TroubleinChaps by Ciana Stone Read Free Book Online

delivered.
    Halfway through the meal the door opened and in walked Roxie, Lola and Emily. Cliff had his back to the door and wouldn’t have known who’d entered except for the look on Sam’s face.
    Damn. The man was in love. Cliff wondered if Sam realized he’d fallen for Lola. He turned in his chair and suddenly it seemed the temperature in the café rose ten degrees.
    Roxie was wearing a pair of sweatshorts that hung low on her hips, a running top that stopped just short of her navel and sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her face scrubbed free of makeup, and still she looked like something out of a wet dream.
    Her eyes met his and Cliff knew. Something had changed. So far, she’d been holding her own in the bet, but the moments when she seemed to be having fun with it were not as frequent as he’d like. She was intensely determined to win. Intensely determined to leave Mesa Blanco.
    And if he was honest, the bet was more about keeping her there than the sex. Sure, he wanted her. Painfully. But the idea of her leaving brought another kind of pain, a kind he wasn’t familiar with and wasn’t sure he could handle.
    Her mouth lifted in a sexy smirk that had his blood racing. She sauntered over to a table with her friends and took a seat with her back to him. Cliff turned back around, watching Sam, whose face was split with a smile. No doubt for the lovely Lola.
    “Well, I better hit the road,” Cliff announced. “Got some things to take care of.”
    Sam nodded as Cliff stood. “Catch you later.”
    “Yeah, later.” Cliff went to the counter, paid for breakfast then headed for the door, making sure to pass by Roxie’s table. “Ladies,” he nodded and smiled.
    Emily and Lola wished him a good day. Roxie just sat there with that fox in the chicken coop smile on her face. Cliff returned the smile, but once outside blew out his breath. He’d lay money she had something cooking. He could almost see it in her eyes.
    But what?
    He shrugged off the question and headed for his truck. Sooner or later, the answer to that and hopefully many other questions would come to light. Until then, he was going to give some thought on how to up his odds in the bet.

Chapter Five
     
    Saturday nights usually pulled a full house at Chaps, but this Saturday the place was slammed. Standing room only. Roxie had been on her feet for three straight hours, waiting tables, and it was getting busier by the moment.
    She delivered a round of drinks to one table and stepped up to another, one occupied by four rodeo cowboys in town for the night on their way home. They’d been drinking steadily for two hours and with each drink, one of them got a bit louder and more obnoxious. She wondered if it wasn’t about time to cut him off, but figured she’d keep an eye on him and let Beckett know if he got out of hand.
    “Another round, boys?”
    “ Ain’t no boys here, sweet thang ,” the obnoxious one boasted loudly and made a grab for her hand.
    Roxie dodged his attempt and moved a step away. “Slow down there, cowboy. You know the rules. You can look but you can’t touch.”
    “Ta hell with that.” He stood and started for her. “ You been teasing me all night, baby, and damned if I’m in the waiting mood. Get your sweet ass over here and give Danny boy a taste.”
    “Not gonna happen,” she retorted, backing away.
    “Oh it’s gonna happen.”
    Roxie set her tray down on the table beside her, ignoring the curious looks and comments from the people seated there. She kept her eyes on the drunk, Danny.
    “You need to sit back down.”
    “Rather have you sit on my face.”
    She grimaced and reached for one of the empty beer bottles on the tray as Danny moved in on her. “You really need to step back,” she warned.
    He laughed and grabbed her arm. Just as he started to yank her close, she raised the bottle and swung. And met with empty air. Danny boy was being pulled back like an elastic band that had been stretched to