Knocking over the rum and Coke she’d just poured, she bit off a curse. Mallory had been like this since she’d opened. Clumsy, quick to snap, on the verge of tears.
She hadn’t expected to see him last night. It would have been too soon and he’d probably crashed early, anyway. But she thought she might’ve heard from him by now. Or hoped he’d at least drop by.
It was up to her. She’d have to be the one to make the next move. Which just felt right. The moment she had a second she’d call him. Or maybe a text was better.
No. Definitely a call.
The door opened and Sadie walked in with some people Mallory didn’t know. Sadie was laughing so maybe she didn’t hate Mallory’s guts for stealing her customers. She smiled at the group and recognized Rachel, who she’d met at the diner last week while they waited for cinnamon rolls.
“Well, gee, now I know why my place looks like a funeral parlor,” Sadie said, leaning an elbow on the bar and glancing around the room.
Mallory winced. “It’s just because we’re new.”
“I know that. I’m just teasing you. In fact, I brought you more customers.” She nodded at a pair of tall, good-looking men. “Cole and Jesse McAllister, say hi to Mallory, our new barkeep.”
“Oh, you’re Rachel’s brothers,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”
Jesse smiled. “Same here.”
His brother nodded, then glanced back to where Rachel and a blonde woman had stopped to talk. “I remember the days when people used to associate us with the Sundance. And now it’s ‘So you’re Rachel’s brothers.’”
Sadie chuckled. “Well, she is a pistol, that one. The woman lollygagging with her is Cole’s wife, Jamie. Don’t know if you’ve met her yet.”
Mallory shook her head, then looked past the blonde when the front door opened and a man entered. At first glimpse she thought he was Gunner and her heart slid down to her stomach.
Cole turned briefly. “That was fast. Matt’s here,” he said. “He’s Rachel’s husband.”
Worried that she’d given him the wrong impression, Mallory said, “I have a friend who’s visiting. He kind of reminds me of him. I had to look twice.”
“Gunner?” Jesse asked, and without waiting for a reply glanced back. “Yeah, I can see it.”
Heather put a ticket directly in front of Mallory and she got to work pouring two tequila sunrises. “What can I get you all?”
“Beer for us,” Cole said, then looked at his brother. “He’s the guy checking out Ben’s operation, right?”
Jesse nodded. “I think they used to work together. Didn’t Gunner do stunt work?”
“He still does,” Mallory said, her mind circling. Odd way to put it—checking out Ben’s operation.
“Hey, guys,” Elaine greeted the brothers, then sidled up to Mallory. “Sorry, but I really need those drinks,” she said under her breath and set down two more tickets.
Mallory just nodded and kept working. No time to be thinking about Gunner.
“Is that for little Kyle Higgins?” Sadie asked, squinting at the collection jar beside the register. “You should bring it up here so folks will notice it.”
The moment Cole and Jesse saw it they dug into their pockets and pulled out money. So did three other men sitting at the bar. Elaine had asked to set it out for a seven-year-old who needed surgery—his family had no health insurance. She’d explained it was common practice for businesses to collect donations.
Mallory was so touched she’d pledged to contribute a quarter for every drink or beer she sold for the whole week. She did as Sadie suggested and moved the jar.
Amazing how many customers began stuffing it with bills. It was almost too much for Mallory in her ridiculous emotional state. She wasn’t even sure why she felt weepy, except that it had something to do with Gunner and the mess she’d gotten herself into.
Rachel, her husband and Cole’s wife were headed toward them when Jamie saw a table being vacated and grabbed it. Sadie shooed the men over and got behind the bar with Mallory.
So did Rachel. “What can we do?”
Sadie didn’t wait for an answer but started filling pitchers.
“You guys don’t have to—”
The women cut her off with loud matching laughs. “Really?” Rachel said. “You think you’re gonna get rid of us?”
“Okay, so I have to hire more people,” Mallory muttered, embarrassed. “Though not if I keep putting customers to work.”
Sadie gave her a motherly pat that made her want to cry. “You have Sheila working on call. That’s enough for now. It won’t be like this all the time.” The older woman studied her for a moment. “Go take ten minutes. We’ve got this.”
Mallory had no choice. She couldn’t trust herself not to start sobbing in front of everyone.
She slipped out the back where the stinky Dumpster was located. No one would bother her back here. She found a spot upwind and dug out her phone. All she could do was stare at it for a minute. She wanted to call, hear Gunner’s voice, but she really didn’t have time to talk to him. And she wasn’t completely certain she’d be able to without falling apart.
A text was perfect. It would help her get her mind off him. Maybe. At least she’d get to say she was sorry. If he wasn’t still angry, they could talk later.
I’m sorry. About everything.
She stared at the words, wondering if she should add that she missed him. No. This was enough for now.
Maybe forever.
Not a helpful thought. She hit Send before she added something stupid then checked the time. She’d only been gone for three minutes so she ducked into the restroom—and wished she hadn’t looked at herself in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes, pasty skin. Even her lips were pale. No wonder Sadie had chased her out.
