by Em Petrova
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights Reserved
Show-Off in Spurs
Crossroads
Book 5
Copyright Em Petrova 2020
Ebook Edition
Electronic book publication 2020
Cover Art by Bookin’ It Designs
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More in this series:
BAD IN BOOTS
CONFIDENT IN CHAPS
COCKY IN A COWBOY HAT
SAVAGE IN A STETSON
SHOW-OFF IN SPURS
Sometimes attraction isn’t enough…but it might be a start.
Ranch hand Theo Sutton is a disappointment to his family for dropping out of college, but he’s determined not to let down his bosses on the Bellamy Ranch. That’s why he covers for the runaway kid who keeps making trouble for him. Proving himself never seemed so important, especially when it comes to the beautiful newcomer to their small town. She only wants Theo to warm her bed once in a while, but every encounter with her leaves him wanting more.
A young widow like Sadie James can’t be too careful with her heart. The last thing she needs is another daredevil man who ends up leaving her. Besides, she’s too focused on getting a fresh start in Crossroads and building her fixer upper consulting business. But she can’t seem to stay away from Theo—or out of the back of his truck or the nearest hay bale.
To Theo’s mind, three people who need love are already a family, but the runaway boy is too stubborn and he’s starting to think Sadie is irreparably damaged. When love overrides loss and they all face a crossroads in life, decisions must be made that could leave them all devastated…or give them the happily ever after they all deserve.
Show-Off
In
Spurs
by
Em Petrova
Prologue
Theo Sutton had never been angrier in all his adult years. Not when his parents called him a disappointment for dropping out of college or when they predicted his life would be a failure for taking a job as a ranch hand.
With the sweat from battling the shed fire still slicking his body, and his Wranglers hanging low around his hips, he stalked into the barn.
Though silent, the space seemed to be super-charged—because the kid was hiding in here, and Theo knew it.
Tilting his head up to look at the loft, he spotted a plaid shirt sleeve before it vanished behind a hay bale. Theo had bought the kid that shirt, along with jeans, socks, boots and toiletries, put food in his belly and given him a dozen other things since Jordy had been hiding on the Bellamy Ranch as a runaway.
And how did he repay Theo for hiding him…helping him? By setting fire to the shed.
“Come out!” he barked at the kid.
No answer but the loud drum of his own heart, beating fast with fury.
“Dammit, Jordy, you better show yourself. If I come lookin’ for you, you won’t like it!” Theo braced his legs wide and sent a glare upward, hot enough to make it burst into flame like the shed.
The rustle of cloth against hay sounded, and then Jordy poked his blond head over the side of the loft. Their gazes met, and Jordy had the smarts to look away.
Theo pointed to the rough barn floor he stood on, his stance brooking no arguments about what he wanted from the kid. At fifteen, Jordy was a smart-ass little shit, but Theo overlooked those traits as teenage rebellion. But after this prank, he wasn’t so sure the kid wasn’t a common thug who’d run away from home because he was more spoiled brat than not.
Chest heaving, he watched Jordy calmly descend the ladder of the loft as if he hadn’t just committed arson—even by accident.
Theo studied the set of the boy’s shoulders—thrown back in defiance—and then the twist of his lips. Fisting his hands, Theo fought for calm, patience and understanding. All the things a parent used on a daily basis in raising children. But he wasn’t Jordy’s parent or even a relative.
“Was it you?” Theo grated out.
Jordy remained silent, though a glimmer in his eyes had Theo wondering if he’d managed to instill any love for the ranch into him.
“Gimme the truth,” he demanded. “Were you smokin’ and burnt the shed?”
His lips compressed, and for a moment, Theo thought he might break down in tears for the first time since he’d known him. His throat worked, and his face got red.
In the end, Jordy only gave a short nod.
“I assume besides burning down the shed, you’ve got thievin’ on your conscience too. Did you take cigars from Max’s belongings?”
Another small nod. He should earn points for being honest, even if Theo wanted to turn him over his knee and tan his backside.
They stared at each other.
“You want me to leave.” Jordy’s words didn’t come out as a question but as a statement.
Hell, how did he even respond to that? On one hand he was so mad he felt all his teeth might break off from grinding them so hard. On the other, the kid had nowhere to go, or he wouldn’t be hiding out on the Bellamy, unbeknownst to the owners or the rest of the ranch hands. Theo alone knew of the boy’s presence. He’d discovered him sleeping in the very shed that had burned to the ground, given him a blanket and some food.
Now, months later, Jordy had become a permanent fixture around here, though hiding was becoming more and more difficult as the ranch became more productive.
“I didn’t say you had to leave.” His voice grated with emotion he wished to hell he didn’t feel for the boy.
A glimmer resembling relief flitted through Jordy’s green eyes. His arms hung at his sides, gangly and out of place against his skinny body.
