Page 14 of Blame It On Midnight

He climbed into his truck and backed out of the driveway, then headed toward Main Street. Big Bend was hopping, full of tourists and townsfolk, all enjoying a beautiful summer night. Restless, he drove across town and took a right, then parked at the edge of a very busy lot. The Sundowner was the local watering hole everyone went to for a good time. The food was good and the music even better. Owned by his sister-in-law, Millie Sue, it was usually his first choice to unwind with a cold beer and a basket of fries.

Calvin and Millie Sue were headed to the Sundowner with some of the gang after the party, and they’d told him to meet up. Their father, Manley, had offered to babysit. He’d thanked them, but said he wasn’t interested. Which, to be fair, he wasn’t. But the thought of heading back to the Triple B with nothing but his dark thoughts and shit mood for company wasn’t exactly appealing either.

He thought of Collins. Of the way he’d been with her and his mood darkened even more. He’d been a dick. No way around it. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way. He supposed if he ever ran into her again, he’d apologize.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t happen. The running into her part. There was an attraction there, no way around it, and if he wasn’t on top of his game, things could go south quicker than a bull after a heifer.

His cell pinged just then. A message from his brother, Cal. “We’re here. Come by. Vivian will drive us home if need be. We need to celebrate.”

He stared at the message, a wry smile on his face. His buddy Dallas had been acting weird all day and finally confessed to the family that he and Bent’s sister, Vivian, were expecting. They’d had a long, hard road back to each other, and Benton couldn’t be happier for his oldest friend.

He glanced up and thought, What the hell. One minute later, he was pushing past a throng of folks, headed to the large table that sat at the right of the stage. He spied Cal and Millie Sue, along with Dallas and Vivian, and a couple of the cowpokes who worked the Triple B.

Dallas grinned when he spied Benton and raised his eyebrows. “Beer or whiskey?”

Benton’s auto reply was usually beer, but tonight the devil was nipping at his heels, along with the memory of a woman he needed to forget. “Whiskey.”

“Oh shit,” Cal chuckled. “Here we go.”

Millie Sue’s co-owner and business partner, Zach, appeared. Her cousin looked frazzled.

“What are you doing here?” Millie Sue asked with a frown.

“Shorthanded again.”

“The new hire?” Millie Sue asked.

He nodded.

“I knew she’d pull this crap.”

“And Mel is out sick.”

“I’ll hop behind the bar and help out.” Millie Sue was already sliding from the stool when Zach shook his head. “Not necessary. We got lucky.”

“Yeah? How’s that?”

“A young lady Jo met earlier showed up and hopped behind the bar. She’s something else.”

“In a good way?”

“Yep.” Zach cracked a grin. “And real easy on the eyes, which never hurts in a bar full of cowboys.”

“Let me get our order so you don’t have to worry about us.” Millie Sue hopped off her stool and headed for the bar. Benton was just starting to relax when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned and spied Michaela Dawson. She’d changed from the casual outfit she’d worn to Ivy’s party. Was wearing a black lacy dress that hugged in all the right places.

“Hey there,” she said softly. “Nice surprise.”

“Yeah, it is.” It was the polite response, but he meant it. He liked Michaela.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

Benton was about to tell her he’d already ordered up, but instead, he slowly nodded. “Sure. Whiskey neat.” Bastard move, but maybe Michaela was the answer to his problem that had plagued him for the last several hours. The one that was about five feet eleven with caramel colored hair and the kind of eyes that looked deeper than he wanted.

Michaela’s face lit up, and she backed away. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He caught a look from Cal and shook his head. “Not what you think.”

“She seems real nice.”

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