Instead of running home and hiding under the covers like she wanted to do, Mallory returned to her post and got busy. She felt better having apologized, even if it was with a text. At least she’d made the first move. In fact, she ended up shooing Rachel and Sadie out from behind the bar and sent them with free drinks to their table.
Two minutes later Sadie returned. “I meant to tell you that your friend Gunner was here. When you were taking your break.”
Mallory’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “What did he say?”
“Nothing. Walked in, stayed by the door, looked around and left.” Sadie shrugged. “I figured I’d tell you anyway.” She started to turn and paused to wag a finger. “Quit giving away drinks.” Her face softened. “Elaine told me what you’re doing for the Higgins boy. That’s real nice. But free drinks on top of that? Uh-uh.”
“Elaine has a big mouth,” Mallory muttered, although it was hard to think about anything but Gunner. She waited until Sadie was back at the table before checking her phone.
Me too. Plans tomorrow?
She smiled so hard her cheeks cramped.
Oh, yeah. She had plans all right. To screw his brains out. Just let him try to talk her out of it.
* * *
GUNNER HAD BARELY pulled to the curb and Mallory was already on her porch, closing the door behind her. He got out of the truck and jumped over her gate.
“What are you doing?” She stopped in the middle of her walkway, staring at him with a dazed smile. “I thought we were going to Safe Haven.”
At the last second he remembered he was wearing his hat. He yanked it off and swept her into his arms. Startled, she blinked at him and giggled until he kissed her silent.
She tasted minty and comforting as she welcomed him inside her sweet, eager mouth, and for the first time in forty-eight hours, he began to relax. He couldn’t figure out how that was possible, when his heart was racing like a thoroughbred smelling victory. Lately it seemed Mallory was having that effect on him more and more.
And when she wound her arms tighter around his neck and buried her fingers deeper into his hair, it took every shred of willpower not to carry her inside and make love to her for a week.
Her soft whimper did it. Gave him that slight push toward the edge. Another few seconds and they wouldn’t make it past the porch.
Painful as it was, he broke the kiss.
She stared at him with glazed eyes. “Was that just in case the neighbors were wondering?”
“Something like that.” He settled his hat on his head, though maybe he should use it to hide his erection. “Ready?”
“You certainly are.” Her cheeky smile faltered as she lifted her gaze to his.
“Get in the truck, sweetheart, or face the consequences.”
Mallory hesitated, her eyes turning that dark sexy shade of green. “Doesn’t sound like such a bad thing...”
Heat and need surged through him. “We can skip Safe Haven.”
“Are they expecting you?”
“I can reschedule.” He watched her moisten her lips, knowing she was tempted but uncertain. He moved closer to help tip the scale.
She stepped back. “Let’s get it over with. You said we’d be about two hours, right?”
Oh, hell.
Nah, sticking to the plan was better in the long run. He’d been doing a lot of thinking and he had to show her that this thing between them wasn’t just about sex. It wouldn’t be easy. Especially considering her bias toward stuntmen. But he figured quitting Hollywood and moving to Blackfoot Falls would show her that he was dead serious.
He’d already talked to Ben, who was enthusiastic about making Gunner a partner. They’d discussed buy-in money, expansion plans and the role Gunner would play if he signed on. It wasn’t set in stone yet, but the option was there.
“You’re a tease,” he said and opened the truck door for her.
She made a smart remark and he swatted her bottom just before she slid onto the seat.
Casual touching had turned into something different and he didn’t know when that had happened. As if he needed one more thing to analyze. Jesus. He’d end up a candidate for sainthood by the time this proving himself business was all over.
The ride to the large animal sanctuary lasted somewhere around thirty minutes. He kept his hands on the wheel for most of it, but gave in and held her hand a couple of times. They talked about everything from the dark clouds coming from the Rockies and moving toward them to the miniseries and indie film being shot nearby, and what sort of business it could mean for the Full Moon.
Mallory seemed surprised that he had no interest in going out to the set, and he used the opportunity to subtly reinforce his readiness to leave stunt work and move on.
Safe Haven was off the beaten path but easy to find. Gunner parked next to an old white pickup loaded with bales of hay and chicken wire. The sanctuary appeared to be a mix of old, new and refurbished with barns, sheds, a recently constructed log house and two brand-new-looking stables. Lots of corrals filled with mustangs and just about every other kind of horse. Had to be at least fifty of them penned up between the barn and stable.
“What do they mean by large animals?” Mallory asked once they’d both climbed out of the truck. “No dogs or cats?”
“Mostly they take in abandoned horses and cows from what I understand.” He nodded toward an older woman emerging from the barn, followed by a white pygmy goat. “Here comes someone who could probably answer your question.”
Mallory gasped with delight. “Is that a goat? How cute is that?”
“Gunner?” the woman said, her hand extended before he nodded. “I’m Kathy. We spoke on the phone.” She had some grip for someone small and wiry and pushing sixty.
“Thanks for meeting with us,” he said. “This is Mallory.”
Kathy smiled and then grunted when the goat head-butted her from behind. “Okay, okay,” she muttered, turning to the animal. “This is Pinocchio, chief troublemaker.”
Mallory was all smiles. “May I pet him?”
