My Kind of Trouble (11 page)

"Yeah I had a salad when I stopped in
Amarillo." James informed her sounding stationary. She turned
around to find him eyeballing the furniture and then the antler
chandelier in the entry with a curl to his lip. "Wouldn't want to
tangle with that thing in the dark." he chuckled and Cassie
bristled at his snobbishness.

"That'd be hard to do since it's hanging
from the ceiling," she told him with sarcasm lacing her tone.

His smile slipped a notch, and he looked at
her curiously. "Everything okay, sweetheart?"

She huffed out a breath and reeled in her
irritation. "Everything is fine, James. I'm just tired, and hot.
I'll feel better after my shower." She forced herself to smile at
him and then grabbed his hand to lead him into the family room
where she found her dad sitting in his wheelchair reading a
cattleman's magazine.

"Daddy, look who came to see us..."

Her dad looked up, his reading glasses
resting on the end of his nose making him look kind of like an owl
with his wild gray hair and busy eyebrows. He grunted then said,
"Howdy...John is it?" with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.

Cassie wanted to strangle her dad. She knew
he remembered James' name. He'd spent a week with them at
Christmas, and he wasn't senile. He was just being an ass, because
he didn't like him.

James, bless his heart, walked around her
and extended his hand speaking loudly as if her dad was hard of
hearing, "James Barton, Mr. Bellamy. It's good to see you again.
How's the leg?"

"Damned leg is fine, and my name is Carl,"
he said grouchily.

James eyebrows shot up, and then came back
down over narrowed green eyes. "Well, that's good news then, sir.
That means Cassie can come home soon."

"She is home, boy," her dad told James and
then dropping his eyes back to his magazine he rustled through a
few pages, totally ignoring them.

"Did Cassie tell you we're getting married
soon?" James asked evidently to irritate her dad further. This
wasn't going well at all, and she stepped between them and put her
hands on James chest and shook her head.

He let out a deep frustrated sigh, and then
turned his back to walk back toward the entry. "I've got a few
calls to make, but my cell doesn't have reception. Mind if I use
the phone I saw on the way in?"

"That's fine, James. I'm going upstairs to
get cleaned up. You're welcome to come up there when you get done,"
Cassie invited hoping that would keep him away from her daddy. At
the foot of the stairs, she told him, "It's the third door from the
landing on the right."

"He ain't going in your room, little girl.
Ain't proper," Carl grumbled.

Cassie growled her frustration. "Dad, I'm
twenty-eight years old, and he's my fiancé. Stop being a stubborn
old coot."

Her dad harrumphed, slapped his magazine
down on his lap, then unlocked the brake on his wheelchair. He
turned the chair away from them and wheeled it toward the room he
was using on the ground floor.

Cassie's shoulders slumped. This was not
what she needed now. She'd have a private talk with her dad in the
morning, and make sure he didn't give James a hard time again. If
he did, she'd just pack up her suitcase and head out, and she was
going to tell him so. She looked over at James just standing at the
doorway to the alcove frowning, his shoulders stiff.

She smiled at him, and said, "He's just in
pain. He's been that way since I got here." Then she shrugged and
turned to run up the stairs fast.

The water coursing over her skin felt like
heaven. The steam billowed up around her and cleaned out the smell
of horse manure from her nostrils. She picked up the floral-scented
body wash and loofah she'd brought with her and scrubbed herself
thoroughly, before washing her hair. By the time she exited the
shower and wrapped herself in a towel, she felt like a new woman.
Bending over, Cassie towel-dried her hair then wrapped it up
turban-style, so she could lotion up and work away the calluses on
her hands that had developed over the last two weeks.

She took extra time on her makeup and hair,
since she knew she wouldn't have to think much over what she was
going to wear. The one black dress and heels she brought would have
to do. Out here, Cassie didn't figure she'd have much need for her
closet full of dress clothes back home. At least she'd thrown a
dress in at the last minute, or she'd be going out to dinner with
James in jeans and a tank top. He wouldn't like that much, she
didn't think.

