Rogue Cowboy (4 page)

My blood heats as angry energy floods my veins.

Fucking bastard!

My eyes scan his message again
—
Then cancel them. See you tomorrow night. 6.
—
and my blood boils even hotter.

Whelp! Looks like I’m hiding out somewhere tomorrow night…I wonder if Edie would like a babysitter so her and Jackson can go out?  Or, Ava, or Jules, or any random person living between here and Darwin.

No way, no how, am I going out on a date with Zeke
fucking
Stewart!

What right does he have to
demand
I cancel my (non-existent, but he doesn’t know that) plans to go on a date with him?  And further fuelling my rage is that somewhere not so deep below the surface, I actually fucking
like
it!  God, I’m such a fucking idiot.

I need to get a hold of myself.  Wake up to myself.  I need to face facts; I’m not good in relationships. 
Once bitten, twice shy.
  When Jake bit me, he
shredded
me.  Now, there’s nothing more for me to give.  No man wants a broken, fucked-up woman, and the sooner I convince my body of that, the better off I’ll be. 

No more tightening or clenching of body parts when I’m in the presence of Zeke (or any man for that matter!  Lucky – or
unlucky –
for me, my body only reacts to one man.)  And definitely no more stuttering of heartbeats when I hear his voice.  And definitely,
definitely
, no more sexy dreams about him. Ever!

Understood?

I close my eyes, drop my head back and take a deep, cathartic breath in, and then release it slowly.

Opening my eyes and bringing my head back level, I see Skip taking his seat at the end of the bar.  I walk over to greet him, grabbing him a beer on my way.

I pop the cap and sit it in front of him.

“Hey, Skip.”

“G’day, Sienna.  How’s things?”

“Bit slow today.” I shrug.  Skip is my first customer for that day, but saying that, it’s only ten minutes past opening time.

Skip glances down at his watch and then gives me a frown.  “Everything alright, love?  You look a bit worn down.”

I grab a glass, scoop some ice into it, and pour myself a lemon squash from the tap.

“I am,” I admit, sitting my drink on the bar after taking a sip.  “I’m having employee issues, so I’ve been here since six this morning to clean.  It wouldn’t be so bad, but I didn’t leave here until the early hours of this morning after closing.”  I take another sip of my drink and sigh.  “Sorry, Skip, I shouldn’t be dumping all that shit on you.”

“No problems, love.  When do you get a break?”

“God knows.  Hopefully I’ll have some spare time soon so I can look into hiring some more people, and firing one,” I add with a grimace.

“Lucy?” Skip correctly guesses.

I raise my eyebrows and give him a look that confirms his guess.

“She’s always been a bit flaky, if you ask me.  I warned Dory when she first hired her.” He gives a shake of his head and brings his beer to his lips.

“Lately, she’s been causing me more grief than I care to admit.  I just wish it were a little easier, you know?  Gosh, listen to me, carrying on like a little baby,” I say through a humourless laugh.

“Dory still sick, I take it?”

I nod.  “Yeah, poor bugger.  It just won’t leave her.”

“She been to see the quack yet?”

I smile, knowing he knows more than anyone how stubborn Aunty Dory can be.  “Yes, I made her go to the doctor last week.  She’s on antibiotics, not that they seem to be working any.”

Skip finishes off his beer and sits the empty down on the bar, while I drain my glass.

“Don’t let her fool you, love.  You get an inkling she’s not getting better, you take her back to the quack.  No ifs or buts,” he implores.

“I will,” I reassure him.

“Good.  And, don’t let Zeke give you too much grief.”

I gasp as I process his words, but before I can rebuff him, the door is closing on his back as he leaves.

That damn man is too wise for his own good.

***

Thankfully, the rest of the day passes quickly, and reasonably quietly, which I’m extremely thankful for.  By the time eight o’clock comes, I decide to shut the doors early since no one’s around.  Surprisingly, not even Zeke came by tonight for his usual.  But, that’s a good thing, I try to convince myself, ignoring the drop in my stomach.  Rather than do the paperwork I have waiting on me, I decide to have an early night.  After a quick swim to cool down, I fall into bed and fall into a deep sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I wake feeling refreshed, so I have a quick shower and decide to visit Doreen before I have to open the pub.

Dressed in a floaty, nautical themed summer dress, and white, strappy, Roman sandals, I make the short walk to Dory’s house from my cabin.

I can hear her coughing from the path.

I give a light tap on the door, before letting myself in.

“Hey, Aunty.” I smile, walking toward her.

“G’day, Sie.  How are you?” she asks, speaking through a handkerchief she’s holding to her mouth.

“I’m good.  How are you feeling?” I take a seat across from her.

“Like death warmed up,” she grimaces.

She looks so pale, and frail.  My heart hurts just looking at her.

“I don’t think the antibiotics are doing their job.  You should be feeling a little better by now.”  I’m starting to get really worried.

“How’s things at the pub going?” she asks, changing the subject.

I sigh.

“That bad, eh?  Tell me,” she instructs.

“I’m just stressed, is all.  It’s nothing for you to worry about.  What you need to focus on, is getting better.”

“Don’t spill that crap at me, love.  I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days and, rather than wait until the end of the year, I think it would be best if I just bowed out now, and let you take over completely.”

“I’m not sure that’s necessary.  You get the right medicine and you’ll be good as new in a week or two.”  I try to be hopeful.

“Darlin’,” she says, giving me a sad look.  “
If
I get better, there’s no way I’ll be able to handle going back to work at the pub.  I just don’t think I have it in me.” She sighs.  “I know you’ll do a good job.  Heck, you’re already doing a great job.”

