How to Lasso a Cowboy

by Christine Wenger

  He hung his wet hat on the rack behind the door and sat down on a side chair.

  “Uh…Jenna. I have something to tell you.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Okay,” she said cautiously.

  “A film crew is coming here to shoot a commercial tomorrow morning. Early.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m in it. It’s something my agent dreamed up for publicity. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind a bit. It sounds exciting,” she said, wetting her lips.

  It was an insignificant gesture, but it immediately got him thinking of hot, wet kisses and a soft, warm mattress…and Jenna.

  He started to tweak his hat to her, but remembered he’d hung it by the door. “See you later.”

  He hurried to the kitchen. Noticing a magazine ruffling in the breeze from the open window, he thought he’d read it to take his mind off Jenna.

  When he saw it was Woman’s Universe, he tossed it back on the table.

  Then his eyes caught the heading in blazing orange letters: TEN WAYS TO SEDUCE A MAN. Curious, he turned to the story. Skimming the article, he smiled, then sobered. Like the burn of cheap whiskey, a shot of jealousy ran through him. What guy was she thinking of seducing when she was doing her hair and putting on sexy clothes and perfume? Was he a neighboring rancher, or someone she taught school with?

  He inhaled and closed his eyes to clear his head. It shouldn’t matter what she did. She was off-limits. He shouldn’t care.

  But he did.

  Breakfast with Jenna the next day was very awkward. It was just the two of them, as Andy had already left on the bus for summer school.

  Jenna’s hair looked like she’d just walked out of a wind tunnel, and she kept staring at him and asking him a million questions.

  He still wanted to know who was the lucky object of the “Ten Ways to Seduce a Man” article—and why she thought she needed a magazine to teach her how to lure a man. Didn’t she realized how attractive she was?

  Right now, he felt like he was going through a police interrogation with all the questions she was asking him.

  But when she got him to talk about bull riding, he was off and running.

  “What bull do you like to ride the best?” she asked, leaning closer to him, her green eyes intent.

  “Black Pearl,” he replied, taking a sip of coffee. Once again, he was struck by how different she looked with full makeup—and by a longing for her more simple, straightforward look. The look of the girl he’d always wanted.

  Then, as he leaned back in his chair, he spotted her legs—her tanned, crossed legs. On the tips of her ruby-red polished toes dangled a blue flip-flop. She was swaying it back and forth.

  He’d never thought that a blue flip-flop was sexy, but now he watched, hypnotized by the movement of her calf muscles and her knee as she swayed the rubber sandal.

  It hit the floor, and he was at the ready to retrieve it and slip it back on her foot as if she were Cinderella at the ball.

  But she slipped her foot into the flip-flop again and returned it to the dangling position.

  Damn that magazine article!

  When he finally looked up, she met his gaze with a smile. She knew exactly what effect she was having on him.

  “So what’s it like to have a whole gaggle of buckle bunnies after you?” she asked.

  “I don’t have a gaggle,” he said trying to concentrate on answering the question but dying to look at her legs again.

  “I’ve seen them buzzing around you, just like the girls, in high school. You’ve never lacked for female companionship, have you?” she asked.

  He shrugged. How could he answer that without sounding conceited?

  Sway…sway…

  She raised an eyebrow. “You were always surrounded by cheerleaders and every cute girl within a fifty-five mile radius.”

  But it was you I wanted.

  He chuckled. “I think you’re exaggerating.”

  “Not by much, Dustin, and you know it. You were voted King of the senior prom. And you took the head cheerleader.”

  “Karen McArtle asked me to go with her to the prom.”

  He barely could remember Karen’s face. In fact, he’d only accepted to see Jenna all dressed up. She didn’t have an actual date. She just went with her friends from the debate club.

  He took another sip of coffee so he didn’t have to look at Jenna’s green eyes

  Can’t look at her eyes. Can’t look at her legs.

  He’d wanted to ask her to the senior prom, but he hadn’t dared. For one thing, Tom wouldn’t have liked it, and Jenna showed absolutely no interest in him. Besides, he didn’t think he could have handled a rejection from her, not with all the pressure he was under at the time to help his parents.

