Winchester’s voice was as irritating as the whine of a mosquito, and his older brother, Adam, ignored it as he stalked past the feed store cash register to the exit. Adam had enough on his mind without dodging Travis’s clumsy matchmaking attempts.
Head down, cheeks burning, Adam pretended not to notice the cashier’s smirk or the curious glances from several other customers who had overheard Travis’s plea. Adam would have liked to wring his brother’s neck. Ever since Travis had married his mail-order bride, he’d been determined to see Adam get hitched, as well.
Dammit, why wouldn’t anyone listen when Adam told them he tried never to make the same mistake twice? Except for his daughter, Kim, his marriage had been a huge blunder he had no intention of repeating.
Tugging down the brim of his hat, Adam yanked open the front door of the feed store, bent on escape from Travis’s nagging. The bell jangled, and he barely had time to register a pair of startled brown eyes before a woman who’d been pushing the door open from the other direction stumbled forward.
She yelped in surprise as one of her flailing hands knocked his hat off and the other jabbed his ribs. He grabbed her arms, struggling to keep his balance as she fell against him, but their feet got tangled, and they both nearly went down.
“Whoa, steady,” he said as she twisted out of his grip. Her hip bumped the front of his jeans, and he sucked in a sharp breath. Before she could do him real harm, he took a prudent step backward.
“Are you okay?” he demanded as her spicy perfume teased his nostrils.
Her topknot had come loose and a thick hank of blond hair hung down past her ear. “I’m fine,” she exclaimed, her cheeks a fiery pink. “Sorry.”
Adam had never seen her before, or he would have remembered her. “It wasn’t your fault,” he assured her, bending down to retrieve his new Resistol before she could step on it. He slapped it against his thigh to knock off the dust and set it back on his head. “Are you sure you’re not hurt? We hit pretty hard.” He could still feel the imprint of her soft breasts against his chest.
“No, I’m okay.” She was medium height, and she had to tip back her head to look at him. Her brown eyes, beneath feathery brows, were an intriguing contrast to her golden hair, but he realized that she wasn’t quite as young as he’d first thought.
She bit her lip, drawing his attention to its fullness, and she tucked the dangling lock of hair behind her ear. He was about to introduce himself when she excused herself abruptly and ducked around him. He turned to follow her back inside and ask her name when he realized he’d forgotten all about Travis, who was watching him with undisguised curiosity. Sneaking one last glance at the blonde’s retreating figure in snug tan jeans, Adam went down the front steps with his brother hot on his heels.
“That’s a novel way of meeting women,” Travis said when they both reached the sidewalk. “Just knock ’em down. If they get back up, ask them out.”
“I didn’t ask her out,” Adam growled as he circled their truck and opened the driver’s door. “I don’t hit on strange women.”
“You don’t hit on any women,” Travis replied. “Strange or otherwise. I’ve never seen her around before.”
“She’s probably just passing through town. Forget about her.” That was what Adam planned to do.
A brand-new silvery-blue pickup with fancy wheels and California plates was parked in the space next to his. It looked like something the blonde would drive, since it didn’t resemble a ranch rig any more than she did a ranch wife. Her perfume screamed “big city” and the skin where he’d grabbed her arm had been as smooth as warm satin.
Not that he’d noticed.
“Why would anyone who looked like her be passing through Waterloo?” Travis asked as Adam started the truck and backed onto the street. “Is there a movie crew in town?”
Adam shot him a disbelieving glance. “How should I know? Maybe she’s here for the auction. In case you missed it while you were gawking, she and I didn’t take the time to exchange life stories.” He shifted gears and headed down the street, resisting the urge to look around and see if she’d come out of the feed store. Speculating about someone he’d probably never see again was a waste of time he didn’t have to spare.
“I wasn’t gawking,” Travis muttered, “but if I was single, I would have at least gotten her name.”
Adam nearly laughed out loud. “Yeah, before Rory showed up, you were a real ladies’ man.” He didn’t bother to tone down his sarcasm.
Travis leaned forward to fiddle with the buttons on the radio. “What am I supposed to tell Denise about dinner?” he asked over the sound of fiddle music.
“Tell her whatever you want,” Adam replied heartlessly. “I didn’t invite her. And tell that redhead you married to quit trying to fix me up, or I’ll have her shipped back to New York.”
“You tell Rory that.” Travis leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. “You don’t have to live with her.”
“Fix your friend up with Charlie,” Adam suggested. “He’s single.”
“Charlie’s been seeing the new nurse from the clinic,” Travis reminded him, looking out the side window.
Who could keep up with Charlie’s social life? When it came to women, he more than made up for both his older brothers. “We’ve got bigger problems than what to do about your friend,” Adam said bluntly. “While you were ordering that fencing, I heard that Ed Johnson sold out.”
Travis’s head snapped around, and he gaped at Adam. “Are you serious? Johnson sold his spread without telling us? Is the deal final?”
Adam nodded grimly as he swung out to pass a loaded stock hauler. “Apparently so.”
“Everybody knows how bad we need that land,” Travis exclaimed. “Who’d buy it out from under us like that?”
Adam’s hands tightened on the wheel. “I don’t know, but I intend to make some calls and find out.”
Back in the feed store, Emily wandered up and down the rows of work clothes, tack, veterinary supplies and tools, some of which she couldn’t begin to identify. Several other customers glanced her way, but she wasn’t sure whether their interest was because she was new in town or they’d witnessed her embarrassing collision with tall, dark and rugged.
While Emily was here, she had intended asking the cashier if he knew of anyone who might have puppies for sale, but instead she stopped in front of an elaborately tooled saddle. Pretending to study it, she waited for her cheeks to cool off and her heart rate to return to normal. She could still picture the shock in the cowboy’s green eyes right before she crashed into him. He’d been as solid as a tree, and his voice was as rough as the bark on its trunk.
She’d felt like such a clumsy fool, knocking his hat from his head and then nearly stepping on it. He’d grabbed her arms to keep her from falling, and she’d acted as though he was trying to assault her.
She had a vague impression of a strong, weathered face and dark hair, but she’d been too embarrassed to pay much attention. Instead she’d made some
