Cowboy Brave

by Carolyn Brown

  “And I’m Larry.” He turned up the root beer and took a long gulp, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I reckon we’ll be gentlemen and let the ladies ride Demon first.”

  “There’s plenty more root beers where those came from, so y’all drink up, and then we’ll wake old Demon up,” Vivien said.

  Patsy took a sip and then headed toward the jukebox. “Let’s get us some music goin’. I’ve been out of honky-tonks too long. I used to get six songs for a quarter. Now I only get one. But I don’t care. I’m goin’ to put every one of these coins in this thing.”

  “If you run out, I’ve got some in my pocket,” Larry said.

  “Well, would you look at this? They’ve got our kind of music, Larry. There’s some of the old stuff on here. First of all, ‘Looking for Love.’”

  Larry raised his bottle.

  Justin held out his hand to Emily. “May I have this dance, darlin’?”

  She’d danced at Christmas with a cousin or two, but it had been years since she’d two-stepped with a cowboy. The last time was at a high school dance, and it had not been a pleasant experience. The guy only danced with her because he’d lost a bet to some other kids, and that was his penance.

  “I ain’t never seen her two-step, or dance at all for that matter,” Patsy said.

  Emily put one hand on Justin’s shoulder and tucked the other one into his. He pulled her close and began to move around the dance floor with her. She was sure glad that two-stepping, like riding a bicycle, all came back to her because Justin was an excellent dancer.

  When the song ended, he stepped back and bowed slightly to kiss her knuckles. “Thank you for the dance.”

  Her voice came out in a whisper. “You must’ve had lots of practice.”

  “Little bit.” He grinned.

  The Fab Five applauded like they were judges on a reality TV competition.

  “Okay, who’s first?” Vivien called out when the noise died down. “Demon says he’s ready to buck someone off on their ass this mornin’.”

  “Me,” Patsy yelled. “I played this song special for my ride.”

  “Ring of Fire” started as Larry got into the ring and helped her up on the bull.

  She pointed at Otis. “Give me your hat or else that empty bottle.”

  He threw his hat like a Frisbee. She caught in on the fly, looped her fingers through the rope around Demon’s neck, and held the hat up with her right hand.

  “Let ’im out of the chute.” Patsy nodded at Vivien.

  Vivien pushed a button and Demon started to buck. Emily held her breath. If that was a slow speed, she’d never want a single one of them to try the fastest speed. Eight seconds seemed to last three hours, and when Vivien ended the ride, Emily blew out all the air in her lungs in a whoosh.

  Justin laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.”

  “One down, four to go,” she whispered.

  Bess reached for the hat. “My turn because ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ is my favorite, and that’s what is playin’ next. I’ll think about Billy Ray when he was young while I’m on the bull.”

  Emily sucked in another lungful of air and covered Justin’s hand with hers. About halfway into the ride Bess almost fell off, and Emily squeezed his hand hard.

  “Breathe, darlin’,” he whispered.

  “I can’t,” she gasped. It wasn’t until the next four seconds had passed that she refilled her lungs. “Why did I ever agree to this?”

  “Look?” Justin pointed to the dance floor, where Patsy was dancing all by herself.

  “And this one is mine,” Sarah yelled. “‘Tennessee Whiskey’ is startin’ up. If I’d ever found a man who’d sing this song to me I might not be an old maid today. Give me that hat, Bess.”

  “Don’t worry, honey,” Vivien said. “They’ll all make their eight seconds and live to tell the stories about it.” She pointed toward the dance floor. “And I’m guessin’ that the way Patsy is dancin’, this ain’t her first honky-tonk.”

  Sarah slapped the hat down on her head, grabbed an empty bottle, and held it up the whole time she was on Demon’s back. “Yee-haw! I got this, Emily. Take a picture. The folks at the center ain’t never goin’ to believe it. They’ll be beggin’ for you to take everyone to the ranch.”

  “There will never, ever be another ranch vacation,” Emily muttered as she snapped a picture.

