Free The Last Cowboy Standing by Barbara Dunlop

with you.”
    “Let’s do it later.” She wasn’t afraid of Randal, but his behavior bordered on the bizarre.
    He stared at her for another long moment.
    “Fine,” he ground out. “Later.”
    With a withering look at Travis, he turned to stalk away.
    “That was weird,” she couldn’t help commenting.
    “You okay?”
    “Perfectly fine.” She shook off her feelings. “You?”
    Travis grinned. “I’ve been to plenty of parties that ended in fights.”
    She shook her head at the ridiculous notion. “You weren’t going to fight.”
    “He wasn’t going to fight. I would have.”
    “You’re incorrigible.”
    “Just from a different part of the country than him.”
    “What are you doing here?”
    Randal had been right on that count, this was a private party, only the conference delegates had been invited. She doubted very much that flashing a bull riding belt buckle would have got Travis past security.
    “Hedley invited me. Probably thanks to your exaggeration of my family’s artistic and political success.”
    “That’s how you play the game.” She glanced down and noticed her drink glass was empty.
    Travis noticed, too, and took it from her, quickly flagging down a passing waiter and handing it off.
    “Thanks,” she told him.
    “Would you like another?” he asked.
    “I think I will. Thanks to Caleb, I don’t have to go to work in the morning.”
    “I was hoping to find you here,” said Travis as they moved toward a nearby bar. “I need your advice on something,”
    “You mean you didn’t come to the party to mingle with lawyers and judges?” Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Randal.
    He was talking to one of the conference presenters. He glanced up, and their gazes met. She quickly looked away.
    “As appealing as that sounds...” said Travis.
    Danielle smiled at his sarcasm.
    “I’m going to have to sign a contract on Thursday. I’m sure it’ll be a simple matter for you, but I need to make sure I understand the liability.”
    She tried to switch to her lawyer brain, and quickly realized she was a little tipsy. “What kind of a contract?”
    “Dune buggy racing.”
    She rested her hand on the bar and turned to peer at him. “Excuse me?”
    “For the bachelor party. Thirty or so guys are all going dune buggy racing. Either me, or the ranch, or maybe Active Equipment, needs to pay the bill and make sure our insurance covers the liability.” He switched his attention to the approaching bartender. “Can you give us two of those tall, frothy, orange things.”
    “You probably want to ask me tomorrow instead,” said Danielle. “I’ve already had a couple of drinks, so I can’t guarantee the quality of my advice.”
    He smiled at her. “Tomorrow’s fine.”
    The bartender set the drinks on the bar top, and Travis handed him a tip.
    “So, do you believe me now?” Travis asked as they turned away, heading in the general direction of the fountain pool.
    “Believe you about what?”
    “About Randal’s motives.”
    “No,” she answered with confidence.
    Nothing had changed.
    “He tried to hold your hand,” Travis pointed out.
    “He tried to get me away from you.”
    Travis took a sip of the drink and grimaced. Then he held it up to the light, inspecting it. “Really? This is what you’re drinking.”
    “Cowboy up,” she told him, using an expression she’d borrowed from Caleb.
    “I think I’d rather come off a bucking bull.”
    “Wimp,” she muttered.
    “And why do you think he was so hell-bent on getting me away from you?” Travis asked.
    “I don’t know if you’ve noticed.” They came to an empty bench facing the gardens, and she sat down. “But Randal doesn’t like you much. And you’re not helping matters by being so sarcastic all the time.”
    Travis sat down at the other end of the bench. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not trying to make friends with Randal.”
    “Really?” she drawled with exaggerated