The Trouble with Texas Cowboys (8 page)

She barely had time to moisten her lips and shut her eyes before his mouth closed in to claim hers in a fiery-hot kiss. She felt as if her whole body was floating off the sofa toward the ceiling. His hands on her cheeks were the only thing that kept her grounded. Her arms went around his neck. Both hands twisted into his hair for better leverage as his tongue found its way past her lips to do a beautiful two-step with hers.

Sweet Jesus! A kiss had never done that to her before. She wanted more, to see if it would be the same the next time, but he pulled away and stood up.

“They say the third is the charm, darlin'. When you decide to kiss and tell, you let me know if they're right.”

He swaggered off to his room, shut the door almost all the way, and left her sitting on the sofa with weak knees, a racing pulse, and a jittery feeling down deep in her gut.

She made it to her bedroom, but her head was still reeling when she flopped down on top of the covers and touched her lips to see if they were as hot as they still felt.

“Hey, Aunt Gladys, where are you?” Jill yelled from the front of the store.

There was no answer, but she could hear the meat grinder going, so she hung her coat and hat on the rack and went to work. Most of the suppliers arrived on Monday morning, so the bread shelves had been restocked. But the aisles were full of boxes to be unpacked onto the shelves.

“Thank goodness,” she said.

The noise stopped. “That you, Jill?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Give me a minute to take off this apron and wash my hands, and I'll tell you about Polly. She gets to come home tomorrow morning, as long as she has help, so I'm putting her in my spare bedroom.” She raised her voice a notch over the sound of running water. “I've got the meat counter filled all the way up to capacity, and I'm going to Salt Holler for a whole hog this afternoon so we'll be well stocked. I might need you to come in for a few days earlier than we'd planned, since she'll require more help here at first. I was goin' anyway, but Wallace called and said they'd had a big butcherin' day yesterday. His whole family came for it, and he's got a lot of meat on hand. I'm getting a whole hog and half of another one. Since Mavis ain't got her own hogs to butcher, she'll be needin' some decent meat. At least these hogs haven't been raised in a factory. Wallace has good pigs.”

“Will we sell that much pork in a week?” Jill asked.

Rubbing sweet-smelling lotion into her hands, Gladys came out into the store and smiled. “Honey, feudin' brings in the business. It's going to be wild around here, and then you toss in the fact that both parties are out after your undying love, why, people will be comin' here in droves.”

“But I'm not going out with either one of them again,” she said.

“You think either one of them is going to lay down and roll over like a defeated puppy? By saying no, you'll fire the whole thing up hotter and hotter, so the job description has changed. Besides, if I dropped dead tomorrow, you'd have to run the whole place by yourself with no one but Sawyer to help you.”

“I can come in whenever you need me, but once Aunt Polly is settled, I want to drop by and see her once a day too,” she said.

“Don't go feelin' guilty because you didn't get down to the hospital. She's been sleepin' a lot anyway, and she told me to tell you that you were needed here more than there.”

“Good mornin'.” Sawyer's deep voice filled the whole store. “I'm only five minutes late. Hope I didn't miss anything, but I got the alfalfa field disked this morning after feeding chores. And then I started workin' out in the tack room, organizing it, and time got away from me.”

He hung his coat and hat on the rack beside hers. They looked so personal hanging there beside each other, as if they belonged together. She touched her lips as a vision came to mind of him walking away from her the night before. He'd worn flannel lounging pants and a chocolate-brown T-shirt then. Now he had on jeans, a blue-and-brown-plaid shirt, and his work boots, but the swagger was still the same. The jittery feeling from simply remembering the kiss told her that yes, sir, the third was the charm.

You're not a teenager with raging hormones. You are a grown woman. You can work with this cowboy from noon until eleven o'clock every night
, she reminded herself sternly.

Gladys picked up her coat off the back of a chair behind the meat counter and shoved her arms into it. “I'm glad you are going to be here with Jill, Sawyer. This is the hottest I've seen the feud in my lifetime. They've done some crazy things, but they've never done something so stupid as to steal hogs. We'll be hiring some extra help in the spring, and then hire some more in the summer for the store, so this won't be forever.”

Sawyer popped open one of the three metal folding chairs and sat down. “Tell Polly hello for me, and I'll drop by when she gets home.”

Gladys patted him on the shoulder. “I will do that, but right now, I'm going to the holler to buy a hog and a half.”

