Cowboys Last All Night

by Jennifer Ashley

  “I think so, too.” Cole smirked at Sunshine. Maybe next he’d find some trophies to hand on the wall. A few deer. Maybe a lynx. His expression fell, however, when Jamie turned around and announced, “You probably don’t know how to shoot, do you, Sunshine? I could teach you. You should learn if you’re going to be around firearms all day.”

  “That’s a lousy idea.” Cole stated, but backtracked when Jamie looked at him in surprise. “I mean, Sunshine isn’t interested in shooting. She told me that herself.”

  Sunshine cocked her head. Looked from one to the other. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind.” She moved closer to Jamie. Put a hand on his arm. “Maybe you could teach me. That might be fun.”

  Jamie beamed. “I’d be glad to—any time.” He put his hat on his head and cocked it back.

  “Are you kidding me?” Cole shook his head. “You don’t have time to teach her. You’ve got too much work to do.”

  Jamie’s smile faded. “But—”

  “I’ll teach her.” Exasperation washed over him. What was he saying? Put a weapon in the hands of that crazy vegan?

  “But—”

  “Go on. You’ve got horses waiting for you back at the ranch don’t you?”

  Jamie’s smile flashed across his face again. “I’m going. But I’ll be back. Don’t let him push you around, Sunshine—his bark is worse than his bite.”

  It was kind of fun to tease Cole, Sunshine thought as she went back to work. She was beginning to feel like the little restaurant space could be something now that she’d scraped away the worst of the years of grime. As long as she worked within its parameters, she could turn it into a cozy space that attracted customers from all over town. She’d serve pancakes made from specialty flours in the morning for breakfast along with fruit and fresh-baked muffins and more. At lunch she’d have an array of salads, vegetable Panini’s and stir-fries. For dinner she’d serve heartier fare—bean soups and vegetable stews, veggie burgers of all kinds. She’d have to fight the customers off.

  She leaned against the counter and imagined the small space bustling with patrons. Intellectuals discussing the latest events. The back-to-the-earth crowd swapping tips about gardening. Hers would be the hippest spot in town.

  Except… She snapped back to the present. Were there people like that in Chance Creek?

  There had to be.

  “Well, come on, then.” Cole waved her over.

  “Come on where?”

  “In back. Let’s start your lessons.”

  “Lessons? Oh—” He meant shooting lessons. “I don’t think so. Not right now.” No way in hell was she holding a pistol, let alone firing one.

  He came closer. Everything about the man was sexy, especially when he walked. Her heartbeat speed up as he approached. “So that was all bluff back there? When Jamie was here?”

  “No, I’m just busy.” She turned away.

  In a flash he’d moved around the counter and taken her arm.

  “Hey!”

  “You wanted a lesson. You’re getting a lesson.” He hustled her toward the door to the range. Sunshine scowled but didn’t dig in her heels. When they walked into the back she took in the long galleries where targets hung at the far end. Each one was separated from the next by a thick wall. Waist-high barriers indicated where the shooter should stand. Each one was occupied.

  The noise was deafening.

  Shots had sounded at random all afternoon, but although still distinct out front, she’d grown used to them and had begun to shut them out of her thoughts. Now there was nothing to soften the sound.

  “Here.” Cole handed her a set of headphones and put some on, as well. He pressed a button on the side of her set and suddenly she could hear him more clearly. “Tap it again if you want to block out more of the noise.”

  They moved to stand behind Rob, who was firing at a large target decorated with the outlines of two rabbits. They looked hand-drawn. Rob quit firing, did something with his gun and laid it on the counter, hit a button on the wall, and the target traveled along a track toward them.

  “Good shooting.” Cole pointed to a hole outside the rabbits’ outlines. “Except for that one.”

  “Yeah.” Rob frowned. Then he took in Sunshine’s presence and a smile broke over his face. “Hey, you going to take part in the contest?”

  “I don’t think so. Cole here just wants to show me the basics.”

