Dylan

by C. H. Admirand

  She went through the motions, relying on her inner copilot to remember the moves that would have been far too much for her brain to conjure up at that point. A half hour later, she was on the floor in the Lotus position, clearing her mind and finally finding inner peace.

  Rolling up her mat, she stored it beneath the sofa and headed to the kitchen to fill the teapot. She always had the need for a hot cup of tea after she meditated. “Cinnamon Spice should do it.” Once the burner was heating up, she reached into the cabinet and found the tea.

  The pot whistled before she realized enough time had passed for the water to heat. She wandered around her apartment, wondering why she’d given her ex even a portion of the house they’d purchased. He didn’t deserve it and her lawyer was certain he could get her more, but something had held Ronnie back—probably the fact that she didn’t really want any reminders of their brief time together.

  “Water under the bridge,” she murmured into her mug. Too bad she’d finally found her comfy place… and it was in Dylan’s arms. All of the earlier emotions she’d been battling came back in a resounding wave of despair. Digging deep, she wiped away her tears and wandered back into the living room by the window. Leaning against the window frame, she watched the way the moonlight illuminated the street below and thought of the song she’d heard earlier.

  Her heart twisted a little remembering the way his lips had pressed to her heart as he pulled her closer and loved her while the sweet breeze blew across the pond, rustling the grass until it sang a soft and gentle melody.

  A dozen fractured thoughts filled her mind, but she pushed them away, concentrating on sipping her tea and keeping a lid on the tumultuous feelings inside of her that were struggling to break free. It was hard to be wanted the way Dylan seemed to want her last night, but it was harder still to be tossed aside, forgotten amidst the ashes of their shared passion, wondering if he’d be coming back or moving on to another conquest.

  “One look at the man and you can imagine women lining up around the block just to have the opportunity to look at him.” She sighed. “He’s gorgeous… all those beautifully sculpted muscles… and those powerful thighs. And I know for a fact he can grip more than the sides of his horse with them.”

  A shiver wracked her tired body. “Damn… I’m sleeping alone tonight.” She sighed and drained the rest of her tea. “One night… well, actually, one amazing afternoon, and one stellar night with the man, and I’m looking for forever.”

  Carrying her empty mug into the kitchen she looked at her reflection in the dark window. “What is wrong with you?”

  Standing up straighter, she tilted her chin up. “Nothing that time and a little distance won’t cure.” Ronnie flicked on the overhead light and reached for the book on the top of the stack. “Nora,” she said holding the book in both hands. “I really need you to take me as far away from Texas as I can get tonight.”

  With help from one of her favorite authors, Ronnie let herself be swept away to Connecticut. An hour later, she was embroiled in someone else’s romantic problems—a wedding planner and a mechanic.

  ***

  “She show up yet?” Dylan demanded. He couldn’t believe that the woman had managed to tie him up in knots for most of the day and had hot-wired his damn truck. He knew she had because the only set of keys had been hanging on the cup hook in the kitchen when he’d left earlier.

  “Yeah, everything all right?”

  Jesse’s question was a loaded one. Dylan snickered. “Just fuckin’ dandy.”

  His brother sighed. “She kept looking for you.”

  “That a fact?” He wouldn’t admit that he’d hoped to see her before he had to go into town and save the butts of two pretty little redheads by doing something he’d sworn never to do again in this lifetime: strip. He hadn’t even had the chance to talk to her after their argument that morning. Hell, if that wasn’t something… Dylan Garahan wanting to talk to a woman.

  “Did you even tell her where you were going tonight?”

  “Nope.”

  “Look, Dylan, I’m no expert in matters of the heart—”

  “Will you just bring the damn truck and leave it at the Lucky Star?”

  Jesse’s grumbled response had Dylan’s mouth quirking up on one side. “Yeah, women are all of that and more. Ms. Harrison said I could stable Wildfire over at the feed store, but I’d rather not have to. The women here are acting like they’d never seen a man ride a horse before. It’s downright creepy.”

  His brother’s laughter eased one of the knots in his gut. “See you later.”

