CHAPTER 14

Vince wondered what the hell he’d gotten himself into. He’d allowed Georgie’s intense loyalty to her town to override his better judgment, and now he’d given his word that he’d do this thing. On top of that questionable decision, he’d agreed to behave like a gentleman at all times. Ida was paying him well, but it wasn’t nearly enough to compensate him for extreme sexual frustration.

Watching Georgie’s fingers flying over the keys as she took notes on her little computer taunted him with how those nimble fingers could work magic on his naked body. She’d never see that naked body, though, let alone touch it. He’d given his word on that, too. He might be a rogue in many ways, but once he promised something, he kept that promise.

Consequently he avoided promises in general, and he’d just made two of them in the space of five minutes. Apparently being around Georgie caused him to become temporarily insane. But as he reviewed the course of events, he realized he couldn’t have chosen differently.

Once he’d presented his idea to the council, he’d set the wheels in motion. If he had it to do over again, would he keep his mouth shut? Probably not. He didn’t love this town the way Georgie did. He doubted anyone loved this town the way she did. But he hated to see people floundering when he had a possible solution to their troubles. If he’d stayed silent and driven away tomorrow without saying a word about overnight trail rides to see the wild horses, the boarded-up town would have haunted him. Georgie’s futile struggle to save it would have haunted him.

So here he was, watching her type and longing to kiss her and invite her up to his room again. He ached for this woman in a way he’d never ached for anyone. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He was about to spend six months in hell.

She glanced up from her computer. “Sadie’s doesn’t have Internet access or else I’d start searching for horses right now. I could do it on my phone, but we need to look at pictures, right?”

“Right.” He was so busy noticing how her lashes framed her deep brown eyes that he barely came up with the right response.

“It’s better to do that on the computer. How about we set a time for you to come over to the store? I have Wi-Fi there and we can browse to our hearts’ content.”

To her heart’s content, maybe, but he didn’t think his heart would be content for some time. “Okay. When do you want me there?”

“Let’s say nine thirty. I don’t have many shoppers then, which is why I think I can shorten the hours, no problem. I’m thinking ten to three for the new store hours. People here are all retired. They don’t need me staying open any longer than that.”

“Guess not.” Her mouth was perfect, absolutely perfect. He’d thought so all along, but after kissing her yesterday evening, he knew for sure that her lower lip had the right amount of fullness to allow for a soft landing while he gently explored with his tongue . . . and now he was getting hard. Better ditch that train of thought ASAP.

“Let me see if the council members can come to the store about ten thirty so they can hear what we have going on so far. I wanted to have some preliminary plans before we called them together, but I think we have those.” She gazed at him as if expecting him to say something.

“Yes. We definitely have preliminary plans.” He’d chimed in a beat too late but that couldn’t be helped, now.

“You’re tired, aren’t you? You probably need to go to bed.”

Dear God, if she only knew how much he needed to go to bed—with her. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Then let’s call it a night.” She turned off her computer and closed the lid. “I’m excited, Vince.”

He wished she could be excited in a different way than what she meant. He shouldn’t wish that, but he was only human. “Good. Me, too.”

“You’ll see. This will be wonderful. We’re going to transform Bickford.”

“That would be great.” He wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she looked right now. She had a big heart, and her vision of the future included what was best for all. That selflessness gave her a glow that mesmerized him.

He wasn’t as good and pure as Georgie, which was another reason they were so wrong for each other. She thought of others while he mostly thought of himself. But maybe some of her influence was rubbing off on him, because helping her get this project off the ground would mean making some sacrifices.

It felt sort of weird, too. He wasn’t sure how good he’d be at self-sacrifice because it was so new to him. He should make sure that he taught her well, because he might hit a point where self-sacrifice didn’t work for him anymore. If Georgie was trained to take over, then he could walk away with a clear conscience.

She tucked her laptop in her tote and stood. “We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. We should both get some sleep.”

He left his chair when she did. If she was going home, he had no reason to stay. “You’re closing the store at three tomorrow afternoon, then?”

“That’s my idea. I’ll open at nine in the morning, like usual, and then I’ll post the new hours so everyone who comes in will see them. The word will spread fast. It always does in Bickford.”

