Just Shoot Me (Cowboy Way, #1) (12 page)

“
You’re scared…a coward,” Tina
Montgomery challenged. She leaned forward to pick up the baggie
with her sandwich. “And you’re a bully.”

“
Any other virtues you want to
list?” Dean asked with anger building inside him like lava inside a
volcano. If she didn’t stop he was definitely going to erupt soon.
“I don’t give a damn what you think about me.”

“
Well you should at least care what
your son thinks,” she said evenly, removing the plastic from the
sandwich. “You want him to grow up being like that? Because that is
what’s going to happen.”

Dean shoved up to his feet. “Goddamn, you have
a lot of nerve, lady!” he shouted, staring down at her with his
hands on his hips. “Since I’m your only ride back to the house. I
suggest you just drop it.”

“
And I suggest you sit back down
and finish your sandwich. I’m just saying what someone should have
said to you a long time ago. It’s time for you to man up and stop
feeling sorry for yourself.” She calmly ate another bite off the
corner of her sandwich and chewed.

Well one good thing came of her continuing to
run her mouth. Dean was not thinking about sex now. He was too busy
thinking about strangling her. His eyes fell on his half-eaten
sandwich, and his stomach growled. He wasn’t sure if it was because
he was still hungry, or because of the acid swirling there. It sure
didn’t look like she was in any hurry to finish her sandwich. He
thought about leaving her ass there to walk home, but he sat down
on the blanket instead.

His mother would probably kill him if he did
that, if there was anything left after Hope finished with him.
“What it’s time for is for you to shut the hell up,” Dean said
shortly, as he jerked his sandwich up from the blanket.

Her face swung toward him, and her eyebrow
lifted. His eyes fell to the dot of peanut butter at the corner of
her full lips. A chill skated along his spine when her pink tongue
darted out to swipe it away. “Make me,” she invited with a small
cocky smile. Dean watched her lips move, but didn’t hear the words
over the pounding of his heart in his ears.

Make her
? Is that what she said? There
she went with her childish taunts again. Well, Dean was about to
teach her a lesson about being cute with him. He was going to shut
up the aggravating woman the only way that seemed effective. She
had pushed him far enough today. Right past the limit on his
control. Dean tossed his sandwich over his shoulder onto the grass
and wiped the crumbs off of his hands.

In a flash of movement he pounced, shoving her
shoulders back onto the blanket, as he slammed his mouth over hers
stifling her surprised shriek. Tina struggled under him for a
moment, but then stilled. Her hand slid around his neck and a
thrill shot straight down his spine to his dick. Dean held her down
while he devoured her smart mouth in a punishing kiss. She moaned
and shoved her other hand into his hair, knocking his hat
off.

The birds sang in the trees, a slight breeze
rustled through the leaves, and the sun beat down on his back, but
Dean just kept kissing her like none of that existed. In his mind
it didn’t. All he could focus on was how good her body felt under
him, how incredible her mouth tasted. Dean loved peanut butter and
jelly, and with her lips in the flavor mix, he loved it even more.
With another strangled moan, she wrapped her calf around the back
of his thigh, and Dean knew it was time for him to slow down. If he
didn’t, he wasn’t going to stop at kissing.

The kiss meant as punishment for her quickly
became an erotic lesson to him. Don’t kiss Tina Montgomery again,
because it would just make him want more. She wiggled her hips
against him suggestively and Dean groaned then shifted off of her
onto the blanket. And he had to quit kissing her, but he couldn’t
make himself do it just yet. The kiss went on forever, took on a
new dimension, and Dean was about at his snapping point when her
small hand stroked over his erection. His whole body felt
electrified as he groaned and jerked his mouth from
hers.

“
I can help you improve your
attitude,” she offered with a tight squeeze.

Dean squeezed his eyes shut, took heaving
breaths then put his hand over hers to brush it aside. “No thank
you. My attitude is just fine,” he said, rolling to his back to
cover his eyes with his forearm. When he finally caught his breath
and felt under control again he looked at her. “The best thing you
can do is mind your own damned business and take your photos. Or
you’ll be finding yourself another model. Don’t mention my son to
me again.”

