Wild Cowboy Nights Read online

  The locals had given her grief when she bought this place and announced it was going to be a cat café, though it was the kind of indulgent grief she was used to. Oh, that Jules Rodriguez—she’s so quirky. But when it came to the café, the proof was in the pudding, and over the course of any given week, most of them made some excuse or other to walk through the doors and cuddle one of the seven cats she kept here. It might be a little strange to some people, but this coffee shop made people happy, and that made Jules happy.

  What was so wrong with that?

  She delivered the banana nut to Mrs. Peterson and then started a new pot of coffee, her mind going back to the events of the night before as she went through the familiar motions.

  Kissing Adam Meyer had been… Well, it had been a questionable plan at best. She’d wanted to create a scandal, and once news of that kiss hit town, scandal was exactly what she’d get.

  She dumped the water into the machine, her body prickling with awareness she had no idea what to do with. The kiss had been pretend. She knew that rationally, but her hormones were having problems remembering it.

  Especially when he’d offered to keep the charade going.

  I can do this all night.

  The awareness grew stronger, sparking in places it had no business being. The man was just doing her a favor, and all she could think about was how good he smelled and how sexy it had been to feel his whiskers scraping against her skin? Her imagination was all too willing to offer up ideas about where else they would feel good if she’d given him all night.

  Stop it.

  She slammed the pot into its place with more force than necessary. There was no reason Adam would be interested in her as anything other than a charity case, which was reason enough to thank him again for taking one for the team and then move on with her life. She didn’t want charity from anyone.

  She needed to stop trying to prove to Grant that she wasn’t pathetic. She shouldn’t even care what he thought—what anyone thought. She wasn’t a pushover. Her life was great…minus her failed attempts in the romance department. Otherwise, she saw what she wanted, and she worked hard to get it. She’d be totally content working Cups and Kittens until she was old and gray, living in the apartment above it with Aubry, and sitting out on the balcony and waving her cane at the teenagers in the street…

  “Oh my God, I’m pathetic.”

  “Talking to yourself is a sure sign of insanity.” Aubry spoke from the corner table where she was doing something on her massive laptop—probably plotting world domination. Or gaming.

  She pushed the button to start the coffee brewing, breathing in the comforting smell and doing her best to get her crazy under control. “Wrong. There are studies showing that talking to yourself is a sign of intelligence.” Thank you, Facebook.

  “Touché.” Aubry glanced up and her eyes went wide. “Incoming.”

  Jules turned around in time to see Grant open the door to the shop. Her stomach took a nosedive. She spun back around, pretending she hadn’t seen him, and busied herself with the coffeepot to buy time. She’d bet her last dollar that he was here to call her out on faking Adam being her boyfriend. Grant had never been able to let stuff like that go.

  What had she seen in that guy again?

  Oh, right. Popular high school football player who had turned that golden charm on her sixteen-year-old self and made her feel like something really special.

  Until he crushed her under his shoe as he left her in the dust.

  “Hey, Jules.”

  She couldn’t keep pretending she didn’t see him when he was trying to engage her in conversation. Jules turned. “Grant. What a surprise.”

  He smirked. “There’s a bell over the door.”

  “I was talking about you showing up in the first place.” She shot a look at where Mrs. Peterson had Cujo in her lap and wasn’t even pretending not to eavesdrop. Jules gritted her teeth. “Can I help you with something?”

  “So this is your place.” He made a show of looking around. “It’s…quaint.”

  She followed his gaze, trying to see things through his point of view. The shop was decent sized, with plenty of room for half a dozen tables and the long counter that she stood behind, as well as three elaborate cat towers. The walls were a cheery blue, and there were suns painted onto the tabletops. It was a bright and happy place and damn him to hell for trying to make her embarrassed of it.

  Power through it. You can do this. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Oh, no, thanks. I’m heading to the Starbucks down the street.” He smiled his million-dollar smile. “I just came by to check the place out. And because I’d hoped you reconsidered that date.”

  Fury temporarily stole her words. First the Starbucks comment, and now this again? He didn’t get to just waltz back into town and pick her up like she was a forgotten toy. She clenched her hands, forcibly reminding herself that assaulting customers wasn’t a good way to bring in business. Plus, she was nice. Nice girls didn’t smash coffeepots over the heads of their ex-boyfriends.

  But even nice girls stood their ground. She lifted her chin. “As I think I made more than clear last night, I’m seeing someone.”

  “Somehow, I’m not so sure about that.” He tipped an imaginary hat and walked out the door, still grinning.

  She should have known pretending to date Adam would backfire. Now, not only was she quirky for staying in a small town and owning a cat café, but she was pathetic for pretending to date someone and it being clear to Grant and everyone else that there was no way Adam Meyers would really date her. Why would he? He was exciting and wild and hot. And she was Jules Rodriguez, local good girl and budding cat lady.

  “I hate that Grant makes me feel like this. Still.”

  Aubry opened her mouth, but whatever she was going to say was lost when she laughed. “Incoming two point oh.”

  “Did I do something to anger the fates? Because this is freaking ridiculous.”

  She braced herself for another go-round with Grant, but it wasn’t his outline darkening her doorstep.