“You realize they suspect Max burned the shed.”
Jordy jerked. “What? Why?”
“Because fire doesn’t break out without a source. And since it’s a picture-postcard blue sky out there”—he waved a hand toward the barn door—“and not a storm cloud with lightning in sight, they’re accusing the only smoker on the ranch.”
“I thought I stubbed the cigar out.”
Theo swallowed his growl of irritation. “You shouldn’t be smokin’ at all!”
Jordy’s defiant streak surfaced, and he raised his jaw a notch. “I’m old enough to smoke.”
How many times had Theo wondered if he should set the boy loose, tell him to go his own way and good luck in life? Yet he never spoke the words, because he couldn’t stand to think of a fifteen year old out there alone in the world with no help or means to survive.
He pulled off his cowboy hat and raked his fingers through his sweat-damp hair. Leveling a look at Jordy, he said, “You know better. When are ya gonna start using the common sense you were born with?”
“Last I looked, you’re not my dad.” He sent Theo an appraising glance.
“No, but I’m the closest you got to one. You’re not going to let Max go down for your mistake. I won’t let that happen.”
For the first time, the semblance of fear crossed Jordy’s features. “You’ll turn me in to the Bellamys?”
He stared at him for a long minute. “If I have to, yeah. You and I both know Max didn’t set
fire to the shed, and he shouldn’t lose his job for your careless stupidity.”
“I ain’t stupid.” His voice adopted a hard edge.
“No, you’re not. But you sure didn’t make a smart decision.”
Jordy looked down and kicked at some loose hay strewn on the floor. “I don’t have any place to go,” he muttered.
“I know that. But if it comes to inquisitions and Max’s word is on the line, then you’re going to face the Bellamys and take your punishment. You got it?”
“Yeah…”
Seeing the despondent slump of his shoulders, Theo’s heart went out to the kid. He reached over and squeezed his bony shoulder. “No more smokin’, ya hear?”
“I hear.”
Theo pulled him into a rough hug, and this was one of the few moments Jordy allowed such physical contact. He thought things might work out…
But in the end, suspicions were aimed at Theo.
Chapter One
Day one in Crossroads and Sadie fucked up.
When she made the cross-country trip from Texas to small-town Georgia, loading her truck and moving all her possessions to gain a fresh start in life, she never thought she’d kick off this way.
First, she checked in to the bed and breakfast and then she went straight for the newspaper to search for a place to live. That led her to taking a drive through the scenic countryside.
Then she came across the Crossroads Winery.
A quaint little rustic building on the outside. Inside, rows of wine were lined on shelves and sitting atop wine barrels on display. Of course she bought a bottle of white with hints of peach…because she was in Georgia, after all!
She had a plan, though. Week one, find a place to live, whether a great apartment or a house. Week two, fix up said place into a cozy haven that soothed her soul when she walked through the door. As an interior designer, her space was important to her.
Week three, start working on her mental health. She’d come far after her husband’s death. But reminders of her high school sweetheart and beloved Jackson were everywhere she turned. His celebrity status as a bull rider who was at the peak of his career when he tragically died also put her in the spotlight as his grieving widow.
A year and a half later, she felt she’d turned a corner on her journey, but she had a ways to go, which was what landed her in Crossroads.
All the weeks after three kind of blurred into a lump of getting her business on track again and making more friends than the two people she knew here. Dominick Cole and Jackson had been tight, so when Dom suggested she move east and start fresh, she knew she’d have support from him and his new wife Jada.
With the bottle of wine in a cute cloth bag in hand, Sadie stepped out of the winery into the bright sunshine. She threw a look across the parking lot toward her pickup and skidded to a halt.
It’d been a long while since Sadie gave any man a second glance. She’d only recently reawakened the sexual part of herself and bought a vibrator. As she looked on, she grew mesmerized by the pretty view.
A pair of long, muscled legs in faded denim extended from an equally faded truck. The owner of the legs—and truck—appeared next, and he straightened to his full height, which must top six feet with boots and Stetson.
Country boy white T-shirt clinging to a broad torso that shifted overtop of the slabs of muscle a man could only put there by hard physical labor.
Her insides coiled as he twisted toward the winery…and looked right at her. An odd hitching sensation hit her chest, as if there wasn’t enough air to fill her lungs out here in the wide open countryside where air was free for the taking.
With his hat shading his features, she couldn’t tell if he had the face to match the strong body. But then he started toward her and she got a look at his chiseled jaw, cheekbones to match and full lips that were enhanced by the cut of his jaw.
He walked with a confidence she hadn’t seen since…well, Jackson. And thinking about her late husband while she simultaneously gawked at a hot cowboy didn’t make sense to her mind.
The cowboy’s eyes were creased as he squinted into the sun, but when they got within five paces of each other, she saw they twinkled like two warm brown gems.
He reached up and tugged the brim of his hat in a country greeting.
