Ride Me Cowboy #3 (The Cowboy Romance Series - Book #3) (6 page)

“You didn’t say a single thing I wanted to hear
Bob,” I told him with a grin.

“You’re welcome, boy,” he said with that raspy
chuckle of his.

On the ride back to the ranch I thought about
everything that Bob said. A few years ago in one season I had at least five
concussions. I can’t afford to pay for the expensive medical insurance when I’m
in the off season and Dad took me off his when I got out of college and refused
to go to a four year. The “Year of the Concussion” as I call it, I spent almost
all of the
close to $100,000 I earned on medical
bills. But…I still can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s the only thing in my
life I feel real passion for…or it was, before I met Lexi….

********

 
I found Lydia
in the kitchen when I got back. My dad was there too, but as soon as he saw me
come in one door, he walked out the next. Lydia watched him go and shook her
head. She looked back at me then and said, “You look like you’ve had a long
day. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

She smiled. “Well then, you’re in luck! You’re Dad
cooked tonight. I have some pot roast and potatoes and carrots and homemade
biscuits for you. Go sit down and I’ll bring it in.”

“You don’t have to wait on me, Lydia. I don’t mind
fixing it myself.”

“I know you don’t, but I really don’t mind.”

“Thanks. Where’s Lexi?”

“She’s upstairs. She’s going to meet her friend Samantha
in the city tonight for a girl’s night out. I told her not to drive back so
late tonight so she’ll be back tomorrow sometime.”

“Oh, good.”
Damn it! I want to ask her to go to the rodeo with me this weekend. I was going
to wait until morning when I was rested and she had one more day to get over
being mad at me…but I guess I’ll have to do it before she takes off tonight.

Lydia brought me my dinner and then she sat with me
while I ate it. I think she’s starting to feel sorry for me. I’m sure she’s
probably hoping that someone will tell her what’s going on…but it’s not going
to be me. Her company is nice. It’s been a really long time since I’ve had a
maternal kind of influence in my life, and she does a great job of it. I hope
that Lexi knows how lucky she is…I’m sure she does.

“Thank you Lydia,” I told her when I finished. “That
was great.”

“Well, you’ll really have to thank your father for
that,” she said.

I smiled. Maybe you could pass that on for me.”

She smiled too, but sadly as she shook her head. “I
wish the two of you could work whatever this is between you out.”

“Me too,” I said, honestly without offering any
explanations. She insisted on taking my plate and cup and washing them, so I
went up to bite the bullet and ask Lexi about the rodeo. I hesitated when I got
outside her door. My hand was shaking. Finally, I raised it and knocked. When
she pulled it open I thought I might be having a heart attack.

She was wearing a red dress that stopped just below
the tops of her thighs. It was fitted in the waist and the neckline was rounded
so that it didn’t show so much cleavage she looked slutty, but just enough to
make the full mounds look enticing. Her hair was curled in soft ringlets that
fanned out across her shoulders and back, and she had on a pair of killer red
heels that I
’d really, really, really love
to do her
in. I’m a pervert…but damn she’s hot!

I realized I was staring open-mouthed when she said,
“Did you need something?” She said it really slowly as if she thought my brain
functioned at about a first grade level. I guess when I looked at her, looking
like that…it does.

“Um, yeah…sorry.
I have a rodeo this weekend.”

“And.”

“And I was wondering if you might like to go.” She
smiled…good sign. Then she reached into my chest, pulled out my heart and
crushed it in her hand by saying…very sweetly,

“I’d rather jump off the Empire State building.”

“Oh…” Shit! What do I say to that?

“Anything else?”

“Um…no, that was it.”

“Okay then, goodnight.” She closed the door in my
face. I felt like an idiot. Mission accomplished on her part, I guess.

CHAPTER
SEVEN

LEXI

I acted like a bitch and closed the door in Mark’s
face and then stood there shaking all over. I was still pretty sure that I had
a right to be angry with him…but that thought didn’t make me feel any better. I
heard him walk away and then I heard him get in the shower. I’ve never had to
live in such close quarters with someone that I had such strong feelings
for
. I’m really, really glad that I’m going out with Samantha
tonight. I’m right there on the verge of tears and if I was hanging around
here, I don’t know if I would be able to hold them back.

Like the coward I am, I snuck downstairs while he
was in the shower. I found Mom and Rob in the parlor watching some news show on
television.

“I’m going to take off now. I’ll see you guys
tomorrow.”

“Okay honey. Be safe and have fun.”

“I will,” I told her.

“Did Mark find you?” Mom innocently asked this and I
don’t think she even noticed the look Rob gave her. He really has issues with
his son.

“Um…yeah, he did.”

“What does he want?” Rob asked. I was taken a little
bit aback by his tone. It was really none of his business, but I didn’t tell
him that.

“Oh, he was just asking if I wanted to go to the
rodeo this weekend. I think I’m going to pass on this one though.”

“Smart girl,” Rob muttered. I saw Mom elbow hi
slightly.

“Are you sure honey? I know you get bored around here…”

“Yeah, I’m sure Mom. I’ll find something to do. I
better get going now though, Samantha is waiting for me.” Mom looked sad. I
know she felt bad for Mark. Rob was smiling. I think he was happy to know his
son had to go alone…which was sad too.

