The Cowboy and His Baby Read online

  “We won’t be out long,” Katherine said. “And Chad’s assistant is going. You could always put a bug in his ear about how a long, extended shot from a distance wouldn’t make Chad look nearly as heroic as some close-up cuts.”

  “You know just what to say to get a girl to cave in, don’t you?”

  “That I do,” Katherine said proudly. “Let’s get on the bus, go home and change, and see what kind of nightlife this tiny town has to offer.”

  Annie bit back a sigh and studied Spidey’s little face, tracing a finger along the curve of his skull. His eyes were closed and he did look tired. He wouldn’t mind a few hours alone in his crate. “I guess I can pick him up some cheese while we’re in town.”

  “After we get our drink on,” Katherine said firmly.

  “After,” Annie agreed.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I see movie people,” Jordy joked, lifting his beer to his lips. “They’re everywhere. And they don’t even know they’re obnoxious.”

  Dustin just snorted and shook his head. He played with the label on his own bottle of beer, using Jordy’s comment as an excuse to look around the tiny Painted Barrel Saloon. For a town of about two hundred folks, the bar got a surprising amount of activity, and with the outsiders swarming in to have a drink tonight, it was packed. Unlike Eli, who was hiding out back at the ranch with his pretty wife, Dustin enjoyed seeing new faces around town. Painted Barrel felt small enough most days, and new people brought fresh conversation. New women? Well, he was never averse to seeing a few new faces.

  “You should find yourself a nice city girl to flirt with,” Old Clyde told Jordy. “One that’s not smart enough to realize you’re full of crap.”

  Jordy just snickered, unoffended. “Wouldn’t mind meeting a girl,” he said, watching the female faces in the bar avidly. “Been a long time since I’ve been on a date. Not a lot of women in town.”

  “You had a date?” Old Clyde joked.

  This time Dustin grinned. “Prettiest little thing on four hooves.”

  “Ha ha,” Jordy told them and nodded at Dustin. “You’re the ladies’ man around town. You wanna give me a few pointers on how you manage to always win them and I just strike out?”

  “I can,” Dustin said, finishing off his beer and then setting the bottle on the table. He gave it a nudge toward Jordy. “But this round’s on you if I do.”

  The younger cowboy immediately got to his feet and worked his way through the crowd, holding on to his hat as he headed toward the bar for refills. At Dustin’s side, Old Clyde snorted. “Don’t know what advice you could give him other than ‘stop being such a damned idiot.’”

  Dustin just shook his head. “He’s just eager. He’ll work out of being an idiot at some point.” Hopefully. “Kid’s just young. Everything’s new to him.”

  “Ain’t that new,” Old Clyde said. “He’s what, all of five years younger than you?”

  Huh. Dustin guessed he was, though Jordy acted much younger. “Sheltered,” he suggested. He’d been on his own since the age of sixteen, so he hadn’t had the family to protect him from the harshness of life. In a way, he kind of envied Jordy. It wasn’t that Dustin’s life was hard—it was just that he knew all the things he didn’t want. Jordy was still wide-eyed and eager and almost innocent, and that made him seem a lot younger.

  And then he snorted to himself, because Jordy was about as innocent as any other young man with women on his mind. Even now, he was talking to a gorgeous, tall woman with brown skin and a long black braid who clearly wanted nothing to do with the young cowboy.

  “He needs to figure out that women don’t want you to slobber all over them,” Dustin commented, peeling the last of the label off his beer. “Surefire way to scare them off.”

  “Wouldn’t know. I’m too old for women and their crap,” Old Clyde said. “Just want to relax with my dogs.”

  “Spoken like a true bachelor.”

  Old Clyde shrugged. “Was married once. We’re both happier pretending the other doesn’t exist. When are you going to settle down?” He nudged Dustin. “You’re about hitting that age that a man starts thinking about family.”

  Twenty-nine? Was that the age that everything changed, then? “Never settling down,” he told his friend.

  “No one ranches forever. Well, except me, but then I get stuck with idiots like Jordy.” Clyde snorted. “Poor kid’s a fool.”

