Wedding at Poker Flat

by Lexi Post

  And having Adriana as the bartender of her new bar should keep the liquor sales high, if the woman kept her clothes on. Kendra wiped her hands on a bar towel and shook her head. She had quite the crew here, but she knew all of them and their weaknesses. All she had to do is discover Wade Johnson’s weakness and she could feel comfortable because right now he seemed too perfect and that would never work here. She threw the towel over the towel rack and stepped out from behind the bar.

  Thankfully, she’d instituted the rule that all employees must be clothed while on shift. She’d found that tidbit in her research on nudist resorts. There was no way she’d be able to keep her hands off her new cowboy if he decided to get naked. And there was no way Adriana would be able to keep her legs closed with that man around. A former prostitute, Adriana still loved sex, but she also loved not having to do it for the money.

  As if she’d known she was being thought of, Adriana pushed open the glass door to the outdoor/indoor bar. She held a tray of glasses filled with what appeared to be iced tea. Her skimpy jean shorts and red-checkered halter had her looking like a Mexican Daisy Duke. Kendra admired the woman on that level. Her comfort with her sexuality was impressive. As a teenager, Kendra’s own substantial chest had simply added to her aura of trailer trash so she kept it well covered most of the time.

  “Hey, boss, I thought the pool workers would like a refreshing cold drink.” Adriana raised her hand. “All non-alcoholic, of course.”

  “Fine, but then they need to get back to work. They’ve been eating their lunches for an hour. I’m not paying them to take a siesta.”

  “You got it.” Adriana’s smile was wide as she tossed her straight black hair over her shoulder and sauntered out beyond the pavilion.

  Kendra shook her head and sighed before heading inside. She could tell Adriana was much happier than she’d been when Kendra met her in Storey County, Nevada, during a small poker tournament. She hadn’t planned on playing that one, but at the last minute had skipped Reno to avoid a possible awkward meeting with her ex-husband. When she decided to open a nudist resort, Adriana had come to mind immediately as someone who wouldn’t care about a bunch of naked people running around.

  Striding through the large gathering room with its twelve-foot-wide stone fireplace, Kendra allowed herself a secret smile. The contractor had thought the fireplace would be too big, but even he acknowledged how awesome it looked in the great room. It had become the centerpiece of the main building.

  Walking through one of the cozy dining rooms, she pushed open the batwing doors to the kitchen. The spotless, stainless steel area was the domain of her cook, Selma, who was, as usual, muttering to herself in Spanish.

  Kendra opened the refrigerator and grabbed a protein shake. She hadn’t had lunch, but she didn’t have time to stop for it either. Walking over to the shiny dishwasher, she listened to the hum as it sanitized its contents then crouched and looked beneath it to be sure everything was draining properly. Two nights ago, that had not been the case. If it was having issues, she would add it to her list for the plumber tomorrow. All appeared fine, so that meant one less task for the man.

  She stood, then walked to where Selma cut vegetables on the stainless steel counter. She went at the food like a lumberjack at a tree, but Kendra couldn’t fault the results. “Selma, any other plumbing problems I need to have the plumber take a look at tomorrow?”

  The older woman didn’t stop slicing. “Yeah, the hand sink is clogged. There’s no fucking reason why it should be that way. I only wash my hands there. I take as good care of my kitchen here as I did of my girls in Carlin. I’m telling you, either there is a curse upon this place, or someone is messing with us.”

  Selma’s brothel had been the best on Interstate 80 until, according to the ex-madam, a curse had been laid upon it. So it was no surprise this was her latest theory regarding the many hiccups they’d encountered in getting the resort ready, but Kendra honestly believed it was simply how things went these days. Faulty products, ignorant installers, cracks due to shipping, etcetera, had easily explained the hurdles she’d had to jump over. “Okay, I’ll have him look at it tomorrow. Hopefully, that will be the end of it.”

  Selma grumbled something unintelligible that Kendra had a feeling wasn’t meant for her ears, so she grabbed up her shake and took a swallow as she exited the kitchen. Striding toward the front desk, she noticed Wade and Lacey getting into a golf cart. Now why did Lacey have to show him where the stables were? Couldn’t he see them for himself?

  Irritation had her taking another swallow. Pushing open one of the tall tinted doors that welcomed visitors to the resort, she stepped out into the heat.

  Lacey was explaining. “Don’t worry, it’s actually a rule that we keep our clothes on during our shift. Just be forewarned, Adriana does like men, so you may want to be on your guard with her.”

  Wade smiled. “Good to know.”

  Kendra gritted her teeth. The cowboy didn’t need a personal escort to the stables. Her bookkeeper/receptionist had a lot of work to do. “Lacey, did you show Wade his casita?”

  The pretty girl started as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “Oh, I didn’t know you were here. Yes, I did. I was going to explain the stables to Wade, but I need to reconcile the bedding shipment with what we received.”

  Kendra’s muscles relaxed. “Go ahead and do the shipment. I’ll point out the way. We’re shorthanded as it is and your abilities are critical to Poker Flat.”

  Lacey blushed. “Okay. Thanks.”

