One Night With a Cowboy by Cat Johnson Page A

for last, huh?” Becca’s lips looked too damned tempting when she
     smirked all vixenlike. It would be very easy to bend down and take a taste.
    Tuck swallowed hard. He certainly hoped there would be one more event at the end of
     the night. A private one between him and Becca. “They certainly do.”
    “I look forward to the end, then.”
    So did he. So did he.
    “So, right now there will be some exhibition riding. The barrel racers will ride in
     with the colors. Once the flag is brought out there will be a prayer and the singing
     of the national anthem. Then there will be some riders in the ring, warming up the
     horses, both the rough stock and the trained stock . . .” He paused when he realized
     Becca likely didn’t know the difference. “I’m sorry. Am I going too fast for you?”
    “No. Don’t worry. You’re definitely not going too fast.” Becca took another swallow
     of beer, but her eyes stayed on him.
    Tuck drew in a deep breath, deciding to cut her off for a while after this drink.
     He wanted her. Hell, yeah. But he wanted her because she wanted him, not because he’d
     gotten her drunk.
    That thought gave him pause. It was just another thing that had changed in him since
     a year ago. Back then he’d be pouring shots into a girl if it meant it would get her
     out of her pants quicker. Sure, he’d had to step quick to avoid getting puke on his
     boots once or twice after that, but what did he care? He was quick on his feet, and
     quick to get in and out.
    That was back then.
    Not anymore, and definitely not tonight. Tonight, with Becca, he intended to take
     his time. And he wanted her to be acutely aware of every single second of it. He glanced
     at the clock on the scoreboard. It was dinnertime, and judging by the way one beer
     had loosened her tongue considerably, he was betting she hadn’t eaten. “Hey, you girls
     want to try one of our Oklahoma delicacies?”
    Again Becca’s brows rose. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”
    He smiled. They’d get to that later. “The arena specialty. Foot-long corn dogs. Ever
     have one before?”
    “Foot-long, huh? Impressive.” Emma laughed. “And no, I can’t say I’ve ever had a corn
     dog.”
    “I’ve never had one before, either, foot-long or other.”
    The expression on Becca’s face was so devilish and inviting, Tuck had to yank his
     gaze away before he did something he shouldn’t, like take her in back and show her
     something else that was long. Not twelve inches, but long enough for his purposes.
    Jace shook his head. “Oh, you girls don’t know what you’re missing.”
    He swallowed hard. “I’ll go get us a few.”
    “Thank you.” Emma smiled at both him and Jace, but it was Becca who kept drawing his
     attention.
    “My pleasure.” Tuck shot a glance at Jace that told him to follow and then headed
     up the stairs one more time.
    “What’s up?” Jace matched his stride. “I’ve seen you buy girls drinks, but you’re
     not usually one to feed them.”
    “She’s getting drunk.” Or at least her sudden easy flirtatiousness led him to believe
     she was.
    “Yeah.” Jace nodded. “What’s the problem? That’s a good thing.”
    Tuck frowned. “You can be a pig sometimes. You know that? Anyway, I figured they could
     both use some food in their stomachs.”
    Jace shook his head.
    “What now?” Tuck was getting pretty annoyed at Jace’s judgmental head shaking tonight.
    “You’re different. That’s all. It’s not bad, just different. I’m trying to figure
     out what changed. Is it you just getting older? Or is it this woman?”
    “It’s me trying to be a decent guy and show two out-of-towners some hospitality. Stop
     reading into things.” He certainly hoped it wasn’t this woman who had him suddenly
     acting like a gentleman, because she was flying away tomorrow.

Chapter Six
    B ecca watched Tucker bend at the waist. Mmm, mmm. He was sure built nice. From the
     top of his felt hat to the tips of