Way Out West (7 page)

“That’s the call of the
wild, Callie. Animals looking for their mates. The lonesome cry lets the others
know he’s staked out his territory.”

She peered through the
darkness, trying to read his features. “Why is he so lonesome?”

His hand came up to
cradle her face. “Because he hasn’t found the right one to share his life with
yet. He’s searched hard all day and perfected his hunting skills, but when the
night rolls in, so does the loneliness.”

She felt his breath
close to her. Her lips quivered, anticipating his touch. “So, he howls at the
moon to vent his frustration?” she murmured.

His lips brushed across
hers like the flicker of a feather. “His frustrations, his desires, his needs.
He vents them all.” He rubbed the tip of her nose with his.

“And how will he know
when the right one comes along?”

“When the restlessness
ends.”

Rand
slanted his mouth over hers. His mustache
tickled her nose as he explored the sensation of rough lips on smooth. Like a
bee drawn to honey, Callie reached up to circle his neck. The jacket slipped
from her shoulders, but the heat of his hands on her skin more than made up for
the chill.

The coyote’s cry
suddenly stilled. Rand slowly pulled his mouth from Callie’s and rubbed his
hands across her back.

She licked her lips,
tasting the heat still on them, his heat, and whispered, “Did the restlessness
end?”

He leaned his forehead
against hers and shook his head. “It’s only just begun.”

Chapter Four

Rand
replaced his jacket on Callie’s beautifully
smooth shoulders and offered her his arm. He dared not draw her in to his body
again or he might not let go.

“We’d better get back,”
was all he could manage to say.

He’d only known this
slip of a woman one day, yet he could envision a lifetime of shared secrets and
loving moments. Ha! Benton Randall, Jr., the Fortune 500 phenomenon, dreaming
of sweeping a woman he didn’t even know off her dainty little feet and carrying
her off into the sunset. He must be loco. That would certainly explain his
strange urge to howl at the moon.

They walked slowly,
silently, as though afraid to break the spell of the magical moment they’d
shared. At least it’d been magical for him. What if it had been just another
kiss for her? What if this were all a part of her Wild West adventure?

No. He couldn’t believe
that. He’d read the signals.

On the ride in this
afternoon, she’d been cautious, reluctant. And why wouldn’t she? Hiding from
some burly creature on a motorcycle, relying on a perfect stranger for help,
then thrown into this time warp. Who wouldn’t be leery?

But tonight, in that
dress, with that hairdo, she’d somehow been transformed. The city girl attitude
had faded with the sunlight and he thought she might actually be enjoying
herself. She trusted him, looked to him for answers, and most of all, she
glowed when he treated her kindly.

But at the risk of her
losing how she felt toward him, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her who he
really was. Too many hard years had taught him to be wary of new relationships.
Too many women wanted him for his money, power, status. He couldn’t bear the
thought of Callie being one of them, or worse, rejecting him because of who he
was.

And here, in Way Out
West, his dream come true, Rand had to be just as wary. Only Becky, Abe and the
Sheriff knew his connection to the town, for his own good as well as the town’s.
He had to maintain that delicate balance of fantasy and reality.

But when it came to
tutoring Callie in the ways of the West, he was having a heap of trouble
figuring out just where fantasy ended and reality began.

* * *

Callie didn’t need a
Ouija board or crystal ball to see what was happening between her and Rand.

Answering the Way Out
West ad had gone against everything she thought she knew about herself. Despite
her distaste for the whole cowboy thing, she’d been drawn to the ad as her
salvation, an escape from Spider and a chance at a new start. She’d stay a
month, make enough money to get back home, and start fresh without some man
molding her to his lifestyle.

Looking up at Rand, holding his arm as they walked in silence, she mused,
But this man was a welcome
change.

Suddenly, as they
reached the boardwalk that led to the saloon, the swinging doors flew open
followed by two bodies and a trail of curious, yelling onlookers.

Callie gasped as the men
tumbled down the steps and rolled in the dirt street throwing punches and
kicks. She clung tighter to Rand’s arm, afraid that all mayhem would break out
as the onlookers began egging the men on.

“Oh, Rand, let’s get out
of here before it gets ugly.”

Rand
just smiled down at her, calmly patting her
hand. “It’s okay. It’s just an act.”

“An act?” she asked
disbelievingly.

