Branded for You (27 page)
Authors: Cheyenne McCray
Excerpt…
Champagne and Chaps
Cheyenne McCray
“That cowboy you just smiled at is on his way over.” Carly’s startling lavender eyes met Sabrina’s gaze. “I knew you’d be flirting from the moment you walked in.”
“I was not flirting.” Sabrina’s heart beat a little faster. “And you know I’m not ready to meet any guys.”
Carly combed her fingers through her dark hair. “You’re plenty ready. It’s been seven months since you and the idiot broke up.”
Idiot was right. Stephen was definitely one of those not-so-rare breeds.
Sabrina shook her head. “That’s not all. You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t know,” Carly said. “There’s no reason you can’t get out and start living now.”
Sabrina held one palm to her belly. “I don’t know. I think it’s too soon—”
“That is one incredibly fine cowboy,” Carly interrupted. “Fine, fine, fine.”
That was so true, Sabrina thought as she watched the man’s easy approach from the corner of her eye.
He was tall and had a cowboy’s build with broad shoulders and lean hips. He wore a white dress shirt and a white Stetson along with Wrangler jeans. The shirt in no way disguised his muscular chest and arms.
Yummy.
Sabrina’s stomach flipped as the cowboy held her gaze and walked up to their table. He touched the brim of his hat as he looked from Sabrina to Carly.
“I’m Wyatt Cameron,” he said with a sexy smile that made her stomach drop to her toes.
Carly extended her hand. “Carly Abbot.”
Sabrina jumped when Carly elbowed her. Sabrina cleared her throat and offered her own hand. “Sabrina Holliday.”
His touch was warm as he gripped her hand for a few moments and held her gaze. A shiver ran down her spine as she met his gorgeous brilliant blue eyes.
“Are you part of the Cameron crew that I hear so much about over in the San Rafael Valley?” Carly tilted her head to the side. “You have a bunch of brothers.”
“That would be me.” Wyatt had a spark of amusement in his eyes as he released Sabrina’s hand. “Three brothers and a sister.”
Carly smiled. “I figured.”
“Mind if my friend and I sit with you?” Wyatt nodded in the direction of another good-looking cowboy who was leaning up against the bar.
“We don’t mind at all,” Carly said.
Sabrina felt mute. Wyatt Cameron had all the makings of a man she could really enjoy being around. But she didn’t want that… Didn’t want to get close to any man. She was all for Carly’s determination that tonight was all about flirting and fun.
Wyatt took a seat at the high top and gave a signal to the other cowboy who started coming their way. When the cowboy arrived, Wyatt made introductions.
“Mike, this is Sabrina and Carly.” He gestured to each of them. “Sabrina and Carly, this is Mike Sharpe who’s also from the valley.”
“A pleasure.” Mike smiled and shook each of their hands.
Carly gave a slow nod. “I think I’ve heard of your family, too,” she said to Mike. “You own Sharpe Feed and Tack in Patagonia?”
“My cousin, Ty Sharpe, owns the feed store,” Mike said. “I have a ranch on the other side of Wyatt’s.”
“The Sharpe family owns this bar, too, don’t they?” Carly asked. “A friend mentioned it the last time I was here.”
“That would be another cousin who owns Stampede.” Mike glanced around the room. “Brady’s probably around here somewhere.”
“Where are you ladies from?” Wyatt’s gaze settled on Sabrina.
Her cheeks warmed at the intense look of interest in his eyes. “Tucson.”
“What part of town?” he asked.
She cleared her throat. “The foothills.”
His gaze slid to Carly. “Whereabouts are you? Tucson, too?”
Carly shook her head. “Patagonia.” She glanced at Sabrina. “Sabrina is staying with me for the summer.”
Sabrina wanted to kick Carly under the table but she was afraid she would kick one of the men. She really didn’t want these cowboys to know she’d be a lot closer to them than Tucson. This Wyatt might think she’d be interested in seeing him more, and all she wanted was a little fun.
