Free Texas Twist (Texas Montgomery Mavericks) by Cynthia D’Alba

didn’t think so. If he did, she’d never seen evidence of it. In all the years she’d known him, he’d never spoken about his family to her. Of course, she’d been a child during most of that time and he’d treated her as such.
    Or at least he had until she’d turned eighteen. She put that memory out of her head for now. Wrong place. Wrong time.
    When the service was over and she was sitting in her car, she considered going home. But the memory of her night with Cash assailed her again and she wasn’t sure she wanted to face him just yet. In some ways, she was embarrassed at how she’d basically insisted on dragging him from a bar to her bed. In other ways, she was still hurt at his reaction the next day.
    She started her car and pulled from the lot. As though her engine had a mind of its own, the hood turned toward Dallas and the school she was scheduled to start in the fall. She had some career decisions she needed to make—like did she really want to get a nurse practitioner degree? It’d be another year of school. And a grueling year at that. But at least she’d have better job options.
    Her bachelor degree in psychology had been fun and interesting while she’d earned it, but it’d left her with very limited career options. All that education in psychology had come in handy while pursuing her bachelor in nursing, but she wanted more out of life than being an office nurse or a psychiatric nurse. Getting licensure as a nurse practitioner could open up new career paths.
    On the other hand, growing up she’d always thought she might follow in her father’s footsteps and go to veterinary school. She could revisit that idea.
    Or she could do neither and go back to work at Leo’s bar. But there was no future there for sure.
    All those thoughts and arguments rattled through her brain and gave her a headache. She didn’t want to think about all that today. Instead, her mind dropped into the most memorable night of her life…painful but unforgettable.
    It was her eighteenth birthday. Since most of their immediate friends would be riding in a rodeo early that evening, her parents had thrown a big brunch and invited everybody in their rodeo world. Hamburgers, hot dogs, pancakes, omelets, breakfast meats of all kinds, biscuits and, of course, the requisite huge cake with eighteen candles.
    The minute Cash Montgomery walked around the front end of her parents’ motorhome and smiled, she forgot anyone else was there. He hugged her. Wished her a happy birthday. Winked as he told her that when he won the silver buckle tonight, it was hers. She squealed with delight and then winced at how juvenile it had sounded.
    Then he gave her a short, sweet kiss. She wanted more. Wanted to throw her arms around his neck and pull him into a duel of tongues and a mashing of lips.
    But her parents were standing there and, as it was her party, the attention was on her. Still, she doubted anyone realized her legs were melting from that chaste kiss or were aware of the lovesick cow eyes she was sure she wore.
    Just as he’d promised, Cash won that night. After the rodeo, the cowboys and their women headed to a bar to celebrate Cash’s win, with him being the biggest celebrator. She was too young to get in, but that didn’t stop her. Well-applied make-up, cowboy boots, a short mini-skirt and a low-cut top, combined with a truly awesome fake driver’s license, and she was through the door. She wasn’t interested in the alcohol. It was the music and the dancing, not to mention a long-legged, shaggy-haired bull rider who could toss back a whiskey like no one she’d ever seen.
    She finagled her way through the crowd until she wedged herself into his group and next to him. Either the others standing there didn’t recognize her with the excessive make-up she wore or they didn’t care. Focused on their own partying, they paid her little attention. When he finally asked her to dance, she was delirious with teenage glee. She maintained