  No, it was Adam’s.

  Her heart leaped into her throat, even as she told herself it was a completely unforgivable reaction. He’d done her a favor last night. End of story.

  But that didn’t stop her body from perking up and taking notice of every move he made. It wasn’t how he walked in and instantly took control of the room without even doing anything. He filled the doorway, and though he wasn’t as tall as Quinn, there was nothing small or short about Adam. I wonder…

  Nope. Knock that right off.

  She was nearly 100 percent sure he wasn’t wearing the same jeans from last night, because these hugged his thighs, showcasing the muscles that flexed with each step, leading up to… Oh, my. She sent a silent little thank-you to whoever designed the jeans, because they were so fitted, it was pretty darn clear that he was perfectly in proportion everywhere.

  She jerked her gaze to his face, but that didn’t help at all, because all she could see was the square jaw, his dark eyes, and his mouth. The very same mouth she’d been kissing less than twenty-four hours ago.

  Jules licked her lips. If she concentrated, she could almost taste him there.

  She watched Adam carefully pick his way across the coffee shop, doing his best not to trip over Khan and Loki and Ninja Kitteh as they came to investigate the new customer. The three cats refused to take a hint, though. They rubbed on his legs, purring up a storm and making it generally impossible to take a step without trampling one of them. She bit her lip to keep from laughing at the exasperated look on his face.

  He finally took a massive step over them and strode to the counter before they could catch up. “Hey, Jules.”

  “Hi.” Did her voice sound breathy? She was pretty sure it sounded breathy. She knew Adam more by reputation than anything else, but he didn�
��t seem so bad the few times they’d encountered each other. “Can I get you something?”

  “Coffee would be great. Black, please.” He frowned when Khan leaped onto the counter and put his front paws on Adam’s chest, demanding to be adored. “A cat café, huh?”

  The embarrassment she’d almost cured herself of after Grant left came back double-time. She focused on pouring him a cup of coffee. “What is so wrong about owning my own business? It’s something a lot of people aspire to, and the fact that mine just happens to be a little quirky doesn’t make it less of an accomplishment.” She turned around to find that damned eyebrow raised again. “What?”

  “Well, hell, sugar, I wasn’t criticizing.” He looked around, still petting Khan. “It’s a neat idea.”

  “Oh.” She passed over the mug, feeling stupid. “Sorry. Everyone keeps hinting at Grant and me getting back together, and then Grant himself stopped by, and I guess I’m just riled up.”

  His mouth tightened. “That guy’s an asshole. And everyone else is, too, if they expect you to fall all over him again. You deserve better, Jules.”

  She blinked. What was she supposed to say to that? “Er…thank you.” Lame. She shook her head when he reached for his wallet. “It’s on the house. For last night.”

  “Anytime.” He leaned against the counter, which was too freaking close to hip height for her peace of mind, and lowered his voice. “And I do mean anytime.”

  There was no mistaking the invitation in his voice. Her stomach fluttered and her inner devil’s advocate kicked into high gear.

  It wasn’t so bad pretending to be his girlfriend. You could do it again.

  She told that little voice to shut up, but it wasn’t listening.

  Maybe this is exactly what you need to shake up the town’s perception of you.

  That got her attention.

  What she really wanted—more than shutting down Grant—was a chance to prove that she hadn’t been put on the shelf when he left her behind. She wasn’t the early-spinster cat lady they all suspected, darn it. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone by continuing this. Pretending to date Adam last night was all well and good, but it didn’t hold up to the light of day—not unless they made it hold up. She drummed her fingers on the counter, watching him drink his coffee and eyeball the cat. If they kept it up for a week or two…it might work.

  There’s also the added benefit of more kissing.

  “Adam…” She glanced over, and realized Mrs. Peterson was staring at them, once again not even trying to pretend she wasn’t eavesdropping. Crap. “Aubry, can you watch the counter for a few?”

  “Sure.”

  She gave Adam a bright smile. “Can I talk to you privately? You can bring Khan.”

  He scooped up the orange tom with one hand and his coffee with the other. “You named a cat after a Star Trek villain.”

  “Guilty.” She opened the door to the back. “The others are Cujo, Loki, Rick, Dog, Ninja Kitteh, and Mr. Winkles.”

  He laughed. “That’s a whole lot of pop culture wrapped up into tiny bundles.”

  “Hey, the names fit.”

  “I bet they do.”

  She stopped in the kitchen and made an effort not to wring her hands. The worst he can say is no. “So, uh, thanks again for doing me that favor last night.”

  He paced around the kitchen, seeming to take in everything as he stroked Khan’s back. “It was really no problem. Kissing beautiful women isn’t exactly a hardship.”

  He thinks I’m… She rushed on, refusing to dwell on that. He had to say something nice. He was Daniel’s friend, after all. “So, it goes like this—Grant is a giant asshole.”

  “Agreed.” He made another circuit around the kitchen, pausing to poke at the cat-shaped cookie cutters she had out on the counter for the batch of sugar cookies she was baking later.

  So far, so good. “When he dumped me and left town, he basically said the reason we couldn’t be together was that he wanted to be with someone more exciting—someone who wanted more out of life than to live and die in a small town.”

