Cowboy Jackpot: Valentine's Day

by Randi Alexander

  "Well, Boone had mentioned…" She pressed her lips together as if she'd let out a secret.

  "Boone told you?"

  She nodded. "I'd go with Gigi sometimes to rodeos. And he came to New York a couple times." She scooted closer to him. "He didn't tell me anything except you were found not guilty, and that he knew you too well to ever believe you could harm a woman."

  Dallas laid his hand on top of hers on her knee. "I'm not pissed, so you can stop looking at me like I'm a bomb about to go off."

  Her eyes held a wounded look. "You have a history of that with me, you know."

  He mentally kicked himself. "Yep, and I've been regretting it since Christmas."

  "All forgiven." She waved a hand through the air as if by magic it could be forgotten as well.

  "Thanks, Kira." He looked at her closely. She was a woman he could easily become attached to. "You're good for me."

  Her cheeks colored attractively, but she didn't speak.

  "Anyway, a couple days after Thanksgiving, I'd just gotten home from a rodeo, and Layna showed up. Just walked in the apartment. Except…she was battered. Her eyes were blackened, lip split, nose bleeding. Her arms were black and blue." His heart beat faster remembering his fear. "I asked her what happened, but she wouldn't talk for a few minutes. Then she gave me the threat."

  Kira's fingers pressed to her mouth. Her eyes stared, wide and frightened.

  "She said I could either give her the twenty eight thousand dollars I had in my bank account, or she'd tell the police I'd beaten her."

  "Oh shit. Oh God, Dallas. You must have been just sick."

  "Sick? Yeah. I'd let her into my life. I'd trusted her. I…loved her. And the whole time, it was the money." He had to hold Kira. Dallas sat back against the headboard, lifted her in between his legs, tucking her head under his chin.

  She snuggled in with a quick kiss to his collarbone.

  His heart went from aching from the fear caused by reliving that day, to the sweet pleasure of holding this amazing woman close.

  "I couldn't let her get away with it, Kira. It wasn't the money, it was the idea that she and whoever was making her do this, whoever had beaten her, couldn't be allowed to do this to someone else."

  "You did the right thing."

  "Did I?" A humorless laugh echoed in the room. "She'd already called the police from her cell phone just outside the apartment door. They arrived in minutes and cuffed me. Hauled me out of there. My neighbors saw it. Saw her standing there beaten and bleeding…" He held his breath to regain composure.

  Kira sniffled and he felt moisture run down his chest.

  The thought of her crying over him…fuck, he was so screwed. How was he supposed to let her go after the wedding next week? How had he let himself grow so close to her?

  "They took her to the hospital, and me to jail. They didn't find her blood or DNA on my hands, but I had cuts and bruising from the rodeo. Based on this and her complaint, I was booked. It was nearly morning before Boone and his dad bailed me out."

  "I'm so sorry. It must have been horrible."

  "It wasn't so bad. It surprised me how I never felt fear. I knew I'd be exonerated."

  She looked up at him. "You're a strong man, Dallas. I'm proud that you did what was right."

  He brushed a tear off her cheek. "Plus, I learned a whole passel of swell new legal terms."

  She laughed softly and tucked back into him. "Cowboy." It was all she said, but the one word carried a whole chapter of meaning.

  "My neighbors wanted the building owner to evict me, but I fought that, too. The town and county newspapers carried the story, and the rodeo association heard about it. I had to appeal suspension of my association membership pending the outcome of the trial."

  "She really disrupted your life. Do you ever wish you'd just paid her?"

  "I did a couple of times…a couple hundred times. But I had to see it through." He stared out the window at the flashing lights of the strip. "At the trial, my lawyer, who had been a friend of my parents, represented me pro-bono… Another big law word."

  She laughed quietly. "That's nice of him. He must have believed in you."

  "He did." Besides Boone, Jayden, and their family, he was the only person who'd stood by him, and didn't treat him like a criminal. "He argued that there was no physical evidence; on me, on her, or in the apartment, to prove that there had been an altercation. He noted that one of the police responders had checked her car and found the hood hot, like it had just been driven. And she'd said I kept her locked in the apartment with me for an hour while I…hit her."

