Dating the Cowboy

by Ann B. Harrison

  Jethro put his arm around Crease’s shoulder. “Okay, got it. Discussion over—right, Nate?”

  “Sure.”

  “So tell me, little brother. When are you going to make an honest woman of Alice?”

  Crease counted to ten before he spoke. Such an outdated statement. “When we’re both ready and not before.”

  “Seriously? You guys have been all but living together for how long? Since college first or second year? If you love her so much, put a ring on her finger.”

  There was nothing Crease would like more, but it wasn’t going to happen. Alice had plans and he didn’t fit into them. He had his dream and she deserved hers, no matter what it cost him. But he wasn’t going to discuss it with his brothers. Alice liked her privacy, and he didn’t blame her.

  “Drop it, Jethro. Worry about your own life and keep your nose out of mine.”

  Jethro stepped back, his hand up. “Wow, dude. Chill out. You two have a lovers’ tiff or something?”

  Crease needed to stop and breathe. He was feeling under pressure since the interview had come out. Their phone rarely stopped ringing, emails were crazy, and both of them were stressed. His promise to help Alice redo her résumé and chase her interview with Zapper was playing on his mind. Crease hated how his thinking had changed. He couldn’t bear to lose her and have anyone take her place.

  “No. Nothing like that. We have a lot on our plate right now. Give us a chance to catch up with business and get that sorted before we think of adding to the crazy schedule we have. Besides, Alice is private and I need to remember that. She’s not like us, putting everything out there for the world to see. You guys should respect that too.”

  “We only want what’s best for you, little brother.”

  “I appreciate that, but you have to let me do things my own way.” Because if it all goes wrong, I’m going to need my brothers to lean on. I doubt I’ll get through it without them.

  Jethro glanced at Nate before looking at Crease again with a frustrated sigh. “Crease, you need to understand something. You might be the dating guru and all, but women like Alice don’t come along every day. When you find one, you really need to make the move before someone else does, you know what I mean?”

  “I do.”

  “Some guy is going to waltz in here and cut your grass. Then where will you be?”

  “I get it, but I can’t rush her. It’s not how Alice works.” But no matter how much his brothers pushed him, Crease had to let her chase her dream. He’d gotten most of what he wanted already. It was only fair to let Alice have the same. The biggest problem looming over his head right now was letting her go.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The following Sunday morning, Alice read her new résumé Crease had drafted up, and smiled. “This is incredible. You were right.”

  He leaned back in his chair and crossed his foot over his knee, his heart aching at what he’d done. “I know, but I did promise to do it for you. If I don’t do it now, who knows when I’d get around to it? Have you seen my calendar for next week?”

  “I’m going to shoot this off today.” She jumped up and came around to give him a hug, paused, and then leaned in. Things had been a bit uncomfortable between them since the kiss at the photo shoot, and it broke his heart to see the distance starting to become an issue neither of them could move past.

  “Are you sure I should be doing this, Crease? If you need me to stay here, I will.”

  Here was his chance to come clean and tell her what he really wanted, but the light in her eyes when she read her new résumé stopped him. Alice desperately wanted to prove—to herself more than anyone else—that she was as good as any employee in a company with the clout of Zapper.

  “No. We had a deal. You’ve wanted this for so long. Don’t give up now, Alice. You’ll never forgive yourself if you do.” He stood up and lifted her chin with one finger, staring into her troubled eyes. “Tell you what. You go and knock them dead with your charm and brains, and if you don’t like it, you can come back.”

  “Really? You won’t hold it against me for leaving you holding the place together?”

  “Never. This is still your business too. That will never change. You’re going off chasing your dream. That was always the plan, and it’s not like you’re leaving me in the lurch. You’ll still be working for the business, just not in the office. And we’re at the stage we need to employ someone else anyway. Nothing is really changing. You’ll always have a place here. Don’t forget that.”

  She leaned on his chest and hugged him. “You’re a gem, Crease. You know that, right?”

  “Wow, look at you two.”

  The door slammed and Delia, one of the ladies from his second group, waltzed in the door. She had a bitter smile on her lips. He’d known from the get-go that she was going to be difficult to work with because she came with the attitude that there was nothing wrong with her, it was everyone else who didn’t measure up. But he’d never turn anyone away. Everyone deserved a chance at love, and even the most arrogant of people could be helped eventually.

  “Delia. Hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you today. Everything all right?” Alice slid from his arms and busied herself with her own work at her desk.

  “No. I want to have a private chat with you. Can you break yourself away from Alice for five minutes?”

  “Of course.” He put a hand on her back and urged her into the coaching room, ignoring Alice’s side-eye. “What’s wrong?”

  “This isn’t working for me. I’ve done everything you told me to do and I keep bumming out. There aren’t any good guys out there for me. They’re all taken.”

  Crease took her hand. “No, they’re not. You just haven’t met the right guy yet. Tell me how your dates were this week.”

  “Terrible. Your methods don’t work, Crease, at least not for me.”

  “Let’s you and I have a coffee and chat about this. I never give up on a client, and I want to see you succeed. We’ll go through the steps one by one and see where we can improve.”