“Sure you can,” Kathy said and stepped aside. “Now, he may play hard to get at first. On the flip side, if he takes a cotton to you, he could follow you around until you leave.”
Mallory put out a tentative hand. The goat moved forward and she jerked back.
Grinning, Gunner slid an arm around her. “We have a city girl here,” he told Kathy, who’d figured that out for herself and was smiling. “Go ahead, sweetheart, he won’t hurt you.”
“He has horns,” Mallory said, frowning with uncertainty. “I’ll wait till later. See if he likes me first.”
With a laugh, Kathy turned to Gunner. “You’re mainly interested in mustangs, is that right?”
“For the most part.” Gunner tugged his hat rim down to block the sun’s glare and nodded at the corral where a young man was fixing a railing. “But those are some fine-looking palominos. The black, too. I wouldn’t mind a closer look.”
“You’ve got a good eye. We just got them a week ago so Ben hasn’t seen them yet. Poor guy’s been running ragged. I’m glad he finally has someone working with him.”
Mallory turned sharply to look at him. He avoided her eyes and focused only on the palominos.
“So, are you the head honcho here?” Gunner asked.
“Only temporarily,” Kathy said as they started to walk. “My husband, Levi, and I have volunteered here for years. Same as many of the folks you might see milling about. Levi and Chuck are in the quarantine stable right now. Volunteers help keep this place going. Shea McAllister and I are filling in until the board finds a new director. The pay is terrible but that cute little log house comes with the job. Either of you interested?” Her grin was aimed at Mallory.
She just laughed. “Um, yeah...that’s not gonna happen.”
“My husband and I considered it but we want to move closer to our grandkids,” Kathy said just as a cloud passed over the sun, and she stopped to look up at the increasingly overcast sky. “I was hoping those clouds wouldn’t come east for a while.”
“I figured you’d be praying for rain.”
“Yep, we need some of that for sure.” She pulled a walkie-talkie out of the back pocket of her jeans. “I’m worried about the high school kids working in the alfalfa field. I don’t need them getting the four-wheelers and tractor stuck in the mud.”
While Kathy tried to reach the kids, Gunner watched Mallory warily eye the goat. Pinocchio seemed equally interested in her. Gunner didn’t think the animal was up to mischief but Mallory wasn’t taking any chances.
He waited for one of them to make their move but then got distracted by a handsome silver stallion being led toward the corral.
Pale-colored horses seldom caught his attention. But this guy, with his silver mane and tail, his head high and proud, was a beauty.
“Where the heck are those darn kids?” Kathy muttered and shook the walkie-talkie. “I sure wish we had better luck with cell phones out here.”
Gunner could hear the static from where he stood several feet away. The sun was still hidden. He felt the first few drops of rain hit his arm and looked up. They were in for a downpour for sure.
“Oh, well, I guess I’ll have to trust they have enough sense to come back before it gets too muddy.”
Kathy’s words were punctuated by an earsplitting clap of thunder. She and Mallory both jumped. The silver stallion reared up. Whinnies came from the corralled horses as they moved restlessly against the rails.
Lightning came quick and from not far away as another window-rattling thunderclap made everyone duck. Gunner could hear the agitation of the horses, and he felt torn between getting Mallory inside and running over to help in the large corral.
His decision was made for him. The kid who’d been fixing the railing jumped over the logs in the nick of tim
e, just avoiding being crushed when the terrified animals broke through the fence. They were too crowded and too scared to stay where they were, and they knew to run like hell when the skies got mean.
Kathy was moving now, toward the corral and the young man, fast as she could, and Gunner hoped she didn’t think she was going to hold back twenty-some mustangs. But her voice carried over a stretch of silence. “...the kids! I can’t reach ’em.”
He remembered. Teenagers with ATVs and a stampede was a disaster waiting to happen. “Mallory,” he yelled over another boom, “get inside.”
“What are you—”
He was running, and he couldn’t spare her an answer or it could be too late. The silver horse was the closest, and at least he had a bridle. Gunner pulled the reins from the boy’s hands, grabbed on to the silver’s mane and swung up. The stallion wasn’t happy, but Gunner tightened his thighs around the horse’s withers.
Once he was situated, Kathy must have understood exactly what he was doing because she stopped waving her walkie-talkie. “They’re in the alfalfa field,” she yelled. Then she pointed north.
The rains let loose as Gunner leaned forward. Silver bolted, the next clap of thunder working like a starter pistol.
Gunner only let go of the mane to jam his hat down harder, and then it was like flying through a damn car wash. Every ounce of his concentration was on his balance and learning Silver in the worst possible conditions. One misstep could be costly, and there were no wranglers around to safety check this stunt.
But those kids. If they started up those ATVs when the herd approached them, someone was bound to get hurt.
There was no use going after the mustangs, although he doubted teenage boys would stop to think things through. But if Gunner was lucky, he might be able to get all the kids back safely.
He was already so wet it was like standing in the shower with his clothes on. But damn if Silver wasn’t a firecracker. His gait was smooth as silk even through the torrent. If this horse wasn’t spoken for...
Shit.
The mustangs were just up ahead. Right at the alfalfa field.
Come Closer, Cowboy Page 15
