King of Rock (Lions of Pride Island Book 1) (14 page)

They’d come all the way to Montana. Surely there would be another time to meet him. But there was no way her friends could come with her tonight.

“It’s okay,” Ruby said, sitting on the bed and looking out at the orange sun setting over the beautiful trees.

She was already falling in love with Montana. From the moment they’d landed—no, even seen it from the plane as they flew over—all three women had fallen in love.

They’d all grown up in the city, and there was nothing like this there. Wide-open spaces. Cool air. Miles between towns.

“You have to go,” Bonnie said. “I don’t want you to miss it for me.”

“I’m sure you can meet him some other time,” Harmony said. “Maybe you could call him.”

“It was just a time and place listed on the profile. Other women might show up.” The competitive side of her flared. No one else was going to take her mountain man.

“We’ll still have a good vacation. We can go stay up at the lodge,” Harmony said. “We’ll still get to meet your cowboy.”

“I don’t want to move Bonnie just yet,” Ruby said. “We’ll probably be here a few days.”

“Not that I mind,” Harmony said, looking around the little cabin they’d rented. It was spaciously appointed, with a flat-screen TV and a full bathroom and kitchenette. “I could totally get used to this for a break.”

“Not exactly your apartment, is it?” Ruby asked.

Harmony shook her head. “Nope. Not enough cockroaches.”

“It’s a little small for what I’m used to,” Bonnie said quietly, looking around. “But I have to admit it’s charming.”

Bonnie looked tired, her pale skin extra pale, a contrast to her blazing red hair that belied her shy personality. Bonnie came from old money, and her degree in veterinary sciences made for a good living and a nice apartment in a much different part of town than Harmony lived and worked as a lounge singer.

Harmony rummaged in her purse and then pulled out a small pink pouch and handed it to Ruby. “If you really want to meet your man, take this.”

“Your Taser?” Ruby said. “Are you sure?”

Harmony nodded. “And your cell phone to call us if anything seems off. It seems like a pretty safe little town, but just in case.”

“Do you really think it’s okay?” Ruby asked.

Harmony pursed her red lips. “I don’t know. But I can tell it’s going to break your heart if you don’t get to see him.”

“I know it’s silly,” Ruby said. “I just have a feeling about it.”

“I hope so,” Harmony said, folding her arms. “Because now that we’re in the middle of nowhere, on break from our jobs, something better come of this.”

“I don’t know,” Ruby said, shrugging. “I do know I’m not thinking about Bill.”

Harmony grinned wryly at that. “Well, it’s all worth it, then. That cheater isn’t worth your time.”

“Or a demotion,” Ruby said gloomily.

“Maybe it all happened for a reason,” Bonnie chirped. “Maybe you—ugh…” She ran for the bathroom. After a few moments and some running water to clean up, she stumbled back to her chair. “Maybe everything was supposed to go wrong so you would be willing to drop everything and fly out here when you saw that profile. Maybe he’s the one.”

Harmony rolled her eyes, but Ruby couldn’t help feeling a little bit excited.

After years of unsuccessful dating, who didn’t find the idea of one man of your very own, meant just for you, romantic?

She was certainly okay with it.

“It’s a quiet town, and we saw the restaurant. It seemed safe,” Bonnie said, her voice insistent. “I don’t want you to wait.”

“I don’t want you to go alone,” Harmony said grumpily, pulling her curly hair back into a ponytail. “But that Taser should put down anything short of a full-grown bear, so I would think you’ll be safe. Plus, according to the map, the restaurant is pretty much in the middle of town, so there should be plenty of people around.”

“Maybe I will go,” Ruby said hesitantly, her heart leaping at the thought of it. She didn’t want to be stupid, but she felt so drawn to the man. She didn’t even know why.

And she was tired of playing it safe. She’d done everything by the plan, and all it had gotten her was a cheating boyfriend and a career where they took advantage of her skills and never gave her the recognition she deserved.

She was going to a bar in Montana. “I’m going to get dressed.”

Bonnie clapped her hands, then looked slightly pale and steadied herself. Harmony whooped.

Ruby grabbed an outfit out of her suitcase, changed in the bathroom, and then presented herself to her friends, twirling.

She wore a peach silk blouse with light-colored skinny jeans that hugged her curves. The color of the silk set off her pale, creamy complexion. She swiped on coral gloss and shrugged into a black motorcycle jacket that added just a bit of edge to the look. Her light-blond hair was fluffed and perfect. When she completed her twirl for her friends, they clapped in approval.

“Bill is so stupid,” Harmony said.

“Agreed,” Bonnie said, rubbing a hand over her waist. “Man, I’m nervous. I wish we could be there with you.”

“I’ll call you as soon as we’re done. I’ll tell him I can’t stay long, but if there’s another woman there, I’m going to have to figure out how to outlast her.”

“Good girl,” Harmony said. “Though, I think you might be the only woman crazy enough to come all the way out here just to meet some mountain man.”

“My mountain man,” Ruby joked, tossing her hair. “I’m taking the rental car. That okay?”

“Of course,” Harmony said. “And make sure you drive yourself at the end of the night. Don’t get into cars with strange men, no matter how hot they are.”

Ruby saluted. “Got it, Mom.”

Harmony scowled at her and then laughed. “Get out of here. You’re gonna be late.”

“Okay,” Ruby said, feeling nerves hit her as she grabbed her purse and slid the Taser inside. She wasn’t so much nervous about something happening as she was about the fact that she was about to meet a stranger who her crazy fantasies said might just be the one for her.

She waved to her friends, shut the door behind her, and then walked out to her car.

Time to woman up and go on an adventure by herself.

* * *

W
hen Ruby pulled
up to the restaurant, she felt her courage attempt to abandon her.

