Embraced by Faulkner, Carolyn (books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

she woke up, then indulged himself in a slow, sexy goodnight kiss of his sleeping beauty.

Meg awakened, barely, and knew who was kissing her.

Halfway between asleep and awake, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him aggressively, holding his head to hers until she had thoroughly bussed him.

“Night, Barrett,” she rolled contentedly over onto her right side, and he stood there for a moment, watching her even breath rise and fall.

His sleepy little girl was certainly full of surprises, he mused, turning out the light and closing the door behind him.

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BacksideOfLove.com

Embraced

Chapter VIII

andy noticed a basket full of food on the counter, and peeked in, only to have her hand slapped by Mher best friend. “Get your fingers out of Barrett’s lunch,” Meg cautioned, putting a huge piece of plastic wrapped homemade coffeecake into the basket then snapping the lid closed.

A teasing smile spread over Mandy’s face. “Oh, Barrett’s lunch, is it? Am I supposed to starve at home again?”

Meg caught Mandy’s eye. “Heaven’s no, why don’t you call Jake Tomasi and have him come take you out for lunch?” she asked in an angelic tone.

“Meagan! Why would I want that – that dirty cowboy to take me out? Really!”

Lunch for two in hand, Meg pushed opened the door with her hip. “Through protesting too much, Manda?” she dug, then stage whispered, “I hate to tell you, but your brothers are all dirty cowboys, too. That’s why they use soap.”

Amanda humphed and puffed as Meg grabbed keys to the battered old truck Barrett had told her to use in case of an emergency. Well, he’d forgotten his lunch in the fridge, and she didn’t want him to go all day without food, that was emergency

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BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

enough for her, so she piled her goodies into the truck and drove off in search of him. He always left a note for her as to where he’d be if he was going to be out with the herd, and, thanks to their frequent rides around his property, she had a pretty good idea where to find him.

While she drove, Meg thought about Mandy and her reaction to Jake Tomasi. It was much the same as hers had been to Barrett. Jake was a very aggressive, opinionated, dominant man.

And alpha-male of the highest order, just like someone else they both knew. He’d rubbed Mandy the wrong way all her life – his ranch adjoined the Costas’ Circle C ranch, and lately had been turning it into an art form, or an enjoyable hobby, depending on how you looked at it. Mandy just couldn’t stop ranting about how boorish and chauvinistic he was, and how much she hated him.

Uh-huh. Everyone in her family had pretty much made the same diagnosis as Meg, and was wondering when they’d finally break down and either kill each other or start dating.

Barrett was exactly where he said he’d be; she spotted him immediately riding towards the truck, having seen the truck coming already. He was a magnificent rider, and, according to him, was practically born on a horse. Secretly, Meg thought his mother might have had some objection to that, but she kept quiet. He moved like a centaur, he and the horse thinking and moving alike.

Well, Meg thought wryly, she could definitely see him thinking like a horse . . .

He dismounted and walked toward her, disreputable Stetson crammed down on his head, jeans dirty and mucky, shirt ripped in several places, and caked with blood.

Blood? Meg quickened her step toward him when she noticed the dried red splotches on his shirt. “Barrett, are you all

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Embraced

right?” she asked, turning a concerned face up to him while her hand touched his chest lightly. “Are you hurt?”

“Right as rain, Sweetie. These little cuts are nothin’ to worry about,” he bent down and covered her lips with his, eliciting catcalls and howls from the men who were still working around him.

She was far from convinced about the cuts, but let him corral her to his side with his right arm. She smelled clean of soap and perfume in the midst of horse and leather and cow. They walked to the truck, and she produced the food. His eyes bugged and his mouth watered at the same time. “I forgot my lunch.”

“I know. I remembered.”

Their lunch was peaceful, Barrett eating three sandwiches to her half, and devouring the entire piece of coffeecake with lots of lip smacking and groans of delight. “You could sell this, Honey, and beat the pants off Sarah Lee,” he complimented, and she blushed. When he was done and she’d packed everything away, he leaned against the truck and pulled her between his legs to lean her back to his front. They fit together perfectly that way, both sighing contentedly at exactly the same moment, laughing together at their synchronicity.

“Well, much as I don’t want to,” he made as if to get up, but Meg’s hand on his stomach stopped him.

“Aren’t you going to see to those cuts, Barrett? What if they get infected?”

He was pleasantly surprised at her concern. “Well, I doubt they will . . .”

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BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

She was already tugging him toward the cab of the truck.

“You come back to the house with me and I’ll clean them up.”

Barrett gave in more out of curiosity than necessity. “We’ll have to take Blue – I don’t want to drive the truck back onto the range.” He swung easily up into the saddle and hauled her up in front of him, yelling