Chapter 8: Chapter Eight

“Son of a Bitch,” Buck swore, leaping out of the way.

Sara’s heart was in her throat as the car whizzed so close past them that it clipped the rearview mirror on the truck. For a long second she just tried to breathe. Buck ran back to the side of the truck and quickly got it off the jack.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Sara climbed inside, but in her mind, she kept seeing the car coming. Right before her eyes, Buck could have been killed. She couldn’t even imagine her life without him. She shivered trying to rid herself of the thought.

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

“Anytime,” she muttered.

“Look at all the mud, damn it.”

She let her breath out and adjusted her seat belt. “We should’ve taken my truck. It wouldn’t have mattered.”

Buck glanced at her. “Yours? We might’ve gotten killed in that heap.”

Thankful he was still around to banter with, Sara stuck her tongue out. “At least I got four good tires.”

****

By the time they’d checked into the hotel, picked up the show information and unpacked, Buck was more than ready for a drink and dinner.

Standing at the bar, he looked around to see if they knew anyone else yet. “I heard that guy from Oklahoma was coming. What was his place called again?”

Sara shook her head. “I don’t remember—Circle something or other, maybe it was the Rocking something?” She shrugged and picked up her beer as soon as the bartender delivered them.

Buck took a long drink when two hands suddenly slid around his waist and settled on his belt buckle. He frowned and glanced at Sara wondering what to do. The person pressed up against his back—undoubtedly a female. Her perfume was musky and incredibly potent. What the hell was going on?

“Hmm, I wonder if what’s behind that buckle is half as big,” a low, familiar voice purred in his ear.

Buck grinned and dropped his gaze to the hands at his waist. The long slender fingers spread wide and red nails walked down his thigh.

“Ohh, I bet you give a girl a good, hard ride don’t you, cowboy?”

Buck grabbed the hands that were about to get even more familiar with him and pulled the woman around in front. “Charli Boyd. Someday...”

The long-legged redhead’s bright blue eyes danced with mischief and she leaned forward towards his mouth, pausing at the last second.

“Promises, promises, Weston. You’re all talk.” She kissed him soundly before turning to hug Sara. “Daddy didn’t tell me you guys were coming. Where’s Cord?”

“Did you come down here looking for him?” Buck signaled the bartender. “Jack straight up,” he ordered for their friend.

“Well, not exactly, but I figured if he was here and I was here...” She winked at Buck. “Well you know.”

“You’d give him a heart attack and you know it.” Buck laughed.

Charli shoved a mass of deep russet curls over her shoulder. “You underestimate your big brother. I like the quiet type. You know what they say about deep waters and all...”

“You scare the crap out of Cord.”

Charli winked at Sara before turning back to him. “I don’t scare you though, do I, big guy? What do you say, is this the week you finally give in and show me what you got under that buckle?”

Buck hated that his face flushed, hated it more that Charli noticed and laughed.

She picked up her shot of whiskey and held it up. “What are we drinking to?”

Sara lifted her beer glass. “To old friends and good times.”

Charli nodded and draped her arm around Sara’s shoulder. “And don’t forget hot cowboys.” She let her gaze drift up and down Buck.

He shook his head in amusement. He’d known Charli since they were kids. She’d been a wild child from the time she was born and hadn’t changed as she grew up. If Charli was around, there was a party. Last Buck heard, she had been in France studying culinary arts and more than likely a lot more than that. Charli’s romantic conquests were legendary. It didn’t matter if they were cowboys or the prince of some small kingdom, they all fell for the long-legged vixen.

Charli swayed to the beat of the music as the song changed from a slow ballad to a faster pace. “Come on you two, dance with me,” she demanded.

Sara frowned. “The three of us?”

Charli grinned. Mentally Buck counted the three beats before her smart mouth retort.

“I like my threesomes to be much more private than that, honey.”

Buck could not be held responsible for the image that flashed into his mind as the two women laughed. He shook his head. Nope he better not go there or the buckle Charli was so obsessed with was going to pop clear off.

“I’ll grab a partner and meet you on the floor.”