“Yes, they’re actors. They’re
here to put on a show for the guests, give them a real flavor of the Wild West.
Look closely. Do you see any real punches connecting?”

She had to admit she
didn’t, although in the dim light of the street, it was hard to tell. “Well, I
still don’t like it.” She gripped his arm tightly.

Rand
held her in the shadow of the building, away
from the spectators. He tugged her up close to his chest. His hot breath furled
its way to her face.

“Nothing more exciting
than a lady who needs protecting.”

His face was just inches
from hers. She could barely see his dark eyes in the shadows, yet she felt
their heat penetrating her own. The yelling, jeering crowd in the street no
longer mattered. All she heard was her own heartbeat keeping time with Rand’s breathing.

Slowly, his grip eased. He
brought a tentative hand up and gently fingered a curl at her temple. In a
husky whisper, he said, “We’d better not keep Miss Becky waiting any longer.”

* * *

As soon as they entered
the saloon, Becky was on them like a mother hen. “I was about to round up a
posse.” The wagon wheel of oil lamps above her head cast her in an angry red
glow, but Callie knew the scowl was for effect more than actual anger.

Rand
casually removed his jacket from Callie’s
shoulders and slung it over his arm. “Now, Becky, don’t be getting yourself in
a tizzy. We just had a nice stroll, enjoying the delights of nature at its
best.”

She scrutinized his
face, then Callie’s. “Hmm.” Returning her gaze to Rand, she said, “I checked
with Smitty. He knows nothing about the stranger. He’s been winning all night
and has already taken out three players. We found out his name is Tyler, or at least that’s the name he’s going by.”

“Thanks. I’ll go buy
more chips and see if I can get back in the game. This time I’ll concentrate
more on the cards and less on distractions.” His mustache turned up slightly as
he gave Callie a sidelong glance. She feigned innocence.

“Don’t worry,” Becky
spoke up, “she’s coming with me.” She crooked her finger at Callie. “Oh, and Rand? You better wipe the smudges off your lips before you get back to the tables. Red
lipstick isn’t very becoming on a serious gambler.” Callie tittered under her
breath. “Now you, young lady, come with me.”

Uh-oh. Callie
reluctantly followed Becky’s swishing satin to a small storeroom behind the bar
and tensed when the dark paneled door closed smartly.

“I want you to go
upstairs and freshen up that face. When you come down, get behind the bar and
clean some glasses for Smitty. He’s real busy serving right now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Callie
wasn’t about to ruffle Becky’s feathers any more than they already were.

“And no more sneaking
off with Rand. He’s got a serious card game on his mind now.”

“But we didn’t sneak
off, we—”

“Never mind. It doesn’t
look good to have one of my girls going off with a customer. If you two are
going to get serious, you’re not doing it on my time.”

Callie’s mouth must have
dropped down to her navel during Becky’s lecture because closing it took a
tremendous amount of effort. Feeling warmth flood her face, Callie dropped her
gaze from Becky’s. “It’s nothing. He’s just being nice to me.”

“Oh, come on, girl. I
saw that look in his eye and I know enough about men to know what it means. Rand never gets involved with women while he’s here. This is a first.” Becky prodded a
finger under Callie’s chin and stared hard. “Maybe there is a bit of naiveté in
you, but there’s none in me. I’ve never seen Rand act this way with anyone, and
judging from what I saw after your walk, he’s got more than card playing on his
mind. So if you still think it’s nothing, you’d better make that perfectly
clear to him before someone gets hurt.”

* * *

After an hour of washing
and drying glasses and pouring an occasional whiskey, Callie ached to kick off
her high heels and set her feet free. Bad enough she’d spent the earlier part
of the day in those uncomfortable high-ankle boots, now she’d been on her feet
all night in these flimsy, three-inch torture heels.

But when she looked
down, she realized she couldn’t very well go barefoot on this rough hardwood
floor. Her stockings would be full of runs in no time.

As the hour grew late,
and the activity in the saloon quieted down, she turned to Smitty. “Mind if I
step out for a minute? I need to take care of something.”

Nodding an understanding
yes, he waved her away. Callie scooted around the bar and up the stairs. If she
was quick enough, Becky wouldn’t even miss her. Two minutes later she bounded
back down the stairs and returned to her post behind the bar. Smitty stopped a
moment, looked down at her sneakers, then resumed his drink orders wearing an
amused smile.

