Bobby Does Dallas: Hill Country Heart (7 page)

"I don't know what you mean," Tad was reluctant to get too close to the bull.  He rode
broncs
and did some bull-dogging.  Only the toughest cowboys mixed it with the bulls.

"We've tried to take his temp the regular way, but he keeps biting down on the thermometers and breaking them," Bobby said with a straight face.  One of the other cowboys nearly choked on the out-and-out insane claim that Bobby was making.

"What do you want me to do – feel his forehead?" Tad eased closer, trying to keep as much distance as possible between him and the dangerous creature.

"No," Bobby spoke evenly and reasonably.  "I need you to stick a couple of fingers up his rump and tell me how it feels – I mean, how hot it feels."  Another cowboy coughed, trying to hold in his mirth. "If it feels as warm as – say – a fresh Dairy Queen hamburger – then old Cupcake here is
gonna
have to get a visit from the vet."  Like a child, at the mention of a doctor visit – old Cupcake reared backwards almost dislodging all four of his captors. 

Trace grabbed a new hold on the bull and laughed. "This old bull's acting like he understands every word you're saying."

Tad eased up and lifted the bull's tail.  "Don't I get a pair of gloves or something?"

Bobby swallowed.  This was just too good.  "The gloves would dull your sense of touch," Bobby said evenly.  "It's best if you just dive right in."  They all held their breath as Tad Smith stuck his hand up the bull's rectum.  It was a symphony of movement – as Tad pushed in – Cupcake pushed back.  He bucked once, twice, and Tad was hanging on tight with his interior grip.  There was a whoosh of noise and Tad got more than he bargained for. 

"Shit!" Tad yelled.

Literally.
 

"Hell yeah!"
Bobby exclaimed.  As Tad ran off to clean up, Bobby slipped old Cupcake an apple. "Good boy," he praised the bull.  Justice had been served.

*****

It was him! 
Annalise
didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  She had recognized his voice nd laughbefore she had seen his dear face.  When he had walked into the lobby area and their eyes had met – he had rushed across the room and swept her up in his arms, holding her like she was his lifeline to the world. 
"‘
Lise
!
  God, ‘
Lise
– is it really you?" 

She couldn't help it – she wrapped her arms around him and clung to him, knowing that it was wrong.  He was married!  The sign said so!  The one called Alex had watched the whole episode with a stunned look on his face.  Ethan’s body felt so good against hers – she just wanted to melt into his arms and hold him forever. 

In spite of her best intentions to hold herself back, her hands began moving over his back and shoulders – caressing, rubbing – soothing out their heartache.  The other man cleared his throat and Ethan let her body slide slowly down the length of his.  That movement – like no other – highlighted the fact that he was fully engorged and erect.  There was no way her mind, body, or heart missed the fact that he was as glad to see her as she was to see him. 

‘
Lise
literally shook with desire.  She wanted his lips on hers more than she had ever wanted anything.  Unable to stop herself, she lifted her face; wordlessly, begging for his kiss.  It was if the clock had been turned back six years, to a time before they had been forced apart and she had been damaged beyond repair. 

That thought sobered her up.  What was she doing?  Stepping backward; she was desperate to put distance between them.  Holding out her hand, she tried to restore sanity, "Ethan, it's so good to see you.  I've thought of you, often."

~ Chapter Three ~

This time it was Toby Keith's ‘
Gimme
Eight Seconds’ that he was singing to the top of his lungs.  "
gimme
eight seconds – you
gotta
be crazy, you
gotta
be insane to hitch your wagon to a hurricane."   Bobby had the radio turned up so loud, that he didn’t hear the grinding racket his truck was making.  By the time it was audible over Toby it was too late.  There were knocks, rattles, scrapes and squeals – Bobby pulled over just before he heard the crack.  Damn!  His truck had it in for him. 

As he opened the door to check out the damage, he was hit by a memory – a wave of longing for a sweet little doll named
Ceelee
.  He would give his last dime to hold her again.  Yesterday, he had called Bo Roscoe on the way to San Marcos and the PI had assured him that he would pull every string he had to find her.  Unfortunately, the info that he had given him just wasn't enough to make any concrete promises. 

span3" face="Times New Roman">Lifting the hood, he groaned – it was a busted U-Joint.  "Crap."  Knowing he had no other choice, he called Ethan and sat back to wait; knowing that this time his angel wouldn't come out walking to him out of the night to rescue him.<
font>

He had dozed off when the slamming of a vehicle door announced that one of his brothers had arrived.  “Bobby, Bobby – son, didn’t you renew your Triple A?  We’ve had to rescue you and this piece of shit twice in the last month.”  Ethan teased his little brother – who was physically larger than either he or Alex – but he was still their ‘little brother’.

Bobby appeared contrite.  “I guess not.  Sorry, bro.”  Bobby stepped out of the truck and stood with his brother while they looked under the hood.  Both of them were fairly decent mechanics, but Ethan agreed with Bobby that a u-joint had broken, leaving one end of the drive shaft on the pavement.  And that wasn’t something they could fix by the side of the road. 

“We’re getting you a new ride – pronto.”  He flipped on his cell phone and called a tow truck. 

“With that purse from the last win at the Mesquite Rodeo, combined with what I've already got saved up, I can buy the truck for myself.  I can even pay cash for the most of it.”  Bobby expected Ethan to argue with him – tell him that he needed to save his money, but Ethan was strangely quiet.  It was obvious he had something on his mind besides a new truck.

Bobby stood by and let his big brother have his down time.   In a few minutes, a friend of Ethan’s appeared, and in no time, the truck was hoisted and ready to be moved.  They made arrangements to have it delivered to an area mechanic and soon they were ready to head back to Lost Maples.  Ethan handed his keys to Bobby, “Here, you drive; I need to think.”  Bobby looked at him curiously.