True to her word, within a split second, she had some guy snared in her web. The cowboy looked like he’d just won the lotto. Buck wasn’t sure if Sara would dance with him or not after the way she’d been last week at the LoneStar. Thankfully, she gave a shrug and headed to the floor.

“Charli never changes.” She laughed as they watched her hips gyrate and her arms twist over her head.

“Her father’s got the grey hair to prove it,” Buck agreed.

Her laughter drifted across the floor to them.

“I’d love to watch her twist Cord around that finger of hers, wouldn’t you?”

Buck couldn’t even picture his brother with Charli. “I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”

“No, you’re probably right,” she mumbled.

Sara shifted and then stared into his eyes. The expression on her face was unfathomable.

“What?”

“I can’t get that thing with the truck today out of my mind. Another second and you would have been road pizza.”

Buck shrugged. “He wasn’t even close.”

Sara nodded. “Yeah, he was. And the one thing I kept thinking about was how bad I’d feel.”

Buck quirked a brow. “Yeah? I thought you were still mad at me.”

Sara shook her head. “I’m not. I mean I was, with all the bitching you’ve been doing about the decision I have to make and all. But honestly, if you were killed...”

Buck pulled her into a hug. “I know.” After a few minutes, he held her back out again. “I think this week you should just hang out here, have some laughs, drinks and a good time—put that decision on hold. When we get home, you have that appointment with the other attorney and you can deal with it then. Agreed?”

Suddenly a sharp pinch on his rear-end made him jerk around.

“Hey!” he complained.

Charli laughed with delight. “You love it and you know it.” She winked at Sara. “I’m so glad you guys are here, now the party can really begin!”

Then she was gone, her laughter ringing in his ears.

Sara shook her head again with a chuckle. “I don’t think there’s any choice but to have a good time when she’s here do you?”

Buck shook his head. “They don’t call her ‘Good Time Charli’ for nothing.”

****

The Houston Livestock Show was legendary for some of the best stock in the country, and Sara couldn’t help but be drawn into the excitement of it all. She was a little unsure at first—she’d never been in the role of ‘owner’ of the Double B before. Her father had always held that title. But all in all, she was pretty pleased at the end of the day how she’d held her own alongside the others.

“What did you think today?” she asked as they reached their room after dinner.

“Great!” Buck tossed his hat on the table.

Sara grinned. She pulled off her boots and yanked her shirt out of her jeans. “I’m going to get a shower before the concert.”

“Want a drink?” Buck asked, moving to the small bar.

“When I come out.”

She headed into her room. They had tickets to the Toby Keith concert and Charli had already hinted that there was a chance to get backstage. Sara didn’t even want to ask how she’d arranged that! What a character—to have half the confidence that lady did with men...

It was weird, but for some reason watching Charli touch Buck and tease him, flirt unmercifully with him used to be funny. Now she almost wanted to ask the redhead to back off. Even though she knew Buck wasn’t at all interested and never had been in their fun loving friend, it was hard to watch her touch him.

Sara turned the shower on and stepped inside. The week was going great so far. She and Buck were seeing all that they should see. They’d made some huge connections with some really good bloodlines she’d wanted to look into for a while now. The folks from the King Ranch had gone to dinner with them one night. They talked about the issues they’d been having with some of their bloodlines and Sara felt like she’d made solid points. She’d definitely made a good connection with one of their main foreman.

If there was any dark cloud hanging over the week, it was the fact that everyone asked her where Cord was and if she had to check with him. It was only natural, usually it was Cord and her father calling the shots. Most times, once she’d assured them that she’d get Cord’s input as well, they’d been more than happy to continue talking with her. But it was still frustrating—a few times she’d wanted to walk away from the stodgy old ranchers, but she’d held her temper and kept things professional.

As the shower relaxed the tension from her shoulders, she let the frustrations drift from her mind. Tonight was going to be a blast.

After wrapping herself in a thick white robe, her long hair up in a towel, she padded back to the bedroom.

