Claimed by a Cowboy

by Tanya Michaels

  The pig-tailed girl admired herself in a hand mirror, then slid off her stool to rejoin her waiting parents. None of the other kids rushed to vacate the empty seat.

  Lorelei stepped forward, telling Tess in a stage whisper, “I particularly liked the glittery sparkles you added to her…unicorn?”

  “Close. Butterfly.”

  Huh. “Maybe you ought to stick to simple shapes like smiley faces and the Lone Star flag,” Lorelei suggested.

  A woman who was cleaning off brushes and small sponges at the other end of the long table said, “Whoever you are, tell me you came to help!”

  “Not exactly.” Lorelei doubted she’d be much better at this than her friend. “I actually just wanted to talk to Tess for a minute, but I can wait if you guys are too busy.”

  The woman sighed. “Take her. Petey Kendall is next and I can tell you from experience he’s gonna want a T-Rex.”

  A boy standing nearby tried unsuccessfully to blow a bubble with his purple gum. “A T-Rex for the right cheek and a stegosaurus on the left!” His Witte Museum T-shirt also featured dinosaurs.

  Tess tossed her arms up in defeat. “We’re officially outside my skill set, so—”

  “What skill set?” the other woman demanded.

  “—I think it’s time for my break. Wanna get some food?”

  Lorelei laughed. “All we’ve done for days on end is get food!”

  “That’s not true.” Tess sniffed. “At the vintner lecture on Monday, I also got libations.”

  The two of them took a lazy stroll around the playground, smiling at children’s antics as they passed.

  “So what did you need to talk about?” Tess asked. “And please let it be that you came to ask for my expertise in the art of seduction.”

  Lorelei snorted. “You consider yourself an expert?”

  “Not the point. Do you realize you’re leaving after this weekend and that you’ve yet to make a move on Sam?”

  “That’s because I have no intentions of making a move.”

  “But your chances of a mind-blowing vacation fling are dwindling! Staying under the same roof as that man is utterly wasted on you.” Tess expelled a breath, looking peeved. Well, as peeved as anyone with freckles and a perpetual smile could. “I don’t get it, Lor. I’ve seen the two of you together and deny it all you want, y’all have the hots for each other.”

  “I don’t deny there’s an attraction.” Although she wondered if it had faded on Sam’s part. Whenever their paths had crossed during the past forty-eight hours, he’d seemed prickly, strangely aloof after their former bantering. “But this is not what I wanted to discuss with you. Are you free tonight?”

  Tess brightened. “I don’t suppose you’re asking because you want to set me up with Sam?”

  “No.” Lorelei took care to enunciate the word as forcefully as possible.

  “Well, then yes. I’m very disappointed, but I’m also free.”

  Chapter Twelve

  As soon as Sam helped the little girl atop the saddled pony, she began whooping and swinging her cowgirl hat in the air. “Yahoo! Giddyap, pony.”

  Most of the parents he’d seen today would start snapping pictures now, taking advantage of the pony’s steady plodding gait to get some great “action” shots. But the mother and father of the towheaded child who’d introduced herself as Molly were too fixated on each other. The woman was standing with her hands on her hips, talking in a low, clipped voice. Sam couldn’t make out any of her words, but the tone was unmistakable. Her husband was equally angry; he kept interrupting, gesturing wildly as he spoke. Damn shame, considering the beautiful day, the jovial surroundings and the fact that their adorable daughter was enjoying a ride on one of the sweetest-natured ponies Sam had ever known.

  Yet even in the midst of a sunny Texas afternoon filled with the promise of spring, these two radiated stress and hostility. Practically anything could have set them off. Perhaps the man objected to how much money was being spent on food and festival tchotchkes or maybe the woman was concerned about how much beer he’d imbibed and wanted him to cut back on his refills. Or either one of them could be miffed that his or her spouse had spoken to flirtatiously to someone in the crowd.

