Tyler (29 page)

Emily chuckled. “Go easy on him, Jolene. Dylan’s a man of few words, but I have a feeling he’ll give you one hundred percent, just like Tyler.”

Tyler laid his cheek on the top of her head. “Grandpa was right about redheads.”

Dylan crossed his arms over his chest. “I haven’t said yes yet.”

Emily nudged Tyler, who straightened and let her go. She walked over to the middle Garahan brother and held out her hand.

Dylan scowled at her before turning to glare at Tyler. When Tyler nodded, Dylan grumbled and took her hand. “Aw hell.”

Emily squeezed his hand once and let go. “If Tyler can pull double duty working here nights after putting in a full day at the ranch, you can fill in for him for a couple of days while Jolene and I look for a replacement.” She paused and looked over at Jolene. “I don’t think our cowboy’s going to be easily replaced.”

“Give it up, bro,” Tyler called out. “No man can hold out against a Langley woman on a roll.”

“But I can’t strip in front of women I don’t know,” Dylan protested.

Jesse snorted. “Sure you can. Just pretend it’s that little cheerleader. Man, what was her name, Ty?”

Dylan clenched his fists and stalked over toward the youngest Garahan.

Jesse danced backward but didn’t turn his back on his brother. He grinned and called out, “You remember the one who used to practically drool watching Dylan strip out of his football gear after practice.”

Tyler smiled and called out, “Sarah.”

Jesse grinned. “Oh man, yeah. Sarah. She sure was cute the way her eyes would glass over and her mouth would drop open.”

Dylan lunged at Jesse and took him out with an impressive flying tackle.

“Am I interrupting, ladies?” Mavis Beeton arrived on the scene.

Dylan’s fist stopped an inch from Jesse’s nose. They both looked up and swore.

“Really, boys,” Mavis shook her head. “I know your mother taught you better than to fight indoors.”

Dylan got off of Jesse’s chest and helped his brother to his feet. “Sorry, Mrs. Beeton.”

“Welcome to the madness.” Jolene sighed. “We were having a discussion about who’s going to be filling in for Tyler until we can hire a replacement for him.”

Mrs. Beeton walked over to Tyler. “You poor dear, what happened to you?”

“I was trying to reason with a bull.”

“Shouldn’t you be sitting down?”

Tyler agreed. “Yes, ma’am, but we really needed to figure out what to do about tonight.”

Mavis nodded. “That’s part of why I’m here.” Mrs. Beeton sighed. “Dylan quit elbowing your brother.”

Emily smiled at the grumpy expression on the brothers’ faces before asking Mavis. “What did you find out?”

Before she could answer a deep voice called out, “Ladies. You open for business early tonight?”

Emily and Jolene looked at each other and Jolene answered. “No. What can we do for you, Sheriff?”

“Mrs. Beeton called and asked me to meet her here.”

She nodded. “Right on time too, Sheriff.”

He smiled at the older woman. “I do try, ma’am.”

“Well, after Emily called me the other day, I got on the phone with Lettie, Pam, and Minnie.”

“And?” Emily prompted.

“Apparently, they’d already heard the rumor about Frank Emerson wanting to change the name of the town.”

“Like I told you earlier, Mavis, that’s hardly an issue for the law, ma’am.”

Mavis frowned up at him. “I’m well aware of that, young man. But are you also aware that he hired those poor Baxter boys to use their new shotgun on the storefronts of three particular businesses in town?”

“Do you have any proof?” the lawman demanded.

Mavis smiled. “I’m sure Jim Dooley will be happy to back me up, after all, they are his nephews.”

McClure nodded. “Appreciate the tip, but couldn’t you have just told me over the phone?”

Mavis tapped her foot, impatience oozing from her pores. “I thought it would be best not to. Besides, there’s more.”

Emily motioned for everyone to follow her. “Why don’t we all sit down?”

The Garahan brothers ranged themselves behind her. The need to protect must have been instilled at birth. Although she already knew the answer, she asked anyway, “Are you sure y’all don’t want to sit?” Tyler shook his head and laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. “We’ll stand.”

Mrs. Beeton cleared her throat to speak. “Aside from lobbying to change the name of our town, Mr. Emerson is embezzling funds from the Preservation Society.”

Sheriff McClure slipped a hand into his breast pocket and took out a small black notebook. Flipping it open, he looked at Mrs. Beeton and nodded for her to continue. “I assume you have proof to back up your claim?”

She glared at the lawman. “I’ve been treasurer for the Preservation Society for the last ten years. Of course I have proof. I noticed a discrepancy in the bank statements recently and took a closer look. Between those statements and our books, I think I’ve pinpointed the time it all started… right about the time Mr. Emerson began to campaign to bring tourism back to Pleasure.”

McClure frowned but kept writing. “Can I see the statements?”

