Cowboy Command (7 page)

Chapter Five

It looked like the entire town had come out for the barn dance.  Presley hadn
’t known what to wear to a barn dance but between herself and Eliza, they’d managed to find perfect outfits.  Eliza was wearing a plum jersey long-sleeved dress that fell to the tops of her cowboy boots.  It skimmed every curve without being obvious and Presley had assured Eliza it would have the desired effect on one Mr. Alex Peterson. 

Presley chose a crimson ribbed sweater
-dress paired with knee-high taupe suede boots.  She’d let her long hair dry naturally and left it loose around her shoulders.  A touch of makeup completed her outfit and gave her a boost of confidence to meet so many new people.  Eliza had warned Presley she’d be much in demand tonight.  New people in town were few and far between.

Presley scanned the crowd of bodies for Seth.  All week her awareness of him had increased until by the end of Friday her libido was screaming.  It wasn
’t fair for one man to be that sexy.  And maddening.  He could teach a mule a thing or two.

“
That’s him.”  Eliza grabbed Presley’s arm.

“
Seth?”  Presley sucked in her breath.

“
No!  Alex.  Right over there.”  Eliza pointed to a man who exactly matched the description she’d given.  He was long, lean, and oozed a sexual vibe.  No wonder the librarian was intimidated.

“
Holy smokes, he is hot.”  Presley watched as Alex Peterson strode into the party with a few of his friends.  “Do all cowboys look this good?”

Eliza pointed to a few men in the corner. 
“No, not all.  But they do all seem to have hearts of gold.”

“
It looks like he doesn’t have a date,” Presley stated.  “Go get him.”

Eliza
’s eyes were wide and her complexion had paled considerably.  “I can’t just walk up to him.  What would I say?”

“
How about hi?  You know him, right?”

“
I know everyone in this town.  I’m the librarian.”

“
Well, there you go.”  Presley patted Eliza on the back.  “Does he come into the library at all?”

“
No,” Eliza shook her head.  “He never has before that I can remember.”

Presley looked down at her root beer.  It looked like she would have to take one for the team.  She tipped up the plastic cup and slugged the entire thing down. 

“Okay, follow my lead.”  Presley headed toward Alex and his friends, with Eliza right behind her.  When Presley was right beside them, she held up her empty cup with a forlorn sigh, and faced her new friend.  “I think I’m turned around, Eliza.  Weren’t the refreshments over here?”

Alex tipped his hat. 
“Excuse me, ma’am?  The drinks are on the other side of that wall.  We’d be happy to get you and Eliza something.”

“
There’s no nee—” Eliza began but Presley elbowed her hard. 

“
That’s very sweet of you.  I’m Presley Lawson, by the way.”

Alex took off his cowboy hat. 
“I’m Alex Peterson, and these two are Sully Fairfield and Buddy Jacks.  Pleased to meet you.  You’re new in town.”

“
I am, I’m afraid.  I’m lucky to have Eliza here taking good care of me.”

Presley stepped back to put Eliza front and center.  Eliza opened her mouth and then closed it, clearly not sure what to say.  Alex was a smooth talker though
, so Presley needn’t have worried.  One look at the bad boy’s expression told her he had a thing for Eliza.  And he wanted to show it to her. 

The biker and the librarian.  Very hot and naughty.  Eliza was a lucky girl.

“I’m sure Eliza is doing a wonderful job.”  Alex’s voice was soft and sultry and Eliza’s face flushed in response. 

“
I’m really not all that thirsty after all.  You should ask Eliza to dance.”

It was apparent these two didn
’t need foreplay or a bunch of conversation.  Alex only needed the slightest bit of encouragement, which it appeared he’d never received before this moment, and he was off to the races.  Or the bedroom, whichever came first.

“
I would like to dance.  Eliza, would you honor me?”  Eliza nodded wordlessly, never looking at Presley, and they headed for the dance floor.

My work here is done.

“Ma’am?  Can I interest you in a dance?”  One of the other men, either Sully or Buddy, she didn’t remember which, asked her and she agreed.  She wanted to have fun tonight and not think about her handsome and sexy boss.  She’d spent the entire week in close proximity and it was making her crazy.  He looked good, he smelled good, and he was kind to animals.  His only negative quality was he was a pain in her ass about the office. 

Every time she tried to improve something he would get argumentative.  She
’d then explain what she was doing and after giving her the silent treatment for a few hours, he would admit it was a better way to do things.  This had happened numerous times this week and she was mentally exhausted from playing these fencing games with him.  Why couldn’t he be a typical male and not care where something was filed?

Sully or Buddy
’s hand moved a little lower, down to her ass, and pulled her body closer to his.  She didn’t know this guy well enough to be held this tight.  She could feel his belt buckle against her belly and she gently pushed back from him, trying to hike his arm up at the same time.

His eyes crinkled at the corners. 
“Relax, darlin’.”

Presley usually wasn
’t very relaxed when a man had his palm on her ass cheek.  She pulled away further as they negotiated a turn.  It was a relief when Sully or Buddy’s shoulder got a tap from someone wanting to cut in. 

“
Do you mind?”  Seth’s deep voice sent shivers through her body.  Damn it, she’d only wanted one day not thinking about him but it looked like she wasn’t going to get it.

“
No problem, Seth.”  Sully or Buddy scurried off and found another partner immediately.  She moved into Seth’s arms just as the band started playing a super-slow romantic ballad. 

Well, shit.

They danced in silence for a few minutes before Seth finally spoke.  “I saw what you did earlier.  That was nice of you.”

“
What did I do?”  Presley frowned.

“
The whole thing with Alex and Eliza.  She was too shy, but you got them together.”

