Page 71 of No Place for Single Cowboys

Cordy caught her laugh behind her hands. “No, no, he really does love her.”

“I’m sure he does, but he’s near sixty and never lived with anyone before. It would be a disaster. Sam wants to love from afar, not up close up, warts and all. Not that Janine has warts,” he added. “I meant the metaphorical warts we all have.”

“I still believe in them,” Cordy said. “And I’ll never forget the night when Kelly Ulker got the entire bar line dancing. Literally everyone in the place, including me and the kitchen staff, were stepping to ‘Elvira.’” Her expression softened as she remembered. “It was the best time ever.”

“Once a gym teacher, always a gym teacher. I’m sorry I missed that.”

“It was pretty great.” Cordy looked around the bar and sighed. “I’m going to miss this place. Even though every night my feet are killing me. And my ankles swell.”

“Then quit early,” Chance growled. Why hadn’t she said anything? And why hadn’t he noticed?

“Weren’t you just telling me I’m a pillar of this place?”

“You are, but you’re about to have a baby. Tell Glenn this is your last night. You don’t owe him shit, not after what he did to you. Justin is here, ready to take over.”

Cordy shook her head. “He’s not. He’s not very good at bartending.”

“He’s not good at anything from what I hear.”

She watched Justin behind the bar, a frown forming between her brows. Justin must be messing something up. “He’s trying. I feel bad for the guy.”

“Why? He took your job and your house.”

“Yeah,” she said, “but he lost his job in Fordsville and needed to make his child support payments. He only has two kids,” Cordy informed him, holding up two fingers. “Ruby made it sound like he’d left a dozen kids behind with thirteen different mothers.”

“Ruby can exaggerate at times. And she’s a teacher—she wants every kid to have a picture-perfect childhood.”

“Well, this was Justin’s last hope.” Her expression softened into pity. “Can you imagine, your only options are to come work for your dad and live in his place?”

“Yourplace,” Chance reminded her, “or at least it was. And yes, I can imagine.”

“I didn’t mean you. The ranch is something entirely different.” She leaned in and dropped her voice. “Justin told me he hates bartending. He’s doing it all for his daughters. I think that’s… that’s noble.”

She was too softhearted. Chance was nowhere near ready to be nice to Justin. “If he’d kept the job in Fordsville, this wouldn’t be his only option.”

“Not everyone can be like you,” she said offhandedly.

“Given a job by my father?”

Cordy slanted him a look. “I know it wasn’t anything like that. You’re the one who saved the ranch. And your father, too.”

A fist closed around Chance’s throat. “What do you mean?”

“I guarantee Holden is still alive thanks to you and Quint.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips across his cheek. “You’re good at saving people. Even if you don’t want to be.”

“I didn’t save you,” he said gruffly. “I’m only helping out. Don’t make me sound better than I am.”

“Okay.” Her smile was knowing. “Should we head home?”

He liked it too much that she called ithome.“Let’s go. You need your rest.”

The look she sent him made his blood race. “Hopefully, nottoomuch rest?”

Like he’d said, the woman had stamina.

fifteen

“You ready to have some fun?”Chance asked as he tucked Cordy’s hand into the crook of his arm.

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