  As soon as Sarah finished her ride, she joined Patsy and Bess on the dance floor, and the three of them swayed to the next song on the jukebox. Thank God, there were only two more days of this vacation. If the Five stayed at the ranch any longer than that, Emily’s hair would turn gray.

  When Otis finished up his ride, he settled his hat on his head and took a bow. “I still got it.”

  Vivien led in the applause and then said, “I think it’s time for another root beer to wet the whistle. Y’all did a fine job.”

  “Yes!” Patsy yelled. “Give me another beer! Emily, can we dance for thirty minutes before we go?”

  She checked her watch. “That’ll be the limit.”

  “Oh, oh!” Sarah pointed at the jukebox. “This one is for you and Justin. Y’all got time for one more dance.”

  Justin raised an eyebrow and opened his arms.

  She walked into them, and they moved together across the floor. “You know that they’re playin’ matchmaker, don’t you?”

  “Oh, yeah, I know.” He laid his chin on the top of her head. “We might as well make them happy. I’ve never danced with a woman like you.”

  “You mean a big girl?”

  “No, ma’am. Besides being sexy, you’re tall enough that I don’t have to bend to put my cheek next to yours. And you know my every dance move before I even make it. I could stay on this floor with you all night.”

  “I bet you say that to all the girls,” she said.

  “No, ma’am, I don’t.”

  She leaned back and locked eyes with him. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yep, I am, and I’d like to see you again after you leave the ranch. Would you go to dinner and maybe a movie with me?”

  She wanted to say no. She really did, but somehow the word wouldn’t come out of her mouth—he’d called her sexy, and he’d meant it. That deserved at least a possibility, right?

  “I thought we already had a date in the cabin,” she said.

  “You don’t kiss on the first date, so that one don’t count,” he teased.

  “Okay, then, call me sometime and we’ll see.”

  “You can depend on it, and now for the grand finale so they’ll have something to talk about.” He bent her backward and planted a scorching hot kiss on her lips.

  When the kiss ended, he brought her back to a standing position. The Fab Five were staring at her with big grins on their faces, but her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.

  Justin picked up his hat from the bar, settled it on his head at just the right angle, and waved as he left the bar. “I’ll see everyone at noon.”

  “Why don’t you do that to me after a dance?” Sarah asked Larry.

  “Because I’d pop my hip out of place, and besides one of my kisses would shoot your blood pressure so high, you’d stroke out. I don’t want to go to jail for murder.” Larry chuckled.

  Emily’s knees still felt weak, so she backed up and sat on a barstool. She could fully well expect them to want to talk about that kiss on the way home, and she needed to think about how she’d answer them. Something cold touched her arm, and she jumped like she’d been burned.

  “Sorry about that, sweetie. Didn’t mean to startle you,” Vivien said. “I poured you up a double shot of Jack Daniel’s. It’ll cool you down after that kiss?”

  That was her favorite whiskey. Vivien had even put one cube of ice in it. How did she know exactly what Emily liked?

  “I shouldn’t. I have to drive them back to the ranch.” She stared at it longingly.

  “Honey, no offense meant here, but a woman your size won
’t be in trouble with that much whiskey. And let me tell you a secret. I’ve been servin’ Justin Maguire drinks since before he was twenty-one. He was one of the first kids who had a fake ID that I didn’t catch. By the time I caught on, he was old enough to buy it legal. I’ve seen him drive home after a night of doin’ nothing but dancin’ the leather off his boots and only one beer in him. And then I’ve seen him talk some cute little bar bunny into going home with him. But I’ve never seen his eyes light up when they looked at any woman like they did when he danced with you.”

  “But…” Emily stammered.

  “He’s a good man with a big heart who makes his livin’ runnin’ his ranch. Now I ain’t runnin’ your business, but, sweetie, think about it real hard before you slam the door on an opportunity.” Vivien wiped down the already clean bar with a white cloth. “I know that man,” Vivien said. “Now you do what you want with that information. From here on, it ain’t a bit of my business, but you can trust him. I’d swear to that on my mama’s grave.”

