Claiming the Rancher's Heart (11 page)

“Hey, Collins.” Wes poked him in the ribs. “We’re going to Earl’s to celebrate the V.”

Josh shifted his gaze to Wes and the two women. He’d gotten back early from Billings and had called his friend to see if he was going to the game. Wes hadn’t mentioned anything about bringing Sasha and Misty along.

Though Misty seemed like a nice person, she wasn’t his type, and the last thing Josh wanted was to prolong the evening. But the pleading look in Wes’s eyes stopped the refusal pushing against his lips. Something told him if he said no, the girls might go their own way. It didn’t matter to him, but he knew it mattered to Wes.

“I’ll go,” Josh said. “For a little while.”

“It’s karaoke night.” Misty slipped her arm though his. “Wait until you hear me sing. I’m really good.”

Josh’s first impulse was to pull back from the possessive gesture. But he sensed Stacie watching him, so he smiled at the buxom blonde instead. “Tell me more about yourself. We didn’t get a chance to talk much during the game.”

Actually there had been ample time, but he’d been too busy brooding about Stacie to pay Misty much attention. The blonde was a country girl. That much he remembered from Wes’s brief introduction. Grew up on a ranch close to Cheyenne.

“Did I tell you me and Sasha filled out one of those surveys for that professor lady?” Misty tightened her hold on him, forcing her breast against his arm. “We have so much in common, what with us both being country folk. I bet they match me with you.”

Josh didn’t know what to say. Misty was right. She should have been the perfect woman for him. There was only one problem—she wasn’t Stacie.

Misty chattered happily on the way to Earl’s Tavern, a cowboy bar around the corner from the Coffee Pot Café. Wes found a parking spot not far from where Josh had left his truck.

As he walked past the café, Josh couldn’t help remembering how good things had been between him and Stacie just four days ago. Until that morning he’d helped her deliver—

“I love their cinnamon rolls,” Misty said, interrupting her story about her barrel-racing days. “Sasha and me come here on our day off just to get one of those rolls.”

“They’re humongous,” Sasha added. “And super yummy.”

Wes cast a pointed glance at Josh as if waiting for him to comment. But as far as Josh was concerned the less said about those damned cinnamon rolls, the better.

“Josh knows the woman who makes ’em,” Wes said. “She—”

The big man was picking up steam and would have said more, but Josh shot him a quelling glance. The last thing he wanted to talk about, to think about tonight, was Stacie Summers.

“Anyway,” Wes said, quickly switching gears, “I like ’em, too.” He patted his belly. “Some might say I like them a little too much.”

The girls giggled.

For a moment, blessed silence descended. Until Misty started talking about the time she’d made it to the semifinals on the national rodeo circuit.

By the time they reached the tavern, Josh was ready to bolt. Wes must have sensed it because he motioned to a large round table toward the back of the bar.

“Why don’t you three grab that one so we’re sure to have a seat,” Wes said. “I’ll order the pizza and beer.”

“We have to sign up for karaoke.” Misty slanted a sideways glance at Josh. “Everyone says I sound like Shania.”

Josh forced a weak smile. Once they were out of earshot he turned to Wes. “She’s driving me crazy. I’ve got to—”

“Tune her out,” Wes said. “Just give me fifteen minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”

Josh glanced longingly at the door.

“Then, if you want, you can leave,” Wes said. “I won’t try to stop you.”

“I’ll give you fifteen minutes, Wes,” Josh warned. “Then I’m outta here.”

Josh headed to the back table. Wes was right about one thing: the place was filling up quickly. After only a few minutes, every table was taken and Misty had moved on to how she’d gotten her job at the dude ranch.

Josh listened politely, but his thoughts kept returning to the town’s new attorney.

Misty paused in her story just long enough to take a breath and Josh realized one of the things he’d really liked about Stacie was that she wasn’t in love with hearing herself talk.

Wes arrived before Misty took another breath, but he wasn’t alone. “Guess who I found looking for a table? I told them they could join us.”

Even before Josh looked up, the scent of jasmine told him who he’d find standing there. It took everything he had to force a smile to his lips and resist the urge to throttle Wes.

Josh stood and extended his hand to the man. “Josh Collins,” he said by way of introduction. “I have a ranch about forty miles from here.”

The man returned Josh’s strained smile with a friendly one of his own. “Alexander Darst. I’m the new attorney in town.”