  "Oh Dallas." She shivered then took a breath. "That was good police work."

  "Lucky. Stupid luck, again."

  She sat back. "Take your luck any way you can get it."

  Staring into her beautiful green eyes, he thanked luck for bringing Kira to him, not once, but twice. "I will, from now on." He took her hand. "The lawyer was good. He found evidence of her being hospitalized a few times for what looked like abuse. These happened before I met her."

  "So, whatever man, or woman, she was with had her under their control. Made her do these things for money."

  "I'm pretty sure it was a man." The thought of Layna cheating on him was almost as agonizing as thinking of her being abused all those years. "Two of the neighbors in the building had seen her with a man. They testified for me."

  "You got your life back." She tried a smile.

  He shook his head. "My physical life, but not my quality of life."

  "What do you mean?"

  "She stole from me." His faith in people, his ability to trust, and possibly even his ability to love again. Love and trust were too closely bound.

  "What did she take?"

  Dallas wasn't going to go anywhere near his emotional issues while Kira was in his arms. "While I was in jail, she went through the apartment and took all my championship belt buckles."

  "Oh no."

  "It was really all I had of value. I didn't realize they were gone until a week later. By then, she'd pawned them all over Reno. It took me a month to find all of them. Well, all except one." He could still see the shiny face of that buckle. "My favorite. Grand champion."

  "I know how impressive that is, now that Gigi's hanging out with a rodeo man. Can't you get it replaced?"

  He shook his head. "Nope. They made only one. I won it a year to the date after my parents died, and I dedicated it to them that night."

  "Dallas, that's so sad." Her eyes glittered again.

  "Don't worry. It's just a buckle."

  "It's more than that." She rubbed his cheek. "It's your life as you knew it."

  "That's shot to shit, Kira. Ain't never gonna be the same again. I gotta learn to live with what I have left."

  She tipped her head. "It'll take a while to heal. Have you thought about pro—"

  "Professional help?" He swung his leg high over her head and got off the bed. "Now you're sounding like Gigi." He padded into the bathroom.

  "I guess we're done talking?" she called from the bedroom.

  "Look at the clock." He turned on the shower, waiting for it to get hot.

  Squealing, Kira ran in, tucked her hair up in the hotel-provided shower cap, and jumped into the icy stream of water. "Five minutes, cowboy. And if you're not ready, I'm leaving without you!"

  He laughed and jumped in with her, damn near freezing his nuts off.

  Chapter Six

  At eight fifteen, Dallas held open the casino's front door and let Kira walk ahead of him out onto the sidewalk. The dry desert heat hit him. He inhaled, enjoying real air after all the canned air conditioning inside the building.

  They were the last to arrive. Boone and Gigi stood off to the side, held tightly in each other's arms, talking.

  Jayden stood talking to a couple of rodeo buddies, Rance and Mitch. Three of Boone's friends, Ace, Toby, and Bryan hung out by the black stretch Hummer, looking ready to get going. Ace worked on Boone's parents’ farm, and Toby an
d Bryan owned small ranches adjacent to Boone's land.

  Stormie slid out of the back door of the white Hummer. "She's here! Let's go!"

  Everyone turned to look at Kira and Dallas.

  At their stares, he almost dropped his hand from her back, but he stood firm. He knew he'd get shit from Jayden and Boone, maybe even from Gigi and Stormie, but he wanted to show them that Kira was his woman. For right now, anyway.

  He whispered in her ear, "See you soon, sexy."

  She turned her face toward him and he stole a kiss.

  "Oh man." Jayden crossed his arms over his chest. "Stop with the mushy stuff and let's get partying."

  Dallas tugged Kira tighter. "It's Valentine's Day tomorrow. Mushy is good."

  Kira laughed and slid out of his grasp. "See you soon, big guy."

  The women climbed into their Hummer and headed north. The men piled in theirs and headed south. They ate steak dinners in a reserved party room at one of the casinos on the strip, then headed to two other casinos for drinks in the bars.

  At one bar, Boone sent Dallas the picture of all six of them at the Roundup Bar earlier that day toasting with their giant drinks. Dallas saved the picture and stared a few minutes at Kira's expression. God, she was pretty. Boone took the opportunity to bring up Gigi's concerns about Kira, but said he only poked his nose in Dallas's business because the boss told him to.

