Cowboy Command (6 page)

She felt heat creep into her cheeks. 
“Because I’m new in town?”

Seth nodded, still studying the menu. 
“That and you’re not bad to look at.”

“
Thanks,” she said dryly.  “When I was a little girl my dream in life was to be not bad to look at.”

She felt a warmth in her stomach at his words
, despite her sarcastic response.  She’d seen an attractive side to him this morning in addition to his physical charms, which were more than abundant. 

He chuckled. 
“You sure are different than I expected.”

He had her attention. 
“What did you expect?”

He shrugged. 
“I don’t know, just something different.  Evan told me you worked for some billionaire.  I was expecting…I don’t know.  A glamorous blonde or something.”

Was he disappointed?  Had he secretly hoped for a blonde he could have a fling with? 
“Would it make you feel better if I told you I was a blonde yesterday?”

He tilted his head, studying her closely. 
“I can’t imagine you with blonde hair.  The brown looks so natural.”

“
That’s because it is.  This is the color I was born with.  The blonde was just for fun.”

“
Fun?  I hear blondes have more fun.  Did you?”

No, she hadn
’t.  Not really. 

She held up her menu, not liking where her thoughts were going about her boss
.  She changed the subject.  “What do you recommend?”

“
I’m having the meatloaf.  Do you eat meat?  If you don’t, I wouldn’t recommend saying it too loud.  This is Montana.”

Presley smiled. 
“I do eat meat, but I’m not fond of meatloaf.  How are the burgers?”

“
Good.  The fries are—”

Seth broke off as the waitress came to take their order.  He ordered the meatloaf special and she ordered the bacon cheeseburger with home fries.  They didn
’t talk much as they waited for their food, so it was almost a relief when an attractive young woman with short dark hair came into the diner, heading straight for Seth.

“
Seth, I was hoping I’d run into you here.”

Seth stood up, his chair scraping the floor in his haste. 
“Eliza.  I didn’t expect to see you today.  I’d like you to meet my new secretary, Presley Lawson.  Presley, this is Eliza Denton.  She’s the librarian in Harper.”

Presley shook hands and the woman
’s smile widened.  “Do you like to read?  It would be wonderful if you could join our ladies’ book club.  We meet once a week.  Six o’clock on Wednesdays at the library.  End of the street next to the school.  Please say you’ll come.”

Presley remembered Evan
’s words about being here awhile and blending in.  She smiled back.  “I do like to read.  What kind of books does your group read?”

The woman waved her hand. 
“Oh, this and that.  A little of everything.”

“
I’d be pleased to join you and see what it’s all about then.  Thank you.”

Eliza turned back to Seth. 
“I saw your mother at the library this morning.  She invited me to dinner tonight and wanted me to remind you to invite your new secretary.”  Eliza smiled at Presley.  “I’m so glad I ran in to you.  His mother is a fantastic cook.  You don’t want to miss her fried chicken.”

Seth looked distinctly uncomfortable and Presley wasn
’t sure if it was because he didn’t want her to come to dinner, or he didn’t want her talking to Eliza.  She decided she wanted to do both.

“
I’d love to come to dinner.  I love fried chicken.”

Eliza
’s eyes lit up.  “Great.  I’ll call Marion.”

Presley waited for Seth to be polite, but when he didn
’t Presley nodded toward a chair.

“
Please join us for lunch.  There’s plenty of room.”

Eliza laughed and sat down next to Seth. 
“I am hungry.  Have you ordered yet?”

“
We did, but not that long ago.”

Seth still hadn
’t said anything, which Presley thought was strange.  When his phone rang, he excused himself from the table.  Eliza leaned forward, her eyes twinkling.

“
You lasted the morning.  That’s more than can be said for his last secretary.  Did he tell you there isn’t a woman in town who’ll work for him?”

“
He didn’t, but I got the gist from the notes that were left in the desk.  It appears that someone started a diary a few years back and each secretary kept notes on him.  They made him sound like Attila the Hun.”

Eliza slapped a hand over her mouth. 
“He’s actually a very nice man, but he’s tough to work for.  He can be difficult.”

