The Cowboy Next Door & Meant for You by Laurie Paige

Author:Laurie Paige
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

2

“WHAT THE....? DAMN,” Jed sputtered. With one hand, he swiped water from his face. “Fool driver.”

Caitlin gasped in outrage over the drenching they had taken. “Of all the rude...!” Looking down, she realized she was clutching the woman they’d rescued and Jed was still holding them both. Automatically she loosened her hold on the woman, but stayed close, lightly touching her arm in case she needed steadying. She shifted away from Jed and spoke to the woman. “Are you all right, ma’am?”

The woman brushed water from her face and flipped drops of it from her curly hair. As she shook out the front of her long black raincoat and stomped water from her old-fashioned high-top rain boots, she treated her rescuers to a rueful look. “Well, I’m as wet as a codfish, but I’ll survive.” Her words were hearty, but her voice wavered. She cleared her throat. “I wonder if my groceries did. I’ll be very put out if my fresh bread is ruined.”

She started for the curb, but Jed strode ahead of her. “I’ll get it, ma’am.” He grasped the handle of her little cart and pulled it to safety, then peeked into the bags and said, “Everything looks okay. I guess it’s a good thing you answered ‘plastic’ when they asked.”

“Oh, yes, plastic,” the woman said. “It’s astonishing what they can do with that now. So much more versatile than cellophane.”

Caitlin and Jed exchanged puzzled glances. “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

Suddenly she gave Jed a sparkling look from her bright blue eyes. “Such polite language. What is your name, young man?”

“Jed Bishop.”

She nodded slowly and a smile of recognition spread across her face. “Bishop, of course. Your parents have raised a true gentleman. I knew they would.”

Jed gave her a quick scrutiny. “I don’t think we’ve met. Do you know my parents?”

“My name’s Reenie. Reenie Starr, and don’t be ridiculous. Of course I don’t know your parents. I just arrived here.”

His eyes darkened in confusion. “Well, then, I don’t understand what you mean.”

“That’s all right,” she said, patting his arm. “You don’t need to.”

Jed glanced at Caitlin again, who smothered a laugh. She recalled the comment Reenie had made while Caitlin had held the door for her, saying she’d been wondering when she would “see” Caitlin. The woman’s mind seemed to be wandering.

“I don’t?” Jed began, but Reenie veered off to another topic.

“Well, that was lucky,” she said. “You were here at exactly the right moment.” She glanced up. “It’s working already,” she said in a tone of pleased wonder.

“What’s working?” Caitlin asked, still wiping dirty water from her face. If she’d known she was going to get wet all over again, she never would have changed out of her suit and put on clean clothes.

“The luck, of course.” She opened her palm and showed them a shiny object. “ ‘See a penny, pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck,’ ” she quoted in a singsong voice.

Jed and Caitlin looked at what the woman held in her hand, then glanced at each other.

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