Nathan Matthews studied the report on his desk, an ache gathering in the back of his skull. He hated the drudgery of paperwork. He’d much rather be out tracking down bad guys, getting in the fray of something exciting. When he’d accepted his post in Beasley, TX he’d known that the crime rate was low. Knew he’d mostly be investigating cow tipping and the occasional cattle rustler. Nothing Walker, Texas Ranger at all. At the time he’d thought he’d wanted the quieter life. Less danger. He’d been on the border for too long at that point and was experiencing signs of burnout. But he’d gone from too much excitement to far too little of anything.
Even so, he loved Kessler County. The Old West feel of the tiny ranching town felt good to him. He liked personally knowing the people he served. And the surrounding ranches, with their fields of green dotted with cows, was soul soothing.
No, he didn’t regret his move to Beasley. He certainly didn’t regret not making the move to a larger city. Dallas or Austin would have killed him with the crush of people, the smell of exhaust and all that urban crime. He’d take a cow tipping case any day over investigating drug dealers and murderers.
He just wished he had someone else to deal with all his damned paperwork.
“You gonna work through lunch, boss?”
Nathan looked up, resisting the urge to rub the back of his neck and shook his head at his deputy, Judd. Judd wasn’t long out of the academy and eager to get his boots muddy. He wasn’t a bad fella to have around but Nathan didn’t like to leave him to his own devices too often.
Pushing the paperwork away, Nathan reached for his hat and stood. “Steely J’s okay with you?”
“You kiddin’?” Judd snorted. “Why would I want to waist my lunch ogling all them sexy waitresses when I could be sitting in the drive through lane waiting on a cardboard burger?”
Nathan grinned. “Smart ass.” Digging his phone out of its holster, he followed Judd out to the car, dialing as he went.
She picked up on the second ring, her sexy voice washing over him in the same disarming way it always did.
“Hey, I’m headed over your way for lunch. Join me?”
“You want me to eat where I work?” Amrys clicked her tongue.
“It’s the best food in town, or so I’ve heard.”
“Damned right it is,” she agreed and he could almost picture her firmly nodding her dainty little head. “Want me to go ahead and order your usual?”
It pleased him that she knew what he liked but spooked him just as much. He didn’t want Amrys getting involved with him to the point where she knew how he took his coffee, much less the kind of burger he liked. He enjoyed being her friend too much to ever let it go in the direction he knew she wanted it to go. Romance and all that junk messed with girls’ head and changed them. He liked Amrys just as she was. Sweet, fun and uncomplicated.
“Nah, Judd’s with me so we’ll just order when we get there. See you in a few.”
She was quiet a moment before agreeing and hanging up.
“Makin’ a date with your girlfriend?” Judd teased as they pulled out of the parking lot, headed toward the edge of town where Steely J’s was situated on a large lot across from the Feed and Seed.
“Nah, just Amrys,” he replaced his phone and told himself that’s all she was. Just Amrys.
***
Conner Blackston had enjoyed Steely J’s long before he’d discovered the owner’s youngest daughter. It was the best place in three counties for a good burger, a cold beer and a rowdy time. But now that he had noticed how well little Amrys Steely had grown up it was just about the only place in town he cared to be.
He had grown up with the two older Steely’s, Jack and Jenna but had rarely had the occasion to see much of their little sister. Amrys hadn’t cared much for rodeos or county fairs or anything like that. She had been more into shopping and hanging out with her cheerleader friends than anything to do with the ranch boys.
Hell, he knew he didn’t have much of a hope in hell of her ever taking notice of him. He was just a smelly ranch cowboy to her. She wasn’t impressed by big belt buckles or broad rimmed hats. Seemed she favored men in uniform. But Conner was still optimistic enough that he hoped he might someday catch her in a weak moment, just long enough to get her to see past Nathan Matthews to someone who would appreciate more than a mere friendship.