  As Lacey walked into the building, Kendra studied the cowboy. He considered her with equal interest, but it wasn’t admiration. He appeared puzzled and that gave her a certain amount of satisfaction. She never revealed her hand.

  Strolling over to the cart, she took one more swallow of her shake. “Have you ever driven a golf cart?”

  The brim of his hat shaded his face, but his expression was easily read. “Yes, actually. I helped my little sister with a few of her golf tournament fundraisers.”

  Oh boy, this cowboy was far too good for the likes of Poker Flat. One more reason for her to stay away. “Good. Then take the path marked with the horse’s head. We made all the signs easy for guests to follow.”

  He looked at the sign, putting his face in profile again. Shit, he was as handsome from the side as from the front. She had the unusual urge to nip at his jawline.

  “That’s smart. I wish all vacation spots did that.”

  His compliment surprised her, and she shifted her weight to her right leg, jutting out her hip. “I had to do that because our employee base isn’t large and I didn’t want to waste staff positions on golf cart drivers.”

  He turned back to her and smiled. “Another smart idea.”

  Completely uncomfortable with his praise and inviting smile, she ignored his comment. “In your office you should find enough to get started. Make a list of anything there you need as well as anything else for marking trails and suggestions for horses. I plan on having guests chauffeured from the garage to the resort in a wagon and I want to offer trail rides for those who are more adventurous. Remember, all guests will be nude, so if there are any special supplies we need in order to make sitting a horse comfortable, write them down too.”

  His smile disappeared. “Wait, you want people to ride horses while naked?”

  “Of course. This is a nudist resort.”

  “I’m sorry, but you can’t do that.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him she could do whatever she wanted, but he kept talking.

  “If a person rides naked, they will have burns not only on their legs where they brush the saddle, but also in other areas that I guarantee you they will not be happy about.”

  She pondered that for a moment. Maybe that was why no other resort offered nude horseback riding, why Buddy and Ginger had longed for that experience so much. So if she could figure it out, it would make her place even more unique than it was. “I’m sure we can come
up with a way around that. We’ll go over it tonight.”

  He frowned and her stomach tensed. “Dinner is at six. Don’t be late. You don’t want to miss Selma’s cooking and you don’t want to make her mad at you either.”

  “Why Ms. Lowe?”

  “Trust me. I was late one night and I found my quesadilla riddled with hot pepper sauce so fiery it burned my mouth for two days. You’re better off not showing up at all.”

  He grinned and her stomach relaxed. “Okay, I’ll be on time.”

  “Good, and Wade…”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not high society and I’m not married anymore, so as I said before, we can drop the Ms. Lowe.”

  He bowed his head and she could have sworn he was hiding a smile, but when he looked at her, he was dead serious. “I’ll remember that, Kendra.”

  Her throat closed as he spoke her name, a strong rush of heat invading her body. Nodding once, she turned around and strode back to the building, throwing her empty shake can in the trash outside before stepping into the coolness of the resort.

  Damn, she liked the sound of her name on his lips. Staying away from that cowboy was going to be very, very hard.

  Cowboys Never Fold (Poker Flat #1)

  Read on for an excerpt from Christmas with Angel (Last Chance #1) Cole and Lacey’s adventures on Last Chance Ranch.

  Chapter One

  Last Chance Ranch, Arizona

  December 23rd

  Cole Hatcher added two pillows to the makeshift bed of sleeping bags on the hay. He’d unzipped each and spread them out so he and Lacey could crawl in together. Maybe if they could have a little privacy, they could settle their Christmas issue.

  He’d pilfered all the snowflake decorations from the tree inside and hung them from the beams. In his mind, he’d envisioned it to look like it was snowing, but in reality, it looked like plastic, glass and felt snowflakes hanging from beams. Lacey would get it though. She couldn’t expect more than this from her cowboy.

  Adjusting the garland around the stall walls, he pulled over the small table he used for grooming the horses and placed it next to the bed. With a rag he’d grabbed from the house, he wiped it off and placed a bottle of wine on it with two plastic cups. “That should do it.” His Christmas Eve present was ready, though a few hours early.

  Stuffing the rag in his back pocket, he turned the battery-operated lantern to low and set it next to the wine. “Perfect.”

  As he headed out of the barn, the six horses in residence paid him no heed except for Angel. Her wary eyes watched him until he was out of sight.

  Giving Angel to Lacey had been the best thing he’d done for that horse, besides take her from her owner. She was so fearful of men that her bond with Lacey had grown strong.

  Now if he could just get his fiancé onto the same page with him, life would be great again.

  Cole strode across the dirt yard, the only sound to break the crisp night air, the two note call of a whippoorwill. The quiet beckoned him, but he needed Lacey to truly enjoy it. The house lights should have been welcoming but with his two cousins in residence, one baby, Billy and his grandparents, the four bedroom house was packed.

  He took the stairs to the porch two at a time. Pulling back the screen door, he opened the heavy, ironwood front door. As he stepped in, he had to stop himself from stepping back out.