  Cole grinned. “You should enter the contest. I’ll put you up on the board and we’ll get you started.”

  “No, I—” It was no use. Cole was determined to make a fool out of her. She turned back to Rob. “You don’t know where I could find some more tables and chairs for the restaurant, do you? Cheap ones?”

  “Sure I do. Want me to take you after you’re done?”

  That would certainly piss off Cole. “Sure. Afterward I’ll buy you dinner as a thank-you.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” But he moved closer and Sunshine had a feeling he’d like a chance to spend more time with her.

  He seemed nice enough. Not her type, but then who around here was?

  Her gaze slid to Cole, who was returning, a target in his hand. “Mind if we take your lane, Rob?” he said.

  “Not at all. I’ll wait for you over here, Sunshine.”

  “Wait for you? What for?” Cole asked when Rob took a seat across the room.

  “He’s taking me shopping. And to dinner.” She waited for Cole’s reaction and was rewarded when he scowled.

  “Stop flirting with all my customers.”

  “I’m not flirting. He offered.” But Cole was already crossing the room. He exchanged words she couldn’t hear with the cowboy and after several minutes of back and forth, Rob stood up, waved at her and left.

  “What did you say to him?” She put her hands on her hips and waited for him to walk back.

  “That if anyone was taking you shopping it would be me, because I know what’ll fit in the space.”

  “We could have measured.” Of all the lame excuses.

  “You don’t want to get mixed up with Rob. He’s a real player. A woman in every port.”

  “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

  “Yeah. Let’s see about that.”

  He led her over to the partition and talked her through the basics of firearm safety. She had to hand it to him, he was a good teacher and he made her repeat the information back several times before he moved on to allowing her to hold an unloaded pistol in her hand. She practiced identifying and moving the various parts and gripping it correctly. Only then did he load it with cartridges and walk her through firing her first shot.

  When she pulled the trigger for the first time she gasped as the shot fired. She’d thought she might be scared, but instead she felt… invigorated.

  “Can I do it again?” she asked, turning toward him.

  “Whoa! Whoa there!” He stopped her and she quickly remembered she had to keep the muzzle pointed down the shooting lane.

  “Sorry!”

  “You bet your ass you’re sorry. Anyone who forgets that rule finds himself on the street.”

  “Okay, I got it.”

  He waited until she was back in the correct stance. “Beginner’s mistake. Take a deep breath and try again.”

  She did. And again and again, gaining confidence as she went. She couldn’t believe she was hitting the target—even though her shots were nowhere near the round bulls-eye on the paper. When Cole declared her lesson over and packed the pistol away, Sunshine turned around to find she had quite an audience. The men clapped and she blushed, then made a little curtsy, deciding to enjoy the moment. When her gaze found Cole’s, he was smiling, too. “You did all right.”

  “Thanks.”

  “See?” Rob had slipped back into the gallery at some point when her back was turned. “It’s pretty cool, right?”

  “I guess so.”

  “I thought I told you to skedaddle,” Cole said to him.

  “Come on,
Sunshine. Let’s go do that shopping,” Rob said.

  “OUT!”

  Rob laughed and pretended to cower at Cole’s angry outburst. “Another time,” he whispered to her, squeezing her hand and left again.

  “I’ll be ready in five minutes,” she told Cole, handing him the headphones.

  “Ready for what?”

  “Shopping!” Why else had he shooed Rob away again? “I hope you know where I can find enough tables within my budget.”

  Chapter Seven

  Why was he shopping when he was supposed to be running his business? Not that the range couldn’t run itself half the time. All his customers knew what they owed him and how to work the old cash register. They knew where the extra targets were, too.

  Still.

  “Here we are.” He pulled into a gravel parking lot.

  Sunshine eyed the second-hand store doubtfully. Kerri’s Collectibles was a hodge-podge of used goods, but more than once Cole had found something he needed inside. Plus he’d much rather give a hometown girl like Kerri Olsen the business than some big box store in Billings. He led Sunshine inside and ushered her toward the furniture section.

