Bachelor Cowboy (11 page)

“Dusty McPherson?”

He turned at the sound of his name to see a slightly familiar face peering at him. The man standing next to him looked to be about his age, but the probably once-slender body had spread, and the face was beginning to bear lines of age.

He looked a little closer. “Jimmy Tartelli?” he asked as recognition hit him.

A broad smile broke out on the man’s face. “It’s me. Best tight end Desperation High ever had.” He slapped Dusty on the back as he settled on the bar stool next to him. “I heard you were back home again. Doug Simpson said he’d been by your place and noticed you’d been doing some work on it. But I sure didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I hadn’t expected to be here,” Dusty said, shrugging his shoulders. And he chuckled as memories of high school flooded his mind. Good times, bad times, wild times, he and Jimmy had shared them all.

“I heard you’ve done well, Dusty. You’ve made Desperation proud.”

Dusty shook his head. “I just ride bulls, Jimmy. Nothing hundreds of other cowboys don’t do.”

“You were in the Professional Bull Riders Finals a few years back. Only one other person in Desperation can say they’ve made it that far where rodeo is concerned,” his friend pointed out.

“Yeah, Tanner did great last year at National Finals Rodeo and brought home the gold buckle. Too bad I didn’t do better in PBR,” Dusty admitted.

“You did fine by our standards,” Jimmy assured him.

Dusty cocked an eyebrow at him and grinned. “That’s not saying much, is it?”

Jimmy threw his head back and laughed. People around them turned to stare, several with looks of recognition in their eyes. Within minutes, Dusty found himself surrounded by several old friends and acquaintances, all pleased to see him.

Feeling relaxed and welcome after everyone but Jimmy drifted away, Dusty swiveled around on the stool and leaned back against the edge of the bar. The dance floor in the middle of the room twinkled with tiny colored lights. Loud music echoed and bounced off the walls from the live band that drew the crowds every weekend.

“The band sure is good,” he commented.

“Ted Haverly’s one of the band members. Folks come from all over the county to listen to them.” Jimmy turned around, too, and the two men sat side by side, enjoying the music.

Dusty remembered Ted and had never liked him much, but he had to admit the band played great and sure knew how to work the crowd. The dance floor never emptied. He sat, beer in hand, and let the music go to his head. Closing his eyes, his mind filled with country strains and memories of the past.

“Well, I’ll be,” Jimmy exclaimed softly.

Dusty barely heard him. “What?”

“I never thought I’d see the day one of Agatha Clayborne’s nieces would show up here.”

Dusty’s eyes flew open as he jerked upright, nearly toppling from the bar stool. “Clayborne?” he croaked.

“Hey, Dusty, didn’t I hear you were working for Miss Aggie a while back?”

Searching through the crowd, Dusty nodded. “Still am.”

“Can’t you see her?”

“Who?”
Dusty couldn’t see much of anything through the wall of bodies between them and the dance floor.

But before Jimmy answered, Dusty found her. And he thought the earth had opened up to suck him into its bowels. His mouth went cotton dry, his heart thudded in a too-rapid beat. His hands were suddenly damp, and he wiped them on the legs of his jeans.

In a small space on the dance floor, Kate moved to the music. But it wasn’t a Kate like Dusty had ever seen before or even imagined seeing. If it hadn’t been for the wild mass of thick, curly copper hair flying behind her, he would have denied it was her. He’d never seen her in a dress, never thought much about it. She always dressed in blue jeans—tight, hip-hugging denim—and shirts that barely whispered femininity, except to hug her body, and that probably only served for practicality. This Kate, this tantalizing woman spinning in a soft, flowing dress that curled and swirled around her with each move she made, nearly stopped his heart.

“Dusty?” Jimmy’s voice sounded miles away. “Dusty, you okay?”

Without knowing he’d moved, Dusty found himself on his feet. Forcing air back into his lungs, he nodded, never taking his eyes off Kate as he walked in her direction.

Cool
, he ordered himself. It wasn’t like him to be out of control.

As the fast-paced song ended, he reached her and watched as she smiled at her partner. The face of the man she’d been dancing with didn’t even exist in Dusty’s vision. All he saw was Kate.

The band moved into a slow, romantic ballad. Without saying a word, Dusty’s arm slid around her waist. At his touch, she jumped and turned, the smile still on her face. But when her gaze made contact with his, her smile vanished and her eyebrows drew together in a frown.