  The baby cried upstairs while his two cousins, Logan and Trace argued. A door slammed on the upper level then Trace stomped down the stairs, yelling back over his shoulder, “I’ll be watching the game with Grandpa if you come to your senses!” He nodded to Cole as he passed by.

  Old Billy, who used to work and live at Poker Flat and had just spent two months in rehab for alcoholism, ambled through the front hall from the kitchen, a bottle of water in his hand and a smile on his face. The television in the living room clicked on just as Billy entered and the volume increased substantially.

  Cole winced, the noise level and activity in the house was almost painful. Like Lacey, he couldn’t wait for their own home to be completed, but it barely had walls and was far too incomplete for them to have the privacy and quiet they needed. Since Lacey had given up her casita at the Poker Flat Nudist Resort, they had nowhere to go…except the barn.

  She was probably in their room where she always retreated right after dinner to crunch numbers, do research, or iron clothes for work. He ran up the stairs, excited to show her the present he’d arranged, and opened the door to the bedroom.

  Lacey stood next to the bed, her deep pink sweater fitting her like a second-skin, wisps of blonde hair escaping her long braid. Her maroon skirt flowed about her, accentuating her delicate femininity. He still couldn’t believe this hot woman was his. She had a basket of laundry dumped out on their bed, clean clothes strewn over the quilt and a small pile folded to her right. He walked straight to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. “I have a surprise for you.”

  She stilled then sighed. “Is it ear plugs?”

  He kissed her neck beneath her ear, loving how tiny she felt against him. “Even better.”

  She dropped his fire department t-shirt and turned in his arms. “Better is good.” She lifted her arms around his neck. “Don’t get me wrong. I love your family. There just seems to be so many of them in this particular house. And now that Billy’s here, it makes it very cramped.”

  He looked into her light brown eyes that reminded him of amaretto. “You love my family? Even my parents?”

  She lowered her lashes and stared at his chest.

  Damn, he needed to wait to discuss that. Talking about his parents only brought up what his mother had done to break them apart. That didn’t set the mood he wanted. He wouldn’t press it now. “So aren’t you a little bit curious about my surprise?”

  She lifted her gaze to meet his. “Is this my Christmas Eve present?”

  His family had always exchanged gifts on Christmas day, but maybe he and Lacey could start their own tradition. “Yes, just a few hours early.”

  She looked over her shoulder at the clock sitting on the nightstand. “Only three hours and seventeen minutes early. Should I wait?”

  He started to grin but it turned to a grimace as his cousin’s baby let out an ear-piercing wail. “You might be able to, but I can’t.”

  At the sound of the baby’s scream, Lacey buried her head against his chest. She lifted it to look up at him. “I could use a surprise right about now.”

  “Good.” He kissed her on the forehead then let her go so he could take her hand. As he took a step toward the door, she resisted. “I thought you were going to give me a surprise.”

  “We have to go outside for this.”

  She pointed to the pile of clothes. “But I need to finish folding the laundry.”

  “Leave them. This is more important.”

  “Okay.” She let him pull her down the hall.

  When they got to the top of the stairs, he released her hand and stepped aside so she could descend first. Another screeching wail sounded from above, and they both picked up their pace. As he opened the front door, the television volume increased another decimal in the living room and from the corner of his eye he caught sight of Billy who had joined his grandfather and Trace.

  Lacey stepped onto the porch and sighed.

  No sooner had he closed the door than she placed her hand on his chest. “Do you hear that?”

  He listened. The quiet was almost deafening until four hoots, sounding like a bouncing ball, broke the silence. “You mean the Screech Owl?”

  She smiled slyly. “No, I mean the quiet.”

  He grinned. “Wait until you see my surprise.” He took her hand and they walked down the steps toward the barn.

  “I hope you didn’t get me another horse. I’m very attached to Angel and I think she’d get jealous.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not a horse. Luckily, I haven’t had any calls this week. Maybe the Christmas spirit has people being kinde
r to their animals.” He frowned at the thought of what else the Christmas season brought. “Now if we could just get Christmas tree fires under control, everyone could have a happy Christmas.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I’ve never understood the need for a live evergreen tree in the Arizona desert. It’s so dry. If a person wants to smell evergreens, they can always go up to Prescott for the day or take a hike right here in our own mountains.”

  “You make the house smell great with those scented candles you use. I’m glad you found them in the glass jars.”

  She stopped at the entrance to the barn and looked at him. “Can you turn off the firefighter tonight and give me the cowboy who loves to save abused, hurt, and unwanted horses?”

  He grinned sheepishly. “I’ll try. Actually, your surprise is definitely from the cowboy.” He winked.

  Lacey’s gaze roamed over him, and he couldn’t help but count himself lucky all over again. To have found her a second time, at a fire no less, had been sheer luck. That she was just as dedicated to his horse rescue ranch as he was, was a bonus. Her wizardry with the finances had also improved their solvency. But to have captured her heart once more against all odds was the greatest luck of all. “If you keep looking at me like that, your surprise might have to wait.”

  She widened her eyes. “Like what?” She even batted her lashes.

  He laughed and pulled her into his embrace. “I love you, soon-to-be Lacey Hatcher.”