Ride Me Cowboy #3 (The Cowboy Romance Series - Book #3) by Alycia Taylor Page A

time I got out of the shower, Lexi was gone.
I got dressed and left the house. Dad and Lydia were watching a movie and it
was the first night in a while that he’d stuck around and spent time with her
instead of avoiding the house like the plague so he didn’t run into me. I
didn’t want to ruin the evening for her, and I didn’t want to be alone, so I
got in my truck and went to the bar that I’d taken Lexi to the first time we
had…spent the night together. When I walked in, I scanned to see who was there
that I could talk to and take my mind off of things. A lot of the regulars were
there, so I ordered my beer and went over to a table full of guys that I’d
known since high school.
    “Mark! How the hell are you?” Brayden Fisher was the
son of the man who owned the ranch that bordered ours along the south side. He
and I have always been friendly, but our fathers hate each other for reasons
unknown to either of us.
    “I’m good, Brayden,” I lied, shaking his hand. “How
are you?”
    “Good. I just got back from buying 300 head of
cattle in Texas. The guys took me out for a celebration.”
    “For your dad?”
    He looked excited and said, “No! For
me. I bought the Simpson place last week. Your dad didn’t tell you? He’s
been helping me out a lot.”
    Embarrassed to tell him that my father hadn’t spoken
to me in a week or more I said, “You know, I think he did mention it. I’ve just
been on the road so much; I’m the one that forgets things. Congratulations. That’s
awesome.”
    “Thanks! How about you? How’s the season coming
along?”
    “Good. I’m in the number three spot and we’re
halfway through. If I maintain it, I’ll be riding that big neon bull in Vegas
come December.”
    “Very cool! I have a free two-night stay over there at Thomas and Mack. Maybe I’ll use it
and come see you walk away with six figures. You can
buy me a drink.”
    “Hell yeah!”
    “So who are you seeing these days? Graham said he
saw you at the Woodlake Rodeo with some hot little brunette. Are you holding
out on us?”
    Son of a bitch! Graham is Brayden’s younger brother.
He’s a calf-roper. If Dad’s been helping him out, I’m sure that he knows all
about Lexi staying with us. If his brother saw us after my ride…that would be a
little hard to explain. Maybe that explains Dad’s mood lately. God, just what I
needed.
    “She was just a girl I met on the road. Really sweet
and pretty, but I doubt I’ll see her again. She’s from out of state.” Taylor
was right about one thing, I am a big, fat liar.
    “Aw, well that’s too bad. The pickings around here
can get slim sometimes. Don’t look now but the love of your life just walked
in. If you ever get desperate…”
    I didn’t have to turn around to know he was talking
about Taylor. Everyone in town was aware of how long we were together and
everyone was surprised when we broke up. I guess they expected us to get
married and settle down on the ranch. I shudder at the thought of being married
to her and stuck out on that ranch with her…I turned around and sure enough,
there she was. She was wearing a Levi skit that I’m sure would give a clear
shot of her vagina when she sat down. She had on a skimpy little tube top that
left her midriff bare and a pair of hooker heels that had to be six or maybe
even eight inches high.
    “Shit!”
    “Not happy to see her?” Graham was grinning. He knew
how I felt about her.
    “Not in the least,” I said. “She’s like a leach. I
can’t get rid of her. I’m going to grab a beer. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
Taylor was headed in the opposite direction from the bar. My plan was to slip
out the door before she saw me. As luck would have it…I didn’t make it.
    “Mark!” The sound of her voice made me cringe. I
turned around slowly and for the sake of everyone watching…not Taylor, I
offered a small, fake smile.
    “Hey Taylor. What’s up?”
    “Are you leaving?” she asked me with that