Page 8 of Cowboy and the Convict

Without waiting for her to answer, Devon turned to where Mariah stood with the baby cowboy from earlier. He looked between them. “She needs to go home.”

Mariah—the worst friend ever—hesitated. “Oh. Okay.”

“I can take her.” He looked the baby cowboy up and down, voice still sharp as he said, “As long as you’ll be okay on your own.”

She could swear her friend almost smiled at Devon’s sudden grumpiness. “Of course. I’ll be fine.”

Devon stared the baby cowboy down a few seconds longer, expression threatening enough to make the younger man squirm in his boots. “You better be.”

Janie scoffed as Devon turned toward the exit, hauling her along with him. “Why do you believe her when she says she’s fine?”

He ignored the question as he steered her though the mass of bargoers, the weight of his well-muscled arm keeping her firmly pinned to his side. It wasn’t until they reached the exit that he finally spared her a glance.

“Because she has a sense of self-preservation.”

4

Devon

BEING THIS CLOSE to Janie was probably a bad idea. He’d always been careful to keep a safe distance between them—even while trying to look out for her. It was something she likely appreciated considering he wasn’t her favorite person. Unfortunately, it wasn't an option tonight. She’d made the stupid, stupid decision to mix pain meds and whiskey, and there was no way he was leaving her with Mariah.

Not that he didn’t trust Mariah, there was just no way she'd be able to handle Janie on her own. And he’d be damned if he was going to let one of the dumbass ranch hands packing The Watering Hole put his hands on her. Especially with the state she was in. He had to practically carry Janie out of the bar, her movements getting slower and less coordinated with each step.

Luckily, his cruiser was right outside the door, idling at the curb a few strides away. When they reached it, he supported her weight with one arm while opening the passenger’s door. As he angled her into the seat, Janie’s head fell back against the rest and she glared up at him as he buckled her in. “You piss me off all the time.” Her words were slow and a little slurred. They were also unsurprising.

“I know.” He tested the belt, making sure it was secure. “You drive me fucking crazy, so I’m gonna call us even.”

“Even?” She grabbed the front of his shirt when he tried to straighten, keeping their eyes level. “We’re not even close, buddy.” Her nose wrinkled, lip curling in what looked like disgust. “Ugh. Are you kidding me?” She released him, pushing at the center of his chest. “You shouldn’t smell so good. It’s annoying.” Her lips pressed into a frown. “Everything about you is annoying.”

He worked hard to smother out the smile trying to work across his lips. “At least I’m consistent.”

She rolled her eyes, but they only made it halfway across before her lids lowered and a long yawn dragged free. “Just take me home so I can get rid of you already.”

Since her eyes were closed, he set the amused expression he’d been fighting free, softly chuckling as he closed her in and rounded the front of his cruiser. He’d never met someone like Janie. A woman ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone, anytime, anywhere. She was fearless and full of fight.

She was also full of piss and vinegar, and most of it seemed to be directed at him. If he really wanted to dig into it, there were probably a couple good reasons that appealed to him, but it was yet another thing he didn’t have time for.

Blowing out a long sigh, Devon pulled away from the curb. The only light in town turned red right as he reached it, offering the opportunity to figure out where he was going. Turning to Janie, he found her slumped to one side, mouth hanging open, breaths slow with sleep.

“Janie.” He reached across the console to smooth back a wayward strand of dark, curly hair. “I need your address.”

She jolted when the tips of his fingers brushed against the soft skin of her cheek, her brows pinched together as she slowly blinked his direction. “I was sleeping.”

“I saw that.” He glanced around as the light turned green, making sure he wasn’t holding anyone else up, but the street behind him was empty. “But I need your address if you want me to take you home.”

“I don’t want you to take me home.” She smacked her lips and yawned again. “You just didn’t leave me any choice.”

“Do I need to remind you that you were falling over when I found you?” He gripped the wheel a little tighter thinking of what might have happened if he hadn’t found her. If he hadn’t decided to take a little stroll through The Watering Hole to make sure no one was giving Paige any problems.

“No. You don’t.” After crossing both arms over her chest she let out a long sigh. “Fine.” Janie rattled off an address, her eyes sliding his way as she spelled out the street name. “W-I-L-L-O-W-D-A-L-E.”

“Thank you.” He didn’t need to put it into the GPS. He knew exactly where they were headed. “You can go back to sleep now.”

“Whatever.” Janie’s head rolled away from him, turning to face the side window.

He chuckled, shaking his head. The woman acted like him helping her was the worst thing she could imagine. And that only made him want to help her more. Seek her out just to watch the way she scowled at him. The way she set her emotions free—good or bad—making how she felt blatantly obvious.

To be fair, his daughters frequently acted the same way—and he usually loved it just as much when they did it. He didn’t want them to spend their lives being somewhere they didn’t want to be because they didn’t know how to express their feelings.

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