Free Bad In Boots: Colt's Choice by Patrice Michelle

herself to live that life just to please her father, especially not now that she’d found the perfect life for herself at the Lonestar. She’d decided that no matter what happened between herself and Colt, she knew her heart belonged in Texas.
    Leaving D.C. on the red-eye last night, she’d gotten very little sleep on the plane. Needless to say, this morning she was beat.
    When she walked into the ranch office and shut the door against the early morning heat, she turned to greet Mabel and saw the secretary jerk her head toward Colt’s office, a warning expression on her face.
    “Mabel, is that…?” Colt called out as he stepped into the doorway of his office.
    “Where the hell have you been!” he barked at Elise. He crossed his arms over his chest as a frown creased his brow.
    “Well, happy Monday morning to you, too, Colt,” Elise quipped.
    As Colt’s frown turned into a scowl, she asked, “Is something wrong with the website?” She cut her gaze over to Mabel to remind him they had an audience.
    Colt must have realized her intention because he immediately straightened and lowered his arms. “Uh, yeah.”
    Elise laughed. “Okay, I’ll go take a look at it.” She turned and walked down the hall feeling the weight of her long weekend dragging her body down.
    Sighing, she sat down in her chair and booted up her computer. Colt had been right on her heels and was now demanding her attention. Closing the door behind him, he stood there, his stance tense, anger emanating from his body.
    “Where have you been?” he repeated.
    “Is there a problem, Colt?” She looked up from her computer.
    He waved his hands in the air. “Problem? You’ve got me wound tighter than a stallion downwind of a mare in heat with no way to get at her and you ask if I have a problem?”
    “You did say I would be worth the wait,” she said with a smirk, even though her heart raced at his words. Damn, his metaphor was effective.
    “For the whole weekend!” he said, his voice growing louder. When she arched her eyebrow, he immediately lowered his voice. “I tried calling you several times and when I didn’t get an answer, I got worried and drove over to your apartment. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Imagine my surprise when your neighbor told me she thought you left town. You could have at least called.”
    “And said what?” she countered. “‘Sorry, I can’t make it for a jollies session, but I have something I have to take care of.’ It’s not like we’re in a relationship, are we?”
    She had him stumped there. Colt seemed to be at a loss for words. She could tell this man was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. Good. She liked to keep him guessing.
    Looking back down at her keyboard, she began typing once more. “If you want to keep tabs on me, buy me a pager.” She gave him a meaningful look. “Preferably one that vibrates.”
    Colt turned on his heel, opened the door and stalked off down the hall.
    Three minutes later, Elise looked up from her keyboard. The sensation of someone watching was just too great to ignore. Mace leaned casually in the doorway.
    “I’ve seen the looks between you two. If you don’t do something soon, the man is going to rip someone’s head off. He’s been meaner than a rattlesnake all morning and not at all likable to be around.”
    Elise laughed at Mace’s doomed version of Colt’s situation. “Mace, worry about your own love life.”
    Mace pushed off the doorjamb. “Hey, no problem there, darlin’.”
    “So I gather,” she teased.
    “What can I say? I’m just the kind of guy the girls fall all over.” He gave her a wide grin, not at all apologetic.
    Elise scanned his six-foot-one, muscular body from the top of his light brown, sun- streaked hair to the tip of his scuffed boots. He was leaner than Colt, his muscles less bulky, but there was something in his green eyes that called to a woman’s heart. He had dreamy eyes. “I guess I can see where some