Presley lifted an eyebrow. 
“You seem awfully happy about that, considering you blamed me for ending things between you.  I hesitate to call it a break up when there were no broken feelings, from what I’ve seen.”

Seth chuckled and she could feel the vibration from his chest. 
“I guess I should apologize for being a dick, huh?  Eliza’s right.  I don’t like change very much.  She and I were south of casual, if the truth be known.  We were pretty much dating so people would leave us alone and stop matchmaking.  I’m happy for her and Alex.  Hope it works out.  Despite his biker appearance, he’s a hardworking guy.”

She leaned back to look up into his light blue eyes. 
“Well, well, well, you can apologize.  And thank you, I accept.  I think they make a cute couple.”

Seth nodded toward the duo, their heads close as they swayed to the music. 
“Did you two go shopping this morning in the city?  You both look nice.  That dress on you is very, um, red.  If you were trying to blend in, you failed.  Although you would have been the center of attention no matter what you wore tonight.”

“
My favorite color is red.” Presley laughed.  “Yes, we did.  I really like Eliza.  She’s sweet and we had a lot of fun.  Thank you for not making a big deal about me going.”

Seth shrugged. 
“I talked to Evan and he didn’t see any reason you shouldn’t go.  No one seems to have any idea you’re here.”

“
Since they think I’m dead,” Presley drawled.

“
There’s that.”

They danced until the song ended and she pulled away regretfully.  She
’d liked being in his arms more than she wanted to admit.  His body had been warm and strong, his scent tantalizing.  It made her want to press her face to his muscular chest, run her hands over his wide shoulders, and breathe deeply. 

“
How about some air?”  Seth pointed to some partially open barn doors.  She nodded in agreement, letting him lead her to several stacked hay bales with blankets thrown over them.  They sat and his thigh was close to hers.  If she moved they would brush against one another, so she stayed as still as possible.  In less than a week, this man had her tied into knots.  Usually she could take or leave a man.  This one she wanted to take.

The evening was chilly but there were portable heaters positioned all around the barn to keep the dancers warm.  Presley looked up into the sky, mesmerized by the amount of stars twinkling overhead. 

“I can’t get over how many stars I can see out here.  You can’t see this many at home.”

“
We’re away from the lights of the city.  You can’t see stars because of the lights.”

“
How do you know I’m from the city?  I could be from a rural part of Florida.”

She heard his soft laugh. 
“No, Presley.  You’re not a country girl.”

She elbowed him. 
“Are you saying I don’t blend in?  That I’m all citified?”

His fingers captured her chin and turned her so she could look into his eyes. 
“I don’t think you could blend in anywhere.  You’d stand out no matter where you went or what you did.”

“
Maybe.”  She reached up and captured his hand with her own.  “You’ve been pretty mad at me this week.  Is all forgiven now?”

“
I’ve been a jerk this week.” Seth shook his head.  “You’ve done a great job organizing the office.  You’ve revolutionized the place.  You’re easily the best secretary I’ve ever had.  And the thing about Eliza, well…”

“
Well?” Presley prompted.

“
I was embarrassed,” Seth admitted.  “I got dumped while you were watching.  I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

“
You didn’t get dumped.”  She squeezed his hand.  “I don’t think less of you.  Actually, I really kind of like you.  You’re a nice man.”  She giggled.  “Kind of a pain, but a genuinely nice man.”

It struck her at that moment how few nice men she
’d ever known.  She scoured her memory banks but couldn’t come up with a name quickly.  She could only think of him at this moment.  He seemed to take up all the physical space around her and all the real estate in her mind as well.

“
Next thing you’ll tell me that we can be friends or that I’m like a brother to you.” 

“
I never had a brother before,” Presley teased.  “That might be nice.  Unfortunately, my feelings aren’t the least bit sisterly.”

He leaned closer, their lips only a few inches from each other. 
“I can work with that.  I like you, Presley.  You make me mad and you make me happy, but dammit, you make me feel something.  What do you feel about me?”

She shook her head. 
“Damn, are all cowboys so upfront with their feelings?  I’m used to men playing it cool and hard to get.”

Seth tipped the brim of his cowboy hat up. 
“Never liked games between men and women much.  That’s why I like you.  Seems like it just wastes time better spent kissing and touching.”

Heat swept through her body at his bold words.  He was absolutely correct.  There were much better ways to spend their time.  She simply needed to make one thing clear.  She placed a hand on his chest, his heart beating underneath her palm.

“I think a kiss would be a good idea.  There’s one thing we need to get straight before any lips touch, though.  I don’t know how long I’ll be here in Harper.  It could be weeks, months, maybe years.  But when this is over, my plan is to go back to Florida to my family and friends.  My life is there.”

“
Fair enough.”  He nodded.  “I appreciate the honesty.  Let me be honest right back.  I want you.  This past week has only built the attraction I felt for you the first night.  If I promise right here and now, under these stars, to never ask you to stay in Harper, will you explore this thing between us?  I think we could have something good.  While you’re here, that is.”

“
You’d really promise that?  What if we fell in love?”

“
I’ve never been in love.” Seth shrugged.  “Maybe I’m not the type.  But, yes, I’ll promise.  When the time comes, love or no love, the decision will be up to you.  I won’t ask you to stay.”

It was what she needed to hear although somehow the words managed to hurt her heart a tiny bit.  He
’d made the promise easily enough and she should be grateful.  He understood where she came from and where she was going.  This time in Harper could be a pleasant interlude for both of them. 

She slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling him down for their first kiss.  Her palms were sweating and her heart was galloping as arousal flew through her veins and fizzed in her abdomen.  She
’d been fantasizing about this moment for days and it was here.