by Judy Angelo
The beauty leaned forward to rest her elbows on the bar counter and her luscious lips curved into a smile. “Are you going to stand there staring at me the whole evening?” she asked, tilting her head as she regarded him with amusement. “Your butt got something against chairs?”
Ryder blinked. He’d thought he had a good handle on women but this one took him by surprise. When it came to being shy or reserved this girl didn’t know the meaning of the words. But how a woman so young could be so bold in a sea full of grizzly men, he couldn’t figure out. Instead of being intimidated it looked like she was the one who usually did the intimidating.
Before she could throw out a command Ryder cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the mesmerizing Texas rose then he glanced down at the man who had invited him over. His unexpected host was still grinning up at him so he figured the invitation was still open. With a shrug he headed over to the table where the man sat with another, a smaller man, who stared up at him in open curiosity.
As he approached, the big man used his foot to push the free chair away from the table. “Make yourself comfortable, stranger. It’s not everyday we see a new face in these parts.”
Ryder gave him a nod of appreciation for the welcome. “Thank you,” he said as he took the seat that was being offered. “This is my first visit to Marfa.”
“Marfa?” The bearded man let out a hearty guffaw. “Did you hear that, fellas? This stranger thinks he’s in Marfa.”
The man got the reaction he’d probably been looking for. The whole place erupted in raucous laughter and, to Ryder’s chagrin, even the woman behind the bar was chuckling.
Feeling like a fool, he cleared his throat again then frowned when he realized he’d fallen right back into his nervous habit. Whenever he felt out of his depth he was always clearing his throat. It was a habit he’d thought he’d licked but now it was back, just when he didn’t need it causing him even further embarrassment.
“Where am I then?” he asked, now giving up hope of ever finding this place called Marfa.
“This is Pequoia,” the woman said as the laughter died down. “One of the oldest towns in Texas.” Then she gave him a rueful grin. “Now one of the smallest, what with all the youngsters leaving as soon as they're old enough.” Then she dried her hands on a nearby towel, lifted the counter and came over to him, a letter-sized laminated card in her hand. “Here’s the menu. You might as well make yourself comfortable and grab a bite. Looks like you’ve been on the road a while.”
Ryder gladly took it from her hand but it wasn’t the food list that held his attention. It was her. She was even lovelier close up.
“What did I tell you about staring?” Her voice was brusque but her lips twitched then curved into a crooked smile that had Ryder smiling back.
“Sorry.” Suitably chastised he glanced down at the menu. “The roast beef sandwich sounds good. Can I have that?”
“It’s your lucky day,” she said. “That’s the most popular item on the menu but it so happens I’ve got some left. Just enough for one.”
“I’ll take it,” Ryder said, his mouth already watering at the thought of the meal. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast and at this hour of the day he’d reached starvation point.
The woman nodded and took the menu from his hand and was just about to turn away when Ryder stopped her. “Do you mind if I ask your name?”
She stopped and actually looked surprised that he’d asked. “It’s Blake. Blake Beaumont. And what’s yours, stranger?”
“I’m Ryder Kent.” He put out his hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Blake.”
She took it even as she cocked an eyebrow at him, the amusement back in her eyes. “Are you sure about that? Maybe you should get to know me better before you throw out such statements.”
“Yeah,” one of the men from a neighboring table said. “This is one tough gal, my friend. Don’t be fooled by all this beauty. When she’s ready she can be a real b-”
"Calvin, you mind your mouth, you hear me?” Blake’s voice was stern. “No need to scare off Mr. Kent with your crude language.”
“Call me Ryder,” he began but she’d already turned away and was heading back to the bar. Well, so much for striking up a conversation with the sole woman in the place. He might as well turn his attention to his new-found friends.
Within minutes of a lively conversation about the current issues plaguing the dairy industry Blake was back with a salad and the sandwich that smelled so good it made Ryder’s stomach growl.
