Twins for the Rancher

by Trish Milburn

  Chapter Four

  For one horrifying moment, Lauren thought it was Phil who’d grabbed her. Even when she looked up into the face of Tim Wainwright, it still took several moments for her heart to start its descent back to its proper place in her chest from her throat.

  “Glad to see you came out to enjoy the nightlife,” Tim said.

  “Can’t say I expected to be accosted as a result.”

  Tim’s eyebrows lifted. “Accosted? I merely meant to claim the first dance before a line formed.”

  She rolled her eyes. “No need to butter me up. I’m not closer to making a decision about vendors than I was a few days ago.”

  “Did I say anything about beef?”

  She hesitated a moment as he spun her expertly between two couples to avoid a collision that could result in a pile of cowboy hats and boots. Even Tim was dressed in jeans, boots and Stetson tonight. If she wasn’t a born-and-bred Texan, she might actually buy that he was a real cowboy.

  “No,” she finally said.

  “I’m off the clock and just wanted to dance with a pretty woman.”

  She doubted he was ever really off the clock, but what could one dance hurt? It wasn’t as if it was a date, or would lead to one.

  “Just a bit of friendly advice—perhaps ask for the dance next time rather than assume.” Sure, she wanted to make friends here, but his action had rubbed her the wrong way.

  He nodded. “Duly noted. I’m sorry.”

  She simply offered a polite smile in return, not the “It’s okay” he possibly expected. Once upon a time she might have uttered it without thinking, but that was before the events of the past year and a half.

  “So, how are you liking Blue Falls so far?” he asked.

  Thankful to have a neutral topic to discuss, she said, “I really like it. The people are nice, and it has a great feel to the business district. Not to mention it’s pretty.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Lauren began to relax and even allowed Tim to lead her around the dance floor for a second song. Occasionally, she spotted someone she’d met over the course of the past few days. Thank goodness Verona Charles didn’t seem to be in attendance. She didn’t need the woman getting any ideas about her and Tim. If Tim or Verona headed down that path, Lauren was going to break out her stockpile of stories about poopy diapers and buying teething gel in bulk.

  Her breath caught unexpectedly when she spotted Adam Hartley sitting at the bar. Tim spun her around so quickly that she wasn’t sure, but she thought Adam had been watching them. And while her gaze had met his only for the briefest of moments, it was long enough for her to get the impression he wasn’t pleased.

  Most likely it was because he’d seen her dancing with his competitor and feared he’d lost the contract with her. Was he just another guy who’d been nice to her for his own gain? For some reason, the idea of that trait applying to Adam bothered her more than if that was what Tim was doing. Maybe it was because she expected it from Tim from the moment she met him. But she should know better than anybody that it was the ones you didn’t expect that posed the biggest threat.

  Still, she really hadn’t gotten that vibe from Adam, even though she’d been looking for it. That she might have been gravely mistaken again caused her mood to dampen, enough that after the song was finished she excused herself from the dance floor.

  “Maybe we can do this again sometime,” Tim said as she stepped away.

  “It’s a small town, so I’m sure we’ll see each other here at some point.” She saw her noncommittal answer register with him a moment before she turned away and headed for the bar.

  She told herself it was to purchase a drink, not to orchestrate a meeting with Adam. But she wasn’t very good at lying to herself. The truth was she liked him, and had she not been so recently burned she might be interested in him for reasons beyond friendship. He certainly was attractive, and he’d gotten a seal of approval from the Bryants. But at this stage in her life, she needed to focus on her family, her business and healing herself. Her soul still felt bruised and battered by Phil’s betrayal. And she couldn’t even think about being with anyone else until that wasn’t the case anymore.

  Truthfully, with her daughters to consider now, she didn’t know if it was possible to trust anyone enough to risk not only her own heart, but also those of her precious babies. They were too young now to realize their father wanted nothing to do with them, so Lauren tried her best to shower them with the love of two parents.

  By the time she reached the bar area, she no longer saw Adam. She glanced around but couldn’t find him in the crowd, which seemed to have gotten bigger during the time she’d been on the dance floor. Had he left? Maybe that was for the best. No, it was definitely for the best. She attributed the unexpected pull toward him as a side effect of being in a new place where she didn’t really know anyone, being away from the familiarity and comfort of home, and the frustrating human desire to feel wanted for the right reasons.

  A moment after she claimed one of the bar stools, the bartender stepped up in front of her. “What can I get for you?”

  She glanced at the menu board above the shelves of liquor bottles. “Just a lemonade.”

  “Coming right up.”

  “So, I hear you’re going to be my new competition.”

  Lauren turned to see a pretty woman not more than a few years older than her and quickly deduced her identity.

  “Keri Teague, right?”

  The sense of apprehension tightening Lauren’s muscles eased the moment Keri smiled. “In the flesh.”

  “I hear you are known far and wide as quite the baker.”

  “Not as far as you, but I do all right.”

  “Well, as I told someone earlier this week, I don’t think there can ever be too many baked goods within close proximity.”

