Page 1 of Forever To Me

Chapter 1

Walker

Last Call

Heads turn the moment she strides into my bar, her fiery red hair catching the light like a flame in the dark. She confidently slides onto a barstool at a high-top table across the room, her leather jacket clinging to the curves that could stop a man in his tracks. Scuffed boots and worn jeans that hug curves just right tell the story of long days. A few cowboys take notice as they tip their hats to her and sit up straighter. Hell, I can’t but help but notice, too. She’s beautiful.

She orders a whiskey from Cash, my bartender, and pays attention to what’s happening in the bar. Her eyes study me curiously over her glass as she sips her whiskey.

One cowboy, who just might be braver or stupider than the rest, leans in a little too close to the mystery redhead for my liking and says, “What’s a pretty thing like you doin’ here at The Black Dog?”

“Enjoying some solitude,” she says coolly, giving him a tight smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. I notice she doesn’t make eye contact with him and keeps her distance.

“Maybe I can buy you another drink,” chimes in another cowboy, this one with a crooked smile and a mischievous glint in his eye that I don’t like.

Not one bit.

Neither of these assholes know how to read a room.

I hide my smirk as she turns away and gets up, completely ignoring the cocky cowboy in favor of hitting up the jukebox where she chooses 90s country classics. A smile stretches across her face as she punches buttons for a few songs.

She has good taste.

She’s hands down the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. She’s mysterious and sexy as hell. Throughout the night, I wonder what brings her to my bar in the middle of nowhere, Bridger Falls, Wyoming. She’s probably just passing through and doesn’t know that she’s captivated the whole damn bar.

A long bar wraps around the front of the room along with plenty of high-top tables for folks to gather. In the back, dart boards along the walls surround pool tables to give people a place to have a good time and unwind. The bar isn’t fancy by any means, but it’s clean and classy. A dive bar where you can get a hot meal and hang out with the locals. We have the rare tourists that sometimes pass through our small town, but for the most part, everybody knows everybody, and we're a close-knit bunch. Which makes me wonder why she’s here and where she came from.

The bar’s slammed tonight, and I shouldn’t spend so much time thinking about the gorgeous woman, but I can’t help it. Cash and I have been busy all night. Momma Mary, our cook,went nonstop until we finally closed the kitchen down. I’m glad I hired another barback for the weekend shift because we’ve been slammed. I really could use another bartender, but I haven’t been able to find anyone. Either they’re eighty and can’t drive after dark, or they just turned eighteen and still go to Bridger Falls High School with my kid. The joys of living in a small town. Not a lot of options, and like I said, everyone knows everyone.

I can’t keep my eyes from drifting over to her. She’s stunning and perfect. Long, rich, dark red curls cascade around her shoulders and down her back. But what really catches me off guard is the bright red lipstick that makes her striking green eyes pop. More than once, I think she catches me looking over. Her lips turn up in a smile as she drops her gaze back to her drink, as if not to put me on the spot for staring. But then I catch her staring back at me. Her eyes lock with mine, and the bar fades into nothing. It’s a game we play back and forth all night. And I like this game.

“Last call,” Cash yells as he starts to close things down. People trickle out as we wrap things up and wind down. Typically, I would head back to my office and finish up the paperwork. But I feel like I need to keep an eye on things.

Okay, maybe keep an eye onher. Rarely does a woman catch my eye like she has. Plus, I want to make sure these cowboys still lingering around leave her alone.

A few local cowboys are left finishing a game of pool when I notice one of them says something to Red. She shakes her head and turns in her chair away from him. Her body language clearly reads she’s not interested. Something she’s been putting out all night. But that doesn’t stop the cowboy from trying again and walking up and placing a hand on her shoulder as he leans down to whisper something to her.

I grit my teeth and grip the edge of the bar. What the actual hell?

“Actually,” she says, her voice rising, “I’m with him.” She turns and faces me, her eyes unmistakably on me.

The two cowboys turn and stare in my direction with confusion. Then one turns back to her and gives her a challenging look before he glances back at me smugly.

Curiosity fills me as I silently watch the exchange.

She nods at me and gives me a smile that flows throughout my entire body. I watch this unfold as I cross my arms over my chest and lean back against the bar.

“Sorry, boys,” she says as she stands and walks towards me, full of confidence and purpose. Her determined eyes lock onto mine, and a hint of a pleading look turns into a flirty smirk on those gorgeous red lips. She walks around the bar's edge and stands toe to toe with me. A bold move most patrons wouldn’t attempt. But something is different with her. I’m not sure what it is yet, but she’s something. I'm about three inches taller than her, so she's got to be around five foot nine. She has legs that go on for days. She looks me right in the eyes and says with a voice like velvet, low and smooth, “That man over there doesn’t believe I’m with you. I need him to believe it, Cowboy. So, can I please kiss you right now and pretend you're mine?”

Well, fuck me with a feather.

I glance at the two cowboys as they anxiously watch our every move. My attention shifts back to Red. She’s even more beautiful close-up. And she smells good, too. Like vanilla and honey. I wonder what her hair would feel like if I were to run my fingers through it.

“Well, you said please,” I murmur as I snap back to reality.

A smirk spreads across her face as she takes that as a yes and puts her arms around my neck, pulling me down and crashingher lips into mine. I instinctively wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her tighter to me, her lips exploring mine, her hands gripping my back tightly and pulling me in closer.

Somehow, time stops, and my world shifts on its axis. I can’t explain it. Hell, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to explain the way I feel right now. Only that it somehow feels right.

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