Debbi Rawlins - Texas Heat

Dory squinted into the sunlight and saw a woman riding toward them, her pale blond hair streaming behind her in the breeze. Her face flushed, the blonde reined in the beautiful brown-and-white horse, stopping the animal only several feet from where they stood. She leaped down and rushed to throw her arms around Clint.

His arms instantly came up to lift her in the air. “Why, Sara Lynn, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he said, grinning as he swept her in a circle before setting her back on the ground. “Every time I think you can’t possibly get any prettier, you go and prove me dead wrong.”

Laughing, she swatted his arm. “You always say that.”

“Only because it’s the God’s honest truth.”

The young woman groaned good-naturedly and smiled at Dory, curiosity sparkling in her blue eyes. “Hi, I’m Sara.”

“Dory Richards,” she said, extending her hand.

Sara accepted her offering, briefly wincing when Dory squeezed too hard.

Mentally kicking herself, Dory promptly released her. She tried not to look at Clint but caught the amused curve of his mouth out of the corner of her eye.

“When did you come home?” he asked Sara.

“Just yesterday. I couldn’t miss the Fourth of July shindig, now could I?” She looped an arm through his, her cheeks tinted a becoming pink and gazed up at him with undisguised adoration.

Feeling like a fifth wheel, Dory turned back to loading the trailer. The younger woman couldn’t be more than nineteen or twenty, but she clearly had a mile-wide crush on Clint. Probably just his type, too, a real girlie girl. Even after having been out riding, her makeup was perfect, her hair tousled to perfection by the breeze, and for heaven’s sake, her jeans still had a crease in them.

“Hey, Dory. Relax a minute.” Clint took the boards from her hands. “You’re going to get overheated.”

“I’ll make lemonade,” Sara offered. “Come on up to the house.”

He touched a finger to the brim of his Stetson and nudged it upward, and then pulled a bandanna from his back pocket and mopped his forehead. “Thanks anyway, but we don’t have time.”

“Grover and Lenny are in the north pasture. I could go get them to help.”

“Nah, we’ll be done in a half hour or so.” Clint’s gaze narrowed on Dory. “You sore yet?”

She snorted. “I’m not the one who needed a break.”

Grinning, he stuffed his bandanna back in his pocket. “Seriously, I don’t want you to push too hard and end up out of commission all weekend.”

“Oh, please.” Dory adjusted her gloves.

“Hey, I have a vested interest in returning you alive. Kate will hurt me if I don’t.”

“Ah, I see. Nothing altruistic about your motives.”

Sara’s dramatic sigh netted her the attention she wanted. “I wish I could help but I don’t think I’d be much use.” She daintily put out her hands and wiggled her fingers. “Not with these nails.” They were long, fake and pale pink, the tips sparkling with red, white and blue glitter.

Clint’s patronizing smile appeared unnoticed by Sara. She merely beamed when he picked up one of her hands and brought the back to his lips for a quick kiss.

“These hands are a work of art. Wouldn’t want to mess them up,” he said, winking at her, before pulling on his gloves.

Sara giggled. “You better save me the first dance tomorrow night,” she said, while backing toward her horse. “I mean it, Clint Manning. I call dibs and I have a witness.”

“Wouldn’t dream of dancing with anyone else first, Sara Lynn.” He’d already started back to work.

“What dance?” Dory asked, stooping beside him to pick up a load of lumber. She hated dances. Didn’t even know how to dance. In high school, proms had been her worst nightmare.

“What dance, she asks.” Shaking his head in mock disapproval, he slid a stack of boards onto the pile, and then gave her a cocky wink. “Looks like you’re in for an initiation this weekend.”

THANKS TO DORY’S HARD WORK, they finished quicker than Clint had anticipated, and then headed back to the Sugarloaf. Still, making the unexpected pickup had put him behind schedule, what with the booths to build and the tables and chairs to set up for the barbecue tomorrow night. And since people tended to show up early in the morning, it looked as if he and the boys would be working until well after sundown. He really hated to put the crew out like that because it didn’t seem right to work them so hard that they’d be too tuckered out to enjoy the festivities, but if they wanted to be ready in time, he didn’t have much choice.

As if she’d read his mind, Dory asked, “What’s next?”

“For you, I suggest a warm bath. Soak those muscles you used today.” He looked over at her dirt-streaked face, cheeks flushed from exertion, and caught her eye-roll. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she would be sore later. “You were a big help.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Build the game booths.”

“Today?”

“I guarantee you we’ll have three dozen kids show up bright and early tomorrow morning, all of them raring to go.”

“I knew the party started tomorrow but I assumed the afternoon barbecue kicked it off. How many people are you expecting?”

“Generally between one-seventy and two hundred.”

“Good grief.”

He chuckled. “It’s not so bad. They don’t show up all at once. Except maybe for the rodeo and fireworks on Sunday, which is the last night.”

“Is Kate in charge of providing all the food?”

“Yep, but don’t worry, you saw how well she delegates.” They both smiled at that, and then he added, “You okay with making another stop?”

“Sure. I don’t know that we’ll have room to pick up anything else, though.” She twisted around to glance out the rear window at the overloaded trailer.

The way her T-shirt stretched over her breasts caught Clint’s attention, and he drove right through a deep pothole. The truck bucked and pulled to the left. Reflexively, he threw out an arm to protect her from flying forward and came into contact with the soft round objects of his distraction. He quickly retreated but not before he momentarily lost control of the wheel.

“Look out.”

A large dead tree partially blocked the road. He sharply turned the wheel but it was too late. The left front tire dipped into a rut and struck something hard and immobile. He managed to pull the truck back onto the road but skidded slightly, and he knew the rear tire had met the same fate as the front one. While applying the brakes, his gaze shot to the rearview mirror. The trailer had survived, although it had come a foot away from jackknifing.

His eyes met hers. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “You?”

Grunting an affirmative, totally disgusted with himself, he threw the gearshift into Park.

“What happened?”

He jerked open the door, a string of curses springing to mind, but he bit them back as he climbed out.

“It feels like we lost the front tire,” she said, and scrambled out after him.

He’d consider himself lucky if it were the only one. He suspected the rear tire had taken a hit, too. Crouching down, he surveyed the damage. The front tire was already flat, and he quickly spotted the gash in the rubber that had caused the trouble.

“Damn.” Dory had come to stand beside him and stared at the ruined wheel. “I hate to tell you but the back tire is losing air, too. But it seems to be a slow leak so it could just be a small puncture.”

Clint really had to work at holding on to his temper. None of this was her fault. The blame was totally his, and she didn’t deserve the sarcasm simmering inside him. He pushed to his feet. “I hope you’re right so we don’t have to call the ranch for a tow. Everyone is busy enough.”