  “So, cowboy,” Jolene called out, “you find a safer place to leave your mount tonight?”

  “Damn, quit callin’ me that.”

  “I call ’em, like I see ’em… cowboy.”

  He shook his head and stroked Wildfire’s neck. “Come on, boy, we’re going over to Harrison’s. They’ve got oats.”

  Wildfire’s ears twitched. “Might be an apple in it for you if you go quietly.” He swung up into the saddle and half a dozen women groaned out loud.

  He glared at Jolene, who gave him that annoying fingertip wave and warned, “Hurry on back, cowboy. You don’t want to miss your number.”

  He used his thighs to urge his horse in the direction of the feed store. “Jesse’s coming to take you back to the ranch and bed you down for the night.”

  The horse’s answering whinny eased another knot. Too bad for him the rest could only be undone by a woman with raven hair and ruby lips.

  “Does everything I’m thinking have to remind me of lyrics to a damned song?” Too late, the rhythmic cadence of his horse’s hooves hitting the pavement was in perfect time to the Eagles’ tune running through his mind—“Witchy Woman.” At Harrison’s he took the saddle off and used his hands to rub Wildfire down. “Jesse’ll rub you down right with your favorite curry comb when you get back to the Circle G,” he promised.

  The horse nodded then nudged Dylan in the shoulder. “I didn’t forget.” Laughing, he fed the stallion a handful of oats, loving the feeling of the animal’s lips seeking out more of the grain long after it was gone.

  “Give me a minute, boy.” Dylan dug his pocketknife out of his pocket and quartered the apple he’d snagged out of their kitchen before leaving home. “Be good while I’m gone,” he warned, closing the door to the stall.

  The horse watched him leave but didn’t make a sound.

  “You know I always keep my word.”

  Wildfire finally snorted his agreement.

  Dylan felt a little bit lighter walking back to the Lucky Star—not because he had to survive another night up on stage with all those women hootin’ and hollerin’ at him, but because he was fortunate to still be able to keep Wildfire and the rest of their Quarter Horses. They hadn’t had to sell them in order to pay for the feed bill and mortgage. If he had to work at the Lucky Star to keep from selling Wildfire and the other horses, he’d do it.

  He loved working with wood, and would welcome any other jobs Emily would send his way, but he’d long ago decided it would always be a hobby; the ranch had to come first. Rounding the corner, he shook his head. Damned if every one of those females wasn’t waiting for him to return. Standing dead center was the redheaded troublemaker who’d hired Tyler a while back, tricked him into thinking he’d be hauling kegs and stocking shelves when all the while she’d been hiring him to be her new headliner after the last one got caught with his pants down.

  “Seems to be a pattern here,” he grumbled low enough so no one would hear.

  “We decided to wait for you.” Jolene was grinning ear to ear and damned if every one of the women there started clapping. “You see, cowboy,” she said, nodding to the ladies, “they’ve missed you.”

  “Damn.”

  “Come on, ladies,” Jolene urged. “Dylan’ll be on stage shortly. You won’t want to miss what the man can do with a coil of rope.”

  He tipped his head back and sighed, but the night sky didn’t hol
d any answers for him. The small hand cupping his ass had him spinning around and grinding his teeth. One look from Jolene, who’d been watching everything and had seen it too, had him clamping his jaw tight. He could abide her rules for another night or two, but beyond that…

  When he drew closer, she whispered, “Thank you, Dylan. You really are a lifesaver.”

  All of his mad melted away because the softer side of Jolene reminded him of Emily, and for his brother’s girlfriend, he’d walk through fire. It was the least he could do since Emily’d done that and more for Tyler.

  “Have you seen Ronnie this evening?”

  Now why would Jolene want to know that? Before he could ask, she patted his arm. “It’s going to be a boon to her business.”

  He was about to ask what the hell she was talking about, but Natalie called out to Jolene and the two disappeared inside.

  He had no choice but to follow. Inhaling the familiar scent of warm rain had him grumbling again. “Just how the hell do they do that? Pipe the scent in?” Ignoring the mirrored walls, he shook his head. “Forget how, why?”