  Keri laughed. “We’re going to get along just fine.”

  “You don’t know how glad I am to hear that.”

  “Don’t tell me that you thought I’d be an ogre. Okay, who’s been telling stories about me?”

  “Nothing bad,” Lauren said. “Adam Hartley just said I might have some friendly competition.”

  “That’s a fair assessment. Good, I won’t have to have him arrested.”

  Lauren felt her eyebrows shoot upward. “Arrested?”

  Keri laughed. “Sorry, guess no one told you I’m married to the sheriff and that I get a kick out of teasing people about having him arrest them.”

  “Uh, no. But I’ll be sure to be on my best behavior.”

  The bartender delivered Lauren’s lemonade in a big frosty glass.

  “So how do you know Adam?” Keri asked.

  “He came by to pitch his family’s beef products.”

  “You going with them?”

  “Haven’t decided yet. That’s a ways down the road.”

  Keri nodded as if she totally understood, which she probably did since she also ran a food-related business and likely got unsolicited visits from vendors all the time, as well.

  “Adam’s good people.”

  “So I keep hearing.”

  Keri gave her a questioning look, but Lauren pretended not to notice. She didn’t know how many of the locals Verona Charles had in league with her on the whole matchmaking thing.

  “I saw him a little while ago. Not sure where he got off to.” Keri scanned the crowd, and again Lauren pretended not to notice. “Oh, he’s out on the dance floor.”

  He was? Though she was curious as to the identity of his dance partner, Lauren had the presence of mind not to look. Instead, she steered the conversation with Keri in a different direction, asking how long she’d owned the bakery.

  For the next few minutes, they shared stories about everything from baking disasters and successes to the inside scoop on various locals. To be honest,
with a single conversation and a lot of laughs, Lauren felt more a part of the community. But when she glanced at her phone, she was surprised by how much time had passed.

  “I better get going,” she said.

  “So soon. You barely made use of the dance floor.”

  “Been a long day. Going to be another one tomorrow.”

  Keri nodded in understanding. “Well, come by the bakery sometime soon and I’ll give you a little treat on the house.”

  As she thanked Keri and stood to leave, she deliberately didn’t check the dance floor or any of the surrounding tables for Adam. One would think after what she’d gone through with Phil, the part of her brain wired to notice attractive men would have been out of order. Evidently not. Thank goodness she had enough sense not to indulge it too far.

  As she made her way through the crowd, she felt as if someone was watching her. Though she said she wouldn’t, she directed her attention toward the dance floor. Adam was still out there, but he wasn’t looking her way. She scanned the sea of faces and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She shook her head, telling herself not to be so paranoid, and resumed her trek toward the exit.

  The moment she stepped outside and the door closed behind her, it was as if someone had turned down a blaring radio to its lowest volume. She could still hear the music inside, but her ears thanked her for the comparative silence of the surrounding night.

  It’d gotten chillier since she went inside, so she zipped up her jacket and quickly texted her mom that she was on her way back. She headed across the parking lot, glancing up at the blanket of stars above.

  “Well, ain’t you a pretty one?”

  Her heart leaped immediately to her throat at the sound of the man’s voice. Her brain supplied the extra bit of information that he’d had too much to drink and that he wasn’t alone. From the look on the other man’s face, he was equally inebriated. Neither of them was a small man. Rather, they looked as if they could wrestle a full-size bull to the ground.

  Blue Falls seemed so friendly and safe that she hadn’t once thought being out after dark by herself would be dangerous, but she supposed there were drunk jerks everywhere. Which was little consolation at the moment. With most of the downtown businesses closed and the noise level inside the music hall, she doubted anyone would even hear her scream.

  Her babies’ faces flashed through her mind. Thank goodness they were safe with her mother.

  “What, you can’t speak?” the second guy asked, taking a couple of steps toward her, prompting her to take three backward and hoping she didn’t trip over her own feet.

  At first she hesitated to take her eyes off the men. But she knew she couldn’t get past them, so her only choice was to get back to the safety of the throng of people inside the building. She shot a quick glance toward the entrance, judging how quickly she could make it. If she could make it.

  As if her thundering heart had willed it, the door to the hall opened...and out stepped none other than Adam Hartley.

  * * *

  ADAM HAD DANCED to a few songs with Courtney Heard, a friend from high school, and her cousin, Shannon, who was visiting from El Paso, but as he left the music hall he found his mood hadn’t improved to any great extent. He wasn’t sure if the sour feeling in his middle was because Lauren had been dancing with someone else, or the fact that the someone else was Tim Wainwright. He’d found himself wondering if Lauren was really averse to dating someone new, or if smooth-talking Tim had already managed to change her mind.

  He should have stayed home tonight, but the realization that he was the only adult member of the family who didn’t have someone—significant other, child or both—had him itching to get out and do something. Blue Falls nightlife being what it was, he’d had two choices—the Frothy Stein bar or the music hall. Deciding the Stein was the more pathetic of the two, he’d headed for the music hall to see who was playing tonight. The band from Austin was pretty good, and the crowd had helped him shake off the “odd man out” feeling. At least until he’d seen Lauren in Tim’s arms on the dance floor. When she’d smiled up at Tim, Adam felt as if a bit too much of his siblings’ newfound affinity for happily ever after had rubbed off on him.