He thought of their kiss, which had been common knowledge in less than twenty-four hours. “Kind of hard to sneak around in this town, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “For me, it’s difficult. For you, it would be impossible.” She gazed up at him. “Were you thinking of trying to sneak around?”

He laughed as he fished some money out of his wallet. “Not anymore.” He walked beside her toward the front door of the saloon.

She hooked her tote over her shoulder as she glanced at him. “You don’t have to walk out with me. After all, you’re already home.”

“I want to walk out with you as a point of honor. You wouldn’t let me do it before, but now we’ve set our boundaries, so we should be fine.”

“Well, yeah, but . . .” An emotion shimmered in her eyes for a second and was gone. “It seems pointless.”

“Actually, it isn’t. I’m also going to walk you home. On the way you can tell me your plans for what will go on once the town’s up and running again. I’m curious about what you envision. I know you’ve thought about it.”

“You’re right. I have.”

He held the door for her and they stepped outside. “Brr. Chilly out here.”

“The temperature really dropped. Too bad I decided not to bring a jacket.”

“I know. I would’ve borrowed it.”

She laughed. “Go back inside, Vince. We can talk about my dreams for the town another time.”

“Manly men don’t run inside because they’re cold. They shake it off. Come on. We’ll walk fast.” He started off at a good clip. When she didn’t follow, he turned back.

She stood in a pool of light given off by an ancient fixture over the door to the saloon. The way it settled on her golden hair made her look angelic, except for the goofy grin on her face. Angels didn’t usually wear that expression.

She hurried toward him. “Sorry. I got distracted.”

“Okay.” After Ida’s comment about his butt, he figured that was the distraction. He wasn’t going to ask, though. They passed the boarded-up movie theater, so he asked about that instead.

“I would love to have the theater reopen,” she said. “It wouldn’t even need renovating. The last owners reupholstered the seats and put down new carpeting. But when they were losing money hand over fist, they closed it down.”

“Same with the ice-cream parlor, I guess.”

“Yes, and that was such a great combination. People would go to the movies and then have ice cream afterward. Old-fashioned fun. This has to work, Vince.”

“I think it will.” But he was having trouble concentrating on the subject. Instead he thought about her standing back by the saloon ogling his butt. If she was going to do that on a regular basis, she’d add to the tension they’d both be under, so maybe he should ask about it, after all. “Back there, when you got distracted, were you ogling my butt?”

“Um, no. Not really.”

“Don’t lie to me about this. Ogling isn’t going to help us behave ourselves. You weren’t really behaving yourself if you were doing that, come to think of it.”

“I promise I wasn’t ogling.”

“Then what the hell was so distracting?”

“I was just fascinated by . . . your walk.”

That brought him to a screeching halt. “My walk? What about it?”

“Well, you were going fast.”

“Because it’s cold out.”

“Right. But usually cowboys amble along.”

“Unless it’s cold. Then we get a move on. I still think you were ogling my butt.”

“No, I swear I wasn’t. It was in my field of vision, of course, but—”

“Aha!”

“But the thing is, you’re slightly . . . bowlegged. It’s very cute to watch you walk fast, especially from behind.”

Vince groaned. “Remind me never to do that again. Even if I’m being chased by a damned bear, I will amble. Now let’s amble on down to your house. We don’t have much more to go, although it’ll take a little longer now that we’re ambling.”

“See, that’s why I didn’t tell you.” She fell into step beside him. “Now you’re self-conscious about it.”

“No man wants to be told he has a cute walk, Georgie. A steady pace? That’s fine. A determined stride? Even better. But never, under any circumstances, does a man want to hear that he has a cute walk.”

“You asked me!”

“I thought you were ogling my butt, and that had to stop.”

“I wasn’t, and I won’t. I can’t tell you to be a gentleman and then ogle your butt. That’s a double standard.”

“I’m glad we agree on that point.”

“Now let’s change the subject.”

“Fine with me.” He still thought she might have been checking him out while she watched his cute walk, but he’d let it drop.

Then he wouldn’t have to admit that while they’d been standing there arguing, he’d noticed that the cold air had made her nipples hard enough to show through the fabric of her bra and her silky blouse. He’d looked away the minute he’d noticed, but he was currently replaying the image in his head. A guy could only be so good.

