True Blue Cowboy

“You ’n’ that filly set things straight?”

“It’s none of your business, Hoss.” He hated shutting the old man out but Mack was too confused about his feelings for Beth. Until he knew exactly what he felt for her, he didn’t care for anyone’s advice.

“I don’t think Millie’ll be back.”

“Millie has it good with the boss.” Even though there was a ten-year age difference between the housekeeper and sixty-eight-year-old Dave Paxton, when Mack had seen the couple together, they’d appeared happy.

“So you don’t wanna talk about that missy in the barn, eh?” Hoss said.

“Nope.”

“She’s watchin’ us right now.”

Mack stiffened but didn’t check over his shoulder. “You won’t quit nagging unless you know everything, will you?”

“Figure it’s only a matter of time before you spill your guts.”

“I met Beth at a bar last month. At least I think it was Beth.”

“You ain’t sure?”

“She was all sexed up and on the prowl.”

“You didn’t take advantage of that poor gal, did you?”

Mack scowled. If anyone had been taken advantage of, it had been him. Now that a few weeks had passed and Mack had reflected on that night, he admitted that he’d genuinely liked Beth—probably because she hadn’t acted like any buckle bunny he’d been out with before. She hadn’t been drunk, boisterous or even giggly. And when he’d looked into her eyes there had been intelligence and maturity—qualities that had been missing from the other sloe-eyed beauties he’d hooked up with in the past. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it like?” Hoss asked.

“There was something different about her, and when the evening ended I asked for her number.”

“She didn’t give it to you.”

“Nope.”

When Hoss grinned, Mack growled. “What the hell’s so funny?”

“She’s the first lady who hasn’t succumbed to your cowboy charm.”

“Succumbed? You’re using pretty big words, Hoss.”

“Whatcha gonna do?”

“Nothing.” Beth made it clear that she wasn’t interested in cozying up with him during her stay at the dude ranch.

“You gonna let a decent woman like her get away without a fight?”

“If she was so decent, she wouldn’t have pretended to be someone she wasn’t.”

“Maybe she had a good reason.”

Lack of self-confidence wasn’t good enough in Mack’s book. And it didn’t change the fact that she hadn’t wanted him to contact her after they’d had fun at the motel. “She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Change her mind.”

“What’s with you?” Mack frowned. “Why do you care about my love life?”

“’Cause you’ve been a big mope lately.”

“A man can take a moment to think, can’t he?”

“He can.” Hoss spat tobacco juice on the ground. “But there’s a time for thinkin’ and a time for doin’.” He nodded to the barn. “This is a time for doin’.”

Doing what? Mack was so dang confused right now he didn’t know which way was up or down. He was pissed at Beth for using him, and even though she’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in extending their one-night stand, the gnawing in his gut insisted he still wanted to be with her.

So where did that leave him?

Between being a fool and an idiot.

Chapter Three (#ulink_e5a8c63a-8f76-5c42-b165-7573a8df0692)

“Fine. We’ll pretend we’ve never met before.” Beth mimicked Mack’s deep voice as she hiked along the walking path.

She was at a loss as to how to deal with the country-and-western cowboy. She’d never had a male friend and found the idea intriguing, but Mack wasn’t the kind of man a woman could be friends with—not after she’d seen and touched every inch of his naked flesh.

She conjured up a likeness of him lounging in the motel bed and...

“Look out!”

Startled, Beth stopped walking and glanced up. Good Lord, another few steps and she would have collided with a saguaro cactus. She turned and discovered Mack standing several yards behind her—he’d sneaked up on her without making a sound. “I was hiking.” Duh. Hoping to distract him so he wouldn’t ask why she’d almost walked into a cactus, she said, “It’s warm today.”

He closed the gap between them. “The weatherman forecasted unseasonably warm temps until the end of next week.”

“Well, eighty-five degrees in January is too hot, even for Arizona.” Why were they discussing the weather? Because that’s what friends do. Flustered, she focused on the canyon in the distance and ignored the sultry scent of his cologne.

“Dave wanted me to tell you that we’re taking Roger Kline and his executives on a horseback ride and eating supper on the trail. José left with the chuck wagon a few minutes ago. Since there won’t be a formal meal in the dining room, you’re invited to join us.”

“Thanks, but I don’t want to interfere in an all-guys outing.” She’d met the CEO of Kline Properties and his minions when they’d moved into the cabins next to hers.

Mack took off his hat and shoved his fingers through his hair—hair that had felt silky to the touch when she’d held his head steady while she’d kissed him. “I’m bringing my guitar along.”

After parting ways last month, Beth had listened to country-and-western radio stations, hoping to find a singer whose voice reminded her of Mack’s, but none of them had carried a tune quite like the lead singer of the Cowboy Rebels.

“C’mon, Beth. You’ve barricaded yourself inside your cabin every night this week.”

Barricaded? She’d hoped that by keeping to herself, her infatuation with him would wear off. The way her heart pounded right now indicated that her plan had failed. To be honest, she was tired of staring at the same four walls. What could it hurt to socialize with the ranch guests for a couple of hours? And she’d also like to hear Mack sing again.

“Okay. I’ll join the group for supper.”