“I’m busy tonight.”
“Oh, honey, your toes can wait until tomorrow.”
“I’m not giving myself a pedicure.” She finished making the last of her notes in Darla’s file and reached for her purse.
“Manicure?”
“No.”
“Facial?”
She gave him a pointed stare. “I’m going out.”
Evan arched an eyebrow. “I thought you swore off dating.”
“It’s not a date. We’re just going to hang out.”
“Since when do you just hang out?”
She leveled a stare at her assistant. “Since now.” And then she headed out the door. It was time to show the entire world that Holly Simms wasn’t the woman everyone thought she was.
9
Travis dropped to his knees, shoved his hands into the icy stream and splashed the cool liquid onto his face. Water ran in rivulets down his neck, drenching the collar of his shirt and cleansing the grime of the past few days on the trail. But it wasn’t enough to wash away the tickle in his gut. It stayed with him, following him back to the other men sleeping by the fire.
He stretched out on his bedroll and closed his eyes. The seconds ticked off in his head. The uneasiness rolled through his gut. It was stronger tonight than it had been before. Stronger, but not strong enough.
The enemy wasn’t close enough yet to alarm the others. The best thing to do would be to keep quiet and push on southward, the way they’d planned, heading straight for the Union supply train on its way to Vicksburg. If they stopped now and waited for the group of men following them, they would miss the rendezvous point and months of work would go to hell in a hand basket. They had to reach Vicksburg first, and that meant no slowing down.
His gaze shifted to his oldest brother on the bed-roll a few feet away. If Colton knew the damned feelings niggling at Travis, he would vote to stay and take care of the most immediate threat. To play it safe. Colton wanted to get home in one piece.
Hell, they all did. Brent had a steady girl he’d left behind. For Cody, it was a damned saloon full of them. And for Colton? A wife and a son.
Travis was the only one who didn’t have anything to go back to. It would suit him just fine if they never made it back to Texas.
Laura Mae Sooner had dumped him the minute he’d told her they were riding out after Cody. She’d forced him to choose and he’d chosen his brothers. They’d always stuck together. They’d had to when their pa had taken off chasing yet another woman. He hadn’t come back that last time and Travis and his brothers had been looking out for one another ever since.
When Cody had left for the war, they’d all gone after him. And they’d been busting their asses for the Confederacy ever since.
They’d raided more gun and supply shipments than Travis could count and there had been plenty of times when they’d had somebody tailing them.
But this felt different.
He tamped down on the crazy thought and rolled onto his side. Wadding up the blanket, he shoved it tighter under his head and watched the flames lick at the surrounding darkness.
He was antsy. That was all. Colton had gotten captured a few weeks ago and they’d had a helluva time getting him back.
But they had, he reminded himself. They’d snatched him out of those carpetbaggers’ hands just in the nick of time and everything had turned out okay. They’d even had a decent meal that night, thanks to the extra supplies his kidnappers had been stashing. The entire situation had been a close call, but the Braddock Boys had come out on top.
It was all about moving and staying one step ahead.
Travis held tight to the thought and forced his eyes closed. He concentrated on the sounds around him. The crackle of the fire. The buzz of insects. The crunch of footsteps just behind—
The thought slammed to a halt as a bullet cracked open the night sky. A burning sensation ripped through his right shoulder. And then all hell broke loose.
TRAVIS BOLTED UPRIGHT, his body shaking, his shoulder tingling. He could still feel the cold steel of the bullet followed by the hot rush of blood. The smell of gunpowder burned his nostrils. The shouts echoed in his ears.
He touched the jagged scar and fought the nagging voice.
You knew it. You felt it.
Bullshit.
He’d been on edge like everyone else. They’d been ambushed before and so when they’d caught wind that someone was tailing them, he’d feared the worst. Expected it.
He sure as hell hadn’t known.
But that’s not what his granny had told him. She’d died of a heart attack when he was seven, but before then she’d lived with them at the ranch. He and Colton were the only ones old enough to really remember her.
“You’ve got the sight, boy.”
She’d said it all the time when he was a child. Like when he’d shown up for supper before his mother rang the dinner bell. Or when he’d taken off fishing just when his ma was about to make him shovel the barn. Or when he’d side-stepped a rattler that no one else had seen coming at a church picnic.
But Travis had never listened to her. She’d been old and barely playing with a full deck. His mother had said she’d gone a little crazy when his grandfather had died. And while he’d always respected his grandmother, he’d never really paid much attention to anything she said. No one had.
But she’d been right.
He drop-kicked the thought and threw his legs over the side of the bed. The sun had already set and the light from the bare bulb hanging outside his door pushed around the blinds, fighting to get inside the small room. He eyeballed the clock. He’d meant to sleep an extra hour or so, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. A few seconds later, he stepped into a hot shower. The water flowed over him, washing away the memories and the pain.
For a little while anyway.
Without enough rejuvenating sleep, his muscles still ached. Emptiness gnawed at the pit of his stomach and his gut tightened. He desperately needed another round with Holly. Another sweet, succulent orgasm to satisfy the craving deep inside.
