CHAPTER ELEVEN

Austin was barely listening to the conversation among Tucker, Arlo, and Drew. He was too conscious of the five women in the booth behind him, laughing and drinking and having a good time. Well, just the one woman, really. Every time he glanced over, she was smiling and animated, and she’d taken off her fleece jacket, revealing a snug-fitting black top, and she was so relaxed and happy compared to the woman she’d been that first day he’d met her, he just wanted to be over there soaking up her aura.

Of course, had she suggested going back to her place so he could lick melted cheese off her body, he would have been up for that as well. Apparently, you could also melt chocolate in a fondue pot—he’d googled it. God…if his mother only knew the deviant thoughts he was having about that fondue pot, she might not have been so enthusiastic about giving it away.

“And then,” Arlo said, “we heard reports over the radio that the perps were heading out to the Cooper ranch to steal all their bulls and burn down their barn.”

Tucker tsked. “Did you try and stop them?”

“I said they should just go on ahead and do it, not my place. They’re probably still out there now, ransacking things.”

Drew shook his head as he surveyed Austin, then glanced at his friends. “Nuthin’.”

“Earth to Cooper.” Arlo snapped his fingers in front of Austin’s face. “Come in, Cooper.”

Austin blinked as he came back to the conversation to find all three men staring at him. With bemused expressions. “Sorry, I was miles away.”

Tucker laughed. “Yeah…’bout point zero zero zero zero one of a mile.” He tipped his head in Beatrice’s direction.

“You think you got a chance with her, Junior?” Arlo asked.

Arlo had known Austin all his life and had taken great pleasure in calling him junior the second he’d walked through the door in his uniform. Not when they were on official police business—then it was usually just Cooper—but when they were socializing, absolutely. Until Beatrice had arrived, Austin had found it kind of amusing.

Now it was just plain irritating.

“No comment.” He might not have Arlo’s years of experience with women, but even he knew they didn’t take guys speculating about them like this very kindly.

Tucker patted him on the shoulder. “Atta boy, good answer. But if you need some tips for your first time, you know you can talk to us, right?”

“I can even slip you some condoms,” Drew offered.

Austin grinned at their good-natured teasing. “But, Mr. Carmichael, my momma told me I should save myself for my wedding night.”

The guys laughed. “Seriously, though,” Tucker said, “you don’t think you’re punching above your weight there?”

There wasn’t one atom in Austin’s body that didn’t think he was punching above his weight. Beatrice was wonderful, and he’d thought that when she’d had scary hair and was dripping ice cream everywhere as she gave him a hard time. But she’d sat here holding her own with three other good-looking guys and hadn’t shown the slightest interest in any of them.

Austin had been worried initially that she might. That she’d be charmed by three men closer to her age than he was, being all howdy ma’am. Hell, Drew, that bastard, had even flirted with her. But it had been him—Austin—who she’d looked to and smiled at. It had been his thigh she’d pressed along. The movement had only been slight, but he was sure it had been deliberate.

“She’s a little…” Tucker dropped his voice. “Older than you.”

For a man, Tucker managed the statement with great sensitivity. Austin knew a lot of guys who would have just come straight out with the word cougar. And that would have been a shame, because he’d have had to object to it quite strenuously, and his days for bar brawls were long over.

“I’m just being neighborly,” he repeated. “Introducing her around.”

“She’s okay now?” Arlo asked, growing serious. “She seemed a little…edgy the other day.”

“Yeah.” Austin sipped his beer. “She’s good. She was just having one of those days, you know.”

“Yeah. I know.” Arlo nodded the kind of nod that left Austin in little doubt he did know. Between losing his leg on the job years before and rescuing his sister from her abusive ex, Arlo had probably had a day or two himself.

“Don’t worry, boss, I’m looking out for her.”

Arlo snorted. “Well, you’ve already fucked that up when you let her go with Winona.”

Austin grinned. Arlo and Winona’s long-standing friction was the kind of extended foreplay that was both icky and amusing to witness.

Why they didn’t just get it on already, he had no idea.

“She looks like she’s having a good time,” Austin said, glancing over. Beatrice was laughing at something Marley was saying, and it made him so fucking happy.

