Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? (8 page)

Lauren nodded. ‘Well, not quite as low as that, but that’s the general idea.’

Mrs Maxwell sniffed. ‘That Briony Steers. She’ll catch her death one of these days.’

Grayson gave a peculiar snort that he turned into a cough and Lauren frantically fought the urge to laugh.

‘I did receive a couple of boxes of those kinds of jeans.’ Mrs Maxwell pursed her lips. ‘I sent them over to Pastor Jenkins for a blessing and then put them in the back of the storeroom. I’ll go and see if they are still there.’

When Lauren emerged into the sunlight of Main Street clutching a brown paper bag filled with her new jeans, she hurried towards the truck. When Grayson caught up with her she was still struggling to contain her laughter.

Grayson stored Lauren’s bag in the truck. ‘How about we get some lunch at the diner and then I’ll take you for a ride?’ He winked at her. ‘You can model your new Briony Steers jeans for me.’

Lauren’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Stop it, Grayson. I can’t laugh any more, my stomach hurts.’ She reached out and caught his hand. ‘I don’t think I’ve laughed this much since I was a child.’

Grayson brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, enjoying her confession and appreciating her willingness to open up to him. ‘Of course, the whole town will know about you by this evening. Mrs Maxwell is a terrible gossip.’

‘Really?’ Lauren looked uncomfortable and snatched her hand away. ‘By the way, thanks for not mentioning the stupid marriage business. It would’ve made things even more embarrassing.’

Grayson accepted her withdrawal with all the grace he could muster, which he immediately found didn’t amount to much. ‘Personally I’d be happy to shout it from the roof tops but I know you don’t feel that way.’

For the first time that day, Lauren’s gaze slid away from his and down the street. She shrugged awkwardly. ‘As I said, thanks.’

Grayson ignored his first instinct to let her be and reclaimed her hand. She should have realised by now that he didn’t give up easily. ‘Come on. Let’s get something to eat.’

Lauren was relieved to see that Alan’s Diner was almost empty. She’d braced herself to be the subject of prying eyes, knowing that small towns were notorious for nosiness. How could Grayson bear to live in a place where everyone knew his business? Despite her apprehension, Grayson called out a cheery greeting to the only visible waitress and headed for a booth at the far end of the diner.

After sliding into the crimson leatherette seat, Lauren fiddled with the salt and pepper shakers, arranging them in a neat row alongside the napkins and sauces. The menu was printed on the table top. Lauren pretended to study it. She jumped when Grayson laid his hand over hers.

‘If you’re not happy to be seen with me, we can leave.’

His terse suggestion made Lauren feel ungrateful. He was doing his best to entertain her and all she could do was study the pristine table top and worry about herself. She forced a smile.

‘It’s fine, honestly. I keep forgetting . . .’ Her mouth dried as she stared into his intense blue eyes.
I keep forgetting that I’m not supposed to be enjoying myself here. I keep forgetting I’m not supposed to like you
.

She stared helplessly down at the table, unable to say what was on her mind and contemplated their joined hands. If only they could stay in bed for the entire weekend and forget about real life.

‘Afternoon, Grayson. Do you want your usual?’

The young waitress wore a white apron and a pale-pink dress, which barely covered her butt. Long thin legs encased in white pantyhose gave her the look of a gangly gosling.

Lauren let out her breath as Grayson turned away to respond to the waitress.

‘Hey, Marcie, how’s it going? I’ll have coffee, a cheeseburger and fries.’

‘Do you have any salads?’ Lauren asked. For a second she thought Marcie was going to laugh out loud.

‘Salads? Like potato salad?’ Marcie turned her shoulder on Lauren and spoke to Grayson. ‘We don’t get much call for salads here, but Daddy could prob’ly strip a few slugs from a lettuce.’

Grayson gave a long slow smile that left Lauren and Marcie staring at his mouth. ‘Stop teasing her, Marcie.’ He leant towards Lauren. ‘They do a Caesar salad with grilled chicken or a good pear and walnut salad.’

Marcie stuck her lip out and gave Lauren another scathing glance. ‘
She
probably thinks we eat our meat raw out here. She doesn’t belong here like you and I do, Grayson.’

