as prairie grass in the spring. He couldn’t stop thinking about them, until he remembered how they’d turned cold and how her voice, when she’d finally spoken, had an icy edge.
When she looked up in his direction, he glanced away, right into the eyes of Beth Anders, who waved him over.
A snort of laughter from across the table cut through the noise of the tavern. “Go do the gentlemanly thing and say howdy to the ladies,” Dusty urged.
Tanner groaned, but reluctantly hauled himself to his feet. “Yep, best get it over with. Beth will give me an ear-blistering the next time she comes out to the ranch on a vet call if I don’t.”
Tanner took his time crossing the crowded room. When he reached the table where the two women sat, he tipped his hat at the pretty brunette. “Evening, Beth,” he said, and then managed a brief nod in her friend’s direction.
“Hi, Tanner,” Beth greeted.
He stayed focused on the vet and avoided the blonde seated across from her. “Where’s the professor tonight? That fiancé of yours needs to keep an eye on you.”
“Michael called just at the end of your ride. But hey, great ride! Another win! You ought to be well on your way to that gold buckle.”
He shrugged. Praise always made him uncomfortable. “I drew a good horse.”
“That’s what you always say,” she said, laughing. “And luck must have had something to do with where that hat of yours landed when you tossed it.” She glanced at the blonde and back again.
He caught the hint and risked a look at her friend. “Yeah,” he agreed. The blonde’s interest was riveted to the middle of his shirt, the crease of a frown between her high, arched brows.
Cold. Real cold. So why did the room feel several degrees warmer?
“Jules, this is Tanner O’Brien, champion bareback rider,” Beth said before smiling up at him. “Tanner, meet my oldest and dearest friend, Jules Vandeveer.”
“Ma’am.” Tanner touched the brim of his hat when the blonde raised her head to acknowledge him. His gaze collided with hers, and his mouth went dry. Damn. She sure had an effect on a man.
“Mr. O’Brien,” she said with a nod and the hint of a smile.
He noticed her hesitation when she leaned toward him and offered her hand, but he took it, anyway. A gentleness in her touch caught him off guard. The heady perfume she wore didn’t help matters, either, but a man had to breathe, and breathe it in, he did.
“Why don’t you sit down, instead of towering over us, Tanner?” Beth suggested.
The sound of her voice brought him back to earth. With unusual reluctance, he released Jules’s hand, then lowered himself onto a chair and tried to ignore the pain in his knees. He’d pay for that last ride even more tomorrow.
Beth leaned across the table to speak to him. “Tonight is special for Jules. It’s her first rodeo.”
“Oh, yeah?” Daring to face the silent blonde, he smiled. “How’d you like it?”
With a quick, uncertain glance at him first, she finally gave him a level look. “It was…interesting.”
He didn’t miss the coolness in her voice, and his grin faded. “Not much of a rodeo fan, I guess.”
He held her gaze, prepared to say more, until she ran her tongue over her lips. His pulse quickened. Lips like those were meant to be kissed. And kissed well. It was all he could do to look away.
“You must love what you do.”
It took some effort, but he dragged his gaze back to hers and fought for control. “Love it? Darlin’, it’s my life. Always has been and always will be.” If his body didn’t wear out first.
She offered a tentative smile. “I guess everyone has their calling.”
“Jules is on vacation,” Beth explained.
“How long will you be here?” The question was out of his mouth before he realized it. There was something about her besides her looks that drew him to her. Maybe he’d read her wrong at the arena. She fascinated him, in a strange sort of way.
“About a month,” she answered. “Until after Beth’s wedding. Why?”
It was easy to see that she needed to relax. Hoping it would begin to thaw her, he decided a little flirting would be harmless. “Well, darlin’, I can teach you a lot about rodeo cowboys in a month.”
Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and then she flashed him a killer smile. “Why, thank you, but no thanks. Cowboys aren’t my thang.”
He stared at her, not sure what to think. That smile had almost given him hope, but he wasn’t sure how to take her response. He probably deserved her rejection. She obviously wasn’t the type to fall for the line he’d fedher, and he’d made a fool of himself by using it. Not that it mattered. He doubted he would run into her again, and he sure didn’t need to get tangled up with her. He had better things to do. He had a ranch to run and National Finals Rodeo to qualify for. His summer would be busy.
Filling the awkward silence that followed, Beth laughed and placed her hand on her friend’s arm. “She’s a city girl, Tanner. She’s not used to cowboys like you.”
“You’ve known each other long?” he asked, focusing on Beth.
“We met in the hospital when we were twelve. I was there with a bad case of poison oak, and she was—”
The blonde shook her head. “We learned we lived near each other and became best friends.”
“A city girl, huh?” he asked, as if it surprised him.
Beth nodded. “An attorney, as a matter-of-fact.”
“Beth…” her friend began warningly.
“Well, now, I guess that leaves me out. I’m just a simple country boy who doesn’t know much about highfalutin city girls, let alone a classy lady lawyer.”
He’d meant it as compliment, but it hadn’t come out that way. Maybe it had been more of a reminder to himself not to get involved with her or anyone else. But when he stood and looked down at her, their gazes collided.
“So city girls aren’t your thing,” she said. “I guess that makes us even.”
As an attorney, she was probably accustomed to winning in a battle of wits, but he wasn’t the dumb cowboy she might think he was. She’d thrown down the gauntlet, and he wasn’t going to let her win this one. “I guess it does,” he replied. “Give me a country girl anytime. One who knows a horse’s backside from its front.”
Jules smiled, showing white, even teeth, and a dimple. Devastating. Wicked. “Oh, I know the difference,” she said.
Her voice was so low it was husky, and it rippled through him to settle well below where it should have.
She was good. It was tempting
