Boots and the Heartbreaker: Ugly Stick Saloon, Book 11 (4 page)

“He knew,” Fancy finally answered.

“That you were still in love with another man?”

Fancy nodded. “I also came back to Temptation to get Colin well and truly out of my system.” Only the plan was backfiring horribly. No sooner had she been alone with the man, she’d dropped her panties and had sex with him in the storeroom.

“Seems to me you’re hurting yourself by resisting what’s right there in front of you,” Dusty said.

“I don’t care. I can’t go through life mooning over a man I fell in love with when I was barely out of my teens.” She bunched her fists. “I have to get over him.”

“Then do it.”

She laughed, a sob choking her throat. “How?” she whispered.

“Spend time with him.”

“What?” She stared at Dusty as if he’d lost his mind.

“Spend time with him and pick apart every fault. Maybe he’ll pick his nose, belch or fart in front of you.”

Fancy wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”

“That’s the spirit. Find all those little things that make you nuts, and blow them out of proportion.”

“He does want me to help break up my uncle and his mother. That’s annoying.” And necessary to her future peace of mind if she wanted to avoid awkward family functions.

“Then do it. Join forces. Maybe too much togetherness will breed contempt, and you will both part amicably.”

She
had
promised to help him with the Carl and Maggie issue. “It might work.” An image of Colin’s face as he’d thrust into her in the storeroom and the resurgence of her own desire at the way her pussy still tingled threatened to derail her mission before she’d made it out of the chute.

She just had to meet him in more public places, never be alone with him and keep her panties on!

Chapter Four

“Has anyone seen Mom today?” Colin asked the next afternoon as he entered the house through the back door. He’d been at one of his construction sites, checking on the progress of the finish carpenters applying baseboards and crown molding in the historic Victorian house he was remodeling for Judge Stephens. They were a week behind schedule and the judge was due back from vacation soon.

“She was here at breakfast this morning.” Brody’s fiancée, Jessie, stood at the stove, stirring onions and hamburger meat in a skillet.

His brother Brody was filling a large pot with water at the sink. “She said something about having a meeting at the diner and not to count on her for supper.”

“Will you be staying?” Jessie asked. “I’m making spaghetti.”

Colin sniffed the air. “Smells good.”

Jessie’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll have you know, I haven’t burned anything in over a week.”

Colin laughed. “You’ll make a fine cook, if you keep this up.”

“I’m better with horses,” she muttered. “But I’m learning from the best.”

“Mom.” Colin sighed. “Think she’ll be on strike forever?”

“I wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t,” Jessie reminded him. “And I really am getting better at cooking.”

Brody slipped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “And you’re even better in bed.”

“Seriously, Brody. Couldn’t you wait until I left the room?” Colin turned away and would have walked out.

“Angus told me what happened with you and Fancy last night, after I left early.”

Brody’s words made Colin stiffen. How did Angus know about Colin and Fancy having sex in the storeroom?

“I’d have paid good money to see her expression when you fell flat on your face in front of her.” Brody chortled. “Way to make a good impression on the woman after eight years.”

Colin’s shoulders relaxed. He was still getting used to being on friendly terms with Brody after their estrangement. His brother bore a grudge against Colin for eight long years, refusing to speak or be in the same state with him for more than a couple of days.

Now that he was home for good, and in love with Jessie, they were almost back to being like they were before Colin had slept with Fancy.

Yeah, it was a twisted story, with lots of hard feelings, but they were getting past that.

Colin shot a wry smile over his shoulder at his brother. “It wasn’t my best performance.”

Brody pinned him with a glance. “So how long is it going to take for you to go after Fancy?”

Jessie nudged him in the belly. “Isn’t that Colin’s business?”

Brody hugged her against his side. “Not really. He needs to get on the ball. Time is passing far too quickly.”

Colin’s eyes narrowed.

“For what?” Jessie asked. “If Colin wants Fancy, he should take his time and treat her right.”

“He doesn’t have much time.” Brody raised his eyebrows in silent challenge to Colin.

Nothing like his brothers applying pressure to the last single McFarlan man standing.

“Three weeks should be plenty if the woman’s willing and Colin plays his cards right.” Jessie pinched Brody. “Now let go of me so I can stir the sauce.”

Brody released Jessie and strode toward Colin. “Less than three weeks,” he corrected.

“Are you sure you’re okay with…you know?” Though Brody had told him to go for Fancy, it was still too new for Colin to believe it.

“He’s okay with it, Colin,” Jessie answered for Brody. “I know all about what happened between you, Brody and Fancy. Brody fessed up about it.”

Brody grinned. “I can’t keep much from this woman. She sees right through me.”

