Page 26 of The Undercover Cowboy

“Guess not,” she said. “And I wouldn’t have met such a charming cowboy.”

“Charming is a stretch,” he replied dryly. “So is cowboy.”

“Private investigator, then.”

“Better.”

“You and Shelby must be close.”

“We’ve had to be with our parents being the people they are.”

“My sisters and I are close too.”

“How many do you have anyway?” he asked.

“There’s four of us. Loretta is the only one not really involved in the rodeo. This is the first season she’s been with the UPRC. You might have seen her selling her paintings along vendor row. She’s really good. She’s going to be living with me in the Winnebago this season when we’re on the road.”

“That must cramp your style.”

“I think I’m cramping her style,” Dolly muttered.

“What?”

“She’s seeing Taylor Keating. That’s who she was kissing tonight.”

“Taylor, huh?” Nash looked thoughtful.

“He’s the bullfighter who sometimes rides if the purse is big enough and he can wheedle his way onto the docket for the day.”

“How well do you know Taylor?”

Uh-oh.“Why? You don’t think he’s involved in whatever Blevins has his hands in, do you?”

That was all Loretta needed.

“I told you. I suspect everyone.”

“Well, if he is dirty, I’d appreciate a heads-up. I hope he’s not, though. Loretta could use a break. She hasn’t had a whole lot of luck with men.”

“How about you?”

She gave him a double take. “I’m not an asshole magnet like Loretta is. But I’ve been concentrating on this job and building my own brand. There hasn’t been a lot of time for romance.” After the escort service, Dolly had had a hard time casual dating. She always wondered if the men she went out with were doing a mental tally in their head of how much they had to spend on her before she would sleep with them. Dinner $100. Drinks $50. It was cynical and she hated thinking like that, but she also couldn’t stop herself.

“For me either.”

“That so?”

Nash had never made her feel like a commodity. Pissed her off? Sure. Was he the leading man in her lonely weeknight fantasies? Absolutely. That was why she was a little scared of getting involved with him. He could really hurt her feelings if he rejected her because of her past.

The tension between them was like an electric current that buzzed over her skin. This time, she definitely wasn’t imagining that they were drifting closer together. Almost close enough to kiss…

“Hey, what are you two doing there?” A loud voice startled her out of the sensuous haze she was dropping into.

Dolly jumped back and placed a hand over her heart. Nash whirled to confront the man who was stalking toward them. Luckily, she recognized Shane’s assistant Pat gripping a tire iron in his hand.

“Pat, it’s me—Dolly. I’m looking for Reba,” she blurted out.

Pat nearly tripped, he stopped in his tracks so fast. “Oh shit, Dolly. I didn’t recognize you. Shane and Reba are in the hotel tonight. It’s my night to babysit the bulls.”

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