The Last Cowboy Standing

by Barbara Dunlop

  He wrapped an arm around her waist. “You want to dance first or drink first?”

  Her lips curved into a dazzling smile. “Dance.”

  “Okay.” He led her through the crowds and into the bright colored light.

  He didn’t see where Caleb or Reed had gone, and he didn’t particularly care. He twirled Danielle, laughing, into his arms. The music was loud and vibrant. There was no point in trying to talk, so they simply danced.

  She was light in his arms, sensitive to his lead. She was fun to dance with, but as they moved through the songs, their spins and dips decreased, while their holds became longer and more frequent. On the fourth song, the DJ slowed things down, and Travis pulled her close, settling her against his chest.

  He inhaled the fresh fragrance of her hair, felt her curves nestle into him, and tipped his head toward her bare shoulders. If Caleb caught sight of him and Danielle, there wouldn’t be a doubt left in his mind what was going on. But Travis didn’t care. His time with Danielle was going to be limited one way or the other, and he was going to make the most of what he had.

  As the song wound down, she tilted her head back. It was hard for him to resist kissing her.

  “I’m getting thirsty,” she told him.

  “This way, then.” He linked her arm in his, maneuvering their way off the crowded dance floor.

  They cleared the light show, traversed the length of the bar, finding a quieter corner with soft furniture, low tables and muted lighting. They chose a section of a curved, bench sofa in an empty grouping, each sitting on one side of a curve, knees close together.

  A white shirted waiter immediately arrived. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “Mojito for me,” said Danielle.

  “I’ll take the same,” said Travis.

  Danielle raised her brows. “You’re sure you want to trust my taste in drinks?”

  “I figure you’ve got to get it right sometime.”

  She looked to the waiter. “Bring him a beer. Anything from DFB.”

  The waiter glanced to him for confirmation.

  “Aren’t you bossy.”

  “I am.” She sat back on the sofa.

  “I’ll take the beer,” Travis confirmed. “I like your dress,” he told Danielle as the waiter walked away.

  Sitting down, she looked even better if that was possible. The dress accentuated her perfect breasts, showed off the indent of her slender waist, emphasized her creamy, smooth shoulders and her graceful neck. And those legs. If he could have designed a perfect pair of legs, they would be Danielle’s.

  “Thanks,” she smiled, picking up the mini menu in the center of the table. “You hungry?”

  “I’d eat. What do you feel like?”

  “Something spicy.” She let the menu fall open in her hands.

  “There you are,” came Katrina’s breathy voice.

  Travis’s sister plunked down into one of the rounded chairs across the table from Danielle. Reed took one look at the size of its mate, and moved to the end of the sofa instead.

  “Any interest in a Thai platter?” asked Danielle.

  “I’d go for that,” said Katrina. “And Reed’ll eat anything.”

  “This is true,” Reed agreed easily. “Living in New York, I’ve discovered I have an international palette.”

  “That’s a very gracious way of putting it,” said Travis.

  The waiter arrived, and Katrina immediately pointed to the mojito. “I’ll take one of those.”

  “Is that DFB?” Reed asked, pointing to Travis’s beer.

  “C Mountain Ale,” said Travis as he accepted it.

  “Sounds good to me,” said Reed.

  “We’d like the Thai platter,” Travis told the waiter. “And bring us some of the barbecue sliders as well.”

  Danielle nudged his knee. “You can take the cowboy off the range?” she asked him, tone lightly teasing.

  “I guess I’m not as international as Reed.” Their gazes met and locked, and it took him a moment to break it.

  “Hey, all.” It was Mandy’s voice this time. She was followed by Caleb who stopped the waiter to place their drink order.

  Mandy took the chair next to Katrina, and Caleb took the one around the end of the table from her.

  “At least Alex and Zach made it home from the bachelor party,” said Mandy.

  “They’ve got the most to do,” said Reed.

  Alex was marrying the Jacobses’ cousin Lisa, while their brother-in-law Zach was his best man. Zach and Alex had started DFB brewery together years ago, only recently moving it to Lyndon Valley.

  “The rest of you will have to come home eventually,” said Mandy.

  “Tomorrow, for sure,” said Caleb. Then he glanced at Katrina. “Right?”

  “Sadly, yes,” she agreed. “But Danielle and I had to have a chance to show off our dresses.”

  Mandy glanced to Danielle. “I can sure tell Katrina helped you pick that out.”

  Danielle frowned as she glanced down. “It’s not exactly my usual style, is it?”

  Travis couldn’t help jumping in. “Just because she’s a lawyer, doesn’t mean she’s staid.”

  He received surprised looks from his sisters.

  “Who said she was staid?” asked Katrina.

  “We love Danielle,” Mandy put in staunchly. “You should stop picking on her, Travis.”

  Caleb coughed in obvious amusement.

  “What is wrong with you?” Mandy asked her husband. “Do you have a problem with Danielle’s sense of style?”

  “Of course not,” said Caleb. “I trust Danielle’s sense of everything. I’m hoping to send her to Europe.”

  Mandy’s tone changed to one of eagerness. “We’re going to Europe?”