“Dusty,” she said, and glanced around as if looking for an escape.

He didn’t care if she wanted to dance with him or not. It didn’t have anything to do with what she wanted. Turning her into his arms, he held her, and only for a moment did she hesitate. Swaying to the music, she put her arms around his neck, bringing her even closer, and her scent enveloped him. When he looked down and found her gazing up at him, the sensation of teetering on the edge of a bottomless pool overwhelmed him. It wouldn’t take much to fall to a sure death by drowning, but he couldn’t stop looking at her.

He was certain he’d gone to heaven. Or hell, considering what he was feeling. Another long glance told him she was experiencing something, too. Passion darkened
her eyes, but a light within them kept him from getting completely lost. It was crystal clear that giving in to the urge he was feeling would be the end of him.

Before the song ended, he led her off the dance floor. If he had a say in it, she wouldn’t be dancing with anyone else the rest of the night. But he knew if he danced with her again he’d fall so hard he’d never recover. And that couldn’t happen.

K
ATE HAD NEVER BEEN
so speechless in her life. All thought, except a possible means of escape, had deserted her the moment she’d turned to find Dusty on the dance floor, his arm around her and his eyes full of something she didn’t dare label. She knew she should resist, but as he led her to the edge of the room, where light barely existed, she discovered she couldn’t. Just once, she wouldn’t consider the consequences. Just once, but never again.

They circled the perimeter of the room, but all the tables were filled with couples, heads together, arms around each other, oblivious to everything and everyone. Something deep inside her yearned for intimacy, but the rest of her denied it.

After a second time around the room, Dusty found a deserted corner and led her to it. He leaned against the wall and pulled her close. “What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” he asked her, his all-too-familiar grin tugging at her stuttering heart.

Her common sense returned immediately. “The same thing everyone else is doing.” She placed her hands on his chest to ease away, but only managed an inch or two. “I’m having a good time.”

“Me, too.”

The intensity in his eyes scared her. “Maybe I should say I
was
having a good time.”

“Now don’t be mean,” he said, chuckling, and pulled her close again.

“I’m serious, Dusty.” The world had stopped for one short song, replaced by a fantasy. Now that it was over, reality had returned. “I’m not trying to be mean, but you were the last person I expected to see here.”

His eyes widened. “Then you can imagine how I felt seeing
you
here. But now that you are…” His hands moved over her back, sending waves of longing rushing along their touch. His breath caressed her ear. His sigh was ragged and torn. “You shouldn’t have worn that dress. You don’t have a clue…”

She fought the desire that kept building deep inside her—a desire she didn’t want to acknowledge, because she knew where it would lead. “It’s only a dress, Dusty, just like other women wear. No big deal.”

“To you, maybe, but—” He shook his head, looked at her, and shook his head again. “Hon, we have to put a stop to this.”

His words said one thing, but he pulled her closer, and when his mouth claimed hers, Kate couldn’t stop herself from responding. It was as if she’d lost all control over herself, except for a tiny voice in her head telling her that it wasn’t worth the pain of a broken heart.

When they drew apart, Dusty’s breathing was ragged. A shaking hand touched her cheek, and even in the dark she could see the desire in his eyes.

“I can’t do this. You understand that, don’t you?” he asked.

Kate knew. She didn’t want to think about it, but she had to. Dusty had made his choice. It wasn’t her, no matter what was happening between them. Oh, he wanted her. Aggie had been right about that. He wanted her, and she was his, heart and soul. But she didn’t fit into his life, and he would never fit into hers.

“I think I’ll go on home now,” she told him, knowing she couldn’t take being near him any longer. She pulled away, but he stopped her.

“We need to talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she told him, pushing gently at his chest.

He released her with obvious reluctance. “I’ll take you home.”

She refused to look at him. “I drove.”

“I’ll walk you out to your truck, then,” he insisted.

“Maybe you should just stay here.”

“No. Let me do this.”

A strong wind blew her hair across her face as they stepped out of the noisy honky-tonk, and she shoved it back, angry at the twists life took. In fairy tales, they’d have declared their love and lived happily ever after. In real life, she had to walk away, knowing that although she was falling for him, she wasn’t what he wanted.

