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I stifled the impulse to jump up and race over to her side of the bar. To tell her how amazing she looked and how much I missed her. It had only been twenty-four hours since we’d spoken, but being unable to talk to Ro killed me. If I had my way, I’d sweep her into my arms and take her back to… back to… where, exactly? I was crashing on her family’s couch. It was hardly impressive. I grabbed my beer, tipping the rest of my bottle down my throat. How the mighty had fallen.

20

RO

The air in the Crow was thick and hot, and beads of perspiration formed on my lower back. At least my tiny top let my skin breathe. When Eve had challenged me to dress rodeo-ready, I thought she’d meant flannels and stetsons. It turned out she had other ideas. Her vision of rodeo-ready was more akin to Spitz Hollow’s seedier strip bars.

I nibbled at my bottom lip and tucked a stray strand of hair back beneath my silly cowboy hat. This outfit went completely against my instincts. I only wore shorts this small if I was skating or home alone. It hadn’t taken Eve much to persuade me, though.

I’d known Brody would be here tonight. After seeing him with his redhead yesterday morning, an irrational urge to show him what he was missing overtook me. Even though my situation was self-inflicted, I’d donned my cowboy boots along with my best friend and channeled my inner sexy cowgirl.

The minute we walked in, I regretted my decision. The furrow in Cooper’s brow was almost enough to make me high-tail it back home. He’d probably want me to stop at the yarn shop on the way. Borrow a kaftan from Ruth Barfoffen. Somethingroomy and long enough to maintain my modesty. Coop still saw me as a kid. Someone to be protected. He probably thought I was a virgin.

Then there’d been Brody’s face when he’d seen my outfit. Completely unreadable, his jaw tight and chiseled, and damn, even from across the bar, I could feel his eyes on my back right now. I could almost taste what was surely his disapproval. Why, then, did I crave the opposite so much? I sighed. No matter how much I wanted Brody’s validation, he wasn’t giving me a second thought. I could picture him wearing the blonde at his side like a jacket.

I’d last seen Eve heading toward the pool table. The group we stood with were laying into the beers, and a man at my side jostled into me. I turned away, sneaking a look at Brody. Our gazes locked the instant they met. But it wasn’t disapproval I saw. No judgment on my outfit. Instead, his eyes were full of warmth, like a big hug, and all I wanted was to fall straight into him.

I took a breath. What the hell was I doing? I’d spent the last thirty-six hours building Brody into some kind of ogre in my head. Someone I couldn’t trust. The “Flock Boy” persona that followed him around. He had the right to meet anyone he liked for a coffee.

And that was exactly what I’d seen. A coffee. No kissing. No make-out session on the sidewalk. Not even a handhold. Just two people chatting over a coffee. That they’d both be at home on the cover of a Vogue magazine and that one of them was a little touchy-feely wasn’t the point. The woman sitting with him now was pretty, too, but the way he moved his body away from her when she leaned in to take a drink had my heart happy-dancing.

Another person bumped me, and the dull thump of music battered my ears. Bull riding nights at the Crow were always sorowdy. They didn’t happen often, but when they did, the place almost burst at the seams.

I looked back across the bar. Brody was gone, but the blonde girl was still there. That had to be a good sign, right?

“Can I buy you a drink, Ma’am?” A deep Texan drawl behind me made the hairs on my neck stand on end. I turned to find the only smirk I ever wanted to see. Brody. The glorious curve of his lips nestled amongst blond scruff, and the smattering of light freckles spread over his nose. He had that accent down pat. All Matthew McConaughey on steroids. I swallowed before giving him a little smile and tipping my cowboy hat in his direction.

Brody chuckled, its throaty sound cutting through the bar’s noise. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

If only I were. And at his hands. “Eve was keen, and you know when she sets her sights on something, she doesn’t do it by halves.”

Brody stepped back, the crowd parting around him. He raked his eyes up and down my body, setting a heat that prickled under my skin. “I like the results.”

The fire in his eyes set my cheeks to a full inferno, and I gaped, struggling to find words. I thought he’dhatemy outfit.

“How did the bird watching go?” he asked.

I died a little inside. Was he really going to do this? Torture me? I only had two choices. I could either admit I’d blatantly spied on him and his redhead supermodel friend or pretend I had a sudden case of amnesia and had no idea what he was talking about.

When I didn’t respond, Brody’s smirk turned to a grin. “Please tell me Mrs. Woodcock found the Majestic Tits she was looking for?”

I couldn’t help myself. I dissolved into giggles as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it,” he continued. “But I’m disappointed you’re not wearing that turquoise jacket tonight. It might go with the boots.”

I opened my mouth to serve Brody a witty comeback, but again, someone in the crowd bumped into me, knocking me straight into him. His hands closed around my waist, and the hot skin of his palms burned into my sides. His lemony cologne tickled my nose, and I took a long breath.

“Steady, now,” Brody breathed into my ear. A faint tingle sprung between my legs, and the room swam at the edge of my vision. How could just two words and a quick touch turn me into a wobbly wreck of desire?

Before I had time to find out, Eve came toward us through the crowd. “Flock! You’re just in time. You gonna ride the bull?”

Brody let me go. My skin missed the heat of his fingers. He cocked his head and rubbed his chin as if he was considering a life or death decision and not whether he’d take a ride on a piece of spinning metal. “Not tonight. I’m still looking after my leg.”

Eve’s eyes widened. “Of course! Sorry. No matter, you just sit back and enjoy.” She cracked a grin at Brody. “Ro’s up next.”

An icy shiver washed over me. “What do you mean I’m up next? I can’t ride that thing!”

Eve put a hand on my arm like she was soothing a fractious child. “It’s fine. I’ll have a turn, too, but I thought you could stay on longer with your balance. There’s a big cash prize for the winner. I thought we could split it.”