Jill wanted to tell her aunt Gladys that she didn't want any part of this crazy life, to throw her things in the back of her little dark-green truck and head north. She could be in Montana by Wednesday if she didn't stop for anything but bathroom breaks and to grab a hamburger.

A
Cleary
does
not
run
, she reminded herself sternly.

“How many customers have you had this morning?” Jill asked.

“Not a single solitary one. That means the storm is gathering strength. It will hit with enough power to blow my poor little general store off the map this afternoon. Oh, and, Jill, since y'all are having to work such long hours, I'm doubling your salaries until we hire in some help.”

“You don't have to do that,” Jill said.

“You said you wanted to work all you could to get your mind cleared, and I don't expect you to work for pennies. Y'all hold it down now, and I'll call you later.” Gladys picked her coat from the rack. Sawyer stood up and helped her put it on, and then wrapped her scarf loosely around her neck. “Thank you. See y'all after a while. Verdie is going to sit with Polly until I get back from Salt Holler. Y'all need anything special from Salt Holler?”

“Like special what?” Jill asked.

“Oh, like a pint of special brewed blueberry wine, or maybe a jar of moonshine?”

“One of each,” Sawyer answered.

“Consider it done. Hold down the fort and keep the shelves stocked. There's extra supplies in the storeroom.” Gladys talked as she made her way to the front. “I've got my cell phone in my purse, so call me if you run into trouble and can't find anything. Looks like Hurricane Kinsey has arrived. Duck and dodge, Sawyer. And don't laugh, Jill. I see Quaid parking right beside her.”

“I'll flip you for which one of us gets to hide in the storeroom,” Sawyer whispered.

“Strength in numbers,” she answered. “Hello, Kinsey. Can I help you with something?”

“I'm meeting Quaid here to do some shopping for the week.” She unbuttoned a long black coat to reveal a black-and-white sweater hugging every single curve, and an equally snug, short black skirt that showed lots of leg in dark panty hose. She was tall and willowy, and in those spike-heeled boots, she and Sawyer were almost the same height.

Jill felt dowdy in her jeans, work boots, and a Western-cut shirt she hadn't even bothered to tuck in. She should have taken time to put on makeup and done something with her hair other than pull it up in a ponytail.

“I'm not one to beat around the bush,” Kinsey said. “I like what I'm lookin' at”—she took a step back and slowly went from Sawyer's toes all the way up to his dark hair, hesitating a few extra seconds at his belt buckle—“and I'm asking you out, not to a family dinner, Sawyer, but on a date. I understand you work every night at Polly's, so next Sunday we'll leave right after church. I know a cute little place in Dallas, and then we'll see a movie or do something to while away the rest of the evening. Now, Quaid, honey, how much of that sliced ham do we need for the week? And you might call Granny and ask her if she wants us to bring anything for her from the meat counter. We've got our own beef, but our pork freezer is empty. We'd planned on butcherin' next week.”

“A pound should do for us, and I'm not callin' Granny, because she's still cussin' mad,” Quaid said.

He'd closed the space between him and Jill so quietly, she wasn't aware he was that close until his warm breath brushed her bare neck. She jumped and whirled around to find that he had four eyes and two noses. She blinked and took a step back so she could focus.

He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly. “Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on your blind side. I wanted to tell you again how much fun I had yesterday, and to apologize once more for the way it turned out. The whole family fell in love with you. Granny Mavis has invited the two of us to dinner next Sunday so she can get to know you better and make it up to you. Then, I thought I'd show you my place in our horse-drawn carriage.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Sawyer. Bless his heart. His face told the story, and it wasn't pretty.

“Thank you for the invitation.” Jill raised her voice enough that Kinsey could hear what she had to say to Quaid. “But Sawyer and I have made plans for that afternoon.”

Kinsey whipped around so fast that the tail of her coat slapped Sawyer on the leg. “Are you two more than roommates?”

“That's a very personal question, ma'am,” Sawyer drawled.

“Which requires a personal answer,” she said.

“I'd say that's our business. Now how much ham did you want, again?” Jill asked.

“A pound of ham and the same amount of white American cheese, and half a pound of bologna. Quaid, honey, you get two loaves of bread and a gallon of milk,” Kinsey said. “And, Sawyer, you might do well to remember I get what I want, and I can make you a very happy man. And I never, ever give up until I have what I want. I will wear you down. Now I'm going to do some shopping, and since I understand you have a sweet tooth, I'll bring something to the bar tonight that's especially for you.”

