Free Dentelle by Heather Bowhay

than four seconds.
    I was surprised when he looked up at me with a
huge smile plastered across his face – no traces of pain or anger evident in
his expression. “That was so worth it,” he said in a triumphant voice.
    I broke into laughter. “You’re crazy.”
    “Crazy in love with you.”
    “Crazy for you, too.”
    “By the way,” he said with a cocky grin, “That
was definite proof that face to face communication is by far superior.”

CHAPTER 4 – G.O.L.D. BAR RANCH
    North of Great Falls,
Montana

 
    Dakota, a Guardian and granddaughter of the
Ranch’s owners, picked us up from the airport. Releasing her inner cowgirl in a
pair of low-rise jean shorts, cowboy boots, and a sheer sleeveless blouse,
which did nothing to hide her black bra, she raised more than a few eyebrows.
Her western bling belt, large sunglasses, and cowboy hat just added to her
overall sex appeal. Friendly and welcoming during her introductions to Ash and
I, her attitude changed on a dime when she greeted Madison. In fact, their
exchange was nothing short of volatile.
    “Nice to see you again, Madison. You’re
looking…well.” The tone of her voice was deliberately sour.
    Madison cleared her throat. “Likewise, Dakota,”
she drawled. “And as usual you’ve left nothing to the imagination…all the way
down to your…what is that? A pink feather?”
    “Why, yes it is,” Dakota said, not missing a
beat. Removing her sunglasses, her onyx eyes pierced Madison with an intense gaze.
“It’s a dreamcatcher – symbolic of harmony in nature,” she said, fingering the
belly-button ring.
    “Oh, how…quaint.”
    Dakota’s eyes rounded and then lit with a new
sparkle. “I was wondering if you’d make the trip out here, especially after
your disappointing show in last year’s games.” She paused dramatically and
smiled sweetly at Jason before turning back to Madison. “But then I guess,
wherever Jason goes, you follow. I don’t suppose you guys have hooked up yet?”
Her eyes wandered from Madison to me and she smirked.
    My eyes widened and my pulse sped up a notch.
Was she just provoking Madison or trying to determine if there was any merit to
the rumors about Jason and me? Feet shuffled as nervous tension steamrolled
through our small group.
    Madison glowered and countered, “I see you’re
still as meddlesome and chatty as ever.”
    “I’ll take that as a no, then,” Dakota declared.
Her attempt at a sad face failed miserably, although it was obvious that was
her intent all along. “We’ll just have to see if we can rustle up a cowboy –
one who, shall we say, can tolerate your… intensity.”
    Madison looked ready to throttle her, and I
swear I thought I saw a couple rocks hovering off the ground a few feet away.
Jason must have noticed as well, because in a rare move, he stepped next to
Madison and casually slid an arm around her shoulders.
    “Round one
goes to Dakota,” Ash said. “Is it
possible Madison has met her match?”
    Dakota shrugged and smiled at me. “How about
you, Lexi? Are you lookin’ for a cowboy,” she stopped mid-sentence, smiled, and
tilted her head ever so slightly in Jason’s direction, “or have you already
found one?”
    “Okay,
that’s it. No way is she gonna drag you into her sick little diversions.”
    “I can
handle her. Give me a little credit here.”
    “I know. Believe
me, I do. You can be ruthless when you want – which isn’t very often, thank
goodness, because it doesn’t suit your nature. But let me do this. It will be
fun.”
    “Fine.
Have at it.”
    A skilled word slayer himself, he pulled me
close, wrapped an arm around my waist, and said firmly, “This beauty is taken.”
He flashed his signature smile at Dakota and then looked down at me. Winking,
he said flippantly, “I’m all the man you’re ever gonna need, right babe?”
    I sucked in a breath and tried to stop my jaw from
dropping. I knew the theatrics had begun, but I guess I wasn’t quite ready