  “Danielle’s going to Europe. Why? You want to go, too?”

  Mandy gave an eager nod. “Maybe for a few days?”

  Travis felt Danielle shift beside him. He could guess what she was thinking. If she took the job in D.C., she wouldn’t be going anywhere for Active Equipment. He silently thanked his brother-in-law for making her choice perhaps a little more complicated.

  * * *

  “Have you made a decision about D.C. yet?” Travis asked Danielle.

  It was nine in the morning, and he was shaving at one of the bathroom sinks in his suite while she applied a layer of mascara at its twin.

  “I have five days left,” she reminded him, holding her eyes wide for a moment so that her makeup wouldn’t smear.

  They were hurrying to meet the others in the lobby for the trip to the airport. She’d picked up her suitcase on the way to his suite last night. When they got back from the club, there’d seemed no point in her being coy about wanting to spend their final night together.

  “You must be leaning one way or the other.” He used a towel to wipe the excess shaving cream from his neck.

  “I’m leaning toward putting the decision off as long as possible.” She wanted to do both. It was impossible, of course, but that was what she wanted.

  Travis turned to look at her profile. “You know he’s going to lobby you to come to D.C.”

  She gazed at his reflection in the mirror as she applied some lip gloss. “Are you lobbying me on Caleb’s behalf?”

  “I’m not on my brother-in-law’s payroll.”

  “Then, why are you asking?”

  “Because Randal will lobby you,” Travis told her with conviction. “And he’s got his own agenda.”

  “Is this an I-told-you-so lecture? Because I already conceded to you on that point.”

  “This is a ‘his agenda is not in your best interest’ lecture.”

  She tucked her lip gloss and mascara back in her makeup bag, running a comb throug
h her now dry hair. She really didn’t want to have this conversation with Travis. He might be a macho, overprotective cowboy, but her life was hers, and she could take very good care of herself.

  “I’m a big girl, Travis. And I’m reasonably intelligent.”

  He looked surprised, his face reflecting in the mirror. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

  She found herself growing impatient. “You’re not insulting me. You’re crowding me.” She pivoted to face him. “I just spent the last two days in your bed, not in his.”

  “And I bet he knows it.”

  “So what?”

  “So, it’ll make him want you even more.”

  “Really? Truly? That’s what you want to say to me this morning? That by sleeping with me, you’ve somehow made Randal more attracted to me? As if I couldn’t do that all on my own.”

  “Whoa.” Travis drew back.

  “No, you whoa, cowboy.” She lifted her makeup bag, deciding to make a swift exit. “You’re a fun guy, and a good lover, but we’re about to go back to our real lives, so you can stop fretting about what I’m going to do next.”

  He went silent for a beat. “Caleb will be upset if you leave.”

  She shook her head, forcing down the reflexive guilt she felt for even thinking about taking the D.C. job. “No, Travis. You don’t get to use Caleb or Reed or Katrina against me. This is my life, and one weekend with me does not give you the right to interfere.”

  “I’m not interfering.”

  She headed for the bathroom door. “This is my decision.”

  He followed, and they emerged into the airy, opulent bedroom. “Of course it’s your decision. I never said it wasn’t.”

  Her suitcase was sitting on the mussed up bed, and she tossed in the makeup case and zipped it shut. “You’re as bad as Randal.”

  “I’m nothing like Randal.”

  “Then let me figure this out on my own.”

  “I am.”

  “Good.” She stepped into her shoes, glancing at her watch. “We’re out of time.”

  “Yeah.” His voice sounded hollow. He stared at her a moment longer then lifted the suitcase from the bed, moving toward the living room.

  She slung her purse over her shoulder and followed him out.

  “You want to go down first?” he asked her.

  “Sure.”

  She met his eyes. She didn’t want to fight. But she felt the need to protect herself from him encroaching on her life after they left Vegas. The interlude had been exciting, mind-blowing, completely unforgettable. But it had to end, and it had to end right here.

  “I don’t know what to say,” he admitted.

  “I think you want to say goodbye.”

  A muscle flexed near his right eye, but he didn’t answer.

  “Goodbye, Travis,” she offered.

  “Don’t you dare try to shake my hand.”

  Before she could react, he drew her tight into his arms.

  “Goodbye, Danielle,” he whispered against her ear. “You call me if you—”

  “Don’t,” she interrupted, pulling back.

  “—ever need anything,” he finished.

  “I’m not going to need anything,” she denied. She’d gotten along perfectly well, some might say extraordinarily well, in her life before he came along.

  He gave a nod of acceptance. “Good luck with your decision. Somebody’s going to be incredibly lucky to get you.”

  For some reason the compliment made her uncomfortable. She tried to make light of it. “Only until I make my first big mistake.”

  “You don’t make mistakes, Danielle.”

  “Oh, yes I do. And I will. And when I do, well...”

  She stopped. She realized she was rattling on, postponing that moment when she’d have to walk out his door.

  “I have to go.” She gave him a fleeting kiss on the mouth, then broke eye contact and extended the handle of her suitcase, tipping it onto its wheels.

  Travis hesitated, but then he moved to open the suite door.

