“He didn’t ask, did he?”
“No, but—”
“Because he’s been worried about this visit from the get-go. I think he’s worried that we won’t get along. How ridiculous is that?”
“I wasn’t worried,” Teague said. “I just—”
“No, seriously, he was, Val. He tried to talk me out of coming by saying you’d be too busy getting ready for the start of school.”
“Oh.” He’d tried to avoid staging this deception? That was news.
He spread his arms. “What do I know? We weren’t dating last August. It could have been true.”
“Come on, son. You’ve been watching me prepare every year since you were a toddler. Just admit you were nervous about the first meeting of the two most important women in your life.”
He sighed. “All right, all right. I was a little anxious. A lot was on the line.”
No kidding.
“But as you can clearly see, you had nothing to worry about.”
“Thank the Lord.”
“Come on, then.” She walked over and scooped up the lead ropes. “Let’s get Herb turned out and muck us some stalls.”
“Do you think she’s onto us?” Val stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Teague stood at the sink, bare-chested, a razor in his hand and shaving cream making him look like a very sexy Santa.
He turned. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think she is and then she says something that tells me she’s convinced.”
“Same here.” She began drying off. “I can’t decide.”
“I do know one thing.” His gaze raked her damp body. “I’d rather stay in this house than go to the Moose tonight.”
“So would I, but we’re going and they’ll pick us up in twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes?” His eyes darkened. Setting the razor on the counter, he pulled a hand towel from the rack and wiped his face as he came toward her. “That’s plenty of time for— dammit, there’s my phone.” He spun around, threw the towel on the counter and headed for the bedroom.
She continued drying off as she walked to the bathroom doorway to listen.
“Hey, Jake. How’s it going, buddy?”
Jake? Wrapping herself in the towel, she padded into the bedroom to get her underwear and eavesdrop some more.
“I think she believes us.” He turned, the phone to his ear and his attention on her. “Val and I were just talking about it. It’s hard to tell for sure.”
Draping the towel over the top of the dresser, she turned away from him and opened the top drawer.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not, Jake.”
She took out what she needed and started to close the drawer. The whisper of his bare feet alerted her so she didn’t jump when he circled her ribcage, his arm tucked under the swell of her breasts.
“Well, I guess if it’s just you and Millie, that wouldn’t look suspicious.” He drew her close and cupped her breast, squeezing gently.
She should wiggle out of his grasp. Neither of them had time for fondling. But… mm, he was an expert fondler. Warm skin, firm muscles and the rapid thud of his heart coaxed her to rest her hands on the lip of the drawer and lean into him.
“I guess Matt and Lucy would be okay, too.” He nudged her backside. The worn denim of his jeans was soft, but not what lay behind it. “Yeah, she loves Lucy’s artwork. But that’s enough folks. We don’t want to lay it on too thick.”
Speaking of thick…. A sweet ache settled in her core.
“Okay, Jake. See you there. ’Bye.” He laid the phone on the dresser and cradled her other breast as he nuzzled the curve of her neck. “Let’s call Ed and tell her we want to drive ourselves there.”
“Bad idea.”
“Great idea. Then we can—”
“Look like hormonal teenagers?”
“Funny you should mention that. Perfect description of what you do to me.”
She tossed her underwear on top of the dresser and covered his hands with hers. “I’m in the same boat, buster. But we’re not going in separate vehicles so you and I can have a quickie.” She pried his hands loose. “Go finish your shave.”
Heaving a sigh, he stepped back. “I’ll finish it in the shower. A very cold shower.”
“That’s the spirit.” She turned and watched him walk away. Poetry in motion.
“You’re ogling my ass, aren’t you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“You are. Your breathing just changed.”
“You’re imagining things.”
“Want to reconsider that two-vehicle plan? I can be flexible.” He grasped the doorframe and looked at her over one muscled shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows. “Very flexible.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
He laughed and ducked into the bathroom. “And you want me bad!”
Picking up her underwear, she paused to take a deep, cleansing breath. He wasn’t wrong.
Chapter Seventeen
The venue had taken on an end-of-the-summer, anything-goes vibe. Merlin, the plush moose head mounted over the bar, sported an oversized pair of shades and a pink bubblegum cigar. His Glacier National Park souvenir cap was on backwards, rally-style.
Teague got a kick out of his mom’s delighted reaction to Merlin’s getup. She asked if they could eat at the bar so she could get a better view of that silly moose.
“Sounds like fun,” Val said. “I’ve never sat at the bar.”
“Then it’s time you did.” Ed gave her an approving nod. “And we’ll be closer to our champagne source.”
“Then let’s do it.” Teague moved to the stool closest to the entrance and propped his hip on the leather seat, staking his claim to the spot while he waited for the women to settle.
Ed made her choice, leaving two stools between her and Teague.
Val motioned to the spot next to Teague. “You should sit next to your son, Madeline.”
“No, you take it. You’re his fiancée.”
“I’m with him all the time, so you—”
“But you’re—”
“Oh, for pity’s sake.” Ed rolled her eyes. “Teague, will you please sit between these two women? I know you stationed yourself down there because of some gentleman’s code of conduct, but you’re causing a ruckus.”