  Dustin glanced over at the bar. Sure enough, Jordy had a consternated look on his face as the beauty very carefully steered away from him, rolling her eyes. Ouch. Suitably crushed, Jordy headed back to them, three beer bottles in hand. “Not gonna ranch forever,” Dustin told Clyde idly. “I have plans.”

  “Lots of hot women here tonight,” Jordy said as he thumped down at the small table across from Dustin and Clyde. He handed out the beers. “And they don’t seem to be into cowboys.”

  “Now, that isn’t true,” Dustin told him. “Every woman alive’s into a cowboy. It’s all in how you play it.”

  “Oh, whatever.” Jordy took a swig of his beer and flopped back in his chair, utterly defeated.

  Was Dustin ever so young? He felt old even at sixteen, he was pretty sure. With a smile, he took his new beer and began to play with the label. “If you don’t want my advice, just say so.”

  Jordy made an impatient sound. “Everyone knows you get any girl you want. So yes, I want your advice.”

  He might have gotten every girl he wanted, but maybe that was also why he felt so very bored with everything, too. Nothing held his interest around here any longer, and that was a sure sign that it was about time for him to pack up and leave soon. Find another ranch, find another town, a new adventure. Maybe this time he’d finally cash out his savings and get that boat. He wasn’t sure yet. “All right. First step is figuring out what you want from a girl, Jord, my friend. Are you looking for a long-term relationship or just some fun? You have to choose accordingly.” He gestured at the bar. “You can’t just home in on any pretty face and fling yourself at her.”

  Now Jordy just looked confused. “What the hell do you mean?”

  “I mean, if all you want is a good time, you find yourself a Good Time Girl. You can’t fling yourself at a keeper and expect her to just want a quick flirt. And that girl you were hitting on at the bar? She’s a keeper and she knows it. That’s why she doesn’t have time for you.”

  Like a puppy, Jordy cocked his head. “How can you tell?”

  Dustin shrugged. “I can just tell. I can always tell.” Maybe he recognized Good Time Girls because he was a Good Time Guy—never ready to settle down, not looking for more than a night of easy flirting. Anything other than a Good Time Girl was a keeper and thus off-limits, because he wasn’t that kind of guy.

  “Okay, then what about the blonde next to her?” Jordy nudged his chin forward, indicating the women crowding the bar itself.

  Dustin glanced over. “Good Time Girl.”

  “How’s that?”

  Dustin shrugged. “It’s the way she carries herself. I can just tell.” Even as Dustin spoke, the girl reached over and planted a kiss on the man standing next to her, who looked just as surprised as anyone to be the recipient.

  “All right, so I need you to scan every potential woman for me and find me a date. What about Nina?” Jordy immediately asked.

  “Nina that works at the grocery?” When he nodded, Dustin answered. “Good Time Girl. She likes to go out and have fun.” He’d dated her once. They’d fooled around with some kissing, but never took it any further than that, much to Nina’s dismay. Dustin was more a fan of the thrill of the chase. He loved spending time with girls, loved flirting, but the moment they wanted something more than just flirtation, he backed off. He didn’t want to give the wrong impression. Unfortunately, because he dated a lot, he already had the reputation of being a bit of a ladies’ man, but at least he w
asn’t leaving a string of kids (and broken hearts) through the Rocky Mountains. Wasn’t right to lead a girl on if he wasn’t interested in giving her more.

  And Dustin already had plans for his future.

  Jordy looked a little frustrated. “I’m more interested in finding a keeper, I think.”

  “The first girl was a keeper,” Old Clyde pointed out.

  “But she wasn’t interested in keeping me,” Jordy admitted with a sheepish grin. “I want a girl that’ll like me for who I am. Someone I can settle in with. Someone that lets me hold their hand through church service.”

  Yeah, Dustin was pretty sure he was never as young as Jordy. “I see. Well, you might not find the right girl in a bar. Doubt she’s gonna be one of the movie people, too.” He was seeing a lot of Good Time Girls in the crowd.

  “What about the redhead in the corner?” Jordy said. “The small one.”