  His questions went unanswered as he tried to slip through the crowd to the stage door.

  “Oh, Dylan,” a little blonde sighed, “we’re so glad you’re back.”

  He tipped his hat.

  A redhead had her hand to her heart and a brunette was fanning herself. What the hell was wrong with these women? They’d all grown up in the area. Pleasure and the neighboring towns were filled with men who worked the land, raised cattle, and rode horses.

  “You’re one fine-looking cowboy,” a voice crooned.

  He spun on his boot heel and his stomach iced over before he realized it wasn’t Sandy.

  He tipped his hat to the brown-eyed blonde and moved to walk past, but she grabbed ahold of his elbow. “You sure are a looker, handsome.”

  He stopped and stared at her. What the hell did she want from him? The woman didn’t even know him… not like Ronnie did. Hell, he should have talked to Ronnie before she left. Talking wasn’t his strong suit, but he owed it to her because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. His silence must have become uncomfortable, for the blonde let go of his arm. Opening the stage door, he wondered what the hell made people tick. The brunette he craved and thought would be sharing his bed for the next little while didn’t want to have his children—not that he was so all-fired ready to have any, but that wasn’t the point. Now here he was back at the Lucky Star, and women he didn’t even know were convinced they would be just the one for him.

  “Women are trouble.”

  One of the other dancers walked toward him. “Hey, glad you could fill in for us tonight. Jolene was worried.”

  Dylan shook his head. “But she’s already got two dancers. Why does she need three?”

  Joe shrugged. “Seems to work for her and the crowd that keeps getting bigger by the night.”

  “So she really caught the new guy in the act?”

  Joe grinned. “Yep. In the pantry sampling the local honey.”

  Dylan couldn’t help but smile. “That a fact?”

  Joe started to laugh. “Jolene tried to break it up by hitting him with a broom.”

  “I’d have paid good money to see that.”

  Joe nodded to Dave, who’d finished his act and was walking back stage. “Dylan was asking what happened to the new guy.”

  Dave shook his head. “Jolene’s got good aim.”

  “What else did she do?” Dylan had the perverse need to know.

  “When the broom didn’t work, she grabbed a bottle of seltzer from the bar,” Joe said.

  “And hit him in the ass with it,” Dave finished.

  “She’s quite a woman,” Dylan had to admit.

  “Chet looked over his shoulder at her and she shot him right between the eyes.”

  The three men shared a laugh. Dylan wondered why anyone would want to strip for a living, but these two hadn’t given him any concrete answers when he’d asked before, he doubted they would now. Best to let it go. Just do the job, Son, and hightail it back to the Circle G.

  Yes, sir.

  “Hey,” Dave said. “Did you get a load of the bodacious blonde with the big brown eyes?”

  Dylan shrugged.

  Joe nodded. “I think she’s looking for some action.” He turned toward Dylan and asked, “You interested?”

  “I’m taken.”

  Dave nudged Joe and said, “Good to know.”

  Dave rubbed his hands together and grinned at Joe. “You want first crack at her?”

  “Go for it. You saw her first,” Joe said laughing. “I’ll catch her on the next go-round.”

  “Your rope’s over there,” Joe called out as Dylan walked over to where three pair of chaps hung and one coiled lasso hung on the wall.

  “I hope everyone’s decent,” Jolene called out before poking her head around the edge of the door. “Damn, my luck’s just not holding out, all y’all are still dressed.”

  Dylan shook his head. “Trouble really is your middle name.”

  She laughed and held out her hand. “I thought you might want to have a brand new pair of briefs to wear.”

  He stared down at the offering and wondered how the hell he’d sunk so low as to be wearing black spandex again. “I prefer boxers.” Her hoot of laughter took the edge off his frustration. “I like a woman with a sense of humor.” Thoughts of Ronnie’s throaty laughter plagued him. Damn why couldn’t he just forget her?

  “It looks like you have a lot on your mind. I’m a really good listener,” she offered, laying a hand on his forearm. “You can call anytime.”

