Courted By The Cowboy. Sasha Summers

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СКАЧАТЬ laughed. “No.”

      Kylee put a large glass with ice on the counter and nodded at the soda machine along the back wall. “You know where it is.”

      Mario nodded. “Thanks, Kylee.”

      The three took up their places at the pool table and Kylee got back to work.

      People steadily streamed in. It was Thursday night, so most were locals. She was beginning to recognize a few faces. Thursdays were the night Janet and two other teachers came in for their “book club.” But Kylee had listened to their conversations and she’d yet to hear them mention a single book.

      There were plenty of customers from the university’s vet school—like Fisher, Mario and Jarvis. Some were in scrubs, others not. She was beginning to tell the difference between the staffers and the upper-level students by their demeanor. The students all looked exhausted and stressed out.

      Then there were ranch workers from Boone Ranch. Apparently the Boones were a pretty big deal in Stonewall Crossing, the founding family of the town and the veterinarian school. According to Cutter they owned most of the county and employed half the people who lived here. To own that much property, employ so many people, run a working ranch and run a bed-and-breakfast on part of their property, the Boones had to be loaded. The number of Boone employees she’d served supported that. Looking at Fisher it was hard to imagine the wealth he came from, he acted humble and...regular.

      Her eyes swept the bar again. Normally a few patrons would sit at the bar and watch whatever sports Cutter put on. Tonight, one of them—a Boone employee—was worked up about something. He was radiating hostility, something she knew well. The rigid set of his jaw, the short, jerky movements—signs he might be trouble. She shook her head. What would be signs of trouble in Las Vegas didn’t always apply here. Stonewall Crossing was a very different sort of town. Quiet and slow and peaceful. The sort of place she’d seen on television, dreamed of, but never expected to live in.

      A chorus of laughter came from Cutter and his cronies. They played cards twice a week. They told bad jokes, laughed a little too loud—and were completely adorable. For all Cutter’s outspoken opinions and cranky temperament, Kylee was getting pretty fond of her ancient landlord and savior.

      Her eyes swept the room, taking in the expressions and actions of each customer. It was a habit she’d picked up when she was working with Jesse. Even though she wasn’t looking for a handoff or someone who’d make an easy target, she still “cased the joint.”

      Only one thing stood out. The ranch worker in the corner was glaring at Fisher with pure, unfiltered aggression. The kind of aggression that usually didn’t end well. Her gaze shifted to Fisher Boone, towering above every other man in the room. His cowboy hat was pushed back on his head and his eyes were narrowed as he watched Jarvis make the shot at the pool table. He had no clue he was being sized up for a takedown.

      Whatever the problem was, Kylee hoped the ranch worker would reconsider. Fisher was a mountain of a man. He had a fit build, big hands and wasn’t knocking back alcohol—the way this guy was. If there was a fight, Fisher would win.

      “Big fellow,” Cutter nudged her.

      She nodded, proud that her boss’s sudden appearance didn’t have her jumping out of her skin.

      “Good family, too. Lot of money and land.” Cutter helped himself to a pint. “If a gal had any sense, she’d set her sights on landing that one.”

      She stared at Cutter then. “What?”

      “You heard me.” His leathered face creased with a grin.

      “Guess I’m short on sense,” she murmured.

      “Not a troublemaker, either. Even if he is the size of a full-grown grizzly.” He laughed.

      “Well, trouble found him.” Kylee nodded in the direction of the man shooting daggers at Fisher.

      “George?” Cutter snorted. “Carson is always starting something with someone. Damn fool hothead. Let me know if his drinking gets out of hand. But I wouldn’t worry your pretty lil head too much.”

      Good to know. Kylee studied the man. She had a list of rules for their new life in Stonewall Crossing. Number one, no men. Number two, avoid troublemakers. In her experience, however, the two were pretty much the same thing. She glanced at Carson again. Especially the troublemakers with tempers who drank too much.

      Number three, become self-reliant. She was still working on number three. The first two were a lot easier to follow.

      “Have any luck looking for a new job?”

      She looked at Cutter again, frowning.

      “Something with better hours. Be better for the boy, too. You can’t enjoy working in this place all that much, while Shawn’s hangin’ out in the break room watchin’ TV,” he grumbled. “Or want to stay in that rattrap apartment.”

      Did Cutter want her to leave? Was he telling her it wasn’t working? She knew having her preteen brother underfoot wasn’t ideal, but what other choice did she have? He’d been good, spending more time drawing in his sketch pad than anything else. Shawn was what kept her going, kept her fighting. She didn’t want to move him again. But if Cutter wanted them to move, to start over again, she’d figure it out.

      A hollow emptiness formed in the pit of her stomach. If life had taught her one thing it was not to put down roots. Yet here she was, loving the tiny apartment she and Shawn shared. She didn’t care that they lived behind a bar. Better than the nights they’d spent on the street. For the first time in her life, she and Shawn didn’t have to worry about where they were going to sleep that night. They had an actual kitchen, not just a hot plate. And a bathroom they didn’t have to share with everyone else on their floor.

      But if Cutter wanted them out, it wasn’t like she had a right to argue with him. She just needed to know. Her tone was cool as she asked, “Do you want us out of the apartment?”

      “Did I say that?” Cutter scowled at her. “What the Sam Hill is that about?”

      She twisted the towel in her hands. “I know you could get more rent than I can afford to pay you.”

      Cutter snorted loudly. “Don’t give a rat’s ass ’bout that. Never said you should leave. Or that you needed to find other work, either.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Givin’ you options. Pointin’ out a single fellow and a more respectable job doesn’t mean I’m kicking you two out, ya hear?”

      She relaxed, a little. “Oh.” She glanced at Fisher, who happened to be looking at her, and frowned. “I... I appreciate you looking out for me.” As far as she was concerned, her job was perfectly respectable. If Cutter knew what she’d done for Jesse... She shuddered.

      Her hours at the bar weren’t the best, but Shawn didn’t mind staying in the break room watching TV and sketching after he’d finished the workbook pages she made him do. And Fisher? How could she explain that the last thing she wanted was a man to screw things up? Cutter might not get it, but as far as she was concerned, life was good. She smiled at the old man. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve given me and Shawn—”

      Cutter cut her off with a grunt. “You work hard, Kylee. I’m not giving you nothin’. Life shouldn’t be so hard.”

      She СКАЧАТЬ