“
I can deal with difficult, so we should get along well.  How do you know Seth?  Are you family?”

Eliza leaned forward even further
, her mouth in a wide grin.  “I’m afraid it’s worse than that.  I’m his girlfriend.”

Presley felt a shock run through her body.  For some stupid reason, she
’d thought Seth was single, which was absurd.  He was a very handsome man and probably had many women after him. 

“
Seth seems like a nice man,” Presley said awkwardly.  “You make a cute couple.”

Seth came back to the table with a frown. 
“I’m needed out at Perry’s place.  Can you find your way back to the station?”

Presley nodded. 
“Of course.  Is everything all right?  Isn’t that where Deputy Hank is?”

Seth
’s brows came together.  “It is.  Perry is screaming about some of his cattle being missing and some dead.  It’s a big mess.”  He pulled a key off his key ring and handed it to her.  “Here’s the office key.  I’ll call in a little while.”

The waitress came and put their plates down on the table.  Seth sighed. 
“I was hungry, too.”

Eliza grinned and picked up a fork. 
“Don’t worry, I’ll eat it.  It won’t go to waste.”

Seth grumbled as he left the diner and Presley tucked into her cheeseburger.  It was really good and before she knew it, it was gone from her plate.  She
’d been hungrier than she’d thought.  It felt good to be pleasantly full again.

Eliza was making similar progress on the meatloaf and soon they had two empty plates.

“So have you lived in Harper your whole life?” 

Eliza nodded. 
“I have, except for when I went away to college.  I like small town life, I guess.”

“
Have you been dating Seth a long time?”  Presley wanted to smack herself upside the head.  She really didn’t want the details, but she couldn’t stop herself.

Eliza rested her chin on her hand. 
“About six months or so.  If you live here long enough, you eventually date everybody.”

“
Everybody?”  Presley pictured some sort of square dance where the people changed partners.

“
Everybody.  It was only a matter of time before either Seth and I married someone or started dating each other.”  Eliza flushed.  “We’re not what you would call ‘in love.’  We like each other.  We have a date for family functions and Saturday night.  He’s a good man, but…”

Eliza
’s voice trailed off and Presley could see there was more to the story.

“
There’s a man.” 

Eliza sighed. 
“Isn’t there always?”  She shook her head.  “It doesn’t matter.  It would never work.  He wouldn’t be interested in a boring librarian.”

Presley straightened in her chair. 
“You’re not boring.”

“
You just met me.”

“
I can tell,” Presley argued.  “You’re not boring.”

“
I am.  That’s why Seth likes me.  He likes everything to be calm and controlled.”

“
Seth sounds like he’s got a big stick up his butt.  What’s the other guy like?”  If Seth liked calm, he wasn’t going to be interested in Presley.  Her life was anything but calm.

Eliza giggled. 
“I can’t wait for the day you tell Seth Reilly to pull the stick out of his ass.  Please tell me so I can be there.”

“
You can be there.  Now tell me about the other guy.”

Eliza
’s face went dreamy.  “He has long dark hair that pulls back into a ponytail.  He drives around on his Harley in tight blue jeans and a black leather jacket.  He’s muscular and his face is carved from granite.  And he has the most beautiful green eyes.  He’s sex personified.”

“
Holy crap, he sounds hot.  All women love a bad boy.  What does he do?”

Eliza scrunched up her face. 
“He’s the town blacksmith.”

Presley
’s eyes went wide.  “They still have those?  I had no idea.”

“
They do.  You should see him stripped to the waist, with his leather apron and blue jeans, black boots.”  Eliza shuddered delicately.  “Oh man, he’s like a god.”

Presley
’s eyebrows shot up.  Eliza looked decidedly smitten.  “You should go for it.  You’re pretty.  I bet he would love it if you came on to him.  Men love that shit.”

Eliza shook her head. 
“I could never do it.  I wouldn’t know what to do, what to wear.”

Presley glanced down at the woman
’s clothes.  She was wearing the usual City of Harper uniform of jeans, boots, and a sweater.

