It kept twisting this way and that, up, down, and sideways.

If shed been smart, she wouldnt have veered off Interstate 10 onto Highway 87. Shed have gone straight to Last Stand before she made herself nauseous. But it was slower going off the interstate, and though shed made the decision to do this, she was suddenly desperate for more time.

A decade ought to do it.

She sagged against her seat. Shed get through this, just like shed gotten through the years living with her grandmother. Then shed go back to her life in San Antonio.

Hoping that mantra stuck with her once she reached Last Stand, Faith reached into the console and grabbed a random CD. Since her old Camry didnt have Bluetooth, and she didnt want to kill her cell battery by running through her playlist, she kept a selection of her favorites in her car.

Pulling out a case, she flipped it open. She fumbled with getting the disc out. It slid from her fingers when it popped free. Glancing over, she caught it before it fell to the floor.

It didnt take more than a second or two to grasp the disc and slide it into the player, but when she shifted her gaze back to the road, her heart leapt in her throat as a blur of yellow fur dashed out of the ditch.

Shit!

Faith slammed on the brakes, yanking the wheel to the right. Her car shuddered. The rest was whirling colors and distorted images as her vehicle skidded sideways into the ditch. Dirt and grass scraped her undercarriage. Faith clung to the wheel as she bumped and jerked like she was on some amusement park ride. An ominous thud filled her ears. Then, with one last hard knock against the drivers door, she lurched to a stop.

For a moment, she didnt move. She remained still, her eyes pinched closed, while her breathing echoed loudly within the confines of the car. Holy crap. What just happened?

She wasnt sure how long she sat there, her head leaning against the drivers window. But when she finally dared open her eyes, her breathing sounded as though she were hyperventilating. Aware the engine was still running, Faith pried her stiff fingers off the steering wheel and turned the key.

The good news was the car hadnt rolled. And the air bags hadnt deployed. So the front end, at least, was fine. And, she realized with a shuddering breath, so was she.

Faith released the seat belt and pushed open the door. She took it as another good sign that it opened without protest.

Unfortunately, when she stepped out of the car and put her weight on her left leg, her knee wasnt as agreeable. A hot stab of pain had her gasping and clasping the top of the door to keep upright.