The Last Cowboy Standing (6 page)

“Zach makes very good beer.”

“Lots of companies make very good beer.”

“Lots of companies aren’t co-owned by my brother-in-law and the man who’s engaged to my cousin.”

“Unusually loyal,” said Danielle, biting into the burger.

“And you’re not?” asked Travis. “Don’t they make lawyers take some kind of an oath?”

“That’s confidentiality. And that’s a professional relationship, not something lifelong like family.”

Travis’s tone turned curious. “What about your family?”

“What about them?”

“Are you close? You must be loyal to them.” He examined one of the tiny burgers, biting off half.

“Loyal? Of course. Close? Well, we’re not exactly that kind of family.”

“What kind of family are you?”

“Just me and my parents.”

“Are they lawyers?”

“They have law degrees, but they’re corporate executives in New York City. Dad works in Midtown for a transportation conglomerate. Mom’s downtown at an international fashion chain.”

“Do you see them often?”

“Not really. We’re not a, you know, Sunday dinner in the suburbs, confide your deepest secrets kind of family. We’re all pretty self-sufficient.”

He looked curious. “What does self-sufficient mean?”

She pondered how to elaborate. “You know how some mothers want their daughters to find a good man, get married and give them grandchildren?”

“I do,” he nodded.

“My mother wasn’t like that. She always told me not to count on a man to take care of me. It was vital that I educate myself, develop a good career. And if,
if
I decided to one day get married, it should be an equal partnership, with an iron-clad prenup to protect me when it all fell apart.”

“That’s not very romantic.”

“Maybe not, but it is very practical.” Danielle took another bite of the burger. “This is delicious.”

“I was thinking cynical.”

“Not delicious?” she joked.

“So, what would your mother think about Randal?”

“That I ought to be doubly careful with the prenup, since he’s a smart attorney.”

Travis smiled at that. “Maybe you should marry a dumb cowboy instead.”

“Sure.” She kept her tone deliberately light, memories of their kiss still doing a number on her hormones. “Know any?”

Travis laughed. “Was that an actual compliment?”

For a second she was puzzled.

“You don’t think I’m dumb?” he prompted.

“I never thought you were dumb.”

“Sure you did.”

“I thought you were annoying.”

“Your beer, sir.” The waiter approached. “DFB C Mountain Ale.”

“Perfect,” said Travis, accepting the tall glass. “Thanks.”

The waiter nodded and withdrew.

“Do you still think I’m annoying?” Travis asked, taking a swig.

“Sometimes,” she admitted. Though those times were getting fewer and farther between. The Travis she was coming to know in Vegas wasn’t like the one she remembered in Lyndon Valley.

“I’ll try to do better,” he offered.

“And here I thought you were
trying
to be annoying.”

He gave a sheepish shrug. “Sometimes, I am. But only because I thought you were a snob.”

“I’m not a snob,” she told him with conviction. “I’m self-sufficient.”

He thought about that for a moment. “I’m sorry about your family. They don’t sound like much fun.”

“They’ve been my family for a long time. I’m used to them.” Though, for some reason, she found his sympathy touching.

His blue eyes were soft in the dim light, his expression uncharacteristically caring. He was handsome. He was sexy. He was smarter than she’d expected. And now he seemed genuinely compassionate.

She could feel herself being pulled to a very dangerous place. She struggled to remember all the reasons he irked her. He was a sarcastic, smart-ass, dusty, sweaty, tough-as-nails cowboy, who didn’t have any use for big-city lawyers. He might kiss her, but he was never going to respect her as a person. If she let this thing go any further, she was definitely going to get hurt. Travis, on the other hand, would saunter away unscathed.

She forced herself to glance at her watch. “I think I’ll call it a night.”

“Had enough of lawyers?”

“Had one too many drinks.” She rose to her feet. “These things are giving me a headache.”

Travis rose with her. “Do you want me to walk you to the elevators?”

She quickly shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

The last thing she was going to do was give herself a chance for second thoughts. She was walking away from Travis, his deep blue eyes, his strong, broad shoulders and his sexy smile, right this second. And she wasn’t looking back.

