Free Boots and Buckles by Myla Jackson Page B

don’t have to eat the lunch I brought, but please hear me out.”
    “You said it all the last time I heard from you over the phone. What was it you said?” She tipped her head and stared off into the distance. “‘It’s over. We have nothing in common. Don’t wait for me to come back, because I’m not going to.’” She nodded, her bottom lip trembling slightly. “Yeah, that about summed it up.” With a slight jerk, she freed her arm. “I haven’t changed, so what’s the use in dredging up old memories?”
    “I was wrong,” he blurted, not exactly the way he’d planned. Mona had every right to be angry with him and he’d expected that. “After we left here, something else came up. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be back and I didn’t want to leave you hanging. It wasn’t fair to you.”
    “So you dumped me over the phone to spare my feelings?” She rolled her eyes. “Classy. And so thoughtful.”
    Grant scraped the hat off his head. “Look, Mona, not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought of you and all I left behind.”
    “Funny, I’ve barely thought of you or Dalton in the past three years.”
    His lips thinned. “I don’t have anything to do with Dalton anymore. And I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am that I left. You deserved better.”
    “Yeah, better than a phone call.” She tipped her head back and stared into his face, her eyes suspiciously moist. “So you’ve said your piece and you don’t want a haircut. What’s keeping you?”
    “I want a second chance.”
    She stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “You want what?”
    “A second chance to prove to you that I really do care for you.”
    “You cared enough to leave the Ugly Stick Saloon with another woman last night.”
    So she had noticed. “I did, but I didn’t sleep with her. I wouldn’t when it was you who’s been the only woman on my mind.”
    “What happened to your wife?”
    He hesitated, the truth too long and complicated. “We divorced soon after we were married. I never loved her.”
    Her lips twisted. “Convenient. And it only proves to me you have a problem with commitment.”
    “Not with you.” He captured her hand. “Please, give me another chance?”
    Anger flared in her blue eyes and she opened her mouth. Then she clamped it shut and closed her eyes.
    Grant’s belly knotted. “Should I take your silence as a no?”
    “No.”
    “No about the silence or no you won’t give me a second chance?”
    The tension left her shoulders and she opened her eyes. “Look, it goes against my better judgment, but…”
    “You’re giving me a second chance.” He released the breath he’d been holding. “Thank you.”
    She pulled her hand free of his and held it up. “I’ll give you a second chance to prove to me you’re not a complete ass. But we’re not picking up where we left off. We’re starting over from scratch.”
    His chest swelled and his lips curled upward. “Fair enough. We’ll start over.” He stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Grant Raleigh and you’re the prettiest girl I’ve met. Will you go out with me?”
    She took his hand, a frown pulling her brows together. After a moment, her face cleared and she gave a strained laughed. “I can’t believe I’m doing this… Yes.”
    He’d gone into his courtship fully expecting Mona to slam the door in his face. He purposely didn’t mention that he knew she’d gone out with Sam, afraid it would cause her more stress in his campaign to win her heart. Hell, Sam had clearly expressed his desire to pursue Mona, and a decent cowboy didn’t horn in on another man’s woman. A knot of guilt tainted his happiness that Mona had relented and was giving him a shot at mending their relationship. Nothing about coming back to Temptation was going to be easy. “Dinner tonight?”
    She nodded. “My last appointment is at five and I work at the Ugly Stick from nine until midnight. Can you be here at six?”
    “I can and will.” He tipped