Free One Hot Cowboy Wedding by Carolyn Brown

63
    10/5/11 10:40 AM

    Carolyn Brown
    64
    He led her to the counter and looked at Jasmine.
    “What’ll it be?”
    “An order of fries and a chocolate shake.”
    “Give her a number one, supersize it, and two of those apple pies,” he said.
    “Ace!”
    “You’ve got to eat or you won’t have the energy to help me take care of the shit storm waiting on us,” he said.
    “It’ll take more than food to build up that much energy. Honey, it’s bigger than Katrina and dumping something far worse smelling than a hurricane.” She managed a weak smile.
    He pointed toward an empty table and let her lead the way. He pulled out a chair for her and then sat down across from her while they waited for their number to be called. “Come on, Jazzy. You can give me a bigger smile than that. You are the strongest woman I know.
    Laugh at the situation. Get mad. Do something other than pout.”
    She exploded right there in the airport. “Pout! I’m not pouting! Have you ever seen me pout? I’m not a whimpering woman.”
    “That’s better,” he said.
    One cowgirl in tight- fitting jeans and bright red boots winked at her and gave her a thumbs- up sign.
    That put more courage in Jasmine’s backbone than all the inner arguments had done since the television broadcast the night before. She threw back her head and laughed. “I. Am. Not. Pouting,” she said again between giggles.
    “And that is funny? Why?” Ace asked.
    OneHotCowboyWedding.indd 64
    10/5/11 10:40 AM

    One Hot Cowboy Wedding
    65
    “You wouldn’t understand. It’s a woman thing,” she said. “But now I’m hungry and they are calling our number. I hope you didn’t order all that food for me in hopes you’d get to eat half of it.”
    “That’s my Jazzy,” he said.
    Q
    When they were back on the plane, in the air, and on the leg of the journey from Houston to Dallas, Jasmine motioned to the flight attendant with a stack of pillows in her hand.
    “My turn,” she said.
    “What?” Ace asked.
    “I’m taking a nap. No groupies behind us for me to have to protect you from, so darlin’, be a good husband and don’t wake me until it’s time to buckle up for the landing,” she said.
    Ace took the pillow from the attendant, fluffed it up, and put it on his shoulder. “Put ’er here, pard’ner.” She rolled the kinks from her neck and rested on his shoulder, shut her eyes, and went right to sleep, only to dream of a tornado hitting the café and Ace carrying her out the back door to safety.
    Ace could tell by the way she was breathing and her eyes were dancing behind her eyelids that she was dreaming. Long, thick eyelashes rested on her high cheekbones framed by dark hair. Her lips were full and oh so kissable, and her body was made for a man’s hands to explore.
    Got to stop it or I’ll be in misery , he thought. He looked out the window at the ground below and imagined getting stuck out in one of those lonesome places OneHotCowboyWedding.indd 65
    10/5/11 10:40 AM

    Carolyn Brown
    66
    with Jasmine— a willing Jazzy who’d want him as much as he’d wanted her since that wedding kiss.
    The landing wasn’t smooth, and Jasmine awoke with a start. “Did we make it?”
    “I believe we did,” Ace said.
    “I was afraid that it was going to blow us away.” Her eyelids fluttered and then snapped open. “I was dreaming.”
    “About what?” he asked.
    “A big storm. We were the only ones in the café and it was coming on fast. The wind was howling and everything was this strange eerie shade of green. The funnel was touching down and then going back up, and I couldn’t move. You grabbed me and carried me out the back door. We were going for your truck to outrun it when I woke up,” she said.
    “See, I told you I’d protect you,” he said. “Ready to go home?”
    “Yes, I am,” she said stoically.
    OneHotCowboyWedding.indd 66
    10/5/11 10:40 AM

Chapter 5
    The parking lot at Chicken Fried was not empty.
    Jasmine nosed her truck in beside a whole