She held his gaze a moment, then must’ve
figured out he was serious. Her lips pinched, and she nodded. Tina
sat up and gathered up the lunch trash, then rose and found the
saddle bag to stuff it inside. “I’ve seen enough. Let’s go
back.”

Dean could practically feel her anger like a
force field around her. That she was angry wasn’t a bad thing
though. Perhaps if he was lucky she would stay mad until she left
and he had a chance of keeping his sanity. Dean licked his lips and
he could still taste her salty sweet flavor there. The nerves on
his tongue sizzled, and he had a moment of regret that he’d never
find out if she tasted like that all over her curvy
body.

But then some things he was just better off
not knowing.

Like whether his son was really his son. And
whether Tina Montgomery’s tasted like sweet honey between her legs.
Getting addicted to another woman was not in Dean’s life
plan.

She walked away from him then stopped to dig
in the pocket of her jeans. “What are you doing?” he
asked.

“
Calling Hope to have Cord come
pick me up,” she informed shortly.

Anger shot through him, because his brother
was busy holding down the ranch so he could be out here with her.
Or he should be busy. Odds were he was hanging out at the bunkhouse
with his wife. “Cord is busy. You can ride back with me,” Dean
growled as he stood.

“
You just head on back,” Tina said,
folding her free arm around herself while she cradled the phone to
her ear. “I’ll be fine waiting here alone.”

“
I’m not leaving you out here by
yourself,” Dean said firmly.

Tina Montgomery was a city girl. If a frog
came out of the lake, they’d probably hear her screaming in
Amarillo. And there had been an overabundance of bobcats out here
recently. Lord knew what would happen if she saw one of those.
Probably climb a tree, because he had a feeling the city girl was
just that dumb when it came to taking care of herself out
here.

“
Hey, Hope. I’m out by the lake at
the back of the ranch. Dean says there’s a road that leads back
here. Can you get Cord to come pick me up? I don’t want to get back
on that horse.” She disconnected the call then pocketed the phone.
Turning toward him with a glare, Tina demanded, “Where’s the
road?”

Dean tilted his chin toward the west tree
line, and she spun on her heel to stomp off in that direction. He
watched her for a second, then with a sigh, he walked over and
picked up his hat and slammed it down on his head, before he hefted
the saddle bags over his shoulder. Blaze was busy munching grass at
the edge of the lake, so he went over and tossed the bags behind
the saddle. After he swung up into the saddle, Dean followed Tina
Montgomery, because there was no way in good conscience he could
leave her out here and head back to the ranch until he knew she was
safe. The damned rattlesnakes were out in full force now too. If
she got bitten, before Cord got there she could be half
dead.

She didn’t seem to notice him behind her
though. Either that or she refused to acknowledge he was following
her, because she was ignoring him. “I could give you a ride to the
end of the road to meet him,” Dean offered.

Her back stiffened. “No thank you.”

“
It’s a long walk to the main
road,” he informed.

“
I need the exercise,” she replied
stubbornly.

Dean didn’t turn back, he just followed behind
her for the twenty minutes it took his brother to meet them on the
road. By the time she walked around the truck to get in, she was
limping a little. He imagined those new boots were giving her
blisters. She needed to soak her feet tonight or tomorrow she was
going to be in a world of hurt.

If she wouldn’t have been so damned stubborn,
she wouldn’t have those blisters, he reminded himself. What the
hell did he care anyway?

He had accomplished his goal of getting her to
back off. Letting her know he cared would just invite her back into
his business, which he had no intention of doing. Cord waved at
him, and Dean notched his chin at him. He watched as Cord made a
series of front and back motions with the truck until he got it
turned back toward the road. Dean turned Blaze back the way he’d
come and kicked him into a gallop. He hoped by the time he got back
to the ranch, the run would get rid of the tension inside of
him.

