Boots and Twisters (2 page)

A light glowed from around an inside corner.

“That you, Audrey?” a voice called out.

Lucky didn’t answer, praying they’d think the door opened and closed and no one had actually entered.

“Guess it wasn’t Audrey,” the voice said. “I’m going for a refill on our pitcher of beer. Anyone have an objection to Budweiser? Jackson, Nick, Isaac?”

“Bring me back one of those horny women,” one man called out. “And while you’re at it get one for yourself. You’ve been too uptight lately. You really need a wife.”

The others chuckled.

The voice moving nearer responded with, “I’m not ready to be shackled to someone who doesn’t know a horse shoe from a stiletto.”

“What you need is a good old-fashioned cowgirl. Boots, jeans, hat and all. No nonsense, no frills.”

“That’s exactly what I need, Jackson,” the voice said.

“One who can ride a horse, drive a tractor and stay up all night with a sick cow,” the one called Jackson added.

“You don’t need a wife, you need a ranch hand.”

“Nick, that’s all well and good, but what would he do for sex?” Jackson asked.

The voice moving closer responded, “I can get that in the next county. There’s a widow there who’s more than happy to accommodate. No commitment required.”

“Ah, that gets old.”

“Hasn’t yet.”

“We should fix him up with someone local,” Nick said.

“Got any ideas?” Jackson asked.

“The man’s been picky all his life. Hasn’t dated the same woman more than twice.”

“All I ask is a woman who’s faithful, doesn’t nag, loves me and all my faults and doesn’t care if I track mud on the floor.” The voice sounded right next to Lucky.

One of the men chortled. “You just described my dog.”

Lucky agreed, the man needed a dog, not a woman.

The man headed her way snorted. “Am I askin’ too much?”

Yes.
She bet he wasn’t all that perfect, yet he was expecting perfection in a woman.
Jerk
.

“Yeah, big brother. When you find one like that, let me know.”

“Hell, if you’re nice to me, I might even share her with you. After all, what are brothers for?”

“Share, hell! I might arm wrestle you for her.”

The man thought he could share a woman with his brother? What kind of asshole was he? It was as if the woman would have no say in the matter. No wonder he wasn’t married. With his attitude, what woman would have him?

“Since I’m not likely to find one out in the crowd tonight, don’t worry. You won’t get your ass kicked at the arm wrestling.”

“I hope your arm wrestling is better than your poker skills.”

The men laughed while Lucky glanced around, looking for a place to hide and finding none. She whipped off her hat, letting her hair fall down around her shoulders. Surely the man wouldn’t be threatened by a girl and throw a punch at her.

When the man rounded the corner, he stopped short, all his six-foot something, broad-shouldered, dark-haired gorgeousness. “What the hell?”

“You say something, Trent?” Jackson’s deep voice called out.

Lucky pleaded with her eyes, pressing a finger to her lips. Holy hell, the man in front of her should have been on the other side of the hallway preparing to strip. He certainly had the body for it. And with his ego the size of Texas, he could pull it off.

Trent’s eyes narrowed and he hesitated before replying, “No, just stubbed my toe.” His gaze traveled the length of her.

“There’s a light switch on the wall by the door,” Isaac said.

“I’m okay, just a little unlucky. However, I have high hopes of getting luckier.” His mouth curved upward in a smooth, sexy grin.

Lucky’s heart beat faster and her knees wobbled. If she thought he was good looking before the smile…wow. And she usually didn’t get all weak-kneed around men, seeing them as competition, not the prize.

“
We
hope your lousy luck holds true through the rest of the hands.”

A rumble of chuckles sounded from the men out of sight.

Trent motioned toward the door with the empty plastic pitcher in his hand.

Lucky opened it slowly, peeked out and sighed when she’d determined that the door across the hallway was closed and the hallway itself was empty. She stepped out and turned around to face Trent so fast she knocked the pitcher from his hand. It skidded across the floor to the other side.

They both bent to pick it up at the same time.

Lucky reached it first, grabbed and jerked upright, her skull colliding with his nose.

“Damn!” Trent exclaimed.

Lucky’s head smarted and she swayed at the pain. When she could focus her gaze on him, her heart sank to her wobbly knees.

Trent clutched his nose, his eyes watering, blood trickling down his chin.

“Oh hell. Did I do that?” Her belly clenched. If she could find a way to screw things up, she did. With a frantic glance around the empty hallway, she despaired of finding a towel to stem the flow of blood. With a desperate jerk, she pulled her shirt off her back, thankful she’d worn a tank top beneath the chambray. She held the garment up to his face. “Move your hands,” she commanded.

He did, the blood dripping onto her shirt. She pressed the fabric to his nose gently. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you okay?” she asked, staring into the most beautiful dark chocolate eyes she’d ever seen. She could fall right into those and get lost forever. Good grief! She’d never been this mesmerized by a man before. Ever.

Her pulse hammering against her ears, she pulled the shirt away from his nose. “It’s already stopped bleeding.”

“Good.” He flung the shirt to the side, grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them to the wall above her head. “Perhaps you could tell me why you were hiding in the poker room, and why you were back here where only employees are allowed. I don’t think I’ve seen you working here before.” He pinned her body to the wall with his, not giving her room to raise her knee fast and hard enough to hit him where it counted.

She squirmed, fighting against his strong hold, the heat of his body against hers doing funny things to her insides. It had been a long time since a man had bested her and it infuriated her as well as sparked something in her that she’d thought long dead.

Lust.

And damned if he didn’t smell good. Like saddle leather and a subtle aftershave. She loved the smell of leather and aftershave. It made her feel all girlie. With a gasp, she fought harder. “Let go of me. I was looking for Audrey Anderson.”

