Texas Hot (3 page)

“You must not get out much.” Gina smiled slightly. There was something so sexy about a big, tough cowboy who spouted endearments like he’d known her forever. The familiarity was unexpected but sweet. She moved her focus from his face to the fields beyond and sighed. “Flattery won’t make me change my mind, and believe me, it has been a long time since I’ve felt wanted anywhere. Right now this place feels like the most perfect spot on the planet but, if I’ve learned nothing else, it’s that things usually don’t
stay
perfect.”

“That’s a grim way of looking at things.”

Gina looked at him again. “I know it is but I only have personal experience to go by and so far nothing has changed my mind about that sad fact.” She backed up further then forced a smile. “I’d better go to bed. Tomorrow is a big day for me and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“You won’t. Everything is going to be fine.”

Gina wanted to believe that. She really did. “I hope so. Good night.”

Chapter Two

Hot coffee splashed into Mitch’s empty cup, the rich fragrance mingling with the scent of food hovering in the air. He glanced at the waitress and nodded. “Thanks, Patsy.”

She glanced at Dawson, who sat across from him in a booth at the Dixie Pig, and held the pot aloft. “How about you, Dawson?”

Dawson shook his head. “I’m good. Thanks.”

The mid-afternoon crowd at the most popular dining spot in town was sparse today with a few old-timers occupying a back booth as they shot the shit and a group of teens, just out of school, sat sipping soft drinks and wolfing down plates of burgers and fries.  In the distance, the clank of plates and silverware mingled with the muted sounds of a country song playing on the old fashioned jukebox. The McBride brothers didn’t often leave the ranch during daylight hours but sometimes a trip into Verde Hills was necessary. Today they’d met with their friendly banker and had a sit-down with a breeder from Dallas who was interested in borrowing Ben, their big seed bull for a few weeks. Their business finished, Dawson suggested they stop by the Dixie Pig for pie and coffee before heading back to Buck River.

Mitch watched his brother poke at the half-eaten slice of lemon meringue on his plate. He knew the look of a man with much on his mind. He glanced around to ensure nobody could hear and lowered his voice. “Are you going to eat the damn pie or play with it?”

Dawson pushed the remains of the dessert away with a scowl and stared out the window and onto the largely empty Main Street. He shrugged. “I’m just distracted. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize but I’m thinking maybe you should head to Austin next weekend. Meet some people.”

“I don’t need any help with my social life.”

“I think you do.”

“Butt out.”

Mitch blew out a breath and, using a forefinger, shoved the brim of his Stetson back. “Stubborn ass. It’s been months since things ended with Scott and he left the ranch. You need to get on with things.”

Dawson’s cheeks colored and a muscle worked in his jaw. Mitch knew any mention of his brother’s former lover would get him pissed off all over again but maybe that’s what it was going to take to shake Dawson out of this self-imposed isolation. It was tough being gay in a small town, especially if you were cowboy by profession. Only close friends and family knew of Dawson’s sexual preferences and maybe it was best. Little towns often harbored small minds and Verde Hills was no different than most. Sure there were plenty of great people living here but the town had its share of redneck assholes, too.

Mitch couldn’t help feeling protective.

When a scared, but brave, pre-teen Dawson had announced to the family that he was gay, his life had become of nightmare of beatings and verbal abuse, all doled out by the McBride patriarch, Leonard. In just a few short years, all that changed. Suddenly, the boys were a hell of a lot bigger and tougher than the old man. One night Leonard hit their mother, yet again, and it was finally too much. They’d collectively kicked his ass.

The end of the abuse was made all the more permanent when the mean sonofabitch had passed from a heart attack.

Mitch had his brother’s back and always would and he knew those sentiments were returned.

The cowbell over the door of the Dixie Pig jangled and Mitch saw his brother’s mouth tilt into a smile as Juliette Potter hollered a greeting then slid into the booth next to Dawson. She looped an arm through his and snuggled in. “How are the best looking cowboys south of the Red River doing? I saw ya’ll scowling at each other through the window and figured I’d better come on in and break up whatever fight you’ve got going on.”

“No fight. Just a difference of opinion,” Mitch said as he eyed Dawson’s best friend. They’d connected as young twenty-somethings and Jules was one of the few people in town who knew Dawson’s secret. That she adored Dawson made her aces in Mitch’s book. “I think he should get out more and he’s arguing with me about it.”