“Good to finally meet you.” The first thing Josh noticed was the lack of calluses on the man’s hands. The second was his size. The guy was on the smaller side—built the way Stacie had once told him she liked her men. His heart twisted.

“Nice to see you again, Josh,” Stacie said in a soft voice that sounded lyrical next to Misty’s nasally whine.

Josh shifted his gaze, surprised at the absence of her usual heart-stopping smile. Until he reminded himself that her happiness wasn’t his concern. Not anymore. Not since she’d kicked him out of her life and taken up with a city dude.

He settled for giving her a nod of acknowledgment. But old habits died hard, and when she rounded the table to take the open seat next to him, he found himself pulling out her chair.

“Thanks,” she said.

When her gaze met his, he looked away, afraid of what his eyes might reveal.

Thankfully the pizza came, along with a pitcher of beer and a couple of extra glasses for Alex and Stacie.

Alex hesitated. “I wonder if they serve wine—”

Josh wasn’t sure what the glance Stacie sent the attorney meant, but Alex shut his mouth, grabbed the pitcher and filled Stacie’s glass and his own.

Though the fifteen minutes Josh had given Wes were up, there was no way he could leave now. Not without it looking like he was running from Stacie. So he tried to keep his attention on the conversation and off her. It wasn’t easy. When she was near, his body operated on a heightened state of awareness.

“On deck, Misty and Sasha,” the DJ called out.

Misty squealed and jumped up, jerking Sasha to her feet. “Wish us luck.”

“Good luck,” Josh said, relieved when the two headed to the stage.

It didn’t take more than a couple seconds for him to realize he had a problem. While he was happy that Misty was gone, when she’d been at the table he could focus all his attention on her. Now Wes and Alex were talking investment strategies, leaving him no choice but to make conversation with Stacie.

“What did you think of the game?” Stacie’s smile was hesitant, and for the first time Josh realized this was as awkward for her as it was for him.

“It was good.” Josh turned in his seat to face her. “What did you think?”

“The come-from-behind ending was super exciting.” Her fingers tightened around her glass of beer. “I was jumping up and down and hugging everyone in sight.”

The words hung in the air. Josh stilled. Was this her way of telling him there was nothing between her and the attorney? But if that were true, why had she gone to the game with him in the first place?

You’re reading too much into a simple comment. He’s the type of guy she’s been looking for, not you,
he told himself.

“I was surprised to see you with Darst.” Josh forced his expression to remain neutral, his tone offhand, as if he were talking cattle prices with another rancher. “When did you two start dating?”

“Dating?” Stacie made a face. “I’m not dating Alex. He’s a nice guy, but not for me.”

Josh’s heart did a series of flip-flops. He cleared his throat. “You were at the game with him. You’re with him now.”

“Are you and Misty on a date?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“You were at the game with her,” Stacie pointed out. “You’re with her now.”

“Wes brought her along.” Josh wondered when he’d been switched from offense to defense. “I came with them to get a beer, but Misty and I are definitely not together.”

“I went to the game with Anna,” Stacie explained, her tone as matter-of-fact as his. “But she got sick and went home. Alex came late and happened to sit beside me.”

“You hugged him,” Josh said.

“I hugged everyone around me. I was happy we won.” Stacie met his gaze. “But I didn’t hug any of those people like I hug you. I don’t hug anyone that way.”

Though the bar was dimly lit, there was no mistaking the emotion in her eyes. Josh found himself more confused than ever.

“You dumped me,” Josh said. “Everything was great between us. Then, all of a sudden, you decide you didn’t want to see me again.”

“That’s not how it was,” she said, glancing at Alex and Wes, as if making sure they weren’t listening.

“That’s how it felt.” It was as close as Josh could come to baring his soul.

The women finished their karaoke rendition of “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and the room erupted into applause. Josh put his hands together and clapped with the others. Misty was right about one thing. She
could
sing.

Still, he groaned when they started back to the table. His groan turned to a silent cheer when Misty and Sasha stopped to flirt with a group of rowdy, admiring cowboys.

“We need to talk,” Stacie said. “But not here.”

Though Misty was occupied for the moment, Josh knew it would be more difficult to get away once she came back. He hadn’t asked Misty on a date, so as far as he was concerned he was a free agent. But Stacie, on the other hand…

“What about Alex?”

Stacie lifted her chin. “I already answered that question.”

