Love & Rodeo by Paisley Cruz Page A

smiled to herself wondering if Levi knew how lucky he was.
    She moved to a desk in the corner with a bulletin board. There were pictures of him and his dates at proms and homecomings—a different girl in each of them—he was so handsome.
    About that time, she felt two arms encircle her waist. “Are you snooping around my room?”
    “ I wouldn’t call it snooping. Just getting to know a younger you.”
    “ Oh, I was a ladies man.”
    She laughed. “I see that.”
    “ That is, until I met you.”
    Her breath caught and she turned to look at him. He kissed her long and deep until she was weak in the knees. She gently pushed him away as she remembered where she was.
    “ I need to get ready,” she said before lifting her bag and hurrying away from him.

Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Kallie took a hot shower and dressed herself in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt for the fair. When she walked downstairs Joan was in the kitchen cleaning up. She looked at Kallie.
    “ That won’t do.”
    “ What do you mean?”
    A short girl with long blonde hair walked into the kitchen. “You can’t wear that. I’m Jenna by the way.”
    “ Hi, Jenna. I’m Kallie.”
    “ I figured. Come on. Let’s find you something else.”
    Kallie followed Jenna up the stairs to her and Emma’s room and opened the closet. She watched as Jenna fingered through her clothes. She pulled out a white cotton spaghetti strap dress.
    Kallie shook her head. “I don’t wear dresses.”
    “ Come on. You want to look nice. The fair is a big thing around here.”
    Kallie eyed the dress and smiled. “Fine.” She took the dress and walked into the Jack and Jill bathroom. She changed quickly and gathered her clothes. She walked back out to see Jenna sitting on her bed. She covered her mouth as she looked at her.
    “ I told you that I don’t look good in dresses.”
    “ What! You look gorgeous! With your tan and dark hair, wow, you own that dress.”
    Kallie turned to look at herself. She didn’t recognize the woman standing in the mirror. “Whoa.”
    “ I told you,” Jenna said as she stood behind her.
    Kallie took her clothes to Mark’s old room, and went back down to the kitchen where the Cavanaugh family waited.
    “ Much better!” Joan told her and Levi turned around.
    His eyes met hers. She watched as they moved down her body and then back up. John bumped his son.
    “ Say something, son.”
    She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.
    “ You look. Wow.”
    Kallie smiled as she felt her cheeks warm.
    “ All right, let’s get going,” Joan said as she ushered them all out the door.
    They piled into the truck, and then drove to the fair. Kallie enjoyed listening to them chat back and forth like a normal family. She really missed doing that with her family. When they got there, Emma went straight to the stable while Jenna disappeared to be with friends.
    “ I’m gonna take your Mama over to the craft barn. We’ll see you over at Emma’s show?”
    “ Yeah,” Levi told his father and Kallie waved to them.
    They walked through the crowd and immediately Levi pulled her toward the food booth.
    “ You have to try this corn.”
    Of course Levi was thinking about food. They had been traveling with one another for almost two months now. In every city they stopped in, Levi made sure they tried the local cuisine. They walked to the corn booth and ordered a corn on the cob. He handed Kallie an ear covered in butter.
    “ This can’t be good for your heart,” Kallie joked as she took a bite.
    It was pure goodness in her mouth. She ate until the ear was gone. She looked at Levi who was laughing. Looking at his mouth covered in butter, she began to laugh too.
    “ Your mouth!” they each told one another at the same time.
    Levi leaned in and kissed her. She grabbed some napkins and wiped his face. Taking a few, he wiped her mouth gently before putting his lips to hers once more. He kissed her gently and everything else faded away. There were