A Fallow Heart (Tommy Creek #2)(86)

B.J. nodded. “Oh yeah.”

“Oh, God,” he uttered.

He swallowed and felt slightly sick to his stomach. He’d craved feminine companionship since the moment he’d pushed Jo Ellen out of his life. But he craved companionship with only one woman. And Nan Lundy was not that woman.

“So, you’re not interested in hitting that or what?” B.J. demanded, sounding more than just a little curious.

He focused on the tomboy. Why did she care if he returned the waitress’s interest or not? “Uh…No. Sorry.”

Her face brightened. “Great. Because I already had plans for her.”

Eyes widening, Cooper gaped at B.J. She’d always been a tomboy, sure, but for some reason he’d never figured she swung that way. Strange.

Then she threw him for another loop when she didn’t lay claim on Nan for herself, but called across the room, “Hey, Ralphie. Get your ass over here.”

Ralphie dutifully trooped forward. “What’s up, B.J.?”

Setting her forearm on top of Coop’s shoulder, she motioned toward the waitress who was sneaking another glance their way. “Nan over there was just asking about you. She thinks you’re pretty cute.”

Smardo’s eyes bulged. “Really?” Ogling Nan, he blushed when she smiled in their direction…at Cooper. “Holy shit,” he breathed. He turned to Coop and demanded. “What’d she ask about me?”

When B.J. kicked him under the bar, Coop sputtered. “Uh, she…she said you seemed…sweet.”

B.J. sent him a look to tell him sweet was not the word to use, but Ralphie didn’t seem to care. “Sweet?” he repeated reverently.

“Yeah.” B.J. shoved him in Nan’s direction. “She wanted to know if you had yourself a woman or not. So, why don’t you mosey over there and talk to her, you ol’ sweetie pie, you? Show her how available you are.”

As soon as he stumbled away, hurrying after Nan who’d just moved to another table, B.J. whirled back to Cooper. “Sweet?”

He shrugged. “What?” He thought he’d done just fine on the spur of the moment like that, and as drunk as he was.

She rolled her eyes. “From what freaking lame hole did you pull out the word sweet? My cousin’s grandma is sweet. Guys don’t want to be called sweet. Jesus Christ, Gerhardt, no wonder why you’re having woman troubles.”

“What?” he said again. “It’s better than nice.”

With a sigh, she slumped onto the barstool beside him. “You still could’ve come up with something more than sweet.”

“Well, what the hell?” he demanded. “I didn’t know I was going to be roped into playing cupid. Give me a little warning next time. What was that all about anyway?”

She shrugged. “Aww, nothing really. He’s been complaining about wanting a woman lately. I was getting tired of hearing him yap about it, so I thought I’d try shoving those two together.” With a rueful grin, she added, “Hey, who knows. Maybe they’ll hit it off and he’ll see some motorboat action between her boobies tonight, huh?”

As she nudged him with a knowing smirk, someone coughed out a surprised kind of choking sound behind them.

B.J. whirled to see who’d overheard her comment and promptly stumbled into Cooper, her smile dropping flat when she focused on the interloper’s face.

“Grady Rawlings?” Her suddenly pale features filled with shock as she blinked. “What’re you doing here?”

Hearing Jo Ellen’s brother’s name, Cooper lifted his head and focused on Grady who, he noted, also seemed surprised to see Gilmore had a decent rack under all her man-clothes.

Rio approached them and hefted a filled brown paper sack onto the bar. “Hey, Grady. Here’s your order of ribs to go.”

“Amy was craving barbeque.” Flushing, Grady jerked his attention away from B.J.’s tank top and lurched around her to sidle up to the counter and pay for his supper.

Cooper cleared his throat. “Heard she was pregnant,” he offered, wondering how he could shift the conversation to make Grady mention Jo Ellen’s name because he sure as hell refused to ask about her.

“What?” B.J. squawked. “Amy’s pregnant again?”

Grady narrowed his gaze on her with an unreadable inspection that made the tomboy who never backed away from anyone or anything in Cooper’s experience edge closer to him as if seeking safety.

“She is,” Grady confirmed quietly.

B.J. blinked then grinned. “Well, congratulations, slim. Give her my best.”

His face softened. “Will do.” Grabbing his take-out, he tipped his head toward Cooper. “Gerhardt.”

“Yeah. See ya.” Coop managed to lift his hand in farewell.

But as Grady turned away, Coop panicked, tempted to holler after him and demand to know how Jo Ellen was.

Somehow managing to hold his tongue, he watched Grady leave the bar without a word about his sister’s welfare. With a groan, he let his head fall forward to thump against the surface of the bar. God, he was so messed up. Why couldn’t he just get her out of his system already?

“Well, hell.” B.J. bumped his elbow. “Even Tommy Creek’s golden boy and the ultimate image of purity and perfection, Grady freaking Rawlings, knows what a motorboat is.”