Love on the Wild Side

by Mariah Ankenman

  Okay, so they weren’t really friends, but they needed to try and at least be cordial. For Maggie and Colton’s sake. Maggie was closer to her than anyone, more like a sister than a friend. Colton was Dade’s brother, and Maggie would soon be his sister. That meant Lizzy had better start playing nice with her soon-to-be-sort-of brother.

  She bit the corner of her lip, her brow pulling down.

  She didn’t like the thought of the sexy, humorless cowboy as a pseudo brother. It meant these wicked thoughts she kept having about him were slightly pervy. And boy were they wicked! The man was so not her type, but her libido didn’t get the memo.

  One look and she wanted. Wanted to run her hands through that thick, dark brown hair. Wanted to touch her lips to his to see if she could soften up that grim frown he constantly wore. Wanted to rip off every stitch of clothing and see if he really was as buff as he looked under all that denim and cotton.

  She should not be having those thoughts about a man who would soon be almost like family to her. Especially since she really didn’t like him all that much. Dade was far too quiet and reserved for her. Then again, sometimes it was the quietest ones who burned the sheets up at night.

  Ugh!

  She needed to stop thinking of sex and Dade. It wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t even like her.

  Or so she thought.

  Sometimes, when he didn’t think she was looking, she would catch him staring at her. A time or two, there’d been a gleam in his eyes, a sexual gleam. So, maybe he had the same problem as her. He wanted her, but didn’t want to want her.

  A case of opposites attract?

  Whatever it was, it was driving her crazy. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so nervous for a date.

  “It’s not a date,” she told herself again. “It’s just a drink.”

  Grabbing a pair of tight jeans that made her ass look great, a black shimmery halter-top, and her sparkly red, Jimmy Choo stilettos, she started to dress.

  “Just because it’s not a date doesn’t mean I can’t look fabulous while drinking.”

  And if the not-a-date should turn in to what kind of pancakes do you like? Well, at least then they’d be acting friendly.

  Very friendly.

  ****

  The Bucking Bronco was not quite what she had expected. The place was small, with a bar on one wall and a very ancient looking pool table on the other. A few tables were scattered along the back and a ten by eight dance floor took up the middle.

  Lizzy wasn’t really sure what she’d been expecting. Animal heads mounted on the wall or maybe a pair of those old time, swinging saloon doors. She thought at least they’d have one of those mechanical bulls. Didn’t every cowboy bar have one of those?

  This place looked like every other bar in America. Well, okay, maybe not the bars in LA, but LA was far from standard America. LA bars were hot for ten minutes. Judging from the worn look of the barstools, Buck’s looked as if it opened the day the town was founded.

  Sliding up to the bar, she perched herself on a stool and took a quick glance around. A few men played pool, a couple looked to be on a date, and three women at a back table enjoyed a pitcher of something green and icy. No Dade.

  Her stupid heart sank.

  So, he wasn’t here yet. It was no big deal. It was only—she glanced at the clock on the wall—five past. He was just running late, that’s all.

  “Elizabeth?”

  She turned at the smooth, deep voice. Good lord, it’s Big Foot!

  A massive man stared at her from behind the bar. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall and well over three hundred pounds. He had a big, bushy, white beard, but was completely bald on top. He kind of looked like Santa Claus, if Santa Claus rode a Harley. His thick, muscled arms were crossed over his chest, which would have been intimidating if not for the pleasant smile on his face. At least, she thought he was smiling. It was hard to tell through all that facial hair.

  “Excuse me?” She barely got the words past her astonished throat.

  The man smiled bigger, revealing slightly yellow teeth. “Are you Elizabeth Hayworth?”

  “Who wants to know?” Caution was always a good way to go whether you lived on the mean streets of LA or the small sidewalks of Peak Town.

  The man let out a colossal laugh. “He was right about the mouth.”

  Annoyance started to settle in. She didn’t care how big Santa was, he better start talking. “Who said what about my mouth?”

