Playing With Fire (Tangled in Texas, #2)(43)

Great. What was I supposed to say to that? Speechless, I looked to Cowboy for help.

Thankfully, the lady turned her attention on him as well. “You trying to pull a fast one on me, boy?”

Cowboy chuckled, then put his hand on the old woman’s shoulder. “Aw, settle down, Momma Belle. This is Anna. My girlfriend.” My eyes widened, but Cowboy just kept on grinning. “She’s just a big tease.”

Why, that little… My eyes narrowed. “No, I’m not!”

Momma Belle cast a glance my way. Crap.

I didn’t see any other way around it but to play along. If I told her Cowboy and I weren’t dating, she would think I was a hussy. Then again, wasn’t that the kind of woman he normally dated?

I mentally sighed. Oh, jeez. “Momma Belle, of course I’m his girlfriend. I don’t play…um, coochie-coo with any man without the promise of a commitment. I guess I thought you’d see right through such a silly notion.” My eyes cut to Cowboy to make sure he got the message loud and clear, then glanced back to Momma Belle. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand.

But the old lady frowned at me. “Girl, do I need to break a switch off one of these oak trees and strap your legs good? You almost gave me a heart attack. Fossils my age don’t have strong tickers, you know?”

Oh God. The woman had heart problems? “I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Can I get you anything? Maybe some water or something.”

“Bless your heart, child, but I’m okay. Just need to sit down and rest my achy joints. When my dadgum arthritis starts acting up like it is, there’s only one remedy that works.” Momma Belle directed one gnarled finger toward her car. “If you’d be so kind, it’s in a medicine bottle inside my purse on the floorboard.”

I nodded and patted her on the hand. “Of course, I’ll get it for you.”

I started toward her car, but didn’t get halfway there when Cowboy caught up to me and yanked me to a dead stop in between two vehicles. “Tell her you couldn’t find it.”

“What?”

“Don’t take Momma Belle her purse. In fact, toss it in the bushes and tell her she must’ve left it at home.”

I gawked at him. “Why would I do that to that poor, sweet woman?”

“Poor, sweet woman?” Cowboy made a strangled sound of disgust with his throat. “That woman has the fangs of a rattler. If you let her, she’s going to sink them right into that pretty little neck of yours.”

Obviously, he was overreacting, so I rolled my eyes at him and continued to the car. I opened the passenger door on the red Pontiac and leaned in to lift the heavy black tote from the floorboard. As I straightened and turned, I bumped right into Cowboy, who was blocking my path.

He held his ground and frowned at me. “I’m serious, Anna. Don’t take her that bag.”

“Why are you being like this about a little old lady who needs her medicine? I know you can be arrogant and self-centered at times, but I never realized you were such an ass.”

His eyes narrowed as he snatched Momma Belle’s purse from my hands and rifled through it with a mad flourish. Clearly, he was searching for something in particular, but having a hard time finding it with all the junk stuffed inside. This lady was worse than Mary Poppins.

“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t just go through her personal belongings like that. It’s an invasion of her privacy.”

“Here, hold this,” Cowboy said as he passed something to me.

My eyes widened as I stared stupidly at the small metal object in my hand. “I-is this a gun?”

“No, it’s a bingo dauber that happens to resemble a small caliber weapon.” Cowboy stopped rooting through the bag and glared at me. “Of course it’s a goddamn gun.” He shook his head and continued his search.

Okay, so maybe it was a dumb question. “Why is your grandma carrying a gun?” I asked him.

“That insane woman is not my grandma. If she were, I’d shoot myself with her…bingo dauber.”

I gaped at him, appalled by his lack of sympathy and his cold-hearted behavior toward an elderly woman with health problems. “Jesus, what is wrong with you? You’re being so…callous and insensitive.”

“Oh, that’s rich. Especially coming from the woman who won’t go on a date with me all because she’s heard a few bullshit rumors.” Before I could respond to that, he found what he was looking for. “Aha!” He held up a small mason jar of clear liquid. “This is what Momma Belle calls her ‘medicine.’”

I sighed with irritation. “Moonshine?”

Cowboy shook his head at me. “You know, for someone who is supposed to be so smart, you sure ask a lot of stupid-ass questions.”

My eyes narrowed. “Okay, that’s it! I’ve had enough of you and your demeaning insults.” I yanked the purse from him and then snagged the jar from his hand, shoving it back inside the large bag. “If that old lady wants to drink moonshine, then that’s her business, not yours.”

“That insane woman has no business drinking—”

“That’s enough,” I said, huffing at him. “Since I don’t see you over there wrestling the beer out of Hank’s hand, I can only assume you’re saying that because she’s a woman…you…you…chauvinistic pig!”