  He turned to face her, his jaw tight. “Calling him an asshole might be too kind.”

  “He’s hardly the only one who’s ever said that to me, but that’s beside the point. Everyone in this town thinks I’m destined to be a spinster. I’m not. At least, I hope I’m not. But I have no way to prove it, and I’m sick of them thinking my sole purpose in life should be to win Grant back. So, here’s the thing.” Time for the pitch. “If your offer still stands, I’d really, really like it if you’d keep pretending to be my boyfriend—and really give Devil’s Falls something to talk about.”

  Adam blinked. “I’m sorry, what? I think I misheard you over the sound of this fellow’s purring. I thought you just said that you want to use me to stir up the gossip mill in town.”

  That was the part he’d decide to focus on? “You did.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

  “I don’t know. You’re Adam Meyer—bull rider and Devil’s Falls legend. You have excitement in your blood.”

  He stared at her, still for the first time since they walked back to the kitchen.

  She sighed. “You’re right. It’s a dumb idea. I have a ton of them. It’s a sickness.”

  “Wait, wait.” He set the cat down and took a drink of his coffee. “You know if I’m going to be your boyfriend, we can’t do it halfway.”

  Now she was sure she’d heard him wrong. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “This is Devil’s Falls. The only thing the people here love more than ranching is good gossip, which can work against you as easily as you want it to work for you. If even one person thinks we aren’t serious, it’ll be impossible to convince them you shouldn’t crawl back to golden-boy Grant.”

  She was almost afraid to hope she was hearing him right. “You…you’ll do it?” But then her brain caught up to everything he’d said. “Wait, what do you mean?”

  His grin made her stomach leap. “We’ll give them something to talk about. Something to show them you’re 100 percent over that jackass.”

  That was what she wanted. It was just daunting when her mind was all too eager to offer up exactly what they could do to get the town talking and defuse the whole Jules-and-Grant fantasy. It would have to be pretty scandalous. She picked up Khan, holding him to her chest like a furry shield, though she couldn’t say what she wanted protection from. “You’re really agreeing to this?”

  “Hell, sugar, I could never turn down a woman in need, and you fit the bill.”

  She could barely believe it. Crazy schemes were her and Aubry’s thing, but maybe they were Adam’s, too. “Thank you. Oh God, thank you so much. I owe you…” She looked around for inspiration. “Free coffee for life?”

  He laughed. “I wouldn’t say no to free coffee for the duration of my time here.” He lifted his mug. “This is amazing.”

  “Thanks.” She frowned. It seemed crass to ask him straight out how his mom was doing, especially since he hadn’t offered up any information to begin with. “How long are you back for?”

  “Not sure yet.” A shadow passed over his face, but his expression was so closed down, she didn’t dare risk pissing him off by pushing for more information. It must’ve been worse than Jules thought.

  She almost backed out right then, because if Adam was dealing with his mom being really sick, wasn’t playing along with her scheme the last thing he needed? She hesitated. It’s not up to me to decide what he needs. He’s offering me something I need right now, and this is the best opportunity I’m going to get—the only opportunity. Jules stuck out her hand. “Deal?”

  Adam set his coffee cup down and took her hand. “Deal.”

  Chapter Four

  “A date? You’ve been back in town for two whole days. How in God’s name did you manage to sweet-tal
k some local girl into letting you take her out?”

  Adam opened the pillbox and carefully took out the half a dozen pills in varying sizes and colors and set them on the counter. “You know me, Mama. I work fast.”

  His mom laughed, the chuckle a whole lot weaker than her usual boisterous sound. Everything about her was weaker now. The cancer that she’d hidden for far too long had eaten away at her body, leaving her a shell of the woman he’d grown up with.

  Regret bit him, hard and fast. The only reason he knew that she had cancer at all was because her lady friend, Lenora, had called him. He was still pissed the fuck off that he had to hear about it from the woman she was dating rather than his mama herself. Pissed off, but not surprised. He should have been here, making sure she was taking care of herself. He knew damn well that his mama would work herself to the bone to make everyone else around her happy. Combined with her general distrust of doctors, it was a recipe for disaster. If he’d been here, he would have known that something was wrong and insisted she go in and get checked out.

  “Oh, dear. I know that look.” She patted his arm. “Stop it. There’s nothing you could have done.”

  “Mama—”

  “Tell me about this girl. Is she anyone I know?”

  Just like that, the discussion was over before it began. They’d have to talk about it at some point, but he wasn’t willing to fight with her—not while she looked like a stiff wind might topple her over. “Jules Rodriguez.”

  “Danny’s little cousin?” Her eyes lit up. “She’s got that wonderful coffee shop with all the cats. I go in there once a week with Lenora. That Loki is a darling.” She accepted the tall glass of water he’d filled for her, some censure creeping into her dark eyes. “She’s a nice girl, Adam.”

  “I know.” He braced himself for what would come next.

  Sure enough, his mama said, “If I thought for a second you were going to hold still long enough to put down roots, I’d keep my thoughts to myself, but you’re as footloose and fancy-free as that father of yours.”