Free Should've Been a Cowboy by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page A

ask Sarah for a couple of bathrobes.”
    Alex pulled off his boots and his wet socks. “She has an idea something’s going on,” he said in an undertone.
    “It’s fine. I’ll talk with her. She knows this cruise job doesn’t give me much opportunity to date. She’ll understand.”
    “Probably.” But he noticed Tyler didn’t sound quite as confident as she had out there in the rain. Neither was he. He wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Josie’s questions.
    Last summer he’d tried to protect his sister from Jack, who had previously dumped her. Obviously Jack had learned the error of his ways and now spent all his time proving to Josie how much he loved her, but Alex hadn’t known it would turn out that way.
    Josie wouldn’t approve of Alex having a temporary fling with Tyler any more than Alex had liked Josie hooking up with Jack. She’d see it as a heartache waiting to happen, and he couldn’t promise her it wasn’t. He couldn’t very well claim to know what he was doing, either, considering that his marriage had failed miserably.
    Maybe he’d steer clear of Josie for the next four days. That wouldn’t be easy, but it wouldn’t be impossible, either. He’d be involved in the open house tomorrow and the cleanup on Sunday. Josie liked to spend most of her weekend at the Spirits and Spurs because that’s when the employees needed her the most.
    But Friday nights were reserved for the Chance family to gather at the ranch house, and the hum of conversation and occasional bursts of laughter coming from the dining room told him the meal was in full swing. Josie would be sitting next to Jack and no doubt she’d already pumped her husband for information. She might try to corner Alex before the evening was over.
    “Morgan said we need a couple of robes in here.” Sarah walked into the utility room with two white terry bathrobes over her arm. Her eyes widened. “Good Lord, what happened to you two? Did you fall in the mud or what?”
    “Something like that,” Alex said.
    “It was my fault.” Tyler scrubbed her hair back from her face. “I made a run for it and slipped in the mud. Then Alex tried to help me up and I caused him to lose his balance. I’m sure we looked like Laurel and Hardy out there.”
    “Well, here’s a robe for each of you.” She handed one to Tyler before giving Alex his. “You should just leave your wet stuff here. Alex, turn your back while Tyler gets out of her clothes.”
    He couldn’t very well say that he’d already seen Tyler naked quite recently, so he turned around and began unfastening the snaps down the front of his denim shirt. He could hear Tyler and Sarah murmuring behind him and the rustle of clothing.
    “All clear,” Sarah said in a louder voice. “You can turn around now, Alex.”
    He turned. Tyler’s clothes were piled on the top of one of the washers and she stood there wrapped up tight in the terry robe.
    The robe was bulky and too big, so it completely disguised her figure. Alex shouldn’t have found a single thing to be turned on about, except that her feet were bare, and the polish on her sexy toes gleamed in the overhead light. His fevered brain kicked into fantasy mode again.
    “There’s a door in the kitchen to the right of the stove, Tyler.” Sarah pointed in that direction. “Behind it is a stairway that will take you to the second floor. The boys used that route all the time when they’d come in from the corral. You have towels up there, right?”
    Tyler nodded. “Alex brought me some.”
    “You don’t have a private bath, I’m afraid. You’ll have to share the hall bath with Alex, so you might as well take off and get a head start.”
    “I will, and thank you. Sorry to be so much trouble.”
    “It’s no trouble, sweetie. Jack says you’re going to pair up with Watkins to provide the entertainment for the open house tomorrow, which is a huge help. I feel guilty making you work on your vacation. I hope Alex is paying you well