A Cowboy for June, page 4
“How did that work out for you?”
“I wound up getting arrested, but I got out of it.”
“Oh, June…” Linda said.
June could just picture her shaking her head, resting her fingers on her temples.
“It’s all good, but that’s not the reason why I’m calling. I met a guy, today… Well, I didn’t really meet him. Emily had stuff to do before her bachelorette party tonight, so I needed someone to film my great ride for social media. I invited him to come to Callum’s Country Party House tonight, after the bachelorette party.”
“Tell me about this place,” Linda said.
“It’s like a Western-themed indoor amusement park. In one section, there are games like pool, and air hockey, and a wall of arcade classics like Buck Hunter. Then there’s the karaoke bar.”
“A bar?”
“With dancing,” June said helpfully.
“Did you really call to ask me if I thought this was a bad idea?”
“No, I’m pretty sure it is a bad idea. I’m going to go anyway. I called to ask your permission.”
“June, even if I wanted to give you permission, I wouldn’t. This is your recovery. This is your journey. You are an adult capable of making decisions like this on your own. However, if you’d like my opinion…?”
Why did she have to put it all back on her? June scowled as she let herself into the trailer. “Yeah, I’d like some advice, too.”
“My opinion is you should stick with your pregnant friend tonight at the bachelorette party. What was her name again?”
“Kelly,” June said. But the problem with that was Kelly would probably go home early and June knew that if she left the party, she would have some crippling FOMO. Not to mention, she’d miss out on seeing her sexy cowboy. If he even showed up. She said as much to Linda.
“Go home early,” Linda said. “Then call him up tomorrow and meet him for coffee.”
“Coffee shops are boring, and they don’t have dancing.” And she hadn’t got his number.
“Are you going to be tempted to have a drink at this place?” Linda asked.
“Yes, but I have it all planned out. I’m going to order a large seltzer and sip on it all night long.”
“That sounds like a very healthy choice. What are you going to do when you’re tempted to get just one beer, or do just one shot?”
“I’ve never used to drink as hard as I did that one time,” June said. “I did it then because I was really mad, and I wanted to forget how bad things were for a little while. That’s never going to happen again. I’d rather feel the pain in the moment and get it over with. I never want to wake up the next morning and wonder what happened to me. So, I don’t think you have to worry about me, like you have to worry about the others.”
“I’m not worried about any of my patients,” Linda said. “You’re all capable individuals who can make their own decisions and deal with the consequences of their actions. Do you have plans on what to do if you happen to relapse and become too drunk to drive?”
“That’s not going to happen. But if it does, I’ll call my sister, or my mother, or an Uber. There’s no way I’m going to get behind the wheel if I have a couple of shots and beer. But I’m not going to.” June sat down at her bed and glared at the wall. How many times did she have to repeat herself?
“Do you have a plan for getting through tonight sober?”
They had discussed in therapy ways to visualize success. At first, June had thought it was hokey, but it actually worked.
“I’m going to slip in late, so my entrance doesn’t take away from Emily’s party. I’m going to stay in the background, nursing my seltzer. If I get recognized and someone offers to buy me a drink, I’ll ask for a Shirley Temple.”
“What if someone tries to force a drink on you?”
“Force me? I’d slap it out of his hand, because it’s probably doctored with a date rape drug or something.”
“That’s not quite what I meant. I meant if you run into a fan who wants to toast your victory or an old friend who wants to have a drink with you, for old times’ sake. How are you going to handle it?”
“Well, I can’t be rude.”
“It’s not rude to say, no thank you,” Linda said.
“Yeah, but sometimes they take it that way and it’s easier just to accept the drink,” June said. And it was hard to turn down free drinks, which was probably how she’d ended up in rehab to begin with.
“Here’s a little trick to try. Tell them that you’re not feeling well and want to stick with soda. Most people don’t want anyone who isn’t feeling well to get sicker, so that could get you off the hook.”
June snapped her fingers. “I got a better idea. Why don’t I tell them that I’m allergic to alcohol?”
“Stay away from the big lies. It gets difficult to keep track of them, and also, it’s been well documented that you are not allergic.”
“Okay, good point.” June thought it made a better story, but she supposed it was easier not to dig a hole for herself, if she could avoid it.
“What do you want to do at the bachelorette party that doesn’t involve drinking?”
“See a bunch of people I haven’t talked with in a while. Dance. Celebrate Emily. Maybe hit on a stripper or two. Then hopefully afterwards, I’ll get lucky with the hunky cowboy who I roped into acting as my cameraman this afternoon.”
“Not literally, I hope.”
“I didn’t have a place to put my rope. Remember, I was naked.”
Linda sighed. “It sounds like you’re going to be too busy tonight to think about drinking. Just stay hydrated. Keep a glass of water in your hand when you’re not on the dance floor. How late are you planning on staying out?”
“Are you my mom now?”
“No, I’m asking because the later it gets and the more tired you feel, the more it can affect your judgment.”
“I’ll call it an early night at midnight. Does that work for you?”
“Does that work for you?” Linda countered.