  “Did you enjoy yourself at the prom?” he found himself asking.

  She looked as shocked as he felt for asking such a dumb question after all these years.

  “I can’t remember,” she said, brows furrowed. “It was so long ago.”

  “I wanted to ask you to dance,” he blurted. But he hadn’t. The darn promise he’d made to her brother stopped him cold.

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You did?”

  “I did.”

  She tilted her head, and suddenly he couldn’t take his eyes off her lush lips. “Then why didn’t you?”

  He shrugged. “You were busy with your friends.”

  “I would have danced with you, Dustin,” she said softly.

  His mouth went dry, and it was hard for him to form a response, but he tried to be casual. “Yeah?”

  She blushed. “Sure.”

  Double damn. All that night he’d debated and warred with himself, only to discover years later he could have held Jenna in his arms. How many other opportunities had he missed out on? Was this summer his chance to finally let her know how he’d always felt about her?

  I wanted to ask you to dance.

  Jenna picked up the dishes and flip-flopped her way to the sink. She hated the darn things. She’d only brought them to wear around the pool.

  But they’d worked well enough. She smiled as she loaded the dishwasher. Dustin couldn’t take his eyes off her legs.

  Clearly Women’s Universe knew their stuff!

  And she’d lied to him about the senior prom, she thought with a rush of guilt. She remembered that night vividly, but she couldn’t admit that to him.

  How she’d wanted to ask Dustin to take her! But what could she do? The day she worked up enough courage to ask him, Tom mentioned that Dustin was out of town with the rodeo. When her courage vanished, there he was, hanging out with her brother at their house.

  As she put soap into the dishwasher, she flashed back to Dustin walking into the gym with Karen. She’d almost burst into tears. Dustin looked so handsome in his black tux, flashing a contented smile. She got through that evening by avoiding him.

  Why the hell hadn’t he asked her to dance?

  Her face heated as she thought about dancing with Dustin. That would have made the evening special. Instead, she cried herself to sleep that night, feeling alone and unwanted.

  It was hard being a geek in high school. All the boys wanted cheerleaders, or bubbly, social, popular girls. Smart, bookish girls usually went without dates.

  She slammed the dishwasher shut and turned it on.

  “Thanks for breakfast, Jenna. I appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Well,” he sighed, “I’d better get ready to greet the film crew.” He got his crutches and walked out of the kitchen.

  She wiped off the table, tossed the cloth into the sink and sat back down.

  She wanted him. More than ever.

  She knew now that Dustin was not immune to the Ten Ways.

  He obviously thought that big hair and a dangling flip-flop were turn-ons.

  Well, that was nothing. She had a few tips left to try, and she was going to go all out.

  Dustin was doing a s
low burn. He was getting all worked up over a woman he’d sworn to stay away from.

  The doorbell rang and Dustin was glad for something to take his mind off of Jenna. “I’ll get it,” he yelled in the direction of the kitchen. “It’s probably the crew.”

  “Okay.”

  Shaking all their hands, he invited them in, and introductions were made—the director, the makeup artist, lighting director, assistant to the director and two interns.

  “Can we see the pool area?” asked the director, Skip, a tall, thin man with a red cowboy hat that seemed too big for him. He sported a red bandanna around his neck.

  “This way,” Dustin said, motioning with his head.

  On the way to the pool, he introduced them to Jenna, who was reading the paper in the kitchen.

  “They’d like to see the pool,” he explained to her.

  She nodded. “Sure.”

  “Come with us,” Dustin said. He wanted her to be there. After all, this was her brother’s house, and it was her solitude they were all disturbing.

  They walked through the sliding glass door and fanned out on the concrete patio of the rectangular pool.

  “Looks perfect,” Skip said, turning to Dustin. “But we have a problem. Just as I pulled into your driveway I received a call that the actress that we were going to use had an allergic reaction to a bee sting. She’s out. I’ll have to call for another. Or we could just shoot you alone, but then we’re going to have to come up with another script. So it might take longer then we thought. We might have to stay overnight—in a hotel, of course.”

