“Alora Raine!” Lizzy gasped.
“For the last time, I’m only here to put on his damn roof. Now Deke has the paper ready to roll so we can get this job done. Was there something you needed, or were you just calling to annoy the crap out of me?” Icicles dripped from Allie’s words.
“Well, for your information,” Lizzy huffed, “Mitch’s cousin Grady is coming for his tux fitting, and we’ve planned a dinner for the four of us in Wichita Falls on Friday night. He sounds really eager to see you again. Play your cards right, and I bet he could make you forget all about your cowboy.”
Allie came close to dropping the nail gun at the thought. The way Grady looked at her made her skin crawl. “God almighty, Lizzy. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my own love life, and I’m absolutely not going to dinner with Grady.”
“Yes, you are. Be ready at seven and that means good jeans or a dress and makeup, too,” Lizzy said.
“You’d better have a backup plan in your hip pocket because I’m not going,” she said.
The phone went silent and she looked at it. Sure enough her sister had hung up on her. Deke had barely gotten the tar paper unrolled across the length of the roof, when her phone rang again. She fished it out of her pocket, hoping that it was Lizzy so she could give her a piece of her mind.
“I know you are busy so I won’t talk but a minute,” her mother said. “I really think you should go with Mitch and Lizzy on Friday night. You will be standing up there with her and he’s the best man. It’s not a date but an evening to discuss wedding plans.”
“That damn tattletale! What makes you take her side in this? Why would you want me tangled up with Grady? He’s even worse than Riley was,” Allie fumed.
“She’s your sister and she’s worried about you and frankly so am I. Blake came in here today and the way he looks, he’s got heartbreaker written all over him. Come on, Allie, listen to the voice of experience when it talks to you,” Katy said tersely.
Allie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not going to dinner with them.” Allie heard Deke huffing and puffing as he climbed the ladder with a heavy roll of black roofing paper on his shoulder.
“Okay, then I’ll invite them to Sunday dinner and you can discuss wedding plans then,” Katy said.
Allie had never wanted to hit something so badly in her life. “Mama!”
“Friday or Sunday. Your choice?”
She thought about it a second. “I’m not going Friday.”
“Then Sunday it is,” Katy said. “Blake bought a few things and put up a flyer to give away mesquite for firewood. And Allie, the church ladies are coming at eleven this morning to welcome him to Dry Creek. You might want to be on the roof working instead of in the house with him. Even if y’all are only talking business, it wouldn’t look good.”
Allie motioned for Deke to drop the roll of black paper beside her. “Good way for Blake to get to know the people, ain’t it? Give them something for free? And Mama, stop worryin’ about me.”
“I’m a mother. It’s my job to worry. Men that good lookin’ are out for a good time and all they leave in their wake are tears. Grady is a good man. Youth minister at the church up around Gainesville,” Katy said.
“Whoopee for him. I’ve got to get to work. Deke is ready for me to start nailing. See you at supper.” Allie pushed the END button.
“Who’s giving away what for free?” Deke asked.
Blake poked his head up over the edge of the roof. “I am. News travels fast around here, don’t it? I’m giving away all the mesquite wood anyone wants to cut up for firewood.”
“You care if we sell it once we take it off your place?” Deke asked.
Blake chuckled. “You can boil it and make mesquite pie with it for all I care. I want it gone.”
“You’ve got a fireplace.” Allie looked up from her nail gun. “Why don’t you use it?”
His gaze locked with hers, the heat melting the cold all around her. She’d never had a man look at her and create such an intense reaction. One part of her, the emotional side, wanted to dive into those green eyes and see what lay beneath that flirting nature—down deeper than his wild cowboy ways and into the very man. The other side, that sensible side, told her to run from him as fast as she could.
“I’m going to cut up as much as I can this afternoon and stack it up behind the house. I can probably save enough on my heating bill to pay for the ceiling and the paint that way,” he said.
She looked down at her nail gun and snapped another shingle in place. “Price of fuel these days you just might.”
