Boots and Buckles

by Myla Jackson

  She hit a second wave as his cock throbbed inside her. For a long moment they remained still, savoring to the last spasm the magic of making love.

  Then Sam withdrew from her, peeled off the condom, tossed it in the trash and climbed into the bed beside her. He pulled her up onto the pillow and spooned her backside against him. “You’re incredible.”

  “So are you.” She lay with her back to the man, her thoughts whirling, spinning images of Sam and Grant together until she felt so dizzy she couldn’t take it anymore. Mona pushed Sam’s arm away and got out of the bed.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” Then she ducked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

  What had she just done? She could still be in love with Grant, yet she’d just had soul-shattering sex with his partner. How the hell would she dig herself out of this emotional crater?

  Chapter Five

  Sam woke before dawn and lay there watching Mona as the sun peeked through the window, spreading a ray of pale, yellow light over Mona’s naked body.

  The air conditioner hadn’t kept up with them the night before and she lay on top of the sheets, her legs splayed, one draped over his, her dark brown hair fanned across the pillow, golden highlights picked up by the sun. She was an angel, her face calm, unlike the night before when she’d returned to the bed, a frown denting her brow.

  He figured she was feeling scared and unsure of their lovemaking. He had set out to convince her what they’d done was not only good, but right. They’d made love until somewhere around two when Mona finally crashed in his arms, a smile on her face, worn out and satiated.

  It took Sam longer to fall to sleep as he contemplated his next move with this woman. She was as skittish as a new colt. He’d have to gentle her into believing that he wasn’t out for a one-night stand, and that he wasn’t like every other cowboy in the rodeo, going for the buckle and moving on to the next conquest. He had dreams of settling down and building a life for himself. Once he got his sister through college and saved a little more money toward a down payment on a ranch, he planned on raising horses, cattle and kids.

  As he stared up at the ceiling, sleepless, he pictured Mona as the mother of those kids. She’d be beautiful, her belly swelled with child. Never in all his adult years had he felt this drawn to a woman. And he’d only known her for one night. He shoved a hand through his hair. Why now? Why her?

  Hell, he knew why. She had a body that didn’t quit. The woman was beautiful and sexy, and he fit perfectly inside her.

  Leaning up on his elbow, he stared down at her creamy complexion and the way her lashes made dark crescents on her cheeks. Her lips were a deep rose, full and swollen from all the kissing they’d done.

  The sun rose, warming the room. Sam slipped from the bed, careful not to wake her, and pulled on his jeans and shirt, leaving the buttons for later.

  Mona would have to rise soon enough and be on her feet all day doing hair at her beauty shop. Then she’d be back at the Ugly Stick that night to serve a bunch of rowdy cowboys. The woman had to have a lot of energy and spunk to last all day long and put up with the raucous rodeo crowd.

  Sam grinned. He still planned on having coffee with her at ten o’clock, but he had work to do before then. He brushed her lips with a feather-soft kiss, grabbed his boots and ducked out of her apartment, closing the door softly behind him. He waited until he reached the bottom of the stairs before tugging on his boots. His truck stood where he’d left it behind the beauty shop in the alley.

  A woman leaned against it, her eyes narrowed, tapping a long-stemmed red rose in her palm, like a weapon she might use on him.

  “Howdy.” He straightened and crossed toward her, his feet slowing when she didn’t move away from his truck.

  “Sam Whitefeather, right?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

  “No.” She stuck out her empty hand. “Bunny Leigh, Mona’s best friend.”

  Sam nodded, beginning to see why the woman had such a fierce look on her face. “I take it you’re here to warn me to leave her alone.”

  Bunny crossed her arms. “No. I’m here to warn you not to hurt her.”

  “Rest assured, I have no plans in the near future of hurting Mona.”

  “Good. Took her three years to get over the last cowboy that waltzed into and out of her life.” Bunny pushed away from the side of the truck and stood toe-to-toe with Sam. The woman was a good foot shorter than him, but for all her small stature, she gave him a helluva big I’ll-kill-you look. “I’d hate to have to come after you.” Bunny tapped the red rose against his bare chest. “Got it, mister?”

