Falling For A Cowboy by Anne Carrole Page B

Anything to keep busy.
    “ I asked you a question . ” H is voice grated like rocks tumbling in a rolli ng wheel.
    “ Yes, ” s he said , the sound more clipped than she ’ d intended . She didn ’ t want to discuss her father, or the score , or Clay ’ s besting it , but from the look in his eye , she doubted she ’ d get her wish. She slammed the cash drawer shut and tucked the bag in the waistband of her jeans .
    “ Your father was the saddle bronc rider? ” There was incredulity in his tone .
    She nodded. Grabbing a damp rag, she began to wipe down the counter.
    He pushed back his hat and stood, feet apart, staring at her like she ’ d grown two heads .
    “ I ’ m sorry , then , that I broke his record , Dusty . ” His voice had gone soft.
    “ I ’ m not. ” And that was the truth . “ The day he set that record was the day he decided to rodeo for a living , ” she said scrubbing at a non-existent stain . “ He was on the road to the NFR for the next twelve years. ” She threw the rag under the counter and took a deep breath . Clay wasn ’ t her father and he ’ d done nothing wrong. Heck, she wasn ’ t sure , anymore , that her father had. Stepping around to the outside of the stand, she brushed by him and reached for a metal handle. The edge of the security grate hit the counter with a cl ang . She fumbled in her pocket for the key.
    “ Y ou had issues with your daddy rodeoing ? Is that why you ’ ve been walling me out ? ”
    She locked the stand and faced him. “ I haven ’ t been walling you out . ” Not much.
    “ Hell you haven ’ t. You ’ d think you ’ d have told me your daddy was a bronc rider. ”
    “ Why? Wh y would it matter to you ? And he rode bulls too . Hell, he rode whatever moved if he thought he could make some money. ”
    “ I think the information would be of interest to the bronc rider who ’ s courting you. ” He emptied the cup and threw it in the nearby trash.
    She blinked. Her heart thudded loud against her chest. “ Courting me? You ’ re courting me? ”
    “ Jesse said I wouldn ’ t be good at it and I must not be if you don ’ t even know that ’ s what I ’ ve been trying to do. ” He flung his hands out as if he was exasperated. “ Despite your thinking all I want is to get in your pants, which I wo n ’ t deny, I ’ ve also been trying to court you . You know, get to know you . Like a normal guy. ”
    She couldn ’ t help the smile. It was such an old-fashioned way to say it.
    A few stragglers wandered past on their way to the parking lot , the i r voices echoing in the walkway . She just had to drop the money off at Big John ’ s and she was done for the night. And Clay c ould be well on his way back home . The thought wasn ’ t a happy one . The way her heart jerked and her pulse sped up and her hands went all sweaty around him, maybe she ’ d already fallen for him .
    “ Now that you broke the record, are you going to do the circuit? ” S he slid the key back into her pocket and held her breath.
    “ I ’ m h ere to pick up some extra money, ” he said . “ I ’ m not a bronc rider by trade and even after breaking your daddy ’ s record, I ’ m not about to become one . It ’ s a hard life. Harder than what I do. ”
    He reached for her. She felt the pull like it was some magnetic force. She didn ’ t want to fight it anymore. It didn ’ t matter whether he rodeoed or cowboyed or drove a truck. She ’ d been struggling against demons that no longer seemed to matter.
    One look at Clay ’ s hand outstretched in invitation along with the silent plea on his face , and her boots were clicking on the concrete as she went to him. His chest was solid, his arms strong as he pressed her to him . The heat of his body felt good in the mild chill of the night air.
    His hands moved up her back in a warm caress. “ I want to celebrate my win . Tonight . W ith you. ” His hot breath teased her skin.
    She pulled back to look at him. She