Kisses From My Cowboy Stepbrother, Part 2 (of 2) by Tiffany Madison Page B

honey,” she had said. “He has. Richard didn’t tell me how much time he’s, but apparently it was enough to make him reconsider his choices.”
    But even after hearing the evidence, a part of me still couldn’t fully believe it. Connor was too sweet to do something like that. He was a giant teddy bear...or was he? My thoughts flashed back to the night in the bar when he had gotten into that biker’s face, threatening to kill him.
    Maybe he’s a lot tougher than I’ve given him credit for, I thought.
    And as I sat there on the edge of my bed, I began to feel almost nauseous as I thought about it. I was really starting to like Connor. I mean a lot. He was everything that I could have ever wanted in a man. And now, suddenly, there was a whole other side to him that I knew nothing about.
    I didn’t want my perception of Connor to be tarnished with his history, though. I wanted him to stay perfect in my mind, unflawed and amazing, just like the time that he and I had spent together on the farm. I wanted the Connor that had protected me at the bar and who had kissed me and almost made love with me in the back of his truck. I didn’t want the bank-robbing bad boy who had a dark, vague history...or did I?
    I don’t even know what I want any more. What in the hell am I supposed to do?
    Not only had I been slowly falling in love with the guy, but he was also going to be my stepbrother soon. So even if I were able to somehow stop my feelings for him, I still wouldn’t be able to get him out of my life. We were family. And whether I liked it or not, Connor, the so-called criminal, was going to be a part of it.
    It would have been so nice to be able to call Connor and confront him, but I couldn’t. I knew that if I did, then my mom would get in trouble with Richard for telling me the secrets, which he’d told her in confidence. So I had to sit there and accept it for what it was: a giant secret that would weigh on my shoulders forever. Or at least until I could somehow get to the bottom of it on my own and find out for sure whether or not any of it was actually true. I just had to figure out a way.

Chapter 2
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    A fter tossing and turning in bed for the rest of the night, I finally opened my eyes to see the morning sun. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and there even seemed to be less smog in the air. Which was surprising, since we lived in the middle of Detroit.  
    I slowly got up from my bed and walked over to the dresser. I immediately picked up my cell phone and unlocked the screen, noticing a text from Connor. A burst of anxiety filled me as I opened the text.
    It read, “ Good morning, beautiful! I’m so glad I got to spend time with you while you were here on the farm. I really hope you’re able to come out and see me this week.”
    A smirk crossed my face as I read the message. As if I wasn’t already confused enough about Connor, he had to go and text me a sweet message like that. He wasn’t making the situation any easier.
    I can’t let the stories of his past bother me like this. But I also can’t let it go. I need to find out the truth about Connor. It’s the only way I’ll be able to rest.
    Below me, I could hear the sound of my mother in the kitchen, humming to herself as she went through her usual morning routine. She was happier than I had seen her in a long time and I needed to protect that. I couldn’t let my secret relationship with Connor screw up anything between Richard and my mom.
    I held my cell phone in my hand, re-reading the text from Connor. I found myself smiling, feeling the butterflies begin to flutter inside of me. There was no denying that I had a crush on him.
    “The stories can’t be true,” I whispered firmly. “There’s no way. No bank robber or ex-con or whatever he is, could ever be this sweet.”
    I quickly responded to his text with, “ Hi! I’m glad I got to spend time with you, too!