Wild Cowboy Ways (Lucky Penny Ranch #1)(21)

“Nope. But I did just meet your hot cowboy. No wonder you keep going over there every chance you get.”

Allie wanted to chew up shingles and spit out bricks. “You’re right, darlin’. I might seduce him soon as I crawl down off this ladder,” she said, her voice laden with sarcasm.

“Alora Raine!” Lizzy gasped.

“For the last time, I’m only here to put on his damn roof. Now Deke has the paper ready to roll so we can get this job done. Was there something you needed, or were you just calling to annoy the crap out of me?” Icicles dripped from Allie’s words.

“Well, for your information,” Lizzy huffed, “Mitch’s cousin Grady is coming for his tux fitting, and we’ve planned a dinner for the four of us in Wichita Falls on Friday night. He sounds really eager to see you again. Play your cards right, and I bet he could make you forget all about your cowboy.”

Allie came close to dropping the nail gun at the thought. The way Grady looked at her made her skin crawl. “God almighty, Lizzy. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my own love life, and I’m absolutely not going to dinner with Grady.”

“Yes, you are. Be ready at seven and that means good jeans or a dress and makeup, too,” Lizzy said.

“You’d better have a backup plan in your hip pocket because I’m not going,” she said.

The phone went silent and she looked at it. Sure enough her sister had hung up on her. Deke had barely gotten the tar paper unrolled across the length of the roof, when her phone rang again. She fished it out of her pocket, hoping that it was Lizzy so she could give her a piece of her mind.

“I know you are busy so I won’t talk but a minute,” her mother said. “I really think you should go with Mitch and Lizzy on Friday night. You will be standing up there with her and he’s the best man. It’s not a date but an evening to discuss wedding plans.”

“That damn tattletale! What makes you take her side in this? Why would you want me tangled up with Grady? He’s even worse than Riley was,” Allie fumed.

“She’s your sister and she’s worried about you and frankly so am I. Blake came in here today and the way he looks, he’s got heartbreaker written all over him. Come on, Allie, listen to the voice of experience when it talks to you,” Katy said tersely.

Allie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not going to dinner with them.” Allie heard Deke huffing and puffing as he climbed the ladder with a heavy roll of black roofing paper on his shoulder.

“Okay, then I’ll invite them to Sunday dinner and you can discuss wedding plans then,” Katy said.

Allie had never wanted to hit something so badly in her life. “Mama!”

“Friday or Sunday. Your choice?”

She thought about it a second. “I’m not going Friday.”

“Then Sunday it is,” Katy said. “Blake bought a few things and put up a flyer to give away mesquite for firewood. And Allie, the church ladies are coming at eleven this morning to welcome him to Dry Creek. You might want to be on the roof working instead of in the house with him. Even if y’all are only talking business, it wouldn’t look good.”

Allie motioned for Deke to drop the roll of black paper beside her. “Good way for Blake to get to know the people, ain’t it? Give them something for free? And Mama, stop worryin’ about me.”

“I’m a mother. It’s my job to worry. Men that good lookin’ are out for a good time and all they leave in their wake are tears. Grady is a good man. Youth minister at the church up around Gainesville,” Katy said.

“Whoopee for him. I’ve got to get to work. Deke is ready for me to start nailing. See you at supper.” Allie pushed the END button.

“Who’s giving away what for free?” Deke asked.

Blake poked his head up over the edge of the roof. “I am. News travels fast around here, don’t it? I’m giving away all the mesquite wood anyone wants to cut up for firewood.”

“You care if we sell it once we take it off your place?” Deke asked.

Blake chuckled. “You can boil it and make mesquite pie with it for all I care. I want it gone.”

“You’ve got a fireplace.” Allie looked up from her nail gun. “Why don’t you use it?”

His gaze locked with hers, the heat melting the cold all around her. She’d never had a man look at her and create such an intense reaction. One part of her, the emotional side, wanted to dive into those green eyes and see what lay beneath that flirting nature—down deeper than his wild cowboy ways and into the very man. The other side, that sensible side, told her to run from him as fast as she could.

“I’m going to cut up as much as I can this afternoon and stack it up behind the house. I can probably save enough on my heating bill to pay for the ceiling and the paint that way,” he said.

She looked down at her nail gun and snapped another shingle in place. “Price of fuel these days you just might.”

“Thought I’d check on the progress before I take the chainsaw out to the brush pile. This roof is lookin’ really good. I guess you really will get it done by the weekend.” He took a step back down the ladder.

Allie looked up from the nail gun and nodded. “If the weather holds for us, we will. I told you in the beginning I thought we could get it done by quittin’ time on Friday.”