Redneck Romeo (Rough Riders #15)(66)

She smiled. “I can always make more.”


“Hey, before I forget, can you keep an eye on Jingle next weekend? Dalton is taking me away.”


“Sure. Where are you going?”


“I haven’t decided,” Dalton inserted. “It’ll be a romantic surprise for her.”


Why had he said that?


“Sounds fun. Have a good night.” Then her mom left.


After she left, Dalton said, “Good thing I hadn’t gone with my first idea and stripped your pants off to tickle you with my mouth.”


Rory set the bread on the counter. “Why didn’t you tell her we’re going to Deadwood?”



Dalton turned her to face him. “Because tellin’ your mama that I’m takin’ you to Deadwood, when she knows I’ve been a professional gambler doesn’t sound near as romantic as it’s gonna be.” He kissed her. “It’s late and I woke you up pretty early this morning, so I should go.”


She cut the loaf of bread in half and handed it to him. “Here. For breakfast tomorrow.”


“You’re sharing your precious pumpkin bread with me?” He kissed her and grinned. “I think you’re beginning to like me a little.”


“Maybe just a little.”


He chuckled. “Was that hard to admit?”


She gave a mock shudder. “Excruciating.”


Dalton wasn’t looking forward to his old friend Reggie’s bachelor party. Maybe it made him * whipped, but he’d much rather be with Rory.


In the last week he and Rory had found common interests besides their sexual compatibility. They challenged each other at Wii games ranging from marksmanship to body balance to bowling. They’d also done more normal dating things—although they were well beyond mere dating in Dalton’s mind. They’d sampled a few local restaurants. They’d gone grocery shopping, which they quickly learned they both hated. One night they’d gone out to listen to a band at the Twin Pines. They’d danced, had a few drinks and had run into a million people they both knew. No one seemed surprised he and Rory were together. His old pals were more surprised they hadn’t seen him out and about in the month he’d been back.


After living in the Montana wilderness, where he’d purposely isolated himself, he realized he couldn’t do that all the time in his hometown. Now that they’d seen him out with Rory, his former drinking buddies had been pestering him to hang out. Dalton knew he’d come across as a self-righteous reformed dick if he told them his barhopping, strip-club-visiting days were behind him. So he’d said yes when Reggie had asked him to stop by his bachelor party.


He plastered on a smile as he entered the private back room at the Golden Boot. He’d stay for an hour—max. Congratulate his buddy on his upcoming wedding, offer to buy him a shot and then bail.


He’d crashed bachelor and bachelorette parties over the years in this room. Odd to think the last one he’d attended here had been his own. Talk about tame. No strippers. No porn. No open bar. Dalton didn’t recall much from that night—not because he’d drank to excess. He’d ended up sitting in the corner with Leif West—who’d tagged along to the party as Chet and Remy’s guest—discussing Las Vegas gaming. Since Leif lived in Vegas, he had a completely different take on gambling, which Dalton had found fascinating.


So the big whoop-de-do for the last single McKay had fizzled out by eleven p.m.


“Dalton! Over here.”


He turned to see Lee Anderson waving at him. As he crossed the room, he accepted a drink from the tiniest cocktail waitress he’d ever seen. She was the size of a twelve-year-old girl—the top of her head barely reached his sternum—and he wondered how in the hell she didn’t tip over with her massive tits weighting her top half. Since she was scantily dressed in sparkly green, she reminded him of a slutty leprechaun. He heard his name again and looked up. When he looked down to excuse himself, she’d vanished.


Lee clapped him on the back. “Glad you could make it. Me’n Tick and Busby were beginning to think you didn’t want nothin’ to do with us no more, bein’s you’ve been back in town for a while and we haven’t heard from you.”


Dalton knocked back a swallow of booze. “Aw, I didn’t know you missed me so much. Didn’t mean to butt hurt your poor wittle feewings.”


“Fuck off.” Lee grinned. “But I’m happy to see you ain’t changed a whole lot in the past few years.”


And there it was. The reason he hadn’t wanted to come. That whole you-haven’t-changed-a-bit bullshit. “Where is Busby?”


“Hell if I know. So whatcha been up to? We heard you were living on the streets in Vegas after you lost that poker game on TV,” Tick said.


Dalton rolled his eyes. “Who’d you hear that from?”


“Don’t remember now. But you ain’t been back forever. You know how them rumors go if you ain’t around to set ’em straight.”


“I’ll set the record straight now.” He gave the bare bones version of his life. A few more guys from their graduating class joined their group, ragging on Dalton for missing their ten-year reunion. Busby showed up with two more “friends” both sporting tits the size of basketballs, collagen lips and vacant eyes. The room was getting crowded, yet Dalton’s glass never dipped below the half-full mark.