She smiled. “I could tell you were hungry. It’s all yours. Chow down.” She laid the plate on the table then handed him his silverware rapped in a white cloth napkin.
He glanced across at his table companions. “May I order something for you gentlemen?” He hoped they’d say yes. It was going to feel weird, chomping on his sandwich while they just sat there and watched.
“We already ate,” the small man said.
“But I’m all out of beer,” the big one said. “I could do with another one, for the road.”
Somebody behind Ryder cleared his throat, a not-too-subtle hint that a drink would be welcome at that table, too.
Ryder grinned. It seemed they were all too eager to take advantage of a generous offer and he didn’t mind at all. “Drinks on the house,” he said, loud enough for Blake to hear. “It’s on me.
She heard all right. Before he’d taken his second bite she’d come from behind the counter, a tray of drinks in hand. She obviously knew what each of her patrons drank because she didn’t ask a single one for his order. She just served.
“And what about you, Ryder?” she asked, pausing at his table. “What are you having?”
“I’ll just take some cranberry juice,” he said, “if you have any.”
“Sure do.” And then, as if this was the sort of thing you did in a place like this, she gave a man at a neighboring table a quick cuff to the back of the head. “Stop snickering and drink your beer.”
Ryder almost snorted in laughter but his mouth was full. Obviously, Blake Beaumont was not one to trifle with.
A half hour passed and then an hour and by that time most of the men had left, leaving only the two at Ryder’s table. The darkness of night was now properly settled on the land and he could feel the exhaustion creeping up on him. Time to get going.
He lifted a hand to catch Blake’s attention. “Could I have the bill, please?”
She tore her eyes away from the small T.V set in the corner of the room. She’d been absorbed in the T.V news for the past half hour but she picked up a piece of paper from the counter and walked over. “Here you go,” she said, depositing the bill on the table in front of him. “You racked up a pretty hefty bill, buying all those rounds of drinks. You’d better be good for it.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, grinning up at her. “I am.” Little did she know he could buy all the drinks she could ever serve. Heck, he could buy the whole town, and more. Still smiling, Ryder reached around to dig his wallet out of his back pocket.
His hand slid in and came back out…empty. “Sorry.” He gave her an embarrassed grin and dug into the other back pocket. Nothing. He frowned. “Weird.” As he muttered the word he shoved a hand into the front pocket on the left then the one on the right. His frown deepening, he patted the pocket of the denim jacket he was wearing. Still nothing.
Ryder cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. It looks like I left my wallet in the truck. I’ll have to go get it.”
Before he’d gotten all the words out Blake’s smile had disappeared and in its place was a glare that said she was not amused. “Do you really think I’m going to fall for that? You’re trying to pull a fast one on me, aren’t you?”
Ryder shook his head. “No, I’m not. I swear. My wallet must have fallen out in the truck. I’ll just go get it and come right back.”
Blake gave him a look of suspicion and then she looked at the big man sitting at Ryder’s table. “Go with him, Ted. Make sure he doesn’
t try to take off.”
“You got it.” Ted was grinning as he got up then he cracked the knuckles on his beefy hands. “Come on, buster. Let’s go see if you can put your money where your mouth is.”
Ryder shrugged. “I’ve got no problem with that.” He got up and walked in front of Ted, out the door and toward the Dodge Ram. He pulled the door open and glanced at the driver’s seat then the passenger’s seat. He didn’t see anything so he checked if it had fallen between the seats or onto the floor. It was nowhere in sight.
As he pulled back and straightened up Ted grinned at him. “You really were pulling a fast one. You think you’re slick, don’t you?”
Ryder felt like punching the jeering smile off his lips. “I’m not pulling anything. I must have dropped my wallet somewhere. It’s okay. I’ll call…” As the last word left his lips he realized something. He’d gone through his pocket and his truck and he hadn’t run into his cell phone at all. That was missing, too.
