Chapter 18
So far, her venturing into seeing what the town of Rosebud had to offer for entertainment had paid off. Her beer was crispy, and Colette was having a fantastic time.
Most of the town had shown up to The Dusty Spur Saloon for some Saturday night antics.
People were wagering over games of pool, dancing to country music on the dance floor, and settling in for a busy night of blowing off steam after a long work week.
Colette enjoyed the vibe of the place. It was cozy and warm under the glow of the neon lights, with patrons laughing and having a good time, but she wouldn’t be surprised if a fight broke out at any moment.
The amount of testosterone in the room was…enticing.
A hockey game played on the television above the bar, and she sat at a table with Simone, enjoying a moment away from Roger and Marshall, who had accompanied them to the bar. Chip and Lachlan had joined them last minute and wandered off somewhere.
“This place is cool,” Colette said, checking out a guy’s butt as he bent over the pool table with a chuckle. “I see some pretty good prospects in here tonight.”
“There you go, time to find a sexy cowboy to warm your bed tonight,” Simone teased with a wink.
Knocking back her vodka soda, she swirled the ice cubes in the glass and placed it back on the table.
“The Spur is packed. I’m sure we could find you someone.
Though… it’ll be hard for you to pick up someone when you’re always looking for at a certain cowboy. ”
Colette scoffed. “Am not. I’m open…to whatever happens with whomever.”
No.
Was she really?
Letting Simone in on in her maybe-crush situation with Marshall was probably a bad idea. Her friend was very good at interfering in situations. Ending up with Marshall because he was pushed into it didn’t sit well with her. She turned her gaze toward the object of her thoughts and licked her lips.
“I think you should go for it,” Simone’s whisper brushed against the shell of her ear and Colette shivered. She took a swig of her drink and plunked the empty glass next to Simone’s.
“I don’t think my employer would approve. Wouldn’t Roger be mad?”
“That’s okay, I like Roger mad,” Simone retorted with a smirk.
“Maybe you’re right,” she admitted, her gaze scanning the room, which was hazy with the mingling heat of warm bodies and the scent of beer floating around them. “I came here for a little adventure, didn’t I? But from what I’ve heard from town gossip, Marshall might be otherwise engaged.”
Simone gasped. “You don’t say? Well, Marshall isn’t the only man here, right?” her friend said with a saucy wink.
“Exactly.”
“We work hard all week, now it’s time to play,” Simone said, nudging her shoulder against Colette’s. “Speaking of playing, where is Roger?” The man in question was chuckling loudly and smacking another man on the back. Simone shook her head with a “hmm”.
“Looks like Marshall and Roger have found Evan.” Simone pointed in their direction at the words. “Evan is really sweet. He’ll be a good friend to have here, if not more.”
Colette rolled her eyes at the way her friend was raising her eyebrows.
Subtle.
Her gaze traveled to the man standing with Marshall and Roger.
He was definitely good looking.
“I wouldn’t say no to a guy like that, that’s for sure,” Colette mused, her interest piqued. Evan was as good a prospect for a romance as any.
Simone gave a knowing grin. “Evan is very passionate about his goal of chasing every skirt in town. But he’s also a great friend to the family.
The Thomsons and the Kings go way back. He helps Marshall on the ranch when he needs it, even though he’s busy working on his own family’s place close by,” Simone explained.
“Interesting…” Colette said, her voice trailing off as her gaze took in the dark blue jeans that hugged his thick thighs, his joyful demeanor. He even had a sexy mustache.
A guy like that could be a lot of fun, but was that what she was looking for?
His dark tee did nothing to hide his strong muscles, gained from years of hard work, and stretched over his taut waist. He was hot, yes, but was he her type?
Most of the time, her type was whoever was available when she was looking for a hookup.
She was used to being a stopping point for men.
They had fun but never stayed around for long.
Colette’s mouth scrunched up to one side as she twirled a soft curl around her finger.
Was she truly looking for more of that?
Bearing witness to the closeness between Simone and Roger, it gave her the desire…
No, the absolute need for something more.
When she left Calgary, she was looking to feel more valued and appreciated by her employer.
Shouldn’t she want that in all facets of her life?
Chasing temporary love didn’t jibe with the kind of life she wanted to create for herself.
She was working at the ranch to build up her résumé and pay her bills, but she also wanted the position to lead to something more permanent.
Stable. Would chasing after Evan be going against her new life goals?
A quick fling would probably leave her unsatisfied and feeling discarded. Again.
Perhaps a relationship was too much to aim for when she was only in Rosebud temporarily. Or maybe it wasn’t.
She didn’t mind taking a chance to see where things led.
The good men she was meeting out here were not like the playboys she was used to meeting at bars in the city. There was still the potential for something more, even if Simone did describe Evan as a fuckboy. Even if Evan wasn’t her Mr. Forever, he could be fun for a spell.
And if that familiar heat wasn’t building in her chest when she thought of Evan, so what? Marshall wasn’t chasing after her at all. In fact, he was hanging out with Jessica Lansbury during his free time, whoever that was. Colette’s eyes narrowed.
Damn that Jessica.
Clearing her throat as her eyes came to rest on Marshall, a thrill ran down her spine unbidden. Her cheeks flamed as she took in his frown and his darkened gaze, standing next to Evan and Roger. Was he scowling at her?
Had he caught her checking out Evan?
Her gaze slid back to Simone.
“Uh oh, I think Marshall just caught me checking out Evan,” she said with a smirk.
“So what? It’s your day off, you can do as you please,” Simone said, waving to the server. “We need more drinks, unless you’re ready to do some dancing? I think they’re setting up for the karaoke after nine. Things get a little out of hand once that starts.”
