The Bull Rider Meets His Match by Jeannie Watt

Author:Jeannie Watt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The day of the Dedicated Reader Awards and ice cream pig-out dawned sunny and clear. Annie laid out a battle plan. Grady would bring the girls to Jaycee Park, arriving early so that Annie could make certain they still looked presentable. She’d save him a seat in the parents’ section. After the fun was over, he’d take the girls home and quite possibly make prodigious use of the stain removal prewash spray.

“Okay, so the girls are ready to go. All you have to do is to get them to the park by eleven. Danielle and I will walk over from work.”

Annie was repeating herself, so Grady got the idea that this reading awards ceremony was important to her. As it should be. The girls had read a goodly number of books to qualify for the honor.

“Who’ll mind the store?” he said.

Annie smiled. “We’re putting up a bee-back-soon sign. Danielle wants to see the girls get their dedicated reader awards, too.”

“What about Lex?” Not that he was thinking about her or anything.

“She has something going on this afternoon, or I’m sure she’d be at the awards, too.”

“It’s cool that this is such a big deal.”

“I know. They’ve made it so that getting the award is a real achievement.”

“What’s an achievement?” Kristen asked as she came into the kitchen with Katie a few steps behind her.

Annie leaned down to give each girl a kiss. “Your awards. They mean you’ve accomplished something.”

“I got an award for breathing once,” Grady said. Annie shot him a dark look, and the girls both cocked their heads. “It was all about self-esteem,” he explained. “Everybody got an award just for showing up at basketball camp.”

“How’s that special?” Kristen asked.

“It isn’t. Which is why these awards of yours are real special. You did something hard to earn them. Where do you think my award for breathing is?”

“I don’t know.”

“Neither do I. But I can tell you exactly where my rodeo buckles, my high school letter and my spelling bee award are.”

“You won a spelling bee?”

Grady looked at Annie. “All these scars and buckles and they’re impressed by the spelling award.”

“As well they should be.” Annie gave her girls “the look.” “Stay clean.”

“We will.”

“No mud pies. In fact...don’t leave the house.”

The girls nodded in unison. Grady had to admit that they looked pretty cute in their dresses, one purple and blue, one turquoise and brown, similar in style but different enough to allow the girls their own personality, and he also knew how quickly they could get uncute, given the proper mix of mud and water.

Once Annie drove away, he jerked his head toward the living room. “Watch television until it’s time to leave, okay?” He went into the kitchen and came back with the timer. “If I’m not back in the house when this thing dings, then come and get me, okay?”

“All right.” Kristen already had the remote and was cruising through channels while Katie curled up on the opposite end of the sofa, tucking her feet underneath her.

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