Catch Me a Cowboy by Katie Lane Page A

the doorway as a teenage girl raced in. She was a skinny little thing with pale skin and blond hair pulled back in a haphazard ponytail.
    She stood there panting, her eyes behind the black-framed glasses tracking to the sleeping baby on the mattress, then over to the dozing little boy in the corner. There was a moment of relief, but it disappeared quickly enough when she looked back at Billy and Ms. Dalton.
    “I’m so sorry,” she said with a Texas twang, “I’ve told my little brother not to play in other people’s trailers.” She pushed back the hair that had fallen from her ponytail and glanced back at the doorway. “But he has a problem listening.”
    As if on cue, Jesse slunk into the room in his oversized cowboy boots. When he saw Billy, his eyes narrowed. But he kept his mouth shut while the girl continued to talk.
    “So we’ll just get out of your hair.” She strode to the bed and had just started to pick up the baby when Ms. Dalton stopped her by placing a hand on her arm.
    “Why don’t you let her sleep, honey? She looks almost as tuckered out as you do.”
    The teenage girl’s entire body tensed, but Billy had to hand it to her. She knew how to hold it together. “I’d really love to, ma’am, but our mama is due back from work anytime. And she’ll be real worried if we aren’t at home when she gets there.”
    Billy got up from the bed and removed his hat from his head. “And just where is home, Miss…”
    Her unusual violet eyes stared back at him. “Foster. Mia Foster.”
    Ms. Dalton got to her feet and flashed one of those megawatt smiles. “Well, it’s real nice to meet you, Mia. I’m Ms. Dalton, and this here is Mr. Wilkes.”
    “Bubba,” Billy grinned. “So y’all live around here?”
    Mia didn’t flinch an inch; her eyes behind the glasses were clear and direct. “Just a few trailers down.”
    Billy hadn’t hung out in the trailer park long enough to meet any of the neighbors, but the girl didn’t need to know that. “A few trailers down, huh?” He scratched his head in thought. “Now, I thought the Millers lived in that trailer.”
    “Nuh-uh,” Jesse chimed in, “the Walshes do.”
    Mia shot the kid daggers, and Billy actually felt sorry for him.
    “We know that you’ve been living here, Mia,” Ms. Dalton stated. “And I’m not mad about it, honey. But I do need to talk with your mama.”
    Like a trapped animal, Mia’s eyes flickered with fear, and there was a moment when Billy thought she might sprint right back out the door. Instead, her chin hiked up, and her mouth turned stubborn. “It will be a long wait. She won’t be home until later.”
    Ms. Dalton’s smile drooped, and those green eyes flashed with indecision. Figuring this was as good a time as any to make his exit, Billy tugged his hat back on. “Well, I’d love to sit and chat, but there’s a catfish in Sutter Springs with my name on it.”
    “Wait a minute!” Ms. Dalton grabbed his arm before he had even taken a step and stared at him with panic thick in those green eyes. “You’re not leaving me with…” Her voice trailed off.
    Billy smiled. “Why, Ms. Dalton, I didn’t realize you’d gotten so attached to me.” He removed her hand with a pat. “But you need to remember the first rule in fishing and relationships… Don’t cling too tightly or a good catch might get away.”

Chapter Eight
     
    S HIRLENE COULDN’T REMEMBER the last time she’d been out to Sutter Springs. Stumbling along the muddy bank in her high heels, she realized why. It was hot and dirty and smelled like dead fish, a perfect place for the man who stretched out under the cedar tree with a sweat-stained camouflage hat resting over his face and a fishing pole leaning against the rock next to him. Fishing line stretched across the bank and into the murky water, the bright red bobber on the end bouncing in the ripples caused by the strong breeze.
    It didn’t look like he had caught anything, although the miles of