The outfit she’d picked to wear to the concert was a bit out of character for her, but she had to admit, Susan was right, it did look nice. The jeans were the new low rise variety as opposed to her usual work-style ones and her blouse was made of a silky material that felt as light as air against her skin. The soft bronze color picked up the same highlights in her hair and the simple gold chain she wore around her neck was all the jewelry she needed. Instead of her usual ponytail, she used a blow dryer until her hair was loose and flowing down her back like a dark curtain.

She slipped on a pair of slinky sandals, the same color as the blouse and stood back to look at the effect in the mirror—she almost didn’t recognize herself!

Before she changed her mind, she grabbed her purse and walked out to the sitting room.

The look on Buck’s face didn’t make her any less self-conscious, that’s for sure.

“Too girly?” she grimaced.

His gaze zeroed in on her exposed cleavage and she slammed her hands on her hips.

He met her eyes. “You look great. Honest.”

She lifted one foot and wiggled her toes in the sandal. “These feel weird, but Susan insisted they go with the top.”

He walked across the room and handed her a beer. “It’s nice to see you in something different.” He leaned towards her and inhaled. “You smell good too.”

Did he think she dressed up for him? Sara took a long drink and watched as he finished his and set the bottle on the counter. He picked up the various papers that were lying around the room and stacked them neatly on the table. Why the sudden tension in the air? They were never like this before. It was his fault with that dumb bet. He’d made their friendship awkward at times like this and what was all the staring at her chest for? He’d never done that before either.

She peeked down...of course, I’d never exposed quite so much before either.

Yanking the material upward, she tried to cover more but it simply wasn’t cut that way. She glanced down again, nothing much to do except wear it or change. She took another drink and set her beer down. “Ready when you are.”

****

The concert was held in a large arena only a short cab ride away. After the show, as the crowd poured out of the building, Buck laughed at something Charli said and then glanced at Sara as she flipped over the CD he’d just bought her. With her face flushed red and eyes sparkling, his heart lifted at the sight of her having so much fun. Hell, they’d both had a good time. Toby Keith was a hell of a performer and his concerts were always a big party.

“Wait here just for a minute,” Charli ordered, then disappeared around the side of the building.

“What’s she up to?” Buck glanced at Sara unable to keep his eyes off the shadowy valley between her breasts.

She lifted a shoulder. “Who knows with her, but she hinted earlier about the possibility of some backstage passes, an after the show party invite or something.”

“You’re kidding? How’s she going to manage that?” He shook his head. “You know, I probably don’t want to know.”

Sara laughed. “I didn’t ask.”

Ten minutes later, Charli came racing back from behind the building. “Okay, I got good news and bad news. I can get back there but I can only bring one more person.”

Sara would love that! To meet Toby Keith in person would be the highlight of her night. “You two go then. I’ll catch up with you back at the hotel.”

Without preamble, Charli grinned and grabbed Sara’s arm. “Okay, but don’t wait up.” She winked. “I think we’re going on to the party afterwards too.”

Sara’s eyes grew wide and then she laughed.

Buck backed away to get a cab. “That’s settled then, it’s ladies' night. You two have a good time, but stay together.” He pointed his finger at Charli. “And you behave yourself.”

Sara tipped her head. “And I don’t have to?”

Buck stopped in his tracks. She was so beautiful, excited and yet a little nervous too by the way she glanced at Charli. “No tequila,” he warned and winked.

“We’re not promising anything.” Charli led Sara away. “Don’t wait up, cowboy!”

Hours later, Sara’s side hurt from laughing so hard. “Oh my God, that was amazing!” Her head was a little dizzy from the drinks they’d shared with the band and others on the tour bus.

“Did you ever, in your wildest dreams, think you’d be sitting there singing along like that?” she asked Charli.

Her exuberant friend grinned. “You were the hit of the party. I never knew you had that singing voice.”

Sara shrugged. “My mother could sing. All of us got a little bit of it from her.”

Charli hailed them a cab. The clock on the corner as they passed read just past one in the morning. “Wow! We were there over three hours.”

Next to her in the backseat, Charli shook her hair, not looking one bit tired. “Where to next?”

Sara shrugged. “I don’t care, but one more and then I’m turning in.”

“I’d turn in too if I had who you do waiting back in my room.”

The cab pulled up to a stop in front of the hotel, they paid the driver and climbed out.