“Thought I’d check on the progress before I take the chainsaw out to the brush pile. This roof is lookin’ really good. I guess you really will get it done by the weekend.” He took a step back down the ladder.
Allie looked up from the nail gun and nodded. “If the weather holds for us, we will. I told you in the beginning I thought we could get it done by quittin’ time on Friday.”
Now that her mother and sister kept going on about how sexy Blake was, it was all she could think about as she pulled the trigger on the gun and moved down the roof to the next spot.
Blake nodded. “See y’all at noon. I’ll be in a little early today. Allie, you want me to heat up the leftover chili?”
“Yes and thank you,” Allie said.
“Will do,” Blake said.
“Now what’s got your panties in a twist?” Deke asked as soon as Blake disappeared.
“That’s not something a guy friend says.” Allie snapped another nail in place. “You’d best get to unrolling the next length.”
“Not until you tell me what Lizzy’s done now. Only she can put a look on your face that would melt the North Pole.” Deke expertly rolled a length of paper out and cut the end with a box cutter.
“Mama and Lizzy are trying to fix me up with Mitch’s cousin Grady.”
Deke went back to the other end of the roof and started rolling out more paper. “You don’t want to get tangled up with that guy. I know him and believe me when I tell you his hat ain’t coverin’ up a halo but horns.”
She snapped a couple of nails in the paper to hold it down so the wind wouldn’t whip it off the roof before she answered. “Lizzy and Mama think he’s a saint because he’s a youth minister.”
“Yep, but that don’t make him any less of a devil when it comes to women. I’ve played poker with him and Mitch a few times and he ain’t a bit better than your ex, so steer clear of him,” Deke said.
“Talk, Deke. I want to know about Mitch.” She flipped the safety on the gun and rolled back on her butt. “Is my sister making a big mistake?”
Deke positioned half a dozen more shingles, then sat down beside her. “Well, Mitch and Grady were really players, but in the last couple of years they’ve had a come to Jesus experience and now they’re ready to get married. They’ve been bragging about how it’s their biblical right to have someone cook and clean and do everything they say.”
“Shit!” Allie hissed. “I knew that Mitch was a snake. You should tell Mama.”
Deke reached for the nail gun. “Hell, no! She wouldn’t believe me, and Lizzy would bury my body back in the mesquite so far that even the coyotes couldn’t find me. I’m not sure where Katy stands where Grady is concerned, so I’m not sayin’ a word. I damn sure don’t want to be on either of their bad sides since I run a bill at both of their stores. But honey, you steer clear of Grady.”
Chapter Seven
Blake brought a load of wood to the house just before eleven that morning but didn’t take time to stack it. The steady sound of hammering up on the roof let him know Allie and Deke were hard at work as he hurried into the house. Blake threw a couple of logs on the fire so there would be a welcoming blaze, put on a pot of coffee, and slid the Mexican casserole in the freezer.
Several vehicles pulled up in front of his house at exactly eleven o’clock, but he waited until someone knocked on the door to open it.
“Welcome to Dry Creek!
” one of the dozen ladies standing on his porch said cheerfully. “We brought food so you’d have something to eat until you can get settled in.”
Sharlene winked from back behind the woman.
Mary Jo smiled at him from the sidelines.
“Thank you all so much,” Blake said. “Please come right in and excuse the mess. I’m not nearly unpacked yet. Can I get you ladies a cup of coffee?”
Sharlene ran her forefinger down his arm and locked it around his pinky. “I’ve been waiting for your call,” she whispered.
Mary Jo pushed between Sharlene and Blake to hug him. “Welcome to Dry Creek. We’re a friendly bunch and we hope you do better on this ranch than the other folks have.”
“I’m Dora June. This is Lucy.” The woman with three chins made so many introductions so fast that he’d never remember all their names. “And now for the food! You’ll have to freeze some of it, but I reckon you’ll want to have my fried chicken for dinner since it’s still hot.”
