The Bull Rider Meets His Match

“Are you in any hurry to get home?” Kelly asked as they left the steak house. She pulled the elastic out of her long red hair as she spoke, shaking her head so that the waves spilled around her shoulders. She was obviously getting into party mode and it was only nine o’clock, so Lex shrugged.

“My dogs might worry, but no.”

Kelly jerked her head toward the bar on the other side of the parking lot. “One for the road?”

“Sure.”

It’d been a while since Lex set foot in Shardlow’s and when they walked in, she had an instant flashback to her college days. The place was filled with cowboys and cowgirls. Loud music pulsed over the speakers, accented by the clack of pool balls on the three tables lined up side by side in an alcove. Kelly had to point to a table, since it was hard to hear over the noise.

It was quieter along the wall, and a tall bar guy appeared almost as soon as they were seated, a towel tucked into the front of his Wranglers, a smile on his handsome face. “What can I get you ladies?”

Kelly beamed up at him, and Lex began to understand the reason behind the nightcap. “A draft, please.”

“Same.” Lex waited until he was gone before meeting Kelly’s gaze across the table. “Okay. Spill.”

“Not much to spill.” She smiled cheekily. “Yet. He’s the owner’s nephew. Gus Hawkins. Just moved here from Nevada.” The drinks arrived, and Kelly started a tab. The barkeep smiled at her, and Lex had to admit that there was some chemistry behind that smile. Kelly leaned closer after he’d left. “Thank you for coming with me. You can see why I didn’t want to come here alone.”

Indeed she could. Especially with the bar in full swing. This was not the place for a woman hoping to have a few minutes with the attractive barkeep and not be hit on.

“You don’t have to stay long,” Kelly said. “I know you have things to do tomorrow. I just—” she smiled again “—wanted a taste.”

Lex laughed, wondering if she was a bad friend because she was more in the mood for home and bed than partying and was tempted to take Kelly up on her offer of not staying long.

There was a bit of a commotion toward the rear exit then, and she and Kelly glanced over simultaneously to see none other than Grady Owen and two of his high school buddies, the Hayward twins, Ty and Jess, walk in. And then she pretty much lost sight of Grady as the buckle bunnies started swarming the guys. Bull riders attracted women. That was a flat-out fact.

“You know I’m no fan of rodeo guys, but Grady’s hot,” Kelly murmured, echoing Lex’s grudging thoughts. A server happened by the group and handed each of the bull riders a beer off her tray, making Lex wonder if someone else was doing without a drink for the moment. The girl turned around and headed back to the bar. Yes, bull riders got special favors here.

“That appears to be the consensus.” Lex couldn’t argue with it, either. Grady had killer good looks and he could be charming. Even now she could see the flash of his smile from between a blonde and a redhead.

“I might go join the crowd,” Kelly said with a suggestive lift of her eyebrows.

“All you’ll do is to make a massive ego even bigger.”

Kelly laughed and Grady’s gaze came up then, zeroing in on Lex almost as if he’d heard her speak. Which was ridiculous, of course, as was the slight bump in her pulse as he started across the room toward her. A few cowgirls trailed behind him.

“Lex,” he said, raising his beer in a salute.

She mimicked his salute, then said, “You know Kelly, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He flashed a smile at both of them.

Oh, yeah. All country boy charm. She was about to comment, when he said on a note of sincerity, “I want to thank you for hiring my sister. She’ll do a good job for you. And thank you for letting me interrupt the other day with my twin emergency.”

Lex opened her moth, then closed it again. Nothing like a heartfelt thank-you to stop a potentially snarky conversation. She cleared her throat. “Annie will be a good fit.”

Grady smiled. “I was surprised she got the job.”

“Well,” Lex said, “the name was right.” She smiled politely at him, wanting him to leave, wanting to stop feeling this odd awareness that had appeared out of nowhere once he walked into the bar and was surrounded by women. Where had that come from? “I don’t want to keep you from your—” somehow she managed to choke back the word groupies “—friends.”

“Thank you, again,” he said, before nodding at Kelly and then heading back across the bar where Ty and Jess were busy flirting and drinking.

When Lex looked back at Kelly, she found her friend frowning at her. “Is it just me, or were there a lot of unspoken messages in that conversation?”

Lex shrugged innocently. “Just you.”

“Right.”

Lex and Kelly nursed their beers and talked for a good twenty minutes before Kelly’s bar guy came back, only he wasn’t wearing his towel apron and he was carrying three beers. Lex instantly understood what was going on and raised her eyebrows at Kelly in silent communication.

Kelly gave a smiling nod and Lex said, “I hope that beer’s not for me. I have to go.”

“I’m sure we can find it a home.” The guy held out his hand. “I’m Gus.”

“Alexa.” Lex shook hands, then got up from her chair. “I’ll see you around, Kelly. Good luck with the new job. Nice to meet you, Gus.”

“New job?” Gus said as he sat down, and Lex took the opportunity to slip away toward the rear exit leading directly to the parking lot. Cool air hit her face as soon as she stepped out the door onto the gravel. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with air that didn’t smell of beer and too many bodies in a close place.

“Making it an early night?”

Lex jumped a mile at the unexpected voice not far from her shoulder, then whirled to see that Grady had followed her out the door. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“You should be more aware of your surroundings.”

He took a step forward and Lex drew herself up. “Walk you to your car?” he asked.

“Truck.” She was about to say no, then realized that was exactly what he expected her to say and the contrary part of her said, “Sure, why not?”

She could see that she’d surprised him by accepting his offer and decided she liked the feeling. “I’m parked on the other side of Main near the Shamrock.”

“Long ways away,” he said as they fell into step.

“We started Kelly’s going-away party there.”

“Ah.”

They walked shoulder to shoulder, gravel crunching beneath their boots. Grady was only a couple of inches taller than her, but somehow he seemed to take over the space around them. He was that kind of guy—a bit overpowering. Lex wasn’t about to be overpowered.

“So you’re babysitting while Annie is at work.”

He smiled, shaking his head.

“Not anymore?” Had the tar incident done him in?

“Yes. I’m the sitter. I was shaking my head at how much more involved it is than I thought it would be. Quite the experience.”

Lex decided against bringing up the tar thing. She already knew that he’d insisted on buying new jeans for the girls—not one pair, but three pairs each, in different colors. “I can see how it would be. You haven’t spent a lot of time around your nieces in the past couple years, have you?” She realized how critical that sounded, which surprisingly hadn’t been her intent. “I meant—”

“No worries,” he said as they approached her truck, but his tone had cooled. “I only have them in the mornings.”