Colette ran a finger along the edge of the glass, her thoughts racing.
“Should I ask Evan to dance?”
“Of course! Have fun! What on earth is wrong with Marshall? I swear his frown could not get any deeper. Maybe he’s more aware of you than you think,” she said, brows knitting as she waved to the server, who turned her back and walked further away from their table.
“That server is not seeing me, and I’m thirsty.
Let’s go to the bar and you can talk to Evan.
The boys look like they’re having way too much fun.
” Simone stood with a smirk, hips swaying suggestively as she approached Roger.
Well, Evan and Roger were. Marshall just looked grumpy.
Colette followed her to stand near the bar, nerves fluttering in her stomach. Marshall turned back to the conversation with Roger and Evan after offering her a slight nod as she joined the group. Simone pulled Colette so that she was awkwardly pressed up against him, shoulder to shoulder.
Colette smiled as Simone introduced her to Evan. She was mortified at the way her cheeks heated immediately. She tried to focus on Evan, but the way her arm brushed against Marshall’s sent her body reeling.
It was hard to act natural when the simple touch sent a pang of longing shooting through her. She might ask Evan to dance, but she knew exactly where her interest lay.
Simone rubbed Roger’s cheek with her hand, eliciting a dreamy smile.
“Hey, Sunshine,” he said, pressing his lips against Simone’s for a quick kiss.
Colette’s stomach flopped, indulging in a moment of pure yearning.
Imagine belonging to someone like that. Simone’s touch brought an instant glow to his face.
It seemed like a dream. This was exactly what she wanted for herself.
If Evan was the guy to give her that, great.
She would be brave and explore all possibilities available while she lived in Rosebud.
And maybe, she would take her time, instead of rushing into something.
Yes, that was a perfect plan.
“We were trying to decide whether we wanted to dance or have another drink,” Simone said to the group, twirling a strand of her hair in her fingers. “Evan, would you take the new girl for a spin? I don’t want to abandon my friend, but I want to dance with my man.”
Evan’s mouth opened in shock, eyes darting momentarily from Simone to Marshall, then he quickly recovered with a flirty smile.
“Colette, you want to dance?” he croaked, rubbing his hand behind his neck. Colette blushed, and for some reason, her gaze slid to Marshall.
For permission?
No.
For approval?
Well, she sure as heck wasn’t getting it. His lips pressed together and he shrugged, then turned to the bartender for another drink. Apparently, he didn’t care at all. When he laid out his feelings so clearly, she had no issues pursuing Evan. None at all.
Evan placed a warm hand on her back and guided her to the dance floor just as the song was changing.
Eyes downcast, she studied his muscles working under the black T-shirt with each movement of their clasped hands.
They swayed to the brisk music in a quick two-step.
Evan moved with great ease, chatting and joking with her the entire time.
His one hand gripped her casually at the waist. The light pressure and soft touch elicited no response from her body.
Which was totally fine.
Despite how handsome he was, Colette couldn’t see herself pressed up against him, naked. No impure thoughts filled her mind as she pictured a night in his arms.
And yet, it was lovely to be held and to be entertained by his engaging conversation.
He was a breath of fresh air.
Unlike a certain grim-faced man. She hazarded a glance in Marshall’s direction and saw that he had moved from where they had all previously been standing and was sitting at Colette and Simone’s abandoned table with a gorgeous brunette.
Of course.
Colette could tell she was a tall woman with luscious curves and long cascading hair that she just knew smelled incredible.
Damn.
She shook her head, raising her gaze to Evan’s warm umber eyes.
He smelled great too, a warm mix of cedar and spice.
Maybe if she gave it a chance, he could be a good potential source of entertainment during her stay in the country.
And if she was lucky, maybe it would develop into something more than just a temporary fling.
Even if she had been interested in Marshall, there’s no way he would go for it.
His affections were clearly engaged elsewhere.
“I can only dance one more with you. I’m preparing for a performance,” Evan said with a cocky grin, breaking into her thoughts, thank God. That was enough time spent mooning over Marshall. He didn’t deserve the attention.
“You mean the karaoke?” she asked, curious. “What’s your song, or do you have a few of them?”
Evan shook his head. “Oh, I have one that I’m really good at and the crowd loves. I’ve worked on my technique for this one and perfected it. I mean, some of the guys act like they don’t love it, but I know they do,” he said, twirling her around the dance floor. “You’ll see.”
Her heart raced as they moved, the energy around them an intoxicating blend of joy and abandon. Everyone, except her, sang along to the words of the song about a man who chose fishing over his girl. Colette rolled her eyes. Typical.
“What is your song?” she asked, raising up on her toes to say the words in his ears, the voice of the crowd so loud it pulsated through her body.
“I want it to be a surprise. Trust me, you’ll love it,” Evan reassured.
Colette snorted.
“I’m not rolling my eyes at you; it’s just this song, though. This guy clearly has some red flags; that woman is better off without him, I say.”
Evan laughed, pulling his hand off her hip to twirl her again, and Colette giggled. He certainly had a way about him. Loving Evan would be easy. Maybe something easy would be good for her.
Much easier than lusting after a man who was already taken and wasn’t sending her any signs of being interested.
She’d come to the country after being laid off.
It wasn’t the greatest feeling, and she could use the boost a relationship with Evan would provide.
When they came back together, she moved her hand close to the middle of his back, pulling him closer.
Maybe Rosebud could offer more than one type of escape for Colette.
She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, thoughts swirling.
Yep, Evan smelled good. Not as good as Marshall, but good. Yes, she could make this work. Why not make a move and seize a tempting opportunity?
Marshall wouldn’t care. He had proven that tonight already.
So what if Evan’s touch didn’t make her shiver?
Shivers were overrated.