When she walked back to her room, she opened
the door, and found James laying on the bed on his back scrolling
through his cell phone messages. He looked up at her after a second
and his eyes traveled over her exposed skin, lingering at the top
of her breasts. "Mmm...maybe we'll skip dinner?"

Her stomach rumbled indelicately and she put
a hand over it. "I'm starving," she admitted and smiled sheepishly.
She'd eaten more in the last two weeks than she did in a month back
in Phoenix. But she'd worked more too--hard work--so she wasn't
worried about gaining weight.

She walked toward the closet and opened the
door. James got up off the bed and walked over to pull her back
into his arms. "Now, we can say a proper hello," he said near her
ear and kissed her neck. She shivered, but not because she was
turned on. His touch was repulsing her, but she forced herself to
stand still while he kissed his way up her neck to her ear, then
took her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

"I've missed you," he told her then leaned
down to put his lips on hers, pulling her to his chest. Cassie
closed her eyes and tried to capture any spark of passion his kiss
ignited in her. Nothing...absolutely nothing happened. He lifted
her hand to his mouth and kissed it, then confusion crossed his
face and he looked at it. "Where's your ring?"

Cassie felt the flush start at her chest,
move up her neck and spread across her face. "I took it off,
because I didn't want to damage it, or l-l-ose it working," she
said stumbling over the last words. Thank god it was the truth, she
felt relieved at not having to lie to him.

Relief passed over his finely chiseled
features and he smiled. "Good, thinking." He kissed her hand again
and then let it go and stepped back. "You can wear it to dinner
then."

Guilt flooded her and she swallowed hard and
lied, "Um...it's locked in the safe in daddy's room and I don't
want to disturb him."

James' smile slipped a notch, but he nodded.
"No, let's leave him alone to rest...maybe it will improve his
mood. I'll just go downstairs and wait for you in the family room."
He leaned in for another kiss and she turned her cheek to him. He
looked at her curiously, then walked to the door.

Cassie let out the breath she'd been holding
when he shut the door softly behind him. Luke's taunting, but
truthful words took a circuit through her brain.
"How can you
marry him when you want me?"

The tremors started in her hands then moved
up her arms and down her body to her toes. She was shaking
violently and stumbled over to the bed to sit down before she fell.
The truth hit her in the face taking her breath away. She couldn't
marry James. But how was she going to tell him. They were business
partners, lovers and they lived together. That was a whole lot of
mess to untangle.

***

Luke tossed back the last sip of his third
beer, and tapped it on the bar letting Slim, the bartender know he
wanted another. He hadn't been drunk in a long time, but he was
working on it right now. Maybe he'd be able to sleep tonight.

The bartender looked up at him then slid the
beer toward him, giving him a thumbs up. Luke nodded his thanks and
took a long swallow. It spilled down his shirt when someone bumped
his shoulder then sat down on the stool beside him.

"Drowning your sorrows, buddy?"

"Shit," Luke said looking down at his
expensive western shirt. He grabbed the bar towel and mopped at his
shirt, before he wiped his forearm over his mouth. "Give a guy some
warning, would ya?"

"You had supper yet?" Cole asked with
concern in his tone.

"No,
daddy
, I haven't had supper,"
Luke slurred then tossed back another swig of his beer.

"This won't help you know...you should have
learned that last time," his friend told him and waved to the
bartender for a beer.

"Jesus, can't a guy just get shit-faced for
no reason these days?"

"If you were the same guy I pulled out of
this same bar ten years ago, I'd say yeah. Now, the answer is a
little more complicated...
Sheriff
."

Luke's head dropped and his shoulders
slumped. Cole was right, but he'd be damned if he'd admit it, so he
didn't. He just picked up his beer and finished it one long slug
before slamming it down on the bar. "Do you ever mind your own
business, Cole?"

