by Myla Jackson
“Still, I don’t like customers taking liberties with my girls.” Audrey’s eyes narrowed. “I think I’ll have a word with him myself.”
Mona grabbed her arm. “No, really. I’m fine and he won’t do it again. It was just a knee-jerk reaction on my part. These rodeos bring back so many memories.”
Audrey pulled her into her arms and hugged her. “I know, sweetie. I shouldn’t have asked you to help out. I know how hard it is.”
Bunny joined the hug, wrapping her arms around them. “Mona, honey, did that big ol’ hunk of a cowboy kiss you?”
Mona rolled her eyes. “As if everyone in the saloon didn’t witness that kiss and my reaction. Yes, he did.”
“And?” Bunny stood back, her brows raised. “How’d it feel?”
Mona’s immediate response should have been, Terrible. But she chewed on her lip and a smile broke loose. “Not bad.”
“See? You’re ready to get back out there. To hell with Grant and Dalton. You’re young, beautiful and deserve to find a little love.” Bunny pounded her back.
Mona winced at the force of Bunny’s exuberance.
Audrey’s brows twisted. “Bunny’s right. It’s been three years. You really should give yourself a second chance. Not all cowboys are losers.”
“Yeah, but Sam is a rodeo cowboy. You know the routine…a girl in every town. I don’t want that. I’ll find a man here in Temptation. One who isn’t going to up and leave me for the next town, the next woman.” She sighed. “Although Sam’s arms were really strong and he was so tall I couldn’t see over his shoulders.”
“So what’s it going to hurt to see a guy like that? It’s not like you’re going to marry him,” Bunny noted. “You could practice your moves on him while you’re looking for a man to settle down with.”
Mona looked at her friend as if she’d had one too many. “That sounds so calculating. I couldn’t do that to him.”
“Why not? Rodeo cowboys would do it to you.”
Mona tapped a finger to her chin. “Yeah, they would, wouldn’t they?”
“Now you’re thinking.” Bunny clapped her hands. “Have a little fun. If you tell them upfront you’re not looking for commitment, it’s not calculating. You’re pretty, single, over twenty-one and, honey, you’re not gettin’ any younger.”
“Hey.” Mona backhanded Bunny in the belly. “You could have left off that last comment. I’m not long in the tooth.”
Audrey shook her head. “Flirt, go out with the guy, do whatever you’re going to do later. Right now, I’ve got thirsty customers ready to spend their money on drinks and tips. Get back to work.” She grinned as she shoved a tray in Mona’s hands.
Mona dove back into working her tables, keeping an eye out for the tall, dark and handsome cowboy who’d dared to kiss her. Not that he’d want anything to do with her now, after she’d slapped his face in front of God and everyone.
The Ugly Stick was so packed, she didn’t see him again. But she knew the moment Dalton Faulkner stepped through the entrance. After three long years, he still made her heart flutter, a little. Just as tall as he’d been and still as devastatingly handsome with his sandy blond hair and startling blue eyes. She’d seen him since his and Grant’s break up as a team, plastered on billboards in cowboy boot ads along the highways and in commercials.
Every woman in the place turned to stare as he waded through the crowd, shaking hands and smiling like a prince working a crowd of his subjects.
Too bad it was all an act. The man was out for only one thing. Himself. And whatever woman would fall into his bed at the crook of his finger. Too bad Mona hadn’t seen his true nature sooner. She halfway expected it from him then, but not from Grant. He’d seemed more stable and sincere.
“Did you see?” Bunny slipped up beside Mona as she removed the empty bottles and mugs from her tray and gave Libby her order.
“I did.” Mona turned to watch as a cowboy got up to offer Dalton his chair in a saloon that had become standing-room only. “Do you think they hope his magic will rub off on them?”
“Yeah, when you’re on a roll in the rodeo business, you’re like gods. Too bad it went to Dalton’s head.” Bunny turned her friend around. “You’re over him, aren’t you?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m completely over him.” She said it like she meant it, but that flutter of butterflies in her belly made her wonder if she truly was. Maybe she should test the waters and see if they had really cooled.