  “Dade,” the bartender replied, uncrossing his arms and placing his hands on the counter. “He said I would recognize you by your fancy clothes and smart mouth.”

  She looked down at her outfit. Fancy? If Dade thought jeans and an H&M top were fancy, he would lose his mind at LA’s Fashion Week.

  “Anything is fancy compared to mud-stained T-shirts and manure-covered cowboy boots.” She raised an eyebrow, giving Santa bartender her best know-it-all look. “And yes, my mouth is smart because it relays ideas from my very smart brain.”

  “Oooh, I like you. You’re gonna give Dade a hell of a time, aren’t you?”

  She had no idea what he was talking about. “Where is Dade, Mr…?”

  “Everyone just calls me Bear.”

  Of course they did.

  “And he called about an hour back. Said he was meeting you here and might be a touch late. Told me to make sure you were taken care of.” Bear grabbed a glass from beneath the bar. “So, what will it be?”

  A little late? Yeah right.

  She knew a brush off when she heard one. If the infuriating man was going to be late, why didn’t he just call her? He could have gotten her number from Maggie, but he didn’t. The only explanation was that he changed his mind and chickened out. He didn’t want to come.

  She’d been stood up a time or two in her life, but it never felt like this before. She was hurt and disappointed, which was ridiculous, because this, technically, wasn’t even a date. That made it all the worse. Dade couldn’t even bring himself to buy her a friendly drink, much less ever go on a date with her. Guess all those lusty glances from him really were in her mind.

  Don’t I feel like a moron.

  Anger started to replace the embarrassment.

  What a jerk!

  If he hadn’t wanted to take her out, he could have just said so. He should’ve told her instead of making up some lame excuse and relaying it through another person like a fourth grader. What an immature ass. He was the one who should feel like a moron.

  She smiled sweetly up into Bear’s expectant face and asked, “What’s the most expensive drink you have?”

  He let out another ear shattering laugh, slapping a hand on his thigh. “Oh yes, I definitely like you, Elizabeth.”

  “Please, call me Lizzy.”

  Chapter 6

  An hour and a half late.

  Dade hated to be late for anything, but there’d been no help for it. Sugar, one of their pregnant Quarter Horses, had started to foal. The vet had been on his way, but being the only vet within a fifty-mile radius, it had taken him some time to get there. Dade helped birth his fair share of animals, so he stayed until Doc Billings arrived—just in time. Sugar was now the proud mama to a beautiful filly.

  But now, his timing was off. He was late. Very late. He hoped Lizzy wasn’t too mad. Women tended to get upset when men were late to a first date.

  Not that this is a date.

  It wasn’t. He was just buying her a favor-owed drink. Still, it was common courtesy to be on time. Things came up, however, and he expected she’d understand. Bear had been instructed to look after her. He trusted the big guy.

  Inside Buck’s, the jukebox belted out a Blake Shelton song as he searched for the woman who drove him nuts in more ways than one. A few people were on the postage-sized dance floor. He glanced again and discovered that one of those people was Lizzy. Another was Sheriff Jake Ryder, out of uniform and with his hand placed entirely too close to Lizzy’s perfect ass.
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br />   Seeing red, Dade stormed over to the two. He never thought about hitting an officer of the law before, but right at this moment, he wanted to pummel Ryder into the ground.

  This was Bear’s idea of taking care of Lizzy? Letting another man put his hands all over her? That was the last time he’d trust the big bartender with something.

  As he approached the two, she stumbled into Ryder, stepping on his foot and laughing.

  “I swear I’m never going to get this.”

  “Sure you are.” The sheriff smiled, grabbing her around the waist again. “The heels just make it tricky. I need to get you a pair of cowgirl boots.”

  No, he most certainly did not. No man was getting Lizzy anything…unless it’s me.

  Dade choked on the thought. He had no idea where all this possessiveness was coming from, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

  “Hey.” Not the most eloquent statement, but right now, he was so pissed he could barely speak.

  Lizzy turned, pulling away from the sheriff. The break in physical contact eased his temper, slightly.

