The Maverick's Summer Love (Montana Mavericks: Rust Creek Cowboys)

by Christyne Butler

  His smile was slow and easy and when she removed her hand, it slid right into oh, so sexy. “That’s good to know. Are you working tomorrow?”

  She nodded, a familiar knot returning to her stomach. “Four to closing.”

  “Okay, I’ll come by and see you.”

  A long familiar defense mechanism kicked in. “Oh, we get pretty busy on Wednesday nights. It’s payday for some of the ranches and the bar is usually very crowded.”

  He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Shelby, I don’t care what other people think or say. I like you. You asked me what I wanted? Well, I want more of what happened between us tonight and I don’t mean just in the last half hour. I want to spend time with you and with Caitlin. You’re smart and pretty and fun and I want us to get to know each other better.”

  His words went straight to her heart, but it was easy to say those things now, here when it was just the two of them. And when the town gossips got ahold of the news that she’d grabbed the attention of a nice guy like Dean Pritchett?

  What happened today in Crawford’s would be repeated again and again and next time the comments and innuendos might not be veiled in faked sincerity.

  “Shelby, say something.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Don’t think. Just say whatever is in your mind right at this very moment.”

  “I’d love to spend more time with you, too.” The words came from her heart, not her head.

  Dean leaned forward and captured her mouth with his, the kiss bone-melting and mind-blowing and over way too fast.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He turned on his heel and headed toward his truck.

  Shelby grabbed the railing, waiting for the strength to return to her knees as he disappeared into the darkness.

  She watched as the driver’s-side door opened, the cab’s interior light slipping out onto the grass and staying there for a long second. Then the door shut again and crunching footsteps brought him back in front of her again.

  “By the way, I was right.”

  Now she was confused. “Right? About what?”

  “Kissing you.” Dean wrapped his fingers around her nape, his thumb playing havoc with her senses as he dragged it back and forth across her lips. He gave her another quick, hard peck, then said, “It was definitely worth the wait.”

  * * *

  “You know, it was just three weeks ago that I had to drag your butt to this place.” Nick leaned over the pool table and lined up his shot. “Now, you’re here just about every night. Number two in the corner pocket.”

  Dean leaned against the wooden counter attached to the back wall of the Ace in the Hole, his pool stick held loosely in one hand. “Not every night.”

  The ball easily went into the pocket. Nick straightened and shot him a grin. “Okay, then every night a certain blonde bartender is working.”

  “Something you know only because you are here every night.” Dean grabbed his beer and took a long swallow. “How you manage to make it to the job site every morning is beyond me.”

  “Skill and grace, little brother, skill and grace.”

  “How early did you have to get here tonight to grab a pool table?” Dean looked around. The other two tables were crowded, and a couple of heated dart games were going on as well, despite it being almost midnight. Shelby had been right last week when she said the bar was packed on Wednesday nights. “These puppies are always busy.”

  “Hey, if you’re winning, you keep the table.” Nick studied the remaining balls, deciding his next shot. Not that he had much to choose from. There were only two solids left on the green. “And you’re playing like crap, by the way.”

  “I’ve got other things on my mind.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet.”

  Dean returned his brother’s grin, his reply forgotten when he caught a glimpse of Shelby with a tray full of drinks out in the main part of the bar. His gaze followed her, enjoying the view as she maneuvered in between the tables, her hips swinging hypnotically back and forth.

  She looked up and caught him, sending a quick smile before she went back to work.

  He liked that she seemed to be smiling more and more lately.

  He’d come by the bar a week ago to see her, just like he told her he would. Showing up at midnight after catching a few z’s on the couch, he’d stayed until closing time.

  Shelby had barely given him a second look as he sat at the bar and talked with a couple of guys from his crew. It’d taken him a while to figure out the reason that kept her at the other end of the bar was more than being busy.

