Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(10)

Deke bent over to drink the tea from his glass without picking it up. “Yes, ma’am. Does the new wife walk three steps behind him and one to the left like you did?”

“Hell if I know,” Lizzy answered.

“Drinkin’ and swearin’.” He laughed. “Next thing you know she’ll be putting out a red light on the porch over at Audrey’s Place. I knew she’d never make a preacher’s wife.”

Lizzy turned up the beer bottle again. “Where does one buy a red lightbulb anyway? Oh, and Allie, this kitchen looks gorgeous. I love the color.”

Allie draped an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Lean over here so I can at least smell the fumes off your beer. I miss being able to have one in the evenings. Sometimes sweet tea doesn’t quite hit the spot.”

Deke carried his tea to the living room and claimed the recliner. “What you need is a boyfriend, Lizzy. And I only say that because I love you like a sister.”

Lizzy felt the dark look from Toby before she actually glanced that way and caught him staring at her, eyebrows knit together and jaw set. What was his problem? Deke could love her like a sister if he wanted to. That was none of Toby’s business.

Lizzy plopped down on the end of the sofa closest to Deke. Toby’s tall, sexy frame melted into the oversized wooden rocking chair. Blake and Allie cuddled up together on the other end of the sofa.

“Maybe,” Blake said, “she could advertise in the Throckmorton newspaper for a boyfriend-for-a-day service. He could show up on a white horse wearing a white hat, and she could dress up like one of the former girls from Audrey’s, and he could be her boyfriend while Mitch is here.”

“This is not funny,” Lizzy declared.

“It is a little bit,” Deke told her.

“I could be your pretend boyfriend,” Toby offered. “It would solve my Sharlene stalker problem if I had a girlfriend. I don’t doubt for one minute that you are over that fool man, but honey, I’m in a world of hot water. If I had a steady girlfriend, I could get her off my back.”

“And here I thought you were a big, strong cowboy who could take care of yourself.” Lizzy’s palms went a little clammy and her pulse jacked up a notch at the thought of snuggling up to Toby, of him throwing an arm around her—all those things that a boyfriend did to make a girl feel special. But sweet lord, could she handle it without falling right back into bed with him?

Blake chuckled. “I know Sharlene and believe me, Lizzy, when I say Toby needs you even if you don’t need him. Do you want that hussy in your family? If she runs Toby to ground then she’ll be Allie’s sister-in-law and your shirttail kin.”

“We can fake date until after the festival,” Toby said. “Even if you are over Mitch, it will be good for him to see that you’ve moved on. After the festival you can break up with me. I can be heartbroken for a few weeks, which will mean I don’t want to see anyone, and by then Sharlene will have moved on to someone else.”

Deke ran a hand through his thick hair. “Are you crazy, Toby? That would mean no flirting, no fussing, and definitely no sneaking women into your trailer. Celibacy for about five whole weeks. Think about that.”

Blake chuckled. “He couldn’t do it.”

Allie smiled. “But it’d be good for Mitch to see her with a tall, handsome rancher. Think about it, Lizzy. It would be like throwing him into hell.”

Oh, sister, you don’t know me anymore, Lizzy said to herself.

She searched her mind for a reason—any reason—why she couldn’t agree to this crazy scheme, but imagining Mitch’s expression when she introduced him to Toby was powerful motivation. She’d been strong enough to get over that sorry son of a bitch, but it would just reinforce the fact if she did have a new guy in her life, now wouldn’t it? And after all, she did owe Toby since she’d given Sharlene his phone number without asking.

I am a strong woman. I can do this. I will not fall into bed with him. It will be totally pretend. Her chin went up a notch higher with each silent statement.

Finally, she nodded. “We can give it a shot. But ground rules must be laid down. I will sit beside you in church. I will go to dinner with you, but this will be in name only and not for real.”

“Will you go honky-tonkin’ with me?” he asked.

“Hell, yeah! That’s what dating couples in this part of the world do, and then they go to church on Sunday to beg for forgiveness for what they did all weekend. But one beer is my limit and if you flirt with another woman while we are there, well, my fake temper is something no one wants to reckon with,” she said.

Deke sighed. “I’ve lost my wingman until the middle of the summer. Anyone for a game of Monopoly?”

Lizzy shook her empty beer bottle at him again and shook her head emphatically. “God, I hated playing that boring game every Sunday with Mitch and his cousin Grady. I’d rather clean house than play Monopoly, and everyone knows how much I hate cleaning.”

Allie kicked her on the hip. “You hypocrite. You made me play with y’all and acted like you loved every minute of it. What else did you hate?”

“Don’t get me started. Get out the cards and let’s play poker. I’m a bad girl, remember?” Lizzy grinned.

“Strip poker?” Toby asked.