her upstairs and tucked her into bed.
Hadn’t she showed him how a saloon dolly takes care of a man? She’d not been surprised at how he’d responded; she was good at her trade. She’d taken care of business and walked away just as she should have. Her ass still burned from where Jed had grasped her, and her cunny ached to have him inside her.
She blamed the empty bottle of Dr. Baxter’s Eight-Day Elixir for overthinking the situation. The brew relieved her of the next morning blues like nothing else. Most of all, it kept her from caring too much. How could she get her hands on some more? None of the merchants in town sold it. She’d just have to wait until Dr. Baxter paid his next visit to Tucson.
She rose from her bed and went downstairs. Alvin was pounding nails into mesquite boards, covering up the hole where her prized plate-glass window had once been. Bright light filtered through the many cracks.
Carly sighed. A new window would cost money she didn’t have right now.
“ Morning, Miss Carly.” Alvin spoke with a mouth full of halfpenny nails.
“ Morning.” She picked up a chair and set it upright. A customer slept facedown on the table, cradling a pile of poker chips. She’d rouse him and send him home, but he seemed so peaceful, she didn’t have the heart.
She sat down and rubbed her eyes. What was she going to do about Sheriff Poole?
What bothered her was the niggling desire for a repeat performance. Normally she didn’t give two hoots about the customer after he’d paid his dollar.
Of course, he’d boasted big about how he could make a woman swoon at his very touch. What man didn’t brag about his abilities in bed?
What confounded her was how true that’d been. His caress had given her the chills. She sucked her lower lip, still tasting him. The man surely knew how to kiss. Jed had excited her in a way no man ever had and she couldn’t forget it.
The sheriff had gotten under her skin, telling Ester to get rid of all of Carly’s medicine. She’d been angry with him, barging into her place and barking orders at poor Ester.
She’d been justified in not giving him everything he wanted.
She needed her Dr. Baxter’s, she mused. A stiff drink of the elixir and she would be able to put the virile sheriff out of her thoughts and forget about those kisses. Next time he came waltzing through that door…
Who should push through the swinging doors but the sheriff? He looked like he hadn’t slept either. Stubble darkened his jaw and his eyes were bloodshot.
She grimaced. The two of them were a pair.
A brief nod of her head acknowledged his presence. A customer was a customer. Hopefully he’d learned his lesson.
She stood and turned to go to her room. She wasn’t running away—she just didn’t have the strength this morning to spar with him.
* * * * *
“ Carly, wait.”
Jed was glad to see her. She’d stunned him with last night’s sex play. He wanted to see her lustful expression again.
She turned around, her eyes half closed.
He sauntered up to her and stopped a foot away, his arms dangling helplessly by his sides. One look at her and he was reminded of her cunt on his cock. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms.
“ What are you after, Sheriff?”
“ I wondered if you were all right.”
“ I’m fine but my window didn’t fare too well.” She pointed to where her barkeep was putting up boards. Alvin pounded the last nail and climbed down from a ladder.
“ I noticed when I walked by.” He gazed into her brown eyes. “Anybody hurt by the flying glass?”
She shook her head. “No, but Alvin and my girls were skittish the rest of the night.”
Jed rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. “I’d hoped those hooligans missed you.”
“ Last night was a first for the Lonesome. Most likely they didn’t care for the company I’ve been keeping.”
Jed smiled. She was full of sass and vinegar, a sure sign the gang had not frightened her.
“ Of course, business
Hadn’t she showed him how a saloon dolly takes care of a man? She’d not been surprised at how he’d responded; she was good at her trade. She’d taken care of business and walked away just as she should have. Her ass still burned from where Jed had grasped her, and her cunny ached to have him inside her.
She blamed the empty bottle of Dr. Baxter’s Eight-Day Elixir for overthinking the situation. The brew relieved her of the next morning blues like nothing else. Most of all, it kept her from caring too much. How could she get her hands on some more? None of the merchants in town sold it. She’d just have to wait until Dr. Baxter paid his next visit to Tucson.
She rose from her bed and went downstairs. Alvin was pounding nails into mesquite boards, covering up the hole where her prized plate-glass window had once been. Bright light filtered through the many cracks.
Carly sighed. A new window would cost money she didn’t have right now.
“ Morning, Miss Carly.” Alvin spoke with a mouth full of halfpenny nails.
“ Morning.” She picked up a chair and set it upright. A customer slept facedown on the table, cradling a pile of poker chips. She’d rouse him and send him home, but he seemed so peaceful, she didn’t have the heart.
She sat down and rubbed her eyes. What was she going to do about Sheriff Poole?
What bothered her was the niggling desire for a repeat performance. Normally she didn’t give two hoots about the customer after he’d paid his dollar.
Of course, he’d boasted big about how he could make a woman swoon at his very touch. What man didn’t brag about his abilities in bed?
What confounded her was how true that’d been. His caress had given her the chills. She sucked her lower lip, still tasting him. The man surely knew how to kiss. Jed had excited her in a way no man ever had and she couldn’t forget it.
The sheriff had gotten under her skin, telling Ester to get rid of all of Carly’s medicine. She’d been angry with him, barging into her place and barking orders at poor Ester.
She’d been justified in not giving him everything he wanted.
She needed her Dr. Baxter’s, she mused. A stiff drink of the elixir and she would be able to put the virile sheriff out of her thoughts and forget about those kisses. Next time he came waltzing through that door…
Who should push through the swinging doors but the sheriff? He looked like he hadn’t slept either. Stubble darkened his jaw and his eyes were bloodshot.
She grimaced. The two of them were a pair.
A brief nod of her head acknowledged his presence. A customer was a customer. Hopefully he’d learned his lesson.
She stood and turned to go to her room. She wasn’t running away—she just didn’t have the strength this morning to spar with him.
* * * * *
“ Carly, wait.”
Jed was glad to see her. She’d stunned him with last night’s sex play. He wanted to see her lustful expression again.
She turned around, her eyes half closed.
He sauntered up to her and stopped a foot away, his arms dangling helplessly by his sides. One look at her and he was reminded of her cunt on his cock. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms.
“ What are you after, Sheriff?”
“ I wondered if you were all right.”
“ I’m fine but my window didn’t fare too well.” She pointed to where her barkeep was putting up boards. Alvin pounded the last nail and climbed down from a ladder.
“ I noticed when I walked by.” He gazed into her brown eyes. “Anybody hurt by the flying glass?”
She shook her head. “No, but Alvin and my girls were skittish the rest of the night.”
Jed rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. “I’d hoped those hooligans missed you.”
“ Last night was a first for the Lonesome. Most likely they didn’t care for the company I’ve been keeping.”
Jed smiled. She was full of sass and vinegar, a sure sign the gang had not frightened her.
“ Of course, business
Similar Books