“Dor—” I try to cut in, but she keeps speaking.

“Now, tell me what’s giving you grief and making my beautiful girl look all tired and stressed out?”

“You’re impossible, you know that?”

“Been said a time or two before,” she says ruefully, a smile twitching at her lips.

“Lucy,” I concede.  “She’s always calling off at the last minute, so I’ve had to do her job as well, almost every day this past week.”

“Give her the flick,” she replies with certainty.

“I was going to, I just wanted to talk about it with you first.”

“Well, now you don’t have to feel as though you have to run stuff by me – seeing as you’re the new manager.” She winks.

I roll my eyes at her and continue.  “I’m also going to hire two new staff for the bar work, so I can have time to do the office stuff.”

“Good idea.  Have you advertised the positions?”

“Yeah, I put an ad in the
Darwin Daily
last week, and another is scheduled to go in tomorrow.”

“Any interest?”

“Not sure.  I know there’s a bunch of mail sitting on my desk but I haven’t had time to go through it,” I admit.

“Right.  Well, have you thought about asking Edie to come and do one shift, to help out?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head.  “She’s got two small kids, Dory.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind, love.  It would give you time to go through the applications, and give her a break, too.”

What she’s saying makes sense, but I still don’t like the idea of asking Edie to spend time away from her family.

“Ask her, love,” Dory says, then promptly starts coughing.

I jump up and race into the kitchen to pour her a glass of water.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks,” she whispers, her voice hoarse from coughing.  She takes a sip and it seems to soothe her throat.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine, love.  Now, promise me you’ll ask Edie.  It can’t hurt.”

“Okay, I’ll ask her,” I reply begrudgingly. 

“Good, now you best get on back.  It’ll soon be time to open.” 

I stand and bend down to kiss her cheek.  “Get better soon, okay?”

“I will.” She smiles up at me.  Gripping my hand, she says,” I’m sorry I’ve thrown all this on you, love.”

I shake my head and blink back the tears trying to claw their way out of my eyes.  “Don’t apologise,” I say through the sudden lump in my throat.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay.  If you’re not any better by then, I’ll take you back to the doctor.”

“I’ll be right.  Skip and Rhonda are popping by later with some of his chicken soup.  If that doesn’t fix me, nothing will,” she says through a chuckle.

“Good.  Love you, bye.”  I step outside and I’m met with a wave of humidity.  Looking up, I see storm clouds brewing overhead, so I quicken my step as I walk back to the pub.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up and I know she’s close by.  Looking out the large front windows of Premier Ink, I hone in on her, swiftly walking down the street on the opposite side.  Her tits bounce with every step, her curvy hips sway, and she looks fucking unbelievable, though I can see the sadness on her face from here.

“Earth to Zeke!” Bella says, snapping her fingers in front of me.  “Did you hear what I said?”

“Yeah,” I answer absently.  “Tell me again when I get back.” I race out the door and jog across the road and up behind her, slowing my steps in time with hers.  I stay silent, just walking beside her, fighting the urge to wrap my arm around her and pull her into my arms.

“What do you want, Zeke?” she asks, and I can hear the tiredness in her voice.

I don’t reply, mostly because I don’t have an answer.  She doesn’t ask again, so we walk in silence back to the pub.

I stand behind her as she unlocks the door, just itching to bend down and shove my nose into her hair, and then down lower, sucking on her neck.

She turns around and speaks to my chest. “We don’t open for another half hour.”

My fingers go under her chin and I slowly tilt it so she’s looking me in the eyes.

God, she looks so fucking sad, and goddamn tired.

“Please, Zeke, I’m not in the mood for your shit today,” she pleads wearily.

I move in closer, so there’s only a breath of space between us.  “Sienna.”

Her breath hitches and I can’t take it any longer.  I bend at the knees and bring my mouth down to kiss her.  Slowly at first, nibbling on her bottom lip before sliding my tongue inside the warmth of her mouth.  Her tongue comes out to dual with mine and her fingers come up and grip at my sides, near my hips.  I wrap my arms around her body and crush her to me, but still, I keep the kiss slow and deep.  She moans into my mouth and my cock pushes hard against her, as if desperately seeking out her pussy.

I back her into the door, crowding her with my body.  Her arms slide up to grip my neck and she holds me firm, accommodating the speed I’m intent on keeping.

“Zeke,” she whispers against my lips as I slow the kiss to a torturous speed.  My entire being is craving her, wanting to ravish her mouth, and every inch of her, but it is not what she needs right now, so I deny us both.

I tug her bottom lip between my teeth and suck it into my mouth, earning a needy groan from her.

I slow the kiss to a stop, and then I run my tongue across her lips once more in one long, slow lick before pulling back.

She’s panting and my cock loves it.  I glance down to see her nipples puckered and straining against her dress.

“Um,” she murmurs, and then visibly swallows as if trying to regain her composure, but I won’t let her shoot me down again.

“Don’t, Sienna,” I warn.

Her eyes snap to mine as her back goes ramrod straight. “Don’t what?” She narrows her gaze.

“Don’t ruin this perfect fucking moment by spewing the shit you’re about to.”

“I wasn’t going to
spew shit
, as you so eloquently put it,” she retorts.

Fucking love her sass.

“Have a good day,” I murmur before leaning down and stealing a swift kiss.  I don’t bother mentioning our date tonight because I know she’ll only make up some bullshit excuse.  I turn and walk away before she has a chance to sprout any of her crap.

One thing is for sure, I’m about to up my game.  After that kiss, that woman is mine.  She has just got to realise it…