  Dustin didn’t relish dragging this out or being in the desert sun with a sweaty cast on for any length of time. Besides, there was a beautiful woman right here who could fill in perfectly.

  “How about Jenna?” Dustin asked.

  Chapter Five

  Dustin watched as six pairs of eyes looked at him, then shifted right to Jenna. She looked shocked, then her cheeks heated into two pink stains.

  “Oh, I couldn’t,” she protested softly.

  The director rubbed his chin. “What do you think, Leslie?”

  Leslie was the makeup artist. She walked over to Jenna and studied her face, touched her hair, made her turn around twice.

  Jenna rolled her eyes. “I can’t. I—”

  “Her hair is a disaster right now,” Leslie proclaimed. “But I can work with it.”

  “Jenna?” Dustin asked. He wasn’t beneath pleading. He was uncomfortable doing this kind of thing and wanted to get it over with. Besides, doing the commercial with Jenna would be more fun. “Would you mind helping out?”

  “I’m not an actress. I’m a fourth-grade teacher.”

  “You’ll be perfect. And the sooner this shoot is finished, the sooner we can get back to normal around here,” Dustin said. “Whatever normal is.”

  “Look, Jenna.” Skip, the director, put his arm around her, and Dustin clenched his fists. “Dustin is the focus of this commercial. You just have to walk on and hug him. You don’t have to do any lines. That’s it.”

  Jenna looked apprehensive. Then her lips softened into a nervous smile. “I’ll be glad to fill in.”

  Skip clapped his hands. “Terrific! Let’s get to work, people.”

  Jenna sat on the edge of the tub in the master bathroom, watching as Leslie lugged in what looked like a canister vacuum cleaner. “Where can I spray-tan you, Jenna?”

  “Spray-tan?” Jenna started to laugh but bit it back. She didn’t want to hurt Leslie’s feelings. “In the shower, I guess,” she said, praying that it would wash off if it got on the tiles.

  After Leslie got set up, she instructed Jenna to go into the shower with just her bra and panties on. “Wear something that you don’t mind throwing away,” she suggested.

  She didn’t mind throwing away any of the underwear she’d brought with her to the Bar R. It was just utilitarian, not the fancy stuff that she’d bought for her trip to Europe.

  Leslie handed her a shower cap and a pair of goggles. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” Jenna replied.

  The spray was cool at first; but then she got used to it. “Turn around slowly,” Leslie said. She turned, feeling like a chicken on a rotisserie.

  After that was over, Jenna’s hair was washed, conditioned, blow-dried and baked with a curling iron. It had more product on it than the shelves of the corner drugstore carried. But Leslie truly created magic. It looked sleek and sexy, with a lot of bounce and it was the best-looking hairstyle of her life.

  Her finger and toenails were cut, polished and buffed until they gleamed. Her makeup took forever—it felt as if every pore was filled with a different kind of cream or powder. But at last she was done, and turned to the mirror for a look.

  Wow. She didn’t even recognize herself.

  She couldn’t wait to see Dustin. Wouldn’t he be surprised?

  Leslie left the room but soon returned holding up two strips of colorful material.

  “What’s that?” Jenna asked.

  “Your costume,” Leslie replied.

  Jenna swallowed hard. “What is it supposed to be?”

  “A bikini.”

  “I see…a bikini for a men’s aftershave commercial.” Jenna sniffed. Actually, she didn’t see, but she understood. “Bring it on.” They both laughed.

  Jenna took the bathing suit from Leslie and fingered the shiny material. “I hope it fits.”

  “We can alter it somewhat,” Leslie added with a grin.

  “Can you add a yard of material to it?” she said, slipping into the suit.

  A knock on the door halted their laughter. “Are you about ready?” Skip yelled. “I don’t want to lose the light.”

  Jenna looked at herself in the mirror and couldn’t believe that the suit was actually flattering. Oh, she could stand to lose ten pounds or so, but she filled out the suit nicely.

