The Cowboy's Claim

by Nina Crespo

  Moments passed before she caught a whiff of the problem. The scent of his shaving soap lingered on her hand. She hadn’t been nosing around his things, the tin just fell into the sink. “The towels knocked it over.”

  His brows came together as he looked at her.

  “Your shaving soap. It fell into the sink and I had to wash it down the drain... I mean pieces of it.” Her inability to form coherent sentences tipped her even higher on the embarrassment meter with Tristan’s puzzled expression and her inability to keep her eyes off his hard chest. If only she could have swum down the drain along with his soap.

  “Going.” Chloe turned away from him. She was really starting to appreciate caveman-speak. She couldn’t mess it up.

  “Don’t you still want this?”

  An image of Tristan and his promised abs sprang up. Darn right she did, but that wasn’t what he was talking about. The map... He still had it.

  Just grab the thing and don’t stare. Chloe whirled around. She avoided looking into his eyes, but the rest of him... A sigh of appreciation slipped out.

  “No.” Chloe snatched the paper from him and shook her head, emphasizing the point more for herself than him. “Distraction. Bad. Very bad.”

  Chapter Nine

  Tristan sat at the bar counter in the semicrowded space attached to the Montecito Steakhouse just outside of town. He half watched the recap of last night’s basketball game on one of the huge flat screens above the bar in front of him.

  As he took a pull from his bottle of beer, the remembered image of Chloe snatching the paper from his hand at the cottage that afternoon, then shutting the door in his face, wove into his thoughts. Distraction—bad? Had she been referring to him? She was the one who’d invaded his space.

  Raucous conversation grew louder at the table where Chloe sat sharing last call happy hour drinks with a group of staff from Tillbridge.

  And she was still doing it. After she’d left, all he’d kept thinking about was how much he’d liked smelling the scent of his shaving soap on Chloe. Tristan ran his hand over the shadow of hair on his jawline. Staying away from his razor for the next few days would probably be a good idea. He didn’t trust his concentration.

  Rina had claimed his problem was that Chloe reminded him of Erica. He could honestly say that wasn’t true. He’d definitely never wanted to kiss Erica, and Chloe wasn’t a spoiled pain. She was just damn persistent about getting what she wanted, and actually, he could respect that. He was just as determined when it came to working toward what mattered to him. But Erica didn’t share that quality. She just expected people to give her what she wanted. Too bad he hadn’t picked up on that when he’d met her.

  He and Erica had been seated next to each other in the same row on a flight from Atlanta to Baltimore. At the time he’d been six months away from the end of his enlistment. Flying to Maryland from where he’d been stationed in Georgia had served a dual purpose—spend Memorial Day weekend with his family and speak with his father to establish where he might fit in at the stable once he’d been discharged and came home for good.

  The casual conversation he’d struck up with Erica had started when he’d asked if she had enough room in the center seat, an attempt to give a hint to the guy sitting near the window that he was manspreading all over her. As they’d kept talking, she’d mentioned moving to DC because she’d wanted a change of pace from where she lived in Augusta.

  After they’d landed, she’d gotten a message from the friend who was supposed to pick her up. They’d decided to leave town for the weekend and had forgotten to leave her a key to the apartment she was sharing with them.

  As she’d stood in the baggage claim area waiting for her luggage, she’d reminded him of an abandoned foal, cute but lost and looking for someplace to go. Feeling sorry for her, he’d given her a ride to a hotel and then invited her to spend the holiday with him and his family.

  Chloe’s carefree laugh teased him from the past. No. She was nothing like Erica. She was capable of finding her own way, and especially now, she looked good doing it. The white fitted tee and pink jeans she had on clung to her in all the right places. She just needed his Stetson to go with those cowboy boots she was wearing. His Stetson? Wait. Where had that come from?

  Something was said at her table causing everyone to snicker and hoot in response.

  Adam, who sat beside Chloe, pushed up the sleeves of his gray shirt, then casually laid his arm on the back of her chair.