  A billion things that could go wrong, in Sam’s opinion. And sometimes it was no discernible thing at all. When he’d asked Grace Torres one day how she was holding up, mostly just intending to ask after the restaurant business, she’d taken the opportunity to vent her frustration over her brother’s separation from his wife.

  “I just don’t understand!” Grace had railed. “They love each other so much. Whatever else happened should be secondary to that, right?”

  Lots of things in life “should” be, but weren’t.

  He conjured a smile for the little girl. “Sorry, darlin’, your time’s up.” He helped her slide her feet from the stirrups and walked her back to her bickering parents. The mother took the girl’s hand and stalked off, followed closely by the father, whose volume was increasing with each passing word.

  “Cute kid. I especially liked her hot pink cowgirl boots,” Lorelei observed from his left. “Wonder if they make those in my size.”

  Sam gave her a weary smile of greeting over his shoulder. “Hey.”

  “Wow.” She took a step closer, squinting up at him. “That bad, huh?”

  He shrugged. “Long day. I enjoy the festival, but I’m ready for it to end after about day three. I’m getting restless.”

  “Ready to leave town?” she asked.

  Ready to do just about anything that didn’t involve going “home” to her each night. It seemed as if she’d infested every corner of the inn in countless maddening ways. Her scent lingered in rooms long after she’d passed through, teasing him. The sight of a rosy lipstick ring on a tumbler in the sink had made him think about her mouth—more specifically, about kissing her. Even Oberon, the tiny traitor, had abandoned sleeping at the foot of Sam’s bed in favor of curling up with Lorelei. Cat’s no fool.

  “What do you want, Lorelei?”

  She scowled. “Have I done something to upset you?”

  “I’m not upset, just busy.”

  She turned her head to the left, then to the right in exaggerated slow motion. “You mean because of this huge line of children waiting for a ride?”

  “Things will pick up again after the lunch hour’s over,” he said defensively.

  “Tess suggested I find you. We’re going out tonight—me, her and Emily Hirsch.”

  “Are you kidding me? How did Ava recruit you to this groundless cause?” He hadn’t been too surprised when Ava had gone out of her way to introduce him to her niece. At least once every three or four months, either Wanda had suggested the name of some nice girl he should take out, or she’d put one of her friends up to the task. But he’d thought that Lorelei had understood his position, that he emphatically was not looking for any serious romantic entanglements. Timid Emily was far too sweet a kid for him to lead on when he had less than zero interest in her.

  “Take a breath,” Lorelei ordered. “You looked like you were about to reach for your six-shooter and riddle me with bullets. Ava’s already apologized for throwing her niece at you. Trust me, Em’s not interested. Tess and I just wanted to do something nice by taking her out on her last night in town. And Tess suggested you come along.”

  “Why?” he asked suspiciously, still apprehensive about a feminine plot.

  Lorelei rolled her eyes. “Must be because we wanted the privilege of your gallant and delightful company.”

  He grated out a laugh. “I did warn you it had been a long day and that I’m cranky.”

  She regarded him for a long moment, her lips twitching. “You never said anything about cranky.”

  “It
was implied.”

  “Look, you’ve been working long hours at the festival and talking to lots of tourists all day. That can be draining.”

  She was right. Even though he mostly enjoyed interacting with the people who came to the festival, the smiling alone made his face hurt by the end of the day, to say nothing of the small talk. How in the hell did politicians do it?

  “You could probably use some fun tonight,” she continued. “Unwind, recharge your batteries. And Tess and Ava both live in the opposite direction of the bar than the inn. If I can ride back with you instead of asking Tess or Emily…”

  “Which bar did you guys pick?” If she thought she could talk him into line-dancing, she didn’t know him at all.

  She rattled off the name of one of the local places with no dance floor. “Thought we’d keep it low-key. Tess says tonight is trivia night. We can play on teams.”

  He wasn’t sure that he wanted to go, but at least he’d be away from the inn and the dozen distractions that were Lorelei. If they were out in public, he had a better chance of keeping his hands off of her. Maybe. “And you’re sure I won’t be intruding on girls’ night?”

