Bootscootin' Blahniks Read Online Free

dust-covered feet peeking out from her peep-toed shoes. His fingers gently kneaded her skin, massaging her restless soul along with her aching muscles.
    “What goal are you wrestling?” She asked, thinking of something to say before she lost herself underneath his warm touch, although she
was
interested in his answer.
    As soon as the words left her mouth, his impromptu massage ended, and he bee-lined to the bed of his truck. He anxiously perused the baskets of tomatoes, talking and muttering profanities under his breath but well within decibel levels Roxy could make out.
    Roxy ground the spiked heel of her shoe into the dirt, hoping beyond hope she hadn’t damaged his dreams along with his truck. Judging by the crinkled set of his brow line, his tomatoes were obviously of high importance. “So what happened to your advice about lightening up, Cowboy? Do you simply dispense your logic but not buy into its crap either?”
    “Well put, Princess. Touché,” Zayne said grinding his teeth against the straw now held firm in his clenched jaw.
    Instead of the casual, relaxed way he’d maneuvered the waxed filament when Roxy had first noticed his chewing preference, he’d now barricaded the sucker in tight.
    “These tomatoes here are what I’ve got to perfect for this year’s Tomato Festival contest.” He moved the toe of his boot through the circle of dirt Roxy had punched through with the heel of her shoe. “It’s what my Dad wanted most. To win this year’s contest.”
    Seeing pain etched in bitterness wind its way across Zayne’s ruggedly handsome face, Roxy’s heart muscles twisted into tight threads of dread. Trying to soothe his hurt, she tugged on the piece of straw wedged tight between his lips and changed the subject. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you not to chew on that stuff? It’s bad for your teeth.”
    “Yes, thanks Doc. My mom gets on me regularly about my nasty little habit.” Part of his delicious smile returned to tickle his lips. He winked, but left the straw exactly where it was.
    Roxy hated to take the light moment they shared back into the dark, but she wanted to know what made this complex cowboy tick. “I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories. I take it you lost your father?”
    Zayne sighed then squeezed Roxy’s hand, his smile once again fading.
    At his unexpected touch Roxy’s tummy flutter-kicked. Tucked into the warmth of his work-calloused hands, she basked in the comfort his strong grip gave her.
    “Dad had a heart attack and died this past year working on these tomatoes. These babies were his life. I plan to make good on his dreams.”
    “I hope I didn’t damage those too,” Roxy said, afraid to know if that’s what she’d done but preferring to deal with reality rather than wonder later ‘what if’.
    “No worries. They look like they escaped unscathed from the sole of your deadly shoes. And don’t worry about your dancing boots. I’ve got the perfect fix for your predicament,” he said then let go of her hand.
    Probably a good thing. She was way too comfortable in it.
    “What kind of fix?” The man was getting more intriguing by the second, Roxy thought, while climbing into the cab of his truck and settling in beside Dipstick and Darling.
    “My mom and I own The Neon Cowboy Saloon. You heard of it?” Zayne asked and shut Roxy’s door then yelled by name for his own dog to take his place in the bed of the truck.
    “Yes, of course I’ve heard of it. I’ve only been there once ‘cause it’s a bit over my budget, but talk about a great place to dance, that’s it. I can’t believe Kat didn’t tell me the Neon Cowboy was her business.”
    “Mom doesn’t talk much about business, especially when she’s away from it. She prefers to leave it inside the saloon’s doors. That’s what she always says anyway,” Zayne said not appearing surprised at all by his mom’s approach.
    So different from Roxy’s past where business was all people talked about along with