“Buck’s not waiting for me, at least not like that.” Sara nodded her thanks to the doorman who held open the large glass door to the lobby.

The hotel still bustled with activity as she followed her friend into the bar off the main lobby. The stools were full, so they grabbed a table and ordered their drinks from a waitress.

“I don’t understand you. The two of you have been joined at the hip since you were kids. If it were me, I’d be enjoying a friendship with a whole lot of benefits. I mean, how do you live with those Weston brothers without jumping one of their bones?”

Sara sat back, her head a bit fuzzy but nowhere near drunk. The Will situation had been easily pushed aside this week as she focused on having a good time and getting all she could out of the Livestock show. The incident with Buck behind the barn had also been set aside. Maybe it was the drinks mellowing her, but looking at her friend, she felt as if she could tell her all that had happened. Maybe the other woman would be able to offer some advice.

She waited for the waitress to set their drinks down and leave. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you what my father did.” Sara picked at the beer label with her fingernail. When she looked up, Charli eyed her suspiciously. She couldn’t blame her. Charli might’ve shared some heart to hearts with her sisters but the two of them had never been close confidants. “He didn’t leave the ranch to me,” she finally volunteered.

Charli leaned forward. “What?”

Sara was glad she’d started. Charli looked concerned, her eyes sharp and clear and not at all as if she’d been doing shots with a drummer less than an hour ago.

“When the Will was finalized, it turns out that my father left controlling interest of my half of the Double B to Cord.”

The redhead swore a word that Sara completely agreed with before calming down.

“There has to be more to it than that. Your father adored you, he wouldn’t have done that.”

Sara nodded and spilled the whole story out, even the conversation with Cord about their original plans for this week in Houston. “So, when he had the accident, it sort of changed things. Now I’m not sure what the plan is. I guess when I get home I’ll have to make some type of decision.”

“What’s Buck’s take on all this?”

Sara frowned. “Buck? He doesn’t have anything to do with this. He could care less that he doesn’t have controlling interest and doesn’t think it’s any big deal that I don’t.” She let out a frustrated breath, lifted the hair off her neck and shook her head. “He doesn’t get it about the land.”

“Well, I get it. I mean I’m not sure if I feel like you do or Cord does, but I do have the same type of connection. It’s different with me though, I’m an only kid. If Daddy doesn’t leave the place to me, who’s he going to leave it to?” She laughed then sobered. “But what I meant about Buck was, what’s he going to do if you marry his brother? How’s he going to deal with that?”

Sara shrugged. “He doesn’t care. I told you, we’re just friends.” She dipped her chin, knowing Charli would see way too much if she looked in her eyes. “Mostly just friends. I mean, we were until...”

The waitress walked over and Charli ordered them each a shot.

“You might as well tell me the ‘until’ part ‘cause we’re not leaving until you get it all out.”

Sara did, the whole thing—the night at the LoneStar, the dance, the way he was acting weird, the stupid bet and then the kiss.

“That’s all of it.” She flopped back in her chair. “He did a stupid thing cause he was drunk or...whatever...and now it’s all weird. Every time he looks at me I wonder if he’s thinking about that, and every time our arms brush I get these tingles up my spine and part of me wants to run away and part of me wants to grab him and kiss him again.”

Charli lifted her shot and Sara reluctantly tossed hers back as well, even though she wasn’t a huge fan of whiskey.

“Well kiddo, this is my opinion—and remember, I know a whole lot more about men and how they work than you do. First, Buck wants more than friendship.” She shook her head when Sara started to argue. “Nope, listen to me first, see if it doesn’t make sense. Buck wants more than friendship. I can see it when he looks at you and you don’t know. It’s on his face. That man wants you bad, and I don’t think it’s something new. I think it’s been going on for a while, maybe building slowly. But remember, basically, men are scared little boys. He isn’t about to put himself all out there and risk rejection, so he came up with the stupid bet idea. Maybe not his brightest move but it did prove one thing.”

“That he’s a moron?”

“No, that you want him as much as he wants you.”