“Why, Miz Dora June, how did you know fried chicken was my favorite food in the whole wide world? My mouth is already watering,” he said.
“All cowboys like fried chicken,” she beamed.
In a few minutes his kitchen table was filled with food, his counter space was covered with desserts, and a couple gallon jugs of sweet tea had been set in his near empty refrigerator.
“I see my slow cooker in the ’fridge with leftover chili in it,” Mary Jo whispered while the other women talked nonstop about how good it was to have someone living on the ranch. “All you have to do is call me when it’s empty and I’ll come get it, night or day.”
Sharlene waited until Mary Jo moved to the side and looped her arm in Blake’s. “And you’ve eaten my casserole already. I’ll bring another one right over any ole time of the day…or night.” She gave his right butt cheek a squeeze. “We might build up an appetite and then we could share it. I brought my pot roast today and if you like it better, give me a day’s notice.”
Blake had fallen into a wild cowboy’s paradise. Hell, he didn’t even have to go bar hopping on the weekend. All he had to do was make a phone call, but…
Dammit! Why did there always have to be a but?
But, the voice in his head said loud and clear, what if these women are looking for more than a one-night stand or a weekend romp in the sheets? What if they want a long-term relationship? Then you’ll be up shit creek without any sign of a paddle because the whole town will turn against you for hurting their feelings.
Lucy clapped her hands. “Okay, ladies. This man has work to do if he’s going to get this place whipped into shape. Let’s go on now. We will see you in church on Sunday, won’t we, Mr. Dawson?”
“You are all such sweethearts to take care of me like this and yes, ma’am, I will be in church Sunday. I might be twenty pounds heavier after eating all this good cookin’, but I’ll be there,” he promised.
Lucy nodded. “You’ve got an open invitation to go home with me and my husband, Herman, for Sunday dinner anytime, honey. You might get lonely and Herman can talk the legs off a kitchen table when it comes to ranchin’ and cows.”
“Thank you again for everything.” Blake followed the parade back through the living room.
“You don’t need to come out to the porch, cold as it is,” Ruby said. “Just get on in there and open up that fried chicken and my potato casserole. They go right well together. And I do believe that Nadine sent her famous apple pie.”
“I can’t thank y’all enough for making me welcome,” Blake said.
“Honey, I’d like to show you just how welcome you are,” Sharlene said softly just before she followed the rest of the crowd outside.
Blake was still shaking his head, wondering how in the hell he was ever going to deal with so much temptation on every corner, when Deke pushed into the back door.
“We’re at a stopping place. Mind if we come in and get warm. Holy shit! What is all this? I saw them bringing in stuff but man, this looks like a buffet for an army.”
“Take off your coats and get comfortable. Make yourselves at home. Most of this will go in the freezer. Thank goodness it is only half full and will hold everything, but I reckon we won’t have to cook much for a few weeks around here. I understand that the fried chicken is still warm and there is a potato casserole somewhere,” Blake answered.
Deke headed for the living room. “Sounds like heaven to me.”
Allie pulled off her gloves, tucked them in her coat pocket, and then hung it on the back of a chair. “Okay if I wash up at the kitchen sink? The hot water will warm up my cold hands. And then I’ll help you find the chicken and potatoes and after we eat, I could help you put the other stuff in the freezer.”
“Help yourself and thank you,” Blake said.
“Ahhh,” she said as the water went from cold to warm and then hot. “I need to do inside jobs in the winter.”
“Speaking of that. Do you have anything lined up right now? I could sure use some help on the ceilings where the roof leaked through. Any advice you can give would be appreciated,” he said.
She turned off the water and looked around for a towel. “Well, it should just take some drywall and a paint job. Probably not too expensive.”
Blake picked up the hand towel from the cabinet and held it out toward her. “Would you be able to do the job? I’d be glad to help.”
She turned around quickly and ran right into his chest. “Oh, s-sorry,” she stammered.