“He’s sitting at one of your tables, you want me to take the tray?” Bunny offered. She’d worked the Ugly Stick before when she’d needed money to tide her over during a cash flow crunch at her florist business.
“No, thank you. I need to prove to myself I’m well and truly over him. No time like the present.” Armed with the feel of a handsome cowboy’s kiss still tingling on her lips, she marched over to the table where Dalton sat and settled the mugs and bottles in front of the cowboys who’d ordered them. “Can I get you anything?”
“Mona, baby!” Dalton grabbed her around the middle and dragged her into his lap. “I missed you so much. Give me a kiss.”
When he would have pressed his lips to hers, she shoved the flat side of her tray up into his face. “I’m sorry, kisses and groping will cost you extra,” she said in what she hoped was a flippant tone when she really wanted to crash the tray over his head. The man hadn’t changed.
The men around the table laughed heartily.
Dalton’s face reddened, but he laughed, though it sounded forced. “Just the way I like ’em. Sassy!” He slapped her thigh.
He was a complete, arrogant bastard and what she’d ever seen in him was beyond her comprehension at that moment. Had she been blind? Or too besotted that someone that popular in the media’s eye would have anything to do with the girl from a small town in Texas?
Mona shoved Dalton’s hands away from her and hopped out of his lap. “Do you want a drink? If not, I have work to do.”
He gave his order and Mona escaped. When she made it back to the bar, Bunny was there, eyes wide. “I thought you were going to hit him with your tray.”
“I almost did.” Mona glanced back at Dalton then smiled at Bunny. “It’s official.”
“What?”
“I’m over him.”
Bunny clapped her hands and hugged her. “Good, then you can go after that other cowboy with an open heart and mind.”
Mona frowned. “I have yet to see Grant.” And if truth be told, he was the one Mona was more concerned about seeing. Looking back, it was Grant’s tenderness and caring that had brought her close to the team roping pair. In the end, he’d been no different than Dalton, running out on her without looking back. It had been Grant who’d made all the promises then broken them. In which case, it made him an even bigger heel than Dalton. Not that it mattered. Three years was a long time. Hell, he probably wouldn’t even recognize her.
“Grant, Schmant. You’re ready. If he has the gall to show up here, you can tell him exactly what you think of him and be free and clear of any lingering heartache.” Bunny looked around the room. “Have you seen him?”
“No. As far as that goes, I haven’t even seen the cowboy since our little dance.”
Bunny frowned and glanced around the saloon. “Wonder where he got off to?”
“Doesn’t matter. There are a hundred guys in the room. Why should I worry about one or two?”
“That’s my Mona. She’s back in the saddle!” Bunny grabbed her tray from her hand and slammed it on the bar. “Come on, I want to dance, but I don’t want to do it alone.”
“Yeah, really, where are Cory and Jack?”
“Cory had a big test to study for his medical school in Dallas and won’t be home all week. Jack is on duty tonight since it’s rodeo week. I’m partnerless.”
“I’m sure any one of these cowboys would love to dance with you.” Mona let Bunny drag her toward the dance floor.
“Yeah, but not all of them know the steps to this line dance,
and you do.” She jumped into the lines of cowboys and cowgirls kicking up their feet to a lively country song, all in sync with the dance steps. In time with the music, they all yelled, “Hell, yeah!”
Mona laughed and clapped her hands when she was supposed to and spun and did the grapevine. She’d let her life become too mundane, too predictable, it was time she had a little more fun.
As she danced with Bunny, she just happened to glance toward the far corner of the bar, right into Grant Raleigh’s ice blue eyes.
“Do you think she’ll give me her number after slapping my face?” Sam asked, with his back to the dance floor.
Grant’s radar had picked up on Mona as soon as she stepped onto the dance floor with a woman Grant recognized but couldn’t put a name to. As the line dance progressed, Mona got into the moves, her hips swinging, her smile bright.
