Crazy For the Cowboy (25 page)

When Georgie walked in the front door, she heard Evelyn and Charmaine having an animated conversation in the parlor.

“There's Georgie!” Charmaine rushed out of the parlor to give her a hug.

Startled though she was, she hugged Charmaine back. She could only remember one hug from Charmaine in her life, and that had been right after her father died.

“It's so good to see you, Georgie!” Charmaine stepped back with a smile that was both open and real. The rest of her was about the way Georgie remembered. Her brown hair was still blond, her naturally rounded figure had been starved down to a size two, and her expertly applied makeup made her look airbrushed.

“It's good to see you, too, Charmaine. Ready for a riding lesson?”

“Oh, I can't risk it.”

“Risk what? Prince is a sweetheart and I'll be right there. Nothing will happen.”

Evelyn appeared in the doorway. “It's better if she waits until tomorrow. Tonight could be significant, and you never know what will happen with a horse. She could end up getting an ugly bruise somewhere, or a scratch, or twist her ankle.”

Bewildered, Georgie looked from her stepmother to Charmaine. “I seriously doubt she'll end up getting damaged, but what's the big deal about tonight?”

“RJ's in town.” Charmaine used the same tone she adopted when talking about British royalty, which she held in total awe.

Evelyn looked wise. “I'm sure he found out Charmaine was coming in early and decided he would, too. And you know what that means.”

“Not a clue.” Georgie felt as if she'd landed on Mars. “Who's RJ?”

“Randolph Jamison Steele to the uninitiated,” Evelyn said. “But his close friends call him RJ.”

Georgie grinned and started to make a smart remark. A week ago Evelyn had tossed out
Randolph
with a knowing smirk and Georgie was itching to call her on it. Then she composed herself.

She didn't want to fight about this. In fact, if this guy had the hots for Charmaine, so much the better. That could contribute to the success of the weekend and the potential success of Wild Horse Canyon Adventures.

A split second after she had that thought, she cringed. Now she was thinking like her stepmother, who was willing to use Charmaine to get what she wanted. That was a sobering revelation. She still thought Evelyn's manipulations were horrific, but she better understood the temptation presented when you had ammunition like Charmaine.

“Also,” Charmaine said, “I don't want to smell like horse tonight when I see RJ. I know I'll be smelly on that trail ride, but we'll all be smelly, so it won't matter quite so much.”

“We do have a shower,” Georgie said gently.

“I know, and I plan to shower again, anyway. But if we practice riding, I might have to rush and not get completely clean. I want to make sure my hair's right, too, and that takes time. And what if I broke a nail?” Her eyes widened at the thought of such a tragedy.

Georgie glanced at Charmaine's perfect French manicure. She'd probably had it done yesterday at some expensive salon, and Georgie doubted it would last through an overnight trail ride. It might not even survive a riding lesson. “I see your point. We can put it off.” Indefinitely.

Evelyn sighed. “Honestly, I wish Wild Horse Canyon Adventures involved helicopter rides instead of horses. Have you thought of that, Georgie? It would be far better, in my opinion.”

“That wouldn't work, Mama,” Charmaine said.

Georgie glanced at Charmaine in surprise. Maybe she realized, even if Evelyn didn't, that a helicopter would scare the living daylights out of the wild horses and ruin the entire concept. “You're right, Charmaine. Helicopters wouldn't work at all.”

“I know.” She gave Georgie a look of sisterly solidarity.

“Why not?” Evelyn still didn't seem to get it.

“For a lot of reasons,” Charmaine said, “but mostly because nobody in Bickford even
has
a helicopter, let alone knows how to fly the danged thing.”

Georgie ducked her head because she didn't want to be caught laughing. Maybe it was Charmaine's enthusiastic hug when she'd first walked in, but she was feeling both affection and sympathy for her stepsister and didn't want to hurt her feelings.

The grandfather clock struck three thirty, and Charmaine jumped. “Yikes. That clock always catches me by surprise. Listen, y'all, I'd better go upstairs and start getting ready. I haven't even thought about what I'll wear. Come on up with me, Georgie. You can help me decide.”

“I'll be glad to advise you, Charmaine,” Evelyn said.

