Cowboy 12 Pack

by Cynthia D’Alba, Paige Tyler, Elle James, Donna Michaels, Shoshanna Evers, Randi Alexander, Cora Seton, Beth Williamson, Sabrina York, Sable Hunter, Lexi Post, Becky McGraw

  “Sounds good to me,” Kerri said, face a nice shade of crimson as she headed for the stove, not looking either of them in the eye.

  With a wink and a smile, Jordan motioned toward the corner table. “Shall we?”

  Brandi nodded, an answering smile forming on her lips as she took a seat and pulled a notepad from her briefcase/purse. She knew her friend’s house was under construction and scheduled to be completed within the month. And she also knew her friend was eager to start her life alone with her husband in their own place. “Is Cole joining us, or did he give you a list of things he wants?”

  “No.” The woman shook her head, still smiling. “He’s working, but I know what he wants.”

  Okay, she was not going to touch that sentence. Clearing her throat, Brandi looked across the table at her friend. “Why don’t we start with what you both want, then we’ll schedule a walk-through so I can take measurements, and in a few days, I’ll draw up a tentative plan and we can tweak from there.”

  “Great,” Jordan said, setting her folded hands on the table. “I know Cole would like a stone fireplace, the chimney’s already in place. You might be able to use some of the rocks we’ve excavated on our land.”

  “I’ll check them out. That would save on your budget.”

  Her friend nodded and continued. “We’d also like a stand up shower, a soaker tub big enough for two, double sinks, long counter space, his and hers walk in closets…which are already framed out.”

  “Oh really? Again that could save on your budget. Provided the walls are in the right spot and don’t need to be moved,” she added.

  “Sweet.” The former cop smiled. “Even though Cole says money is no object, I can’t just spend and spend. That isn’t me. Not by a long shot.”

  Brandi couldn’t agree more. That was one of the things she liked most about the Masters sisters, one of the reasons they’d become fast friends. They held the same ideals she believed in. Spending time with family was more important than spending money. Helping others instead of helping themselves.

  And whatever it was Kerri was stirring in the pot on the stove… Damn, it smelled like heaven. Her stomach dutifully growled, echoed by Jordan’s. They looked at each other and laughed. Kerri’s ability to out-cook anyone and satisfy her stomach while keeping the calories low enough for Brandi’s hypothyroidism was an extra bonus.

  “I hope that’s ready,” Jordan said. “Because if our stomachs are grumbling, I shudder to think what’s happening with those two strapping men out there.”

  Kerri snickered as she spooned out five dishes. “Yeah, it’s ready. Brandi, I hope it’s okay that I put the stroganoff over rice for you? It’s around four hundred calories.”

  “Yes,” she replied. “That’s great. Thanks, Kerri.”

  To have something that smelled that good be under her five hundred calorie meal limit was sweet. Her stomach rumbled in agreement. There were times when keeping her metabolism going was a chore, especially when she had to eat every two to three hours, yet stay under fifteen hundred calories a day or she’d balloon up. Yeah, meals like the one Kerri was making made life so much easier for Brandi. And today, she was all about easy.

  Jordan turned back to face her. “Did you need anything else from me?”

  “No,” she replied, jotting down a final note before slipping the pad back in her purse. Even though the general rule of thumb was to never do work for family or friends, she knew this was going to be a fun job. She’d worked for Jordan on this very restaurant and looked forward to having her friend as a client again. “We just need to set up a time for me to come out and look at the rooms and discuss an appropriate budget once I do a walkthrough.”

  “What’s good for you? Is tomorrow too soon?” the brunette asked as they stood.

  “Tomorrow’s good. How about around noon?”

  The former cop smiled. “Perfect. Now, if you don’t mind helping my sister, I’ll go out and get the drinks so the cowboys don’t wither away.”

  “Sure thing,” she said, turning to her other friend placing dishes on two trays. “What do you need me to do?”

  The pretty cook pointed to the food. “Just carry one of these.”

  Tray in hand, Brandi followed Kerri out of the kitchen, and applauded herself for making it to the table without tripping. Given her day, it was a true miracle. One she didn’t dare question. It wasn’t until the others took their seats that she realized she’d been forced to occupy the spot across from Kade. Of course. Why would fate start behaving now?