Grant’s jeans tightened. He remembered how Mona felt beneath him, her hips in his hands as he thrust into her while she sucked on Dalton’s cock. That she’d been willing to go to bed with the two of them made him hot then and even hotter as he watched her dancing.
When her gaze met his, Grant froze, his breath caught in his throat. She recognized him immediately.
She stopped in mid-step, her gaze going from surprise to shock. The rest of the dancers bumped into her, she tripped on her own boots and tried to catch herself, taking down half the line like a row of dominoes.
Grant leaped from his seat.
“What the hell?” Sam exclaimed and jumped up after him.
Pushing his way through the crowd, Grant emerged onto the dance floor.
Mona lay in a tangled heap of boots, legs and laughing people. She struggled to get her feet back under her, cringing as someone stepped on her leg.
Grant held out his hand. “Take my hand.”
She looked up at him, her face blanching, and hesitated.
Sam arrived at his side and lunged in, lifting her to her feet. “Mona, are you okay?” He pulled her into his arms and brushed the hair out of her eyes.
Another woman grabbed Grant’s hand and pulled herself to her feet, pretending to trip so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek. “Thanks. I don’t know what happened.” She laughed. “All the sudden I was in a dog pile on the floor.”
Grant barely heard the woman, his gaze on Mona as Sam led her off the dance floor and sat her in a nearby empty chair, his hands resting on her arms.
“I’m Tacey Reese.” The tall, sandy blonde held out her hand. “And you are—?”
Grant’s hands clenched into fists.
Tacey’s smile twisted. “Obviously not interested.” She stepped out of his arms. “Well, thanks anyway.”
Grant dragged his gaze from Sam and Mona and glanced down at Tacey as if seeing her for the first time. “I’m sorry, it’s just…”
“You’ve got a thing for her?” She tipped her head toward Mona. “I get it. You don’t have to entertain me. But you might consider this…sometimes dancing with another woman makes the one you want take more notice.” Tacey’s brows rose in challenge.
“It’s the least I can do.” Grant held out his hand, forcing his attention away from his partner and the woman he’d lost to his own stupidity. “Care to dance, Tacey Reese? I’m Grant Raleigh, the cowboy with the bad manners.”
Her jaw dropped. “The Grant Raleigh?”
“Afraid so.”
“I’d love to dance with you, even if you only have eyes for another woman. Anything to get to two-step with a rodeo star.” She raised her arms and stepped out on the floor. “Ladies, eat your heart out.”
Grant had to laugh. Tacey had a sense of humor and didn’t take his lack of interest in her personally.
“So what’s the story?” Tacey asked.
“What story?”
“You and that other woman. What’s up with her? Did she break your heart?”
Grant stumbled, stepping on Tacey’s foot. “Sorry.”
Tacey didn’t miss a beat, limping a little, but determined to get the scoop out of him. “I take that as a yes. I thought you were married? Is that it? You fooled around with that other woman when you were married? Are you still married?” She backed away from him and would have pulled out of his grip had he not tightened his hand around her waist. “Just so you understand, I make it a rule not to mess with married men.”
“It’s a long story. And, no, I’m not married, nor was I when I met…that other woman.”
“I have time and I’m a sucker for a sad story. You want to blow this joint and find a cup of coffee?”
With Sam leading Mona back onto the dance floor and holding her close to his body, Grant couldn’t stay and watch as the woman he loved fell for a better man than he was. “I’m not jumping in the sack with you.”
“And I’m not asking you to.” Tacey smiled at him. “But I might ask you to buy me that cup of coffee.”
“Let’s go.” Grant grabbed her hand and led her toward the exit before he went to war with his new partner over the same girl he’d left his old partner over.
At the truck stop on the edge of Temptation, where two major highways met, Grant sat with a perfect stranger who seemed hell bent on dragging out his life history over a cup of really bad coffee that resembled stump water.
Tacey led off with, “You and Dalton Faulkner used to be partners, right?”
