The Maverick & the Manhattanite (Montana Mavericks: Rust Creek Cowboys)

by Banks, Leanne

  She helped clear up from the meal. “As much as I would love to stay longer, I’ve got to coordinate some plans for later in the week.”

  “I understand,” he said and pulled on his coat. “I’ll walk you to the rooming house.”

  “But...” she began then broke off, hesitating to say what was on her mind.

  “But what?” he asked, helping her put on her jacket.

  “I thought you wanted to keep our relationship on the down low. If people see me spending time with you, then they’re going to talk.”

  “We’re okay as long as we don’t flaunt it. It’s not like I’ll be taking you to the bar and dancing with you every night,” he said.

  “It would be nice to dance with you sometime,” she said wistfully.

  “I’m not much of a dancer,” he said.

  “We’ll see,” she said as he opened the door for her.

  They walked slowly down the street, chatting about anything and everything. When they arrived at the rooming house, she looked up at him. “Better not kiss me,” she teased. “We’re on the down low.”

  He shook his head. “You’re just determined to cause trouble, aren’t you?”

  “Who? Me?” she asked, deliberately widening her eyes in mock innocence.

  He tugged her toward a huge tree away from the bright porch light from the house and took her mouth in a passionate kiss. Her heart and breath did crazy things in response. When he finally pulled back, she could hardly breathe.

  “I think you’re the one causing trouble,” she said. “And I like it very much.”

  “Hush,” he said, putting his finger to her lips. “We’ll just have to finish this trouble some other time. ’Night.”

  “Good night,” she said and wobbled up the porch steps.

  * * *

  Gage decided to stop by the bar before he headed home. He would have much preferred spending his evening with Lissa, but he understood her need to work. She was making things happen in a way he’d never expected. He shouldn’t have underestimated her.

  He spotted his longtime friend Dallas Traub at the bar and grabbed the stool next to him. “How’s it going?” he asked him.

  “As well as it can be. You want a beer?” Dallas asked.

  Gage nodded and lifted his finger to the bartender.

  “The election for mayor looks like it could get a little interesting,” Dallas said.

  “Yes. It was so much easier when we had Hunter McGee. I don’t know anyone who didn’t like him,” Gage said, feeling the familiar stab of grief over the former mayor’s death.

  “Well, it gives people something to talk about,” Dallas said and shot him a sideways glance. “Along with that pretty thing from New York who is providing flood relief.”

  “Yeah. Lissa Roarke is doing a good job. Surprises me how much she’s getting done. She has a new set of volunteers rolling in every few days,” Gage said.

  “I also hear she’s spending her extra time with the local sheriff,” Dallas said.

  Gage rolled his eyes. “Come on, Dallas. You know I don’t talk about that kind of thing.”

  “You may not, but everyone else is,” Dallas said and took a gulp from his beer.

  “It’s nobody’s business,” Gage said. “We’ve been keeping things discreet. I don’t want people talking about her.”

  “Too late for that. Sounds like you may have already fallen for her,” Dallas said. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Make sure you really get to know her before you get too involved. I sure as hell wish I’d done things differently with my ex-wife. Married her way too fast and it’s going to take years to undo the damage.”

  Gage knew Dallas was recently divorced from his wife and pretty bitter about women in general. “Not every woman is like your ex-wife,” Gage said.

  “Maybe not,” Dallas said. “But you take your time. Don’t jump into the frying pan.”

  Frustration tugged at Gage. “What is this? Trust me, I haven’t had any discussions about the future with Lissa,” he said. “We both know she’s leaving Rust Creek.”

  “Good. You just keep that in mind. But speaking of women, I heard you had dinner with Jasmine Cates,” Dallas said. “How’d that go?”

  Gage rolled his eyes. Sometimes he couldn’t believe how much people talked about nothing in Rust Creek. He shrugged and took another sip of beer. “She ate a meal at the office with me. Nothing there.”

  “Hmm,” Dallas said. “I spent some time with her, too.”

  “Really?” Gage said. “I’m glad to hear you’re getting out.”

  Dallas scowled at him.

  “Hey, if the shoe fits,” Gage said, then changed the subject. “What do you think about those Broncos?”

  “It’s gonna take more than a star quarterback to pull everything together,” Dallas said. “I’d like to see Seattle shake things up.”

  Gage nodded and took another sip of beer. He’d walked into the bar in a good mood, but talking with Dallas had ruined it for him.

  The next morning, just before he left the trailer to do some morning chores, he received a call from his mother. “We haven’t seen you in two weeks. Come over for dinner,” she said.

  Gage raked his hand through his hair. “Aw, Mom, you know how busy I’ve been. I don’t know if I can make dinner tonight, but I’ll try to stop by in the next day or two.”

  His mother gave a big sigh. “I realize you touch base with your father several times a week about ranch business, but I would like to hear from you, too,” she said.

  Gage felt the guilt screws sinking into his flesh. “I’m sorry, but you know that when I agreed to run for sheriff, my extra time was going to fly out the window. Add in the flood and it’s been tough. I’ll feel better about things when we see some light at the end of the tunnel. I just wish we could find the funds to get the school rebuilt.”