“Thanks, Mama, but Georgie's tuned in to what people wear around here.” She headed up to the second floor.

It was a small triumph, but Georgie enjoyed it anyway. She followed Charmaine up the stairs. “Anastasia's way better at choosing clothes than I am.” Especially for seductions.

“We'll haul her in there, too. It'll be like old times.”

No, it wouldn't. The three of them had never hung out in each other's bedrooms talking about boys, clothes, and movies. Her father probably had been disappointed by their lack of sisterly bonding. But maybe it wasn't too late.

CHAPTER 25

R
J Steele was a surprise. Maybe Georgie had expected some version of J. R. Ewing because of his initials and the Dallas connection. Instead she discovered an easygoing guy who was nice to look at but not strikingly handsome. Still, he had a presence about him, a quiet confidence that was very appealing.

He wore a white dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck, jeans, and loafers. She couldn't tell designer from discount, so they could have been wildly expensive and she'd never know. His dark-brown hair had been cut in a salon, but plenty of men who weren't rich had similar haircuts.

In short, if no one had told her he was fabulously wealthy, she never would have guessed. She thought he might want it that way. His gray eyes were friendly, not piercing as she would have expected from a wheeler-dealer. She liked him.

So did everyone else who came into the saloon. Sadie's was doing a good business this evening, obviously because the word was out that the rich dude was in town. Most of the residents had wandered in and out of Sadie's in the past hour, with the exception of Vince. Georgie hadn't seen him at all. It was the dinner hour, and she couldn't believe he'd eaten and left.

RJ sat at a table with Charmaine on his right and Georgie on his left. They had drinks and fries while they waited for their order. They tried to hold a spot across from RJ for Anastasia, who was working on the mural, but people kept dropping into her designated seat to chat with RJ.

“I apologize,” Charmaine said during a break in the parade. “Bickford is a small town so of course everyone knows who you are and they want to meet you.”

“Don't worry about it.”

“I do, though. I don't want you to get a bad impression of the place.” Charmaine was certainly holding up her end. She was easily the most beautiful woman in the room and maybe in the county.

She'd styled her hair so most of it was on top of her head but little curls hung artfully over her temples and dangled down her graceful neck. Her low-cut purple tee showed off her cleavage without being trashy, and her jeans were snug without looking painted on. Georgie tried to get a fix on whether RJ was dazzled by Charmaine. No telling what it took to impress someone like him. He might be pretty jaded by now.

If he was dazzled, he was playing his cards close to his vest. He seemed perfectly relaxed as he sipped his draft. He hadn't even requested an imported beer. “I like talking to everybody,” he said. “I grew up in a small town, so I know how exciting a newcomer can be.”

“Which small town?” Georgie liked the idea that he hadn't always been a big-city guy. That might explain why he fit into the atmosphere of Sadie's so easily. “Was it in Texas?”

“Yes, but you wouldn't have heard of it. It's gone, now. I was too late to save it.”

Georgie turned in her chair. It was a subject dear to her heart. “Why too late?”

“By the time I had enough money to make a difference, it was too far gone. The most historic buildings had either burned down or been hopelessly trashed by vagrants.” He glanced around Sadie's. “This hotel and saloon remind me of the one they had there. I was hoping it would.”

“Hoping what would?” Ida plopped into Anastasia's vacant chair. “Pleased to meet you, by the way. Ida Harrington, at your service.”

“RJ Steele.” He shook her hand.

“I know who you are. We all do. So what were you hoping for when you came to Bickford, Mr. Steele?”

“Please call me RJ.”

He'd told everybody that, which made Georgie smile. Apparently he considered everyone his friend until proven not to be. She liked that, too.

“RJ, then,” Ida said.

“I was hoping to find exactly what is here,” he said. “A town full of good people in bad financial circumstances through no fault of their own. But more than that, it's a town with a plan. That's important. You're not sitting around moaning about your lousy luck.”

“Oh, but we used to,” Ida said. “You should have been here before the cowboys showed up, specifically one certain cowboy.” She winked at Georgie.

“Oh?” His eyebrows lifted. “Maybe I need to hear about these cowboys.”

