Trouble in a Stetson (7 page)

Lola snapped the lid on her shiny black case and took in her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Tonight she wore her hair down and she’d straightened it instead of letting it curl as she normally did. For what she had planned for later, she would need to pull it back and that was easier accomplished this way. Smiling a little, she carried the full case into her bedroom area and set it on the bed. Lola wore a pair of khaki shorts and a turquoise halter top made of linen along with matching sandals. A medium-sized overnight bag lay unzipped on the bed and per Sam’s request, she opened a drawer and grabbed her velvet bag of sex toys. She smiled. Just thinking about what they’d do to each other with all this cool stuff made her shiver. Finding a spot for her sexy stuff, she was just closing the case when there was a knock on her door.

“Oh boy,” she whispered to herself. “Here we go, Lola.”

When she opened the door, she caught her breath at the sight of Sam standing there in a well-fitting pair of jeans, a form-fitting black tee and his Stetson.

He was sex on a stick.

“Hey there,” she said, stepping back so he could come inside. “I swear I’ve never seen a man who looks better in a cowboy hat than you. Come here and give me a kiss, Sheriff.”

He’d looked so solemn, so serious when she first opened the door that it was nice to coax a sexy grin from him. Sam swept the Stetson from his head, exposing his black, tousled curls and moved in on her. “Howdy, darlin’. Been thinking about this for hours,” he said gruffly, as he wrapped his arm around her to draw her flush against his body. Bending to her, Sam kissed her hard, sweeping his tongue deep for a slow tasting that had her toes curling in her cute turquoise sandals.

Lola dived headfirst into the kiss, meeting him more than halfway. Tangling her tongue with his, she moved her body against the hard-as-steel muscles of his chest and 50

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didn’t stop until her nipples were stiff and aching for a firmer touch. Sam pulled away slightly to focus on her face. “You ready to come to my place?”

“Yes,” she managed. “Figure I’m ready for just about anything.”

“Did you pack that black velvet bag?”

The rough edge of his voice streaked through her system like lightning. “Yeah.”

“Good enough. Let’s head out to my place.”

Lola took in the dry, dusty landscape just outside the town of Mesa Blanco, remaining quiet as they drove farther away from the city limit sign. Sam was quiet too.

It was hard to gauge his mood. She knew he was more serious than most people but she figured and that was understandable considering his profession. There was more though. From gossip she’d heard she knew he was divorced. Maybe he was still loved his ex-wife. Could that be it?

The thought he still might pine after his former wife bothered her.

That could only mean one thing.

She was falling hard and fast for Sam Campbell.

Sam reached out and adjusted the dial on his radio until a slow country song filled the cab of his truck. “I ran onto Mike, from the garage and asked him about that heap of junk you call a car.” A small smile tilted his lips.

“Really? What did he say?”

“He wondered if I could just go ahead and shoot it and put it out of its misery.”

Lola laughed and then Sam continued. “No, he had to special order some parts, honey.

The car is pretty old. I told him I’d let you know.” He slid his eyes in her direction.

“You might be here a little longer than you thought. Is that a problem?”

Lola shook her head and like a coward, looked out the window at the pastureland that flew by in shades of green, gold and brown. “It should be, but it’s not.” The sad truth was she wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to leave. But if she did, how would Sam 51

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feel about that? Maybe she didn’t want to know. She’d had her heart broken enough times in this life. Lola wasn’t sure she could bear it again.

Trying desperately to shake away her uncertainty, she glanced at Sam as he made a right turn and pointed to a house in the distance. “That’s my place. It’s not much.”

Lola saw the long, tree-lined drive and a modest brick house that nestled in the midst of a thicket of cottonwoods. A neat mailbox featuring the name Campbell sat near the road at the beginning of the driveway. She smiled. “Why would you say that? I love it, Sam. It looks so homey.”

He pulled up in the circle drive in front of the house and within minutes they were walking inside. “I built this after Claudia and I got married,” he said. Holding her train case and bag, he smiled. “Let me put these away and then I’ll give you the grand tour.”