I made the long drive into the city. I cranked up
the music trying to drown out all of the conflicting thoughts in my head…it
didn’t work. I was so confused. I hated being in the country…except for the
clean air and the pretty starry nights and the nice people…Okay, so I don’t
hate it, but I’d never want to live there. I’m furious at Mark, not so much for
kissing that girl but for lying to me about it. Okay, I am pissed that he
kissed her…but that doesn’t make any sense if I truly wasn’t interested in
having a relationship with him…
which I wasn’t…
right?
Damn it! I really wanted to forget about all of this and concentrate on just
having fun with Samantha tonight. Her new boyfriend is a promoter and he got us
put on the VIP list for a new club in town
.
 
I told myself once again that was what
I was going to do…put it all out of my head.

Samantha was dressed to kill in a black mini-dress
with spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline. It hugged every curve and she
had the curves to pull it
off
. Her long blonde hair
hung straight down her back and I had to wonder how she didn’t know she was way
too good to put up with the creeps that she put up
with
.
I hoped this one was different, but I kind of doubted it.

“You look amazing,” I told her as we hugged. I
looked around the apartment, realizing once more how much I missed being at
home.

“You too!
Country life must be good for you.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Some days I wonder if
all of that fresh air has rotted my brain.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Nothing.
I don’t want to talk about it tonight. Let’s go have fun.”

“Okay,” she agreed, “But before you go back
tomorrow, you need to talk to me.”

“We’ll see,” I told her with a grin. We had a cab
pick us up, that way we could both drink. The drive to the club was less than
ten minutes. It was opening night so I knew it would be packed, but I was still
shocked at the extent of it. The line out front wrapped around the side of the
building. Samantha and I made our way to the VIP line and while we waited and I
listened to the loud boom of hip hop music coming out the door. I realized that
all I’d really heard the past month was country music. It had kind of grown on
me and suddenly the hip hop was slightly offensive. I was losing my mind!

“Ladies.
You on the list?”
The bouncer was huge. I literally
had to take a step back to look up at his face. Samantha gave him our names and
then tipped him before we stepped inside. The strobe lights were on in full
force and I had to blink my eyes rapidly to be able to see. My mind went to the
comfortable soft lighting of the bar Mark took me to the first night that we….
Shit! Stop it, Lexi!

We made our way through a sea of scantily clad
bodies out to the patio bar. On the way through I noticed there were white
leather couches and chairs and glass topped tables that had cute girls in white
bikini tops, boy shorts and go-go boots dancing on them. That was interesting.
It was almost a relief to get outside because the music was muted a bit and you
didn’t have to scream back and forth at one another…and there were a whole lot
less bodies, so you could actually breathe.

We bellied up to the bar and Samantha ordered a
white wine spritzer. I ordered a Bud Light.

“Beer, really?”
Samantha was looking at me
like
I’d ordered blood.

“I like beer.”

She rolled her eyes. “You really need to get off
that ranch more often.” I just laughed and endured yet another sneer from my
friend when the guy tried to pour the beer into a glass and I told him that I’d
rather drink it out of the bottle. We found a high top table and sat down with
our drinks. I looked up at the building and realized it was three stories high.
I hadn’t noticed from the front how big it was.

“What’s up there?”

“The club has four bars and three dance rooms. The
one we walked through is hip hop and reggae the patio, of course doesn’t have a
dance floor. Second floor is Latin music and the top is hard rock. It’s like
three clubs in one.”

“Nice. Where’s Lance tonight?”

“He’s here somewhere,” she said, looking around as
if he might appear. “He’s working though so when he has a minute, he’ll find
us. What about you?”

“What about me, what?”

“How long have I known you?”

“Um…we were eleven…”

“Right so ten years…all through
your formative years.
I can hear it in your voice and
see it in your eyes….
There’s
a man. Is it the
step-brother?”

“What? Why would you even ask me that?”

“Please…every time I mention him…even on the phone,
your voice changes. You know I said something like “Ugh!” about it that first
day, but I was only playing with you. You’re not blood related…you’re both
adults…” I felt tears spring to my eyes. Oh shit! I was not going to ruin my
night out crying over Mark! “Oh honey, it is him, isn’t it?”

I nodded and said, “I don’t know what is going on
with me, Sam. I tried so hard not to have feelings for him. God…he’s hot.” We
laughed and she said,

“How hot?”

“He has dark hair and it curls up around his cowboy
hat…and these incredibly sexy sapphire blue eyes. He’s not super tall, but his
body is like perfectly proportioned…you know? It’s all hard lines and lean
muscle…”

“Wow, you have it worse than I thought.”

“Shut up, I do not.”

“If you believe that you need to stand in front of a
mirror and say all of that the way you just did. Honey it’s in your eyes no
matter how much you deny it? Have you slept with him?” I felt my face go hot.
Before I had a chance to deny it she said, “Oh my God! You have so been holding
out on me! I want details.”

“I feel so guilty about it, Sam.”

“Why? You’re an adult, he’s an adult. You’re single,
he’s single….” she must have noticed the change in my face because she said,
“He is single, right?”

I shrugged. “He says he is. Some Daisy Duke looking
chick showed up the other day and called him “my man.” Then she proceeded to
find him in the barn and kiss him. When I walked in on that, I would have bet
money he was kissing her back.”

“What did he say?”

“He denies it. He says she kissed him and he pushed
her back and told her they’d been over for a long time…”

“But you don’t believe him?”

I shrugged. The teas burned my eyes again. “Maybe I
don’t want to,” I said. For the first time I realized something and then I said
it out loud. “Maybe I’m looking for an excuse to break things off with him once
and for all.”

She raised an eyebrow and said, “You want to know
what I think?”

I smiled and said, “You’re going to tell me
anyways.”