The Texan's Little Secret by Barbara White Daille

Author:Barbara White Daille
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

A few minutes later, Luke pulled up in front of the Peach Pit.

The boss had been on his case again, and Luke had spent the past several days listening to Carly’s halfhearted assurances that she would go to the arena with him. Soon.

Her excuses about needing to help out at the store made him back off, but they weren’t going to satisfy Brock forever. He’d made it clear, much as he didn’t want Carly riding bulls, he also didn’t want her leaving the ranch without having gotten some instruction from Luke.

“Today, Rosie,” he said as he parked the truck, “we’re not taking empty promises for an answer.” He unbuckled the restraint on her carrier in the backseat. “Either her shoulder hurts too much and needs some attention, or her shoulder’s healed, and I need to follow through on the assignment the boss gave me. Right?”

“Da.” She slammed her hand on the side of the carrier.

“Right.”

He kissed her petal-soft cheek, then nuzzled it with his nose, knowing she would laugh. And she did. Life for Rosie Nobel was just one big bowl of cherries.

Or maybe peaches.

There was no way anyone could not love his baby girl.

Which was why it beat the hell out of him when, every time he mentioned her name, Carly changed the subject.

“We’re not taking that today, either, are we, Rosie? Let’s see her talk about something else when you’re right there in front of her face.”

And Rosie would be right in front of Carly. When he’d stopped in yesterday, Gina had told him she planned to take off the last couple of hours of her shift today. Carly would be working solo.

Deliberately, he had waited until the last few minutes before closing time to arrive at the store. Other than her truck, his was the only vehicle in the parking area.

He and Rosie found the main room empty. Carly must have stepped into the workroom or the kitchen. He took Rosie on a tour of the store, showing her the jars of peach preserves, the plastic-wrapped pecan candies and the glass-fronted display case filled with pastries and pies.

When she spotted the pies, she squealed and threw her hands above her head. “Whoa, girl.” He managed to stop her just before she could slap her little fingerprints all over the spotless glass.

“I’ll be right with you,” Carly called from the kitchen. A moment later, she came into the room carrying a stack of pastry boxes. “Sorry, I didn’t hear—” Frowning, she cut herself off and stared at him. “Luke.”

Her reaction confirmed three things for him. She hadn’t heard the door. She hadn’t heard his voice clearly enough to recognize it. And she didn’t like seeing Rosie in his arms.

She lifted the boxes to a high shelf, then took a stack of empty metal trays from beneath the counter. “I’m just wrapping things up for the night.”

“Then you can wrap up one of these peach pies for me.”

“Fine.” She carried the trays into the kitchen.

Through the open doorway, he could see her set them on top of a tall floor cabinet.

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