  “I’ll see you down there.”

  “Thanks,” she nodded without looking at him and forced herself to walk through the door.

  Shoulders squared, head held high, she quickly moved along the length of the hallway to the elevators. She didn’t hear Travis close the door behind her, but she didn’t look back. She rounded the corner, pressed the call button, and told herself to buck up.

  Her future was square in front of her. Randal’s unwelcome attention notwithstanding, D.C. was an excellent move for her to make. Caleb could find another lawyer. There were hundreds of other good lawyers in Chicago. Six months from now, Active Equipment wouldn’t even miss her. Heck, they probably wouldn’t miss her six weeks from now. She’d make sure her replacement was totally up to speed.

  The elevator door opened silently in front of her.

  Somebody else could manage the merger. Somebody else could go to Europe. And she’d never see Travis again.

  The elevator started downward, it left her stomach behind.

  Eight

  On the plane ride back to Lyndon Valley, Caleb had asked Danielle to stay and work with him on the Pantara merger from their ranch for a few days. It seemed Mandy’s favorite mare had fallen sick, and she didn’t want to leave Lyndon Valley right away.

  Danielle understood Caleb’s desire to be near his wife, but she was anxious to get back to Chicago. Beyond the emotional complication of being so near to Travis, she needed to spend some time in her own office. She wanted to ponder what she’d be giving up by moving to D.C., maybe clean up her files, put herself in a position to make the move—if she decided she wanted to make the move.

  But Caleb was her client, so she’d agreed to stay. She put her energy toward making contacts in Germany and working with international stock exchange listings. She struggled hard not to think about Travis being just down the road, tried not to wonder what he was doing, alternately hoping he would call and then being glad he hadn’t. She’d been at the Terrell Ranch for a day and a half, and she hadn’t had any contact at all with him. Not that she was paying attention. Talking to him would truly be a bad idea. Seeing him would be even worse.

  Footsteps sounded in the hall, and Caleb appeared in the entry of the small office on the second floor of the ranch house.

  “It’s nearly six,” he informed her.

  “That’s two in the morning in Germany. They’ll be back at the office in six hours.” She was polishing a memo to have in Pantara’s inbox when they arrived in the morning.

  “All the more reason for you to stop working.”

  Danielle clicked open the attachment on an email. “I’ve got some German case law I wanted to go over on foreign ownership in strategic industry sectors.”

  Caleb moved into the room. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a workaholic.”

  She glanced up at him, blinking in mock astonishment. “I’m sorry. You’re accusing me of being a workaholic?”

  “I’m a business owner,” said Caleb. “I’m supposed to work 24/7.”

  “I’m billing you for all these hours,” she informed him, scanning the index page of the document she’d just opened.

  “I’m responsible for keeping you from working yourself to death.”

  “It’s barely six o’clock, Caleb.” When she was in Chicago, she rarely left the office before seven. And here, she didn’t need to commute through traffic. She scrolled down to the executive summary of the paper.

  “What time are you getting up?” he asked.

  She hadn’t decided yet, but likely around four. It was always a challenge to operate across overseas time zones.

  “Mandy’s putting burgers on the grill.”

  “Could she save one f
or me?”

  “Travis is here.”

  Danielle’s attention shot to Caleb. She swallowed, struggling to keep her expression neutral.

  “I invited him up for a burger.”

  “That’s nice.”

  It was obviously going to happen eventually. The Terrells and Jacobses were lifelong friends. She knew from spending time on the ranch in the past that they dropped into each other’s places all the time. Travis was Mandy’s brother. Of course he’d want to spend time with her while she was in Lyndon Valley.

  Caleb cocked his head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  She glanced back at the computer screen. “I wanted to go through—”

  “You have to eat.”

  She supposed that was true. But if she scanned the executive summary right now, she could come back later and zero in on the salient points. Plus, it would give her a few minutes to prepare herself for seeing Travis again.

  “I’ll be right down,” she told Caleb.

  “You’re coming with me now.”

  “You don’t trust me?”

  “I trust you to get your nose buried in that paper and forget all about eating, sleeping and everything else.”

  Danielle knew she wasn’t about to forget about Travis. He was downstairs, merely one floor below her. How should she act? What should she say?

  “Danielle?”

  “I’m coming,” she capitulated, hitting the save button.

  She’d treat him as a friend—no, as an acquaintance. She wouldn’t fight with him, like she usually did. But she wouldn’t say or do anything to allude to their fling, either. She’d be polite but distant, professional.

  She rose from the desk chair and followed Caleb out of the office. They made their way to the end of the hall and down the staircase to the farmhouse living room. Voices came through the kitchen, the smell of barbecue smoke on the evening air. Mandy and Travis were obviously on the deck.

  “Wine?” asked Caleb as they rounded the corner.

  “Absolutely,” she answered, just as she caught sight of Travis.

  She stopped dead at the sight. He was laughing with Mandy, stance relaxed and easy, a bottle of beer in one hand. Dressed in a faded denim shirt and a worn pair of jeans, he looked completely at home against the backdrop of the mountains and the Lyndon River below. Her heart did a triple beat inside her chest.