Free The Last Cowboy Standing by Barbara Dunlop Page B

pondered how to elaborate. “You know how some mothers want their daughters to find a good man, get married and give them grandchildren?”
    “I do,” he nodded.
    “My mother wasn’t like that. She always told me not to count on a man to take care of me. It was vital that I educate myself, develop a good career. And if, if I decided to one day get married, it should be an equal partnership, with an iron-clad prenup to protect me when it all fell apart.”
    “That’s not very romantic.”
    “Maybe not, but it is very practical.” Danielle took another bite of the burger. “This is delicious.”
    “I was thinking cynical.”
    “Not delicious?” she joked.
    “So, what would your mother think about Randal?”
    “That I ought to be doubly careful with the prenup, since he’s a smart attorney.”
    Travis smiled at that. “Maybe you should marry a dumb cowboy instead.”
    “Sure.” She kept her tone deliberately light, memories of their kiss still doing a number on her hormones. “Know any?”
    Travis laughed. “Was that an actual compliment?”
    For a second she was puzzled.
    “You don’t think I’m dumb?” he prompted.
    “I never thought you were dumb.”
    “Sure you did.”
    “I thought you were annoying.”
    “Your beer, sir.” The waiter approached. “DFB C Mountain Ale.”
    “Perfect,” said Travis, accepting the tall glass. “Thanks.”
    The waiter nodded and withdrew.
    “Do you still think I’m annoying?” Travis asked, taking a swig.
    “Sometimes,” she admitted. Though those times were getting fewer and farther between. The Travis she was coming to know in Vegas wasn’t like the one she remembered in Lyndon Valley.
    “I’ll try to do better,” he offered.
    “And here I thought you were trying to be annoying.”
    He gave a sheepish shrug. “Sometimes, I am. But only because I thought you were a snob.”
    “I’m not a snob,” she told him with conviction. “I’m self-sufficient.”
    He thought about that for a moment. “I’m sorry about your family. They don’t sound like much fun.”
    “They’ve been my family for a long time. I’m used to them.” Though, for some reason, she found his sympathy touching.
    His blue eyes were soft in the dim light, his expression uncharacteristically caring. He was handsome. He was sexy. He was smarter than she’d expected. And now he seemed genuinely compassionate.
    She could feel herself being pulled to a very dangerous place. She struggled to remember all the reasons he irked her. He was a sarcastic, smart-ass, dusty, sweaty, tough-as-nails cowboy, who didn’t have any use for big-city lawyers. He might kiss her, but he was never going to respect her as a person. If she let this thing go any further, she was definitely going to get hurt. Travis, on the other hand, would saunter away unscathed.
    She forced herself to glance at her watch. “I think I’ll call it a night.”
    “Had enough of lawyers?”
    “Had one too many drinks.” She rose to her feet. “These things are giving me a headache.”
    Travis rose with her. “Do you want me to walk you to the elevators?”
    She quickly shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
    The last thing she was going to do was give herself a chance for second thoughts. She was walking away from Travis, his deep blue eyes, his strong, broad shoulders and his sexy smile, right this second. And she wasn’t looking back.

Five
    D anielle made her way along a fieldstone walkway that was illuminated by yellow-toned pot lights, past the lush gardens, the overhanging oak trees, and across a small footbridge that covered a babbling brook. She passed a few guests coming the other way, while the noise of the conference party gradually faded away behind her.
    “Had enough?” Randal’s voice unexpectedly broke the quiet as he came up beside her on the narrow path.
    “Getting tired,” she told him, deciding it was best to simply ignore their tiff from earlier.
    “It was a good conference,” he