  *

  Who wore that much makeup this early in the morning? Small tendrils of jealousy crept around Alice’s belly as she stared at the closed door. Girls always threw themselves at Crease, wondering if they were going to be the lucky one who managed to snag him away.

  Pretending to be his girlfriend had been a challenge on some levels more than others. But that woman with her long, red nails digging into Crease’s arm and the sideways glances at Alice had made more of an impression on her than any other time. She wanted to rip her hand off Crease, push her out of the way, and lay claim to him, which only added to the confusion dogging her for the last few weeks.

  She stared at her computer screen, debating whether to send her latest query letter. It was her dream to work in Seattle. But her feelings for Crease were changing. She couldn’t deny it any longer. Sure, it would be easy to say, nah, Zapper no longer interested her, but would it really make any difference? Would he change his mind about how he felt about her?

  He’d had plenty of opportunities to make a move and he hadn’t even tried. Plus, he’d just handed her the résumé and query letter that would be her best chance at getting the job she’d so desperately wanted. So why did it seem that the dream had turned sour?

  Alice leaned back in her chair and chewed on her thumbnail. She rocked as she again ticked off the pros and cons of staying in Marietta versus going to Seattle. After a solid ten minutes of going back and forth, she still hadn’t come up with anything concrete either way.

  Laughter made her glance toward the coaching room seconds before the door opened. Delia emerged with her arm tucked into Crease’s and that little green monster screamed in Alice’s ear.

  “Thank you, Crease. I knew I could count on you to make me feel better.” Delia kissed him on the cheek and wiggled her red talons in his face before she sauntered out the door, her hips wiggling more than was necessary.

  Maybe this was his way of starting a life without her
in it. She’d never given that any thought. Did he want to date someone? Was there already someone he had his eye on? Pretending they were a couple might have dampened his style, held him back. Had he thought of that? Probably not. He’d had plenty of time to meet other girls. During his coaching lessons, there’d been more than one who’d tried to catch his eye, and it looked as though Delia had made an impression.

  “That looked intense.” Alice couldn’t help but notice the tension lines around his eyes.

  “It was, but she’s on the right track now. Still needs her confidence boosting.”

  Yeah, right! Alice had never seen a more confident man-eater before.

  “Great. That’s what we’re here for.”

  He sat down at his desk and jiggled his mouse. “True. Have you sent that letter yet?” Crease ran his fingers over his keyboard and concentrated on his screen.

  “Um. Not yet.”

  He stared at her. “Why not? Alice, you’re crazy not to do it. All I’ve heard these last five years is how you’re going to work for the biggest data miners out there and now you’re getting second thoughts?”

  “I can’t help it.” She pushed her chair back and jumped up. “Just look at you. You’re run off your feet. You have so much work coming in that you’re getting bags under your eyes. You need me here, Crease.”

  “No, I don’t. I need you to be happy. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. You’ve worked so hard to get there, Alice. Don’t cop out now.”

  “What if what I want has changed?” Oh god, she’d come out and said it.

  Crease tilted his head back and closed his eyes as if her words caused him pain. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and Alice’s stomach took a dive.

  “Look. I don’t want you to stay here. We planned on me doing this alone once it was up and running. I think we can both agree that it’s barreling along better than expected, so much so that I need to hire an office assistant.” He opened his eyes and stared at her, his lips in such a tight line she wanted to walk away and lick her wounds. “But don’t you dare let that influence you.”

  He’d cut her deeply.

  “Fine. I thought that—”

  “What did you think, Alice? That you could throw away everything you’ve worked for and I’d be okay with that? That I’d be so selfish as to say, ‘Stay Alice, I can’t do this without you’?” He frowned.

  She nodded. This wasn’t what she wanted to hear from him.

  “Sweetheart, you’re so wrong. I’d never let you do that, not even for me. I’ll manage. Things will calm down once everyone gets over the video and the magazine spread. People will find something else to swoon over and I’ll get on with my life. The same as you will.”

  “I guess.” But he was wrong. She’d never be the same again now she finally figured out what she wanted.

  He stood up but didn’t touch her, which spoke louder than words. “Alice, you need to do this because if you don’t, you’ll never know if you’ve made the right decision. Trust me on this.”

  “You’re right. I’ll send it off now.” Hopefully, this time they’d come back and offer her the interview. She wasn’t needed here and now it seemed that retreat was the best idea.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Okay, guys. It’s time for some home truths.” A ripple of nervous laughter followed Crease’s comment as he faced a room full of recruits for their next coaching lesson. Not all of them had scored dates, and it was up to Crease to push them harder for results.

  “Walking around with your chest puffed out, your chin in the air, your muscled arms tensed will not win her over. Nor will approaching every woman in the room, one after the other, like you’re on a mission to score the most points. That only makes you a player and, believe me, she will see that. By the time you get to her, she’s not interested.”

  A couple of guys in the room shrank in their chair.

  “Nor will playing the introverted nerd make her sit up and take notice. What a woman wants is a confident partner.” He walked to the whiteboard and picked up a pen. “We’ve talked about widening your circle by talking to more people every day. Now we need to focus on your approach.” Crease wrote the number one before turning back to the class.