When he rode back into the barn nobody was
around. He glanced out the front door and saw his pickup parked in
front of the bunkhouse, which meant they were back. His brother was
messing around at the bunkhouse instead of working, just as Dean
suspected he’d been doing all day. Dean quickly unsaddled Blaze and
rubbed him down. He stashed the saddle and bridle in the tack room,
then headed to the bunkhouse. He’d had enough of his brother’s
laziness. There were things that needed doing around here, a long
list of things, as his brother well knew from the list he’d given
him this morning.

Dean stomped across the yard, up the steps and
had his hand on the doorknob when it opened. His brother stood in
the doorway, but he looked back over his shoulder to say, “Okay let
me finish the chores, and I’ll be back to clean up. Zack said he’d
be here at seven.”

“
Be here for what?” Dean demanded
with his fists clenched at his sides. With as much work as they had
to do, it could be eight before they finished. And yes, it would be
they, because he was going to make sure things got done.

Cord turned toward him. “He’s coming out and
we’re having a bonfire, why?” Cord asked and Dean heard the
defensiveness in his tone.

“
We have work to do.”

“
I’m well aware of what needs to be
done,” Cord shot back. “You might work twenty-four seven around
here, but I don’t. Besides Zack and Ryan have an idea for the
ranch, and I want to hear it.”

“
What kind of fucking idea?” Dean
grated then took a threatening step forward, so that he was nose to
nose with Cord. “I’ve heard about enough of your hair-brained ideas
lately. Did you talk Daddy into buying that new tractor? If so, you
better figure out how to pay for it.”

Cord pushed him and Dean staggered back. When
he regained his balance, Dean charged back at him and they locked
up in the doorway. Cord pushed him backwards and Dean stumbled down
the steps landing on his ass in the dirt. With a growl, he
scrambled to his feet and grabbed his brother’s arm then threw his
weight to sling him away from the steps. Cord fell and Dean landed
on top of him then they rolled across the dusty yard as they fought
for position. Adrenaline surged through him as they rolled, and
Dean realized this is exactly what he needed to get rid of his
anger and frustration.

A good old fistfight with his fucking
brother.

It had been brewing since Cord came back, but
they had both kept themselves in check. Until now. Not upsetting
Hope was the only thing that kept Dean in check so long. Now he
didn’t really give a shit. His brother needed a reality check, and
Dean needed the release of giving him that. Cord’s fist landed a
glancing blow on his cheek, and Dean welcomed the stinging pain. He
returned the favor by landing a solid punch to his brother’s
jaw.

“
Boys, stop it now!” Barb Dixon
shouted, as she stopped near the steps of the bunkhouse. Cord
landed a blow to Dean’s stomach and he grunted. Their mother put
her hands on her hips and yelled again, “I’m going to take a switch
to your asses if you don’t stop this stupidity now! You’re brothers
and you need to start acting like it, before I call your
daddy!”

Dean had gained position. He sat on top of
Cord with his fist cocked back ready to deliver a blow to his
brother’s perfect nose, when his mother’s words cut through the
adrenaline and anger shooting like lava through his veins. Silas
Dixon had just gotten well. If his mother bothered him with this he
would get upset. Stress could make him sick again.

Dean rolled off of Cord onto his back heaving
for breaths, while he swiped the back of his arm over his mouth to
wipe away the blood he could taste in his mouth. “I’m sorry, mama,”
he said without a helluva lot of remorse in his tone. Dean glanced
at his brother, who was rolling to get to his feet. Cord had a long
scratch on his jaw, and a bruise starting at the corner of his eye.
Dean looked at his knuckles and saw they were pretty banged up
too.

“
You are both grown men, and you
have a son who sees you doing this stuff, Dean Dixon. You want him
to think fighting is the way to solve problems?”

Who the hell did she sound like right then?
She sounded a lot like fucking Tina Montgomery. Dean was tired of
being preached to by women today. “I’m going up to the house,” he
said rolling to his feet. He shot his brother a hot glare, as he
passed him.