When Sam came back from his chore, he showed her around the place. She took in the design of his simple ranch-style house, the large living room filled with overstuffed but practical furniture and the adjoining dining area. Near the back part of the house, the kitchen was functional and nice, featuring tiled countertops and an island with a built in grill and cooktop. Copper pots hung above the space. A small four-person kitchen table set nearby. “Nice kitchen.”

Sam looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. “My ex liked to cook.”

“Oh.”

He walked up to a sliding glass door that led to the spacious backyard. “I built the patio last summer.”

Making herself at home, she slid the door open and stepped out. A Mexican-tile topped table that could easily seat six people sat there along with scrolled iron chairs. A large citron candle took up space in the center. “Love what you’ve done here, Sam. It’s great.”

“We’ll eat out here tonight, if that’s okay with you.”

Nodding, Lola followed Sam back inside to complete the tour.

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On one side of the house were two medium sized bedrooms connected by a nice bathroom. “I figured we might have kids one day and these would be their rooms,” he said simply before taking her hand and leading her into a large den that featured a big screen television, electronics galore, and lots of comfy looking furniture.

“Ah, so this is where you spend you Sundays during the fall of the year,” Lola said, grinning. “I can see it now, you and your buddies Wyatt and Cliff hanging out in here with beer and pizza during football season.”

“Perceptive woman. I think I like that about you.”

Instantly the dark mood she’d sensed from him seemed to evaporate. Sam took her hand and she followed him through a door on the other side of the relatively male domain and stepped with him into his bedroom. Lola immediately spotted her bags on the floor near Sam’s king-sized, four-poster bed. A big plush chair was angled tidily into one corner near the bedroom’s plantation-shuttered windows.

“Bathroom is over here,” Sam said, and Lola walked over and took a peek inside.

The man certainly liked his creature comforts and she had to agree with what he’d done. She was a sucker for a beautiful, big bathroom. Double sinks on the marbled vanity were a soft beige and a huge tub was nestled along one wall. Nearby was a glass walk-in shower. Fluffy white towels were neatly folded in a rack that sat on the ledge of the tub. With a lift of her brows, she noted at least six fat pillar candles arranged on a tray. They were unburned and she wondered if Sam had picked them up just for tonight.

Silly.

As hard as she tried, it was difficult to imagine Sam going candle shopping. He was such a guy. Still, the thought he might have gone to those lengths sent a little thrill burning through her.

“What a downright sexy room.”

Sam leaned against the wall, watching her closely. “You think so?”

“Oh yes. And candles.”

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“I wanted to make it nice, Lola.” Sam looked down at his booted feet then focused in on her again. “You’re the first woman I’ve had here for two years.”

Since the divorce.

Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Well, guess he answered a few questions there. Tears burned behind her eyes. “You did this for me?” she whispered.

“Yeah. Why don’t you get settled in and I’ll fire up the grill.”

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Sam sat across from Lola after a meal of grilled chicken and vegetables. Nursing his beer, he watched her randomly stack up plates and silverware, fiddle with her napkin and basically look nervous. When he began this affair with her, he’d figured they were adults and having some hot, blow-your-socks-off sex was enough. She was leaving and he wasn’t dumb enough to fall in love again.

Now look where he was.

His insides melted like butter every time he looked at her.

“I know all about your job, Lola,” he began as he lounged back in his chair, holding the longneck bottle of beer against his belly. “But surely you left a man behind in Vegas.

I mean, a woman like you wouldn’t be without a man.”

Lola blinked at him. Cursing his unruly tongue, he realized he’d hurt her feelings.

“Whoa! Honey, I didn’t mean it like that but hell, you’re beautiful. I’m sure you had to beat the men off with a stick.”

She drew a deep breath and smiled brightly. “Actually I left a fiancé.”

Instant rage sent him bolt upright in his chair. “What the fuck?”

Lola held up her hands and shook her head. “No, no. Dumb. I should’ve said former fiancé. We broke up right before I left. Actually the whole thing went down about forty-eight hours after I was fired from the show.”