  An hour ago, when he was leaving the office for the day, Gloria had informed him that Deanna had told her Adam was going to teach Chloe about horses. She’d said it while peering at him over her glasses, with an expression that had made him feel like he was ten years old and had disappointed her by not completing some expected task.

  He’d meant to tell Chloe his plan about catching up with her next week. But with attending business commerce association meetings in Bolan and Baltimore in Zurie’s place, and handling the arrival of new horses along with everything else, it honestly skipped his mind. But once again she’d found her own way, eliminating his problem. So why wasn’t he thrilled about it?

  “Hey.” Mace settled into the stool beside him, off duty and casual in a tan long-sleeved pullover and jeans. He signaled to the bartender to bring two of the beers Tristan was drinking. “Are you just going to stare at her or buy her a drink?”

  Was he that obvious? Damn. Tristan put his attention back on the flat screen. “Plenty of people are buying her drinks. She doesn’t need one from me.”

  At least three different guys had sent cocktails her way during happy hour, but after accepting the drinks, she hadn’t opened the door to introductions. She’d just politely acknowledged the senders, then surreptitiously passed the cocktails to her tablemates.

  Mace chuckled. “Looks like the former high school quarterback is calling his play. I give Adam credit for trying, but he’s way out of his league with her. By the way, what’s her name?”

  “Chloe Daniels.”

  “So she’s staying at the guesthouse?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “Why is she here?” Mace took one of the beers the bartender dropped off and slid the other one to Tristan.

  “She’s an actress researching a part for some movie. Zurie was supposed to help her out, but she left town, and now I’m stuck with her.”

  “An actress, huh?” Mace’s brow raised with interest. “You know, I think I recognize her. I’ll have to look her up. Have you seen any of her shows or movies?”

  “No.”

  “What’s the name of the movie she’s auditioning for?”

  “I don’t know. Does it matter?”

  “It might. Why are you looking at me like it’s a dumb question?” Mace shrugged. “Maybe I’ll want to see it.”

  Tristan tamped down annoyance and turned his attention to his beer. He’d thought at least Mace would see things from his point of view when it came to the Chloe situation. Zurie hadn’t given him a choice, just dictated terms.

  Mace pointed to the far wall. “Dartboard’s free. You up for a game?”

  He was up for anything that changed the subject and got Chloe off his mind. “I’m always up for beating you.”

  “Whatever lies get you through the night.”

  They both took their beers and ambled to the far side of the room, but just before they got to the board, Adam stepped up. “There’s a waiting list. Blake and I are next.”

  Had Chloe finally gotten tired of Adam and kicked him to the curb? From the self-assured look on his face, probably not. Maybe it was time to take him down a notch in a dart game.

  “Why don’t we team up?” Tristan gestured between himself and Mace. “Us against you and Blake.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Adam pulled the darts from the board.

>   “Let’s do this.” Mace set his beer on a nearby tall table. “You owe us a basket of hot wings when you lose.”

  “Don’t get too confident.” Adam glanced behind Mace and Tristan. “Looks like there’s been a change-up. Maybe Blake isn’t playing.”

  Tristan looked back and spotted Chloe walking toward them. “Oh, hell no.” The murmured words slipped past his lips, but Mace and Adam were too caught up in staring at her to notice.

  She sauntered over to Adam’s side carrying what looked to be a mojito. “Blake’s busy so I’m taking his place. The server who brought our drinks is taking a dinner break, and he’s going with her.” Chloe exchanged a laugh and a knowing look with Adam. “I guess the pep talk I gave him about smiling at her worked.”

  Tristan took a swig of beer. She’d convinced Blake, who barely spoke to anyone, to take relationship advice? Charming Adam was one thing but Blake, too?

  Mace thumped Tristan’s arm. “You good?”

  “Perfect.”

  “So which style are we playing?” Chloe didn’t spare Tristan a glance as she set her glass next to Mace’s on the tall table, then slipped a dart from Adam’s hand. She walked up to the toe line and threw it at the board.

