Falling For A Cowboy (7 page)

Dusty wonder
ed
if this man was ever going to leave her be.
After buying a
beer
,
Clay had staked a spot against the
thin pillar at the corner of the concession stand and there he
’
d stayed through the crush
of patrons clamoring
to get
a drink
before
the
bull riding
finals
start
ed.

There were still three people in line and she had four minutes left before the
clowns would warm up the audience for the big event.
But for reasons she didn
’
t care to explore, her mind wasn
’
t on work right now.

She took the
orders and fill
ed
the
ir
cups
,
operating on automatic pilot as her mind churned
.
With his tight black T-shirt stretched over all those muscles and those softly worn denim jeans hugging his
butt
,
Clay
ruined her concentration for anything else
.

H
ad
n
’
t he gotten the message last night? When he
hadn
’
t come
in with
the
entrance of the
afternoon crowd
,
and she hadn
’
t seen him during barrel racing
, she was sure he
’
d
stay down with
Jesse and the other
bull riders and she was fine with that
.
Really she was
.
More than fine seeing how she didn
’
t want any of what he was offering—a one night stand
.
And even t
hough she was sure the memory of a one night stand with Clay Tanner would keep her warm
all the way
through to her old age
,
if that kiss of his was any sample.

There was no way she
w
ould risk it
.
What if she like
d
it
?
No, t
here was no
what if
about it
.
There
could be no
future—not with a rodeo cowboy—so why even venture down that path
?
She wanted a future
with someone
.
She wanted the house, the white picket fence, the kids
,
and a husband who came home every night
.

That
’
s what she
’
d
thought
she
’
d
found
with
Bradley
,
a
computer whiz
. S
he
’
d been
sure
that
when they graduated he would ask her to marry him
. Then
they would live happily ever after in
Silicon Valley
or wherever he landed a job
.
It
had
turned out
to be Boston and
,
before she
’
d
had time to even think about moving up there with him, he had given her the old
“
it
’
s
been
nice but
,
let
’
s be friends
”
talk. Bradley had decided to move on without her
.
He
’
d told her the morning after they
’
d finally had some
spectacular
sex
.
S
he
’
d almost had an orgasm.
Almost
.
At least she
’
d felt
like she
been
on the verge of one.

The
clatter
of boot heels on pavement echoed through the walkway as last minute patrons scurried to get in before the bucking started. They had time
.
According
the voice of Adam Green
coming over the loud speakers,
Colt,
the rodeo clown
was just getting started on his routine—one she knew almost by heart.

“
I asked for two,
”
said a young cowboy in an irritated voice
.
He was the last of the line,
if she didn
’
t include Clay dawdling at the side
.

She
filled another cup and collected the money as
the cowboy
stomped off
.

“
Everything all right, Dusty
?
”
Rico
calle
d from the next stand.
He nodded in Clay
’
s direction and Clay tipped his hat
.
Rico
was only a little taller than she was
,
but he was built like a bull dog and just as protective
.
He was an old-f
ashioned kind of gentleman when it came to women
;
a
man who guarded those he considered family
,
and most people he knew were included
in the definition
.

“
Everything is fine,
Rico
,
”
she said, and gave him a wink
.
After giving Clay another look
,
Rico
went back to
grilling
. Her stomach rumbled and she prayed no one heard it
.
Usually, s
he
’
d be getting some leftovers from
Rico
right about now
,
given th
at
bull rid
ing closed the show
.

“
Aren
’
t you going to go watch?
”
she asked
when
Clay didn
’
t make a move.

He turned to her, tipping his hat up with the rim of the half-filled cup in his hand.
Those blue eyes of his gli
nted
in the
late afternoon
sunlight
that
cascad
ed
through the open walls of the arena.

“
No
.
I like the scenery out here better.
”

Th
e
announcer
said something to
Colt,
and the audience roared
.

Ignoring the intent of his comment, she wiped down the counter with the gray rag.
“
When is he up?
”

“
Jesse s
hould be riding
fif
th
.
There weren
’
t too many who landed with a chance at the money
.
Should be good for him.
”
He leaned his elbows on the counter and jutted out his tight bun
s
.
Dusty
could see the worn
denim
pocket
stretch
where his wallet resided.
“
O
f course
if
you
want to watch Jesse
..
.
”
His eyes searched her
s
for an answer.

She shook her head
.
“
I don
’
t watch, especially not bull riding.
”
She could never watch after that day.

He frowned
.
“
I would have thought
a
girl like you
would participate in the rodeo
.
Thought you
might be
a natural at barrel racing, especially
given your size
,
and
growing up in
Langley
.
”

She had been a natural
.
And she had loved it
.
She
’
d only race
d here
at the
Lone Star arena
,
on
a horse borrowed from Jenna Connors
.
She had
n
’
t
been able to afford the fees
,
or the trailer
,
or the horse to make a run at it
anywhere else
.
And then, after all that had happened, she
’
d lost her taste for it
.
It was bad enough working the rodeo as it was.

Not wanting to explain,
she just shrugged in answer to his question
.
“
You
’
d have thought wrong.
”

He shifted
as if
to get a better look at her
.
“
For a woman who
grew
up in a rodeo town and works at the rodeo, you don
’
t seem all that thrilled with rodeo or cowboys.
”

She shrugged again
.
“
Maybe I
’
ve just had my fill
.
Like when you have too much of anything, you can lose your appetite for it.
”

He chuckled
.
“
Some things, maybe
.
Other things, never
.
There are things I would never get my fill of or lose my appetite for—guaranteed.
”
His eyes glittered with amusement and something more, like he was talking about her, which was a foolish notion
.
She
’
d just met the man and they hadn
’
t exactly gotten off to a good start.

He took a slug of beer.
Over the rim of the
cup
he
took her measure
from top to waist and back again.
“
Like that kiss last night
,
”
he said in a low, sexy voice.

Heat rushed up her body like it was in a race
for the finish line
.
In the distance some mother was arguing with her child about the bathroom.
Say something
.
Anything

“
Where
’
s home?
”
she asked
.
Her heart began beating again.
She threw the rag under the counter and wondered how she would keep busy till closing if he intended to nurse that beer until then.

He sighed
.
“
Near
Marfa
.
”

“
That
’
s where you
’
re a cowhand?
”

“
That
’
s where I work. Jesse said you
’
re a teacher?
”

She gave him a
short nod
.
“
I
’
m trying to be
.
I
’
m looking for a job, actually.
”

Adam
was calling the bull rides now and, from the sound of things, not to
o
many were hanging on.