Page 4 of The Cowboy’s Reckoning

“So why had he been spying on the property just before I’m supposed to meet with a man named Jordan Matthews?”

A few thoughtful seconds passed before Aubrey conceded, “You’ve got me there.”

Lil looked away just as Jordan casually swung his gaze her way. She was very glad to have seen the man in the wild, because it gave her an indication of what kind of guy he was. Comfortable in his own skin. Quick to smile. He looked like he could charm a cranky grandmother into mending his torn jeans.

“Do you know the people with him?” Meg asked.

“Trev Matthews, his brother, on the left, and Burke Thurley, local wild man, on the right.”

“I hope he’s good with a hammer,” Lil murmured. “I have stuff that needs to be done.”

“You do set the bar low,” Aubrey replied as the server approached their table.

She declined another round while Lil continued to low-key study the man who might be her landlord. His friend, whose name Lil had already forgotten, nudged Jordan, and his gaze suddenly swept her way, catching her mid-stare.

Damn.

Even at a distance, she saw a questioning expression form on his handsome face and felt her cheeks grow warm. Surely a guy like that was used to being stared at, so she didn’t look away. He could make what he liked of it. For all he knew she was staring through him. Then, after a few very long seconds, she casually turned her attention back to Aubrey who was once again discussing why her Jordan Matthews couldn’t be their Jordan Matthews.

Lil was ninety percent sure that he was indeed the owner of the place, and she didn’t care how it had come about. She just wanted the man to honor the language of the lease and repair the things that had started to go wrong on the place.

And to maybe not recognize her as the stalker in the bar.

Chapter Two

Jordan knew better than to go out on the town with Burke Thurley, but it’d been a long time since he, his brother Trev, and Burke had relived the good old days and when Burke suggested going to the Graff Hotel bar instead of the less reputable Wolf Den, Jordan figured the evening would end with little or no damage to himself or others.

Yeah … that wasn’t working out.

“All I need is a little help,” Burke said as Jordan settled the tab. It was no coincidence that their departure from the Graff Hotel bar coincided with the bartender who Burke had a crush on ending her shift. “Should be easy as hell.”

Jordan caught his brother Trev’s subtle headshake.

“Just help me transfer the cows from one trailer to the other,” Burke said.

“In the hotel parking lot.”

Burke gave him an am-I-stupid? look. “I parked next to the railroad tracks.”

“Maybe we should just replace the tire?” Jordan suggested.

“Don’t have one. That’s why I brought the second trailer.” Burke scowled at Trev and Jordan, obviously wondering why they weren’t on board with this brilliant plan. “And I don’t want to jack up a trailer with cows in it.”

“Maybe an easy jack?” The kind that one drove the dual wheel up onto, thus lifting one side of the trailer.

“I don’t have a tire,” he repeated.

Jordan dropped his chin to his chest. Of course, Burkey had sent his helper to pick up registered cows from a ranch near Yellowstone in a trailer with no spare.

“Does your second trailer have a …” Trev’s voice trailed at the sour look Burke sent his way. “Right.”

“Come on,” Burke pleaded. “It’s still daylight.”

It was at that. The sun had still been well above the horizon when Jordan and his brother had entered the Graff at eight o’clock. It was just past nine now. Plenty of light to do something stupid.

“Let’s take a look,” Jordan said, ignoring Trev’s low groan.

He put his wallet into his pocket, glanced across the bar, and once again found the woman with the long chestnut hair studying him. He didn’t mind being stared at. Back in his rodeo days, it was a common occurrence, but there was something about the way she was studying him that made him think she wasn’t so much admiring him as plotting against him.