  That the sheriff was silent through most of lunch was no surprise to Brandi. The others, however, kept giving them strange glances. Okay, not Connor. No. The handsome cowboy just wore a constant smile. Even while eating. But Jordan? Kerri? Oh, the Masters sisters were blatantly curious. Their brown eyes were bright with interest. It was eating them alive.

  Too bad.

  She had no intention of enlightening them. Although, she would like to try to apologize to the sheriff again. Just not with an audience. So she remained quiet and ate.

  As she slipped the last mouthful of deliciously seasoned meat, carrots and rice into her mouth, disaster struck.

  “Brandi,” Jordan said, placing her fork down. “I just realized I forgot to mention we want something bigger than a bench seat in the master shower, for…you know…when we do more than shower.”

  Rice really stuck to the back of the throat when swallowed the wrong way. Kerri slapped her back. Connor chuckled. Kade…no way in hell would she look.

  “And at least one sturdy wall that isn’t glass,” her soon-to-be-dead client added.

  Brandi continued to cough. Kerri continued to pound. Connor continued to chuckle. And Kade…she still wasn’t going there. But the good sheriff did hand her a glass of water. Which she sipped and sputtered, but eventually she gained the upper hand on the stray piece of rice.

  Feeling obligated, she nodded briefly at him, then turned to Jordan. “Okay,” she croaked while wiping her eyes with a napkin Kade also pushed her way. Another sweet gesture considering their early morning fiasco.

  “I’m sorry,” her friend said, brown eyes dark with concern. “I didn’t mean to make you choke.”

  She shook her head. “No worries. It just went down the wrong way.” Due to your blatant request and my inability to curb a reaction. She would’ve asked more about the shower design, but Jordan’s phone rang.

  “Excuse me, I have to take this, but I also have to go. Thanks for lunch, Kerri. Bye, everyone,” the woman said in a rush, already halfway to the door before anyone could respond.

  “You know, darlin’…” Connor smiled as he brought Kerri’s hand to his lips. “I think my brother got that shower idea from the one in your apartment.”

  A picture of her friend’s shower flashed through Brandi’s mind. The cowboy was probably right. The master shower in her friend’s old apartment was very similar to what Jordan had requested. And she had to admit, would be big enough to have sex in. Several ways.

  Heat rushed through her body, and increased when her gaze found its way to the still silent sheriff with smoldering eyes.

  Wait…smoldering?

  She blinked, her mouth bone dry. A second later, the blaze was gone. Had she imagined it? Maybe. Yeah. Probably. For goodness sakes. Mrs. Masters and Mrs. McCall planted that darn seed and she fell for it. Idiot.

  “Could be, sweetheart,” Kerri said. “I miss that shower.”

  “Me, too.” Connor glanced up at the ceiling, presumably to the apartment above, then to his fiancée, a grin tugging his lips.

  But Kerri shook her head and waved a hand in Brandi’s direction. “Forget it, cowboy. Now is a good time to do some asking, don’t you think?”

  Confusion flittered through his mocha eyes before it cleared and he straightened in his seat. “Yeah, you’re right. Now’s the perfect time. You go ahead, darlin’.”

  Kerri nodded, alternating her smiling gaze between her and the sheriff. “Brandi. Ka
de. We’d very much like you both to be in our wedding.”

  The request shocked the hell out of Brandi. Not that they’d asked Kade, but because they’d asked her. She was new to the county, and their lives. Despite her lack of history with the couple, she did consider them dear friends, but…

  “Of course I would,” Kade said, surging to his feet, and they all followed.

  He went to shake his friend’s hand, but the tall cowboy pulled him into a back-slapping embrace, then stiffened.

  “Ah hell. What’d you do, buddy? Bathe in skunk today?” Connor grimaced as he drew back.

  Kade rolled his eyes. “No, but my deputy got a good soaking. Sorry, I tried to stay upwind of the poor kid.”

  She hadn’t noticed the smell until they all stood. The slight odor did nothing to detract from the sheriff’s sex appeal. Damn him. She turned to the smiling bride-to-be.

