Boots and Buckles (7 page)

When Sam entered the trailer, Grant was already awake, his eyes bloodshot, dark circles beneath them.

“Mornin’, partner. You look like hell.” He laughed, the joy of the night before bubbling up inside, refusing to be tamped down. “What happened? Did you go home with that woman you met on the dance floor last night?”

Grant yanked a coffee mug from the cabinet and slammed it on the counter. “None of your goddamn business.”

Sam backed up a step. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.” He tossed his hat on a chair and reached for another mug. “Gonna be a nice day for a rodeo.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Grant poured coffee into his mug, some of it sloshing over onto his hand. He jerked it away and flapped. “Damn.”

“Here.” Sam pulled a paper towel off the roll and handed it to Grant. “You should put that burn under cold water.”

Grant jerked his hand away from Sam, grumbling. “I know what to do.”

Sam stared at Grant. “You got a bug up your butt about something? If so, spit it out.”

Grant ran his hand under cold water, his jaw tight, a muscle twitching in his cheek. “I got nothin’ to say.”

“Good, then I’ll take care of the horses while you get your shit together.” Sam left the trailer, wondering what had gotten his partner all jacked up. Grant hadn’t been this surly since he quit binge drinking. If he wasn’t mistaken, the man was angry and frustrated. If he had left with the woman on the dance floor, had she gotten him all hot and bothered then turned him down? It was the only thing Sam could think of. He’d give Grant some room to cool off and get his game face on. Hopefully, he’d be in his right mind when they had to perform that afternoon.

Grant had no one to blame but himself. He’d spent the night tossing and turning after leaving Tacey’s trailer, only to get up in a foul mood with a hard-on that hurt. A cold shower and a fight with the coffee maker only made his temper worse.

When Sam showed up at the trailer with a smile and an I-just-got-laid look, that was all he could take. More than likely he’d gotten laid by the woman Grant had come to Temptation to win back. He should have felt like a heel for taking his temper out on Sam, but he couldn’t. All he wanted to do was punch his partner in the face.

Unless Mona had set him straight, Sam didn’t know squat about Grant’s past relationship with the pretty hairstylist. Based on how obliviously happy he’d been when he came into the trailer, Mona hadn’t bothered to enlighten the man.

Which could mean two things. One: Mona didn’t give a shit about Grant anymore, or two: Mona was trying to get back at Grant by screwing his partner.

Either option sucked and Grant could do nothing about it. He had no rights where Mona was concerned, and busting Sam’s happy bubble would help nothing. Hell, he had a rodeo event to win before he could get the hell out of Temptation. Away from Mona with the only bright side that Sam would be away from her as well.

Less than magnanimous, Grant would rather Mona went for a stranger than falling for his partner. If he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want someone else that close to him reminding him of what he’d screwed up and missed out on.

A few minutes later, Sam entered the trailer. “You ready to exercise the horses?”

“Yeah.” Grant downed the last of his coffee and headed out. As he passed Sam, he muttered, “Sorry. Must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“No worries.” Sam threw a blanket over the back of his buckskin. The animal whinnied and shifted sideways, unsettled by the number of horses nearby. “Easy there, Dakota.” He ran his hand along the horse’s neck and scratched behind his ears, speaking softly in Lakota to him the entire time.

Did Sam treat Mona with as much care as he did his horse? Grant’s gut knotted. Was Sam gentle with her in bed? Did he whisper soft words in his native Lakota to soothe her? Did Mona like it?

When Dakota stopped dancing from hoof to hoof, Sam glanced up.

Grant realized he still stood at the top of the trailer steps, his gaze on Sam.

“You want to talk about it?” Sam asked.

Grant ducked his head, his cheeks burning. Hell no, he didn’t want to talk about anything. Especially what he’d been thinking. “About what?”

Sam grabbed his saddle out of a storage compartment in the trailer and slung it over Dakota’s back. “Whatever’s botherin’ you.”