  “I know,” she said. “But that’s a lot of money and a lot of people are hurting these days. Speaking of the flood, though, I hear that volunteer coordinator from New York is very pretty.”

  Gage felt a twist of dread. He knew where this was headed. “Uh-huh. How’s my sister doing?” he asked, trying to derail whatever comments his mother might make about his love life.

  “She’s fine. In love. But back to that volunteer coordinator. One of my friends told me that you’ve been seeing her,” she said.

  “Of course I see her,” he said. “Her headquarters is pretty much run from the sheriff’s office.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying and you know it,” his mother said. “Why is it that I have to hear from a friend that you’ve started seeing a woman?”

  “Probably because you have a life and you’re not nearly as gossipy as most of the women in town,” Gage said.

  “Well, thank you for that,” she said. “But I wouldn’t be a good mother if I didn’t tell you to be careful. You’re a good man and most of the single women in Rust Creek would love to be the object of your affection. You should focus on the local girls. This girl is from the city and you know how city people can be. They get bored.”

  Gage swallowed a sigh. “Thanks, Mom. Glad to know you think I’m boring.”

  “I didn’t say that,” his mother said. “I’m just feeling protective.”

  Gage’s heart softened. “That’s nice of you, Mom. But you and Dad raised me well and I’m all grown up now. I can take care of myself.”

  At that, his mother backed down. After a few more moments of small talk, he hung up the phone and groaned. Why did people feel the need to give him advice when he hadn’t asked for it? He could only hope that no one else would offer commentary on his relationship with Lissa.

  Chapter Seven

  Lissa worked with her crew of volunteers nearly nonstop for the next three days. Ga
ge barely got to see her for more than fifteen minutes at a time, and although he would pull out his teeth before he’d admit it, he was feeling cranky. Of course, his not seeing Lissa didn’t keep people from making comments.

  Vickie, the dispatcher, told him to go for it because he “deserved some good lovin’.” He got another go-ahead from someone he stopped for speeding. And his deputy, Will, had clearly heard the rumors about Gage and Lissa. Clearly miffed, Will was only speaking to Gage when absolutely necessary.

  All this waiting motivated Gage to do a little planning for the next time they got together. He bought wine from the general store—all three kinds. He bought some beer and steaks, along with potatoes, a large can of green beans and some biscuits. Most of what he bought was frozen or canned, so the fresh steaks and potatoes were a stretch for him.

  The volunteer crew finally finished a half day of work and left to return home. Lissa walked into the office carrying a bag of something that smelled really good from the deli. “I’m finally done for two days. Barbecue sandwiches for everyone,” she said.

  “I’m not turning that down,” Will said, bounding from his desk.

  “Me, either,” Vickie said. “Oh, look, you got eight sandwiches. Can I take an extra one home for dinner?”

  “Feel free,” Lissa said and met Gage’s gaze. “Whew. What a crazy busy few days.”

  “I’ll say,” he said and accepted one of the sandwiches. “Come on in my office.”

  “Let me grab a drink first,” she said and filled a cup from the water cooler.

  She walked into his office and collapsed in the chair across from his desk. Her hair was tousled and her eyes had slight shadows beneath them. “You don’t have to kill yourself for this.”

  “I’m not. I just want to maximize the volunteers when I have them. When they arrive, they want to work longer than I planned for them.” She shrugged. “I’m just glad we’ve had a great combination of skilled and enthusiastic volunteers.”

  Gage nodded as she took a few bites. “What do you have planned for tonight?” he asked.

  She pushed back her hair and smiled. “Besides sleeping?”

  “Any chance you’d like to sleep at my place?” he asked.

  Her eyes brightened. “How much will I get to sleep at your place?” she asked, leaning forward.

  Something about her made him want to eat her up. “I’ll let you sleep just as much as you want,” he said, and bit into his sandwich.

  She gave a low, sexy chuckle. “The trouble is I don’t want to sleep when I’m with you. What are you going to feed me for dinner?” she asked.

  “Steak and baked potato,” he said, feeling a bit proud that he’d already planned the menu.

  She widened her eyes. “Really? I didn’t know you had anything like that in your kitchen.”

  “I didn’t until last night,” he said.

  She laughed and the sound made everything inside him feel a little lighter. “Then you’ve got yourself a date, Sheriff. I’ll wrap up some paperwork.”

  “And take a nap,” he told her. They traded bites of their sandwiches with conversation.

  “Is that an order?” she asked, tilting her head at a challenging angle.

  “A word of encouragement,” he said.

  “Sort of like the same words you offer people who may end up in jail if they don’t follow your encouragement?” she asked.

  “You’re in no danger of ending up in jail,” he promised. “I’ve just been missing you,” he said, surprising himself with the admission.

  She blinked then took a slow breath. “I’ve been missing you, too. I’ll try to squeeze in a nap, Sheriff.”

  “Thanks for the sandwiches,” he said and crumpled his wrapper.