  Chapter Ten

  The dart hit the bull’s-eye.

  Chloe couldn’t hold back a smile as she took in the mix of appreciative to slightly shocked expressions from Tristan, Adam and the guy Adam had told her earlier was named Mace.

  Adam looked to her and said, “I say we play a standard 701 game since we’re teaming up.”

  “I agree.” She’d played that way before. Each team would start with 701 points, and each player would take turns throwing three darts. Their scores would be deducted from the totals. The first team to reduce the score to zero would win.

  “Will that work for you?” Adam asked Mace and Tristan. “Unless you’ve changed your minds about playing against us.”

  “We’re ready.” Mace snagged a dart from the table. “We’ll even let her throw count in determining which team goes first.” He went to the toe line. His throw hit outside the bull’s-eye.

  Adam smirked. “In case you’re wondering, I prefer Cajun over hot wings.”

  “Good to know.” Tristan’s bring-it-on look came with a dismissive snort. “Be sure to tell that to the server when you’re using your own money to buy them.” At the toe line, Tristan loosened up by rotating his wide shoulders.

  As he took a throwing stance, Chloe’s attention riveted on his tight-looking butt. A rush of warmth made her fan her face. Why was she flushed after just one mojito? She dragged her gaze from Tristan and ran into Mace’s direct stare across the table. From his amused expression, he’d caught her staring at Tristan. More heat gathered in her cheeks.

  Mace’s amber gaze continued studying her as he drank from his beer. “We haven’t formally met. I’m Mace.” He moved over and stood beside her.

  “Hi, I’m Chloe.”

  “You threw that bull’s-eye without breaking a sweat. Who taught you to play? Your dad, a sister or brother, your boyfriend?”

  Typical smooth move if the dark-haired deputy was fishing to see if she was single. She recognized him from when she’d stumbled that first morning at the stable. But it didn’t feel like he was flirting with her, more like playing wingman. For who? Tristan? If he was, he must have missed the unhappy look on Tristan’s face when she’d walked up and told them she was playing instead of Blake.

  As a server slipped up beside her and dropped off a full platter of loaded fries, Chloe answered him. “I learned while filming a pilot episode for a series.”

  “So did they hire someone to teach you?”

  Tristan came to the table and stood on the other side of Chloe. He nodded at Mace. “We’re starting first. You’re up.”

  “In a sec. Chloe was about to tell me who taught her how to play darts.”

  Both men zeroed their attention on her just as she ate a fry.

  A bit self-conscious, sandwiched between them, under their direct stares, she took a much-needed sip from her glass to wash it down. “We were filming a scene in a bar, like this one, a few of the extras and I were supposed to play darts in the background. Technical issues delayed the scene, and while we waited, the extras taught me how to play.”

  “Oh?” Tristan grabbed some fries. “Who knew pretending for a living had a useful payoff.”

  “Pretending?”

  Just before she was about to deliver a snappy comeback, she saw his faint smile. Tristan may have had opinions about her career, but he didn’t come across as the type who was mean enough to embarrass her in front of people. No, this was about him wanting to win. He thought he could actually get into her head? Game on.

  Chloe smiled sweetly. “You’re right. Some of us do have to pretend, at times.” She slid a couple of napkins in front of him. “You should take these.”

  Tristan frowned. “Why? Do I have food on my mouth?”

  “No, but you’ll need them when you pretend not to cry after Adam and I kick your butts.”

  “Daaamn!” Mace playfully cringed as he backed his way to the toe line for his turn. “She burned you so bad that hurt me.”

  “I guess.” Tristan’s tone held amusement and grudging respect as he looked to Chloe. “Hope you can back your play, Ace.”

  “I can.” She plucked a fry from the platter. “Can you?”

  “Definitely. I don’t run away from heated situations even when things get bad or distracting.”