Sam went still. “Did you love him?”

“I thought I did,” she said quietly. She drew the tip of one finger around the edge of her wine glass. “Maybe I just wanted something permanent and he was offering. I’ve been a rambler for so long. Logically, I knew I couldn’t continue in the show forever.

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Young women are meant to be showgirls and my days were fading fast. I’m not stupid.”

“No you’re not.”

“Nick and I were together for about a year. I thought he loved me. We had great plans for the future but it turned out to be a lie. He’d been seeing another woman for a while and I didn’t even know. Hmm. Come to think of it, I’m probably not that smart after all.”

Sam watched her for lingering signs that she might still be in love with the bastard but saw only grim, in-your-face, realization that she’d been cheated on. Still he was curious about the kind of man who’d throw away a woman like Lola.

“What did this guy do in Vegas?”

“He owed a casino.”

Figures.

The guy was filthy rich, no doubt.

Emotions clouded his thoughts, not the least of them being jealousy. If he had a woman like Lola, he’d treat her like a princess. This guy was obviously too dumb for words. Yeah, he might be rich but a real man made up his mind and lived up to his promises.

As dark blanketed the land, he stood and held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s get these dishes done.” He grinned, hoping to chase away the clouds from her eyes.

Playfully he wagged his brows at her. “You promised to show me some high-steppin’.”

Lola gripped his hand, stood, and then her arms went around his neck. Leaning in, she gave him a short, sexy peck on the lips before glancing up through her thick lashes.

“I promise, Sam, I can be very entertaining.”

“I’ve already been entertained tonight more than a decent man can stand. Can’t wait to see what you have coming at me.”

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Grinning, she stepped back and gave him a flirty, little wink. “Just you wait, Sam.

You won’t be disappointed.”

* * * * *

Later, he held Lola in his arms as they did some dancing around the coffee table in the living room. It was a weird thing to dance with a woman who was so close to his own height. He towered over most women. Sam buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo and the faint perfume she wore. “Told ya I couldn’t dance worth shit, darlin’,” he said, tightening his arms around her.

Lola nuzzled this throat. Her breath was warm on his flesh and his muscles tightened as his body reacted to the feel of her in his arms. “You’re doin’ fine, Sam.

Trust me. Aw, this is so nice.”

Sam had the lights dimmed as a Keith Urban song played. He let his hand drift over the long length of Lola’s back and thought about how comfortable he was with her.

Yeah, she would leave one day but he wasn’t dumb enough to let even one minute get away from him. He aimed to enjoy her for as long as he could.

“Hey, Sam.”

“Mm?”

“Speaking of dancing, are you ready for your surprise?” She looked up, humor dancing in her eyes.

“Ready for just about anything you’re offering.”

Lola stepped out of his arms and grabbed a fistful of his tee shirt. “Then come on.

Let me show you how the big girls do it.”

Now if that didn’t sound as promising as hell.

Sam let himself be led into his bedroom and finally Lola pushed him into the big overstuffed chair in the corner. “Let’s get you all comfy,” she said as she reached down and tugged off first one boot then the other. “Ah, there. That’s better. The shirt has to go, Sam.”

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He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” Grabbing the hem, he pulled it off and tossed it to the floor. “Anything else, Your Highness?”

“Such a smarty pants.” Lola pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you move. Okay?”

“Whatever you say.”

Anticipation was killing him. Sam watched her reach into her small suitcase and cover his bedside lamp with a rose hued scarf. Instantly the room was drenched in color. She looked up at him and smiled. Sitting on the bed for a minute, she turned on his clock radio and moved through the channels until soft, smoky blues drifted through the room. Finally she stood.

“I’ll be back in a bit, Sam. Try not to miss me too much.”

“Now who’s a smarty pants?”

Lola’s laughter followed her into the bathroom and as the door closed with a resounding click, he got up and went to fetch his condoms. Yes, they were the right color. No neon shades for him tonight. He dropped a pile of them on the night table and carried a few over to the chair.