Ida related the story with far more drama than it required, in Georgie's opinion, although she was pleased that Ida gave Vince so much credit. He became the hero of Ida's tale, but she couldn't resist casting Georgie as the heroine. “Between the two of them, they kicked this plan into high gear,” Ida said. “And furthermore, I look to see them get hitched one of these days.”

Georgie panicked. “Ida, that's not—”

“Really?” Charmaine turned a startled glance on Georgie.

“No, not really. We're not even dating.” Technically they never had. Meeting for sex every night wasn't her idea of dating.

“But he's here, right? I mean he has to be in town if he's the trail boss. But where is he? Except for RJ and Ike, all I've seen are old . . . I mean,
older
guys.”

“I don't know,” Georgie said. “Like I mentioned, we're not dating, so I don't keep track of his activities.”

Ida gave her a hard stare. “You two had a fight, didn't you?”

“No! We're perfectly friendly . . . friends.” Her cheeks felt hot, which wasn't helping.

Ida reached over and patted her hand. “It'll work itself out, honey. You're both under pressure because the first trail ride is this weekend. Once you get past that, you'll be fine.”

“Ida . . . Never mind.” She could see that she'd only make things worse if she kept protesting. Ida hadn't lived to be ninety-four without learning a bit about human nature. She knew that Georgie was more than
friends
with Vince, whether she had any real evidence or not.

Charmaine glanced toward the outside door of the saloon and drew in a sharp breath. “Is your cowboy tall, with broad shoulders and really blue eyes?”

“Um, yeah.” She didn't bother to correct the
your cowboy
part of that. It seemed that Vince had just walked in. Her heart began to pound.

“Georgie, if you're not dating him, then you have rocks for brains. He's . . . perfect for you.” She glanced quickly at RJ. “Not my type, but my sister likes rugged, and this guy is rugged.”

“No, I don't.” She wondered where Charmaine was getting this. She'd never discussed her preferences with her stepsister.

“Yes, you do. I distinctly remember you saying that you like rugged cowboy types when you frog-marched me home from Sadie's that night.”

“I didn't, either.” She was developing a headache.

“Yes, you did. I think it was because you'd had some wine and people say stuff they wouldn't normally say when they're a little sloshed, right, RJ?”

He smiled. “Right.”

Georgie wanted to crawl under the table. “Listen, could we drop the subject, please? I'm sure RJ doesn't want to hear about any of this old history.”

“On the contrary. I'm highly entertained.”

“Me, too.” Ida settled back with a wide grin. “Do go on.”

Charmaine leaned toward RJ. “See, they used to have live music in Sadie's, and I was slightly underage but I sneaked in, hoping Georgie wouldn't notice me. She was dancing with someone, and on the way home she said that guy turned her on but she wished he didn't. And he was rugged, like the cowboy who just came in.”

“Charmaine, I'm begging you. Stop.”

“Okay, but that's what happened, which is why I know your type.” She glanced over toward the bar where Vince had perched on a stool. “In fact, he looked a lot like . . . wait . . . that's
him.
It's the same darned guy you were dancing with that night!” She lowered her voice. “That's
Vince
.”

Apparently she'd said it loud enough that he heard, because to Georgie's horror, he glanced over his shoulder.

The humiliation wasn't going to end, either, because Ida called out to him. “We're talking about you, Vince. Come on over and say hello to Charmaine and RJ.”

Georgie sat like a rabbit trying to blend into its surroundings. She yearned to be invisible. She'd totally lost control of the situation, and she was going to
kill
her sister the minute they got home. She didn't remember spilling her secrets to Charmaine, but she'd been a little tipsy from wine and high on the thrill of dancing with Vince. She'd probably done it and now she was paying the price.

Vince slowly unfolded his long legs and stood. As he ambled over to the table, he adjusted the tilt of his Stetson. He must have just finished working with the horses, because he was sweaty and dusty. And unshaven. From the looks of him, he hadn't shaved since . . . since right before midnight.

Heat sluiced through her veins and warmed her skin. She tried to blame it on embarrassment, but it was more than that. Watching this sexy cowboy walk toward them, his blue eyes more brilliant than ever in contrast to his beard and a thin layer of dust, made her squirm in her seat.