“
How about you and I go shopping?  I can help you pick out some clothes.”

Eliza grinned. 
“Would you do that?  I never know what to wear.”

“
I’d love to.  Are there stores near here?”

“
We can go into the city on Saturday.  I can drive.”

“
Sounds like a plan.  Now how do we get you two together?  Hmmm…”  Presley tapped her chin in thought.  “If only we could get you in the same place together at the same time.”

Eliza
’s face lit up.  “The barn dance.  There’s an autumn barn dance this weekend.”

“
Perfect.  We’ll shop for clothes early in the day and do this dance thing in the evening.  What’s this guy’s name?”

“
Alex.  Alex Peterson.”

Eliza was beaming
, but then her face fell.  “There’s only one problem.”

“
What?”  Presley thought they had a good plan.

“
Seth.” Eliza slumped in her chair.  “Seth.  How can I do this to him?”

Presley sighed. 
“Oh, yeah.  I don’t want Seth to be hurt.”

Eliza shook her head. 
“He won’t be hurt.  We don’t have those kinds of feelings for one another, but it isn’t truthful.  I can’t try and lure in another man if I’m dating Seth.”

Presley nodded. 
“You’re right.  So you just go the dance and have a good time.  With Seth.  I’ll still help you shop, though, if you want.”

“
I’d love that.”  Eliza looked at her watch and signaled for the check.  “I better get back to the library.  I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”  Eliza reached out and hugged Presley.  She hadn’t been expecting it but she really liked this woman right off the bat, and returned her hug.  Presley tossed a few bills on the table alongside Eliza’s.  Prices were very reasonable in Harper compared to Tampa. 

“
It will all work out.  I’ll see you tonight.”

Presley
walked slowly back down Main Street to the sheriff’s station.  It was nice to make new friends in town but she wasn’t sure how wise it was for the friend to be the girlfriend of her new boss.

A girl who wanted another man. 

And Presley was attracted physically to her boss.

Shit.
  This was so fucked up, on so many levels.

Chapter Four

Seth had to hand it to Presley.  She really was a charming woman.  His entire family was hanging on her every word, smile, and gesture.  Or maybe it was just him.  He’d driven her out to the ranch after work and her sweet scent had about driven him over the edge the entire way.  She smelled like flowers and vanilla and he’d had a tough time not pressing his nose to her neck to take a deep breath.

Besides, he had a girlfriend.  He and Eliza might not have a great passion but they had friendship and respect.  Eliza was quiet and shy.  She never made a scene or tried to piss him off just for fun.  She was the kind of woman he never had to worry about. 

Presley was a woman who would keep him up at night.  She was talking to his mom and dad, gesturing with her hands while she told a story about one of her friends.  Her face was lit up and she looked so animated.  So damn beautiful.  Almost as beautiful as she had looked this morning when she’d found Millie.  She was soft-hearted and she’d tried hard to make both him and Trask feel better, when it was clear her own heart was breaking for the animal. 

Presley looked around the room appreciatively. 
“You have a beautiful home.  The fire makes the room cozy.”

Seth sat down on the couch and stretched out his long legs. 
“Presley has been suffering from the cold since she got here.”

His mother looked puzzled. 
“I thought you came from Illinois?  It must be cold there as well?”

Fuck.  Shit.
  He needed to remember her new identity.  It was a good thing Evan had never told him Presley’s real name.  He’d blow it for sure.  This woman had his brains scrambled like his morning eggs.

Presley smiled, cool as you please. 
“I did, but the wind here is much sharper than I’m used to, that’s all.  Seth worries too much.”

His mother laughed. 
“Yes, Seth is our worrier.  Would you like to see the Elvis room?”

Seth wanted to hide in the cushions of the sofa but he wouldn
’t fit.  He’d hoped they’d be able to get through the meal without the eccentricities of his family coming to light, but it wasn’t to be. 

If Presley was surprised by the request, she didn
’t betray it with even a flicker of an eyelash.

“
I’d love to see it.  Are you fans of Elvis?”