“Hello, Sawyer!” Betsy pushed her way into the store.

Thank God she was dressed in boots, jeans, and a denim duster, and had a dusty felt hat pulled over her red hair. The general store wasn't big enough for two fancy-smancy divas. Jill would have had to shoot one of them or shove them out the door and hope they killed each other.

“Hey, Kinsey, what are you doing in Burnt Boot on a Monday morning? Aren't you supposed to be doing important lawyer shit?” Betsy asked.

“I'm asking Sawyer out on a date. What are you doing in the store on Monday? Aren't you supposed to be shoveling shit?” Kinsey fired right back.

“Did he accept?” Betsy asked coldly.

“Not this time,” Kinsey answered.

“Maybe you ought to shovel some shit. He's a rancher, not a lawyer who wears three-piece suits and likes to go to Dallas for supper. Oh, excuse me, that would be dinner in your world, wouldn't it?”

“Ladies, I'm not a piece of beef for sale in the meat counter,” Sawyer said. “I'm not going out with either of you, and that's final. Now can I help you with something other than dating or catfighting? Remember, this store and the bar are neutral territory.”

Evidently he'd gotten his bearings, and they weren't going to talk him into anything again. But there wasn't a man on the face of the earth who wouldn't be flattered to have two women fighting over him, no matter what the reason.

“Looks like a party going on in here.” Tyrell poked his head in the door. “Betsy, Granny is making dumplings for supper, and she said we'd better be there. Hey, Jill.” He blew a kiss her way. “I'll see you tonight at Polly's. I'll be the one hogging the jukebox, and every song will be for you.”

“I'll be right back. I've got a cake in the oven.” Jill disappeared into the storeroom. She did turn on the oven to preheat, and she did plan to put a cake in the oven, so it wasn't too much of a lie. Then suddenly she realized that the store was too quiet. Lord, what if they'd kidnapped Sawyer and carried him off to some remote area? She peeked out the door and exhaled loudly. He was over there stocking shelves like he'd been born to do that rather than run a ranch single-handedly.

“Is the coast clear?” she hollered.

“For now. They've all gone home. But I see two more vehicles pulling in, so you'd better get on out here and stop hiding in the storeroom. That cake idea was pretty slick,” he said.

“It was the best I could do. If I'd had to put up with those two men another minute, I would have bonked them both on the head with cans of peaches.”

“Why peaches?”

“The cans are bigger than corn. It was so quiet, I thought those two women had kidnapped you.”

“Did that make you sad?” His eyes twinkled, and a smile tickled the corners of his mouth.

Dammit! Why did she have to look at his mouth? That made her think of that amazing kiss, and that put a little extra giddy-up in her pulse. “It sure did. I didn't want to stock shelves and slice bologna and still keep everyone from killing each other.” She smiled sweetly.

“I saved you from a carriage ride with Quaid, and you treat me like that. You could have said that you liked me enough to worry about me if they'd kidnapped me,” Sawyer teased.

She bit the inside of her lip, and her brow wrinkled in a frown. “I understand that they both want Fiddle Creek, but isn't there supposed to be something like friendship and love involved in a relationship?”

Sawyer's fist shot up toward the ceiling. “Testify, sister!”

Jill had never giggled. Even as a child, when something struck her as funny, she laughed from the belly, and it sounded like it had erupted from a three-hundred-pound truck driver. That day it rattled around in the store like a rock band practicing in a bathroom.

“It wasn't that funny,” Sawyer said.

“Yes, it was. I needed to laugh like that, so thank you. Here comes the next round, but I don't recognize them as Gallaghers or as Brennans, do you?”

He shook his head. “No, but there's so many uncles, aunts, and cousins on both sides that I wouldn't swear to anything. Just duck and dodge if the bullets start flying.”

The door swung open and started a steady flow of traffic for the next two hours. By the end of the day, they'd worked out a system. Sawyer worked the meat market and stocked when he had time. Jill worked the counter, checking folks out and sacking groceries.

When it finally slowed down, Jill went straight to the storage room, drug out two lawn chairs, and popped them open behind the meat counter. “I'm hiding for a ten-minute break.” She slumped into one and propped her boots up on the rungs of the table holding the meat slicer. “Lord have mercy! This is tougher than hay hauling.”