“She’s a keeper.” Colin winked when Jessie shot a glance over her shoulder.

“Yeah, and you need to find your keeper too. If it’s not Fancy, keep looking.” Brody’s voice lowered. “But make it soon.”

Colin glared at his brother. “Don’t push.”

Brody raised his hands. “Fine. I won’t say another word. Angus and I have the women we love. No matter what happens, we’ll be fine. But we’d be even better if you could find someone of your own.”

Rub it in, Brody. Rub it in.

Colin showered and changed into clean jeans and boots. He tossed on one of his nicer button down shirts and topped it with his best cowboy hat. Satisfied he looked decent, he headed for town. He hoped to find Fancy and implement his plan to win her over, while breaking up the disaster of Carl Landers getting his hands on the ranch and breaking his mother’s heart.

Twenty minutes later he entered PJ’s Diner and stopped short. The two women foremost in his mind sat huddled over a table in the far corner.

Fancy was pointing at a stack of papers and talking, while his mother leaned over the documents, nodding occasionally and asking questions.

What the hell?

Colin strode across the diner and stopped in front of the table, forcing a smile. He couldn’t really win over Fancy if he joined them frowning, now could he?

“Well, I didn’t expect to see you two together. What’s the occasion?” he asked.

His mother’s cheeks warmed and she laid her arms over the papers on the table. “We just happened to bump into each other and decided to have lunch. Didn’t we, dear?” She glanced at Fancy with an expectant smile.

Fancy nodded. “Why yes, of course.”

“Lunch would have been hours ago. It’s almost dinner time.”

His mother glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. “Good grief! Time flies.” She shoved the papers into her voluminous purse and closed it before Colin had a chance to see what they were. “I’m sorry, but I have to leave. I promised a friend we’d meet at the fair in an hour and a half.” She patted her hair, her cheeks rosy. “I have to get back to the house and change. I’ll be late if I don’t get moving.” Colin’s mother leaned across the table and patted Fancy’s hand. “Thank you for talking with me. I’ll think about everything you said and let you know my decision soon.”

“Take your time, Mrs. McFarlan.”

“Oh, pooh. Call me Mrs. M. Jessie calls me that, and I kind of like it.” She scooted out of the booth seat, stood and faced Colin. “Did you want something, dear?”

His brows descended. The women were keeping secrets from him. “To know what’s going on.”

His mother patted his face. “Nothing you need fret about. You have enough to worry about on your own, don’t you?” His mother winked at Fancy. “Don’t let him be a grump to you. He really is the most charming of my three sons.”

“Thank you, Mrs. M. I think I can handle him. You’d better hurry, or you’ll be late.”

Her eyes sparkling, Colin’s mother flashed a grin. “It wouldn’t hurt for him to wait a while. A girl needs to play a little hard to get.”

Colin’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe those words had come out of his mother’s mouth.

“Really, Colin. I’m old. Not dead.” She left the diner smiling, a stunned son spinning in her wake.

Fancy chuckled at the shock on Colin’s face. “I’ve never seen your mother so animated. Cut her some slack.”

He turned, his brows dipping low. “She’s talking about playing hard to get with your uncle.”

“I know.” Her fingers drummed on the table. “What are we going to do about it?”

Colin slid onto the bench across from her. “Break them up.”

“And how do you propose we do that?”

“Never leave them alone, for one.”

“That will be hard to do. We’d have to stalk them. Isn’t there a law against that?”

“Who cares? She’s my mother.”

“And my uncle.” Fancy stared across the table at him. “So what’s the plan?”

“You heard my mother. She’s meeting him at the fair in an hour and a half. We will be there to make sure they’re never alone. If they decide to go out for a late dinner, we invite ourselves along.”

“And if they decide to go to Lover’s Lane?”

“We follow them to make sure that’s where they’re going and call Dusty to buzz by and break it up. The sheriff’s department has always done the job.”

“Except for one night I seem to recall,” Fancy whispered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” She faked a happy smile. “So what time are you picking me up for the fair?”

“If you need to change, I can follow you home and wait.”

Her heart skipped several beats and made up by thumping hard against her ribs. “No need to follow me. My Jeep is right outside. I’ll drive myself. Why don’t we meet at the fair in one hour? You know, get the jump on the old folks.”

“I’d rather pick you up at your place, so we don’t have two vehicles to deal with later.”

“Come by in an hour. I’ll be ready.” She scooted across the seat.

Colin slid across as well and stood at the same time she did, putting them a lot closer than Fancy anticipated.

She took a hasty step backward and nearly fell.

A big, callused hand reached out, grabbed her arm and yanked her against a solid wall of muscles.