“Who said anything was botherin’ me?” Grant tossed the blanket and saddle over Little Joe’s back. The Appaloosa stood steady, unfazed by the activity around him. Unlike his owner.

Grant wanted to confront Sam. At the same time, he didn’t want Sam to know he and Mona had been a thing at one time. Sam might feel as if he had to back off Mona and let Grant have a shot at her.

Actually, that was exactly what Grant wanted, but not because of Sam’s sense of loyalty. He wanted Mona to come to him instead of Sam, without Sam pulling himself out of the equation.

Thing was, she wouldn’t come to him unless he showed her how he felt. She might still be under the impression he wasn’t interested since that was the last word she’d gotten from him, back when he’d made the mistake of picking up Dalton’s slack.

Grant cinched the girth beneath Little Joe’s belly and slipped a bridle over his head, coming to a couple conclusions as he did.

If he wanted Mona back, he’d have to woo her.
She’d
have to make the decision between Sam and him. He’d tried sharing a woman before and all that had gotten him was a loveless marriage with a woman he’d only cared about long enough for a one-night stand. In the process, he’d lost the woman he’d always dreamed of marrying.

Mona would be working the Ugly Stick Saloon that night. If he wanted time alone with her, he’d have to catch her before that. He’d stop by her shop after their event and ask her out to dinner.

“Ready?” Sam stepped into the stirrup and swung into his saddle.

“Yeah.” Grant hauled himself into the saddle and followed Sam and his mount into an open field. As they passed Tacey’s trailer, an image of a tall sandy-haired blonde flashed through his mind, reminding him of how beautiful she’d been standing in front of him naked.

He shifted in his saddle, his groin tightening. He couldn’t think of Tacey when it was another woman he’d come back to Temptation for. That evening he’d start his campaign to win back Mona.

Bunny slipped into the Shear Safari as Mona was flipping the Closed sign to Open. “Okay, girlfriend, spill.”

Avoiding Bunny’s determined gaze, Mona grabbed a broom and swept the spotless floor to keep her hands from shaking. “I don’t have anything to say.”

Bunny grabbed the broom from her and held it still. “I saw Sam Whitefeather leaving your apartment early this morning. Don’t tell me you have nothing to say.” She let go and settled in the swivel chair. “I want all the delicious details.”

“Sam stayed the night. It was no big deal.”
Like hell.
It was a huge deal and she wasn’t sure how to proceed from the hole she’d dug herself into.

“I saw how you handled Dalton last night, and I also saw your reaction to seeing Grant for the first time. Then you shack up with Grant’s partner and you’re telling me it’s no big deal? I don’t think so, sweetie.” She patted the swivel chair beside her. “Sit.”

Mona dropped into the chair and buried her face in her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Start with how you feel about Sam.”

“He’s nice, handsome, and…”

“Is he good in bed?”

“Bunny!”

“You know it counts, so don’t get all sanctimonious on me. You’re the one who told me to take a step on the wild side. And look what it got me.” Bunny grinned. “Not one cowboy, but two. Cory and Jack make me happier than I thought possible.”

“This is different,” Mona said.

“How?”

“I was in love with Grant.”

“Okay then, let’s talk about that.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to.”

“Too bad.” Bunny stood and trapped Mona in her chair. “Do you still love Grant?”

Mona glanced away. “I don’t know.”

“You nearly caused a mass-casualty event at the Ugly Stick when you saw him.”

Her face heating, Mona cringed. “I know. That was awful and embarrassing.”

“Did you fall because he made your heart turn cartwheels?”

“I guess.”

“Monaaa.” Bunny shook her. “Either it did or it didn’t.”

“Okay, it did.”

“And Sam? Does he make your heart do back handsprings?”

“What’s with the gymnastics references?” Mona stalled.

“Just answer my question.”