Sara opened her mouth to voice a denial but couldn’t. Ever since that kiss, she hadn’t been able to think of much else. That’s why everything was uncomfortable, because part of her wanted desperately for it to happen again—and part of her was terrified it would.

Charli tipped up her beer and grinned. “It was good wasn’t it?”

Sara nodded.

Charli wiggled her eyebrows and leaned forward. “So, the problem now is what? That you’re afraid to tell him you liked it and want to do it again...and then some?”

Sara went back to picking at the label of her beer bottle. “Have you forgotten what I just told you? About my father and the Will?”

Charli frowned. “What does that have to do with you and Buck getting it on?”

“You think I can even consider that with Buck when I’m seriously considering marrying Cord?”

The waitress stopped at their table with two more shots and two more beers. “Ladies, the gentlemen at the bar sent these over.”

Sara glanced to where the woman indicated. Two handsome men smiled. She ignored them and turned back to where her friend was writing something on a napkin. “What are you doing?”

Charli finished and handed the napkin to the waitress. “Don’t worry, I took care of it.”

Sara looked at the two drinks on the table. “What do we do with these? Drink them or send them back.”

Charli laughed and tipped up the shot. “You never turn down a free drink.”

Sara pushed hers away. “You do when there’s something attached to it.”

Charli pushed the beer back to her. “Let me handle them, you just tell me why you think the problem with the Will and this thing with you and Buck is the same problem.”

Sara’s head was already fuzzy. Ignoring the shot, she sat back and shut her eyes. The conversation with Charli wasn’t going anywhere. All she’d wanted was the other woman’s take on the Will situation and somehow it had all come back to her and Buck.

“You know what I think?”

Sara opened her eyes, looked at Charli and then to where the two men had been. They were gone. What did Charli write on that note?

“I think you keep dating Cole so that it keeps Buck in that friendship role.”

“What does Cole have to do with this? And I’m not dating him.”

“Have you slept with him?”

“Cole?” Sara shrugged. “Not exactly.”

Charli tipped her head. “How do you not exactly sleep with someone?” She shifted forward. “Have you ever slept with anyone?” she whispered, her eyes wide with surprise.

Sara’s face flamed. “Look Charli, I’m not you. I don’t have a lot of opportunities for all that.”

“I’m not talking about opportunities. Obviously, you’re not going to mess around with the men who work for you or whatever, but what about Cole? You two’ve been hanging out for a while and you’re telling me you never rolled around in the hay with that cute neighbor of yours?”

Sara squirmed in her seat. “We’ve fooled around, but I never felt the driving need to keep going, if you know what I mean. I figure if it doesn’t matter to me one way or the other, why do it just to do it.”

Charli stared. “Okay, I hear you. So, now back to Buck. That night of the kiss, did you feel something then?”

Sara blew out a breath and gave a reluctant nod. “Yeah, I never felt anything like that.”

Charli clasped her hands and rubbed them together. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So, you need to follow up on that. You need to do it with Buck and see where the relationship goes after that.”

“You’re not listening to me. I may have to marry his brother. I can’t do that to Buck—or to Cord.”

Charli lifted her drink. “You can’t not do it. If you don’t explore this thing with Buck, find out what’s behind it, you’re going to wonder the rest of your life about it. You’ll be married to Cord and wondering what it would have been like to do his brother. You need to at least take that question out of your decision.”

Sara sipped her beer in thought, then set it down again. “You’re saying I need to sleep with Buck so that if I marry Cord, I’ll know what it was like?”

Charli put her hand over Sara’s on the table. “If you and Buck have something, don’t you think you owe it to yourself and him to at least explore this and find out—after all these years of friendship? You can’t marry his brother and leave that on the table. You just can’t.”

“Okay. But, what if it’s fantastic? What then?” Overheated by their conversation, Sara lifted her hair off her neck and leaned back.

“Then you need to figure out which means more to you, that hunk of a cowboy upstairs or a piece of land.”

Sara chewed her bottom lip. There’s no way it could be as simple as Charli was making it seem. There were all sorts of repercussions involved. “What if it’s bad? What if it’s awkward?”

