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“Hi, nice to meet you,” I told him, then I took a seat at the far end of the table next to Luke, who greeted me with a smile and a muffled good morning. “There’s a breakfast buffet right behind you if you’re hungry. Coffee and tea, as well.”
I was starving, so I immediately jumped back up and headed for the buffet table, which held all my favorite breakfast foods, including savory scrambled egg pockets from Sweetie Pies. Mrs. Nash was a godsend.
I noticed Josh then, looking so damn adorable I wanted to kiss him, but instead of ignoring him, I gave him a great-big smile that seemed to emanate from my toes. His face flooded my head with memories of last night and this morning, and it took every ounce of restraint not to run into his arms.
He grinned, then gazed back at Jimmy, who seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t make out the words. My thoughts were filled with sinking down onto Josh’s long, smooth cock.
What the hell!
I didn’t know if this was love or not, but whatever I felt for Josh gave me such a blush, I was sure my face was beet red.
I took a deep breath, let it out, and suddenly, I could make out Jimmy’s words.
“…That’s why I’d like to invite y’all to stop by Dirty Coyote this afternoon. Get a feel for the place. The stage is done, so y’all might want to give it a whirl.”
“When are you opening again?” I asked, regaining my composure and wanting to know exactly how much time we would have to get our band in shape, if I decided to attempt this crazy thing… again. Learning enough songs for two or three sets was daunting enough, let alone if we were under a tight schedule. Of course, Rascal wouldn’t have even considered it if the schedule was tight.
“Two weeks from this coming Saturday.”
“What? How is that even possible?” I asked, overwhelmed by the date. “I mean, you want us to be ready to do how many sets in less than three weeks?”
“Three, but maybe four, depending. That’s the deal, yes. Rascal here told me it’s not a problem. Got the contract ready for you to sign, or you can have your manager sign it if that makes more sense. Whatever works.”
“We have a manager?” I asked, then thought better of it. “Yes, our manager, who might be the better person to sign for us, instead of all those signatures crowding up the contract.”
I slid my hand under the table and squeezed Luke’s thigh. He turned to me, and I whispered, “Who’s our manager?”
“Nobody, yet. Just go with it,” he mumbled, in a low voice.
“Our manager might be busy this afternoon, but I can sign the paperwork. At least as a temporary agreement. Then, later, we can sign it, or our manager can officially sign it,” Rascal said, sounding confident, as if we’d already agreed to this, which we most certainly did not… at least I hadn’t. Then they made arrangements to meet later.
I couldn’t speak for the guys, but I knew they wouldn’t take the gig without me. And I hadn’t agreed to anything, so I had no idea why Jimmy thought this was a done deal. With this late date, getting another band to open Jimmy’s new dance hall might be next to impossible.
So, not only did I have to decide the fate of this ranch and all the folks who worked it, but now I had the successful opening of a country dance hall weighing on my shoulders, a dance hall that Betty’s Startup helped fund. I couldn’t possibly allow this business to fail. What would Shea think of me? Or her employees?
I needed to clear my head, and I knew the perfect way to do it.
I drank down most of my coffee, took a few bites of the scrambled eggs, then turned to Luke, while everyone else chatted with Jimmy. “How about you and me getting out of here and taking a morning ride?”
“Now?” he asked, looking surprised by the whole idea.
“Yes. Right now.”
“Whatever you want,” he said, grinning.
I stood. “Excuse me, everyone, but Luke and I are going for a ride.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“Now?” Josh asked.
“Can’t it wait until we settle things with Jimmy?” Rascal asked, looking a bit stunned by the idea of me taking off.
“Give me a minute, and I’ll come with you,” Bobby said, standing. “You won’t know what trail to take.”
“That’s okay,” I told him. “I’m sure whoever’s working in the stable this morning can direct us. I haven’t been on a horse in years, and I’m feeling brave right now. I might not if I wait any longer.”
And before anyone else could protest, I took Luke’s hand in mine, and we stepped off the porch and quickly headed for the stables.