  “I’m so very happy for you both,” Brandi said, hugging her teary-eyed friend. “Thank you for asking me to be a part of your special day.

  Kerri’s hold increased. “You were there for me on many occasions, Brandi. It’d mean the world to me to have you in my wedding.”

  Okay, now the tears were dripping from her own eyes. Dammit. “I’m blessed to be welcomed into your circle of friends.”

  Although she had lots of family and friends in Pennsylvania, Brandi never truly felt the peace she’d encountered here. Not like in Texas. No. She felt a oneness with Harland County and its residents, especially the dear friend in her embrace.

  She’d barely stepped back when two big, strong arms surrounded her and pulled her in. “You are a good friend, Brandi Wyne,” Connor said. “Thank you for taking care of my girl when I was an ass.”

  Her face brushed the soft T-shirt covering the cowboy’s broad chest as she chuckled. “My pleasure, but I do appreciate that you’ve kept your ass-tendencies to a minimum.”

  “And I’m glad you’re finally going to make an honest man of him, Kerri,” Kade said.

  She stepped back to see the sheriff hug the blushing bride-to-be.

  “Yes, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it,” her friend replied with a grin.

  They all laughed as they retook their seats.

  “Have you set a date?” she asked, pouring water into her glass.

  Connor nodded, draping an arm around his fiancée’s shoulders. “October eighteenth. It’s after the fall cattle drive, plus it’s not too damn hot out that time of the year.”

  “It’s also not too cold,” Kerri added.

  It also didn’t give a lot of time for preparation. “That’s only a little over four months away,” she felt obligated to point out.

  Her friend turned to her and smiled. “I know. But we don’t want anything huge, and I’ve coordinated a few of these so I know with your help, and my sister’s help, it’ll be fine.”

  “Hey, what are we? Chopped liver?” Connor drew back, brown eyes twinkling with fake disdain.

  “No,” Kerri replied. “You’re guys.”

  “What?”

  Brandi had a tough time holding in the laugh bubbling up her throat at the cowboy’s raised brows.

  “You know what I mean.” Her friend waved a hand at him. “You’re all fairly useless when it comes to planning parties. But, of course, if you want to help…”

  “Nope. No, darlin’, that’s not necessary.” Shaking his head, her fiancé held up his hands in surrender. “You girls can have all the fun.”

  Brandi glanced across the table at Kade and caught his amused gaze.

  “That’s what I thought,” Kerri said, regaining her attention.

  The cowboy nodded. “You thought right.”

  “Good, then you can help me with another thought.”

  Interest sparkled in his dark eyes. “Sure, darlin’. Anything.”

  “You can help me clear the dishes.”

  “Ah, and here I thought it was something good,” Connor joked as he stood to stack their dirty dishes on a tray before he followed a grinning Kerri into the kitchen, leaving Brandi with the sheriff. Alone.

  The perfect opportunity to apologize for the second time.

  She turned her attention to the silent man again and watched as he poured coffee from a carafe into his mug. He took a sip, and she absently wondered how he could drink it without the aid of milk or sugar to soften the bitter taste. But, it was fitting. The man was a no-nonsense type of guy. Setting his mug down, he sat back and raised a brow.

  Yeah, okay, perfect lead in. She cleared her throat and, as always happened when the gorgeous man looked at her with those amazing gray eyes, she forgot her thoughts.

  “Something wrong?”

  “No…I mean, yes,” she stammered like the idiot he’d reduced her to. “About this morning, I want to apologize.”

  He stiffened and all light disappeared from his expression. “You did. It’s in the past.”

  “No.” She shook her head and leaned forward. “I apologized for accusing you.”

  “Like I said, it’s done. Forget it.”

  “No,” she said again. “I’m trying to apologize for accusing you.”

  He blinked. “Well, that’s different then.”

  Smart ass. She laughed despite her frustration at not being clear. “It is, you goof. I got to thinking about what you said. You were the first person from the ranch that came to my mind when I saw the abused horse, and that isn’t right.”

  He didn’t move a muscle, just sat there staring. Maybe he didn’t hear her.