“They’re in my car.” She paused. “But there’s more. I don’t have any proof, but I think he might be behind the anonymous phone calls trying to extort money.”

Tyler and Jake glanced over at Emily and Jolene, waiting while McClure asked, “What calls?”

Jolene frowned at Mavis. “I didn’t tell you I’d received any calls.”

Mrs. Beeton frowned at her. “Did I mention your name, Jolene?”

The sheriff shut his notebook and nodded. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Let me get those statements for you.” Mrs. Beeton rose to follow the sheriff.

Watching them leave, the middle Garahan brother groaned. “Tyler—”

“Suck it up, bro.” Jesse shot a grin at Jolene. “I can’t wait for my turn.”

Tyler shook his head at his brothers, pushed to his feet, and pulled Emily with him. “How about it?” he asked. “Will you come with me to the Circle G?”

“Jolene,” Emily said, taking a hold of Tyler’s hand, “I’m going to need a couple of days off.”

“I guess we can get along without you for a day or so.”

Emily looked up at Tyler. “I’ll see you next week.”

“But Em—” Jolene began.

“Just kidding, Jolene,” Emily said. “I’ll be back to check up on Dylan.”

“Want to drive?” Tyler asked, pressing his lips to Emily’s temple.

“Sure—”

“Hey, Emily,” Jesse called out. “Catch!”

She looked up and held out her hand, snagging the keys Tyler’s brother tossed at her.

“She sticks a little when you shift into third.”

“How are we going to get home?” Dylan grumbled.

“I can give y’all a lift,” Gwen said, walking back into the bar. “After your shift’s over.”

Natalie tucked her hand through Dylan’s arm. “Ever dirty dance before, cowboy?”

Jennifer slipped her hand in the crook of Dylan’s arm on the other side of him. “What size briefs do you wear, honey?”

Dylan’s mumbled reply wasn’t fit for polite company.

Emily tugged gently on Tyler’s hand. “I think we should let your brothers and the ladies get better acquainted.” When he resisted, she lifted his hand and turned it over, pressing her lips to the palm of his hand. “I’ll make you steak and eggs for breakfast.”

Tyler grumbled, “Nothing special, it’s what we usually eat.”

Emily’s grin was positively lethal. “With a hot cup of coffee and ice cube chaser?”

Tyler’s dark eyes gleamed, and Emily knew he’d be able to stand up to the gentle loving she had in mind for him tonight.

He pulled Emily toward the hallway and grinned. “Grandpa’s right… redheads are twice the trouble.” When Emily opened her mouth to protest, he claimed her lips, “And worth every damn minute of it.”

As always, I need to thank my family for their unending support. I can be difficult to live with when I’m working through difficult phases of the creative process. My family, Lord love them, have developed certain routines that make living with me, while I’m on deadline, possible. They by turns, look at me oddly and avoid me like the plague, or light the candles in our living room so our house is filled with the soothing scent of vanilla and hazelnut.

Either way, their love comes through, reminding me of how lucky I am to have married the man I fell in love with at first sight. After all these years, he still makes my heart stop with one look… I’d be lost without him. It’s hard to believe, but our three children are adults now and equally talented in their own right. I’m so proud of you guys! Thank you for allowing me to pursue my dream.

Thanks to my wonderful editor, Deb Werksman, and her vision. I’m grateful for the chance meeting at a writer’s conference where Deb and I were both desperate for caffeine and exchanged business cards waiting for it to arrive.

A special thank you to two well-meaning friends, Tara and Pat, who dragged me to a strip club in Houston. I really did think I was old enough to attend; apparently I was wrong, but the material I gathered from that experience far outweighed my embarrassment at the time. To Anne Elizabeth who inspired my curvy redheads… you’re fabulous, my dear.

To the real Natalie and Jennifer… reviewer friends who have been behind me since they reviewed the first book in my Medieval trilogy. Nat and Jen are consummate professionals when writing reviews; they never trash a book or its author. Natalie reviews for Romance Junkies at www.romancejunkies.com and Jennifer for her own website Wild on Books at www.wildonbooks.com. Their dedication to the genre is absolute, and for that I’m forever grateful. You two ladies are THE BEST!!!

C.H. Admirand
is an award-winning, multi-published author and has published ten novels in mass-market paperback, hardcover, trade paperback, magazine, e-book, and audio book format.

Fate, destiny, and love at first sight will always play a large part in C.H.’s stories because they played a major role in her life. When she saw her husband for the first time, she knew he was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Each and every hero C.H. writes about has a few of Dave’s best qualities: his honesty, his integrity, his compassion for those in need, and his killer broad shoulders. She lives with her husband and their three adult children in the wilds of northern New Jersey.

She loves to hear from readers! Stop by her website at www.chadmirand.com to catch up on the latest news, excerpts, reviews, blog posts, and links to Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.