Page 3 of Cowboy's Last Stand
The thought hit her like a splash of cold water.She didn’t reminisce about Mike as much as she used to.She still missed him, but the loss was no longer at the top of her mind, resurfacing every few moments.For almost a year after his death, she hadn’t noticed attractive men at all—unless they reminded her of him.
This stranger didn’t remind her of Mike.She hadn’t immediately compared the two, although Mike had been dark-haired and handsome.She hadn’t even thought about him.She’d forgotten about Mike.
From across the bar, Billy whistled to get her attention as if he were calling a dog to heel.He snapped his fingers in the air for emphasis.Two of his friends, Stan and Steve Stoddard, had joined his table.Billy’s behavior was obnoxious, but she didn’t mind the interruption.She loaded her tray with a trio of longnecks and delivered them to his table.
For the next hour, she stayed busy refreshing drinks for regulars and catering to a group of giggly college girls.Gabe Luna engaged two of the girls in a pool game.The third girl joined the stranger at the bar.She was a bombshell blonde in tall boots and a short skirt.Few men would refuse a conversation with her.
Natalie returned to her serving station.She noted the cowboy’s bottle was empty.“You ready for another, big guy?”
“Sure,” he said.
“How about you, sugar?”
“No, thanks,” the blonde said, keeping her focus on the man beside her.“We’re going to the Boot Scoot after this for line dancing.You should come with.”
He smiled at the offer.“Sorry, I can’t.”
She blinked in confusion—his words didn’t compute.She waited for him to offer a reasonable excuse for turning her down.When he said nothing, she shrugged and drained the rest of her drink.“Suit yourself.”
Natalie removed the stranger’s empty bottle and replaced it with a fresh one.
The blonde adjusted her low-cut top, making sure her cleavage was displayed correctly before she walked away.The cowboy watched her go without regret.Then he turned back to Natalie.
“I’m Jason,” he said, extending his hand.
Natalie’s breath hitched in her chest as she accepted his handshake.His palm felt warm and rough against hers.He’d just sent a sure thing packing, and now he was introducing himself to her?She was flattered, despite herself.“Natalie.”
“Thanks for saving me.”
“Saving you?”
“From that blonde.”
“Was she bothering you?”
He leaned forward and lowered his voice.“She kept dipping her finger into her drink and licking it.”
Natalie threw back her head and laughed.
“I think she wanted to give me a wet willy.”
“I’ll bet she did.”
“I mean the ear kind.”
“I knew what you meant,” she said with a grin.“You have something against blondes?”
His gaze traveled over her dark hair.“Not usually.”
Her face heated at his perusal.He was expressing a preference for her.She looked away, unsettled by the attention.
“What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”
He made the familiar line sound charming.She glanced around the interior of the bar.“This place isn’t so bad.”
The Night Owl didn’t have a lot of curb appeal, but it was clean and well-organized.She’d helped the owner redecorate a few months ago, and she was proud of the new design.A cute owl motif was repeated throughout the space.Star-shaped lights hung from the rafters above the dance floor, along with a glowing moon.An oversized map of Texas graced one wall.Another wall featured artistic prints of cowboys riding, roping, and wrangling.
“You’re right.It’s better than I expected.I like the lights.”