There were motorcycles parked all around the place, and the loud sound of country rock blared from inside. There were people, sure. But it didn’t sound like there were many women, if any.

There were large trucks parked all around, surrounding her small rental car, which she parked close to the entrance in case she needed to make a quick getaway.

She put her hand on the door handle, and trepidation filled her. What if these men were rough, difficult, and nothing like the smooth city men she’d experienced? Then again, smooth city men could be pretty uncouth when they thought they could get away with it, putting their hands in all manner of places they weren’t invited to.

Perhaps the men out here would have some outdated code of chivalry?

She heard a raucous shout and the sound of a stool being turned over and paled slightly. No, it didn’t seem so.

But she could see Shane’s reassuring green eyes in her mind, and for some reason, she felt if she could just find him, she’d be fine.

She took a deep breath and walked out of the car. Her boots sank in the soft soil beneath her, and she stumbled as she walked up to the front entrance. Rough wooden steps met her, and she took deep breaths, determined to fake the courage she certainly didn’t feel.

When she opened the door to the bar, she felt the full stupidity of the moment wash over her.

What had she been thinking?

A dozen or so men looked over at her. They were varying degrees of rugged, and she could see in their hungry eyes that it wasn’t often they saw a woman like her. The bar went silent, and she could sense a heavy tension in the air that made her skin crawl and urged her to run.

A man at the bar, seated at the counter, looked up at her with golden eyes. Golden eyes. He had dark-blond hair and a face shaded by stubble. He had several lackeys with him, and as he stood, they walked forward. But before they could reach her, a man pushed out of a booth to the side and walked directly in front of her.

She looked up into striking dark-brown eyes and a face she almost mistook for Shane's before realizing it was all wrong.

This man was the epitome of a mountain man, covered in a shaggy, thick beard with dark, unruly hair, intense eyes, and wearing thick flannel. She almost expected him to pull a log out of his pocket and split it right in front of her.

His dark eyes stared at her as he took her by the arm and led her to his booth, sending a dark glare at the men around them, who grumbled but slowly went back to her seats.

The bartender visibly relaxed, as if he were aware some sort of altercation had been avoided. She could still feel the cold, appraising gaze of the blond man at the bar, but she tried to ignore it as the large man helped her into the booth and sat across from her.

“Shane McAllister,” he said gruffly, sticking out a hand for her to shake. It was covered in callouses, and when he shook her hand, it shook her whole body, making her squeak in surprise.

“You can’t be Shane,” she said, looking him over. The face was somewhat familiar, but the eyes, they were different. And the overall feel.

The man in front of her had an earthy masculinity that most women would probably find attractive. And she was sure he was probably handsome under all that fur. But she didn’t feel the draw to him she’d felt when she saw Shane’s profile.

She sighed. She should have known it was too good to be true. Clearly, this mountain man had stolen a picture of some male model who looked something like him in order to get a woman to come out to a town like this where she wouldn’t usually go.

She started to stand. “I think there’s been a mistake,” she said, hoping to get out without too much awkwardness.

She found her hand caught by the man across from her as she was unceremoniously tugged back into the booth.

“Tell me about yourself,” he said, eyeing her up and down as he flagged down a waiter. He ordered two draft beers without asking what she wanted, and she bit her lip, wondering how to deal with this difficult person who wasn’t anything like she’d expected.

He clasped his huge hands in front of him and leaned over the table, observing her in a way that made her nervous. “You aren’t big enough. I said I wanted big.”

She flushed, squirming nervously. “I thought this was what you meant.”

He gave her an approving stare and nodded. “Well, it’ll do. It’s attractive; that’s for damn sure. But is it sturdy?”

She smoothed her blouse. “I’m not sure about that.”

He waved a hand like it didn’t matter. “Well, Shane—I mean me… I’m a good protector. It’ll be fine. And you won’t have to do much except be a female, so that’s okay.”

She gulped. The man she was talking to sounded nothing like the man on the phone. He sounded like the more ludicrous parts of the profile, not the parts she’d been attracted to.

When the beers arrived, he finished his in one long go and then looked at hers. Not a big fan of beer, she pushed it over to him, and he finished that too, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

She wondered what Harmony would make of a man like this. But as for her, she knew it wasn’t going to work. Even if he was a mountain man, she needed someone more refined.

“I don’t think this is going to work,” she said, edging her way out of the booth again. But as she was about to exit, she looked up with a chill over her spine to see the large blond man from the bar looking down at her.

A growl came from the man across from her. “Get lost, Wyatt.”

“Shut up, McAllister,” the man retorted smoothly.

She quickly got back in the booth, disliking the predatory look of the blond even more than she disliked the rough look of the man across from her.

But Wyatt, the blond, had called her "date" McAllister. So he really must be Shane after all.

Damn. A part of her had been hoping maybe there were two profiles, and her Shane was still out there. And that was why he’d answered the phone and known about the profile.

A tanned hand came in front of her and she looked up at the blond leaning down toward her. “Why don’t you come spend some time with a
real
man?” he asked as the man across from her, Shane, she supposed, stood with a growl and lunged at the other man, yanking him away from the booth and slamming him up against a nearby wall while the men yelled raucously.

“You don’t own any woman in the territory,” Wyatt drawled, looking unconcerned by Shane’s hands on his jacket.

“I own this one,” Shane snarled, letting the other man go with a shove before adjusting his collar. “So back off.”

Ruby had to admit there was something just slightly hot about being fought over. And Shane did have an animalistic strength that seemed attractive in a rough, primal way.

“You want to settle this outside?” Wyatt asked, straightening up and giving Ruby a look that made her shiver with anticipation. Damn, the men around here had a way of making a woman feel really
looked at
. She didn’t know what to make of it.