  Dylan couldn’t resist the urge to tease. “You sure Jake won’t mind me callin’ an hour or so after we close down tonight?”

  Her lips twitched as she fought against the urge to smile. “Don’t you worry none; I can handle him.”

  The chuckle came from deep inside of him, loosening up a couple more knots of tension. “I do believe you’ve met your match, Ms. Langley.”

  Jolene’s eyes softened and he knew he’d been right about the couple. “I’m right partial to Pleasure’s fire marshal.”

  “So tell me, Jolene,” Dylan began, “did you really shoot my replacement between the eyes with seltzer?”

  She frowned. “After I gave him a couple of solid whacks with my best cornhusk broom. Couldn’t get him to stop, though,” she said. “Since I didn’t have a garden hose handy, I grabbed the next best thing.”

  Dylan’s snort of laughter caught him by surprise. “Maybe I could ask Tyler to rig something up for you in the bar’s kitchen… he installed a Y hose splitter at the back of the house that’d do the trick.”

  Her green eyes lit with mischief. “I may need him to install one… depending on who I get to replace you.”

  “Didn’t you go over the rules with the guy?” Dylan couldn’t believe she hadn’t.

  She frowned and shook her head. “I did, but I didn’t catch him in the ladies’ room or the men’s room.”

  Dylan patted her shoulder needing to reassure his boss that she hadn’t been wrong. “He had no call sullying your club’s reputation by getting busy in the pantry.”

  Her head shot up. “Oh Lord, I never thought of that. What will my customers think?”

  Dave and Joe walked over to join in the conversation. “You might need to make some sort of announcement before Dylan takes the stage.”

  She looked at Dylan. “I run a decent place. Women are safe here, but they have to know that there’s a line no one can cross here. There’s not going to be a need for Sheriff McClure to come back because of an FIP.”

  Dylan grinned. “Fornicating in public—Sheriff Wallace lectured us all about it in sixth grade… was it an ARI?”

  Jolene tilted her head to one side. “That’s a new one. What does it mean?”

  “I think Tyler was the first one of us brought home in the back of the sheriff’s cruiser because of an ARI—alcohol related incident.”
/>
  “How old was he?”

  “Thirteen.”

  “So young?”

  “Sometimes you have to grow up fast,” Dylan said, not going into detail. Hell, it wasn’t his story to tell. Jolene’s gaze was still locked on his when he shook his head. “You’ll have to ask Tyler if you want to know why.”

  “You want Joe and me to go outside and start the ladies line dancing?”

  Jolene smiled. “I think that’ll really help keep the ladies involved and coming back. Watching all y’all dancing and stripping is fun, but women really like to dance.”

  The two left, discussing which dance to begin with. A few moments later the music stopped and they heard Dave asking everyone to line up for some good old-fashioned fun.

  “You remember the routine Natalie and Jennifer taught you?” Jolene asked. When he nodded, she continued, “I’ll go out a few minutes before you do. When the lights dim, you stride forward in that loose-limbed walk of yours.”

  “What are you going to say?”

  “I’ll recite the rules I have for my dancers. I’ll let everyone know why I have those rules and why no customer is allowed to cross that line either.”

  “That’ll work. Short but sweet, and to the point.”

  Dylan watched her leave and knew he had a little time before he had to get undressed for his act. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and swore. “Hell, I don’t have her phone number.”

  Resolving to get it from Jolene after his act, he got ready for his routine. Fingering the rope, he was reminded of a woman with green eyes and kissable lips. He’d be better off not getting involved, but that wouldn’t get rid of the ache in the vicinity of his heart.

  He’d been there before, but this time things were different. His working the ranch had never been affected like it had today. And he sure as hell had never wanted to track a woman down before to sort things out; he’d let the others walk away… but Veronica DelVecchio wasn’t walking out of his life now that she’d stormed into it.

  “Women!” he grumbled, reaching for the rope. The heft of it felt right in his hands; he could pretend he was out working the ranch with his brothers… well, up until he had to toss his rope around the designated birthday girl.