  Sunshine made a beeline for a square pedestal table that had been painted blue at some point in the past. “This one looks good.”

  “Really?” He tried again. “I mean… sure.”

  “I’d get this old paint off, of course. Refinish it.”

  Cole looked at her in surprise. “You know how to do that?”

  “Sure.” She’d moved on to another circular table. Testing it out, she discovered it wobbled and made a face. “I don’t know about this one. I guess I could jam something underneath it.”

  “I could fix it.” Cole sighed inwardly at his own stupidity. Why on earth would he volunteer to do that? She had to lose. He might decide at some point to pursue this exasperatingly beautiful woman, but it would be after he’d secured the building for himself.

  “That’s terrific. I guess I’ll take it after all. Let’s see what else they have.”

  “Can I help you with anything?”

  “Hi, Kerri.” Cole smiled at the woman who’d come to meet them. Kerri Olsen had taken over the shop from her grandmother a couple of years ago and the job seemed to suit her. Cole remembered her hanging on the fringes when they were in school. Artistic and sensitive, she hadn’t really fit in. As an adult she’d found her niche with the second-hand store. She had a way of finding objects that deserved a second life and displaying them imaginatively.

  “Sunshine here is looking for tables.”

  “I want these two.” Sunshine pointed out the ones she’d already claimed. “I need some more, though. I’m starting a restaurant.”

  She said this last part rather shyly and to Cole’s surprise, he wanted to step closer to her and protect her from any harsh response. Which was crazy. Kerri was the last person to respond harshly to anyone’s dreams.

  “That’s terrific! Do you have a location in mind?”

  Sunshine flushed and Cole chuckled. “Right in the front room of my rifle range.”

  “Oh. Well.” Kerri didn’t seem to know how to respond to that.

  “It’s a strange situation,” Sunshine said.

  “Life is full of strange situations. Here, what about this one?” Kerri led the way around a cluster of couches to a rather battered small table that currently served to hold up a lamp. “You’ll want some two-people tables and some bigger ones, right?”

  “That’s right.” Sunshine frowned. “I guess I should have drawn up a plan first. I was just too excited to get started.”

  “Do you know the dimensions of the room?” Both women turned to Cole and once again he wondered how he’d ended up helping Sunshine when she was trying to take away his business.

  “Roughly thirty by thirty.”

  Kerri pulled out her phone and punched some numbers in. “With some space taken up by walkways and so on, I’d say you could seat about forty people. So maybe seven tables of four and six tables for two? Or maybe you’ll want one big table for larger parties?” She indicated a table Cole hadn’t even noticed—a long trestle-style rectangle.

  Sunshine brightened. “I like that. I want larger parties to feel welcome.”

  “What kind of food will you serve?” Together they went to examine the table. Cole braced himself for Kerri’s reaction to Sunshine’s answer.

  “Vegan cuisine.”

  To her credit, Kerri only wavered for a minute. “Vegan? That’s like, no meat or dairy?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Wow. That’s… interesting. Can I ask what made you choose a shooting range to put a vegan restaurant? That seems like two very different crowds.”

  Once again, Cole was impressed with Kerri’s diplomacy. “Very different,” he put in.

  “I didn’t have a lot of choice,” Sunshine said after a moment’s hesitation. “I hope that when people get a chance to taste my cooking they’ll change their minds about vegan food.”

  “I’m sure they will.” But Kerri sent Cole a look over Sunshine’s head when she turned away to examine the table. Cole shrugged. It wasn’t his business if Sunshine’s restaurant flopped. In fact, he hoped it did.

  Although…

  He hated to admit it but he felt bad about how Sunshine would react when she inevitably did fail. He had the feeling Sunshine would be crushed.

  Not your problem, he told himself. You’ve got your own business to run and two dozen tenants depending on you to do it well.

  Somehow that didn’t make him feel any better.