She pointed to her left. “One of these old shops would be perfect for Anastasia’s studio. I’d like to see her have a space somewhere other than in the house. My stepmother isn’t particularly supportive, and that has to affect her creativity.”

“Her mother’s not supportive? I don’t get that when she’s such a good artist.”

“That’s not the path Evelyn wants her to take. It’s a long story, too long to go into right now, but my hope is that she can move into an actual studio, and something on Main Street would be great. That side of the street would probably give her the kind of light she needs, too.”

“I wouldn’t know the first thing about that.” But he thought Anastasia was lucky to have Georgie looking out for her interests, especially if her own mother wasn’t doing that.

“I only know a little, but I think one of these shops might be right for her. She could work in the back and have a place in front where she could display stuff. She could use the second floor for storing paintings, or maybe even live there if she wants to be more independent.”

“Have you mentioned it to her?”

“Not yet. There’s no point until we see whether the trail rides are successful. I will say that having you come on board gives me more confidence.”

“But you didn’t want me to do it at first. And don’t deny that, because I saw your face when Ida told everybody I’d be perfect.”

“I can’t deny it.” They’d reached the low gate at the end of the walkway to her house, and she turned toward him. “I was afraid if you stayed around here, I would eventually give in and . . . you know.” She waved a hand.

“Believe me, I do know.” And the thought wasn’t far from his mind at the moment.

“But now that we’ve agreed to keep everything strictly businesslike between us, I’m okay with you being the trail boss. I’m thrilled about it, in fact.”

Businesslike. He carefully squelched his urge to kiss her. Something about leaving a woman at her gate cried out for a warm embrace. “Just don’t go putting too much importance on my part in this. I’m a small cog in a big wheel.”

“Not exactly. You’re more of a—”

“Small cog in a big wheel. And a replaceable one, at that. I need you to think in those terms. We’ll get along much better if you do.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll give it my best shot.”

“Thank you.”

“Good night, Vince.” She put her hand on the gate latch. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Georgie.” He touched the brim of his hat and turned to start back down the street. “Just so you know, I’ll be ambling away. No need to stand there and watch, because there’ll be nothing cute to see.”

Her soft laughter had him racking his brain for some excuse to turn around and go back. But going back would achieve nothing. He still wouldn’t be allowed to kiss her, per their agreement. And he definitely wouldn’t be allowed to pull her into his arms and feel the softness of her breasts against his beating heart.

And it was beating at a fairly brisk pace, too. When she’d taken that deep breath a moment ago, she’d expanded her rib cage and lifted those inviting breasts in a way that had made his mouth water. Those were off-limits, too, so he kept walking.

He’d love to know if she’d gone inside or if she was still standing there watching him. He’d never know, because he wasn’t about to turn around and look. Instead he did his best to walk with a determined stride that wasn’t even remotely cute.

Sure, he was a little bowlegged, as she’d noticed. Nearly every working cowboy he knew was that way from all the hours they spent with their legs wrapped around a horse’s belly. Most also had broken a bone or two while on the job. Vince’s left wrist and his left ankle had taken a beating when a horse had rolled on him. Those two spots tended to ache when a storm was coming in.

He considered that a minor inconvenience. His reward was the privilege of working with horses all day and interacting with people who were mostly interesting and polite. The occasional bad apple didn’t bother him because if they were a ranch guest, they’d soon be gone. If they were the boss of the operation, then he’d be gone.

Four years ago he’d been thinking about quitting his job at the Double J because the owners weren’t much fun to work for. He hadn’t been able to make himself follow through, though. He’d thought Mac and Travis had been the reasons because they’d wanted to hang on, but now he suspected Georgie had been the one who’d kept him there until the bitter end.

Maybe working with her day in and day out would take care of his fascination. He’d heard the phrase familiarity breeds contempt. Contempt would be helpful. Then he could leave town without a single regret because he’d be over Georgie.

When he reached the hotel, he considered going straight up to his room, but the evening’s activities had jacked him up in many ways. His brain was buzzing and his body was restless. He hoped that wouldn’t be a permanent condition for the next few months, but he was afraid it might turn out that way.