Shortly after, with
plenty of clean glasses lined up, Callie permitted herself to relax. Leaning
her elbows on the bar, she gazed at the card table directly in her line of
vision, the table where her eyes were automatically drawn.

Rand
’s handsome profile gave her pause for
reflection. His expressive forehead was smooth beneath the brim of his hat,
never wrinkling from the concentration of the game. Bold eyebrows met in the
center over a small indentation. His nose sloped straight toward the sensuous lips
she could still taste on her own. His mustache had tickled her nose, but its
soft, neatly trimmed bristles had excited her. And finally, the dimple. She
studied the adorable little dent on his chin, admiring the way it softened his
face, made him look as though he were ready to break out into a smile at any
moment.

“Have you known Rand long?”

Shaking herself, Callie
looked at Smitty. “Me? No. We just met today.”

Smitty raised his
eyebrows. “Really? Hmm. Seeing as how the two of you rode in together, I thought
you were old friends. He’s certainly very attentive to you.”

This was getting
embarrassing. Everyone seemed cognizant of the sparks flying between them. “Oh,
he’s just being kind. You know, new kid on the block and all.”

“Maybe so, but I think I
know Rand better than that. Is there a chance he might regret it when all is
said and done? I mean, is there a Mr. Callie waiting for you on the outside?”

Callie laughed. Rand’s long line of protective fans seemed endless. “No. I’m about as far away from a Mr.
Callie as I can get. In fact I ran away.” She always did.

Smitty’s eyes opened
wide. “Will he come looking for you?”

She turned back to the
card table and muttered, “I doubt it. I’m sure by now he’s found someone else
to amuse him.”

“Well, we don’t want any
trouble here.”

Sighing, Callie propped
a hand under her chin
. No, we don’t want trouble
. If she got involved
with Rand, is that what would happen? Was she ready to jump into another
relationship with no idea where it was headed? No idea of who he was?

She’d squandered enough
time on Keith, her eternal graduate student fiancé who thought of her more as a
research assistant/ secretary than a love interest. She wondered how long it
had taken him, three years ago, to realize she’d left.

For six months after
that, she’d lived under the admonishing glare of her parents who couldn’t
understand her lack of commitment. Running off had only reinforced that belief.
As she jumped from job to job, she soon saw how right her parents had been, and
when her relationship with Spider fell short of fulfilling, she knew it was
time to leave before she latched onto another mistake.

Now, here she was, in
the middle of nowhere, falling for someone she barely knew. How did she get
herself into this mess? If she was going to invest in a relationship, she
needed to be sure who she was first, and who he was second. She couldn’t afford
emotional bankruptcy.

Rand
turned his head while the cards were being
dealt. He caught her stare and, with a small twitch of his cheek, winked. Callie
blushed and smiled back. God, he was handsome.

Thankfully, he had
turned back to the cards and picked up his hand. She’d noticed he never picked
them up until all were dealt. Technique? Superstition? Maybe nothing more than
just the way he liked to play. But he seemed to study each card very carefully
as he picked them up slowly, one at a time.

The stranger, Tyler, appeared agitated every time they had to wait and Callie guessed he operated on a
short fuse. With his scruffy beard and disheveled clothes, she pegged him as
lowlife and wondered why he’d come to a place like this.

“So.” Becky’s approach
interrupted Callie’s thoughts. “Do you think you’re ready for action tomorrow
night? Ready to start your tour of duty?”

Callie nodded. “I’ve
done enough waitressing to handle a few drink orders from a bunch of cowboys.”

“Ahh, but it’s not just
the orders. If you’ve been observing the girls, you noticed their mannerisms,
their treatment of the patrons. There’s a subtle technique to making each one
feel as though they are the only one. Each girl has her own style. You’ll have
to develop yours.”

“What about the tips?”

“You get to keep
whatever you earn. No mandatory sharing.”

“But it’s not real
money.”

“No, but you can cash it
in at the bank, put it into your account, or spend it anywhere in town.”

“On what? My meals and
room are provided.” With her hands, she ruffled her skirt. “Even the clothes.”

“But there’s lots of
stuff in the general store and there are some clothes stores if you want to
purchase something to take home with you when you leave. The leather goods are
superior to anything you’d get on the outside. You might want to hire a horse
to go riding—“