The Last Cowboy In Texas (6 page)

Paige went back up and started to place the key in a different spot, then stopped. If her mom wanted to read it enough to sneak around, that was okay. At least she liked it.

Suddenly, she froze. What did her mom think about the steamy sexy parts? She hadn’t considered that. Her face flamed at the realization her mom had read her explicit intimate fantasies on that unmentionable subject.

* * *

Troy
approached unit eleven, wondering what he’d find. He’d changed three times before settling on khaki pants and a plum-colored short-sleeve dress shirt, open collar. Would Aggie be decked out? Or would she be in her ecological uniform?

She opened the door at his knock. “Come on in,
Troy
. I’m almost ready.”

His eyes flared at the sight of the delectable woman in the tightest and shortest shorts he’d ever seen on a woman. Khaki, of course. But what really mesmerized him was the skimpy towel draped around her midsection. She smiled at his blushing face.

“Sorry if this embarrasses you but I figure we’re both adults. Let me get my top on and we’ll go.”

Before he could turn away, she dropped the towel on the bed and strode naked over to the dresser where she’d laid her tank top. As she slowly pulled it down over her head he stared, focusing on an amazing pair of well-developed mammaries. His groin tightened painfully.

Holy-moly!

“Now I’m ready. How about you?” Her teasing eyes scanned his tented shorts.

“Ready? I guess.” He didn’t dare say how ready he was, or for what. Didn’t need to.

“How hungry are you,
Troy
?”

“Ravaged. I, uh—mean famished.” He struggled to keep his hands in his pockets.

“Do you play pool,
Troy
?”

“No. Why?”

“I see you carry your cue with you.” Her eyes drifted to his crotch.

Realizing she was teasing, he gave her an innocent smile and said, “Like the boy scouts, Aggie, my motto is to always be prepared.”

She chuckled softly. “That’s what I like about you,
Troy
. You seem like a man who knows how to go after what you like.”

“I like action, Aggie. I’m a man of action.”

“I like action, too,
Troy
.” Her eyes burned holes in his as she thrust her chest forward, jiggling her breasts. “Just what kind of action do you have in mind at the moment?”

Oh, god!
He wanted to tell her. No, he wanted to show her; he really did. He was dying to grab her, slam her butt on the bed and do what came naturally. But this scene was more than a little pat. She was up to something. Surely she wouldn’t use sex to trap him. Would she?

“I think you know what I want. Maybe later, babe. For now I think we’d better get out of here. We have a reservation for dinner.”

Her eyes blinked back to innocence. “Great. I’m famished, too. Do you have any good cafés in this town?”

“One or two, but I thought we’d go to Flanders Inn out by the lake tonight. Trout and catfish are their specialties, and they do a pretty good steak, as well.” He saw her eyes go weird. “Don’t tell me you’re a vegan.”

“Not quite. Fish or fowl are okay but red meat is out.”

“I’ll remember that. But didn’t you eat the Salisbury steak the other night?”

“No. I had the waitress substitute a veggie burger in my order. You didn’t even notice the difference, did you?”

“Nope.”

* * *

Flanders Inn had always been a favorite of
Troy
’s. As he led her through the entry, he wondered whether this big-city girl would be impressed. From the look on her face, she was.

Strains of an ancient orchestral version of ‘Bali Hi’ drifted from speakers in the ceiling as they finished off their fresh baked rainbow trout.
Troy
relaxed while they awaited dessert. The service was perfect, as was the meal. Aggie, true to form, had devoured every last bite and said she loved it all.

By the time coffee was served, she was touching his hand with long graceful fingers. And, if he wasn’t mistaken, that was her toe running slowly up the inside of his calf clear past his knee, raising the stakes between them ever so much. This gal was hotter than the flames of hell, but did he dare go after what she offered? His body seriously leaned toward the affirmative but, before he could act, a familiar voice intervened.

“Well hello, you two.”

Aggie said, “Good evening, Paige.”

Troy
only grunted. When Paige asked what they’d had for dinner, he answered, “The trout. It’s delicious.”

“I see. So I’m not the only one who loves the trout here. But
Troy
, I thought you were an old fashioned red-meat steak and potatoes kind of guy. My goodness, are you trying to impress someone?”

“No, Paige. I happen to enjoy fresh fish as much as anyone. Would you care to join us? We’re about finished but you can sit here with us if you’d like.”

“No, I’m with my parents this evening. But thanks for the invitation. Oh, by the way, have you two got your differences worked out yet?”

Aggie’s tone was lighthearted when she responded. “I never let work interfere with my dining pleasure, Paige. Much better for the digestive system, don’t you think?”

“You’re right. Well, I hope you two can reach some kind of compromise. The community certainly needs the economic boom
Troy
’s project will bring. But we don’t want those poor Gamies going into extinction, either, do we?”