When they reached her truck, Dusty backed her against the cab and pressed his forehead to hers. “I never meant for this to happen.”

“Don’t worry about it, Dusty.”

“If I’ve hurt you—”

“I’ll get over it.”

He hesitated before he stepped back, releasing her. She stepped out from between him and the truck, and
without a glance at him, she climbed into the cab. “I guess I’ll see you next week.”

He held the edge of the door, keeping her from closing it. “You’ll be okay?”

Turning her head, she gathered every ounce of strength she had and looked at him. Ignoring the regret in his eyes, she forced a smile. “I’ll be fine. I always am.”

D
USTY WATCHED
as the taillights disappeared down the dirt road, the dust clouding his view. His heart ached. He admitted that much. Whether he wanted Kate or not wasn’t a question he could afford to answer. Determination and single-mindedness had won him more than his share of competitions. And he had the buckles and prize money to prove it. He would learn to get over her. Those same qualities that had led him through his life in the past would take him the rest of the way. If only Kate could be a part of it.

Opening his eyes carefully to the sunshine pouring in the windows of his bedroom, Dusty winced at the pain. The headache had come on after Kate had left him in the parking lot of the Blue Barn. He’d gone back inside and hung around for a while, talking to Jimmy and a few others, hoping he could wipe out the memory of Kate’s kisses and how her eyes had glowed with passion.

He moved his head, wincing again at the pain. How had he let it go so far? He’d scared her off, which was the last thing he’d wanted to do.

A glance at the clock by his bed told him he’d better get moving, headache or no headache. Retrieving the bottle of pills the doctor had prescribed, he took two, showered and dressed quickly. He’d told Jimmy he’d meet him at the local tavern at eleven. Lou’s Place had become famous for its barbecued beef sandwiches, and Dusty hadn’t yet had the pleasure of trying one.

The parking lot at Lou’s was already filling up when Dusty pulled in. Inside, he found Jimmy at a table, ordered a glass of iced tea and joined him.

“You look like hell,” Jimmy said in greeting.

Dusty pulled up a chair and sat across the table from him. “I feel like hell.”

“Woman trouble,” Jimmy commented with a knowing nod.

“Trouble is putting it mildly,” Dusty snorted. “Are you married?”

Jimmy smiled. “Terry Adams. For ten years.”

“She lets you go to the Blue Barn?”

Laughing, Jimmy nodded. “Once or twice a year. It stops the itch, and then I don’t need to do it again for a long time.”

“I can understand that. What’s she like?” Dusty asked, seriously wanting to know. “I remember Terry back in school. Pretty girl. Everybody liked her.”

“Everybody still likes her,” Jimmy boasted. “She’s involved in all those women things here in Desperation. Bible school teacher, soloist in the choir, belongs to the Extension Homemakers group, PTA mom for the kids. You know.”

Dusty nodded. “A real lady. Can she change the oil in her car?”

Jimmy’s eyebrows raised. “Well, now, I doubt she can.” His eyes narrowed in thought. “She probably could if somebody showed her. She picks up on things pretty quick.”

“Bet she wears dresses,” Dusty mumbled.

Jimmy was silent for a moment. “Something tells me this has to do with Kate Clayborne.”

Dusty didn’t answer. The whole thing had gotten too complicated to explain. He couldn’t even sort out his feelings anymore.

“Everybody around these parts wondered how Agatha
Clayborne would do with two teenage girls.” Jimmy stopped and laughed quietly. “Looks like she proved to all the old hens that she could do a better job than most.”

“Miss Aggie’s a good woman.”

“Yep. Can’t argue with that. Still keeps to herself pretty much, but those girls have made some changes in her. Anyway, I can remember the first time I laid eyes on those two nieces of hers. Took my breath away, let me tell ya.”

Dusty let his grin have its way. He hadn’t forgotten what Kate had looked like when the girls moved in with Aggie and started attending Desperation High. “Even with Kate’s chopped up hair?”

Jimmy laughed. “Even then. I thought about asking Trish out one time, but then Terry and me hooked up. And there’s something else I remember.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, now, it was at one of the community Christmas dinners, maybe after you’d left,” Jimmy went on. “You remember those, don’t you? Everybody brings something to eat. Covered dish, I think they call it.”

Dusty nodded. He remembered the last one he’d been to, his senior year in high school. At the time, he’d only gone to make his grandparents happy. All he’d been able to think about at the time was how long it was until he’d be out of school.

