Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders #13)(4)

“You were staring at me first, darlin’. And I’m pretty sure you can let go of me now, unless you wanna challenge me to an arm-wrasslin’ match?”


“Ah. No. Sorry.” A hint of pink spread from her neck up to her cheekbones and she dropped her hands.


Interesting. Tell couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen her blush in high school. “So what are you doin’ here?”


“Having a drink with Stephanie. You remember her?”


Tell frowned. “Was she in our graduating class?”


“Yes. Stephanie Blackstone?”


“Ah. Now I remember. One of them smart girls. But I didn’t know you two were friends.”


Her eyes turned cool. “I couldn’t be friends with a smart girl because I was a dumb cheerleader?”


Shit. He’d stepped in it with her first thing. He felt the knots tighten in his tongue as that stammering, apologizing, blushing boy from the past made a brief appearance.


No sirree. He was not going there. He hadn’t been that kid for a long damn time. He reached for his beer and sipped. Then he granted her a slow grin. “Georgia girl, you were smart enough to get a boy like me to do your schoolwork, even when you were more than capable of doin’ it yourself. So that snippy response don’t hold true and you know it.”


She laughed self-consciously. “I guess I deserved that.”


At least she could laugh at herself. “I haven’t seen Stephanie in years.”


“Steph moved back to Moorcroft last year but she travels all over the state for her job.”


“I haven’t seen you in years either. What brings you back to Sundance?”


His cell buzzed before she could answer. Normally he would ignore it, but he’d been expecting—dreading—this call. He lifted a finger and said, “Hold on a sec. I gotta take this.” He clicked Answer. “What’s up?”


“Landon has been shrieking since you left him here. He don’t wanna watch a movie. He ain’t hungry. And the little sh— poop kicked my dog. When I put him in time out, he smacked me in the face with his fire truck. Sorry, bro, but I can’t do this alone.”


Perfect f*cking timing as usual. “Fine. I’ll be there in fifteen.” Tell finished his beer. He fished out a twenty and dropped it on the bar, signaling to BeeBee. “We square?”


“Sure enough. You’re leaving so soon?”


“Gotta deal with a kid problem.”


BeeBee frowned. “You’ve got Landon this weekend?”


“Yeah, and he’s actin’ up bad enough to warrant a call, so I gotta get. Thanks.” Tell looked at Georgia with serious regret. “Sorry we didn’t get a chance to catch up. Take care.” He slipped on his PRCA jacket and hustled out the door.


Georgia watched the hot cowboy with the black hat disappear into the night. Tell McKay had been cute in high school in that sweet and dorky way. But now? The man was drop-dead gorgeous.


And built. Holy cow. She’d gotten a good grip on his muscled biceps when he’d kept her from making a complete fool of herself.


Now she felt totally perverted since she’d been sneaking peeks at Jamie and him on the dance floor, mesmerized by his fast, sexy, smooth moves. She’d kept watching them when they returned to the bar. Saw him draw Jamie in. He hadn’t given a damn who knew he was seducing her. Jamie had been his only focus in a bar full of people.


Lucky, lucky Jamie.


What would it be like on the receiving end of such potent sexual attention? She’d know if she hadn’t tuned Jamie out as the girl had regaled Stephanie with explicit details of her last hookup with the man she’d referred to as “cowboy hottie”.


What an understatement.


She’d spiraled back ten years when Tell’s eyes met hers. Even back then, she’d felt he saw so much more than other kids their age, which sent her into full retreat. Maybe she’d even acted a little cold to him sometimes because she hadn’t wanted anyone—especially a sweet-talkin’, sharp-eyed McKay—to see that deeply inside her, fearing he’d find her…shallow.


Georgia dodged dancers on her way back to the booth.


Stephanie stirred the ice cubes in her glass and watched her approach. “Jamie had to bail. Issues with her sister.”


At least she wouldn’t have to break the news to Jamie that Tell had left.


“I saw you talking to Jamie’s mystery guy.”


“So you didn’t know the hot cowboy Jamie was going on about…was Tell McKay?”



Stephanie’s eyes became enormous behind her purple glasses. “Seriously? Jamie never said his name.” She groaned. “Then again, she did say she wasn’t the type to kiss and tell.”


Georgia choked on her vodka tonic.


“I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s how karma works.”


“Karma? What are you talking about?”


“You. Running into Tell McKay. He always had a crush on you. But you were too busy being Deck’s girlfriend to notice.”