“If you’re here to rob her, you’ll have to go through everyone else in the place to get to her.” His grip tightened.

“I’m not here to rob Audrey or anyone else.”

“Then what do you want with her?”

“None of your business.”

“You made it my business when you snuck into our poker game.”

Lucky chewed on her lip, hating that he held her so securely and hating even more that
her
body was reacting to
his
leaning against hers. “I have something to tell her.”

“Tell me and I’ll pass it on to her.”

She straightened, her lips pressing into a tight line. She didn’t like being manhandled—even if he smelled good enough to lick—and worse, she didn’t want to confess her crime to this man. “I’ll tell her what I came to say when I see her.”

“Tell you what…I’ll let the bouncer decide.”

Lucky’s eyes widened. As much as she disliked being detained by this man, the bouncer was a thousand times scarier. “I need to see Audrey. It’s very important. And the bouncer wouldn’t let me.”

“Greta Sue won’t let you? Why?”

“Because…” She searched for a good reason other than the truth. Shame made her cheeks burn. She didn’t want to admit she was broke and couldn’t afford the cover charge to get in. “Because. Damn it!”

“Not good enough.”

Anger, shame, desperation roiled up and exploded. “I couldn’t pay the cover charge to get in the front door. There! Are you satisfied?” Her bottom lip trembled and she bit into it to keep it steady. She’d never been down and out before in her life and it galled her no end. “Look, just let me talk to her and I’ll leave as soon as I can.” She’d have to walk, but she’d leave just to get away from the man and the way he made her heart pound like horses hooves on hard-packed dirt in an all-out gallop.

“Look, I’m feeling generous tonight. I’ll get you that meeting with Audrey.”

Hope surged, along with the dread of having to tell the owner of the bar she’d run her truck into a ditch. “You will?”

He nodded. “On one condition.”

Her brows narrowed. She knew it was too good to be true. People always wanted something. Nothing ever came for free, and normally she was just fine with that, except now. She was broke. “What condition?”

“One kiss.” His gaze shifted to her lips.

She struggled against his hold on her hands. “No.”

He let go of one hand and dragged her toward the rear exit with the other.

She dug in her boot heels but got no traction from the smooth wood floors. He out-weighed her, out-muscled her and she could do nothing to stop him. Stubborn resignation set in. What good did it do to fight? He refused to relent and she was going nowhere. Lucky quit fighting and followed.

He opened the door and waved a hand toward the back parking area. “I suggest you take it up with Greta Sue at the front entrance.”

Lucky assumed that because she hadn’t fought him the last few steps, he thought she’d go willingly. When he let go of her hand, she let her shoulders sag as if defeated, but she was far from it.

“You’re missing your chance to meet Audrey.” His brows rose invitingly. “It won’t cost you much. Just one little kiss.”

Her chin tipped up. “When I kiss a man, it’s because I want to, not because I need a favor. And frankly, I find nothing kissable about you.” Her gaze traveled his length from tip to toe and heat flared, belying her words. There were far too many kissable things about this man, except for his inflated ego and his unrealistic views on a perfect woman. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He stepped back to let her pass.

She stuck out her hand, offering to shake his. Hoping he’d take it so that she could use the one trick she knew to subdue a randy cowboy. When he set his hand in hers, she twisted and yanked his hand up behind his back and between his shoulder blades, then planted her boot on his cute ass and shoved him through the doorway, slamming it shut behind him.

She spun so fast she almost fell. Then she ran in the opposite direction, hoping to get lost in the crowd before tall, dark and arrogant could catch up with her. Then maybe she’d find Audrey and break the bad news to her.

The door behind her slammed open, but she didn’t turn to see who was there, knowing she only had seconds to make good her escape.

Coming from behind the bar, Lucky spied the bartender, a pretty woman with auburn hair, wearing black leather like she meant it.

“Excuse me,” Lucky shouted over the rabid crowd of screaming women.

A man danced on the stage. One with long blond hair and a killer body dressed in nothing but a G-string.

Lucky recognized him as the man she’d met in the back. Cory, he’d said was his name. His body was perfect, one she’d love to stay and watch, if only she wasn’t facing a huge bill to have the owner’s truck fixed with money she didn’t have. How did she manage to get in situations like this?

The bartender slapped five mugs of beer onto a tray before she turned to Lucky. “What can I get you?” she asked.

“Audrey Anderson?”

The bartender nodded toward the stage where a woman introduced the blond-haired man to the audience as Cory McBride. “She’s the emcee, right now.”

Lucky groaned. To get to her, she had to wade through tightly packed women who appeared to have staked their claims on their own pieces of the floor, unwilling to let anyone else get closer. They fought to place bills in the man’s G-string and get their opportunity to grope.

Lucky snorted. This was not the scene for her. She wanted a man who didn’t have to dance for a living. One who worked with animals. Feeling more comfortable around animals than people, Lucky was far out of her element in the packed barroom. But it couldn’t be helped. She had to get to Audrey and let her know what had happened.

Trying not to step on anyone, she pushed her way through the crowd, taking elbows to the gut, her boots stomped on by other cowboy boots and some stilettos. All the while she kept a watch out for the bouncer.

The tighter the bodies pushed up against her, the shallower her breathing became. She’d never been good in tight places. Claustrophobia, her daddy had called it. Her heart pattered against her ribs, and her palms sweat. A moment before Lucky would have passed out, the pretty strawberry blonde wearing a pair of short shorts and red cowboy boots stepped down from the stage.

“Are you all right?” she asked, touching Lucky’s arm.

Her vision graying around the edges, Lucky swayed and didn’t see the bouncer until she grabbed her from behind. “How’d you get in here?” she demanded.