  “I know you care about what your friends might say when you get rejected. Believe me, I know that all too well. It’s a blow to the male ego, and that ego is exactly what stops you from approaching the women you really want to talk to.”

  His group hung onto every word without offering a comment.

  “You start to obsess about how you’re dressed, is your hair okay, does your breath smell like last week’s socks or the takeaway you grabbed on the way to the pub? You worry that the bunch of girls she’s hanging out with will judge you before you get halfway across the room, and she’ll feel that vibe and turn you down without giving you the chance you so desperately want.” He put the lid on the pen and watched their reactions. He’d hit it right on the head.

  “But here’s the thing. If you don’t make the effort, how can you expect the reward?”

  There was a shuffle of feet as Crease let that sink in. “You’ve all had a chance to go out and practice what we talked about last time. Give me some feedback and don’t be embarrassed to share your experience. I can’t help you if I don’t know your results.”

  Shane, a fireman, put his hand up and glanced at the guys present. “I did what you said, practiced being casual as if I didn’t have any ulterior motive. In the back of my mind, I pretended I was from out of town and looking for a café or restaurant and kept that mindset all night. I spoke to a few girls and bummed out a couple of times. I talked to guys as well, and I think that helped get me into the frame of mind where I wasn’t looking for a date, I was looking for people to meet.” He cleared his throat. “But then I met this girl who seemed really nice and offered to show me her favorite place. We had coffee and it went well.”

  “Great stuff.” He turned to another client. “Joel. And what would you change, if anything?” Crease stood with his feet apart and waited. The other guys in the room hung onto everything Joel said.

  “My ideas on what I want out of a relationship and the kind of girl I want. I thought I preferred blondes. She has red hair.” He laughed as the guy next to him thumped him on the shoulder.

  “There you go. Preconceived ideas can really let us down. That’s why I suggest talking to anyone and everyone. Looks might matter initially, but they aren’t everything. You’re looking for character, personality, not window dressing.” He turned back to the whiteboard. “Now I want to talk more about that connection and how to know if you’ve found someone you could be with.” Crease wrote connection with a number two beside it.

  “Give me a good example of what to say when you want to make the connection, to make this conversation last longer than the small interactions you’ve had with everyone else so far.”

  His words were met with mutters and more shuffling feet. “Come on, guys. If this is how you react when you meet someone, I’m not surprised you need me. Ask her what her job is and be interested when she replies. Listen to her. If there’s one thing you take away from tonight, it’s to listen to what she says because women have a radar that will pick up boredom like you won’t believe. You need to be genuinely interested in what she has to say or you may as well not bother.”

  Crease walked down the front of the coaching room, hands behind his back. “When I was in college, I fancied this girl. She was a stunner. Long, blonde hair, incredible figure, and there were always guys hanging around her. I never bothered trying to talk to her because I didn’t think I had a chance.” He had their attention. “One day I was in the local café getting a coffee—a caramel latte I think I asked for—and I heard a voice. ‘You should try it over ice.’ It was her. Here was my chance to make an impression. Do you know what I said?”

  Heads shook and the guys leaned forward.

  “I told her I hated cold drinks. If I was going to have a coffee, it had to be hot.
She walked away. I blew it.”

  “Man, that sucks.” Joel nudged the guy beside him.

  “You know what I should’ve said? I should’ve said, ‘You know what, that sounds great. What made you go the iced coffee route?’ Instead of dissing her suggestion, I should’ve jumped into that conversation. She gave me the perfect opportunity and I stuffed up.”

  “So you blew it. Couldn’t you hit her up again?”

  “No. Opportunity lost. In her mind, I was closed off to suggestions, which made me look like I wasn’t the type of guy to try anything new. Don’t be that guy.”

  Like I’ve blown it with Alice. He should’ve gone to Seattle like she wanted. Crease’d totally blown the last chance he had to get Alice to love him, because he was scared. He should’ve tried to live somewhere new despite his fears. It would’ve been worth it to keep her. He didn’t know if he could live without Alice. Imagine if that got out. The love doctor failed to sort out his own love life when it was right in front of him.

  Now he was that guy all over again. The failure stung, but losing Alice hurt most of all and there was no coming back from that.

  *

  “You need to slow down, Crease. You’re trying to do too much.” Alice kneaded his shoulders. They were so tight they felt like boulders under his shirt. “You won’t let me work this hard. Goes both ways as far as I’m concerned.” The last week had been all about late nights, early mornings, and trying to keep their heads above water.

  “I’m loving it. It’s so hard to slow down when it’s all coming together so well, lovely lady. I’m gobsmacked that it’s all falling into place for us. It’s like a dream come true that I’m not waking up from.”

  “We always knew it would, but it was that magazine spread that did it for us.”

  “The old ‘be careful what you wish for’ scenario. We’ll never need to advertise again.” He closed his eyes and grabbed her hand. “But, before you go on about staying, don’t. I’m going to put an advertisement in the paper and see what happens. All I need is an office assistant to take care of the mundane day-to-day stuff. You’ll still get to play with their data. That’s if you want to. I’ll understand if you don’t.”