Her heart fluttered, her body heating with the memories of all he’d done to her the previous night. “Yes. Damn it.” She shoved a hand through her hair. “I don’t need the complication. He’s Grant’s partner. What will Grant think?”

“That you’re screwing his partner out of some kind of revenge.” Bunny straightened. “And the bastard would deserve it after what he did to you.”

“Shit.” Mona buried her face in her hands again. “What am I gonna do?”

“Figure it out.”

“How?” she wailed, flinging her arm out.

“You have to see Grant and determine whether or not he has any feelings left for you. Ask him if he came back because he realized he’d made a mistake by letting you go in the first place.”

“I can’t do that.” Mona pushed to her feet and paced the length of the shop and back. “I just started seeing Sam. How can I go out with Grant without hurting Sam?”

“You have to, or you’ll always wonder if you still love Grant.”

Mona’s shoulders slumped. “I knew sleeping with Sam was a mistake.”

“Was it? Really?” Bunny gripped Mona’s arms. “Did it feel good?”

With a sigh, she nodded. “Yes. Really good. Hell, it’s been three years since I’ve been with a man.”

“How many vibrators and batteries have you burned through?”

“Too many to count. But I don’t really know Sam. Last night could have been nothing more than lust.”

Bunny wrapped her arms around Mona and hugged her. “Sweetie, you owe it to yourself to confront Grant. If you still love him, you’ll have a better understanding of what your choices will be.”

“What if he doesn’t love me back, like before?” Mona curved her arms around her friend and pressed her face into Bunny’s neck. “I couldn’t take being rejected again.”

“Then you’ll have Sam to ease your heart.”

“What if I end up loving both of them?”

Bunny smiled. “They’re partners, maybe they’ll consider sharing you, like Cory and Jack share me.”

Mona chewed on her lip. “I don’t know. It didn’t work out for me last time. I lost both of them.” She snorted. “Though losing Dalton wasn’t a big loss. Where Grant at least called and blew me off, Dalton didn’t even bother.”

“Dalton’s a jerk. But what makes Grant any better? He blew you off too.”

“I don’t know. Something in his face last night made me think he regretted it.”

“Yeah, could have been gas.”

Mona’s lips pressed together. “Thanks. You’re making me feel so much better.”

“So what’s it gonna be?” Bunny pushed Mona to arm’s length. “Are you going after Grant to see if there’s any spark left, or are you gonna sit back and always ask yourself
what if
?”

Mona closed her eyes, her head spinning with the possibilities. “Sam was really good.”

“Then screw Grant.”

“But I loved Grant, and I don’t know if I love Sam. It’s too soon to tell.”

“Honey, you’re single, pretty and over twenty-one. Get out there and have fun. Things will land the way they land, if you give yourself permission to jump in.”

Mona sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay. I’ll test the waters with Grant and see if they’re still warm.”

Bunny clapped a hand to her back. “That’s my girl. Stick your neck out there. All you’ve got to lose is your dignity. And I think that’s way overrated where love’s concerned.”

Mrs. Frantzen, Mona’s first customer of the day, stepped through the door.

“Duty calls, sweetie.” Mona hugged Bunny and smiled at her customer. “Good morning.”

And the day began with a knotted stomach, a temporarily satisfied itch and a host of possibilities.

Chapter Six

Sam tossed his saddle into the storage bin, brushed Dakota and ran inside the trailer to wash up. Ten o’clock was fast approaching and he wanted to meet Mona for coffee. He hoped she remembered.

After running a quick comb through his hair, he slipped into a clean shirt and hurried for the door, grabbing his cowboy hat from the hook on the wall.

Grant met him at the bottom of the stairs. “In a hurry?”

“I promised Mona I’d meet her for coffee this mornin’ at ten.”

His partner’s jaw tightened and he stood back as Sam dropped down out of the trailer. “We need to be in place by one o’clock.”

“I’ll be back by eleven thirty.”

“Good.” Grant threw his brush into the storage area.