Rugged didn't begin to describe Vince Durant. He was the hard, strong, yet vulnerable man of her dreams. She longed for him to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off into the sunset, then make love to her until dawn. She didn't give a damn about the stubble, either. Some men were worth a little razor burn.

RJ stood and offered his seat. “Won't you join us? I can get another chair.”

“No, thanks. I came straight from the stable and I didn't expect to be socializing.” His gaze flicked briefly to Georgie. “I'll just grab a quick beer at the bar and go upstairs to shower.”

RJ took the rejection in stride. “Then I'll just introduce myself. I'm RJ Steele. And I guess you know Charmaine. And of course Ida and Georgie.”

“Good to meet you, Steele.” Vince clasped his hand. The men were about the same height, but Vince's hat gave him an advantage. He nodded at Ida and Georgie in turn. “Glad to see you both.”

Georgie tried not to be irritated that he'd given exactly the same greeting to Ida that he had to her.

Then his gaze settled on Charmaine. “It's been a few years, Charmaine. I hear you're coming out with us on Saturday.”

“I am. I didn't think you'd remember me. I was only a senior in high school that night I snuck into Sadie's.”

Vince smiled. “A mighty pretty senior, as I recall.”

“Thank you.” Charmaine flushed with pleasure. “That's nice of you to say.”

“You made an impression. But I think that's the only time I saw you.”

“Mama had a hissy-fit over me coming down here, so I promised to keep away from Sadie's. Come August, she shipped me off to college.” If Georgie hadn't spent so much time with Vince, she would have thought he was flirting with Charmaine. But she knew him well enough to see the automatic charm being turned on for the benefit of a woman who would appreciate it. It was a sweet gesture.

“A lot of guys were upset that Georgie dragged you out of Sadie's that night. My friend Mac, in particular.”

“I'm sorry.” Charmaine sounded genuinely distressed. “I'm afraid I don't remember which one he was.”

“He remembered you. Wondered where you were now.”

“That's very flattering. I'm working in Dallas as a personal shopper.”

“Georgie told us. Mac was sorry he missed you when he was here a few weeks ago. Next time I see him, I'll tell him you're prettier than ever.”

“Goodness!” Charmaine waved a hand in front of her face. “You're making me blush.”

“Then my work here is done.” Vince winked at her. “If y'all will excuse me, I'll go drink my beer and then get cleaned up.”

“Look for me when you come back down,” RJ said. “I'd like to discuss a few things with you about the trail ride.”

“Absolutely.” Vince tipped his hat. “Ladies.” Then he turned and went back to his barstool.

The minute he was gone, Charmaine grabbed Georgie's arm. “Are you out of your mind? He's
gorgeous.
And so well-mannered. I think it's fate that he's back here after all these years.”

Georgie had had about all she could stand. Her head was killing her, so she didn't have to fake her excuse. “Y'all, I hate to be a party pooper, but I've got a massive headache. I'm going to head on home and get some rest.”

“Aw, Georgie, I'm sorry.” Charmaine's green gaze was filled with sympathy. “I'll walk you home.”

“No, please. Don't do that. Stay here and have fun. You and Anastasia can represent the family.”

“Okay.” Charmaine glanced at RJ and Ida. “If y'all don't mind, I'll step outside with Georgie. I have a couple of things I wanted to mention to her. I'll be right back.”

“Don't hurry,” Ida said. “I'll be happy to entertain our honored guest. Maybe he'll give me some stock tips.”

Despite the pounding in her head, Georgie got a kick out of that. “I hope he does, Ida.”

Charmaine wrapped an arm around Georgie's waist as they headed outside. “I'll bet your headache is my fault for revealing your deep dark secrets.”

“It's okay. Things between Vince and me are . . . complicated.”

“I can tell, and I should have kept my mouth shut. I'm not always good at that.”

The cool air felt wonderful and Georgie took a deep breath once they were out the door.

“I won't keep you here because I know you're hurting,” Charmaine said. “But I wanted to say something and I don't dare when we're at the house.”

As Georgie faced her, she couldn't imagine what was coming next. Charmaine had turned out to be a series of surprises.

“First of all, I know how hard you're working to keep this family together, and I know a lot of money's being shoveled in my direction.”

Georgie blinked. She hadn't expected that. “Well, your mother wants—”