  “Do you need any help refurbishing the tables?” Kerri asked as she helped carry them out to the parking lot.

  “Maybe. Do you like that kind of thing?” Sunshine set her end of the table down near Cole’s truck. Cole was on the phone to Rob and Jamie to see if they’d come help transport all the tables back to the range.

  “Are you kidding? I love it!”

  “Me, too.” They grinned at each other. “I’ll be working on them all day tomorrow so stop by the rifle range any time.”

  “Where are you living?”

  Heat suffused Sunshine’s face. “I… uh… I’m sharing the apartment behind the range.”

  “With Cole?” Kerri’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you and Cole an item?”

  “No. Not at all. We’re just… it’s complicated.”

  Kerri grinned. “I’ll bet. Everything’s complicated until you take your clothes off.”

  “Shh!” Sunshine cast a look over her shoulder to make sure Cold hadn’t heard.

  The other woman giggled. “Come on, don’t tell me you haven’t done it. Or at least thought about it, for heaven’s sake. Cole’s one of the hottest guys in town.”

  “There are plenty of handsome men in town.”

  “Is there someone else you’ve met that you like?”

  Cole ended his call and came to stand next to her, his expression inscrutable. “Rob will be here in a few minutes,” he said.

  “Thanks.”

  When Cole moved away again, Kerri leaned closer. “Is it Rob? Rob Matheson? He’s cute, too.”

  Cole didn’t say a word, but his shoulders stiffened and Sunshine groaned inwardly. She didn’t have the slightest crush on Rob Matheson. She didn’t have a crush on anyone.

  Certainly not on the hottest guy in town.

  Chapter Eight

  Rob Matheson? Sunshine had a crush on Rob? Cole’s fingers tightened into fists. When had she even had time to form an opinion about the man? If she liked anyone it should be—

  He broke that thought off and paced away. It didn’t matter who Sunshine liked or what she did. Soon enough she’d be gone.

  Irritation suffused him as he remembered how he’d thought Cecily might be trying to throw him and Sunshine together. That was a laugh. Sunshine wouldn’t stop until she’d driven him out of the building. And if he was the one to prevail she’d hate his guts and leave. Then he’d be stuck with all these stupid table
s. He’d have to set up a poker tournament to make use of them.

  Now, that wasn’t such a bad idea, he mused. He could see a group of Chance Creek’s men getting together on Wednesday nights for a game or two. It would be a way to earn some extra money. If Sunshine would serve ribs and burgers instead of chicken scratch and Melba toast, those men would probably make a night of it.

  By the time Rob’s truck pulled into the parking lot and he climbed out, Cole had forgotten he was supposed to be mad at him.

  “Hi, Sunshine. Hi, Kerri.” Rob tipped his hat at both of them and got to work, and while he was flirtatious, he didn’t seem to favor one of the women over the other. Cole’s temper was soothed and soon enough they’d driven the short distance to the range and unloaded all the tables and chairs into the front space.

  “See you all tomorrow,” Rob said when they were through. Cole thought that would be the end of him for the night but he hesitated on his way to the front door. “Sunshine? I know you don’t know many people in town yet. Any chance you want to go to dinner with me tonight?”

  Sunshine smiled and all Cole’s anger came rushing back. He was only mad because the men who were supposed to be his friends were cozying up to his enemy, he told himself. But that was a lie. The truth was, the thought of Rob, or any of them, touching Sunshine made him want to lose his mind.

  “I’m taking her out to dinner tonight. Bug off!” he said.

  Sunshine spun around to look at him. “But—”

  “We’ll see you tomorrow, Rob. Good-bye.” Cole shoved the man bodily out the door. Sunshine was staring at him when he came back in.

  “That wasn’t necessary.”

  “That was necessary. Rob’s a good guy. I don’t want you leading him on. You won’t be staying here long enough to be anyone’s girlfriend.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and headed toward the front door. “I thought you said he was a player.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To the store to get myself something to cook for dinner.”