  “Look, Kade, I’m sorry you were the one that came to mind. It wasn’t right. Heck, I’m not even sure why that happened.” But she had the feeling that wasn’t true. Okay, she knew it wasn’t true.

  So did he. She could tell by the disbelief curling his lower lip. His scrumptious lower lip. The urge to capture it with her teeth and soothe with her tongue hit Brandi with an unexpected force that held her immobile.

  “It’s because you hate the military.”

  She reeled back. Apparently, no longer immobile. “What? I don’t hate the military.”

  He muttered something under his breath before bringing the cup to his lips.

  “I don’t,” she insisted. “But I’m not fond of the last guy I dated, and he was in the Guard.”

  Kade set his mug down, never breaking eye contact. Again, he remained silent, but something in his gaze compelled her to continue. And tell the truth.

  “Ed was an ass, and I think maybe you’re right. I may have transferred my negative feelings for him to you because you’re also in the Guard.” She sat back and grimaced. What an awful thing to do. She really didn’t know Kade, which was completely her fault, but necessary and not something she wanted to change. Still, he did deserve an explanation. “You are not like him.”

  “I should hope not. Especially since we’ve established he’s an ass.”

  She smiled. “Right.”

  “So…what am I?”

  The only man to make my panties wet with just a look.

  Okay, not something he needed to know, but he was looking at her, studying her with that damn unreadable gaze of his, waiting for a reply. She’d have to fudge it.

  “The sheriff.”

  Now he laughed. And heaven help her, laughter looked good on him. Real good. His tight features relaxed, making those incredible smoky eyes sparkle with life, and his tempting lips curve in an even more inviting way.

  “Thanks for pointing that out,” he said quietly.

  “Glad I could help.”

  They stared at each other, and soon, the amusement warming his gaze shifted into something hotter, stealing her breath, heating her from the inside out. Brandi tried to swallow. Which was a problem because her throat was dry. Very dry. Parched to the point of crumbling into dust.

  In desperate need of regaining control, she ordered her body to retreat. To sit back, keep a respectable distance. So, why in the world did she find herself leaning closer to the man leaning across the tabl
e toward her? The edge cut into her ribs. That didn’t stop her. She drew near, until their breath mingled, and heat coursed through her body, tingling all her good parts to life. Lord knows those parts had been dormant for far too long. She was afraid they’d gone on a permanent vacation.

  Nope.

  Everything happily tingled for the sexy sheriff and his commanding presence.

  Then his gaze dropped to her lips. Holy hell. That was it. She was done. She stopped breathing altogether. Her whole body vibrated in anticipation. This was nuts. This was crazy. Something in the back of her mind nudged and prodded, and she knew it was a warning to stop. That she shouldn’t be doing this. That she didn’t want to do this. But, oh, yes. Yes, she did want to do this. She wanted very much to kiss this man with lips so sensual, so damn tempting her toes were already curling in her pink bunny slippers.

  Correction, Kerri’s pink bunny slippers.

  Kerri…

  Nothing like a fake animal bringing you back to reality. Brandi sat back in her chair so fast it moved an inch. Holy smokes, that was close.

  A weary gleam entered Kade’s eyes.

  “What are you afraid of?” he asked, settling in his seat, his gaze back to unreadable.

  Before she could answer, or deny, the kitchen door creaked, signaling they were no longer alone.

  “Sorry to leave you so long, but we, ah, had some dishes to do.”

  Dishes…right. Judging by the blush in her friend’s cheeks, the couple disappeared to do more than just dishes.

  “No problem,” Kade said, transferring his attention back to her. “Brandi was apologizing.”

  “Apologizing? What for?” Kerri’s frowning gaze shifted between them as she sat down.

  Unwilling to allow the bugger to reply for her, Brandi opened her mouth to speak, but he wasn’t the only one she had to worry about.

  “Well, darlin’, it seems Brandi came across an abused horse in Kade’s stable and thought it was his.”

  Now she was frowning. At Kade. What the heck? Didn’t take him long to blab her mistake all over the county. Disappointment soured her gut, killing the last of the butterflies.