But there was something else, as well. An anticipation that had nothing to do with feeding and everything to do with the desperate need to see her. Touch her. Talk to her.
And his granny had been the crazy one?
He gave himself a great big mental kick in the ass. This was all about sex. Sustenance. He needed to kill some time and regain his strength and she needed to sully her glowing reputation. End of story.
With his mind set, he stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and went about getting ready for his first official sex date with luscious Holly Simms.
“HOW DOES THIS look?” Holly asked as she walked into the living room where Tootie had planted herself on the couch a half hour ago after marching in and handing Holly her coveted bag of tricks—a tube of red lipstick, some blue eye shadow, a box of safety pins, a pack of pasties, a tube of denture cream and a five dollar bill. “Too skimpy?”
“Way too skimpy,” Aunt Tootie said, giving Holly the once over, from the red button down shirt tied just under her breasts, to the cut off blue jean shorts that barely covered her butt cheeks, to a pair of three inch come-and-get-me red stiletto heels. Tootie smiled and her face erupted in a mass of wrinkles that a hundred dollar a month moisturizer habit hadn’t been able to touch. “It’s perfect.” She patted her snow white beehive. “’Course, you could have saved your money and borrowed a few things from me. I’ve got a pair of shorts just like that, you know.”
Holly ignored the sudden image of “Tootie the sexpot” that popped into her head and smiled. “I’ll be sure to remember that next time.” Not.
“Where’d you find that get-up anyhow? One of them adult specialty shops over in Austin?”
“Not exactly.”
Her eyes sparkled. “A sex party?”
“Uh-uh.”
“The internet?”
“The Piggly Wiggly.”
Tootie’s excitement turned to
bewilderment. “Are you pulling my leg?”
“I got tied up at work today and it was the only place that was still open by the time I got off.”
“Since when does the Piggly Wiggly have a clothing section?”
“They were clearing out last year’s Halloween costumes. It was either Daisy Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard or Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. Since I doubt I could pull off a pair of fairy wings, I thought this would be the most realistic.” A wave of insecurity rolled through her. “Then again, maybe it’s too much of a stretch—”
“It’ll do just fine,” Tootie interrupted. “Just don’t you worry about it.”
“I borrowed the shoes from Evan,” Holly added. “He and Bob like to play dress up.”
“I knew there was something I liked about that boy.” Tootie gave her another once over and winked. “Why, they’ll be talking nonstop about you at church tomorrow. I just know it.”
A girl could only hope.
Holly tamped down the butterflies in her stomach and summoned a smile. There was no way the men in town would fail to take her seriously now. Not when she two-stepped across the floor in this get-up with Mr. Tall, Dark and Delicious himself.
Not that she could actually two-step.
She’d spent so many years dreaming of happily-ever-afters, having fun had sort of fallen by the wayside. Sure, she could waltz. That was a couples thing. She’d taken a few lessons when she and Chad had gotten engaged so their first dance as man and wife would be magical. But waltzing didn’t really up the sex appeal value like the salsa or the rumba or the lambada.
You’re not cut out for this, a voice whispered.
It was that same familiar little voice that had kept her waiting on Mr. Right all through high school and college instead of sowing her wild oats. But no, she’d listened. And held out for The One. First Allen. And then Ben. And then Chad.
She was breaking the cycle once and for all.
Besides, it’s not like they had to dance. The point was to naughty up her image by being seen with the naughtiest man in town. Not land a spot on So You Think You Can Dance.
Drawing a deep breath, she reached for her purse. “Do you want me to drop you off at Bingo on my way?”
Tootie shook her head. “You just run along and have fun. I’ll pull out my little black book and have someone here in no time. Maybe Ronald Dupree. He’s a handsome one. With his new dental implants, I swear the man doesn’t look a day over forty.”
“Didn’t he have cataract surgery and have to give up his driver’s license?”
She stopped to think. “You might be right. Then I’ll just call Wade Harlington. He was a Texas Ranger once upon a time and can still fit into the same pair of jeans he wore on his first case. Or maybe I’ll give Jim Miles a ring. Or Bob Callahan.” She shook her head. “It makes no never mind. I’ll find somebody.” Her mouth pulled into a thin line. “And I can guaran-damn-tee that I won’t be calling Buck Gentry. That man is as old as dirt and just as irritating.”
“You went to high school with him, didn’t you?”
Tootie stiffened. “I most certainly did not. He was a good two years older than me. Maybe even three. ’Course, he always wanted me, but I never gave him the time of day. He’s a great big horse’s ass.”
He was also the only man in town who hadn’t been wowed by Tootie’s pink hot pants and massive cleavage. She’d carried a grudge ever since.
“Why, I saw him at the diner last week and he had the nerve to tell me I should stop wearing such bright colors. Said I needed to dress my age. You know what I told him? You’re only as old as you feel and I feel twenty-five. So he can just mind his own damned business. I had to take an extra blood pressure pill after that little encounter.” When Holly gave her a concerned look, she waved a hot-pink manicured hand. “Stop worrying about me and get on out of here.”
Holly forced aside her nerves and gave Tootie a kiss on the cheek. She swiped on an extra layer of Wild & Wicked Red lipstick, and headed for the door.