Lauren began to relax. It seemed as if the surly waitress had a teenage crush on Grayson and who could blame her? Lauren knew how it felt to dream of the unobtainable. Determined to be charitable, she gave Marcie her warmest smile. ‘Do I look so out of place here, then?’

Marcie wrote Grayson’s order down on her pad with a much-chewed pencil and stuck it back behind her shell-like ear. She stood on one leg, rubbed her booted foot against the back of her calf and stole a confused glance at Lauren from under her long eyelashes.

‘We don’t get many visitors around here, especially women like you.’

Lauren kept her voice light. ‘I’ll have a pear and walnut salad with the dressing on the side and a bottle of water, please.’

Marcie didn’t bother to write Lauren’s order on her pad. She clumped back towards the kitchen in her Doc Marten boots.

Grayson frowned. ‘I wonder what’s got in to Marcie? She’s normally such a sweet kid.’

‘In case you hadn’t noticed, Marcie has a horrendous crush on you and my presence was definitely unwelcome,’ Lauren said dryly.

Grayson looked horrified. ‘Christ – she’s only sixteen. I’m more than twice her age! I could’ve gone to school with her father. Why in the hell would she be interested in me?’

Lauren caught his hand. ‘Because you’re tall, dark and handsome and you make time for her.’ She raised her eyebrows as Grayson continued to shake his head. ‘Don’t worry. It doesn’t take much for a girl that age to fall in love.’

She sensed Marcie’s return and swiftly released Grayson’s hand. ‘Whatever you do, don’t let her know you know, just try and treat her the same.’

‘What?’ Grayson hissed but it was too late for Lauren to elaborate. Marcie arrived at the table, a cup of coffee in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

‘Here you go, the food won’t be long.’

She turned to leave and Lauren cleared her throat. ‘Could I have a glass for the water and some ice, please?’

Marcie rolled her eyes and cast a martyred look at Grayson who pretended not to notice. After a long while, Marcie returned with the ice-filled glass and thumped it down onto the table. Ignoring Lauren, she leant towards Grayson as if she wanted to tell him a secret.

‘Dad says to ask you if you’re coming to the Ranchers’ Association fund-raiser tonight.’

Grayson looked across at Lauren. ‘I forgot about that. I’m not sure . . .’

Marcie’s face fell and Lauren said, ‘It’s all right, Grayson, you can go if you want. I’ve got masses of work to catch up with.’

Grayson reached across the table, cupped Lauren’s chin with his fingers and pulled her close to kiss her mouth. ‘You could come with me?’

Lauren lost her bearings as Grayson ran his thumb across her lips. ‘OK.’

Marcie made a disgusted noise and retreated to the kitchen banging the door behind her with such force that the silverware on the countertop rattled.

Lauren tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. ‘I sure hope she doesn’t poison my salad.’

Grayson grinned. ‘I’ll taste it for you first to make sure it’s OK.’

Batting her eyelashes at him, Lauren cooed, ‘No way, cowboy. If I let you near my salad you’d probably eat it all.’

The kitchen door opened again and a large man in a striped apron came towards them bearing two loaded plates. He took a long look at Lauren when he presented her with the salad and then stuck out his hand.

‘Now I understand why Marcie’s gone home in a huff. Hi, I’m Alan Howard, Marcie’s dad.’

Lauren returned the handshake. ‘Hi, Alan, I’m Lauren.’

Alan winked at Grayson. ‘I think you just broke Marcie’s heart.’

Grayson groaned. ‘Did everyone know about this but me?’

Lauren hid a smile as Alan nodded. ‘Pretty much. In a small town like this we need all the gossip we can get.’

Alan moved back from the table, wiped his hands on his apron and paused. ‘Hey, I’m glad you’re coming to the fund-raiser tonight,’ he said. ‘There’s been some opposition to your plans for the town’s development. You might want to lay on the charm and put out a few fires.’

When they returned to the truck, Lauren studied Grayson’s profile. He hadn’t volunteered any further information as to what Alan Howard meant. Lauren was dying to ask even though she knew it was yet another dangerous step towards a more intimate relationship than she wanted.

She sighed and returned her gaze to the open fields. Why should he tell her anything? She was only here for the weekend, not for life.

Grayson gave a low chuckle and put his hand on her knee. ‘Go on, spit it out. I know you’re burning up with curiosity.’

Lauren continued to look out of the window. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just admiring the view.’