“Oh, leave him alone, Mitch. He’s a grown-ass man and can figure things out all by himself. Naturally, I agree with you but he can make up his own mind. No sense bugging him about it.”

Dawson pressed a quick kiss atop Juliette’s blonde head. “That’s my girl.”

“Yes, I am.”

It was a fact the McBride brothers had always loved the feisty shop owner. The Potter family had lived in Verde Hills as far back as anyone could remember and were solid as the earth. Dawson’s friend was sweet as sugar and loyal to the bone, a trait Mitch admired above all else.

Patsy came by with the coffee pot but Jules shook her head. “God, no. I’ve had enough caffeine to make my head explode. Bring me a Coke? A diet?”

Dawson laughed outright. “Damn girl.”

Mitch laughed too and once Jules took a sip of her drink and sighed, she speared him with a glance. “Coke doesn’t count as caffeine. Got it?” She paused for a breath then quirked an eyebrow. “Okay, spill the info about the new help. I’ve already had three or four reports that she’s a hot, little number from New York and cooks like a dream. Lord knows, she’d have to be patient to work for you two.”

“Hell, she’s only been with us for a couple of weeks,” Mitch said. “Word travels fast.”

Jules shrugged. “That’s Verde Hills, for you. Two hot cowboys living on a ranch with a beautiful Yankee causes tongues to wag. So spill it. What’s she like?”

Dawson’s grin widened. “You might want to ask Mitch. He’s around her more than anyone else. I had to remind him to put his tongue back in his mouth just this morning.”

“Hmm, so that’s how it is.” Jules tapped her bottom lip with the tip of a finger and her pony tail slid sideways a bit when she tilted her head. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “Come on, Mitch, tell me all about her. It’s been a long time since your divorce and if she’s as pretty as I’ve heard then you’d be a damn fool not to explore the possibilities. You’re bugging Dawson about the lack of a love life but the same could be said for you.”

Discomfort crawled along his spine. What she said was true. It had been far too long since he’d had a woman. It seemed only yesterday he’d been a married man but in reality the ink had dried on his divorce over three years ago. Dawn hadn’t liked small town life nor had she loved him enough to stay. He was man enough to admit he was lonely. He wanted what other men had, a home, a family, and a woman who loved him.

But Gina wasn’t the woman for him.

“She’s temporary, Jules,” he finally admitted. “Pretty all right. Hell, some might think she was downright beautiful but she made it clear when she signed on that she’s just passing through. A smart man doesn’t involve himself with a woman who’s just temporary.”

“Don’t you think she could be convinced to hang around?” Jules narrowed her eyes and impatiently tapped her fingers on the table. “You’re hot and the best man I know next to your brother.”

Mitch laughed. “I appreciate the props but, honey, she left a family she obviously loves and I can’t imagine she’d be away from them for long. One thing I’ve learned about Gina is that family comes first with her.”

Jules smiled. “I like her already. Maybe I’ll head out in a few days just to say hi and introduce myself. It has to be tough surrounded by guys all the time, even if the cowboys at the Buck River are the hottest men in a three county radius.”

Mitch scowled.

Cowboys were hired for experience and definitely not for their looks but since Gina had been cooking for the hands, he’d noticed the guys dawdling at the table every day after meals. Now that he thought about it, it seemed those guys took great pleasure in teasing the petite brunette and checking out her fine ass whenever possible.

He didn’t like it. Not one little bit.

Intellectually, he knew none of this was his business but he was honest enough to admit, if only to himself, that if she let one of those cowboys put his boots under her bed, it wouldn’t set well with him. Over the past few weeks, he’d lingered over that last cup of coffee at breakfast just to watch the way she moved as she set out platters of homemade biscuits, pancakes, and crisp bacon. Mitch noted the way she rolled her pretty, big, brown eyes at the occasional crude joke from one of the cowboys or how her nose wrinkled when she laughed.

It was downright wrong of him to notice those things, especially since he knew she wouldn’t stay. But would it be so terrible of him to kiss her, to seduce her, to take her? A man deserved his pleasures but honor prevented him to acting on what he most wanted.