Five

D
anielle made her way along a fieldstone walkway that was illuminated by yellow-toned pot lights, past the lush gardens, the overhanging oak trees, and across a small footbridge that covered a babbling brook. She passed a few guests coming the other way, while the noise of the conference party gradually faded away behind her.

“Had enough?” Randal’s voice unexpectedly broke the quiet as he came up beside her on the narrow path.

“Getting tired,” she told him, deciding it was best to simply ignore their tiff from earlier.

“It was a good conference,” he offered.

“Interesting discussions,” she agreed. “I’m not sure I concur with the direction the country seems to be taking on tariffs for emerging economies.”

“You have to remove the exemption at some point,” Randal countered. “Or you risk flooding the market and compromising domestic manufacturing.”

“Maybe,” she allowed. “But you also risk protectionism on the other side. Then again, I’m a little drunk, and so are you. This might not be the best time to make any sweeping policy decisions.”

Randal laughed at that, sounding more like his old self, and she found herself relaxing.

“So, have you decided?” he asked.

“About moving to D.C.?”

“Yes, about moving to D.C. What else is there for you to decide?”

Whether or not to sleep with Travis was the first thing that came to Danielle’s mind. But as quickly as the thought formed, she squelched it. She wasn’t going to go there. There were less than two days until they went their separate ways, possibly for good. Once she was back in Chicago, and especially if she left there for D.C., she was certain these feelings would disappear.

“Danielle?” Randal prompted.

“I told them I’d let them know in a week.”

He was silent, but she could feel his disapproval.

“It’s the best I can do,” she offered into the silence.

It was a great offer, but it was also a very big decision. Caleb Terrell wasn’t the only client she’d miss working with. There were another half dozen that she’d represented for years. Their holdings were complex and interesting, and she liked to think she was a pivotal piece of their international successes so far.

“You’re overthinking,” said Randal, his voice tight.

The path widened out to a small, dim courtyard. A waterfall splashed at one side.

She stopped. She wasn’t overthinking. She was thinking exactly the right amount, given the magnitude of the decision. And she wished he’d back off and let her do it.

“We can’t keep having this same argument,” she told him.

He gave her an easy smile. “We’re lawyers. That’s what we do.”

“Well, I’m tired of doing it.”

“Danielle.” With a gentle hand on her shoulder, he urged her to one side of the courtyard.

She drew a deep sigh, but went along because she wanted to get this over with and get back to her room.

“Say whatever you need to say,” she told him. “And then I’m going to bed.”

His expression faltered for a second. But then it smoothed out. “Danielle.” He took her hands in his.

She glanced down, uncomfortable with the intimacy of the gesture.

“I’m afraid if you leave here without deciding, you’ll go back, get comfortable in Chicago, and you won’t do what’s best for you.”

She raised her brows, looking at his face. “And you think you know what’s best for me?”

“I know you pretty well,” he countered.

“You once knew me pretty well,” she corrected.

“I still do. People don’t change that much.” He paused, and his expression turned intense. “You and me...”

She was getting a bad feeling here. “You and me, what?”

His hands squeezed hers. “I can’t help but wonder if we made a mistake. Moving to different cities, breaking things off, we never really—”

“Wait a minute.” She tugged her hands from his. “You said you had a girlfriend.”

“I do.” He nodded rapidly. “I do. But, well, I’m not exactly sure where that’s going.”

“Don’t do this, Randal. I’m not—”

He put an index finger across her lips. “Shh.”

She was too shocked by his touch to react.

“Let it happen,” he told her.

To her horror, he leaned in, tilting his head, closing his eyes, clearly intending to kiss her.

“Randal!” she squealed, quickly jumping back.

His eyes popped open and he stumbled.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

He rubbed his hand along her arm. “I’m showing you what can be.”

“It can’t be. It’s not going to be.”

“You can’t possibly know that. We had something great once. If you take this job, if you come to D.C., we’ll have a second chance.”

She shook her head, moving farther back, and his hand dropped from her arm. “I’m not looking for a relationship, Randal.”

“I’m not talking about two kids, a dog and a white picket fence. We can be good for each other. I can be great for your career.”

She didn’t deny that. Randal was a very successful lawyer, well respected in D.C. and across the country.

