Debbi Rawlins - By The Sheikh's Command

She spun around with her hand to her throat. “Good grief, Chuck, you scared the living daylights out of me.”

“Sorry, darlin’, I sure didn’t mean to do that.” He gave her one of his big cocky grins and slid an arm around her shoulders. “But don’t you worry none. Not when you’ve got big strong Chuckie here to protect you.”

Yeah, but who’d protect her from him? She ducked away, pretending to inspect the new English saddle Cord had bought her last month. “I can take care of myself. I just don’t like anyone sneaking up on me.”

He laughed. “Now, darlin’, I didn’t do any sneaking. As a matter of fact, I do believe I was here first. Even thought you might have come out here to see me.”

Bri gave him a bland look but then laughed at the wounded look on his face. Of course it was an act, but he had the hangdog expression down so well. “You might as well make yourself useful. Help me count these snaffle bits.”

“What for?”

“It’s inventory time.”

Chuck frowned. “No kiddin’. You guys keep track of that kind of stuff?”

“Of course. This is a business.”

“Wow! Pretty and smart, too.” He slid an arm around her waist and urged her toward him.

Bri gave him a none-too-gentle shove. He wasn’t usually so touchy, even though she’d heard rumors about his womanizing from Jessica Grayson and Hannah Coleman. If he thought he could take liberties because Cord was away, he had another thing coming.

“I can handle the inventory,” she said with a warning look. “Why don’t you go back to doing whatever it was you were doing.”

“Hell, I’m sorry, Brianna. I didn’t mean nothin’.” His blues eyes sparkling, he gave her that boyish grin again. It did make him look awfully cute. “Don’t hold my friendly country ways against me.”

Trying not to smile, she raised her eyebrows. “I heard you were from Dallas.”

“True enough. But when my daddy left me and my mama, we moved up to the Panhandle to be near my grandparents. Ever been up there, darlin’?”

Bri’s heart squeezed as she shook her head. She knew more than she cared to about being abandoned.

“Don’t guess you would’ve had reason to visit that part of the state. Ain’t nothin’ there.” He winked. “Especially since I’ve left.”

She laughed. “You are something, that’s for sure. Now, would you leave me alone so I can finish my work?”

His expression got serious suddenly. “Are you going to be leavin’ the Flying Ace anytime soon?”

“Why would you say that?” she asked, knowing full well the reason.

“Me and the boys were talkin’ and…” He shrugged. “I guess now that the boss is married, we figured you might not want to stick around.”

“This is my home, too.” She turned away and picked up the clipboard so he couldn’t see how much the idea of leaving frightened her.

“I know that, darlin’, it’s just, I dunno—”

“Don’t call me darlin’.” Her hands shook, but she tried to hold the pen steady as she made a notation about the condition of the work saddles.

“Now, no need to get all prickly. Of course, I’m hopin’ you don’t go. I imagine that house is plenty big enough for two women.”

Bri focused on the clipboard, unsure how much her eyes would give away. “I can’t imagine that you all don’t have enough work to do that you have time to discuss my future.”

“Whew!” Chuck removed his Stetson and wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. “It’s gettin’ mighty hot in here. I best wait till it cools down before I ask you what I came to ask.”

She slanted him a sidelong glance. He was grinning like the Cheshire cat. Darn it. Now he’d stirred her curiosity.

“What?”

“I don’t want to ask you when you’re so steamed.”

She sighed and lowered the clipboard. “I’m not mad. I just don’t like people speculating on my personal business.”

“It wasn’t like that at all, darlin’. Honest.” He hunched his shoulders. “Me and the boys just don’t want to see you go. Me, especially.”

Bri turned away again. Why hadn’t she just let the subject drop? She didn’t care what Chuck wanted to ask her anymore. She wanted him to leave. She just wanted to be alone. She faced him, ready to tell him to go.

He twirled his Stetson in his hands and for the first time she could recall, he looked unsure. “Next week is the Bridle dance and I was wonderin’ if you’d like to go.”

A dance? She nearly dropped the clipboard.

“With me, of course.” He raked a hand through his sandy-colored hair. “I mean, the other guys are goin’, too, but I want you to be my date.”

Bri cleared her throat. “I don’t think so.”

“You already have a date?”

“No, I won’t be going.”

Chuck drew his head back in surprise. “Everyone’s goin’. The dance is a big deal in Bridle.”

“I don’t like to dance,” she murmured as she ran a finger down the list of inventory items.

“Why not?”

“You won’t eat beets.”

He blinked. “So?”

“Well, why not?”

Chuck scratched his head and then set his hat back on. “Darlin’, there ain’t one blessed thing that dancin’ and beets have in common. And that’s a fact.”

Bri sighed and shook her head. So he was cute. Just not the sharpest tool in the shed. “Thank you for asking. But I won’t be going.”

“Come on, Brianna. Don’t say no yet. Think about it. The prettiest girl in the whole dang county can’t sit out the dance. It ain’t right.”

She blushed and bowed her head. “Get out of here and let me get my work done, or I won’t be going anywhere.”

“So, you’ll think about it?”

She still wouldn’t look up, but she heard the grin in his voice. “Goodbye, Chuck.”

“I’ll take that as a maybe.” He laughed. “See you later, darlin’.”

She kept her gaze on the clipboard until she was sure he’d left the stables, and then she sagged against the pole, tempted to slide down and crawl into a ball in the hay. It wasn’t bad enough that she had doubts about her place here at the Flying Ace, but others were talking about it, too.

Maybe she should go to the dance. Start circulating. Meet other ranchers. She’d learned enough about the business in the past year that she could get a job at another ranch. Bridle was a small, tight community, and the odds of a position being open were slim, but there were neighboring communities, and around here everything was done by word of mouth.

But a dance? The thought made her shudder.

Aunt Elaine hadn’t believed in any situation that allowed a boy and girl to get that close, and had forbidden Bri from attending any of the high-school dances. She’d snuck out once, on the pretense of going to the library, but the evening had been a nightmare.

Her clothes had been all wrong. She’d been woefully ignorant of the latest dance steps. Not that she’d been all that familiar with the old ones. All she knew was that dancing was not her cup of tea.

The clipboard slipped from her fingers and fell into the hay. She bent to retrieve it and when she came back up, she saw Rafe standing near the rear door. Not looking as if he’d just arrived.

Her pulse picked up speed and her hand automatically went to her hair. Her ponytail was a mess. “What are you doing here?”

His gaze followed the path Chuck had taken out of the stables. “I thought you had work to do.”

“I do. I—” She didn’t answer to him. “I thought you were going to the Desert Rose.”

“I’m taking one of the horses.”

She hid a smile, unable to picture him driving the pickup she’d offered. Even in jeans, a chambray shirt and boots, he looked different from the other guys around Bridle. More sophisticated. Worldly. Exotic.