“Oh, shoot.” The words left his lips in a groan of realization. “That guy at the gas station. How could I have been so stupid? I should have known he was too darned friendly to be real.”
Ted gave a snort of derision. “Don’t tell me you’re going to draw for some story about getting robbed.”
“But it’s true. My wallet and my cell phone are gone.”
Ryder’s words were like the signal for Ted to get rough. The man clamped a massive hand around his upper arm, his lips curling in a sneer. “Come on, bud,” he snarled. “You ain’t going to cheat the little lady out of her dough. You’re coming with me.”
Ryder didn’t even bother to resist. Talk about embarrassing.
He was not looking forward to explaining himself to Miss Blake Beaumont.
CHAPTER TWO
“May I borrow your phone?”
“He ain’t got no money.”
Both Ryder and Ted were speaking at the same time, which made Blake glance from one to the other. “What?”
“He ain’t got no money.” Ryder had opened his mouth to speak again but Ted beat him to the draw the second time around. “He was there pretending to search around for his wallet.” Then he gave a snort of disgust. “Like he had any money in the first place.”
Blake felt the anger settle in the pit of her stomach. She should have known his friendliness and generosity were too good to be true. She fixed a caustic glare on the man in question. “So what do you have to say for yourself?” She didn’t even know why she bothered to ask. Sneaky snakes like this one always had a ready answer. She wasn’t about to swallow anything he was planning to dish out.
“I got robbed,” he said, “at my last stop. I had my money and my cell phone up to that point. If you’ll just lend me your phone I’ll have your money to you in no time.”
Doug, the small man who’d sat watching the whole time, burst out laughing, his crooked teeth giving him a comical look. “Lend me your phone, he says. Don’t he know we ain’t got no phone in these parts?”
Ryder gave him a look of disbelief. “No cell phone service, maybe, but you’ve got to have a landline phone.” He looked at Blake. “You do, right?”
“Nope. Never did and it looks like we never will.”
“What? But how is that even possible? This is the United States, for Pete’s sake, and it’s the twenty-first century.”
“Tell that to the phone companies,” Blake said, her tone dry as toast. “All the phone companies we contacted said they weren’t wasting money to come all the way out here. Too expensive and not worth it for a couple of hundred people.
“I see.” That seemed to stump Ryder. Then he looked hopeful. “What about cell phone service? Do you guys have that?”
“They’ve been promising that for years. This town's still waiting.” She shoved her hands inside her pockets. “Anyway, let’s cut to the chase. You owe me over a hundred bucks and it looks like I’m not going to get any cash out of you. You know what that means, don’t you?”
Ryder gave her a suspicious frown. “No. What?”
“If you can’t pay in cash you’ve got to pay in kind. You’ve got a lot of cleaning to do tonight, buddy.”
His brows fell. “Excuse me?”
Just in case the thought crossed his mind to try arguing his way out of things Blake pulled her hands out of her pockets and folded her arms across her chest. “You’re going to work off your debt,” she said, her voice cold. “Tonight.” Then she gave him a mirthless smile. “Lucky for you I’m the gentle, forgiving type. Otherwise I’d just have Ted break your arms.” Of course, she didn’t mean a word of that. She just wanted to put some scare into him. She was not about to be ripped off by some slick city swindler.
It looked like the message was beginning to sink in because Ryder glanced up at Ted who stood at least two inches taller and looked like he weighed about a hundred pounds more. It was obvious he was sizing him up but, smart man, he didn’t go the route of tackling the big man. He glanced back at Blake. “What do I have to do?”
“I’ve got a sink full of dirty dishes in back,” she said. “You can start there.”
Ryder’s brows fell. “Start?”
“Yeah. You didn’t think that was all, did you? The back bar and the tables won’t clean themselves, you know. And you’ve got the floor to sweep and mop.” Then she smiled. “When you’re done doing that I’ll let you know what else.”