Her breath lodged in her lungs, refusing to move in or out, Fancy planted her hands on Colin’s chest, prepared to push him away.

“Umm. You smell like spicy apple pie.” Colin leaned close and sniffed her neck. “A la mode.”

“I like apple pie and ice cream. So?” Her words came out of her mouth in little more than a whisper. Unable to breathe with him so close, she couldn’t expect more.

“I like apple pie and ice cream too.”

Remembering what Dusty had said, Fancy concentrated on finding fault in Colin. She sniffed, hoping he smelled awful of sweat or horse manure. Instead, his cologne made her core tighten and her fingers curl into his shirt. Damn. This was going to be hard.

“Uh. If we’re going to the fair, I need to go home and change into something casual.” A pencil skirt, suit jacket and high heels wouldn’t be at all practical walking through the grass.

“I like what you’re wearing.”

“Yeah, but when I’m rocking on the Ferris wheel, it’s nice to know the folks waiting on the ground aren’t getting an eye full of my underwear.”

“Okay. I wouldn’t want to share that with them, anyway.”

“It’s not like
you’re
going to see them. I told you. We’re not a thing. The only reason we’re going to the fair together is to interfere with your mother and my uncle’s budding romance.” She pointed at him. “Hands off.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Whatever you wish.”

Fancy stared at him with narrowed eyes. “I don’t trust you.” Worse. She didn’t trust herself. Now that she’d thrown down the gauntlet for him to remain hands off, she couldn’t think past those hands on her body.

Well, crap
. The best way to combat her own urges was to deal with Colin the same way they planned on dealing with Maggie and Carl.

Never let them be alone together.

She repeated that mantra all the way to her house and almost had herself convinced. That is, until she stripped out of her skirt suit and stood in her bra and panties, looking at the clothes in her wardrobe. The cool breeze from the air conditioner feathered across her heated skin, reminding her that she was nearly naked.

If she’d let Colin come to her house with her, he would be waiting out in the living room. All she would have to do was walk out there in her bra and panties and nature would take its course.
Oy!
Talk about stirring the juices.

No amount of cool air could chill her rising desire at just the thought of standing naked in front of Colin. What she needed was to slake her thirst with BOB, her battery-operated boyfriend. One orgasm coming up!

Slipping out of her bra and panties, she lay on the bed and opened the drawer to her nightstand. Fancy removed the smooth, shiny dildo from the cloth bag, applied a generous dollop of gel to it. Her pussy was already wet from thinking about Colin and their raw sex among the whiskey and beer the night before.

Yeah, she could easily take the edge off before seeing Colin and have no issues with wanting to jump his bones and make mad, crazy monkey sex with him.

She flipped the switch on BOB. He buzzed to life, vibrating in her palm.

Oh, yes.

As she touched BOB to her entrance, the vibrations slowed.

Low batteries? Bad connection?

Fancy shook BOB and he revved up for a second, then died all together.

“Fuck!” Naked and horny, Fancy leaped from the bed and scoured the house for spare batteries. She hadn’t been back long enough to accumulate much in the way of spares. As she raced through the house, ducking past the open blinds, she realized it was a hopeless cause.

Back in the bedroom, she stared at BOB. “You picked a fine time to die on me, dude. But I don’t have to have the vibration to make me happy. I can get there without it.”

She lay down again on the bed, reapplied the gel and willed herself to relax and enjoy her self-stimulation.

Closing her eyes, she touched the tip of the lifeless BOB to her pussy, now drier from her race around the house looking for batteries. Not to be deterred, she rubbed BOB in and around her entrance, spreading the gel to ease him into action.

When she had enough lubricant to make the glide easier, she eased BOB into her channel and the comparison began…

BOB was narrow, metallic and cold, unlike Colin’s thick, velvety smooth, warm cock. She could put BOB in her mouth, but it just wouldn’t be the same as sucking the come out of Colin’s dick.

She couldn’t expect BOB to measure up to Colin. Why hadn’t she gotten a bigger dildo when she’d bought BOB? And those rubber glove things that slipped over the metal rod. They would have made the experience more realistic.

In and out, she thrust BOB. With her eyes shut tightly, she imagined it was Colin, leaning over her, bending down to capture one of her nipples between his lips. With her free hand she plumped her breast and pinched the tip.

Fancy was determined to do this. She’d pleasured herself before, eliciting a full orgasm more than one time. Now was no different.

Except she’d made love to a live, well-hung, warm and sexy man the night before.

After ten minutes of concentrated effort, she admitted defeat. No amount of thrusting, titty pinching and nubbin flicking was going to do it for her when she could have had a real man instead by giving in to her lust and allowing Colin to come home with her.