Rodeo Blues (4 page)

He sighed. "A man can hope, can't he?"

"Bastard," she hissed. She raised her hand to
slap him, but he anticipated the move and grabbed her arm.

"Now is that any way to treat your
husband."

"
Husband?
" she shouted.

Sonny and Mike glanced their way with
interest, and he noticed Jimmy Burns had showed up to play the
violin. He'd have to say hi later to the guy, since right now he
had his hands full.

Jolie lowered her voice and said, "We were
never married, Tye Casper. Have you been knocked on your head, a
few too many times?"

He lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant
shrug. "
Not being married
is just a
technicality. We could march over to city hall tomorrow morning and
see Mayor Dirkly—"

"Are you plumb loco? I'm not marrying you.
Ever!"

"It's not what you said all those years ago.
You made me a promise."

"Ten years ago, I was a lovesick fool
and…"

"And now?" he encouraged her to finish her
statement.

"I've grown up and come to my senses." She
brushed by him, but he couldn't let her leave. Not now. Not when
he'd come all this way to make things right.

His hand snaked out and pulled her toward
him. "I've been dying to do this the moment I saw you walk into the
saloon." Before she could stop him, he crushed his lips against
hers in an all fired-up kiss. She struggled at first, but he teased
until her efforts stilled. He remembered this, dreamt of the sweet
touch of her. He deepened the caress. Years had passed but her
lips, the way she felt against him, made it seem as if he'd never
left. Unfortunately, fantasies never lasted long enough.

She shoved at his chest and managed to push
him away. Her gray eyes turned dark as a threatening storm right
before she struck like lightning with a slap across his face.
Whirling around, she stomped off.

He let her go…
for now
. Let her cool
off a bit before he approached her again, and maybe next time he'd
have another plan, a better plan in winning her back. 'Cause this
one really lacked finesse.

Buddy plopped onto the stool beside him.
"Never known you to have trouble with the ladies, Tye. What did you
say to the little filly that got her dander up?"

"I asked her to marry me."

Buddy roared with laughter, but stopped his
chortling once he realized he wasn't sharing in his mirth. "You're
serious. You get her pregnant or something?"

"Buddy, we haven't been here but hours."

"Right,
right
. So what gives?"

"I've been in love with her most of my life.
It just took me until now to realize what a fool I've been to have
left her behind." He glanced at Buddy. "This is my hometown. I know
these people. They're
my
people," he said
with meaning.

"Aah. Now I get it. That there woman, who
nearly knocked your head off your shoulders, is the little gal you
talk about in your sleep."

"I've done no such thing."

"Sure you haven't. Are you forgetting I've
roomed with you? So what are you waiting for? Go get her." He waved
his hand toward the door. "Ain't never seen you back down from a
challenge."

"I believe she needs to cool down before I
approach her again. Don't worry. I'm not down for the count
yet."

"You're a bigger fool than I thought,"
Whisper said as she brushed by him and headed for the front door.
Most likely to find Jolie and lend her moral support.

Chapter Four

Jolie burst out the door of Big Bob's Saloon
as if her boots were on fire, and in the process she startled poor
old Sam, who'd been sitting on the stool beside the walkway.

"Lordy, Jolie," Sam said. "You near scared
the bejesus out of me." His fingers splayed across his chest as if
his heart threatened to leap from it.

"Sorry, Sam."

Recovered now, his gaze lingered on her with
a closer inspection. "You okay?"

"Did you know Tye Casper's back in town?" she
asked.

"Honey, I'm sitting at the door. I see
everyone who goes in and out."

Jolie hugged herself, trying to will the
tears not to fall. Why after all this time did he have to come back
and play havoc with her heart?

She had a crush on him when she was all of
five years old, fell in love with him for real when she was in high
school, and pined for him when he left her at eighteen and didn't
return. Just her luck, he was the only man who knew what
heartstrings to pull and make her libido pick up a beat and take
notice even when she didn't want it to. "No, he can't do this," she
said firmly and squared her shoulders. Tye couldn't ride back into
her life and pretend he'd never left.
Where'd he
get off kissing her that way?
she thought and her fingers
lightly touched her mouth. He kissed her first, but for a moment
she'd let her defenses down and had kissed him back.

Sam tipped his cowboy hat and scratched his
bald head. "He led me to believe he wanted to talk to you."

Jolie swiped away the angry tears that fell.
She was probably smearing her makeup. Wouldn't it figure? Her first
time in forever attending ladies' night at the saloon, and she
probably looked a sight. "You talked to him?" she asked Sam. She
thought perhaps it was a line he used because he ran into her by
accident. Surely he hadn't returned to Skeeter Blue to just find
her and talk.

"Didn't he say so to you?"

He talked all right – with
his tongue down her throat. The nerve of the man.
"He said
nothing I wanted to hear."

The door to the saloon opened and the music
escaped for a second before it was silenced again as Whisper let
the door close behind her.

"Oh no you don't, missy," Whisper said as she
put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "You aren't
running away from this. I won't let you."

"Who says I'm running?" She lifted her chin
in defiance.

"You're out here. He's inside." She gestured
toward the door. "If one and one makes two…"

Jolie rolled her eyes. "I can't go back in
there, Whisper."

