Trouble in a Stetson by Regina Carlysle Read Free Book Online Page B

and he’s happy about it. ’Nuff said.”
    “You are such a badass, Roxie,” Emily teased. “Impressive.”
    Lola clutched her hands beneath her chin and sighed. “My hero. Oops. Make that heroine.”
    Roxie laughed. “Ah, he wasn’t all that hard to catch.”
    No surprise there.
    Cliff Beckett, owner of Chaps, Mesa Blanco’s honky-tonk, was a red-blooded man who had eyes in his head. Roxie was a beautiful, sexy woman. Naturally, he fell into her hands like a big, good-looking wad of putty and before all was said and done, Lola suspected Roxie would mold the hunky man to her liking.
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    “So what about you?” Emily said, spearing her with a look. “Are you burning up the sheets with the sheriff?”
    Roxie sniffed the air. “Hmm. I think I smell smoke.”
    Lola sighed. “Call the fire department. Does Mesa Blanco have one? Hmm. Well, if they do, call ’em quick.”
    Roxie and Emily both laughed.
    When she told them about the kids who’d harassed her that night after they’d met for drinks, she watched Roxie bristle. “What the hell? Are you kidding me?”
    “Damn little twerps,” Emily chimed in with a scowl.
    “No, no, settle down. I called Sam and he came a runnin’. Took them home to their folks and I’m sure that was punishment enough for the little pervs.”
    “What a guy.” Emily sighed.
    “Isn’t he just?” Lola gathered up a bit of meringue on her fork. “I swear. The man turns me inside out. Makes me wonder about leaving here. Am I crazy?”
    “Probably certifiable, honey,” Roxie said. “None of us plans to stay but damn if I wouldn’t like a little more time here.”
    “Me too,” Emily said, her eyes taking on a faraway look. “Me too.”
    Lola thought about her hot nights between the sheets with Sam Campbell and had to agree.
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    Trouble in a Stetson

Chapter Five
    It had been a hell of a day already and Sam couldn’t wait to finish it up, close it down and get back to his important business with one beautiful waitress. Lola had become a permanent fixture in his life for the past two weeks and he wasn’t a man who lied to himself.
    He couldn’t get enough of her.
    Dangerous.
    Sam knew he was playing with fire and like a dumbass, he was bound to get burned. The woman would be deadly to his heart and he constantly had to remind himself of what she was.
    Rich man arm candy.
    A blast of shockingly cold air hit Sam the minute he and his deputy Eldon, stepped through the door of Blue Belle’s. Time for a quick jolt of caffeine.
    Yeah, keep lyin’ to yourself, buddy.
    You’re here for her .
    Sam saw Lola immediately as she came through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen. Balancing a big tray of blue plastic glasses, she turned and started stacking them next to a giant silver urn that was marked with a popular tea label. Smiling at the sight she presented with her hair pulled up in a big, messy pile of curls, he and Eldon planted their butts on bar stools at the counter.
    When Lola turned and saw him, her smile widened. “Well, hey there. If it isn’t the handsome sheriff and his super cute deputy. Hey, Eldon.”
    Eldon, a gangly young fellow in his late twenties, turned several shades of red and shyly tipped the brim of the cowboy hat that was part of his uniform. “Ma’am.”
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    “That’s Lola to you. I’m way too young to be a ma’am. Ya, hear?”
    Sam laughed. “Quit tormenting Eldon, Lola. Pretty soon you’ll be messing with his head like you mess with mine.”
    “Is that so?” Lola cocked her hip and winked at him. Brazen little thing . “Imagine that. Little old me messing with your head. Can I get you guys some coffee? Just made some fresh.”
    “Sounds good,” Sam said.
    When Lola turned to fill their order, he studied her covertly from top to bottom.
    There was something different about her these days. Back when he’d first set eyes on her she’d been harried and pretty upset about the turn of events. She