Val laughed. “She’s right. Let me take the end spot. I promise to protect us from any threat that comes through the front door.”
“Because historically there are so many.” Ed made a face.
“I was just doing what comes naturally.” And he could keep track of incoming members of the Brotherhood. “But I’ll move.” He got up and gestured to his stool. “Warmed it up for you, sweetheart.” He gave her a wink for emphasis. Maybe the leftover heat would remind her of how much she liked his ass.
While the bartender laid out placemats, napkins and silverware, Ed requested a bottle of champagne and some appetizers.
Val leaned toward Teague. “When the champagne arrives, you could open it and show off your skills.” She adjusted her skirt to show off her knee and a bit of thigh.
“I’d rather not.” The silver buttons running down the front of her skirt were for show. Velcro held it together. Easy-off.
She ran her tongue over lips. “But you’re so good at opening champagne bottles.”
He shifted on his stool. If this was payback for his wink, she’d achieved her goal. “It’s harder when I’m sitting down.” Oh, boy. Shouldn’t have phrased it that way.
She picked up her cue. “Is it really?” she murmured, glancing at his fly. “Must be painful.”
He nudged her knee and lowered his voice. “Behave yourself.”
“You started it.” She mimicked his tone. “Warmed it up for you, sweetheart.”
He grinned. “Just stating a fact. I can’t help it if—”
“Teague Wesley Sullivan, you wouldn’t be harassing your lovely fiancée, would you?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled at Val. �
�But the harassing is mutual. She gives as good as she gets.”
“I’m happy to hear it.” She glanced at Val. “He’s a really good guy, but he has a devilish streak. He can be a bit of a tease. Personally, I think that makes him more interesting.”
“I’m right here, Mom.”
“I know. I say those words in your presence because I love you. You need a woman who can handle that special part of you. It appears that Val’s up to it.”
His attempt to choke back a laugh ended in a coughing fit. Val whacked him several times on the back. Hard. He glanced sideways and managed a wheezed version of enough.
“Don’t want you to choke to death.”
He cleared his throat. “Thanks.”
“I think they might have interpreted that remark differently than you meant it, Madeline.” Ed’s deadpan delivery sent Teague into another round of coughing.
“Oh, my God.” His mom threw up her hands. “I wasn’t referring to sex. I was only trying to clarify that a little gentle friction can be a good… I mean, a healthy back-and-forth between two… oh, never mind!”
Ed lost it, leaning on the bar as she laughed until she was gasping for breath.
A soft hiss from behind the bar was followed by the bartender raising a bottle with vapor drifting from the open neck. He quickly filled four glasses and tucked the bottle into an ice bucket sitting next to Ed’s place at the bar.
“I desperately need some of that.” His mom grabbed one of the flutes and took a gulp.
Ed straightened and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Me, too. I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed that hard.” She picked up a glass, took a sip and grinned at his mom. “You need to visit more often.”
“That sounds lovely. But I wasn’t trying to be funny. I wanted to make a point. I can’t imagine where those phrases came from.”
Teague swallowed a fizzy mouthful of champagne. “How about that Fun in the Sack party you went to Sunday night?”
“You could be right. The jokes were flying at that party, which was exactly what you thought it was, by the way. I was going to bring some of the items with me on this trip, but I changed my mind.”
“That’s too bad.” Ed made a sad face. “I would have liked to see what’s current.”
“Next time, then. I was thinking they’d be fun prizes for the bridal shower.” She turned to Val. “But I’m not pushing for a date, I promise. Just when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, but it’s a great idea for a shower prize.” She sent him a sly glance. “I haven’t been to one of those parties in a while. Might be some new stuff out.”
Was she implying she had a stash of toys? One more subject to discuss when they were alone. Alone. The prospect beckoned to him, a mirage in the desert.
“I think she should bring them next time she visits, whether a shower’s scheduled or not.” Ed pulled the bottle out of the ice bucket and topped off her glass. “I’m passing this down the line. We need to kill this bottle so we can order another.”
“Good plan.” His mom took some and handed the bottle to Teague, who filled Val’s glass and then his own.
His mom held up her flute. “Here’s to creating joyful friction.”
“Mom!”
She laughed. “I got myself into it and I’ll get myself out. Where do you suppose you learned how to tease?”
Val gave her a thumbs-up. “Nice job, Madeline.” She touched her glass to his mother’s, Ed’s, and finally his. She took a sip and set down her flute.
“We should probably order.” Ed picked up a menu. “I don’t know why I even look at this. I know what I want. The Moose is the only time I indulge myself in a good old-fashioned burger with all the trimmings.”
“I could go for that,” his mom said.
Val nodded. “Suits me.”
“Me, too.” Teague gave their order to the bartender and turned to her. “The band’s tuning up. Care to dance?”
“You read my mind.”
He stood, but as he held out his hand to help her down, Jake and Millie came in and headed straight for the bar.
Jake took the conversational lead. “We just wanted to say hello to your mom, Teague, old buddy. Hey, Mrs. Sullivan. How’re you doing?”