  Despite the fact that they’d basically agreed they were dating the night before on her porch, she’d been nervous about him being there. Dean understood, especially after the way she’d blown his socks off—first from what she’d shared about her past and then the power behind just one kiss.

  Yeah, it’d been more than one kiss and if they’d been at the trailer or if Shelby was a typical twentysomething who’d lived on her own, they would have moved inside and found the closest horizontal surface.

  Only she wasn’t.

  And Dean was okay with taking things slow.

  Their schedules made it difficult to find the time, but they’d managed to be together every day over the past week, even if it was just a few slow dances to Rosey’s oldies after the bar closed or watching a movie back at her place after Caitlin was in bed.

  It also meant a couple of their dates had included a five-year-old who was a natural-born chaperone.

  Dean didn’t mind having Caitlin around at all. She was as smart and funny as her mother and as he found out last Sunday, a whiz at miniature golf. He also knew she preferred to dip her French fries in applesauce instead of ketchup when he’d stayed for dinner Monday after fixing the kitchen faucet for Shelby and her mother.

  “Hey, lover boy, it’s your turn.”

  Dean looked at the table and realized his brother had missed his last shot. He circled the table once, mentally planning his next move and easily dropped the ball. And the next one. And the one after that.

  “What? You suddenly remembered how to play?” Nick moved up to the pool table, a beer in his hand, and stood in the spot Dean needed.

  “Move it,” he said, tapping his brother on the shoulder with the stick. “Or lose it.”

  “I’ll get out of your way if you tell me why you’re keeping your house hunting a secret.”

  Dean stilled. He’d only gone out to look at the inside of the place down the road from Shelby’s at lunchtime yesterday. “Who told you about that?”

  “Jon, from our crew. He mentioned his wife, Hallie, who runs the local real estate office, had an appointment to show you a house yesterday.” Nick kept his voice low but leaned in close to be heard over the music and the noise. “You really thinking of making this move permanent?”

  He was. Working on the reconstruction of the buildings and homes of Rust Creek Falls filled him with a sense of satisfaction he hadn’t felt working in the family business in a long time.

  “I know you’ve really enjoyed the work we’ve been doing here. Remodeling and building homes for a living is a step up from making furniture, I guess.”

  Dean didn’t buy the wide-eyed look of innocence his brother tried to pass off. Probably because Nick hadn’t been innocent since he was a kid. “You and Matt Cates have been talking, too?”

  “So, what’s the place like?” Nick asked, without answering him. “I’m guessing it didn’t suffer any damage from the flood last month?”

  “No, it didn’t. It’s nice. It sits on more acreage than I first thought, located at the base of Falls Mountain. Has four bedrooms, two and half baths and a front porch whose best feature is the patch of yellow roses growing wild at one end. There are a couple of outbuildings, including a barn. I was thinking one of them could be used as an office—”

  “Four bedrooms?” Nick cut him off. “That’s a family home. You thinking of more than ju
st moving to town and starting a new business?”

  Now it was Dean’s turn to ignore his brother’s question. He returned his attention to the pool game, deciding to walk around to the other side of the table for his next shot.

  Yeah, it probably was too early for him to be thinking about taking things to the next level with Shelby, especially because she’d mentioned more than once that she was looking for a teaching position out of town, but he couldn’t help it.

  He’d admit losing his mom and Jane’s deception over a child he’d thought was his made it easy for him to hold back from risking his heart over the years. So why now? Why this woman? He didn’t know, but his feelings for Shelby and Caitlin were growing deeper by the day.

  Dean had to wait until a guy who seemed more interested in downing his beer and laughing with his buddies to move out of the way. He finally did but graced Dean with a long look as he stepped aside. Having no idea why, Dean shrugged it off and lined up his shot but missed.

  “And his luck runs out,” Nick said, then chuckled. “Or maybe not.”

  Dean looked up to find Shelby heading their way.

  She balanced a tray with fresh beers and another order of the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers his brother devoured like candy.