Stunned speechless, her cowgirl boots fused to the Georgia dirt, she could only nod in return. He passed her and entered the winery without so much as a ‘hell yeah and howdy.’
After a heartbeat, she unglued her boots from the ground and walked to her truck. As she set her purchase on the floor and started the engine, she threw another look to the front of the winery. Would it be terrible for her to sit here and wait for the cowboy to come out?
Was she even ready to admire a man again, after her long months of grief?
She didn’t know what she was doing, but why did she come to Crossroads if not to take chances? She told herself she was simply moving up week four or five on her list by making a new friend.
She’d followed Jackson on the rodeo circuit and talked to cowboys. Her ability to make small talk topped any fear she might say something stupid. So when the cowboy exited carrying a box instead of a single bottle in a cloth bag, Sadie was leaning against her truck waiting for him.
Bold? Yes. Stupid? To be determined.
As he approached and saw her, he slowed his steps. The way he held the heavy box, as if it weighed nothing, only showcased his strength. She felt her lower belly tighten in a way it hadn’t in so long.
“Howdy,” he drawled out, closing the distance between them with his long, sure strides. He looked straight at her as he lowered his tailgate and placed the box in the bed of his truck. “Anything I can do for you?”
“Uh…” She knew how women came on to men. Enough buckle bunnies in the rodeo threw themselves at her husband. But personally, she never had to do it, because she and Jackson had been together since she was fifteen.
She waved to her truck hood. “I started the engine and I think I heard a sound. You wouldn’t be willing to have a look, would you?” She tipped her head back to meet his stare and offered him a smile.
“Sure thing. You wanna pop the hood for me?”
She eyed him up. Whatever madness had come over her to make her gawk at the cowboy, wait for him by her truck and then tell a fib about an engine problem took total hold of her.
She wanted to pop more than a hood for him. Maybe a few buttons too?
If she didn’t know better, she’d say the country air was more polluted than the smog in Dallas where she’d come from, and it was affecting her mind after only hours in Crossroads.
She strolled around her truck, opened the driver’s door and popped the hood. When she straightened, she noted the cowboy hadn’t moved from the spot and he quickly flicked his gaze up her body, away from her ass to her face.
Heart pulsating faster, she followed him to the front of the truck. He propped up the hood and peered inside. Wiggling a few hoses and checking connections drew her attention to how big his hands were. Rough too.
A shiver of desire rolled through her body, leaving her breathing faster and feeling a bit damper—everywhere.
He threw her a look from under the brim of his hat. “Can you start the engine for me?”
Oh it’s already started.
“Sure.” She pushed off the front and walked around the side. She swore she felt his eyes tracking her and asked herself what in the world had come over her. After she started the engine, she joined him under the hood again.
He cocked his head, listening to the purring engine. Of course she knew there wasn’t a thing wrong with her truck—she’d gotten it a good tune-up and check before driving it across country. The last thing a woman needed on a solo road trip was to be broken down alongside the road in the middle of nowhere.
The cowboy’s gaze settled on hers. “You from out of town? Haven’t seen you before, and it’s a small town. I know everybody.”
“Not from out of
town anymore. I just rolled in today. I was out house hunting when I came across the winery.”
He gave her a full-lipped, toe-curling smile that accompanied a twinkle of interest in those warm brown eyes. “Is that so? What’s your name?”
“Sadie.”
“Well, Sadie, welcome to Crossroads. I’m Theo.”
The syllables tumbled through her on his deep, rumbling, country drawl.
She extended a hand, which he clasped in his, his long fingers folding around hers and making her feel perfectly dainty and feminine—something it’d been too long since she felt, since her vibrator didn’t offer it.
The engine continued to trundle along without a hitch, but Theo didn’t seem all that interested in her truck.
He released her hand and turned back to the engine. “I don’t hear anything odd. Did you say it was a knocking noise?”
She hadn’t said, but she nodded anyway. Going on tiptoe, she edged closer to him as she leaned over the hood as far as she could. When she glanced over her shoulder at Theo, she found his stare riveted firmly on her ass. An ass she had great pride in, as she ran every day and did a Brazilian butt workout the other ones. Jackson had loved her ass, and so had a lot of other men in her life.
“Hmm,” she said, dropping back to her heels. “I don’t hear it anymore.”
He smiled again, causing her stomach to flutter. “Sure you didn’t drink that wine already, Sadie?”
She smiled back. “I’m sure. I got the Crossroads Peach Pie. Have you ever had it?”
He looked her over again as if she was the peach pie and he wanted to dive in and lick her off his lips. God, the thought made her insides shudder with desire. A low, constant hum in her core told her that she hadn’t really reawakened her sexual side since her husband’s death—she’d only turned on the low beams.
Her nipples pinched hard, throwing on the floodlights and cracking a dam inside her.