  “Cowpoke!” Throwing her arms around his neck, she almost fell into him.

  He placed his hands on her hips to steady her. Her sticky-sweet breath smelled of lemon and vodka.

  “You’re drunk.”

  “You’re late,” she countered. Pulling back, she let her arms fall to her sides.

  He immediately missed the contact.

  “And I’m not drunk. I’m just tipsywipsy.”

  “That’s not a word.”

  She waved a hand in the air, ignoring him. “Bear made me something delicious called a…lemon something dream…something.”

  Goddammit, Bear. The bartender was supposed to look out for the woman, not ply her with alcohol and pass her off to the first available man that came along.

  “Yeah? And exactly how many did he make you?”

  She stuck her tongue out. He had the insane urge to grab her and show her better uses for that pretty little pink tongue.

  “Oh boy, here comes Mr. No-Fun, right on time.”

  He wasn’t Mr. No-Fun. He could be plenty fun.

  “I enjoyed a few, and then Ryder here was kind enough to teach me how to do something called a two-step.” She turned to grace the sheriff with a sweet smile. “But I’m convinced he keeps putting in more steps than two. I’ll never get the hang of it.”

  How come she never smiled at him like that? Suddenly, he desperately wanted her to.

  Oh hell. He was so screwed.

  “Now, Lizzy, you’re doing just fine,” Ryder said, returning her smile.

  What the hell? She’d known this guy all of an hour, and he gets to call her Lizzy already? Screw this. It was time to take her home.

  “Thanks for looking after her, Sheriff,” he said through barely clenched teeth. “Come on, Lizzy. I’ll take you home now.”

  “He wasn’t looking after me.” Her brow pinched with a scowl. “He was dancing with me. Something you could have been doing if you bothered showing up on time. And I’m not ready to go yet.”

  Her eyes took on that stubborn guise he had come to recognize all too well.

  “If she doesn’t want to leave—”

  He cut Ryder off with a mean glare. He liked the man, respected him. Hell, all of Peak Town did. It was why the sheriff kept getting reelected. But right now, he wanted to punch the guy square in the nose. Since that would land him in jail, he went another route.

  “Maggie asked me to make sure she got home safe. I’m just looking out for a friend.”

  The sheriff studied him. His dark-eyed gaze went back and forth between Dade and Lizzy. Must have seen something, because the other man nodded. “I understand. Lizzy, it was real nice meeting you. Thanks for the dance.”

  Ryder left the dance floor, heading toward the bar. Dade looked back to see her shooting daggers at him with those smoky gray eyes.

  “That was really rude, Dade. I don’t need a babysitter. I can get home just fine on my own. It’s only three blocks away.”

  “Just let me walk you home, Lizzy.”

  “Why, ’cause we’re such great friends? Friends don’t stand each other up.”

  Stepping close, he got within an inch of her. With those skyscraper heels she was wearing, it put her almost at eye level. He could smell the sweet alcohol on her breath, see the flush on her skin, the pinkness of her lips. Man, he wanted to take a sample and see if they were as sweet as they were smart.

  “We had a horse go into labor at the ranch. The vet was on his way, but we weren’t sure if the doc would make it in time. I had to stay just in case Sugar needed me.”

  “Oh.” Her gaze dropped, and she bit her lip. A moment later, she snapped back up, full of fire. “Well, you could have called to tell me that.”

  She thumped him on the chest with a fist. It didn’t hurt, but he grabbed her hand, subconsciously rubbing his thumb along the back in a soothing motion.

  “I didn’t have your number. Maggie was sleeping, and I didn’t want to bother her. She needs all the rest she can get. I called Bear and told him to let you know I’d be late.”

  Lizzy was staring at where their hands were joined. Realizing what he was doing, he dropped her hand. He really needed to get his head on straight. She was off limits. He had to remember that.

  “I’m sorry. You’re right.” With a sad smile, she nodded toward the door. “I guess I am ready to leave.”

  A knife twisted in his gut. He wanted to wipe the sadness out of her eyes. They could stay, have a few more drinks, maybe share a dance.

