“Yeah, you. What have you been up to these fifteen years?”
I dropped my arms, leaned forward. Pierced her with my gaze, so she didn’t have any doubt she was the center of my focus. My world. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you changed the subject.” I winked. “Went to college in Missoula with Nash. Studied business. Came back here after. We started the contractor business together.”
“You were a big help to Uncle Adam.”
My gaze softened, remembering the guy. “He was a good man, Red. You’ve got good people in your family.”
She looked away then took another bite of sandwich.
“What? What did I say?”
She took her time to chew and swallow. “My parents aren’t like Uncle Adam. They’re small-minded, miserable folk. I was supposed to stay in Nebraska and get a job at Walmart and take care of them in their old age. I haven’t even told them I own this place because they’d probably hound me to sell it and give them some of the money. They don’t know I’m in Montana, working at a bar to fix up Uncle Adam’s old ranch house.”
Yeah, that wasn’t ideal. I needed to come up with some other way for her to earn a living and fix this place up. It sure as fuck wasn’t bartending at Cody’s, that was for damn sure. I didn’t like the idea of her being down there having every eligible and not eligible guy in the valley hitting on her like she was fresh meat.
Every one of them would know my fist first hand. I also wanted to track her parents down and have a talk with them. Right after I beat the shit out of any guy she’d fucked before me. Shit, the list was getting long. “That sucks. Not that you’re here. About your parents. I love mine. They’ll like you.”
Shit, they would. They were going to be thrilled. Both sons mated.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“Rand, I—”
I held up a hand, cutting her off. “Eat your sandwich, Red. You’re safe, for now.”
She looked nervous by my words. “The way you’re talking, you think we’re—”
“What?”
I quietly waited for her to spit it out, but when it never came, I asked, “Together?”
She looked down at her sandwich. “Rand, I’m not interested in your kind.”
A dark brow winged up. What the hell did she mean? My heart clenched. She had no idea. Did she? “Kind?”
Her face brightened, and she gave me a flirty smile. “Yeah, bossy and too full of himself.”
I grinned wickedly, leaned forward. “How’s that ass feeling? Sore on that hard chair? If I remember correctly, you were the one who asked for more.”
Now she looked away, sweetly embarrassed. “I just… I’m not interested in anything more than sex.”
“We didn’t have sex, darlin’.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You know what I mean.”
“Oh, I do. I just have to wonder how many orgasms it’ll take for you to change your mind.”
7
NATALIE
“Whiskey sour,” the blonde cowgirl ordered. She gave me a suspicious once over, like she was afraid I was moving in on her territory, even from behind the bar. She wore a tank top with the word Flirt in sequins across her boobs. Her blonde hair was styled and curled artfully down her back, and the pink cowboy hat actually looked cute on her. With me, there was zero competition, that was for sure.
My mind instantly went to Rand and the fact that she’d be perfect for him. Styled, smiled and sexy. Then my inner bitch came out and wondered if he’d already been there, done that. I wasn’t going to call a woman interested in sex a slut because that was just wrong, but she was giving off the available vibes, and she sure as heck didn’t need a lasso to wrangle a guy.
Yet Rand had been into me. The fact that he hadn’t gotten off was a blatant indication. What guy went down on a woman and didn’t want reciprocation? He’d been hard. I hadn’t missed the thick outline of his dick behind his jeans. My pussy clenched at what we’d done. How I’d let every inhibition down and learned a thing or two about myself.
I liked to be spanked.
I liked Rand. That was a problem because I craved him. My pussy too. He’d been right. I had needs, and I wanted him to meet every one of them.
Shit, my nipples were hard.
I was going to be a flushed, panty-ruined mess if I didn’t focus, so I only nodded to the woman. I quickly poured the drink and pushed it across the bar, took her cash and tucked it in the till. I was focused on my work, diligent. I wasn’t trying to make friends or wrangle myself a husband. It was important for Cody to see I was here to literally work. I slung the drinks fast, even though the bar wasn’t crowded yet. I understood it got packed on weekends, with live music, mechanical bull riding and line dancing, but I was impressed with the crowd of regulars who were here on a Wednesday.
I was definitely going to have to buy myself a cowboy hat, so I fit in. I was about the only person in the place without one. I’d skip the sequins. That wasn’t me no matter where I lived.
A tall slender cowboy in his forties sat down in front of me. “So you’re the new girl.”
I was filling a pint glass with beer from the tap. “Does my reputation precede me?” I asked, flicking him a gaze.
“Sure does.” He smiled at me. “Doesn’t take long for word to travel that there’s a newcomer in town. Especially when she’s a beautiful redhead with the last name Sheffield.”
I ignored the beautiful redhead part. “Did you know my uncle?”
He tipped his hat back. “Sure. Everyone did. Adam bought his cattle feed at my store. We were sure sorry to hear of his passing.”
“Yeah, me too. I wish I’d come out to see him sooner, before he died,” I admitted.
That guilt had been eating at me since the day I found out my great uncle had left me everything. I wasn’t sure I deserved it considering I hadn’t been back here in fifteen years and only managed to write a few letters a year to him.
He’d been supportive of me studying music. He even used to send me a check to cover my books when I was in school, which was more than my parents ever did. It seemed like the only letters I wrote back were thank you notes for his generosity. And here I was living off it permanently now.
The bar started filling up, and I took several more orders while the tall cowboy maintained his position parked in front of my station.
“If you need any help out at the ranch, I’d be happy to stop in.”
I paused in pouring a line of shots of tequila to look at him. Rand had said something similar, and I’d gotten a fuse fixed and my pussy licked.
Was that some kind of line because while he was attractive, I had no interest in spreading my legs for him. “What kind of help?” I tucked the bottle back in the holder in front of me.
“You know, if you have any leaks that need fixing or whatever. I’m pretty handy with a wrench.”
“I’ll be taking care of her plumbing.” Rand’s deep voice rumbled across the bar. He loomed behind the tall cowboy, somehow making the man appear old and frail, which was ridiculous. Rand’s gaze bored into the back of the other guy’s head.