  He moved to the counter, meeting her there as she set out the drinks and food before cleaning up the empty bottles left behind. “Hey, there.”

  “Hey, yourself. Your brother signaled for another round a while back, but Courtney is busy, so I grabbed it for you guys.”

  She took a step back when Nick reached between them to grab a popper; but even after Nick set aside his pool stick and headed for the men’s room, she maintained a distance between them.

  Dean wasn’t surprised.

  Other than being together at the Ace after hours or at her place, they hadn’t spent any time out in public other than when he’d given her a ride to work on Saturday, at his suggestion, so he could bring her home afterward.

  When they’d gone out for dinner and a movie in Kalispell the night before that, he’d noticed right away how much more relaxed she was away from Rust Creek Falls. So much so that he’d suggested they return and spend Sunday afternoon at a local fun center with Caitlin.

  But when he mentioned hooking up at the local wings place over on North Broomfield during the workday for lunch, she’d been too busy.

  “Well, I better get back behind the bar.” Shelby took another step backward and bumped into one of the other pool players, messing up his shot. She whirled around, already apologizing. “Oops, so sorry! I didn’t see you back there.”

  The cowboy straightened, his anger slipping into an expression of creepy interest as his gaze raked over Shelby, an interest that set Dean’s teeth on edge.

  “That’s all right, darling,” he said, his words showing the effects of the beers he’d been drinking. “You can bump up against me anytime.”

  Shelby stiffened for a moment, then she offered him that practiced, customer-service smile Dean had seen her use often at the bar. “I apologize anyway.”

  She started to move past him, but he grabbed her by the wrist. “Hey, now, where youz going?”

  Dean tightened his grip around the pool stick and took a step forward, but Shelby easily slipped free of the guy’s grasp with a twist of her wrist.

  “I’m going back to work,” she said, her voice firm while her gaze quickly shot around at the crowd that had gathered to watch. “And you should be getting back to your pool game.”

  Her eyes landed on Dean for a moment, warning him off with a slight upper jut of her chin. He figured she’d been in situations like this before. She’d told him that dealing with drunks was part of her job when they’d talked about their work, but anger still burned hot in his gut.

  That slimeball had no right to touch her.

  But touch her he did, sliding his hand over her backside when she walked by him.

  Dean didn’t know if Shelby had even felt the physical violation as she’d continued walking back to the bar, but there was no way he was going to let that go.

  “The lady made it clear she’s not interested.” He closed the distance between them and made a show of reaching past the guy for the chalk cube sitting on the edge of the pool table. His words were low but filled with resolve. “You’d best keep your hands to yourself from now on.”

  “Yeah?” The drunk spun on his heels, forced to take a few side steps to stay upright. “What’s it to ya?”

  “Let’s just say, she’s a friend of mine.”

  “Yeah, well, from what I’ve heard from the boys over here—” he waved one hand at the group standing nearby “—that pretty filly is ready, willing and able to ride any cowboy she can get her hands on.”

  A haze of raw fury filled Dean’s chest. He fought against the urge to wrap his pool stick around the loser’s neck. “Those boys are liars. They don’t know her and neither do you.”

  “Well, I plan to change that real quick.”

  “Leave her alone.”

  “You gotta be a football player, Smitty, to get her attention,” one of the crowd called out. “I heard tell she prefers the offensive line.”

  Laughter broke out among them. The fury exploded, almost choking Dean. He kept ahold of his common sense long enough to lay the stick gently on the table next to him. He had a feeling where this was headed and he wanted no part of it. Dean figured he’d better head up to the bar and sit there until closing time.

  He never saw the punch coming that landed on his jaw.

  “Hey!” Nick was at his side in seconds, glaring at the dude who’d hit him. “That was a lousy sucker punch!”

  Dean tried to rub away the pain radiating along the side of his face with one hand while planting the other flat against his brother’s chest. Keeping him from surging forward into the melee wasn’t easy. Nick was all brawn and he was ready to show a bit of Pritchett family unity.