  When finding his own dance partners hadn’t helped, he’d said his good-nights and headed for the exit. But who did he see as soon as he stepped out into the crisp night air? One Lauren Shayne. His momentary “you’ve got to be kidding me” was immediately replaced by the realization that she was wild-eyed scared. The two hefty guys encroaching on her personal space was obviously the reason why.

  Wasting no time, he ate up the distance between them. He’d take on both guys if he had to in order to protect her, even knowing he’d likely be the worse for it after everything was over.

  “There you are,” he said, swooping in next to Lauren and wrapping his arm around her waist. “Sorry. I got caught up inside.”

  She stiffened next to him, but must have realized what he was doing because she relaxed slightly the next moment.

  “Get your own,” one of the guys said, his breath evidence he’d fail a field sobriety test.

  “Already did, and you’re making her uncomfortable. Why don’t you all go inside and ask the bartender for some coffee?” And give Adam time to get Lauren safely away from their meaty claws, not to mention make a call to the sheriff’s office to keep these two off the roads tonight.

  The two drunks glanced at each other, and it was as if Adam could read their minds.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  Adam didn’t know if his warning swayed them or the fact that the door to the music hall opened, spilling out light as well as half a dozen patrons. Whatever the reason, they backed off but cursed as they headed toward the other end of the parking lot. But Adam didn’t relinquish his hold on Lauren as he asked her where she was parked.

  “I walked here from the Wildflower Inn.”

  “Then I guess it’s my turn to give you a lift.”

  “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

  He noticed Lauren glance back over her shoulder as he escorted her toward his truck, as if she was afraid the guys would change their minds again and attack them from behind. Once they reached his truck, he opened the passenger door for her.

  “Sorry to inconvenience you,” she said once she was in the seat and pulling her seat belt across her body.

  “It’s not a problem. I drive right past the inn on the way home.”

  “Oh, good.”

  He hurried around to the driver’s side and hit the door locks as soon as he shut his door, giving Lauren an extra layer of protection from her would-be attackers.

  “If you don’t mind, I’m going to call the sheriff’s office first. Those two,” he said, pointing toward the men, who now appeared to be arguing, “don’t need to be on the road endangering people.”

  “Good idea.”

  A sheriff’s department vehicle pulled up to the edge of the parking lot before he even got off the phone. Sheriff Simon Teague got out of his cruiser at the same time a department SUV also arrived.

  “Is one of those the sheriff?” Lauren asked.

  “Yeah, the one already out of his car.”

  “I met his wife tonight.”

  “Should we expect the bake-off at the O.K. Corral?”

  As he’d hoped, she laughed. “No, Keri’s very nice. And despite your teasing me about her competition, she had only nice things to say about you. So do the Bryants. Seems you’re ‘good people.’”

  “Had I given the impression that I wasn’t?”

  “No. They were completely unsolicited comments.”

  “It’s always good to hear people think well of you, I guess.”

  He started his truck’s engine and left the music hall and the law enforcement activity behind.

  “How did you like your first trip to the mus
ic hall? I assume it’s your first visit anyway.”

  “It was. Had no intention of going, but I was out for a walk and got drawn in by the music. Nice place, but I think I was just too tired to be in the mood to dance the night away.”

  She’d seemed to be having a good time with Tim, but he reminded himself that she had practice putting on a friendly face. He’d seen it with the women in the café. At least she hadn’t left with Tim. Although her leaving alone had nearly cost her dearly. He squeezed the steering wheel harder, almost wishing the guys had thrown a punch or two at him so he could give it right back. A cold chill went through him just thinking about what might have happened if he hadn’t decided to head home when he had.

  “I hope you don’t let those guys sour your opinion of Blue Falls.”

  “No. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how big or small a place is, there are going to be drunken brutes at some point or another.”

  She was making a valiant effort to not seem too concerned about what had just happened, but he noticed how she had her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. Before he could think better of it, he reached across and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.

  “You’re safe now.”

  He removed his hand after only a moment, not wanting her to fear she’d traded one scary situation for another, and turned in to the inn’s lot. He pulled up to the front entrance so she’d only have to walk a few steps to get inside.

  “Thank you for the ride. And for helping me out with those guys. I was afraid they were going to jump you.”

  He grinned. “I’d have made them wish they hadn’t.”

  “You might have gotten in some good licks, but there were two of them and they seemed like the type who’d tackle a chupacabra wearing a cactus coat just for the hell of it.”

  He laughed at that colorful description. “Can’t say I’ve heard that one before.”

  “It’s a Lauren Shayne original. Just now thought of it.”

  “Somebody ought to draw that and put it on T-shirts. They’d probably sell like beer on the Fourth of July.”

  “Seriously, though, thank you.”