  Emily took a sip of the Jack, held it in her mouth a few seconds, and then swallowed. There wasn’t a doubt that she could trust Justin. But could she trust herself? It would be so easy to fall for him.

  Chapter Seven

  A cool night breeze moved the tree branches as Justin walked toward the barn. He remembered Cade telling him how he’d be one crazy cowboy to invite a woman to the ranch for a week. But Justin didn’t feel crazy—not one bit. Then again, Cade probably hadn’t felt foolish either when he hired Retta to work as a counselor for the girls’ bunkhouse last summer. Levi might have thought he’d done something a little crazy when he rescued Claire and her cute little niece, Zaylie, during a blizzard. Both Retta and Claire had stayed in the girls’ bunkhouse, so maybe that damned place had magical powers.

  “And now Emily’s in the bunkhouse.” He suddenly felt a presence behind him, and whipped around to make sure he wasn’t about to be head butted by a bull or cold nosed on the hand by Beau. He saw a large shadow, but before he could focus, Emily was right there and taking the last step before she would run smack into him.

  She didn’t see him until it was too late, and he had the choice of wrapping his arms around her or letting her knock both of them to the ground.

  “Whoa, darlin’. Shall we dance?” Should he hum the tune to a country song so they’d have music?

  “I don’t feel like dancin’ right now.” She spit out the words.

  “Where are you goin’ in such a hurry?” he asked.

  “Anywhere. Everywhere. Nowhere. I had to get away and get some fresh air. Thought it might erase the pictures in my head, but it’s not working,” she said.

  “You want to talk about it?” Justin asked.

  “Hell, no!” she said. “I can hear my granny goin’ for the soap in the kitchen to wash my mouth out for sayin’ bad words, but dammit! I swear, my brain is never going to be the same.”

  “What’s got you cussin’?” He took a step back even though he’d rather have stood there with her in his arms until daylight.

  “You’ll never guess what they’re doin’ right now,” she fumed. “I thought I was home free. They rode the bulls and played dominoes until bedtime last night, all quiet and well behaved. I wish they were children. I’d ground the whole lot of them.”

  “More strip poker?” he guessed.

  “Worse!” She covered her cheeks with her hands.

  He took her hand in his and led her toward the barn. “Come on, girl. You need to cool down before you explode. Want me to go have a talk with them?”

  “God, no! They’d make you blush, too. Hell, they’d make the devil turn a darker shade of red.”

  She matched his long strides until they were inside the barn. Her hand in his was comfortable, and the sparks were almost as bright as the stars above them. He led her all the way to the tack room, where he switched on the light and then pulled her down beside him on a well-worn sofa.

  “Now tell me what they’ve done now,” he said.

  “Larry and Sarah are playin’ strip poker like you said. He’s down to his shirt, boxers, and socks. She’s lost her shoes and socks and shirt. The other three have gone skinny-dippin’ in that big bathtub. When I walked in on them, they invited me to join them,” she said. “None of them have a bit of shame.”

  He laughed so hard that he had to drag a handkerchief from his back pocket and wipe his eyes. “I know it’s not funny—but it is.”

  “It might be to you, but it damn sure wasn’t to me. God, I wish I could unsee that sight.”

  “You ever been skinny-dippin’?” he asked.

  “Not with boys,” she answered. “Have you?”

  “Want to be my first? We can find us a lake or that big bathtub.” He grinned.

  She jerked her hand free and slapped him on the arm.

  “Guess that means no. Well, if you ever change your mind, then just give me a call, and I’ll get the water ready. Do you like bubbles?” he teased, but the vision in his head wasn’t a joke. He could imagine running hot soapy hands down her sides, touching her voluptuous body in places that would make both of them pant with desire.

  “Don’t hold your breath,” she said.

  “Oh, honey,” he started to say something really smart-ass but his eyes landed on her full lips. Half the lipstick she’d applied had been chewed off, probably from worrying about the antics of the Five.