June made a face. She hated owning up to the responsibility. That meant that any mistakes were hers and hers alone. Of course, it also meant that she could claim the victories, too. “Yeah, I think that’s a good plan.”
“What if your hot cowboy wants to stay up later?”
“I hope that’s the case. I’ll bring him back to… Shoot, I forgot; I don’t have a hotel room. I can’t bring him back home with me to my mom’s trailer.” That was another reason she needed a job as soon as possible. She smoothed a hand over her childhood comforter. It had cowboys riding bucking broncos on it. “I guess we’ll have to go back to his place.”
“Be careful. If you do go back to his place, make sure someone knows where you are. And if you have been drinking, you may want to call April or your mom to let them know what’s happening, just in case things go too far.”
“If I go back to his house, I want things to go too far.”
“And if he offers you a drink?”
“I’ll tell him, I’m not there to talk and we should get right to it. I’ll spare you the details.”
“I appreciate that,” Linda said. “I also appreciate that you called me today.”
“Well, a promise is a promise,” June said. When she’d left rehab, Linda had asked her to call her anytime, day or night, if she needed some help. “You and I both know I’m not an alcoholic, but I could probably have seen myself heading that way if it hadn’t been for you and the center.”
“Don’t concern yourself with labels. You’re doing the best you can.”
Am I?
“I talked to Sinclair Thompson today. Asked him if I could come back to the WPRC. He said no fucking way.”
“How did that make you feel?”
“Sad. Angry. Confused. Mean.”
“Mean?”
“I want to earn getting thrown out, you know?” June kicked the bed in frustration.
“Maybe you should write a letter pleading your case. Go over his head.”
Nodding, June rubbed her toe. “Thanks for listening.” Her sisters were great, and even Mama was understanding, but they tended to talk more than listen. And they had a habit of making decisions for her because she was the baby of the family. June found herself wanting to do the exact opposite of whatever they said, just to prove she was in charge. She wanted to talk more about her anger with Sinclair, but they’d be on the phone forever and June had a party to get ready for. There was always next week. “I’ll give you call tomorrow and let you know how it went.”
“No matter how it went, I will not judge you. I’m here to help. I respect all of your choices and decisions.”
“I’m glad someone does,” June said, getting off the phone.
After ransacking her closet, she came up with a cute little number that was all fringe and sparkles. It had a flared skirt, so that when she twisted and twirled, it would fan out. Cushioned socks and her best cowboy boots went on next. She thought about asking her mother to do her hair, but after a few hours of dancing, it would all be hanging down her face anyway.
Checking her social media accounts, June was pleased she had received a lot of likes and a couple of people requesting to have the sensor bars taken off of certain areas in her post. It made her feel good, and she hoped Shayna James was gnashing her teeth over it, and Dustin was regretting what he’d lost.
“No, I don’t wish that all,” June said to her full-length mirror. Dustin and Shayna had no business renting space in her head. They were her past, and this was her future. It didn’t have to be dull. She could make it whatever she wanted it to be. It didn’t have to include alcohol. It didn’t have to include sex. But it had to be something more than just sitting in her mama’s trailer watching TV and hoping that the WPRC changed their mind. While she was ready to move on from Dustin and Shayna, she wasn’t quite ready to move on from the rodeo and Sinclair Thompson.
Chapter Four
June recited what she was going to do in her head. Walk in. Get a seltzer. Get lots of blackmail pictures of Emily. Have fun. Flirt outrageously. Find a cowboy. Dance until she dropped.
“That’s a good plan,” she said to herself.
Not wanting to steal Emily’s thunder, June was fashionably late to the bachelorette party. Leaving the Bad Reputation Stetson at home, she wore her hair down. If it got too annoying later on in the evening, she’d just pull it back into a ponytail.
She walked past the gaming section without being recognized, but as soon as she ordered her seltzer, two men on either side of her clapped her on the back and congratulated her.
“You and your sister are the best rodeo cowgirls I’ve ever seen,” the man on her left said.
“I remember that one time when you almost got thrown by a horse…”
“That wasn’t me,” June said, arching her neck to see where the bachelorette party was. It looked like they were in the back. Callum’s had partitioned a large section off from the crowd with a floor-to-ceiling accordion-type divider, but she could see people she knew opening up the partition and slipping through. “Athena has never tried to throw me in her entire life.” Her brother Ares had done a number on April, but not in competition.
“That wasn’t you?” the man on her right said. “Got her foot caught in the stirrups, but pulled herself up and continued on with the race?”
“Nope. Must be another barrel racer. We all look alike.” She started to move away, but he shifted his body to stop her.
“Let me buy you a drink.”
Here we go, June thought. “That’s really kind of you, but I’ve got one.” She tried to step around him, but this time, the other guy blocked her. She tamped down annoyance.
“Seltzer? I had you figured for a whiskey woman.”
“Not lately,” she said. “Seltzer really quenches my thirst. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my friends are waiting for me.” June readied herself for a bar fight, wishing she had a bottle to smash dramatically on the bar.