  He held up his hands in surrender. God forbid she should use the soft petals of the rose on him. Sam fought the smile threatening to explode on his face. Now would not be a good time to laugh. Mona had a good friend in Bunny, and for that, he was thankful. Grabbing Bunny’s arms, he set her away from him and stared down into her eyes. “I’ve only just met Mona, but I can see she’s a special woman. You don’t have to worry. I’ll treat her with the respect that she deserves.”

  Bunny’s brows twisted. “Respect? Respect is a given. If you’re gonna hump her bones, at least don’t lead her on. That’s what I care about. I don’t relish the idea of picking up the pieces again. It hurts me to see her in pain.”

  His fists tightened at the thought of someone breaking Mona’s heart. “I’d like to get my hands on the guy who jacked her up.”

  “You don’t know who it was?” Bunny’s eyes narrowed.

  “No. Do you?”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it. “I do. But it’s not my place to say. If I’m not mistaken, Mona might still have feelings for the jerk.” Bunny’s shoulders sagged. “Otherwise, I’d have done him some serious damage. I better get back to work. I have to get flowers together for a funeral by noon.”

  “Sounds depressing.”

  “Would be, if flowers didn’t make me so happy.” She nodded toward him. “Let me know if you need any help with Mona.”

  “Do you always go from threatening to offering help for your friend?”

  “No. Only when I see a man who might be worthy of her.”

  He touched the brim of his hat. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You should, and you better live up to it.” Bunny walked to the shop next door, and stopped at the back entrance before she turned back toward him. “Just don’t hurt her.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Sam climbed into his truck and backed out of the alley, shaking his head. Temptation was a town where folks knew each other and stuck up for their friends. He could like it here. It got awful hot during the summer, but it wasn’t cold like it was in North Dakota in the winter.

  Yeah, he could like Temptation. And he could like Mona. Sam frowned as he drove off. He wondered if Bunny was right. Was Mona still mooning over someone else? It would explain why she ran hot and cold with him. Only one way to find out.

  Ask.

  He whistled off key as he drove back to the rodeo grounds and the trailer he shared with Grant. They had team roping later that afternoon. Sam would take care of his horse, have coffee with Mona and still have time to go over his and Grant’s strategy before they were due at the arena.

  When Sam entered the trailer, Grant was already awake, his eyes bloodshot, dark circles beneath them.

  “Mornin’, partner. You look like hell.” He laughed, the joy of the night before bubbling up inside, refusing to be tamped down. “What happened? Did you go home with that woman you met on the dance floor last night?”

  Grant yanked a coffee mug from the cabinet and slammed it on the counter. “None of your goddamn business.”

  Sam backed up a step. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.” He tossed his hat on a chair and reached for another mug. “Gonna be a nice day for a rodeo.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” Grant poured coffee into his mug, some of it sloshing over onto his hand. He jerked it away and flapped. “D
amn.”

  “Here.” Sam pulled a paper towel off the roll and handed it to Grant. “You should put that burn under cold water.”

  Grant jerked his hand away from Sam, grumbling. “I know what to do.”

  Sam stared at Grant. “You got a bug up your butt about something? If so, spit it out.”

  Grant ran his hand under cold water, his jaw tight, a muscle twitching in his cheek. “I got nothin’ to say.”

  “Good, then I’ll take care of the horses while you get your shit together.” Sam left the trailer, wondering what had gotten his partner all jacked up. Grant hadn’t been this surly since he quit binge drinking. If he wasn’t mistaken, the man was angry and frustrated. If he had left with the woman on the dance floor, had she gotten him all hot and bothered then turned him down? It was the only thing Sam could think of. He’d give Grant some room to cool off and get his game face on. Hopefully, he’d be in his right mind when they had to perform that afternoon.