  “We’d like it if you joined us.” She bit her lip, looking vulnerable, and he regretted how surly he’d been. “I’d like it.”

  He nodded sharply. “Just tell me what time to be ready.”

  SAM HADN’T SAID MUCH on the ride from the B and B to the tavern. Lorelei wondered if she’d done the right thing, letting Tess talk her into bringing Sam.

  “You swear this has nothing to do with your thinking I should make a move on Sam?” Lorelei had asked one last time before she’d tracked him down at the festival.

  “I swear,” Tess had vowed. “If I had any ulterior motives, it would be about me getting a love life. Guys are more likely to approach us if we have a man around.” Her theory had been “too intimidating if it’s all chicks. But mostly, I just think it would be fun if Sam joins us.”

  Stealing a glance at his profile in the cab of the truck, Lorelei thought “fun” might be too high an expectation. She was disconcerted by his mood. For a few days, he’d been so playful that she’d almost forgotten his taciturn side, but it had returned with a vengeance. Pity. With her leaving soon, this wasn’t how she wanted to remember him. But it was probably for the best that she saw him with no illusions.

  By the time they got to the bar, Emily and Tess had already been seated at a U-shaped booth. The four of them ordered sodas and an assortment of appetizers for the table to share. A man with a microphone introduced himself as Andy Schubert and explained that in a few minutes, they would get started with T.E.X.A.S. trivia. All questions fell into the categories of Today (pop culture and modern life), Entertainment, “X-tra” Credit (really tough questions to help separate the average from the champions), Ancient/Not-So-Ancient History and Sports. Waitresses were circulating with pencils and slips of paper for answers.

  “So you guys put together your teams,” Andy announced, “and get ready to battle for our great prizes, generously donated by local sponsors.”

  After the man was finished recognizing the sponsors, Sam unfolded his long legs and he rose from the booth. “I’ll let you ladies decide on the team name. I’m going to say hi to Andy.”

  Tess plunked a tortilla chip into the spicy, black-bean-based “cowboy caviar.” “I don’t care what we call ourselves as long as we win,” she said merrily. “The gift certificates are all for places in town and since I’m the only one who truly lives here, I figure I get to keep them.”

  Lorelei laughed. “So basically, we’re just your minions, here to—”

  “Lorelei Keller?” A dark-haired man in slacks and a white button-down shirt stopped next to them, smiling down at her with warm familiarity. And he was smiling down from quite a height. The tall stranger had at least a few extra inches on Sam.

  I should know who he is, shouldn’t I? Drat. She quickly skimmed through her memory bank. Honestly, you’d think someone around six-five would stand out.

  Across the table, Tess saved her. “Brody! I don’t think I’ve seen you since high school.”

  Right. The name clicked into place. Brody Jenkins.

  “It has been a while,” Brody agreed. “I’m with an engineering firm in Austin now, but I came to town for the festival. I just completed a hellacious project at work and thought I needed a few days off, so I came to stay with my parents.”

  “Good to see you,” Tess said. “This is our friend Emily, from San Marcos, and of course you remember Lorelei.”

  His hazel eyes returned to Lorelei’s face. “How could I forget? You’re the one who got away.”

  That announcement startled her. “I am?”

  He grinned. “I meant to ask you out all through high school, but I was busy with basketball. And possibly a little daunted,” he admitted. “You were one of the only students who could beat my scores on math exams.”

  She smiled but was distracted from answering by Sam’s scowl. He’d returned to the table and stood impatiently behind Brody.

  “Oh, sorry, man.” Brody followed her gaze and stepped aside. “Am I in the way?”

  “This is Sam Travis.” Lorelei made the introductions as Sam reclaimed his seat next to her. “Sam, Brody Jenkins. He went to school with Tess and me.”

  Tess turned her head, looking around the room. “Are you here with someone, Brody?”