“Mike, Andy, fuck off.”
She looked up and saw her handsome cowboy from this afternoon standing just behind them.
“Or what?” the one on the left asked belligerently.
The other one nudged him hard with his elbow. “Hey, Esteban. Are you hiring?”
So, his name was Esteban. June took advantage of his distraction to eye him up and down. He had warm brown eyes and wavy hair to match. Long and lanky, he stood tense on the balls of his feet, ready for a fight if it came down to it. June admired the slow play of muscles underneath his black cotton shirt. His blue jeans were tight in all the right places and she couldn’t wait to get him alone.
“Maybe.” Esteban looked at June. “Are these dickheads bothering you?”
“No,” she said. “They’re fans. But I’ve got a bachelorette party to get to and…” She let her sentence trail off.
Mike and Andy moved aside, which was rather anticlimactic.
“Look us up when you’re done,” one of them said.
“Yeah, we’ll be here all night.”
“Great.” June gave them a quick smile. Not a chance in hell.
“You’re late,” Esteban said as they walked away together. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
His slow grin was surprisingly sexy, and she felt the fluttering of something she knew could lead to trouble if she acted on it.
Then again, hadn’t she just been lamenting how dull her life was becoming? Esteban was tall and had the type of muscles you got from tossing hay bales and wrangling cattle all day. And he had a rugged jaw that had the barest hint of stubble on them.
“You’re early,” she said. “The bachelorette party’s not going to be over until two or so.”
“Maybe I couldn’t wait to see you.”
She turned and stepped in close to him. “Is that true?”
His answer shouldn’t matter to her. After all, if she was looking for a good time, there were plenty of other men out there if he turned her down. And yet, there was a spark between them that she hadn’t even remotely felt with anyone since Dustin. Maybe it was the way Esteban looked at her, as if she was the most fascinating woman he’d ever seen. Maybe she was starved for attention.
“Mostly.” He laid a hand on her back as they made their way through the restaurant section. “My boss needed me to drive his wife Janice here.”
“Nate Pierson’s your boss? You work at the Three Sisters Ranch?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Call me June.”
His long silky eyelashes closed for a moment longer than a blink and when he opened up his eyes, she caught her breath at the hot look in his gaze. “June.”
This time, his grin coiled into something on the edge of a smolder and her toes tingled. Wow, he was potent up close. If she had met him on the circuit, she would have let him buy her a few drinks and see where it took them.
Drinks, right. She couldn’t do that anymore. Frowning, she looked away. Could she even relax enough to let her guard down without that familiar numbing buzz?
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Clearing her throat, she said, “I could spare a dance or two before I join the party. If you’re interested.”
“I’m interested.”
June tanked her seltzer and placed the empty glass on a table. Esteban led her close to the bachelorette party so they could hear the music enough to dance to it. The DJ was playing some rocking old-school country tunes. For once though, she didn’t want to dance fast. She wanted to press her body against Esteban to the beat of a song with a sexy bass line.
It had been three long months since she had sex and being near Esteban made her feel like a horny teenager. It was like she was a black-and-white character and now somebody had brought the crayons.
Esteban whirled and twirled her around and then caught her close against him. She enjoyed being in his arms, but the music wasn’t going to switch over to something sweet and romantic. Not at a bachelorette party. After a few songs, Esteban was showing signs of slowing down, although June could have danced all night.
She decided to take pity on him. Going up on her tiptoes, she leaned into his ear and said, “I’ve got time for a couple of drinks.”
“You got it.” Esteban went over to the bar, while she grabbed a table. She probably should have offered to get them because she owed him a beer for filming her epic ride down Main Street, but she didn’t want to risk being accosted again. It wasn’t until he got back with two beers that June realized she should’ve been more specific about what she wanted to drink.
Esteban must have noticed the look on her face. “I’m sorry. Do you not like beer? I can get you something else.”
June wanted to be polite, and she didn’t want to offend him. He seemed like a good guy and a great dancer. And she was celebrating, wasn’t she? She had a new job opportunity to chase down with Trent. She hadn’t gotten charged with indecent exposure. And she was finally feeling like herself again. One beer shouldn’t be a problem. She put her hand on the mug and had it halfway to her mouth when a little voice inside her head said, “If you’re not an alcoholic, like you keep telling everyone, then prove it by not having this drink.” June didn’t know whose voice it was. It certainly wasn’t Linda’s kind of advisement. It sounded like June’s own voice, when she was being a bitch.
June put the glass down with a small thud. She might as well get this out in the open now. “Actually, I’m trying not to drink alcohol. I’ve had some issues with it in the past.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Esteban pulled the drink back to him. “I can throw these out and get Cokes if you want?”
“No, it won’t bother me if you drink. Seriously. Don’t waste the money. I’m just going to go up to the bar and get myself a seltzer.”
“I can do that if you want.” Esteban looked so miserable that June realized he needed to make this right, even though he had done nothing wrong.
“Get two then. That way we can both have two drinks in front of us and spend more time talking and getting to know each other.”
Esteban smiled in relief and went back to the bar.
