Page 8 of Cowboy of Convenience
Grady must have thought the same thing, because he turned to the cowboy, taking him by the shoulder and directing him away from the group of grandmas. "Why don't you go sit on the other side of the bar and let me take care of this."
Evelyn let out a little sigh of relief. She was used to having to handle these situations herself. It was actually pretty nice for someone else to take it on for a change. Too bad it couldn’t happen in the rest of her life. She was fed up with trying to handle that too. Probably because she was doing a shit job at it.
Clearly the cowboy didn’t notice she was a hot mess express because instead of heading to the other side of the bar like Grady requested, he was lingering and focused entirely on her. He gave her a lopsided smile that seemed a little too practiced. "Howdy, ma’am."
Evelyn fought the urge to roll her eyes to the ceiling. Since coming to Moss Creek she'd been hit on by just about every form of cowboy there was. She learned real quick they tended to lean into certain things when they were trying to get a woman's attention. Their vocabulary consisted of words like ‘howdy’ and ‘yes, ma'am’ and even an occasional ‘shucks’. Granted, under normal circumstances she would have found it fucking adorable, but her circumstances hadn't been normal for a long time.
"Can I interest you in a drink?" The cowboy inched closer, reeking of charm and the probability of a one-night stand.
Old her would've been tempted. Hell, old her would've dragged him back to her place and used him up before throwing him away, digging in another of the notches she once thought would earn her the freedom she desired.
But the shine of her old ways started to wear off about a year ago. Right after it became perfectly clear it didn’t matter how many bad decisions she amassed, they would never be enough to get her what she wanted.
And that was when her life really went to shit.
Evelyn forced on a smile. "No, thanks." She glanced away, hoping he would realize she wasn’t interested.
“Aw, come on now.” The cowboy inched closer as Grady continued attempting to cajole Muriel and the rest of the girls toward the door. “I’m real good company.”
This time Evelyn did roll her eyes. And thank God she did because they caught on the sight of a familiar blonde headed straight for Grady.
The same Grady she had been trying like hell to ignore since walking into town looking for time to regroup. Who also turned out to be the same Grady who’d just stepped up and protected her without asking for anything in return.
And, unfortunately, the same Grady she spent a little too much of her time thinking about, putting herself no closer to figuring out how to solve her problems than she was when she ran away from New York and all the responsibilities waiting there.
Evelyn pointed at the blonde, knowing she was being a bitch, but not caring. "She might be interested, though."
It was a dirty move sending the cowboy after the woman who was clearly interested in Grady, but she never claimed to be nice. Actually, she’d built a reputation as the exact opposite. Unfortunately, it was one more plan that had failed epically.
Grady turned toward her, not even noticing the blonde or the cowboy ambling off after her. "I think we need to take them home."
It was odd the way he saidwe. Like somehow they were suddenly a team. Like he was on her side. Which was impossible since no one had ever been on her side. Not really.
Maybe Amelie, but she had her own life now. A sexy cowboy husband and a sweet little baby who understandably ate up every bit of her spare time.
"That's probably a good idea." Evelyn moved in at Muriel’s side, linking their arms before dragging the older woman toward the door. "I think it’s time to head out. We've all had enough excitement for one evening."
She sure had. Of all the things she expected to see tonight, Sasha on her doorstep was not one of them. She'd made it pretty clear the last time they talked that he was not someone she wanted in her life, regardless of who else thought they were compatible. So it was bizarre, and a little unsettling, that he came all the way to Moss Creek to find her.
Almost as bizarre as hearing Sasha say he was the one who would be takingherback. As if he dumped her after the two dates she’d been forced to accept with him, rather than the other way around.
There was nothing that would ever make her want to spend another second in his presence, let alone form some sort of relationship with him.
That’s why she came to Moss Creek, thinking she could somehow magically disappear and figure out how to build a life of her own. One that wasn’t smothered with responsibility and coercion.
Evelyn glanced over her shoulder to find Grady handling the rest of the group, keeping them together and moving. He flashed her the same, devilish smile that had almost been her undoing more times than she could count. God in heaven, the man was gorgeous. Tall and broad shouldered with a set of hands that were rough enough they'd probably snag half the dresses in her closet.
Or scrape deliciously against her skin.
Hell. She was doing it again.
Evelyn snapped her eyes away from him, forcing them to the door. Staring at Grady—reminding herself how good he looked and smelled and sounded—wouldn't do her any good. It wouldn't change anything or cut a single one of the ties binding her.
And it sure as hell wouldn't help her figure out what in the hell to do next.
Evelyn pushed open the door and stepped out into the night, carefully helping Muriel move down the single step leading to The Creekery. She pointed to where her car was parked along the street. "We don't have far to go. How are you feeling? Stomach okay?"
"I’m fine." Muriel sashayed along beside her, displaying entirely too much swagger for a woman who'd had a knee replaced and was probably going to be puking in a bucket sometime in the next fifteen minutes.