Grayson moved his warm palm further up her thigh and pressed his fingers to the junction of her legs. ‘I’ll tell you if you promise to make it worth my while.’

Crossing one leg over the other, Lauren trapped Grayson’s hand. ‘And how might I do that?’

He gave her a sleepy smile which shouted sex. ‘You’re doing just fine, honey. I like the way you’re so quick to take a man up on his suggestions.’

Lauren reached across and ran her fingernail down the length of Grayson’s zipper. His hand tightened between her thighs, stimulating her already sensitive flesh. Lauren let out her breath and tapped her index finger against the hard bulge of Grayson’s cock.

He kept his gaze on the road but she felt him shudder. ‘So what exactly do you want to know?’ Grayson said hoarsely.

Lauren allowed herself a triumphant grin. ‘What did Alan Howard mean about your plans for the town?’

‘I want to build some industrial units on the edge of town. Apparently, some people aren’t thrilled by the suggestion.’

Lauren gazed at the unspoilt farmland. ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea? It would be a shame to destroy such a beautiful place.’

‘I don’t want to destroy it.’ Grayson slowed and turned into the gates that led to his ranch. ‘But there’s not a lot to keep people here. Most of the kids like Marcie end up heading for Portland or down into California to find work. The town’s going to end up as a retirement community for the rich if we don’t manage to kick-start the local economy.’

He manoeuvred the truck through the gates. ‘I have a few contacts in the business world who are prepared to start small enterprises here with a view to expanding them if the idea proved profitable.’

Lauren gave him a speculative glance. ‘You have contacts?’

Grayson expertly backed the truck in front of the house. ‘Just because I choose to live in the sticks doesn’t mean I have to lose out. We do have fax machines, telephones and the internet out here you know.’

Lauren felt stupid. Grayson had a high-tech office at his ranch but it hadn’t occurred to her that he might be in contact with other business organisations. So much for her fantasy cowboy . . .

Gathering her resources, Lauren managed a professional smile. ‘Which companies have you approached so far? I might be able to help you out.’

Grayson got out of the truck and came around to open her door. He lifted her out of her seat and set her gently on the ground.

‘No one you’d know. They’re all fairly small fish. I want to attract family-owned businesses who understand how important it is to keep communities together in a changing economy and world.’

Lauren caught Grayson’s hand. ‘I think that’s a great idea.’

Grayson shrugged. ‘It wasn’t just me. The whole town came together to discuss this. I just happened to miss the meeting when they were electing a president and guess what? I got elected.’ He paused to shuck off his boots in the mud room.

Lauren picked one of them up and waved it under Grayson’s nose. ‘This company, the one who makes these, Prairie Dawg Boots, would be a great place to try. They’re a fairly new business and I believe a family-owned company.’ She smiled up at Grayson, trying to ignore his puzzling lack of enthusiasm. ‘I happen to know about them because I’m using some of their retro boot designs in the commercials I’m working on for the PBR.’

Grayson took the boot out of her hand and dropped it to the floor. He brought Lauren into the circle of his arms and kissed her nose. ‘I’ll certainly bear them in mind. Now, would you mind getting your hand inside my jeans? I’m so hard after that finger tapping in the truck that I need more petting.’

Lauren dropped to her knees, oblivious to the tiled floor and worked at the straining zipper of Grayson’s jeans. He sighed as she took his cock in her hand and then into her mouth. She brought her other hand up to cup his balls as she sucked on him, bringing him deeper and deeper in until she couldn’t take any more. His hand fisted in her hair, keeping her where she wanted to be until he came with a knee-buckling shudder.

Grayson helped Lauren to her feet and then into his arms. He carried her the short distance into his bedroom and stripped off her skirt. When his fingers plunged inside her and came out wet, he brought them to his mouth and slowly licked them clean. Heat expanded in Lauren’s lower stomach and she moved instinctively towards him.

Grayson shook his head. ‘You’ll have to wait, honey, until I’ve time to see to you properly. We’re going on a tour of the ranch.’

Lauren hooked her index finger inside her tiny panties and slowly pushed them down her legs. Grayson took a step towards her, his eyes intent as she bent to pick them up. She folded the scrap of lace between her fingers and stuffed it into Grayson’s shirt pocket. She imitated his slow drawl.