The Bad Boy Cowboy by Kate Pearce

Author:Kate Pearce [Pearce, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-11-06T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Sam leaned on the top railing and contemplated the pleasing picture of horses grazing in one field and cows in another. Lally stood beside her, chewing gum, her gaze fixed on the mountain range beyond the fields.

“Gawd, why would anyone want to live out here? There’s no nightlife, it’s freezing cold, and everywhere smells of shit.”

“It is something of an acquired taste,” Sam agreed. “Not the cow dung; I mean, who eats that? But the rest of it.” Lally’s initial enthusiasm for the ranch had quickly worn off and she’d gone quiet. “After three weeks out here, I kind of love it.”

Lally sniffed. “Three hours is quite enough for me, but maybe that’s because Ry Morgan deliberately chose to take us to all the stinkiest parts.”

“Why on earth would he do that?”

“Because he hates me.”

“Ry Morgan hates you?” Sam tried not to sound too surprised. “Everyone loves Ry.”

“Well, I don’t. When he competed in the rodeo, he spent his whole time complaining about me and saying I was a bad influence on HW. He even tried to stop me moving in with HW after he abandoned his own twin. He’s an asshole.”

Sam had to acknowledge that Ry had been noticeably unfriendly to Lally on their tour, expending all his charm and warmth on Octavia, whom he was currently chatting with over by the pigpen. Lally hadn’t liked the pigs at all.

“I don’t understand why HW came back here,” Lally said.

“It’s his home and I think he missed his family.”

“I’m not sure why. When he used to get drunk, he’d tell me stuff . . .” Lally’s voice trailed away. “Not that he gets drunk anymore. He’s no fun when he’s sober.”

“Weird, because I can’t imagine him drunk,” Sam admitted.

“Oh, he’d do such stupid, dangerous stuff, he was awesome!” Lally sighed. “Back in the day, there was no one who could party like HW.”

“Maybe he just got tired of it.” Sam paused. There was a brittleness about Lally that made her wary of saying the wrong thing. “Most people do.”

“Not me.” Lally opened her purse. “Do you think the old guy would mind if I used his bathroom?”

“I’m sure Roy wouldn’t mind at all.” Sam pointed at the house. “His door’s always open; why don’t you go on in? I’ll tell him where you are.”

Lally set off for the house and Sam walked back to where Ry, Octavia, and Roy were still talking about the pigs. Ry looked up as she approached and came over to meet her.

“Where’s Lally? Did she fall down a big hole somewhere?”

“In your dreams. No, she just went to the bathroom.” Sam frowned at Ry. “You really don’t like her, do you?”

“Nope.” Ry’s usual smile was absent. “She was a bad influence on HW.”

“From what she just told me, it was the other way around.”

“Let me put it this way: Lally has always had a very shaky relationship with the truth. After she met HW, he became completely unbearable, and his rodeo ranking plummeted. It

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