  Dustin glanced around and didn’t see a redhead. Of course, the place was hopping with people. On a good day, Painted Barrel Saloon had five, six tables and they were almost always full. Tonight, the place was standing room only, and the bartender was racing back and forth trying to keep up with demand. “What redhead?”

  “There’s one at the bar, in the corner. Lots of freckles.” Jordy grinned. “Kind of cute but she’s not much of a smiler.”

  “Didn’t see her. I’d have to watch her for a few to be able to tell.” It was never in a girl’s appearance or what she wore. He’d learned long ago that girls wore clothing to impress other girls, not him. It was in how a girl acted, how she laughed. It was her outlook on life.

  “She’s at the bar, like I said.” Jordy pulled out his wallet, slapped a ten down on the surface, and shoved it toward Dustin. “Go talk to her and find out if she’s my type.”

  He groaned inwardly. Wanted to tell Jordy that this was all stupid talk that came over beers, that if he wanted a keeper, he needed to go talk to her himself. That Dustin knew how to spot them only because he’d flirted with and dated so many that he could recognize a restless soul, but he was terrible about keeping them and couldn’t offer any advice on that matter.

  Old Clyde kicked Dustin’s leg under the table. Damn it. With a glare at Clyde’s weathered face, Dustin got to his feet, snagged the ten, and then moved his way through the crowd toward the bar. It was packed, so he took his cowboy hat off so the brim wouldn’t smack any unsuspecting patrons in the face, and held it against his chest protectively. As he did, he scanned the crowd. Fair amount of both men and women, all sorts of ages. Most of the faces he didn’t recognize, which meant that they were the out-of-towners, the movie people. Some were clearly married and only out drinking because there wasn’t much else to do in Painted Barrel. They sat at one of the tables and looked bored, checking their phones. Others were clearly here to party, evidenced by the crowd around the bar and the way they sandwiched in close together, laughing and talking over one another. People always piled up like sardines near the alcohol, as if they weren’t gonna get the same drink sitting down at a table somewhere. Ah well. He looked around at the women, trying to find one that would be Jordy’s type. He was a good kid. Well, okay, not exactly a kid. A few years younger than Dustin, but with a far more innocent heart. Sure. A young, innocent thing would be perfect for a guy as idealistic as Jordy.

  And she had to like ranching, Dustin supposed, since Jordy wasn’t good for much else. Heck, for his first year on the ranch, he wasn’t much good at ranching, either. He scanned the people crowded at the bar, looking for red hair and a shorter stature. Sure enough, there was a woman hiding at the very far end of the bar, practically pressed against the wall in order to avoid the wildly gesturing man next to her who was absorbed in talking with another woman, his back to the redhead. All right, then. He supposed he could rescue her from her current situation and suss her out for Jordy at the same time.

  He took a few steps forward and then managed to wedge himself in at the bar next to her, setting his hat on the counter. “Ma’am.”

  She gave him a polite little smile and then broke eye contact, scanning the bar as if looking for a familiar face to come rescue her.

  “Not here to harass you. Just thought I’d say hello and let you know that my friend wanted to buy you a beer.” It didn’t hurt to talk Jordy up while he was here, he supposed. He liked the look of her, though. Like the other cowboy had mentioned, she was rather wholesome-looking for this crew. The movie people were a melting pot of cultures and races, which was a breath of fresh air in this town, but most of them also tended toward a wilder lifestyle. He was pretty sure the woman on the other side of him was wearing leather in inappropriate places. There was a lot of cleavage in the bar tonight, a lot of short skirts and tight pants—both male and female. Wasn’t anything wrong with that, but it just made this woman stand out all the more.

  For one, she was wearing a sweater so ugly that his granny would have turned her nose up at it. Orange and brown with a checkerboard pattern on the sleeves and a chevron across the shoulders, it looked like something someone would wear if they lost a bet. “I, ah, like your sweater.”

  She gave him a withering look.

