Country Courtship (The Texas Two-Step Series, Book 2) Read Online Free
Author: Kathy Carmichael
in me and way interested in you."
"Maybe it's less to do with me and more to do with you? You're the one who always puts your men to the test. Maybe they don't like being tested."
Lori shook her head. "I knew better than to try to talk with you. You don't get it."
How could Kelli answer? She hadn't known that Bobby Gray was Lori's date, and even then, she hadn't done anything to be ashamed of.
Lori rose from her recliner, and gave Kelli a slow look. "Leave my men alone."
At that moment Lori's cell phone chimed and she took the call. As Kelli left the room, it seemed clear that Lori had been called into work. She worked as a flight attendant for a major airline and they were always calling her to travel to exotic locations, unlike the calls Kelli received for animal emergencies requiring travel to her so-not-exotic veterinary clinic.
* * *
An hour later, Bobby Gray was seated outdoors at a picnic table next to Kelli's youngest sister, Abby, their oldest sister, Barbara, and Barbara's husband, Ben.
Barbara had taken over the favor Bobby Gray had asked of Kelli and happily informed Monty Joe that Bobby Gray was in a Dallas suburb, nowhere within shouting distance of the Nelson Ranch.
Bobby Gray figured he'd made a tidy profit over the cost of the stud fee, just by switching sisters to do the favor. He would still make a donation to the horse charity because he believed in the cause. He just wouldn't have to hand over enough money to buy a small house.
Unfortunately, his brother wouldn't see it that way.
The sad truth was that Bobby Gray needed Kelli, and needed her badly, before he could return home to the Nelson Ranch. The meeting with the banker would take place in a fancy restaurant in the nearest big town, College Station, in two weeks and Monty Joe's final words had been that Bobby Gray was toast if he failed to bring home the royal bacon.
Bobby Gray eyed the Palmer sisters seated at the picnic table with him. Barbara was married, so she wouldn't do. Abby was far too young. He'd heard of two more sisters, but he hadn't met either of them.
That left Lori and Kelli. Neither of them were speaking to him. That wasn't a problem with Lori, but he experienced a little tightness in the chest area whenever he thought about not seeing Kelli again.
Barbara told him Lori had received a call from her airline and had to leave before the fireworks. But he knew Kelli was somewhere around—he could almost feel her presence. "Barbara, you got any idea how I might convince Kelli to go out with me?"
"There's no way, cowboy. Not since you dated Lori. Makes you automatically off limits."
That wasn't the response he wanted to hear.
The youngest Palmer sister, Abby, interrupted. "What if they're soul mates, destined to be together?"
Now that was more like it.
Barbara raised her brow. "And are they?"
Abby continued, "Soul mates, bonded by just their voices—like in Sleepless in Seattle . Just consider it—"
Bobby Gray was thoroughly involved in Abby's fantasy, and so it took him a moment to register the fact that Barbara had asked a question. "Are I what ?"
"Are you and Kelli soul mates?"
"Soul..." He trailed off, considering.
Was Kelli his soul mate? His heart had skipped a beat when he met her. She appealed to him, physically and mentally. And she didn't think of him as only a dumb cowboy. She had spunk and a sweetness about her he didn't usually find in the women he met. Younger girls, yes, but women? Most were jaded, long past having an innocent air about them.
"Well?" asked Barbara.
"Of course they are," said Abby.
"Definitely," Bobby Gray added. It didn't matter if he believed it or not. What mattered was getting Kelli to go to the banker dinner with him. Plus, seeing her again was the only way to find out if it was true.
"You've talked with her for five minutes and are saying she's definitely your soul mate," said Ben.
"Definitely maybe my soul mate," said Bobby Gray in the interests of complete
"Maybe it's less to do with me and more to do with you? You're the one who always puts your men to the test. Maybe they don't like being tested."
Lori shook her head. "I knew better than to try to talk with you. You don't get it."
How could Kelli answer? She hadn't known that Bobby Gray was Lori's date, and even then, she hadn't done anything to be ashamed of.
Lori rose from her recliner, and gave Kelli a slow look. "Leave my men alone."
At that moment Lori's cell phone chimed and she took the call. As Kelli left the room, it seemed clear that Lori had been called into work. She worked as a flight attendant for a major airline and they were always calling her to travel to exotic locations, unlike the calls Kelli received for animal emergencies requiring travel to her so-not-exotic veterinary clinic.
* * *
An hour later, Bobby Gray was seated outdoors at a picnic table next to Kelli's youngest sister, Abby, their oldest sister, Barbara, and Barbara's husband, Ben.
Barbara had taken over the favor Bobby Gray had asked of Kelli and happily informed Monty Joe that Bobby Gray was in a Dallas suburb, nowhere within shouting distance of the Nelson Ranch.
Bobby Gray figured he'd made a tidy profit over the cost of the stud fee, just by switching sisters to do the favor. He would still make a donation to the horse charity because he believed in the cause. He just wouldn't have to hand over enough money to buy a small house.
Unfortunately, his brother wouldn't see it that way.
The sad truth was that Bobby Gray needed Kelli, and needed her badly, before he could return home to the Nelson Ranch. The meeting with the banker would take place in a fancy restaurant in the nearest big town, College Station, in two weeks and Monty Joe's final words had been that Bobby Gray was toast if he failed to bring home the royal bacon.
Bobby Gray eyed the Palmer sisters seated at the picnic table with him. Barbara was married, so she wouldn't do. Abby was far too young. He'd heard of two more sisters, but he hadn't met either of them.
That left Lori and Kelli. Neither of them were speaking to him. That wasn't a problem with Lori, but he experienced a little tightness in the chest area whenever he thought about not seeing Kelli again.
Barbara told him Lori had received a call from her airline and had to leave before the fireworks. But he knew Kelli was somewhere around—he could almost feel her presence. "Barbara, you got any idea how I might convince Kelli to go out with me?"
"There's no way, cowboy. Not since you dated Lori. Makes you automatically off limits."
That wasn't the response he wanted to hear.
The youngest Palmer sister, Abby, interrupted. "What if they're soul mates, destined to be together?"
Now that was more like it.
Barbara raised her brow. "And are they?"
Abby continued, "Soul mates, bonded by just their voices—like in Sleepless in Seattle . Just consider it—"
Bobby Gray was thoroughly involved in Abby's fantasy, and so it took him a moment to register the fact that Barbara had asked a question. "Are I what ?"
"Are you and Kelli soul mates?"
"Soul..." He trailed off, considering.
Was Kelli his soul mate? His heart had skipped a beat when he met her. She appealed to him, physically and mentally. And she didn't think of him as only a dumb cowboy. She had spunk and a sweetness about her he didn't usually find in the women he met. Younger girls, yes, but women? Most were jaded, long past having an innocent air about them.
"Well?" asked Barbara.
"Of course they are," said Abby.
"Definitely," Bobby Gray added. It didn't matter if he believed it or not. What mattered was getting Kelli to go to the banker dinner with him. Plus, seeing her again was the only way to find out if it was true.
"You've talked with her for five minutes and are saying she's definitely your soul mate," said Ben.
"Definitely maybe my soul mate," said Bobby Gray in the interests of complete
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