  “You’re a magician, Leslie. I look…well, I don’t look like myself.”

  Leslie put a hand on her shoulder. “You look gorgeous. I just enhanced what was already there.”

  She put on a bathrobe and nodded to Leslie, and they both left the bedroom.

  A shot of excitement ran through her when she thought of Dustin’s reaction to her look.

  When Jenna returned, Dustin couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her blond hair shimmered in the sun and curled softly around her face. Whatever makeup she had on brought out her green eyes.

  She looked like the Jenna he’d always preferred—wholesome yet sexy at the same time. Her eyes twinkled either in amusement or in anticipation of acting in a commercial.

  Then she slid off the bathrobe she was wearing, and his jaw dropped.

  She wore a bikini with stripes of primary colors slashed across the strips of fabric. On her feet were her blue flip-flops, which matched the skimpy suit perfectly. Gold jewelry glistened around her neck and an ankle and dangled from her ears.

  “Jenna?” he croaked. The fourth-grade teacher looked like a swimsuit model.

  “Of course.” She laughed and shifted on her feet. He noticed how long and shapely her legs were.

  He couldn’t swallow over the lump stuck in his throat.

  “You look…wonderful,” he finally said, thinking that Jenna didn’t need “Ten Ways to Seduce a Man.” She just had to show up dressed like this.

  “Thanks.”

  But he’d liked her before, too—the Jenna who somehow twisted her blond hair and clipped it back with a barrette. The Jenna who wore cutoff jeans and a T-shirt to play hoops. The Jenna he’d see helping Andy with his reading or math, who was so patient and kind with the boy.

  This Jenna was different. This Jenna crossed her long legs and dangled a blue flip-flop and aroused him more than any woman ever had.

  She was hypnotic.

  “Remember, we can only shoot Dustin from the thighs up,” Skip announced. “I’m going to make it seem like he’s sitting in a chair by the pool and taking in the sun and scenery. Jenna, you�
��re the scenery.”

  She laughed. “I’ve never been called scenery before.”

  “Dustin, take your shirt off,” ordered Skip. “You’re lounging by the pool, not sitting in the chutes at a rodeo.”

  “Let’s get this over with,” Dustin mumbled.

  Jenna smiled. “What would you like me to do, Skip?”

  “I want you to walk toward Dustin and give him a secret smile, like you know something and he doesn’t. When you get to him, wrap your arms around his neck and put your cheek against his.”

  The camera crew helped Dustin into a chair and checked the lighting, and there he sat, waiting.

  As Jenna moseyed toward him, Dustin’s mouth went dry. Soon her arms slipped around his neck. He could smell her skin and feel the softness of her cheek against his. And felt his promise to Tom become that much harder to keep.

  He pushed his hat back and raked his hair with his fingers.

  Skip grinned. “That was perfect, Jenna. But Dustin, you looked uncomfortable.” He shook his head. “I need you to be in the moment. Let’s try it again. But this time, I’d like you both to get close so that your lips are almost touching, but not quite.”

  Dustin waited in anticipation of Jenna’s arms going around him. He groaned when he realized that he’d thought that this would be fun. Instead it was pure torture.

  What would Tom say about the commercial when it was released?

  Maybe nothing. After all, it was just a little commercial. It didn’t mean anything. He’d dreamed of being close to Jenna many times before, but just like then, this wasn’t real. It was just acting.

  Dustin looked into Jenna’s eyes as if he were paralyzed. It seemed like it took hours for him to move close to her, to position his lips close to hers.

  Dustin could hear the soft intake of Jenna’s breath, and his heart beat faster. This was Jenna, the woman of his high school dreams, the woman who was always forbidden to him, the woman he admired from afar.

  He got lost in the green depths of her eyes and then, in spite of Skip’s direction to the contrary, his lips touched hers.

  Dustin was kissing her!

  Jenna tried not to react, to play it cool and act like his soft, sweet kiss didn’t faze her in the least.