An honorable man didn’t play with a woman’s feelings. Years ago, he’d made the mistake of ignoring his wife’s unhappiness with ranch life and with him. He’d done his best to keep her and by the time their marriage had screeched to its inevitable end, Mitch realized he had only prolonged her misery. Looking back, he could say in all honesty that Dawn was a good woman but their marriage wasn’t meant to be.

The feelings they’d had for each other simply hadn’t been strong enough.

Gina was different from any woman he’d met since the divorce and it was impossible to deny his interest and the longer he was close to her the more he longed for a deeper, more personal connection. Sex appeal sizzled from her every pore reminding him that he’d been too long without a woman to satisfy his needs.

It had been obvious to him since the moment she’d walked through his front door that Gina had a big, kind heart that fit nicely with her sassy personality and sense of humor. No, he wouldn’t play with her but damn, if he didn’t want to.

“My brother sure got quiet, didn’t he?” A slow grin slid across Dawson’s face.

Jules laughed. “Yep. Obviously he’s a man with a lot on his mind.”

Mitch shrugged. “The only question rattling around in my brain is how to shut the two of you up. Yeah, I like the new help. So what? It’s not your business.”

Dawson sighed. “Guess he told us.”

Mitch finished off his coffee and eyed his brother. “I have a few more stops in town before wrapping up business for the day. Are you ready to get out of here?”

Jules cleared her throat. “Would it be okay if I borrowed Dawson? I have some new shelving to install at the store and I could use some help. I thought maybe he could come over to the house afterwards for dinner and a movie.”

“Dawson doesn’t need my permission.”

“Just being polite.” She looked from him to Dawson imploringly. “Can you help me out?”

“Be happy to,” Dawson said. He reached for his wallet and tossed some cash on the table. “My treat.”

Mitch watched his brother and Jules head off for their errands, knowing Dawson could use the distraction. He was pretty worried about the man these days. A break was overdue and Juliette was the perfect person to keep him occupied until he was emotionally ready to dive into a new relationship. Couldn’t happen soon enough, as far as he was concerned but who was he kidding? No expert on good relationships, Mitch knew he was the dead last man on Earth who should give his brother pointers when he wasn’t all that swift at taking advice himself. Feeling frustrated and morose, he stared out the plate-glass window and watched Dawson and Juliette drive away in Jules’ little car.

A hard dose of truth smacked him like a punch forcing him to face the fact that he was lonely. He wanted some intelligent conversation and, yes, he needed sex. The pretty little Yankee living under his roof was a total sweetheart and at the moment it was hard to imagine a reason why they shouldn’t get to know each other a little better. Life could get pretty boring for a man who surrounded himself with horses, cattle, and sweaty cowboys.

Gina Leoni wasn’t a woman who would be any kind of
permanent
in his life but there wasn’t a damn thing wrong with enjoying her company while he could. Mitch reached for his phone, scowled at it for a second, and then impulsively tapped out a number.

Gina hung up the phone, blew out a breath, and then sank onto a chair at the kitchen table. “Wow. Okay. Calm down, Gina,” she whispered aloud. “It’s all innocent. It doesn’t mean a thing.”

The sudden image of that night on the patio bloomed in her mind. She recalled the way his gaze slid over her body and how each word he’d spoken had gone low and raw, edged with an intensity that had thrown her slightly off-balance. Since then, however, he’d been nice but professional so Gina convinced herself that she’d been the victim of an overactive imagination.

              Now this call.

              Mitch sure knew how to throw a woman off her game.

Take steaks out of the freezer
, he says.

Hmm.

We’ll have dinner together
.

How was it possible for a desperately lonely woman to avoid all that cowboy charm? Or that sinful, heavily-accented voice?

Nerves danced in her belly. The thought of sharing a quiet, intimate dinner with the man she reluctantly fantasized about both scared and thrilled her. Confusion threatened her composure but she was also intrigued. Since her arrival, she’d covertly watched him, admiring his muscular body, the almost craggy lines of his face, and the way his eyes hinted at a playful side belied by his sheer masculinity. Though she’d tried her best to keep her mind from going where it shouldn’t, imagination was a tricky thing. Every night she’d fallen into bed and wondered how it would be to share that space with him. How easy it was to visualize his legs tangled with hers or to feel his big, rough hands on her sex-starved body.