He stepped forward, expression softening, tone cajoling. “I’m not asking for a decision right this minute.”

“I’m not going to mislead you, Randal. Yours isn’t a direction I’m going in right now.”

His features tightened. “So,
that
you can decide right here and right now?”

“Yes.” She was positive she didn’t want to rekindle something with Randal, surprisingly positive, in fact.

He frowned in annoyance. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

“Him, who? There is no him.”

“The bull rider.” There was venom in his tone. “You’ve got the hots for the bull rider.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“That means yes.”

She stepped away. “Good night, Randal.”

“Danielle.” His tone turned sweet as he took a step toward her.

“Don’t.” She held up her palms to stop him, continuing to walk backward. “You’ve had too much to drink. At least I hope you’ve had too much to drink. This isn’t like you.”

“Dani.”

“No.” She turned on her heel, walking swiftly down the path toward the hotel lobby.

There, she turned abruptly into the ladies’ room, letting the door close behind her and dropping into a padded, French provincial chair in the entry area. She’d hide here for as long as it took, hours if necessary. But she wasn’t going to risk running into Randal again.

Her mother had been right. And if it wasn’t so late, Danielle might have been tempted to pick up a phone and tell her so. A woman couldn’t trust any man to look out for her best interest. Men would always look out for their own.

* * *

Back-to-back with his paintball team member Reed Terrell, Travis gasped for breath. They were crouched behind a wooden barrier, having sprinted away from the “enemy.” Both men were decked out in protective gear, and each held a paintball rifle filled with yellow balls. They’d split into three teams, blue, red and yellow. He and Reed were the last of the yellow team to still be “alive.”

“How many do you think are out there?” Reed asked.

“Alex for sure on blue.”

Reed coughed out a deep laugh. “Nobody wants to kill the groom.”

Travis gripped his weapon. “I’ve got no problem killing the groom. But I think Caleb’s still alive on red, and maybe Seth, too.”

“I’ll take out your brother, if you want to take out mine.”

“I got Zach on the other side of the hill. So, I don’t think there’s anyone else besides Alex left on blue.”

Something clanged against metal, and both men stilled.

“The shed,” said Travis.

Reed peeked over the top of the wooden wall. “If we’re fast, we can make the trench and follow it down to the hay bales.”

“I’m fast,” said Travis. “But you’re more power than agility.”

“You go first. I’ll cover you, and maybe you’ll get a shot.”

“Unless he’s inside the shed.”

“Or maybe on the roof.” Reed reached out and tapped Travis’s shoulder, silently pointing upward.

Travis saw it, too. A slight movement at the peak of the roof. “Seth,” he said.

“You sure?”

“Oh, yeah. He had that twisted gray thing on his helmet.”

Reed peeked up again. “You can see from here?”

“Just a glimpse. But it’s him.”

Three rapid-fire shots echoed through the air, paintballs smacking against the wooden wall.

“They’ve found us,” said Travis.

“Go for the trench.”

Travis nodded. “On three.”

Reed counted off. When he got to three, Travis sprinted out of their cover while Reed shot over his head.

He dove into the trench, quickly checking himself for paint splatters. He was unscathed.

He looked back and gave Reed a thumbs-up. Reed pointed toward the hill, and Travis quickly looked over, spotting Caleb. It took him a second to realize that Caleb was creeping up on Alex. He quickly signaled Reed to hold.

Caleb made it, stood up and fired once at Alex, hitting him in the back. Travis took three shots, hitting Caleb with two of them. Caleb turned in shock before going down on one knee. Travis quickly turned his attention to Seth.

It was obvious Seth knew somebody was in the trench, but he couldn’t see Travis. He did, however, have a chance at hitting Reed. Travis bounced a shot off the near side of the roof and shouted for Reed to run. He shot again and again, hearing Reed’s footsteps behind him.

Reed plunged into the trench beside him, breathing hard.

“Took out Caleb,” said Travis.

“I saw that. Just Seth left?”

“I think so.”

“I can almost taste the free beer,” laughed Reed.

“He’s got the high ground,” Travis pointed out.