She smiled innocently, adding, “By the way, Aggie, has
Troy
invited you to dine here tomorrow?”

“No. Why?”

“Oh, I just wondered. The
Inn
’s specialty on Sunday is frog legs.”

Chapter Four

“Frog legs?” Aggie asked, her face wrinkled in distaste, after Paige had gone off to rejoin her parents.

Troy
answered in an annoyed tone, “Not the Gamies, Aggie. It would take hundreds of them to make a mess.”

“A mess?”

“A meal.” He noted the
call to arms
look on her face. “Oh, no you don’t. No endangered agenda here. They serve up giant frogs, bred and raised on frog farms for the purpose of feeding people, just like chicken. Or the trout we just ate.”

“Sounds barbaric if you ask me.”

“I didn’t ask. I swear, Aggie, you come off like a squeamish female Don Quixote.”

Her face morphed back to tempting seductress. “Well, I won’t worry about it if you say not to. So,
Troy
, what are you and I going to do with the rest of this lovely evening?”

The cool light of reason had returned to
Troy
’s brain. It was time to retreat as gracefully as possible. “I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I plan to drop you at your place and head for home.”

“Do you live alone?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like-”

“Company? Yes, I would. But, no I don’t think you and I dare open that can of worms, Aggie. Paige was right. As much as I dislike the thought of it, you and I are adversaries.”

“We could be friendly adversaries.”

“Sounds like an oxymoron to me. No, as much as I’m attracted to you, I think we’d best not be too friendly from this point on. I’m not about to back down from my position and it’s clear you won’t, either.”

She squeezed his hand. “That’s too bad. I had a feeling earlier you and I could be perfectly compatible.”

“I admit I’d have liked that under other circumstances. As it is, I think we’d do better to stay clear of one another.”

“Does that mean you won’t invite me to join you for frog legs tomorrow?”

“Would you eat them if I did?”

“No.”

“Well then, there’s your answer. Come on, Aggie. Let’s get you back to your motel.”
Troy
smiled. “I do have to admit one more thing, though. You’re without doubt the sexiest woman I’ve ever dated.”

* * *

Lady Eve gazed into his cerulean orbs, eyeing eternity. Everything she had ever wanted in her life opened before her vivid imagination. When his fiery lips descended upon hers claiming them for his own, she thought she would...

Paige dropped her pen and picked up the ringing phone. “Hello,
Troy
. It’s a bit late for conversation isn’t it?”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Caller ID. What do you want?”

“I just wanted to thank you for tonight. You saved me from doing something that would have been wrong.”

She laughed. “I take it, then, you aren’t calling from Aggie’s motel room bed?”

“Not even close. I have to admit, I’d just about forgotten she’s my sworn enemy when you came by our table.”

“Well, well. This must be a first for you. I’ve never known Troy Roberts to turn down a freebie.”

“This deal would have been nowhere close to free.”

“You’re no doubt right there. Anyway, you’re welcome. Glad I could help out.”

“Which brings me to the other item I’d like to discuss with you.”

“And that is?”

“Aggie thought you said what you did out of jealousy.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Moi? Jealous of that woman having dinner with you? What a joke that is.”

“Are you sure, Paige? I thought she was right.”

“That proves you live in la-la land. You’re not even on my list of desirable men.”

He chuckled. “It’s refreshing to know you have such a list, but I admit I’m disappointed. I’d always hoped you and I could get together some time.”

“Get together? As in the middle of your bed? No way.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He chuckled. “But now that I think about it, it is a very pleasant image to consider.”

“You insufferable jerk. Get that thought out of your head. I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last cowboy in
Texas
!”

Ready to slam the phone, she remembered it was her cell. She shut it off and dropped it into her purse. After trying to focus on the journal, she was no longer in the mood to write.

The story had come to the point where her heroine was ready to surrender herself intimately to her hero, Sir Robert, Earl of Troy. Her eyes scanned the description of the lady who waited eagerly for consummation. Willowy and feminine, with moderately short black hair radically cut in a pageboy, olive skin, and almond eyes, the Anglo Hispanic Lady Eve of
Turin
was the mirror image of her creator.

* * *

Troy
followed his usual Sunday routine. He’d gone to church with his parents and was having dinner with them. Edgar said, “What do you say,
Troy
, how about going along with Ozzie and me today?”

“I don’t know, Dad. I’m not in much of a mood for fishing.”

“Do you good, boy. Get out there on the lake and the world will seem a better place. This land deal seems to have got you in a bit of a twist. You need to relax.”

He considered his father’s words. Perhaps he was right. “Okay, I’ll go. Just to maneuver the boat. I’ll let you pros do the hard stuff.”