“Great! Good to see you, Jake. And it’s Madeline, remember?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do recollect that now. You met my wife Millie last time, didn’t you?”
“I sure did. You guys weren’t married, then. Teague told me you did the deed on New Year’s Eve.”
“We did,” Millie said. “God help us.”
“Bold choice, and smart, too. Now you’ll have no excuse for forgetting your anniversary.”
“Indeed.” Jake smiled. “Go big or go home. Which brings us to the next topic.” He laid one hand on Val’s shoulder and the other on Teague’s. “Congrats, you two. Happy news.”
“Thanks, Jake. I’m a lucky guy.”
“You are, indeed. Val, if you need any help keeping this cowboy in line, let me know.”
“You’ll be the first, Jake.”
“Jake can be the second,” his mom said. “I should be the first. If you have complaints, Val, come straight to the manufacturer.”
Jake chuckled. “Good one. I’m stealing it for future use.”
Teague stared at him. “Is that your way of saying—”
“Oh, no, no!” He waved both hands in the air. “Trust me, when Millie and I make that announcement, we’ll put it up in flashing neon.”
“And if you don’t, Henri will. But dude, you won’t have a chance to use my mom’s zinger for another twenty-five or thirty years.”
“I know. It’ll still be good. Except come to think of it, there won’t be any complaints.” He grinned. “My kids will be perfect.”
Millie started laughing. “Oh, yeah. Of course they will.”
“Wait and see. I’ll transfer all my hard-won knowledge for creating a blissful marriage. Their spouses will reap the benefits. No complaints.”
“Val’s not going to have complaints, either.” Teague looped an arm around her waist. “I’ll make sure of that.”
“Whoa, buddy.” Jake nudged back his hat. “I was mostly kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“I advise against going for zero complaints. You’ll crash and burn for sure. I’d shoot for an average per month, maybe something in the teens.”
Millie flashed a smile at her husband. “Goose it up a notch or two, honey bunch, and you’ve got it about right.”
“In the twenties, then. If you get into the thirties, you’re heading for trouble, but keep it below that and you’ll be okay.”
“If you say so.” Teague wasn’t going to argue with Jake and Millie, because in their case, those stats might be true. But if by some miracle he ended up married to Val, she would have zero complaints. He’d see to it.
Chapter Eighteen
After Jake and Millie left, Madeline glanced at Teague. “Jake’s a hoot.”
“Yes, he is.”
“That was very nice of him and Millie, coming over to congratulate you.”
Val went on alert. They’d said they just wanted a chance to say hello to her. The congratulations had been almost an afterthought. Had Madeline figured out the meet-and-greet was staged?
Maybe not. Don’t get paranoid, girl.
Teague picked up his champagne. “I’m not surprised they showed up.”
Oh, Teague. Val swallowed a laugh.
He calmly sipped his bubbly. “The Buckskin gang’s very happy about this.”
“Not as happy as I am. I was beginning to wonder if you’d find what you were looking for.” Her gaze moved past him. “Clearly he did. I’m hoping you did, too, Val.”
“Absolutely.”
“I realize your engagement is only days old, but have you talked at all about a wedding date?”
Just her luck that Madeline directed that question to her instead of Teague. “We haven’t talked about it much. I’m a l
ittle wedding-phobic.”
“And I’m happy to wait.” Teague reached over and squeezed her hand.
Ed leaned around Madeline and made eye contact. “Take my advice and enjoy a nice long engagement, Val. Don’t push it. You’ll know when the time is right.”
“Thanks, Ed.” She could kiss that woman. And Teague, too. Well, she’d like to do more than kiss him, but—
“Will you ladies excuse us, please?” He stood and offered his hand. “I’d like to claim that dance with my fiancée.”
“By all means.” His mother beamed at them. “Wonderful idea.”
Once they were on the dance floor, Val settled into his arms with a sigh of relief. “Nice.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He tucked her in for a slow song.
She nestled closer and laid her cheek against the soft cotton of his Western shirt. “Did you hear Millie call Jake honey bunch?”
“I did.”
“I need to call you Teague-a-rooney. To strengthen our case.”
“No, you don’t. We’re doing okay so far.”
“I wish I could tell what your mom’s thinking.”
“I have a pretty good idea.” He massaged the small of her back. “She knows something isn’t adding up, but she can’t deny our strong connection.”
“I can’t, either.”
“Tell me about it. I can’t forget how good you felt while I was talking to Jake on the phone. I don’t know how I managed to carry on a conversation.”
“Because you’re a cool customer. I about died when you said I’m not surprised they showed up.” She lifted her head to look up at him. “How did you say that with a straight face?”
“Wasn’t easy, but that meeting was too on the nose. I was afraid it would be when Jake outlined his plan. She wasn’t totally buying it. I figured if I hit it head-on by saying something like that, she might decide she was imagining things.”
“She’s very smart.”
“Yes, she is.”
“What made you think you could outwit her?”
He smiled. “I’m smart, too. And my fiancée is even smarter.”
Marriage-Minded Cowboy Page 9