Grant nodded. “Dalton and I go way back to when we were in high school, doing local rodeos. We teamed up then.”
“Wow, all the way back to high school.” Tacey shook her head. “And you two aren’t even talking now, from what I hear.”
“You know a lot about the circuit.” Grant’s eyes narrowed. “Are you a reporter or something?”
She shook her head. “No, but I keep up with the cowboys and rodeo news. There’s something about a cowboy who’s tough enough to stare a bull in the face and still get on it that makes my heart go pitter patter.”
Grant chuckled. “Tacey, I don’t know why you’re hanging out with me when there’s a saloon full of cowboys who’d love to know they make your heart go pitter patter.”
Tacey grinned. “Like I said, I’m a sucker for a sad story. So, let’s hear it. You and Dalton were partners. What happened that made you two split?”
“I knew Dalton could be a player, but I trusted the man with my life on more than one occasion. I just shouldn’t have trusted him with Mona.”
“Mona is her name?” Tacey nodded. “Go on.”
Grant took a deep breath into his constricted lungs and continued. “She’d met Dalton first, and he’d swept her off her feet. When I came into the picture I was smitten by the pretty brunette with her sunny smile and playful laugh. But she was with Dalton. At least until Dalton decided to share.” His groin tightened in remembrance of that first night he, Dalton and Mona had been together. Never in his life had he considered making love to a woman with another man in the same room, much less both of them making love to her, until he’d been on the circuit with Dalton for a year. His partner had introduced him to the possibility at the last rodeo, with a buckle bunny who’d been more than willing to teach them the ropes of a ménage.
“Let me get this right…you shared the girl?” Tacey leaned forward, the color in her cheeks heightened. “As in, you both had your wicked way with her?”
“I know it sounds so wrong, but at the time it felt right. And she was all for it.”
Tacey’s cheeks grew pinker and she fanned herself with her napkin. “Gets me horny just thinking about it. Two hot cowboys. I’m about to cream my panties. Do you realize that’s every woman’s wet dream?”
Grant shifted in his seat. “Sorry.”
“Oh no, go on.” She dragged in a deep breath, her chest rising, her nipples tight little buds pressing through the rib-knitting of her T-shirt. “Please.”
“I made a promise to her that I’d be back for her at the end of the season. That our relationship wasn’t over just because we left Temptatio
n.”
“And you didn’t keep your promise.” Tacey stared at him, her gaze open, honest, demanding honesty out of him.
“No.” Grant glanced down at his hand holding the coffee mug. “At the next town, Dalton moved on to the next woman, completely blowing off what the three of us had shared. But I had every intention of keeping my promise, with or without Dalton.”
“What happened?”
“Our wild past caught up with us. The woman we’d shared at the stop before Temptation showed up, claiming she was pregnant. She demanded that one of us marry her or she’d take her problem to the press. Dalton laughed at her and told her to prove it.”
“And she did?”
“Yeah, she got a DNA test. It was Dalton’s baby, all right.”
Tacey gasped. “Did he marry her?”
“When I confronted him with the truth, he refused.”
“Jackass.” Tacey sat back against the seat. “What happened to the pregnant woman?”
Grant pushed a hand through his hair.
“You stepped up to the plate.” Tacey snorted. “What about Mona? How did you let her down?”
“It’s not one of my prouder moments.”
“Oh, you didn’t break it off in a text or over the phone, did you?”
He nodded. “I couldn’t get back to Temptation, not in the middle of the season and I couldn’t marry the woman without first letting go of the one I loved.”
“Makes sense, but by the phone?” Tacey shook her head. “Not cool.”
“The next time she called, I told her I’d been wrong. We had no future and she shouldn’t wait around for me because I wouldn’t be coming for her.”
Tacey winced. “Harsh. You made her hate you so that she’d get over you quicker?”
“I didn’t want her to come looking for me. I thought it would be best to break it off completely.” Grant glanced out the dark window of the truck stop. “I married Desiree in front of a Justice of the Peace so that she wouldn’t have to raise the baby alone.”