“What’s going on?” 

“‘
Lise
Evans is at the B&B.”  Ethan said the words evenly; not betraying the upheaval that he was experiencing.    

“ ‘
Lise
? 
The girl that disappeared on you so long ago?”

“Yeah, she’s back and I don’t know which end is up.”

“What are you going to do?”        

“I know what I want to do.”  Ethan didn’t have many secrets from his brothers.  "I want to make love to her so badly that I ache with it."

“What’s stopping you?”

“Well, I am here with you . . . .”  Ethan loved to pick at his little brother.  “No. Bobby – so much has happened.  There’s so much I need to ask her.  I don’t even know why ‘
Lise
left me in the first place.”  Remembering the hot kiss that they had just shared and her obvious response to his passion, he had no doubt that they still desired one another.  “It feels like things are the same between us, but we haven’t said the words.  And the words have to be said.” 

“Sounds like you’ve got some work to do.”  Bobby concentrated on the driving, giving Ethan time to think of
Lise
.  He had his own doll-baby to dream about.  As Bobby parked the truck, Ethan spied
Annalise
walking down by the creek.  He was out of the door and halfway across the lawn before Bobby could put two words together. "Have a good time!" he called after his brother.  Hope speared him in the chest, he hadn't seen a smile like that on Ethan's face in many a day.  Keeping his eye on them until they walked out of sight, he headed into the house – his stomach rumbling.  "Alex!”  Bobby called out for his brother.

“I’m in the kitchen.”

“You’re such a home body,” Bobby teased his broad, strapping brother.  Alex lunged at him teasingly, but Bobby stood his ground.  “Whatever you’re cooking smells heavenly, dear.”

“Watch it, stud,” Alex flipped a chocolate chip cookie at him and he caught it in mid air  

“Ethan tells me that ‘
Lise
Evans is here.  What do you think about that?”

Alex pulled a chair out and joined Bobby, handing him the whole cookie jar.  “Here, I know you can’t eat just one.  Just don’t spoil your supper.”  He slowly stirred the cup of coffee he had poured himself and weighed his words.  “I think it could be the best thing that ever happened to Ethan,” he looked up at his brother with a wistful smile on his face.  “You should have seen them.  I have never seen Ethan react to a woman like that.  It was like one of those romantic chick flicks; he swept her up in his embrace and she wrapped her arms around him and they clung to one another for dear life.” Alex paused and then snorted.  “It was the most damned romantic thing I’ve ever seen.”  

Looking up, he smiled, laughing out loud at his brother’s expression.  Alex had expected derision or ridicule from Bobby about his take on the tender scene he had witnessed between Ethan and ‘
Lise
.  Instead he saw a mirror of his own feelings – a longing for something they didn’t have.  “We’re pitiful, do you know that?  Soon, we’ll be watching Dr. Phil.”

Bobby grew serious.  Alex didn’t know how important family was to him – or maybe he did.  “I don’t tell you this often enough, but I appreciate being part of this family.  When I think back to those days when I was abused ad then abandoned -” Bobby stopped talking, giving himself a minute to pull it together.  Alex laid a big, comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Bobby, you’re not just a part of this family – son, you’re the best part,” Alex was big of body and soft of heart.  “Mom and Dad loved you, and as far as Ethan and I are concerned – you’re closer than blood – bro – you’re our brother in every way that counts.”

“Thanks, it’s been so hard watching Ethan be unhappy.  I hope this woman doesn’t hurt him any more than he’s already been hurt,” Bobby pulled another cookie out of the jar and began munching on it.

“I don’t think she will,” Alex spoke slowly and thoughtfully.  “If you could have seen her face – it literally lit up when she saw Ethan.  You could tell that she was overjoyed be with him again.”

“You remember that girl I met the other night?” Bobby said between bites.

“You meet a girl every night, don’t you?  I mean, you’ve brought home – at last count – forty two different girls from UT – not to mention all of those little groupies that follow you around at the rodeos,” Alex wasn’t jealous, he never lacked for female companionship.

“I know,” Bobby smiled, aware that he was blessed with that ’hunk quality’ that drew women to him like a bear to honey.  “But, this girl was different – special.”

“Which girl are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the one from the side of the road.”  Bobby spoke so flatly and seriously that Alex exploded in a belly-shaking laugh.

“That’s just like you, bud – you can find a woman anywhere.”  Seeing that Bobby was as serious as a heart attack, he sobered and inquired.  “What was so special about her?”

“She stopped to help me in that rain storm when I broke down, even rescued
Mojo
.  I didn’t realize he had gotten out of the truck after I scrunched into that guard rail.”

“I’ve told you about driving too fast on wet roads.”  Ever the older brother – Alex couldn’t resist lecturing a little.    Bobby pushed his Stetson up off of his forehead.  ”I told you that a deer ran out in front of me.”  Alex knew how Bobby braked for animals.  He had almost obliterated a set of new tires dodging squirrels.  “Anyway, she came running up to me soaking wet.”  He started to tell Alex about her wet shirt and those magnificent tits, but that memory was too precious to share.  “She wasn’t worrying about her looks or trying to come on to me – she was genuinely trying to help.”

Alex laughed again.  “Wow.  I never thought’d see the day when a woman not coming on to you would peak your interest.”  Waving his cookie at him, Alex made his point.  “That’s a sure sign that you’ve gotten entirely too popular with the ladies.  It’s that bull-riding you’ve been doing.  Did you know I took twelve messages for you last week – and they were all from women with more sugar in their shorts than brains in their head?”

“How old are you?” Bobby looked at his brother.  “You’re acting like you’re seventy-two.  You need to get laid, Alex.  You’ve been baking too many cookies.”