  Throwing her words in her face from when she’d left his cottage. Oh, now he was playing dirty. She didn’t run...exactly, but she’d had her reasons. They began and ended with her wanting to finish unbuttoning his shirt, and Chloe swallowed those reasons covered in cheese, bacon and sour cream. She could never tell him that.

  But Tristan’s knowing smile practically accused her of being a coward, and she couldn’t resist wiping it from his face. “Distractions are just a minor detail.” She feigned indifference. “As far as heated situations, I haven’t encountered anything or anyone hot enough to make me run.”

  Tristan said something to her, but cheers for a soccer game playing on one of the flat screens drowned out his words. “What did you say?”

  As he leaned closer, the woodsy scent she’d come to really like surrounded her. His hair-shadowed cheek rasped lightly over hers. “I said, are you sure about that?”

  Obstinacy made her turn her head to look at him. Meeting him eye to eye with his mouth inches from hers, jumbled certainty. All that remained was curiosity. If Tristan kissed her would he boldly take possession of her mouth or use the slow sweeps of his lips to coax her into kissing him back? Not that she’d need a whole lot of persuading. A vision bloomed in her mind of them indulging in that latter kiss, and of it deepening and becoming more intense as desire took hold.

  As if he’d read her mind, he leaned in and she did, too. Her heart echoed in her ears with the closing of inches to millimeters filled with anticipation and heat.

  “Uh... Chloe.” Adam standing across the table yanked her and Tristan back. “It’s your turn, but if you’re not playing anymore because...” The tips of his ears reddened as he looked from her to Tristan as if he was unsure of what to say.

  Mace joined them. “Who’s not doing what anymore?”

  “Nothing.” Chloe and Tristan interjected at the same time.

  “Okay.” Mace regarded all three of them with a level stare. “What did I miss?”

  Adam’s mouth opened then shut.

  Tristan remained silent and turned his attention to the flat screens at the bar as he drank his beer.

  The way Mace looked at her, as if he was conducting official business, made Chloe feel like she needed to confess, but to what? Nothing had happened.

  “I’m up.” Chloe snagged three darts from the table. D
espite her sweat-slicked hands, she’d still managed to hit the board...barely.

  When she returned, she braced to see triumph in Tristan’s eyes for succeeding in throwing her off her game, but his focus stayed on the flat screens while Mace harassed Adam about needing to buy more bar food.

  On the way to take his turn, Tristan’s face revealed nothing about his strategy or what had happened between them a minute ago, but her traitorous heart kicked in a few extra beats. And why should she expect to see some sort of a reaction. Like they’d both said, nothing had happened.

  After each successive round, the teams’ decreasing scores grew closer and closer.

  She and Adam had a chance to win, but she had to throw two 20s and a bull’s-eye. It wasn’t impossible, but she’d made a perfect score like that only twice in her life. The first time had been beginner’s luck. The second time had been at a friend’s bachelorette party with jumbo daiquiris in the mix and pictures of cute guys pinned to the board.

  Chloe took her place behind the line. A hint of the jitters spread inside of her. She could do this. She would do it. Taking a long, cleansing breath, she shut out the room just like she did on set when she was absorbed in playing a part. This was a performance she had to nail, and instead of another actor, her costar was the board.

  She threw the first dart and it hit the 20 mark. The second one did, too. Without overthinking it, Chloe threw the last dart. Bull’s-eye.

  “I did it!” She happy danced in place, then threw her arms around Adam who picked her up in a bear hug.

  Mace smiled and toasted her with his beer while Tristan drank his.

  Adam put her down. In a friendly gesture, he draped his arm around her shoulders as they joined Tristan and Mace at the table. “A winning throw like that deserves a celebration. Forget about wings. I’m buying you dinner.”

  “I agree,” Mace said. “But you guys won so we’re buying.”

  Chloe laughed. “I’m fine with just the wings.”

  “Are you kidding? We can’t let that go uncelebrated.” Adam dropped the score sheet on the table. “I’ll put us on the reservation list. It’s just the four of us, right?”