His dad grinned
, eager to show off his Elvis collection.  “We are.  You can imagine our excitement when Seth told us he’d hired a woman named Presley.  Are your parents also fans of The King?”

Presley shook her head. 
“I’m afraid not.  They just liked the sound of the name.”

“
It’s a lovely name.  Let me show you the room.”  His mother and father led her down the hall and Seth relaxed, drinking his beer.  His new secretary was too disturbing.  He hadn’t expected to like her so much.  There was something eminently nice about her, almost innocent and fresh.  She’d said people opened up to her and talked about their personal lives, and Seth could see why.  She had an open, trusting face.  Luckily, he wasn’t the chatty type or she would have known all his secrets by now.

He heard the squeak of the screen door and Eliza walked in
, shaking the wet snow from her short hair.  He felt a twist of guilt in his gut.  He liked Eliza and she was his girlfriend.  He shouldn’t be thinking about another woman.  That was not the kind of man he was.  He’d always prided himself on his loyalty and fidelity.

He took her coat and hung it in the closet. 
“Beer?  Wine?” 

Eliza
nodded.  “A glass of wine would be good.  Where’s Presley?”

“
Seeing the Elvis room with my parents.”  Seth poured her a glass of wine.  “Did you have a good day?”

Their conversations were like this.  Nothing too deep or personal.  Nothing like when Presley got him talking about losing his virginity within five minutes of meeting her.  This was better, nothing out of control or crazy.  Eliza was soothing to him after a long day.

She sipped at her wine.  “I did.  Listen, Seth.  There’s been something on my mind for awhile and well, after talking to Presley today I think you and I need to talk.”

The words came out all in a rush and Seth sucked in a breath.  It appeared Eliza wanted to have a personal conversation.  One he wasn
’t prepared for. 

Because she
’d talked to Presley.

“
Of course we can talk.  What do you want to talk about?”

“
Us, Seth.  I think it’s time we talked about us.”

* * * *
*

Seth looked pissed.  Presley wasn
’t sure about what, but in the last twenty-four hours she’d started to recognize his moods and this one looked dangerous.  He was scowling at her, his eyebrows drawn down.  It was apparent everyone at the table had noticed as his parents kept cajoling him out of his black mood, and Eliza kept looking down at her plate then looking at Presley with an apologetic expression.  When dinner was over, she pulled Eliza aside.

“
You’ve been giving me looks all evening.  What’s going on?  Does it have anything to do with Seth looking like someone peed all over his pot roast?”

Eliza nibbled on her lower lip. 
“I kind of broke it off with him before dinner.”

Presley leaned back against the wall in the hallway. 
“You did what?  Are you serious?”

“
It wasn’t fair to lead him on,” Eliza whispered.  “I have feelings for another man.  Seth isn’t hurt, he’s just mad because I’ve messed with his well-ordered life.”

Presley blew out a breath slowly. 
“Are you sure?  He looked pretty upset.  Maybe he’s really in love with you.”

It bothered her to say it, but it had to be said.

Eliza shook her head.  “He isn’t.  He once told me he’d never loved anyone and no one had ever loved him.  I thought it was sad.”

It was sad.  And puzzling.  Seth seemed like the kind of man a woman would fall in love with.  Any woman but her, of course.  She knew what men were really like.  She
’d seen enough of their handiwork.

“
Then why is he mad?”

Eliza covered her face
, then peeked through her fingers.  “I think it might be because I mentioned you and I talked at lunch today.”

Presley groaned. 
“Outstanding.  He thinks I’m the reason you broke it off.  That’s great.”

Eliza shook her head. 
“I told him it didn’t have anything to do with you but he looked pretty steamed.”  She straightened up.  “Don’t let him bully you.  He will if he can get away with it.”

Great.  Just awesome. 

“I’ll deal with it.  I don’t intimidate easily.”

As soon as they walked back into the living room, Seth jumped up from the sofa.

“Are you ready to go, Presley?  It’s getting late.”

His mother and father protested
, but she could see the determined glint in his eyes.  They were about to have it out in the truck.