  She stood and shrugged. “My way of celebrating.”

  It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms, but Gage knew once he touched her, he wouldn’t want to stop. “Later,” he said.

  “Yeah, later,” she said in a husky voice and left his office.

  Lissa did as much work as possible then forced herself to lie down for a short time. She was so looking forward to her evening with Gage that she had a hard time settling down. As soon as she fell asleep, however, she heard her cell phone beep.

  Lissa dragged her head off the pillow and answered. “Hi,” she said.

  “You sound dead to the world,” Gage said.

  She was half awake. His voice made her stomach flip-flop. It was an involuntary response. “I’m awake,” she said, propping herself up against her pillow. She took a deep breath and almost slapped herself so she would sound more perky.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I just wouldn’t want you performing surgery or driving a car,” he said.

  She frowned into the phone. “I don’t have to do either, do I?” she asked.

  “Good point,” he said. “Are you ready? I’m waiting out front of the rooming house,” he said.

  Yikes. “Sure,” she lied. “Give me two minutes. Maybe three,” she said as she rose from the bed.

  He chuckled. “I’ll give you five. Don’t trip down the stairs.”

  “Okay, okay. See you soon,” she said and turned off the phone. Racing toward the bathroom, she splashed her face and brushed her teeth. She grabbed her toothbrush, deodorant and moisturizer, then added some clean clothes and cartons of yogurt and an apple from her minifridge to the pile and threw everything into a tote bag and headed out the door. Lissa was one of the few guests with a minifridge in her room. Apparently, the previous guest in her room had needed to refrigerate their medication for a chronic medical condition.

  She skidded to a halt at the top of the steps, remembering Gage’s words. Don’t trip. Swearing under her breath, she carefully descended the stairs, running into Melba.

  “Well, hi there, darling,” Melba said. “Where are you headed?”

  Lissa felt a sudden twist of inexplicable embarrassment and guilt. She felt as if her mother had caught her headed out the door for trouble. Where had that come from, she wondered. She was a grown woman. She shouldn’t have to explain herself to anyone.

  “I’m going out,” she said. “A friend invited me to take a break tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  Melba gave a slow nod. “That sounds like a good friend,” the older woman said. “Just don’t get into trouble.”

  “I won’t,” Lissa said, barely able to keep the laughter from her voice. She was headed straight for trouble. The best kind of trouble.

  She scuttled out the front door and down the porch steps to Gage’s SUV parked discreetly several yards from the front of the house. She raced into the vehicle and tossed her tote into the backseat. “Whew, that was interesting,” she said.

  “Mama Melba grill you?” he asked.

  She sighed. “It wasn’t exactly grilling, but I felt like I was facing both my mom and dad when I was trying to get away with something.”

  “How’d that work out?” he asked.

  “She told me not to get into trouble,” she said.

  Gage gave a dirty laugh and shifted the card into drive.

  The car was nice and cozy and Gage had put low music on the radio. Lissa got so comfortable she drifted to sleep. Sometime later, the SUV hit a bump that awakened her. Lissa glanced at Gage. “How long have I been asleep?”

  “Since three minutes after you got in the car,” he said.

  “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  “I want you to get all the rest you can,” he said and smiled at her. “I’d like you to stay awake at least for the steak I’m going to cook for you.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I feel like I have sleeping sickness.”

  “You’ve been running on adrenaline. You just need a little nap,” he said as he pulled in front of his trailer.
/>   “I’m sorry I’ve been boring,” she said.

  “You’re not boring,” he said. “You’re pretty whether you’re awake or asleep.”

  His words eased something inside her. “Thanks,” she said.

  “Just speaking the truth,” he said.

  He got out of the car and walked to her side of the car to help her out of the door. She was always surprised by his chivalry. Perhaps she’d lived in Manhattan too long, where the men pretty much shoved you out of the cab after a date if they didn’t think you were going to put out.

  The sky was a dark velvet blanket with bright stars. “It’s so beautiful tonight,” she said, breathing in the crisp night air.

  “Yeah, you are,” he said.

  She swatted at him. “Stop flattering me,” she said.

  “Come on inside,” he said, leading her inside the trailer. He grabbed the potatoes, washed them and tossed them in the microwave. He put the green beans to warm on the stove and took the steaks out to put on his small gas grill.

  “You’re so efficient. I don’t know what to say,” she said.

  “I forgot the biscuits. Can you put them in the oven?”

  “Sure,” she said and returned to the trailer to take care of the bread for dinner. Being with Gage made her feel more energized. After the crew left, Lissa had felt as if she could go into a coma, but Gage brought her back to life. Setting a timer for the biscuits on her cell phone, she went outside to join Gage.

  He flipped the steaks. “Biscuits okay?”

  “Perfect,” she said. “I’m very impressed by this meal. What inspired you?”

  “You,” he said without hesitation. “I got a little grumpy when I didn’t get to spend time with you the past few days. I decided you deserved a good meal, and I was determined to give it to you.”

  His confession twisted her heart. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  He met her gaze. “You deserve more.”