Charli laughed. “Then your choice just became a whole lot easier. You can marry Cord knowing that what you and Buck always had was friendship and nothing more.”

“I don’t know, Charli. I don’t think I can.”

“Sara, listen to me.” The redhead looked serious, all laughter out of her eyes. “I know what you’re feeling about the ranch and the Will, trust me I do. If you decide to marry Cord, I would understand exactly why you did it. Women have been doing whatever it takes to hang onto what’s theirs for centuries. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit by and not at least try to convince you to have some fun first.” She grabbed Sara’s hand. “Sara, you owe it to yourself to have some wild nights of toe curling, headboard banging, all night sex. The kind that you can’t get quite enough of—”

Sara put her hand up. “I got it. I got it.”

“All I’m saying is that you aren’t the type to pick up a guy and have a one-night stand, and you don’t need to. You got the perfect man who only needs you to say the word and he’d be happy to oblige. You can trust him.”

“Yeah? And what happens after?”

Charli picked up the shot and looked her in the eye. “That’s not something to think about tonight.”

Sara tried to picture what would happen if she said half the things to Buck that Charli had just talked about—no good, she couldn’t do it. “There’s only one problem with that little scenario...”

The waitress interrupted to set two more bottles of beer in front of them. “These are from the gentleman at the far table,” she said with a grin.

Charli glanced over and Sara turned her head to two more men who lifted their beers in acknowledgment. Once again, Charli wrote a note on the napkin, handed it to the waitress and sent her away.

“What do you keep writing?”

Charli smiled and shrugged. “Just a thank you note, that’s all. What were you saying about my idea?”

“I can’t tell him.”

“Tell Buck?”

Sara nodded.

Charli laughed. “You don’t have to say one word, my friend. All you have to do is let him know you’re interested in exploring the options and, trust me, he’ll take it from there.”

Sara dropped her chin in her hand. “I can’t. Hell, I don’t know the first thing about seducing a guy. I’m not you, I don’t know how to get men to do whatever I want them to do just by looking at them. Besides, it’s too weird. I mean, I can’t walk up to him and say, ‘Hey, Charli thinks we should do it so what do you say?’”

Charli lifted her beer and took a long drink. “You know how when you’ve had a few too many, you sort of lose touch with reality, you get looser?”

Sara nodded. “Yeah, so? You think I should get drunk and jump him?”

Charli shook her head. “No. I think you should let him think you’ve had more to drink than you have. Let him think your inhibitions have gone away and that’s why you’re coming on to him.”

Sara waved a dismissive hand in front of her. “That won’t work. Buck would never take advantage of me if I was drunk, he wouldn’t feel right.”

“That’s true. He’s got those gentleman values. You’ll just have to get past that.”

“Get past that? How am I supposed get past that.”

Charli rested her chin on her hands. “Use what God gave you, honey. There’s not a man alive who won’t cave eventually no matter what his values.”

Sara’s head spun with images. She couldn’t do that. She couldn’t go up and basically attack her best friend, seduce him and then make love with him. Her stomach dipped and her breasts tingled just thinking about it. If the kiss they’d shared was any indication, she had no doubt it would be amazing, better than amazing. But was it right? Wasn’t she half considering marrying his brother?

“Stop thinking about Cord.” Charli snapped as if she’d read her mind. “This has nothing to do with that. You’ll cross that bridge when you come to it. Tonight is all about you and Buck and seeing where that leads.”

Excitement coursed through her and she sat up straighter. Charli was right. Most women had numerous sexual partners before they got married. Surely, she owed it to herself to at least have one good night of fun before she made the biggest decision of her life. And if she was finally going to do it, who better than her best friend—especially when that particular best friend had been invading every one of her dreams ever since the kiss. A sudden image of herself naked and pressed up against Buck, legs entwined and his large hands touching her made her pulse race.

Charli pushed the untouched shot of whiskey in her direction. “For courage.”

Sara made a face but picked it up. Maybe having Buck think she’d drank so much her inhibitions were all gone wouldn’t be so hard if she had another shot.

By the time she’d reached the floor of their hotel suite, she wasn’t sure all the whiskey in Texas could give her enough courage to seduce her buddy.