  Grant had no one to blame but himself. He’d spent the night tossing and turning after leaving Tacey’s trailer, only to get up in a foul mood with a hard-on that hurt. A cold shower and a fight with the coffee maker only made his temper worse.

  When Sam showed up at the trailer with a smile and an I-just-got-laid look, that was all he could take. More than likely he’d gotten laid by the woman Grant had come to Temptation to win back. He should have felt like a heel for taking his temper out on Sam, but he couldn’t. All he wanted to do was punch his partner in the face.

  Unless Mona had set him straight, Sam didn’t know squat about Grant’s past relationship with the pretty hairstylist. Based on how obliviously happy he’d been when he came into the trailer, Mona hadn’t bothered to enlighten the man.

  Which could mean two things. One: Mona didn’t give a shit about Grant anymore, or two: Mona was trying to get back at Grant by screwing his partner.

  Either option sucked and Grant could do nothing about it. He had no rights where Mona was concerned, and busting Sam’s happy bubble would help nothing. Hell, he had a rodeo event to win before he could get the hell out of Temptation. Away from Mona with the only bright side that Sam would be away from her as well.

  Less than magnanimous, Grant would rather Mona went for a stranger than falling for his partner. If he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want someone else that close to him reminding him of what he’d screwed up and missed out on.

  A few minutes later, Sam entered the trailer. “You ready to exercise the horses?”

  “Yeah.” Grant downed the last of his coffee and headed out. As he passed Sam, he muttered, “Sorry. Must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.”

  “No worries.” Sam threw a blanket over the back of his buckskin. The animal whinnied and shifted sideways, unsettled by the number of horses nearby. “Easy there, Dakota.” He ran his hand along the horse’s neck and scratched behind his ears, speaking softly in Lakota to him the entire time.

  Did Sam treat Mona with as much care as he did his horse? Grant’s gut knotted. Was Sam gentle with her in bed? Did he whisper soft words in his native Lakota to soothe her? Did Mona like it?

  When Dakota stopped dancing from hoof to hoof, Sam glanced up.

  Grant realized he still stood at the top of the trailer steps, his gaze on Sam.

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

  Grant ducked his head, his cheeks burning. Hell no, he didn’t want to talk about anything. Especially what he’d been thinking. “About what?”

  Sam grabbed his saddle out of a storage compartment in the trailer and slung it over Dakota’s back. “Whatever’s botherin’ you.”

  “Who said anything was botherin’ me?” Grant tossed the blanket and saddle over Little Joe’s back. The Appaloosa stood steady, unfazed by the activity around him. Unlike his owner.

  Grant wanted to confront Sam. At the same time, he didn’t want Sam to know he and Mona had been a thing at one time. Sam might feel as if he had to back off Mona and let Grant have a shot at her.

  Actually, that was exactly what Grant wanted, but not because of Sam’s sense of loyalty. He wanted Mona to come to him instead of Sam, without Sam pulling himself out of the equation.

  Thing was, she wouldn’t come to him unless he showed her how he felt. She might still be under the impression he wasn’t interested since that was the last word she’d gotten from him, back when he’d made the mistake of picking up Dalton’s slack.

  Grant cinched the girth beneath Little Joe’s belly and slipped a bridle over his head, coming to a couple conclusions as he did.

  If he wanted Mona back, he’d have to woo her. She’d have to make the decision between Sam and him. He’d tried sharing a woman before and all that had gotten him was a loveless marriage with a woman he’d only cared about long enough for a one-night stand. In the process, he’d lost the woman he’d always dreamed of marrying.

  Mona would be working the Ugly Stick Saloon that night. If he wanted time alone with her, he’d have to catch her before that. He’d stop by her shop after their event and ask her out to dinner.

  “Ready?” Sam stepped into the stirrup and swung into his saddle.

  “Yeah.” Grant hauled himself into the saddle and followed Sam and his mount into an open field. As they passed Tacey’s trailer, an image of a tall sandy-haired blonde flashed through his mind, reminding him of how beautiful she’d been standing in front of him naked.

