Boots and Buckles (14 page)

Her boss tipped her chin up. “Oh, baby, are you in trouble with the law?”

Mona shook her head. “No.”

“Oh dear. Are you pregnant?”

A laugh bubbled up Mona’s throat. “No…no, I’m not.” Although the thought of being pregnant made her even more confused and kind of sad.

Audrey shook her head. “If you’re not in trouble with the law and you’re not pregnant, everything else is easily handled. Spill it. What’s got your panties in a twist? Or should I say
who
?”

“Grant and Sam,” Mona said in a rush. “I don’t know what to do about them.”

“Honey, is that all?”

“Is that all? After three years of being celibate, I have two men wanting to take me out.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not seeing the problem here.” She rested her hands on her hips. “Sounds to me like you should be celebrating, not crying buckets of tears.”

“I should, but I don’t know who to choose.”

“Do you love them both?” Audrey asked.

“I loved Grant three years ago.”

“And now?”

“Hell, I still love him, but I’m not sure I trust him.”

“What about Sam?” Audrey gave her a direct stare. “Did you know him before last night?”

“No.”

“Have you even known him for twenty-four hours?”

“Almost.” Mona knew how bad that sounded. “But we had sex last night.”

“And?” Audrey prompted.

“It was great.” Tears welled in her eyes. “He was gentle, considerate, passionate and wonderful.”

“Did he ignite your flame, make your toes curl, get your motor running?” Audrey asked. “Did he make you want to do it in the storeroom?” She winked.

“Yes, yes and yes.”

“I hear a
but
coming.”

“But Grant does too.”

Audrey lifted her hands. “Then have them both.”

“It’s not that simple.” Mona scuffed her leopard print heel on the sticky barroom floor. “I told them they had to be willing to work with me as a team.”

Audrey threw back her head and laughed. “Good for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“If they love you enough to win your heart, they’ll do this.”

“What if they decide they can’t?” Mona paced the short distance to a stack of boxes containing whiskey. “What if they both back out?”

“Then your problem is solved and you move on to another man…or men.”

“Audrey!” Mona flung her hands up. “I don’t want to lose them.”

“Honey, my momma told me never to borrow trouble.” Audrey gave her a quick hug. “See what happens and go from there.”

“I know. That’s about all I can do.” She wondered if she’d been stupid to demand they take her on as a team. If she could have only one of them, which would she choose?

“In the meantime, work will help keep your mind off your troubles. I throw myself into the job when I’m worried. It helps.”

“Yeah. Thank goodness we’ll be busy tonight.”

“You still on for the private party at midnight?”

“I am. I need the cash. I thought I had a month, but the bank called today and said the property owner has another offer. I only have two weeks to come up with the cash.”

“My offer still stands.”

“I’m close, Audrey. I think between tips tonight, the party and tomorrow’s tips, I’ll just about have enough.”

“Don’t lose the shop because of your pride. I don’t want to have to drive all the way to Hole in the Wall for a haircut.”

“Thanks, Audrey.”

“Now get out there and smile.”

“I don’t feel much like smiling.”

“Then fake it ’til you feel it.” Audrey opened the storeroom door and sent Mona out into the crowded saloon.

She really hoped Sam and Grant wouldn’t show up that night. Then again, if they didn’t, did that mean they weren’t going to play her game? That neither one of them was interested enough to play by her rules?

Holy crap. Had she given up both of them because she didn’t want to choose? Or had she done it because she was afraid?

Grant arrived at the Ugly Stick Saloon after ten o’clock. The place was packed. Many contestants had finished their events and were ready to blow off the steam from a stressful few days of events. Some of them were celebrating victory, others drowning their bad luck in whiskey and bourbon.

He should have been celebrating with his team-roping partner. They’d placed first in their event, cause for major celebration. Instead he was there alone and he didn’t know Sam’s whereabouts. Probably somewhere in the crowded saloon.

For the first couple hours after Mona left, Grant told himself to let her go. Sam wasn’t interested in making good her challenge. Without him, Grant didn’t have a chance at getting near Mona. Or did he? He’d convinced himself she was running scared and afraid to commit to either man. Which meant he’d have to try harder to woo her, to win her over, by showing her patience and understanding. He couldn’t expect her to trust him just because he said he was sorry. He had to earn back her trust.

An evening that had started out on a bad foot could only get better. Moping around the trailer wouldn’t buy him anything. So here he was in a crowded saloon, hoping to catch a glimpse and maybe a dance with Mona.

His gaze skimmed over the heads of the cowboys lucky enough to have snatched a seat in the place. A flash of dark shiny hair and the sway of smoothly rounded hips encased in a short, denim skirt caught his attention.

There she was, smiling at the customers, flirting and filling her pockets with tips. Damn, she was so pretty and natural, she made Grant’s groin ache. He’d have to wade through a sea of cowboys to get to her. Hugging the walls, he inched his way around the room until he made it to the bar. A cowboy got up, tossed down a twenty and left. Grant grabbed the stool and sat.

“What can I getcha, cowboy?” Libby asked. “Oh, hey. Grant, right?”

“Yeah. Sam Adams, if you have it.”

“Coming up.” She turned to pull a beer out of a cooler, popped off the top and set it in front of him. “Just in time for the show.”

The band in the corner announced that they would take a fifteen-minute break. Audrey climbed onto the bar, a microphone in her hand. “Are you ready to party?” she yelled.

The room full of cowboys all answered as one, “Hell, yeah!”

“Come on, girls. Show these fine men how it’s done.”

Audrey reached down and grabbed Kendall’s hand, hauling her up onto the counter. Two other waitresses joined them and Mona was helped up by two swarthy-skinned cowboys, as the music started. Each woman wore a straw cowboy hat, short denim skirts and cowboy boots.