"You're my friend, that makes you my
business." Cole slapped him on the back then took a sip of the beer
the bartender had just put in front of him. "How bout we finish off
one more then go eat at the steakhouse? There's a cute waitress
over there I'm sweet on."

"Don't want food. It'll ruin my buzz. I need
to get laid," Luke said then spun around on his barstool and leaned
his elbows back on the bar to survey the possibilities.

Cole laughed and took another drink of his
beer then turned around too, hooking his boot heel on the stool and
leaning closer to Luke. "Okay...then pick one out and we'll all go
over to the steakhouse." He pointed to a curvy brunette in a tight
red dress standing by the jukebox swinging her ass while she picked
out songs. "How bout her, she's a hot number."

Luke's vision was a little blurry, so he
squinted his eyes to take a closer look at the woman, then caught
himself on the bar when his stool wobbled a little. He stood up and
shoved his Stetson down on his head then walked a little unsteadily
toward the jukebox and his date for tonight.

He sidled up beside her and put his arm
around her waist, and whispered in her ear. "Hello, darlin'."

She pursed her red lips and looked him over
from head to toe and back up. "Hi, sugar," she said and then
dropped a few quarters in the machine and picked a slow
belly-rubbing song by a bluesy country singer. "Wanna dance?" she
asked running a fingernail along his cheek.

He put his hand over hers and then took it
in his to lead her to the small dance floor where he pulled her
into his arms, and put his hands on her ass to get closer. They
swayed together and she pressed her full breasts into his chest and
looped her hands behind his neck.

Luke bent down and kissed her neck then
across her cheek before he claimed her luscious mouth with his. The
beautiful woman in his arms should have sent his libido into
overdrive, but she felt all wrong...she wasn't tall, she wasn't
blonde, and evidently, she wasn't smart if she was letting a drunk
lovesick cowboy kiss all over her.

Cassie Bellamy had done this to him...again.
And he wasn't going to let her do that.

With determination, Luke moved one hand up
to the woman's breast and gave her nipple a little brush. It
hardened instantly and she moaned into his mouth. They were still
kissing when the song ended and another faster one started. A tap
on his shoulder made Luke come up for air and look over his
shoulder to see Cole standing behind him. "Let's go eat. Your
friend want to join us?"

Luke looked down at the pretty woman and
smiled. "You wanna steak, honey?"

"Some
beef
sounds good," she said
saucily and winked at him, her pretty green eyes sparkling, before
she linked her arm through his.

Cole grinned and shook his head, before
turning and leading the way to the front door. "I paid the tab,
buddy. You owe me."

"Seems like I always owe you,
buddy
."
Luke chuckled and put his arm around the brunette pulling her
closer into his side. He looked down at her. "What's your name,
sugar? It has to be something beautiful. A gorgeous girl like you
wouldn't get stuck with something like Edith." Luke laughed and
staggered a little feeling her arm slid around his back to help
steady him.

"Candy," she said her lips twisting
wryly.

"Perfect," he said giving her a
face-splitting grin and a squeeze.

She certainly looked good enough to lick all
over, he thought. Maybe tonight would be the night he'd get over
his obsession with Cassie Bellamy--for good.

CHAPTER SIX

The steakhouse was only a block or so from
the bar, and it was a great night, so they decided to walk there.
Close to the restaurant, he saw a fancy silver BMW easing along the
sidewalk, looking for a place to park. The driver of the car
shoehorned it into one of the only spots open. It looked like all
of Bowie was at the steakhouse tonight.

Luke laughed when a tall skinny guy got out
of the car bumping his head on the doorframe in the process. Slick
city dude needs a pickup truck, Luke thought. Wouldn't be bumping
his head then. He watched the guy go around the car to open the
passenger door, then stopped right under the canopy of the
restaurant when Cole's cell phone rang, and he stepped aside to
answer it.