  Dallas had no response, and they let it drop. Boone was used to his silences, and knew that it didn't mean Dallas wasn't listening.

  Around midnight, the men arrived at the strip club.

  The girls' Hummer was already there. The building had two levels, the female exotic dancers worked the lower level, and the males worked the top floor.

  In the dark room, lights flashed where the women danced on the stage. The cowboys slipped into their reserved booth, which had a pole centered in the middle of the table. "Hello, happiness." Rance hauled out his wallet and ordered the well-primed cowboys a round of longnecks and whiskey shots.

  Jayden took out his own wallet and set a small stack of twenties in front of Boone. "Dad told me to make sure you have a good time tonight."

  Boone shook his head. They'd positioned him at the end of the booth. "I'll let you buy me one lap dance, but I'm not gonna be—"

  "Bullshit." Rance stood, placed his finger and thumb into his mouth, and whistled loudly.

  A couple of the girls noticed them and wandered over, big smiles on their faces.

  Dallas hid his grin. Rance was a wild one, a bull rider gaining on Boone in the rankings. With his green eyes, black hair, and loud personality, the guy always attracted plenty of women. Rowdy women. Rance and Jayden were buddies, and had gotten into trouble together at a few bars on the rodeo circuit.

  "We're each buying you a dance." Rance held up a fifty. "I'll get the first one." He pointed to a cute blonde, then rapped his knuckles on the pole. She nodded and jumped up on the table.

  Dallas took a breath and prepared for a crazy night.

  Two hours later, after Boone had accepted five lap dances, he stood and made a slashing motion. "That's all I can take, fellas. Anyone wanna go upstairs with me and see what the girls are doing?"

  "Yeah." Dallas stood. He'd been thinking of Kira, wondering what she was up to. Was she a quiet watcher like he was? Tipping the dancers, but not buying himself lap dances? Or was she leading the zaniness, like Rance? Probably somewhere in the middle…he hoped.

  Jayden and Rance both jumped up, Jayden slid out of the booth, Rance went over the top of the table. Somebody'd had plenty enough to drink. Maybe too much. Dallas had limited himself, sliding the shots they bought for him across the table. It just wasn't his idea of a good time, getting sloppy drunk.

  The four of them walked up the steps. The music filling the stairwell changed from sexy and feminine in the female dancers' area to hard and thumping coming from where the men danced.

  They stepped into a dark room with purple and red floodlights. Right inside the door, a couple stood, the woman held a drink in one hand and with the other, petted the chest of a man wearing only a Tarzan loincloth.

  Dallas couldn't help the way his lip curled. He wouldn't be staying up here long, that was certain.

  On an L-shaped stage, a man danced in thong underwear, smiling stupidly as a redhead slid folding money into his… Redhead? "Shit." He'd know that hair anywhere. Kira and the other five girls sat on chairs along the stage, their backs to the door where Dallas and the other cowboys stood. A fluffy white veil revealed which one was Gigi.

  Boone leaned over. "I'm taking mine," he shouted. "We'll grab one of the Hummers." He looked at Dallas. "Make sure everyone gets in the other one okay."

  Dallas nodded, already having planned to round them up and herd them back to the hotel.

  Boone pointed a finger at Jayden, pinning him with a glare. "Make sure nothing happens to Stormie."

  When Jayden lifted his hands and gave his brother an innocent look, Boone used his finger to poke Jayden in the chest. "Nothing. Got it?"

  Jayden knocked Boone's hand aside. "Yeah, yeah. Just get your woman and get out of here. We'll be safe with old Dallas here in charge."

  Boone stared at his brother, then shook his head, as if giving up.

  Dallas took the insult and swallowed it. He couldn't help being the responsible person he was. Hell, if he ever let loose, his buddies would have him locked up and examined for extraterrestrial infiltration.

  Boone smacked Dallas on the shoulder. "Thanks for an outstanding night." He looked at Dallas and Jayden. "You guys really pulled it together for me."

  Dallas had done all the planning. Jayden had taken half the credit, but it didn't matter. It was Boone's last fling before he settled down. He just wanted his buddy to have a good time.