  He shrugged. “I met a buddy for a beer, but he just left. Newly married, didn’t want to be out late. They’re still in that honeymoon phase.” His gaze flickered from Sam back to Lorelei, specifically to her left hand. “Are you two…?”

  “Ha! Not at all,” Lorelei said.

  She knew from the way Sam stiffened next to her and Tess’s quizzical look that her denial had been a bit too resounding. But really, the idea of Sam Travis doing something as crazy as getting engaged or, heaven forbid, getting married? It is to laugh.

  “You should join us,” Tess invited. She beamed. “Yet another person who doesn’t live here who can slave for me. My diabolical plan is to surround myself with people who can answer the questions, then selfishly reap the rewards. You’re smart, right? Went to UT on scholarship?”

  “Basketball scholarship,” he clarified. “But I held my own on the dean’s list.”

  “Awesome, you’re hired. Scooch over,” Tess instructed Emily. The quiet blonde slid farther toward the middle, leaving room for Brody on the end, directly across from Lorelei.

  Tess turned to Emily with a suddenly stern look. “Wait, I didn’t check your credentials. You’re smart enough to win me prizes, right?”

  “Salutatorian in high school. But it was a graduating class of like fifty,” the woman added with a modest grin. “So I’m not sure that counts.”

  “Good enough for my purposes,” Tess declared. “I think our team name should be Empress and the Minions. Hey, it’s better than Three Chicks and Two Dudes.”

  “Only marginally,” Lorelei said.

  Andy tapped on his microphone and announced they were getting started, lobbing out an “easy” question to get the crowd warmed up. It was about an award-winning actor and Emily announced in an excited whisper, “I know this one!” before Andy had even finished reading from his card. A few minutes later, Lorelei found herself thinking that they should have taken Emily out for trivia days ago. Knowing half the answers was obviously good for her confidence, and it allowed her to interact with others without struggling for appropriate personal conversation.

  Emily’s increasingly bright smile was a nice counterpoint to the dark thundercloud over Sam’s head. Inviting him was a mistake. He’d barely said two sentences since he’d come back to the table and found Brody chatting with Lorelei. And Sam remained stonily silent through most of the question. Because he didn’t kn
ow the answers or because he didn’t want to be here?

  When Andy announced that one of the extra credit questions, worth two points, was a math problem, half the people in the bar groaned.

  Brody, however, rubbed his hands in glee, grinning across the table at Lorelei. “We got this one, Ivy League.”

  At the end of the first round, answer sheets had to be turned in at the bar so standings could be calculated. And, the owners hoped, so that people had a good window of opportunity to spend more money on drinks and food.

  Sam grabbed the piece of paper Tess had been using to record answers. “I’ll take it up there. Might as well contribute something, right?”

  Lorelei’s heart squeezed. She couldn’t help watching his progress to the bar, her attention only half on Brody as he talked to her.

  “So how often do you get down here?” he asked. They’d established earlier that she’d remained in Pennsylvania after college.

  “Almost never,” she said absently. “But I’ve really been enjoying this trip.” She caught herself and shook her head at the bizarre statement. “Well, not the part where I had to say goodbye to my mom! But…”

  “We knew what you meant,” Tess assured her. “And you know Wanda would have wanted you to enjoy your visit. She loved the festival.”

  Lorelei nodded. “If you guys will excuse me? I think I’m gonna run to the ladies’ room before we start the next round.” She swept up her purse but instead of heading for the restrooms in the far corner, she detoured through the center of the room, pulled toward Sam as if by a giant, unseen magnet.

  He doesn’t need a magnet to draw women to him. Not when he has those eyes.

  He’d already turned back toward the table and they almost collided. “Sorry, didn’t realize you were behind me,” he said.

  “I wanted to talk to you. Away from the others. You’re not having any fun, are you?”

  “Is that your polite way of saying I’m raining on everyone else’s parade?” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t have come. If I cut out early, do you think…” He glared in the direction of their table. “I’ll bet Jenkins would be happy to give you a ride.”