“Thanks, Mark. Thanks, Luke,” she called out to them, twisting and kicking her heels up in step with the others on the bar.

The men in the crowd clapped, whistled and shouted as the women danced.

At the end of the dance, Audrey raised her microphone and, like the night before, she announced that whichever cowboy caught a hat, that cowboy got to dance with the girls on the bar.

His pulse leaping, Grant stood, easing his way toward the end of the bar where Mona danced. So far, she hadn’t given any indication she’d seen him. Good. If he laid low until she launched the hat, he had a chance. If she saw him, she might throw it the other way.

The music came to a stop and the ladies on the bar ripped their hats off their heads and threw them.

Grant sprang into the air, his eye on the ball…or hat, in this case. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Sam leap into the air as well. A dozen other hands reached for the same hat. Just when he thought he had his hand on the prize, Sam snatched it from the other side.

They dropped to their feet at the same time, neither letting go of the straw hat. Grant tugged hard, trying to dislodge it, Sam tugged equally hard and the hat ripped in two.

The two men stared at the hat, then turned to Mona, who stood on the bar, her arms crossed, shaking her head. “Really?”

“Sorry, Mona. I’ll buy you a new hat.” Grant reached up to help her down.

Sam stood beside him. “No, I tore it, I’ll buy you a new hat.”

As the disappointed cowboys moseyed back to their chairs, Grant and Sam hovered in front of the bar, each holding out their hands, waiting for Mona to choose which she’d let help her down.

Finally, she ignored both of them, sat on the bar and scooted off without their help. “Come on, I’ll dance with Sam first, then Grant. No fighting.”

She grabbed Sam’s hand and dragged him toward the dance floor, her lips moving, her voice drowned by the loud music and even louder cowboys.

Sam shot a triumphant grin over his shoulder at Grant.

His fists clenched, Grant could only watch from the sidelines as Sam danced away with Mona.

“What’s the matter?” Dalton stopped next to Grant and chuckled. “Your partner get your girl?”

“Shut up, Dalton.”

Dalton smirked. “She’s nothin’ but a tease. Not worth fightin’ over.” He crossed his arms. “If it hadn’t been for her, we’d still be a team.”

“No, if it hadn’t been for you, I’d have been with Mona for the last three years.” Grant grabbed the front of Dalton’s shirt and jerked him close. “You fucked it up. Not me, and not Mona.”

Dalton peeled Grant’s fingers loose from his shirt and smoothed out the wrinkles. “You’re a fool, Raleigh. No woman is worth the amount of trouble
that
one has caused.”

“Get out of my face.” Grant clenched his fists, fighting the urge to slug the bullshit out of his ex-partner.

“Look what happened with your first wife. She didn’t even stay married to you a whole year before she slept with me then ran off with another cowboy. Did she?”

Grant closed his eyes and counted to three, then opened them and said, “Get the hell out of my face.”

“And if I don’t, whatcha gonna do about it?” Dalton waved him forward. “Come on. Take a swing.”

Mona and Sam stopped in front of them. “Grant, your turn.”

Reluctant to leave a fight Dalton started, Grant hesitated.

“If you’re not going to dance with her, I will.” Sam started to lead Mona back among the dancers.

“We’ll dance,” Grant said, his words tight. “Dalton’s not worth it.”

Sam placed Mona in his arms and gave them a shove toward the other dancers. “Go on then. I got this.”

Before he left Dalton, Grant said, “Stay out of my life and leave Mona alone. She deserves better than you.” Then he gathered Mona close and took off. When they rounded the end of the dance floor and headed back in Dalton’s direction, Sam wasn’t next to him.

“Leave it, Grant,” Mona said. “Dalton’s an ass. Sam didn’t rise to his bait. Neither should you.”

Grant settled into the steps, his gaze resting on her. “Mona, I meant it when I said I was sorry for leaving you.”

“I know.”

“What’s it going to take to win you back?”

She stiffened in his arms, her steps slowing. “I told you.”

“Sam’s not into threesomes.”

“Frankly, Grant, I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s get through this dance and you can go home.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“Why? To prove a point?” She stopped in the middle of the dance floor. “Did you ever really love me?”

“Yes. I loved you and still do.” Other couples nearly bumped into them. “I’m not leaving now, because you’re worth fighting for.”

She stared up at him, her eyes swimming in unshed tears. “You didn’t think so the last chance you had.”

“Other things came up. I wasn’t free to come back.”

“Yeah, you married another woman.” A tear slipped down her face. “How was I supposed to take that? You said you loved me. Then you turned around and married another woman. I guess I should at least be happy you ended it with a phone call. I was stupid and in love.”

“I married Desiree because she was pregnant.” There it was out. He’d told her. “Not because I loved her.”

Mona stepped out of his arms. “She was pregnant when we were going out?”

“I didn’t know it then.”

“But you slept with her and then moved on to the next rodeo and slept with me.” She dropped her arms to her sides. “How do I know you won’t do it again? New town, new fuck-buddy.”

He gripped her arms, his fingers digging into her soft flesh. “Because I love you. I don’t want another woman in my life. There hasn’t been one since you.”

“Well, I don’t want just you. If I can’t have both you and Sam, I don’t want either of you.” The music ended on her last word. Mona walked off the dance floor and disappeared through a door into the back of the saloon.

Grant retraced his steps to the bar and ordered another whiskey, determined to take the edge off his anger and disappointment by blurring it with booze.

“You gonna let her walk away?” Sam appeared next to him.

“She made her wishes clear. It’s both of us or neither.”

“Let’s go.” Sam wove his way through the throng of rowdy cowboys.