Josh knew the clock was running out. He could hold on to his pride and tell Stacie there was nothing to discuss. But he still had questions. And she was the only one with the answers.

He rose to his feet and Stacie stood, as well. When Wes and Alex paused mid-conversation, Josh reached into his pocket, pulled out a couple of bills and tossed them on the table.

“I’m taking Stacie home,” Josh said, keeping his tone casual.

Wes’s gaze turned speculative. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

Josh nodded and turned his attention briefly to the attorney. “Good to meet you, Darst.”

Alex’s gaze shifted from Stacie to Josh. “Like-wise.”

When Josh walked out of Earl’s Tavern, it was with a lighter step than when he’d entered. Stacie was at his side and he was taking her home.

The only question that remained was would they end up at her house? Or his?

She could take him back to Anna’s house, but they’d face the same problem there. Because her reason for breaking up with Josh centered on her concern for his reputation, being seen together—even if they were just talking—wasn’t a good idea.

“Could we go for a drive?” Stacie asked. “I know gas is expensive but—”

“My truck is parked around the corner.” His expression gave nothing away.

Stacie hurried to the vehicle. Not until she was safely in the cab and they were on a road headed out of town did she relax. She cast Josh a sideways glance. “You have questions.”

“A few.”

Okay, so he wasn’t going to make this easy. In a way she didn’t blame him. The past four days had been hard on her, but she’d at least known why it was best they remain apart. He hadn’t a clue.

And that was
her
fault.

Shame rose inside her. When Merna had made her speculative comment, it had been a wake-up call. People could end up hurt—
Josh
could end up hurt—by their fling.

“I probably seem like a flake.” She gave a humorless laugh. “Hot to cold in sixty seconds.”

“I don’t understand what’s going on in your head,” he said in a low voice. “That’s why I’m here. So I can understand.”

“It’s because of you,” Stacie blurted out, her heart aching at the hurt and confusion in his voice and knowing it was all because of her. “I did it because of you.”

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel and a tiny muscle in his jaw jumped. “Is it because I’m a cowboy? Because I’m not the kind of man you want…even for a fling?”

“No.” Stacie blinked back tears, realizing just how much her actions had hurt him. “It was because I didn’t want to see you hurt. I don’t want people talking about you after I’m gone, calling you the man city girls always leave. Don’t you understand? I couldn’t bear that.”

Several stray tears slipped down her cheeks. She quickly brushed them aside, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

“Are you telling me this is all about
gossip?
” His voice grew louder with each word.

“I don’t want anyone to laugh at you.” Stacie’s heart rose to her throat and shattered in two. “Not ever. And certainly not because of me.”

“You don’t want to hurt me.” It came out as a statement rather than a question.

“Never.”

“Then take back your goodbye.” The muscle in his jaw jumped. “I can deal with gossip.”

“When I leave, it’s going to be hard.” Stacie couldn’t resist anymore. She reached over and took his hand. “Painful. Really, really painful. For both of us.”

When the words slipped from her tongue, she knew Anna had been right. She wasn’t just worried about Josh being hurt by the gossip. She was also worried about herself. Worried that she wouldn’t be able to leave him when the time came.

But she wanted—no,
needed
—to find her bliss.

“I’m willing to take that risk,” he said quietly. “The question is…are you?”

Josh turned off the highway onto a country road, but Stacie paid little attention. Her head was swimming. Could she do it? Could she spend two more months with this man and then walk away?

“The baseball game would have been more fun if we’d been together,” Josh said in a persuasive tone. “We enjoy each other’s company. Why should we both be alone these next couple months?”

Still, Stacie hesitated. “The gossip won’t bother you?”

Josh chuckled. “Do I look like the kind of guy who pays attention to that stuff?”

“No,” she said, then more firmly: “No, you don’t.”

“Well?”

She opened her mouth, but the sound of barking dogs stopped her. Bert and her pups ran alongside the truck as it drove down a familiar lane.

“This is your place.”

“Last I checked.”

“Why are we here?”

“I said I was taking you home.” He pulled the truck to a stop and his lips hitched up in a lazy smile. “I didn’t say
whose
home.”

Dear God, she adored this man. “If you’re expecting me to sleep over you need to know I didn’t bring any pajamas.”

He grinned. “Not a problem.”

A surge of emotion blinded Stacie with its intensity. She didn’t just adore this man, she
loved
him. With that realization came a certainty that she was right where she wanted—and needed—to be, at least for now.