Sauntering up the steps of the old wooden porch, he glanced over his shoulder to see the Texas Rangers’ car pull into the lot beside Jenna’s red Jeep.
“Damn,” he swore under his breath. He liked Nate well enough. In another life they’d have even been friends. But Nate stood stolidly between Conner and someone he wanted—whether the other man knew it or not.
“Afternoon, Rangers,” he greeted the two uniformed men as they approached and waved them to precede him into the bar.
“Conner,” Nathan greeted with a slight nod as he and Judd Waverly passed. Connor watched in consternation as the two men made their way over to the back corner booth where Amrys was waiting.
Conner couldn’t help but notice the slight disappointment on the pretty woman’s face when the two men sat next to each other opposite her.
“Pitiful, ain’t it?”
Dragging his gaze away from Amrys’ shapely curves, Conner grinned at the pretty girl seated at the booth just inside the door. Laurel Hathaway, resident baker and gossip queen, smiled demurely at him. He’d flirted with her often enough to know better than to play into her hands.
“Haven’t a clue,” he winked and tipped his hat at her as he continued walking toward the bar. Only two other people occupied the stools there, both cowhands from neighboring ranches. Both men greeted Conner with a nod but kept shoveling in their food, their eyes glued to the shapely woman stocking the shelves behind the bar.
“You tending bar now?” Conner called out to her.
Jenna’s shoulders visibly tensed a moment before she gingerly turned to greet him.
“Hi Conner,” she smiled tentatively, her hands clenching around the bottle of gin she held. “Not tending, just stocking. I can draft you a beer if you want, though. Jessie’s stepped out back for a smoke.”
Shaking his head slowly, Conner reached across the bar and eased the gin from Jenna’s grip, half fearing she’d bust the bottle, her grip was so tight. “Just came for lunch.”
She released the gin with a shaky sigh and scrunched her face up in a grimace. “Sorry ‘bout that,” she nodded toward the gin he’d sat on the bar top.
“Not a problem. I just hope you don’t think you and I can’t still be friends just because my brother’s an ass.”
She gasped a giggle, covering her lips with a hand, her cheeks pinking up a bit. “Of course we can still be friends. I just wasn’t sure you’d want to,” she shrugged and turned to put the gin away. “ I know you and your brother—“
“Have never let a girl get between us and never will. I can still love him and recognize what a dumbass he is.” He tossed her a reassuring wink and leaned his elbows on the bar. He’d always liked Jenna and had been thrilled when she’d started dating Aiden. If he’d known how deeply his brother would hurt her he might have sang a different tune.
“Hand me a knife, Jen.”
A shiver skittered down Conner’s spine as Amyrs’ velvety voice wafted over him as she sidled up to the bar.
“A knife?” Jenna lifted an eyebrow, flicking her eyes briefly to Conner who shrugged.
“Yeah. The sharpest, deadliest one you’ve got. Or no! Wait! A dull one. It’ll hurt more if it’s dull, right?”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Jenna gasped.
“I’m going to carve his stupid heart out of his sexy chest and throw it against the wall, that’s what I’m talking about.”
Conner choked back a laugh and inched away from the warm and deliciously scented woman.
She turned her annoyed gaze to him and sighed. “Oh, hey Conner. How’s it going?”
“Depends on who’s heart you’re planning to carve out and toss.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits and she tossed her dark curls over her shoulder, briefly glancing behind her as she did. “Ugh, why are men so stupid, Conner? Can you answer me that? I practically hand the guy a written invitation to come and get it and what does he do?”
“I’m almost scared to ask,” he murmured, enjoying the fire in her eyes.
“He brings…his deputy…to lunch. His deputy. Ugh. And then—oh and then he pretty much called me a guy, Conner.” She slapped her hand on the counter and leaned closer to him, her face inches from his own. Her expressive green eyes widened incredulously. “A guy! Can you freaking believe that?” She leaned away from him, her hands waving at her chest and torso, “Does this look like a guy?”