The look Ryder gave her was a mixture of incredulity and horror. She had to fight to hold the laughter in. He was cracking her up and he didn’t even know it. “You’re going to earn this hundred and fifteen dollars,” she said with an emphatic nod. “Trust me on that.”
As she turned she pretended not to hear Ryder’s groan. “Come on, then, " she threw over her shoulder. "Roll up your sleeves. Dish washing time.”
When Blake took her conscripted helper to the kitchen she almost felt sorry for him. The stack of dirty dishes was a formidable sight, and that was before she threw the pots and pans into the mix.
“There you go,” she said, showing him the dishwashing liquid and the sponge. “Give me a shout if you need me.”
“You’re going?” For a fleeting second he looked lost, like he didn’t know where to start.
It was too funny. Blake could just imagine his life back in whatever city he came from. He probably had people doing everything for him. He might even be one of those spoiled guys who’d never done a lick of housework in his life.
“Yeah, I’m going to finish watching the news.” She headed toward the door. “We don’t have all night so get cracking.” And before he could say another word she was out of there, leaving him to get through the pile as best as he could.
And if she had to be totally honest with herself Blake would have to admit that she’d practically fled from the kitchen, not because she was scared of the stranger who’d arrived on her doorstep. Quite the contrary. From the moment Ryder Kent walked into Beaumont’s she’d known he spelled danger. Danger for her heart, that is. She’d felt an immediate attraction for him, an attraction so strong she’d resorted to hiding behind a tough exterior. The last thing she wanted to do was fall for some slick trickster’s charm. It was what had sent her scurrying to this dive of a town in the first place. More trickery, she could do without.
And so she hightailed it out of the kitchen, leaving Ryder to fend for himself while she hung out with Ted and sought refuge in the nightly news.
“That sort of worked out for you, didn’t it?” Ted relaxed in his chair as he watched her watch the T.V.. She knew Ted. He wasn’t going to leave until he knew she had everything, the stranger included, under control.
She nodded. “You know I hate doing the dishes.”
“Yeah. You complain about it every night.”
“Ad nauseum,” Doug added, making Blake turn to give him a cutting glare.
“Anyway,” the little man said, rising to his feet, “it’s past my bedtime. I’ll see y’all in the morning.”
Blake ga
ve him a goodbye wave and Ted gave him a grunt and then he was off. They heard when the engine of his truck roared to life and, seconds later, the rumble grew more distant until it faded into the night.
After that Blake settled back to watch the T.V and soon she heard the low buzz of Ted’s snore. She smiled. He was a good friend. It was past his bedtime, too, but she knew he wasn’t going to leave until she’d locked up and all was safe.
She’d been caught up in the television and Ted had been snoring a good thirty or forty minutes when Blake frowned. She hadn’t heard a peep out of Ryder since she’d abandoned him in the kitchen. He hadn’t stuck his nose out, not even once. Could he have sneaked off? She gave her head a slight shake at the thought. There was no way he could have started his truck and driven off without her hearing it.
So, curious, she got up and headed back to the kitchen. There she found Ryder dutifully at his task, his arms all the way up to his elbows in suds.
“You’re good?” She walked over, observing the stack of sparkling plates he’d already cleaned.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a nod. “I always fulfill my obligations.”
She could see that he meant it. Apparently there was a lot more to Ryder Kent than what that sinfully handsome exterior would suggest. The man had principles. She liked that.
“Okay. I won’t bother you, then.” She left him alone again but this time she wasn’t feeling quite so cross that he hadn’t paid her. Even though she was the one who had made him do it, he was certainly working hard for the money.
Fifteen minutes later Ryder, looking a little worn at the edges, came back into the restaurant. “All done,” he said and shoved his hands inside his pockets. “Where do I find the broom and mop?”
His question surprised Blake. She’d thought he would have kept mum on that, hoping she’d forgotten. But no, he was the one who was bringing it up. She got up. “I’ll get them for you. Wait here.”