  “Nope, you’re wrong, bro. That wasn’t a sucker punch.” He spun back around, his right fist landing exactly where he intended with a satisfying crunch that sent the drunk sprawling to the ground. “That was a sucker punch.”

  The drunk’s friends surged forward, fists flying. Dean and Nick divided and conquered, but soon others joined in. Whether they were defending Shelby, the jerks who’d talked trash about her or just wanted to be part of the fun, Dean didn’t know or care. The jerk who harassed Shelby wasn’t going down easy, though.

  They battled back and forth, crashing into tables, chairs and Dean even had to duck a dartboard that the fool had yanked off the wall and tossed at his head. He looked up in time to see Shelby and Rosey staring at him, mouths agape, but before he could say anything, he had to brace for the full force of the man coming at him. They both ended up against the rear entrance door in a bone-jarring thud that sent them sprawling into the night air.

  The wrestling match in the dirt and gravel of the crowded parking lot went on for several minutes, but then it got old. He didn’t know what was happening inside, but it was time for this to end so he could get back inside and make sure Shelby hadn’t gotten hurt.

  Out of breath, Dean used two quick blows to send the cowboy into the front grille of a nearby pickup truck. He landed hard with a sickening thud and slid to the ground, cradling his left arm just as the sheriff’s car arrived, red and blue lights flashing.

  “Okay, freeze right there, Pritchett.” Gage Christensen exited his cruiser. “What the hell is going on?”

  “I think that guy is hurt.”

  Gage kept his gaze on Dean as he headed for the drunk still on the ground. “Yeah, I can see that. Rosey, what’s happened? I haven’t had to visit here in a couple of months.”

  Huffing, Dean turned to find Rosey standing behind him. Nick was in the doorway, none the worse for wear, especially for someone who’d been in a barroom brawl.

  “A difference of opinion from what I can tell,” Rosey said, moving forward until she stood next to Dean. “I’m afraid a lo
t of my customers took off when things started to get crazy. How is he?”

  Gage looked over his shoulder. “I think we better get Emmet here. Looks like this guy’s got a broken arm.”

  Dean’s stomach turned over.

  “We’re in luck. Emmet stopped by for a quick bite. He’s checking over the injured inside.”

  “There’s more?”

  “Oh, please.” Rosey waved a hand in the air. “Have we ever had a fight at the Ace that stayed just between two people?”

  She turned to go back inside, but Dean reached out and laid a hand on her arm, stopping her. “How’s Shelby? Is she okay?”

  “A little upset, but she’s fine. Things calmed down inside as soon as the two of you headed out here. Which I really wish you’d done from the beginning. My bar is a mess.”

  Despite her wry complaint, relief washed over him. “I’ll cover any damages. Both physical and medical.”

  Rosey looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Lucky for you, the worst of the injuries seem to be that guy. Everyone else who joined in seems to be nursing black eyes and sore ribs.”

  She went back inside and Emmet came out a few minutes later.

  Followed by Shelby.

  “You okay, Dean?” Emmet asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Ignoring the pain in his side and the stinging of his bloodied knuckles, he kept his gaze firmly on the woman who now stood a few feet away from him. “The guy over there is the one who’s hurt.”

  Emmet joined Gage and determined that indeed the man’s arm was broken. The sheriff agreed to take them both back to Emmet’s clinic. Dean repeated his request that the man’s medical bills be forwarded to him and promised Gage he’d be here when he returned.

  “Are you out of your mind?”

  Dean turned back after watching the sheriff’s cruiser depart and found Shelby staring at him, her eyes blazing.

  He was right. She was definitely pissed.

  “What in the world made you hit that guy?” she demanded, tossing the water bottle she held at him with just a tad more force than necessary. It bounced harmlessly off his chest.

  “Hey, that ass clocked Dean first,” Nick called out.