"Sure you can. I'll stay right by your
side."

"You should face him," Sam agreed.

Jolie's gaze riveted to Sam's. "Not you
too."

Whisper separated the distance between them
and looped an arm through hers. "You've done enough hiding. Go back
inside and show Tye what's what."

What's what?
She didn't know the
answer so how was she supposed to tell him any such thing, but she
could tell Whisper wouldn't let her go home. "Fine." She threw up
her hands. "I could use a drink anyway." Or five or six drinks,
depending on how the night progressed.

"Thatta girl." Whisper nudged her along.

"Is my mascara smeared?" she asked as they
neared the door. It would be difficult to hold her head high, if
she looked like a rodeo clown.

Whisper gave her a once over, then gently
used the pad of her thumb to smooth a corner of her eye. "Perfect
and gorgeous as ever."

As Jolie pushed the door open, she heard
Mike's deep voice, ringing out over the speakers as he also banged
on the drums with precision. Sonny played acoustics and Jimmy Burns
played the violin. For a local band, they didn't sound half
bad.

Jolie remembered when Tye used to sing with
them too. His whiskey worn voice and his big amber colored eyes
would have every girl in Skeeter Blue all dreamy-eyed, her
included. "I'm so over you, Tye," she murmured under her breath,
only her heart thudded a few beats faster to prove she lied. How
could one kiss make her body hum with want for his touch? It just
wasn't right.

"What did you say?" Whisper looked at
her.

"Nothing." She didn't see Tye, but she knew
he lurked somewhere near since she highly doubted he snuck out the
emergency exit in the back. "Let me buy you a drink," she glanced
at Whisper and bee-lined it to the bar. They were just about to
give Stan their order when Tye appeared at her side.

"I'll pay," Tye said.

Just when she'd started to believe maybe he
did leave. Should have known her luck wouldn't hold out.

"I'll pay for my own drink." She glanced at
him and added, "Thank you very much."

He shrugged, but didn't move away. To make
matters worse, he sat down on the stool beside her. Hard muscled
thigh pressed against hers and she shifted away, but misjudged and
almost fell off the stool. Tye's quick reflexes and strong hands
steadied her before she made a fool of herself and landed at his
feet.

"Be careful, darlin'," he said with a grin,
showing off those pearly whites. She'd forgotten how dazzling his
smile could be, but she refused to fall for his charms and shrugged
from his hold.

"I don't see hide nor hair of you for years,"
she grumbled. "Now you're like a tick I can't get rid of. Big Bob's
Saloon has plenty of elbowroom. You don't have to sit so darn close
to me." She nudged him to prove her point.

"I like being close to you. You smell
divine."

She glanced at Whisper. "Remind me to toss
the new perfume I bought in the trash. It attracts riffraff."

"Aye, aye, boss." She saluted and grinned.
"Now someone's gotta buy the drinks," Whisper said. "Since the two
of you can't agree, I'll do the honors this round. Stan," she waved
to the bartender, "beers all around, cold and straight out of the
bottle."

"Gotcha, Whisper." Stan popped the lids off
each bottle, sliding them over one at a time.

Whisper raised hers to Tye and Jolie. "To
friends, new and old."

"Here, here." Tye clinked his bottle to
Whisper's, then to Jolie's before she could pull it away. He took a
long swig. "Aah, hits the spot." His lips curved into that lazy
grin.

Why oh why does he have to
look so darn cute?
She inwardly groaned, but her teenage
self of long ago was doing cartwheels.

"Don't it, though," Whisper said and smiled
back with a sigh.

Jolie's gaze riveted to her friend with a
glare meant to warn her not to cozy up to this guy.

Whisper cleared her throat and shifted her
weight, but instead of giving Jolie support with her decision to
ignore Tye, Whisper gave the guy the 'go ahead'. "I can see you two
need to sort things out."

"There's no sorting to be done," Jolie piped
up and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, I believe there is. Do yourself a favor,
boss lady, and give the cowboy a chance to explain. Then decide
what you want to do." She glanced toward Tye. "He has those
irresistible puppy-dog eyes. They gotta count for something."

Chapter Five

Tye gave Whisper an appreciative nod before
she sauntered over to the stage to make eyes at Mike, who seemed to
be open to flirting right back. Guess her being a witch/psychic
didn't bother him all that much.

Tye peered at Jolie, but forced his attention
away from her sexy mouth before he forgot himself and kissed her
again.

She looked away obviously uncomfortable with
his bold stare. He couldn't blame her. His gray-eyed gal liked
everything in order and he shook up her universe when he rode back
into town. He needed to step back a bit, but not too far to allow
room to bolt.

"Want to shoot some pool?" he asked, more as
a distraction than the desire to play the game.

"What?" Her gaze riveted to him with
suspicion.

"Pool?" He gestured toward the back room.
"You used to play a good game, but if you're not up to it…" He
shrugged and took a sip of his beer. As much as she liked order,
she also couldn't back down from a challenge – at least the old
Jolie couldn't. He'd have his answer in five… four… three—

"I can still beat the pants off you." As soon
as the words left her mouth, her face flushed crimson.

A smile slid across his face as he raised his
eyebrows.