Jimmy had that faraway look in his eyes. “Boys and full-grown men were swarming around those two girls like flies around a honey dipper. Kate’s hair was grown out by then, and Trish, she was passing out fried chicken.” Jimmy chuckled again. “I had me a piece of that. Melts in your mouth.”

“Yeah, I know,” Dusty replied.

“You talking about Kate Clayborne’s fried chicken?” a new voice piped in.

Dusty looked up to see Ted Haverly pull up a chair. “I saw you dancing with Kate at the Blue Barn last night,” Ted said as he joined them.

Dusty didn’t have a comment. All he wanted to do was stop thinking about it.

“Don’t believe I’ve ever seen her looking so good,” Ted said.

Dusty looked up, feeling a frown. “That so?”

“She comes by here a couple times a week,” he explained. “Brings the food Lou serves.”

“Which reminds me,” Jimmy said, standing. “Should be about time for a delivery. We’d best get our order in before the rush.”

Dusty didn’t want to miss what Ted had to say about Kate, so he stopped Jimmy. “Would you order me a couple?”

“Sure thing.”

When Jimmy had gone, Ted turned to Dusty. “You got something going with Kate? I mean, I saw you two dancing and then walk off the dance floor together.”

“No,” Dusty quickly answered. But he noticed an interested glint in Ted’s eyes. “Not exactly,” he added.

“It was a real surprise to see her at the Blue Barn. She doesn’t get around much.”

“You keep an eye on her, do you?” Dusty asked, feeling a knot form in his stomach.

“Me?” Ted asked, laughing. “I keep an eye on every available woman around these parts. Some more than others. Kate, for instance. She’s one feisty lady.”

Dusty’s fingers tightened around his glass. “Ever take her out?” The idea of Kate with Ted Haverly made his teeth ache.

“Never even asked her,” Ted admitted. “I don’t think anybody around here has, as far as I know, at least not for a long time. Most everybody was more interested in her sister. Until she got engaged to the sheriff, of course. Kate has pretty much kept herself out on that farm. That’s why it was such a shock seeing her last night. It isn’t what I’d expect, that’s for sure.”

Dusty silently reminded himself that he didn’t have any plans as far as Kate was concerned.

“I’m glad to see Kate out and about,” Ted continued. “Maybe I’ll give her a call after all.”

Dusty gritted his teeth at the surge of anger that went through him. Kate deserved better than a womanizer like Ted. And if he could stop it—Oh, hell, it wasn’t any of his business.

Jimmy returned to the table and took his seat. “Terry’s a good cook, but I have to have one of those sandwiches at least once a week.”

Lou, the tavern owner, walked over, his caterpillar eyebrows arched over steely eyes. “You sticking to tea, Dusty?”

Dusty looked up at him. “Something wrong with that?”

Lou shrugged his shoulders and refilled the glass from the pitcher he held. “Guess not. If that’s what suits you,” he said before going back to the bar.

“I didn’t figure you to be a teetotaler,” Ted said.

Dusty didn’t figure it was any of Ted’s business, but he answered anyway. “I’m on meds for a rodeo injury.”

Ted shrugged and pushed away from the table.
“Whatever. Guess I’ll be on my way. You’ve given me courage, Dusty. I think I might take a chance and ask that redhead out.”

Dusty counted to ten to keep from saying something he knew he’d regret. What Kate did was none of his business. He didn’t have a stake on her. “Whatever suits you,” he managed to mumble.

“Bet she turns him down,” Jimmy said when the other man stood and headed for the door.

“Don’t count on it,” Dusty answered.

Jimmy took a drink of beer, then put the glass down. “Don’t pay any attention to Ted,” he offered. “He’s always thought a lot of himself when it came to the ladies. They don’t think much of him though.”

Dusty looked to the door where Ted had left. “Doesn’t much matter.”

“You sure about that?” Jimmy asked. “It wasn’t hard to miss you and Kate last night. I thought—well, like you said, it doesn’t matter. But if I was a single man…”

“Go on,” Dusty urged when Jimmy didn’t finish.

Clearing his throat, Jimmy gave Dusty an uneasy smile. “You haven’t asked for my opinion, but I think you might want to hear it. Don’t know if it’ll help or not, though. Just one man’s observations.”