  No. He knew right where that would lead. To a place they couldn’t go. This woman was Maggie’s best friend. Maggie would soon be his sister-in-law. If he started something with Lizzy and it didn’t pan out, it would cause all kinds of family problems.

  And things wouldn’t work out. He was sure of that. He and Lizzy were just too different. Besides, the only woman he ever loved died long ago. There was no one else for him, and there never would be. So, no fling with the sexy blonde with a smart mouth. No matter how much he was coming to crave her.

  They made their way out of the bar and into the cool summer night. Maggie’s apartment was just up the way. The fresh air would be good for both of them, so he left his truck in the lot and decided to walk her home.

  “So, is it a boy or a girl? The foal,” she added at his confused look.

  “Oh, it’s a filly.”

  “What’s her name?”

  He raised an eyebrow at her use of the feminine. How did she know about horse terms like foal and filly?

  “Doesn’t have a name yet.”

  “What’s her coloring?”

  Again, an interesting question for a city girl. “Hard to tell with all that baby goop all over her.”

  She laughed softly. It was a good sound. He’d hated to think he ruined her night completely.

  “You should come by and see her. Maybe you can name her.” Where the hell had that come from? More time around the sexy, sassy woman was the exact opposite of what he needed if he wanted to keep this thing platonic.

  She sent him a sweet smile. Like the one she had given Ryder in the bar. Beautiful.

  “I’m sure I’ll be by soon enough. Maggie has a ton of stuff she wants to go over for the wedding.”

  Right, the wedding. The reason why he shouldn’t be thinking of Elizabeth Hayworth and beautiful in the same thought.

  The walk back to her place was a short one, and they reached the apartment before he realized it.

  “Well, thanks for walking me home, and I’m sorry I got a little mad at you.”

  “No need for apologies. I’m sorry I had to miss out on our plans.”

  She glanced up. “We could always do it again. If you want.”

  She sounded so hopeful. He hated to upset her, but the idea of them really wasn’t a good one. It would just end in pain for everyone.

  “Lizzy, I don’t think…”

  “Relax. I wasn’t offeri
ng a proposal of marriage.” She laughed, but it sounded forced. “I was just saying we could hang out again, but I see that nasty stick butt condition is rearing its ugly head. You should really get a pill or something for that so you can start having some fun every once in a while.”

  He scowled. “I have plenty of fun.”

  She rolled her eyes and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sure you do, cowpoke.”

  Now she was starting to piss him off. He knew her defensive sarcasm was because she felt embarrassed he basically rejected her. Didn’t change the fact he was already angry with himself for the same thing. He wanted Lizzy, but he knew it was a bad idea all around. So, he was being responsible, like always. Someone had to. Even if he didn’t like it. Still…

  Stepping closer, he crowded her against the door. She sucked in a breath as he lifted his hands, placing them on either side of her head. Their bodies were plastered together; he could feel the sharp points of her nipples rubbing against his chest through that silky thin top she wore. Dammit, this is torture. But if she was going to frustrate him, he would do the same to her. Turnabout was fair play.

  “You have no idea,” he began, his lips so close to hers he could almost taste that sugary-lemon drink she had been throwing back all night, “how much fun I can be, Elizabeth.”

  Pushing away, he turned and headed back toward Buck’s and his truck. His fists clenched, and it took everything in him not to turn around and take her right there against her door.

  Hell, he was so screwed.

  Chapter 7

  “Why the heck would someone pay five thousand dollars for a dress they’re only going to wear once?”

  Lizzy sat in the living room of the Denning house going over wedding plans with Maggie. It was a few days after the just-a-friendly-drink fiasco. Luckily, she had been able to avoid seeing Dade since then. It was embarrassing to put so much stock into something he obviously didn’t feel as well.

  At least, he acted like he didn’t feel anything for her. Except for that moment right at the end of the night. For one stupid second, when he leaned in, she could have sworn he was going to kiss her. If she’d stumbled forward just a fraction of an inch their lips would have made contact.