Free 9781631051289TemptedbytheCowboySullivan by Sandy Sullivan

call in the troops
should someone get too boisterous.
    She put on her leather halter top and jeans before she
slipped on her cowboy boots. P laying the part of
cowgirl wasn’t an easy thing for her, but it went with the persona the bar had
so she’d do what she needed to. Her breasts were displayed enticingly above the
cleavage of her top. The jeans showed off the soft curve of her hips and with the legs tucked into her pink and brown cowboy boots, she
figured she played the part well enough.
    The clock on the wall chimed eight-thirty, rousing her
enough to realize she needed to get moving. The bar waited.
    Music blared loudly as she waltzed through the door several minutes later, to find the place in full
swing. Cowboy hats and rhinestone jeans took up most of the scenery. Neon
lights in every kind of beer graced the wood walls. A band played in one back
corner as the dancers two-stepped around the floor.
Several people congregated in small groups laughing and having a good time. The
place was packed even for a Saturday night.
    “There you are. Good thing you’re here. It’s getting
crazy,” Dan said, wiping the bar on his end, keeping a close eye on the patrons of his establishment. He owned the bar along with
his wife. The big, burly guy was like a father to her and too many of the other
women who frequented the place. He seemed to take his job seriously. He didn’t
like it when some drunk cowboy started coming onto a woman who didn’t want the attention.
    “I’m on it, Dan.” She swung around the bar’s long expanse
and immediately started working her way down the patrons sitting on her end to
see what they needed. Faces blurred as she worked even though her th oughts were never far from the dark-haired cowboy she’d
left standing on her porch early this morning.
    Time sped by without her even being aware of how fast the
clock was ticking until she wiped the sweat from the back of her neck.
    “Hey babe.”
    She glanced up into the green
eyes of a man she didn’t know. “What can I get you?”
    “You.”
    “Not for sale.” She braced her hands on the bar. “ What’cha drinkin ’?”
    “Whiskey straight up.”
    “Do you want one or two shots?”
    “A shot at you.”
    “Lay off, buddy or I’ll cut you off and have you bounced right out of here.”
    The man rapped his knuckles on the bar. “Fine, give me a
shot then.”
    She poured his drink as she noticed an empty table across
the bar the waitress hadn’t cleared yet. Figuring she’d clear the glasses so
they had m ore clean ones behind the bar, she wiped
her hands and went around the bar’s end to head for the table.
    The minute she walked near the whiskey guy, he grabbed her
around the waist and pulled her into his lap. “I told ya I wanted a shot.”
    “Let go.”
    “The lad y said let go, mister.”
    She glanced up into the clear blue gaze of Jason. “I can
handle him.”
    Jason ignored her. “I suggest you let go.”
    “Or you’ll what, cowboy? Me and the lady were gettin ’ acquainted.”
    “Jason, I said I can handle this.”
    “You know him, li ttle lady?”
    “Yes, but that’s not important. If you don’t let me go in
five seconds, you’re going to lose a couple of teeth.”
    “I like my women feisty.”
    The man spun her around in his arms and tried to kiss her.
She jammed her hand under his chin, gnashing his
teeth together in a grind just as Jason landed a punch to the side. The man let
her go as he grabbed his mouth and side simultaneously.
    “Fuck!”
    She backed up as the man rushed Jason, taking them both to
the floor. Fortunately for Jason, the man apparen tly
was already half drunk so he stumbled as they went down with Jason ending up on
top. Jason swung, punching the man in the jaw. The man threw a punch, hitting
Jason in the eye.
    “Stop it!” She pulled on Jason’s arm, trying to stop the
brawl. “Stop.” When they two men continued to throw punches at each other, she
hollered for Dan and the