“Yeah, but he’s practically a city slicker these days. And there are two of us. If we split up, the best he’s going to do is take out one. Yellow team still wins.”

“Good plan,” Travis agreed.

“You go north along the hay bales,” said Reed. “When you get to the far end, I’ll run south over the field.”

“That’s suicide.”

“Only if the city slicker can still shoot.”

Travis grinned at the idea of Seth going soft. He couldn’t imagine that ever happening.

“You’re fastest,” said Reed. “By the time he takes me out, you’ll be around the end with a clear shot.”

“Make sure you stay alive for at least twenty seconds.”

“Will do,” Reed said with a nod, adjusting his safety goggles.

“Good luck,” said Travis.

“You, too.”

Travis stealthily maneuvered his way along the trench, popping up behind the hay bales, then hugging them, crouched low, in an effort to get closer to the shed. When he came to the end of the bales, he turned to signal Reed.

With a mighty yell, Reed jumped up out of the trench, dodging and weaving his way across the field, firing at the roof of the shed.

As soon as Seth started to shoot at Reed, Travis burst out from cover, sprinting as fast as he could around the end of the shed. He spotted Seth, stopped, breathed, put the rifle to his shoulder and squeezed off a careful shot.

He hit Seth square in the back, forcing a grunt and a cuss word from his lips. Travis grinned, while Reed whooped. The rest of the players cheered and whistled from the hillside.

While Seth made his way to the ladder, Reed appeared around the wall of the shed, grinning from ear to ear, holding up his arms and turning around to show Travis he hadn’t been shot.

“City slicker jokes coming up,” he gloated.

Travis held out his hand, giving Reed a firm shake. “Thanks, partner.”

“Good shot,” said Reed.

“He’s a lot bigger than a gopher.”

Reed laughed.

Seth hopped to the ground from the ladder and started toward them.

“Good day to be me,” Reed joked.

“For the free beer?” Travis asked.

“And someone soft to sleep with. I’m the only one who brought his wife along.”

“Katrina is here?” The revelation surprised Travis. He hadn’t expected his sister to come along on a guys’ weekend.

“When Caleb said he was meeting with Danielle, Katrina decided they should do some shopping.”

“They’re
together?
” Travis wasn’t sure why the thought bothered him.

Reed looked at him strangely. “Yeah. Why? That a problem?”

“No, no. It’s no problem.”

Danielle and Katrina. Would Danielle mention their kiss? If she did, would Katrina tell Caleb? Would the whole valley end up knowing? Did he care?

“Travis?” asked Reed.

“Huh?”

“You fighting with Danielle again?”

“What fighting? We barely saw each other. She was hanging out with all those lawyers, and I was riding bulls and planning a bachelor party.” He scoffed out a laugh. “Fighting. As if. We’d have to have been in the same room for more than a few minutes to be fighting.”

“Travis?” Reed repeated.

“Yeah?” Travis struggled hard not to feel like a deer in the headlights.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?”

* * *

Katrina gazed fondly at the high-heeled, leopard-print pumps on her dainty feet. “I really don’t need to buy another pair.”

“Did you need to buy the last pair?” Danielle teased, gazing at the jeweled, gold sandals on her own feet.

Her freshly polished, glittering green-and-gold toenails peeked saucily up at her. It was an odd color, but Katrina had talked her into it during their pedicures. Now Danielle kind of liked it. And it certainly went with the shoes.

“I didn’t actually need the last dozen pair,” said Katrina, coming to her feet and moving to the mirror in the shoe store.

The saleswoman stood discreetly by, waiting to see if they needed assistance.

“They’re gorgeous,” said Danielle.

“They’d be great with jeans.”

“Walk around on yours,” Katrina urged.

Danielle stood. The shoes were surprisingly comfortable.

Katrina’s enthusiasm ramped up. “We should go dancing tonight.”

“Your husband is going to be busy at a kegger.”

“Then tomorrow night,” said Katrina. “We should stay an extra day.”

“I can’t,” said Danielle. She’d already stretched out the trip way further than she’d planned.

“Sure, you can.” Katrina waved away her refusal. “The Sasha Terrell Fund and Active Equipment are both very important clients.”