“It looks like a lunatic,” he heard Jenna mutter.
“He must be the lunatic, darlin’,” Conner assured Amrys with a heated flick of his eyes over her shapely and well emphasized body. The girl knew how to play up her assets, for sure.
“My gosh, Conner, could you maybe teach him how to appreciate a good woman? Cause I’m out of ideas.”
Openly laughing this time, Conner shook his head as he rested a hand on her shoulder. He knew it was a bad idea to touch her but he couldn’t help himself. And the little zip of awareness hit him squarely in his manly areas just as he’d known it would. “That, I’m afraid, is not my forte. Now, if you ever want me to show you how a good woman ought to be treated, you give me a call anytime day or night.”
She giggled and sidled up next to him for a short hug. “You’re too much, Conner Blackston. But thanks for the ego boost.” She turned to Jenna, “You picked the wrong brother to court you, sister dear.” With a waggle of her perfectly groomed fingers, she was gone as quickly as she’d appeared.
“I’m assuming you’ll be needing that beer now,” Jenna slid a cold mug across the bar to him with a droll shake of her head.
“You read my mind, darlin’.”
***
“Looks like somone’s movin’ in on your girl, boss,” Judd nodded toward the bar.
Looking up from his glass of Coke, Nate felt a kick to his gut when he saw Conner Blackston touch Amrys’ shoulder while the two of them shared a laugh. And when she hugged him it was all he could do to not tear across the room and throw a punch at the man’s jaw.
But he merely clenched his teeth and forced himself to take a controlled and lengthy draw from his straw. The cold beverage sluiced down his throat soothing some of the burn of jealously but the effects of seeing another man touching Amrys lingered a lot more heavily than it should have.
Before he could shore up too much more of his resolve she was back, her boot heels clicking on the wood floor. “Sorry that took a minute. I hadn’t seen Conner in a while. He’s sure a handsome one,” she smiled and looked back over her shoulder to the cowboy sipping a beer as he chatted up Amrys’ sister.
“You know Conner Blackston?” Nate asked, hoping he didn’t sound as surly as he felt.
“Oh, me and Conner go way back. He and his brother ran around with Jenna and Jack back in the day. I had such a mad crush on him back then.”
“Only back then?” he gritted out before he could stop himself. Dammit, he really was starting to sound like a jealous boyfriend. He flicked his eyes to Judd to see if his deputy had noticed. Judging by the smirk, he had. Dammit.
Amrys turned in her seat to study the cowboy for a moment, her face lighting up in a soft smile. “Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t say no if he asked me out. He’s something else. Did you know that when we were in high school he set the record in calf roping? Record never has been broken, either.”
“Sounds like a real stud,” Nathan muttered, signaling for the waitress. He suddenly could wait to order so he could eat and leave. Or hell, forget eating. He’d get it to go.
Amrys’ sigh reached his ears as she turned back to the table. She fiddled with a straw wrapper and looked at him from beneath her lashes. “He is. Unfortunately he’s only ever thought of me as one of the guys. One of life’s greatest tragedies, don’t you think, Judd?”
“Real tragic,” the deputy agreed with a barely concealed snort.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Nathan barked and grimaced at the chastised look on Amrys’ face. “Sorry, I wasn’t aiming that at you,” he lied. “I’ve been signaling to the waitress for thirty minutes and she keeps ignoring me.”
“I’ve got to head back to the office,” she sniffed as she pushed back her chair and stood. “I’ll send her over on my way up.”
Shit. He’d hurt her feelings anyway. “You’re not staying for lunch?”
“Nah,” she tossed her curls over her shoulder. “I’d better not. I’m taking off early this afternoon so I need to finish up some things first. You boys enjoy.”
With that, she sauntered off, stopping briefly at the bar to speak with Conner once more and then to speak with the waitress before heading to the back where he knew the stairs to her office were.
“Smooth, boss. Real smooth.”
“Shut up, Judd.”