But then again, she might be thinking too much into this. She’d barely met the guy. Still, she really didn’t want to seem accessible to anyone. That was part of the reason why she’d let Carly talk her into staying for the summer. She needed time alone.
Wyatt’s smile made Sabrina’s toes curls. Damn, he was hot.
“Dance?” he asked and gestured to the floor as a new tune started.
Carly was busy chatting with Mike when Sabrina looked over at her friend.
I should just let loose just like we planned, Sabrina thought. She missed her old self. There was a time when she would have been flirting like Carly and just having fun without worrying about the possibility that the guy would want to get into a relationship. She needed that again. She needed to let her hair down and just have fun.
With a smile she looked back at Wyatt. “Sure.”
He surprised her by helping her down from the tall stool at the high top, then took her hand and led her to the dance floor.
Butterflies batted around in Sabrina’s belly as they made it onto the floor, and he brought her close and they started to two-step. “I’m not very good at this.” She raised her voice over the loud music as she stepped on Wyatt’s boot. “To me two-stepping means one step on the floor and one on your boot.”
“You’re doing fine.” He met her gaze, a glint of humor in his eyes. “Just don’t run off is all I ask. I’d like to get to know you.”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t plan on letting any man get to know her well. But it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun dancing with a cowboy. This was all about a fun night out.
“I’ll think about it,” she said with an answering smile.
By the time three songs had passed, Sabrina was laughing and enjoying herself more than she’d expected. Her skin was covered in a light film of perspiration and her heart was beating a little faster from the fast-paced tunes that they’d danced to.
She’d been having so much fun that she forgotten all about Carly. When she glanced back at the table, her friend was gone. She searched the dance floor with her gaze and smiled when she saw her friend talking with Mike to one side of the room.
Carly looked like she was having fun flirting with the cowboy, which was no surprise. If Carly was anything when it came to men, she was a flirt and a heartbreaker. Poor Mike, Sabrina thought and mentally shook her head. You’re in for some heartache if you’re not careful. Unless Carly actually considered settling for one man.
Ha. That’ll be the day. Not after Carly’s breakup. Ever since then she’d decided to flirt and play and that was good enough for her.
Sabrina caught her breath as Wyatt brought her into his embrace, catching her off guard. For a moment she wondered what he was doing and then realized the band had struck up a slow tune.
He drew her close and she felt his belt buckle dig into her belly and smelled the clean scent of his aftershave. Her stomach flip-flopped again as she felt a moment of panic. This was close, far too close to be allowing herself to get to a man.
But it felt so good being in his arms. She rested her palms on his shoulders and could feel the power in his body as they slowly moved on the dance floor. About six-three, he was almost a foot taller than she was and she felt more than petite in his arms. She breathed in his warm, masculine scent as they danced and found herself sighing. She loved the scent of a man.
# # #
About Cheyenne
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author Cheyenne McCray’s books have received multiple awards and nominations, including
*
RT Book Reviews
magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice awards for Best Erotic Romance of the year and Best Paranormal Action Adventure of the year
*Three “RT Book Reviews” nominations, including Best Erotic Romance, Best Romantic Suspense, and Best Paranormal Action Adventure.
*Golden Quill award for Best Erotic Romance
*The Road to Romance’s Reviewer’s Choice Award
*Gold Star Award from Just Erotic Romance Reviews
*CAPA award from The Romance Studio
Cheyenne grew up on a ranch in southeastern Arizona. She has been writing ever since she can remember, back to her kindergarten days when she penned her first poem. She always knew one day she would write novels, hoping her readers would get lost in the worlds she created, just as she experienced when she read some of her favorite books.
Chey has three sons, two dogs, and is an Arizona native who loves the desert, the sunshine, and the beautiful sunsets. Visit Chey's website and get all of the latest info at
CheyenneMcCray.com
and meet up with her at
Cheyenne McCray’s Place
on Facebook! Feel free to contact Chey at [email protected]
Table of Contents