“You might as well speak up,” Dusty answered with a shrug. “Not that it’ll help.”

“Maybe not,” Jimmy agreed, “but it’s worth a shot. The thing is, I’d take Kate over her sister, any day.” He leaned closer. “Terry may not be able to change the oil or any of that, but when it comes right down to it, she’s got her own streak of independence.” He tipped back in
his chair. “I kinda like that in a woman. But that’s just my taste, I guess.”

Dusty didn’t tell him that it was what had caught his eye about Kate, too.

“I may be wrong,” Jimmy added, “but it seems you kinda like Kate.”

Dusty shrugged his shoulders. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like her.”

“But that’s it?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He glanced up from the depths of his glass of tea to see Jimmy studying him. “It’s more complicated than that.”

“Isn’t everything?”

Rubbing a hand over his unshaven face, Dusty nodded. He couldn’t put a name to what it was he felt for Kate. Even if he could, it wouldn’t make a difference. But the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, and that’s where it seemed to be heading.

K
ATE TURNED
the pickup into the parking lot of Lou’s Place and searched for a parking place.
Just my luck
, she thought, before she spied a spot not far from the entrance and pulled into it. With a sigh of exhaustion from yet another sleepless night, she climbed out of the pickup, walked to the back of it and dropped the tailgate. Reaching for the cooker full of barbecued beef, she dragged it to the edge. Couldn’t someone be around to help her with the heavy pan for a change?

“Let me give you a hand,” a voice behind her said, as if her request had been heard.

She turned to see Ted Haverly, who played in the band at the Blue Barn. Seeing the glint in his eyes, she
nearly refused him, but the cooker held more than usual and it had taken both her and Aggie to get it into the truck.

“Thanks,” she said, stepping aside.

Ted hefted the heavy cooker and followed her to the building. “A favor for a favor?” he asked before she opened the door.

The question put her on her guard. She’d seen Ted watching her in the past, but she had always managed to avoid him. His reputation didn’t endear him to her at all.

“Like what?” she asked, unable to avoid him this time.

“I thought maybe we could go to the Blue Barn some evening when I’m not playing and get to know each other a little better.”

Her first instinct to tell him to go to blazes faded as she considered the invitation. She could handle Ted with no problem. Dusty was the one who gave her problems. “Maybe,” she told him with a small smile.

The cooker nearly slid from his hands. “Yeah?” he asked, righting it.

“Yeah.”

His surprise turned to a broad smile that began to resemble a leer. “We’ve got gigs until later next week. Maybe then?”

Kate knew she’d lost her mind, but at that moment she didn’t care. It was past time she got out and enjoyed herself. In fact, she had been having fun the night before, until Dusty showed up and turned everything upside down.

“I think I can arrange it,” she told him as she pulled on the door and held it open for him.

She stepped into the tavern without looking around
and led him to the little room Lou referred to as a kitchen. Ted set the cooker where she instructed, waiting while she plugged it in and made certain everything was all right.

She had started for the door into the tavern, to find Lou and let him know the barbecued beef had arrived, when Ted stopped her, his hand on the door frame, barring her way with his arm. “I promise to show you a real good time.”

“I’m sure you think you will,” she replied.
Or die trying
. Still, she had to start somewhere, even if it was what she considered to be the bottom of the barrel as far as Desperation men were concerned.

Her remark brought a frown from him as she ducked under his barrier and walked through the doorway. Much to her dismay, he caught up with her and draped his arm across her shoulders. “I do know how to treat a lady,” he boasted.

Kate reached up and deftly removed his hand as it inched lower. “This lady is a little different.” She gave him a flashy smile. “Slow it down, cowboy, or the Blue Barn is off.”

“Whatever you say,” he answered, removing his arm with a shrug and a grin.

“Hey, Ted,” someone on the other side of the room called out. “Jack says you need some practice on that guitar.”

Ted tipped his hat to Kate. “See you later. I gotta go straighten out Jack.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kate searched for Lou’s familiar bald head, finally finding him cleaning a table. But out of the corner of her eye she saw Dusty, sitting
at another table nearby. She couldn’t make out who was at the table with him, but it didn’t matter. He was there, and she needed to find a way to talk to Lou but not him. There was no getting around it though, so she could only hope Dusty wouldn’t notice her.