  He shifted in his saddle, his groin tightening. He couldn’t think of Tacey when it was another woman he’d come back to Temptation for. That evening he’d start his campaign to win back Mona.

  Bunny slipped into the Shear Safari as Mona was flipping the Closed sign to Open. “Okay, girlfriend, spill.”

  Avoiding Bunny’s determined gaze, Mona grabbed a broom and swept the spotless floor to keep her hands from shaking. “I don’t have anything to say.”

  Bunny grabbed the broom from her and held it still. “I saw Sam Whitefeather leaving your apartment early this morning. Don’t tell me you have nothing to say.” She let go and settled in the swivel chair. “I want all the delicious details.”

  “Sam stayed the night. It was no big deal.” Like hell. It was a huge deal and she wasn’t sure how to proceed from the hole she’d dug herself into.

  “I saw how you handled Dalton last night, and I also saw your reaction to seeing Grant for the first time. Then you shack up with Grant’s partner and you’re telling me it’s no big deal? I don’t think so, sweetie.” She patted the swivel chair beside her. “Sit.”

  Mona dropped into the chair and buried her face in her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Start with how you feel about Sam.”

  “He’s nice, handsome, and…”

  “Is he good in bed?”

  “Bunny!”

  “You know it counts, so don’t get all sanctimonious on me. You’re the one who told me to take a step on the wild side. And look what it got me.” Bunny grinned. “Not one cowboy, but two. Cory and Jack make me happier than I thought possible.”

  “This is different,” Mona said.

  “How?”

  “I was in love with Grant.”

  “Okay then, let’s talk about that.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to.”

  “Too bad.” Bunny stood and trapped Mona in her chair. “Do you still love Grant?”

  Mona glanced away. “I don’t know.”

  “You nearly caused a mass-casualty event at the Ugly Stick when you saw him.”

  Her face heating, Mona cringed. “I know. That was awful and embarrassing.”

  “Did you fall because he made your heart turn cartwheels?”

  “I guess.”

  “Monaaa.” Bunny shook her. “Either it did or it didn’t.”

  “Okay, it did.”

  “And Sam? Does he make your heart do back handsprings?”

  “What’s with the gymnastics references?” Mona stalled.

  “Just a
nswer my question.”

  Her heart fluttered, her body heating with the memories of all he’d done to her the previous night. “Yes. Damn it.” She shoved a hand through her hair. “I don’t need the complication. He’s Grant’s partner. What will Grant think?”

  “That you’re screwing his partner out of some kind of revenge.” Bunny straightened. “And the bastard would deserve it after what he did to you.”

  “Shit.” Mona buried her face in her hands again. “What am I gonna do?”

  “Figure it out.”

  “How?” she wailed, flinging her arm out.

  “You have to see Grant and determine whether or not he has any feelings left for you. Ask him if he came back because he realized he’d made a mistake by letting you go in the first place.”

  “I can’t do that.” Mona pushed to her feet and paced the length of the shop and back. “I just started seeing Sam. How can I go out with Grant without hurting Sam?”

  “You have to, or you’ll always wonder if you still love Grant.”

  Mona’s shoulders slumped. “I knew sleeping with Sam was a mistake.”

  “Was it? Really?” Bunny gripped Mona’s arms. “Did it feel good?”

  With a sigh, she nodded. “Yes. Really good. Hell, it’s been three years since I’ve been with a man.”

  “How many vibrators and batteries have you burned through?”

  “Too many to count. But I don’t really know Sam. Last night could have been nothing more than lust.”

  Bunny wrapped her arms around Mona and hugged her. “Sweetie, you owe it to yourself to confront Grant. If you still love him, you’ll have a better understanding of what your choices will be.”

  “What if he doesn’t love me back, like before?” Mona curved her arms around her friend and pressed her face into Bunny’s neck. “I couldn’t take being rejected again.”

  “Then you’ll have Sam to ease your heart.”

  “What if I end up loving both of them?”

  Bunny smiled. “They’re partners, maybe they’ll consider sharing you, like Cory and Jack share me.”