  Now that made Dustin grin. For such a wholesome-looking thing, she could cut with a glance. She was incredibly innocent-looking, just as Jordy had suggested. Her carrot-orange hair was parted down the middle and hung below her shoulders in thick, unruly waves. Her eyebrows were just as orange, her lashes pale, and every inch of her skin seemed to be covered in freckles. She was fascinating-looking, and with only a hint of lip gloss on her pink mouth, it was clear she wasn’t dolling up to impress anyone.

  He liked that.

  She also seemed pretty uninterested in him, which meant she was definitely a keeper. He attracted the party girls; they were drawn to his hat, his rugged good looks, his easy smile. A challenge wasn’t something he came across often, and even though he was supposed to be talking Jordy up to her, he couldn’t resist a little flirtation, just to see how she handled it. “Name’s Dustin. You’re not from around here, are you?”

  “Nope.” She looked over at the bartender desperately, but he was at the far end of the bar, talking to a pretty blonde.

  “You got a name, sweater girl?”

  “Yep.”

  Dustin laughed, because she was so clearly making it difficult for him. And when her mouth curled in the barest of reluctant smiles at his amusement, he had to keep trying. He leaned in and caught a whiff of a sharp, odd smell that he didn’t recognize. What on earth was she drinking? Didn’t matter, he decided to turn on the charm. He knew how to flirt with the best of them, and women usually responded to a ready smile and a guy that could make them laugh. “If I guess it, you gonna give me more than one-word answers?”

  “Unlikely.” And her mouth twitched, as if she was trying to hold back her own laughter.

  “Mmm. Guess I’ll take that risk.” He tilted his head, studying her. “I could go for a corny line and say your name is Angel, because you are one that came down to Earth, but then I think you’d shove my hat down my throat. You don’t seem the fussy type, so I’m guessing it’s not something ridiculous like Chandelier.”

  She only narrowed her eyes at him.

  He put his hands up. “I can sense defeat. I only wanted to come over and say hello and tell you that my friend was admiring you from afar.”

  “Your friend,” she repeated. “Which friend?” When he gestured at Jordy, she gave him a pointed look. “He was hitting on my friend Michele when he came to the bar last time. Then he hit on Katherine. And Mandy. Now he’s decided I’m his next target?” She caught the eye of the bartender and put her money down on the table, closing out her tab. “No thank you.”

  As she left, the sweater stretched tight over her chest and he saw the outline of something square and blocky and got another whiff of that strange sharp scent. He felt a little guilty for chasing her off
. He’d have liked to talk to her without the bar scene. She seemed like a sharp, wry wit and that appealed to him. Ah well. Dustin gestured at the waiting bartender. “Three more longnecks.”

  The redhead’s seat hadn’t been empty for longer than a flash when a new person slid into it. A woman, this one with short brown hair and a killer smile. She cast him a flirty look. “Hello there, stranger.”

  Dustin grinned back, because it was the polite thing to do. Normally he’d pick up what she was throwing down. She wanted to have fun tonight, another Good Time Girl looking to spend her evening with someone else who wanted to party. This was a dance he knew well. They’d talk for a bit. He’d buy her a drink or two. The flirting would get hot and heavy. They’d move to the dance floor and things would go up a notch. They’d drive around town until dawn, having a good time and end up somewhere they could watch the sun rise over the mountains. Maybe she’d want to go back to his place—he always said no. Maybe she’d drag it out a date or two more. Never more than that. Then she’d show she wanted more than just a good time and he . . . well, all he wanted was the thrill of pursuit.

  It suddenly made him tired, how predictable all of it was. The redhead had been interesting in her complete and utter distaste for his flirty ways. That was new, at least.

  “Can I buy you a drink, cowboy?” the beautiful woman at the bar asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

  When had having a good time suddenly gotten . . . dull?

  CHAPTER THREE

  Dustin managed to extricate himself from the beauty at the bar without hurting her feelings. It took a lot of smooth talking and a purchased drink, but when he left she was smiling, and he was relieved. Normally he’d take her up on what her smile was promising, but tonight it just reminded him that he’d lived out everything that there was to experience in this town already. He felt trapped and ready to move on.