The poker game might have a little life in it, yet. Even though the night had seemed long and packed with events, he doubted that it was much past ten. He’d play a few hands and drink a beer. That should help him sleep.

When he walked in, the usual suspects were gathered around the poker table. Because the tables in the bar were square, Steve had provided a round, felt-covered topper that was hauled out whenever poker was on the agenda. Steve sat at the table, along with Clyde, Frank, and Ed, who had the biggest pile of chips and was chewing on a toothpick. A fifth chair had been drawn up and a small stack of chips were at that vacant seat.

“Come on over and take Ike’s place,” Steve said. “He’s in the back reading the manual that came with the new deep fat fryer. The other one died soon after you and Georgie left.”

“Yeah, take my place!” Ike called out from the kitchen. “I need to make sure this thing works right. Otherwise it’s back to Amarillo tomorrow morning.”

“’Cause we gotta have our fries,” Clyde said with a wink. “Or life as we know it will cease to exist.”

“Then deal me in.” Vince pulled out the empty chair, sat down, and shoved his hat back with his thumb. “If Ike’s in the kitchen, mind if I go behind the bar and get my own beer?”

“Help yourself,” Steve said. “You’ll be like family before long, anyway.”

“I will?” Vince left his chair and went behind the bar. “Why’s that? You got another daughter I don’t know about who’s looking for a husband?”

“Nope, just have the one daughter. I meant now that you’ll be the trail boss for Wild Horse Canyon Adventures, you’re—”

“Hang on.” Vince grabbed his beer and returned to the table. “Number one, how’d you know I accepted the job?”

Ed glanced up and took the toothpick out of his mouth. “Ever hear of eavesdropping?”

“Oh.”

Frank laughed. “Georgie wasn’t exactly quiet about it after you agreed to take the job.”

“I guess she wasn’t.” Vince twisted off the cap on his beer.

“But even though we knew already,” Clyde said, “she texted us the news just now and asked the council members to meet with both of you at the store tomorrow at ten thirty. So we would have known either way.”

“Yeah.” Frank chuckled. “And we haven’t heard Ida blasting John Philip Sousa, so she must be asleep and didn’t get the text.”

Vince glanced at him. “John Philip Sousa?”

“Whenever she thinks we have something to celebrate, she puts on ‘Stars and Stripes Forever,’ opens all her windows, and cranks it up. You can hear it all over town. ’Course, it isn’t a big town, but still. It’s loud.”

“I’ll have to remember that.” Vince took a swallow of beer. “Second question—where did the name Wild Horse Canyon Adventures come from?”

“You like it?” Steve beamed at him. “If you do, then it was my idea. If you hate it, then it was Frank’s idea.”

Vince thought it over. “I do like it, but that canyon where the horses like to hang out has an actual name. I forget what it is, but I guarantee it’s not Wild Horse Canyon.”

“Nope.” Frank rearranged his poker chips. “It’s Wild Turkey Canyon.”

“That’s it.” Vince nodded. “I didn’t see turkeys this time, but I have before.”

Ed gazed at him from across the table. “Now tell me—would you rather sign up for Wild Turkey Canyon Adventures or Wild Horse Canyon Adventures?”

Vince grinned. “I see your point.”

“We just used a little creative license,” Steve said. “Maybe we’ll see about getting an official name change at some point, but we don’t have time for that now. We have to move on this.”

“We certainly do,” Clyde said. “And now that the man of the hour is here, I say let’s drink a toast to Wild Horse Canyon Adventures.”

Vince raised his bottle. “I’ll drink to that.”

“And the man in charge of it all,” Steve added.

“Whoa, whoa.” Vince put down his bottle. “I’m not in charge of it. Georgie’s in charge. I’ve agreed to help her, but she’s the one who’ll make sure this happens, not me.”

Steve gave him an assessing glance, and then he shrugged. “Guess it doesn’t make much difference who’s in charge, just so we have the personnel we need.”

“Absolutely,” Clyde said. “It’s all semantics, anyway. To Wild Horse Canyon Adventures!”

Vince raised his bottle and drank, but he was glad he’d spoken up. And he’d continue to do that whenever necessary. He was not in charge and he could leave whenever he felt like it. Georgie had promised him that, and he’d hold her to it.