Page 26 of The Soldier and the Cowboy

He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have.”

“It was what I wanted. You fell into my trap,” she said.

“You’re smashed on the ground beneath me, and you thinkI’m the one in a trap?” he asked, clearly not buying what she was selling.

She grinned up at him, nodding. “While you were distracted clobbering me, we finished the play, made a touchdown and won the game.”

Finally he realized the boys behind him were not yelling because they were upset but because they were amused and delighted. It was exactly as she said—she tricked and manipulated him, distracting him so easily with taunts that he allowed them to walk away with a victory.

“You little minx,” he said, half irritated and half amused again.

“For the record, sir, I have no idea what that old timey word means. Also, you’re actually beginning to crush me and I can no longer breathe.”

“Give me a minute, I think I broke something when I fell,” he said.

“What?” she asked, her tone morphing to immediate concern.

“My resolve,” he said. His eyes fell to her lips. “Bailey, I want…”

“Don’t, Cal,don’t. They’re all watching us, and you’ll hate yourself after, you know you will.”

“What would I do without you here to save me from myself?” he asked.

“I think if I weren’t here you wouldn’t be having the problem in the first place,” she said. “Now get off me, you big galoot.”

“You think minx is archaic, and you say things like galoot?” he said. He rolled off her and put a hand down to pull her up.

A pickup truck pulled up in the yard, grabbing their attention.

“Here we go,” Cal said, dropping Bailey’s hand.

“Cal, Major Dunbar, boys,” Sully said, tipping his hat to them.

“Sully,” Cal returned while Bailey remained silent.

“Hola, Ranger Langford,” the boys chorused.

“Looks like I missed the fun.” Sully’s eyes roamed the group, pausing on a disheveled, dirt-smeared Bailey. She steeled herself, waiting for his inevitable commentary or disbelief.

“Who won?” he said instead.

“We did,” Bailey replied.

“Because you cheated. Again,” Cal said.

“Bitterness is a bad color on you, sir,” Bailey replied, and he flicked her ponytail.

“I wanted to come by and check on y’all, see how it’s going,” Sully continued.

“It’s fine,” Bailey volunteered, letting Cal know she wouldn’t be volunteering information about her shootout with the smugglers.

“Very well, I also felt the need to pass something along. Seeing as how you no longer attend town dances, Cal, I thought you might not have mentioned the one this Friday to Bailey,” Sully said. His eyes landed on Bailey, raising slightly at the dirt smears on her face. “Though now that I’m taking a second look, I see that might be useless information for a woman who prefers football and shooting. You are clearly not a dancer. Sorry, disregard.”

“I enjoy dancing a lot, actually,” Bailey said, and now Sully’s eyes rose with surprise.

“You do?”

“Yes,” Bailey said.

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