If she was going through with this—and she was—it was now or never.
10
THIS WAS NOT a date.
Holly reminded herself of that all-important fact when she pulled into the parking lot of the honky tonk and spotted Travis waiting outside for her.
He looked as sinfully sexy as ever in jeans and a plain black T-shirt. The soft cotton molded to his broad shoulders, the sleeves falling just shy of a pair of intricate slave band tattoos that wound around each bulging bicep. A woven leather strap clung to his strong neck and a Stetson sat low on his forehead. He leaned on an old hitching post, arms crossed, booted feet hooked at the ankles.
When she climbed from the car, he straightened and tipped his hat back. The shadow lifted from his handsome face and her stomach hollowed out. Green eyes gleamed with an intensity that kicked her pulse into high gear. His sensuous mouth hitched in a wicked grin.
“You look…different,” he said when she walked up to him. His gaze slid down her body and back up, lingering at her breasts for several seconds.
If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn she felt a distinct pressure on her nipple. Like the soft flick of a finger against the ripe tip, teasing, taunting. Crazy.
She drew a shaky breath and tried to ignore the frantic pounding of her heart. “That’s the idea. I want people to see me differently.”
“They’ll definitely see you. A lot of you.” A thread of jealousy filtered through the words and his brows drew together into a frown. “Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?”
Hearing him voice the doubts that had haunted her since she’d first pulled on the skimpy outfit made them seem that much more real. She blurted, “Do I look that bad?” before she could remind herself that it didn’t matter what he thought. He didn’t matter.
But at that moment, he did.
Her gaze searched his and oddly enough, his expression softened.
The frown eased. “Sugar, you look incredible. It’s just that I signed up to keep you company, not fight off every man in the place.”
The words whispered through her head and sent a rush of warmth through her. The scent of him, so raw and masculine, teased her senses. For an insane moment, she had the urge to lean closer and simply breathe. Fully. Deeply. To draw him in and lose herself.
The way she’d done with every other man in her past.
The realization hit and she stiffened. “I should be so lucky.” She reached for the door before he had a chance to open it for her and hurried inside.
Neon beer signs plastered the walls and cigarette smoke fogged the air. A sea of Stetsons bobbed across the massive dance floor, keeping time to the Billy Currington song that vibrated through the building. The smell of beer and sawdust tickled her nose.
“Where to?” Travis’s deep voice rumbled in her ear as he came up behind her and awareness skittered through her.
She tried to ignore the sensations and swept a gaze around the room. Small round tables edged the dance floor and a large bar ran the full length of one wall. A crowd filled the far corner, surrounding the pile of mattresses that flanked a mechanical bull that was in high swing. She contemplated crawling onto the monster right here and now, but she was busting at the seams in her outfit as it was. Sharp turns and serious bouncing she didn’t need. She was shedding her good girl image, not her clothes.
Then again—
“Don’t even think it,” Travis murmured in her ear. Before she could give a second thought to the fact that he’d just read her mind, he added, “The bar is more visible.” He pressed the hand into the small of her back and steered her forward.
“What now?” she asked when they reached their destination.
“Now, we order a drink.” He signaled the bartender and a few seconds later, two shot glasses full of sparkling gold liquid sat in front of them.
She took a huge gulp of the Jack Daniels and nearly spewed the stuff back out. She’d never been a big drinker and w
hen she did indulge, she stuck to the occasional glass of wine. “It’s good.” Not.
A sinful grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You can order something a little softer if you want.”
She glanced down the length of the bar, her gaze zeroing in on Susie Cantrell, Skull Creek’s reigning bad girl. Susie was tall and sexy and always the life of the party, not to mention the sole subject of at least half the prayer meetings over at the church. Forget the daiquiris and the cosmos. She stood amid a group of cowboys, laughing and tossing down tequila shots.
“I’m fine with this.” Holly stole another glance at Susie. “It just comes so naturally for her. My Aunt Tootie is the same way. She just gives off this vibe that says Hey, I’m a party and a half.”
“And what’s your vibe?”
“Run for your single life?”
He grinned. “That’s not such a bad thing.”
“Not if you want to settle down. But if you don’t, it’s the kiss of death.”
“So you’ve sworn off settling down completely?”
“It’s not that I wouldn’t like to. Someday. I just don’t think it’s in the cards for me.” She watched as Susie cast her a surprised glance and then whispered to one of the males next to her. The man looked at Holly, a startled expression on his face that quickly turned to wow. “Aunt Tootie says I should revel in being single but I’ve never really liked it that much.”
“Maybe you’ve never taken the time to enjoy it.”
“Have you ever been married?”
He shook his head. “Never have, never will. It’s definitely not in the cards for me either.”
“Family curse like me?”
His mouth hinted at a grin. “Something like that.”
“Looks like Cody broke it.”
“For now.”
“You don’t think it will last?”
“I don’t see how it can.”
“And I thought I was cynical.”
“It’s not about being cynical. It’s called being practical. Some men aren’t cut out for marriage.”
“That’s what my Aunt Tootie says. Except she says it about women. About us.”
The Braddock Boys: Travis Page 7