  Boone strolled to where their women sat. He bent and whispered something to his fiancée, and she stood and threw her arms around him. Boone dipped her backward, real low, kissing her soundly.

  The other girls stood and cheered, someone put a spotlight on the kissing couple, and the crowd joined in the hoots. The two of them parted, Gigi grabbed her little purse and turned to hug each of her friends. The front of her shirt was lit with multicolored lights announcing, "Bride to Be."

  Rance laughed. "Bet Boone gets a shock trying to get her out of that contraption."

  Dallas smiled and pulled out his camera, hitting the video button to record Boone and Gigi.

  Jayden nudged the other cowboy. "Hey, that's my future sister-in-law you're talking about."

  "My apologies." Rance elbowed Jayden. "But wasn't it you who told me my sister was the hottest piece you'd seen in a month?"

  Jayden had the smarts to dip his head. "All right. We're both pigs."

  When Boone bent and swept Gigi up into his arms, a loud "Awww" went up from a hundred female voices. Still in the spotlight, they walked toward the door.

  Dallas filmed the scene to be used as footage at their wedding reception.

  Gigi gave the three of them a finger wave as Boone carried her past them and out the door.

  "Cowboys!" a very loud female voice called as the spotlight landed on Rance, Jayden, and him.

  "Oh shit." This was outside Dallas's comfort zone. He couldn't see much for the light in his eyes or he'd skedaddle.

  The rest of the crowd took up the chant.

  Jayden lifted his cowboy hat and swung it above his head, his grin downright naughty.

  Rance set his fists on his hips and bulged out his chest, smiling and winking.

  "Oh hell. Why not?" Dallas stuck his thumbs in his pockets, bracketing his package, and stood hipshot like Jayden had shown him. He forced a wide smile.

  Over the din of the cheering women, he heard Kira's voice. "That's my cowboy!"

  Dallas lifted a hand in a gunshot move toward her general direction.

  He heard her laughter ring across the room.

  The music changed to a famous song about riding a cowboy instead of a horse. "C'mon
boys, show us your stuff," the DJ called over the speakers.

  In the seconds it took for Rance and Dallas to give each other the "let's get out of here" nods, Jayden had stepped forward. The spotlight followed him.

  "There he goes." Rance leaned back against the doorjamb. "And he calls me crazy."

  Dallas pulled out his phone and pressed the video record button. "You are crazy, bull rider. But that boy's one head injury short of being certifiable."

  ****

  Kira watched as Jayden used Gigi's empty chair to step up on the stage.

  A bouncer shouted for him to get down, but the DJ said, "Let's see what he's got for us, right, ladies?"

  The crowd went wild.

  "Unreal." Kira looked at Stormie.

  Her cousin's eyes were wide and her smile a little shocked. "Oooh, look at him."

  "That's what you want to get yourself mixed up with?" Kira gestured to Jayden as he strode along the stage just grinning at the women who held up dollar bills toward him.

  "He's so cute." Stormie laid her hand over her heart.

  "Oh no you don't." Kira pinched her cousin's arm. "Snap out of it. No rodeo cowboys, hear me?"

  Stormie gave her the evil eye. "Like you and Dallas weren't banging around up in your suite this afternoon.”

  Kira had no response to that slice of truth.

  Jayden finished his tour of the stage and called, "Stormie!"

  She turned toward him as he ran and fell to his knees, sliding to a stop in front of her. "Wanna stick a dollar in my pants?"

  Kira rolled her eyes. "Really?"

  Stormie laughed like a teenager. "I can think of a few more interesting things I'd like to stick in there."

  Kira grimaced. "Really?"

  Jayden jumped down from the stage, took Stormie's hand, and tugged her with him toward the exit.

  Kira made a few steps to follow, but Dallas stopped Jayden at the door. A lot of angry gestures flew between them, some finger pointing, then Dallas nodded, listened to whatever Stormie had to say, and let them go.

  Grabbing her purse, Kira stomped to where Dallas stood next to another cowboy she'd seen outside the casino earlier. "Why did you let them go?"

  He took her arms in his big hands. "They're okay. They just want to spend some time alone together. Jayden promised nothing would happen except some kissing."