He ran the back of his hand down her cheek and looked deeply into those brown eyes. He tipped her chin up with his knuckles and slowly bent to brush a soft kiss across her lips.
Never had a first brief kiss affected him like that, not in all the years he’d perfected his wild ways with women. The feeling was so new that he wasn’t sure what to do with it. Did he apologize for kissing her or kiss her again with more intensity?
She took a step to the side and her hand went to her lips. “I can work for you, Blake Dawson, but you cannot do that again.”
“Are you seeing someone?” He handed her the towel.
She dried her hands and threw it over his shoulder. “No, and I’m not looking to be either. I was married at one time and I loved that man with my whole heart. When the marriage ended, my nerves were shot. It’s a long story and it’s sure nothing to do with you but…”
“Guess I got mixed signals. Can we at least be friends?”
“I don’t know, but I…”
Two buts in less than a minute. Two women chasing him, ready and waiting for his call and the one that had buts at the end of every sentence was the one who turned him inside out with a simple kiss. God hated him!
“Hey, it smells good in here.” Deke appeared in the doorway rubbing his hands together. “Blake, why don’t you hire Allie to give this place a facelift while her business is slow?”
In a couple of long strides, Allie was behind her chair, her hands gripping the back where her coat hung.
“That’s what we’ve just been talking about,” she said.
Deke pulled out a chair and sat down. “Well, I’m going to be cutting wood if Blake was serious about the mesquite. I can make more at that than helping you, but I will miss the dinners.”
“If you are willing to clear mesquite, I will gladly provide dinner. You can eat with me and Allie every day,” Blake said.
Deke glanced over his shoulder toward Allie. “You okay with that since I’m not going to be helping you?”
“Yes, of course,” Allie said. “It’s Blake’s house and his food, not mine. Besides, I’ll look forward to seeing you every day.”
Allie was surprised that her voice sounded completely normal. Every nerve was humming loudly in her body. She pulled out the chair and sat down, glad to be off her weak knees. What in the hell had she done?
You took another job and Deke won’t be there and you kissed that cowboy just like I knew you would. It was Lizzy’s voice, no doubt about it, fussing at her. Allie h
oped that when Lizzy did something stupid that she heard Allie’s voice in her head telling her all about it.
Suddenly Deke touched her on the shoulder. “Earth to Allie,” he said.
She was amazed to see that a disposable pan of fried chicken and one of potato casserole had been set on the table. Both Deke and Blake were looking at her like they expected her to say grace or do something.
“What?”
“Blake is going to say the blessing. Bow your head,” Deke said.
A cowboy who said grace?
Her chin went down and she peeked out of one eye. Blake’s long lashes rested on his cheekbones and that slow drawl sounded sincere when he said a quick blessing over the food.
“Now, let’s eat,” he said.
Allie picked up the potato casserole, helped her plate, and sent it to Deke. “It smells really good. I’m sorry about awhile ago. I was thinking about the ceilings. Do you want drywall, or would you like a framework and panels? That way a panel could be removed and replaced if it got messed up and you wouldn’t have to do the whole ceiling. They make the framework now to look like wood so it’s not so modern looking.” She was talking too fast and talking business when what she really wanted to do was curl up in the rocking chair in her room and think about that kiss.
“Bullshit! You weren’t thinking about ceilings at all. Your eyes were all dreamy and soft so you were off in Cinderella land. Did the prince ask you to dance yet?” Deke laughed. “But if that’s your story, I’m sure you’ll stick with it. Besides you are talking too fast and about work too much so I know you aren’t telling the truth. You want a chicken leg or a breast or a thigh?”
She nodded. “Leg is fine.”
“Who won?” Deke asked.
“Won what?” Blake asked before Allie could answer.
“Allie was fighting with herself again.” Deke forked out a wing and a breast to lay on his plate. “She does that a lot. Lizzy or you? Who won?”
Allie managed a weak smile. “It was a tie this time.”
“What were they arguing about?” Blake asked.
Wild Cowboy Ways Page 7