Good.
  She’d been blown up, set on fire, foisted on this man in a small, backwater town, and pulled in to the middle of his so-called relationship.  And all of it in the last forty-eight hours.  She was spoiling for a good fight. 

Head held high, she marched out to the SUV, hopping into the passenger seat without his help.  He got in, started the truck, and headed back toward town.  The tension was so thick between them it was palpable.  He was waiting for her to say something, but she decided
to let him stew.  This was his issue, not hers.  She hadn’t done anything wrong.

Finally, he turned to her, a white line around his compressed lips. 
“I guess Eliza told you she ended things with me tonight.  I’m told I have you to thank for that.”

“
I’d like to take credit for it, but I think my part in this has been misunderstood.”

“
All I know,” he said, his hands tightening on the steering wheel, “is that when I left the diner today everything was fine, and tonight it wasn’t.  The only thing different was you.”

“
That’s where you’re wrong.  Things weren’t fine between you two.  Listen, I told you how things were with me.  But did you listen?  Hell, no.  I told you complete strangers tell me their life story.  Eliza told me she’s in lust with another guy.  She thinks she couldn’t get his attention and I told her she could.  That’s it.”

“
There’s another guy?” Seth asked incredulously.  “She didn’t say anything about another guy.  She simply said she didn’t think our relationship was going anywhere and we shouldn’t see each other anymore.  Fuck, there’s another guy?”

This whole day had gone from bad to fucking wo
rse.  One thing was clear.  Seth wasn’t hurt.  He didn’t act like a man who had been wounded.  This was clearly his pride talking.

“
Was your relationship going anywhere?  Were you going to ask her to marry you?”

Dead silence.  She heard Seth sigh. 
“I don’t know.  Probably not.  We had fun though.”

“
What fun things did you do?”

More silence. 
“Shit, why are you asking me all these questions?”

“
Eliza said you’re pissed because she messed up your well-ordered life.  Is she right?”

“
Maybe.  I don’t have to apologize for liking things the way I like them.”

“
No, you don’t, and no one is asking you to.  I just suspect that your outrage about being dumped has more to do with your gigantic ego than any real feelings between you two.”

“
Gigantic ego?”  He sounded pissed again and she grinned in the darkness.  This pompous ass needed to be taken down a peg or two.  “I don’t have a gigantic ego, darlin’.”

“
When you get mad, you start talking with a twang.  Did anyone ever tell you that?”

Seth let go a string of expletives that would have made a sailor blush beet red.  Luckily, Presley had heard and said every one of them. 
“You make me crazy, do you know that?  You waltz into my town and my life and proceed to turn it upside down in one day.”  He pointed at her.  “I will not allow you to do this, do you understand?  I’ll protect you with my life, but I will not turn over my life to you.  Got it?”

“
Got it,” she retorted.  “Don’t flatter yourself into thinking I want any part of your life.  I got pulled into this, not the other way around.  If anything, you should be apologizing to me.”

Seth sputtered and fumed
, much to her amusement, as they entered town and parked outside the station.  “I’ll come up with you to make sure everything is okay.”

“
You don’t have—”

“
Stop.” He raised his hand.  “I do have to.  I may be pissed as all hell, but it’s still my job to protect you.”

She didn
’t bother to answer.  She led the way upstairs and let him check the tiny apartment for intruders.  He turned to leave, apparently satisfied she wouldn’t be murdered in her sleep.

“
Good night, Seth.  I am sorry about you and Eliza.”

He stopped right outside the door, but didn
’t turn around.

“
It’s okay.  Eliza was right.  It wasn’t going anywhere.  Good night, Presley.”

The sound of his boots on the stairs trailed away and Presley tossed her coat on a chair and went into the kitchen to make some tea.  It was going to be another long night of no sleep.  Too much had happened today and she needed time to process it.  Mostly she needed time to figure out what she was going to do about her attraction to Seth Reilly.

She pulled her notebook from her handbag.  It was the only thing she had left from her former life, and began to write.  It was the one thing she knew would make her feel better.  It would make her feel sane.