  He leaned forward, cupped her chin in his hand, and brought her lips to his in a fiery hot kiss that came close to knockin’ his socks right off. His tongue gently touched her upper lip, asking permission to enter her mouth. She opened it slightly, inviting him inside.

  Emily ignored the pesky voice in her head telling her to run, not walk, back to the bunkhouse, that things were getting out of control. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  One of his hands went to the back of her head to hold it steady. He was no novice at this business of making out because his other hand found its way up under her shirt and massaged her back. She pressed closer to him, liking the way his hard chest felt on her breasts, the way his lips felt on hers, and most of all his hands on her bare skin.

  Finally, he broke away and kissed the sensitive place on the inside of her neck. If he’d started there, she’d have already undone her bra for him. By now she’d be as naked as those three were in the bathtub. She moved back and blinked a few times. If she focused on something in the room, maybe the scorching desire for hot sex would leave her body. She should’ve looked across the room instead of down at his belt buckle. A deep crimson blush dotted her cheeks.

  “We can’t be trusted any more than the Fab Five, can we?” she asked.

  “Whew!” He leaned his head back on the sofa. “I ain’t never got this stirred up over a few kisses.”

  “Me, either,” she admitted. “But maybe we better take a lesson from it and not let it happen again.”

  His head jerked around to face her, and suddenly, they were kissing again. When he finally pulled away, he grinned. “Well, it’s not just the first one that leaves me breathless. Second one made even more sparks. There’s something between us, Emily. We shouldn’t ignore it but give it a chance to see where it might lead.”

  Vivien’s words about him being a good man who happened to work on a ranch came back to Emily’s mind. “We’ll see how things go when I’m not here all the time and you’ve got your bar bunnies to keep your bed warm,” she said.

  “And who’s going to keep your bed warm?” he asked.

  “I scarcely have time for dating, but when I do, it’s usually someone…” She hesitated.

  “Someone like who?”

  “Let’s just say it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a relationship. I know I’m a big girl, and I’m fine with that. It’s a ‘take me as I am or go to hell’ situation for the most part. But my last boyfriend kind of soured me on getting serious with anyone for a long time. He wanted to change me into his image of the perfect woman,�
�� she said. “He wanted me to join a gym, go on a strict diet, and have some cosmetic surgery. Let’s just say on that last issue that I hate needles so I wasn’t willin’ for his suggestions. It ended the whole thing. The next year he married a tall blonde who looked like a runway model.”

  “He was an idiot. You’re already perfect,” he said.

  That melted her heart. “Thank you for that.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “We’d better get on back. I’m just hoping they haven’t gotten into something even worse than skinny-dippin’ when I get there.”

  His phone rang before he could say anything else. He snapped it off the holder on his belt and answered, “Hello, Mama. No, I’m at the barn.”

  A few seconds later he said, “I’ll be there in a little while.” He ended the call and shoved the phone back in his pocket. “Now where were we? Oh, what could be worse than skinny-dippin’?”

  “Oh, maybe streakin’ from the bunkhouse to the barn in this weather. I’d have to call 911 to come get them for heart attacks. And heaven forbid if Larry or Otis stepped in a gopher hole and busted up a hip or knee.” Her pulse still hadn’t settled down, so her words came out between short breaths.

  “They’re pacing themselves and saving that for tomorrow night after the party. Think about it, Emily. They’ve done one ornery thing a day. So they’re saving the best until last.” Justin tucked her hand back into his as they left the tack room.

  The shiver that made its way from her neck to her toes had nothing to do with the weather. Or with the embarrassment the Five had put her through that week—the rascals would be lucky if they ever got another vacation away from the senior center. The sparks flying around her had to do with Justin and the fact that he’d said she was perfect. No one, other than her grandmother and her parents, had ever told her that.

  “Need my jacket?” Justin asked.

  “Nope, just need tomorrow to be over so I can take this crew home and get back to normal,” she said.

  “What’s normal?” Justin asked.

  “Good question.” Emily squeezed his hand.

  Justin pointed at the ranch house. “Levi and Claire are back. Mama said they were on the way. Want to come in with me?”