“Pfft.” Arlo squinted at the group, then turned back to the bar. “They’re probably plotting some kind of Guinness World Record mass live erotica reading or an orgy at the lake.”

Drew almost choked on his mouthful of beer. “I see no problem with that.”

Austin’s phone buzzed in his back pocket, and he pulled it out. It was his father. “Load of hay arrived late,” Brian said without greeting or preamble. “Clay and Jill have gone into Denver overnight for date night. How far away are you? I could use a hand.”

This, Austin decided, was the downside of being unattached and living on a ranch—his time was expendable. Not that Austin minded. His father and brother had run the ranch for the years he was in Denver, and he didn’t begrudge Clay a date night. But if he and Bea had been on a date? Or doing…nasty things with cheese, he’d have minded a lot.

“I’ll be there in fifteen.” He drained the beer he’d been sitting on for an hour and stood. “Gotta go.”

“Everything okay?” Tucker asked.

“Yeah, fine. Load of hay just came in.” They’d been buying in feed the last few weeks to get the stock through until the pastures recovered from winter.

“What about your guest?” Arlo tipped his head in Bea’s direction.

Austin glanced over at the fun booth. “She looks like she’s in good hands.”

“Yup. Absolutely.” Drew nodded. “You go on, Junior, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her. I’m great with women,” he said, barely keeping a straight face.

Austin knew from the shit-eating grin Drew was wearing that he was just yanking Austin’s chain, but the Junior made it rankle more than usual. He shot Drew his best resting cop face. “You even look at her wrong and I’ll throw your ass in jail.”

Drew hooted out a laugh, clapping Austin on the shoulder. “That’s abuse of power; you can’t do that.”

Austin pointed at Arlo. “He can.”

It was Arlo’s turn to grin. “And it would give me the greatest of pleasure.”

“Thanks, boss.”

Arlo grunted. “Go do hay now.”

Austin didn’t need to be told twice as he headed to Bea’s table, dodging bar customers. “Hi,” he said as he approached.

She looked up at him and smiled, her new red hair swishing like a shampoo commercial. Her eyes were sparkling, her cheeks pink. “Hey there, it’s Officer Cutie Patootie.”

Laughing, Austin said, “I don’t know how many piña coladas you’ve had, but you should definitely drink more.” She was clearly a little boozy, which was making her flirty, and Austin approved wholeheartedly.

“We should all definitely drink more,” Winona chimed in.

He laughed again. “Here.” He pulled out his wallet and threw a fifty on the table. “Have another round on me.”

Bea did an exaggerated eyelid bat. “Why, Officer, are you trying to get us drunk?”

“No, ma’am.” Her smile slipped a little then, and her nostrils flared, and things went from flirty tipsy to jungle steamy in one second flat. Heat surged to Austin’s groin, and his breath was thick in his throat as he swallowed. “It’s just a parting gesture.”

“Parting?” She pouted, the flirt back again. “Where are you going?”

“Sorry, I’ve gotta head out to the ranch to help Dad offload some hay.”

“Oh…”

The flirt slipped again to disappointment, and the fact that she seemed genuinely sad about his imminent departure totally went to Austin’s head. Both of them. “I assume you want to hang here for a bit longer. Or do you want me to walk you back to the apartment before I head out?”

“Oh, no.” She shook off her disappointment and smiled at him. “You go. I’ll be fine here.”

“Yep. Bea’s been telling us all about the stars she’s met at Hollywood fundraisers,” Molly confirmed.

Winona, who didn’t seem anywhere near as boozy as the others, said, “We’ll see she gets home safely, Officer Cutie Patootie.”

Austin groaned. He had a feeling that was going to stick. But he had no doubt that Bea was in safe hands. “Thanks.” He glanced around the group, nodding collectively at the women. “Night, ladies.” Then his gaze zeroed in on the one woman he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. “Sweet dreams.”

She smiled at him, her eyes soft. “Sweet dreams are made of cheese,” she said, and then she laughed at their little private joke, and Austin wanted to sweep her up in his arms and kiss the living hell out of her.

As soon as humanly possible.