Cowboy, Stay with Me

Chapter Six: Cowgirl Karaoke

Canyon Creek Cantina was the most popular bar in the town of Canyon Creek, one, because it had pool tables, and two, because it had karaoke.

When Lucy, Amanda, Matthew, and Jacob all arrived together in one little convoy, the bar was already hopping.

It was Friday night, after all.

Lucy ordered a Budweiser and convinced everyone to play pool before they launched into karaoke. She and Amanda beat a team made up of the boys, then Lucy beat Jake one-on-one.

By then, Lucy had consumed about a pitcher of beer to herself, in an attempt to steady her nerves. Her mind kept skipping to the end of the night, when Jake dropped her off.

Would he try to kiss her?

Every time she thought about it, she drank another pint of beer.

By the time Amanda and Lucy's best friend, Heather, were starting to insist on singing a group duet, Lucy was just about feeling up for it. There was a long waiting line, however, and Lucy went to the bathroom in the meantime.

When she came back out, stumbling a bit in the high heeled boots, she bumped right into a huge tree of a person.

Startled, she swayed and almost took an embarrassing tumble, when a strong pair of arms slid around her.

She found herself crushed against Sean's chest for the second time that day.

"Easy there, cowgirl." He chuckled, the bastard, grinning down at her.

She gave him the old one-eyed squint, not quite registering yet that her hands were plastered to his chest. "What're you doin' here?" She slurred. "You never come to the Cantina. This is my bar! Don't you live out by Tulsa now, besides?"

Sean chuckled and she started to blush as she realized his hands were settled on her hips now in all too familiar a fashion. Then she realized that she was basically groping his luxurious pectoral muscles and leapt back from him, wholly mortified.

"I do, but I'm in town, chasing my fugitive, remember? Thought I'd stop in and see the local nightlife, what's that term? Mingle?" Sean cocked his head at her and she wanted to punch him in that smug, chiseled face of his.

Damn him for being so handsome.

"Hob nob?" She suggested in a scathing voice, then hiccuped.

He grinned indulgently, nodding his head. "That's the one."

Her gaze dropped down him briefly, noting that he'd changed into jeans and a plain gray T-shirt, and looked more like his old self than he had before in his formal attire. He had showered and his hair was allowed to lie naturally instead of being all spiked up with gel.

Sean's grin widened as he observed her blatantly checking him out. "You like what you see?"

Her face flushed hot, angry red and she put her nose in the air. "No, I was just thinking how you were rather rudely standing in my way." And with this, she primly brushed past him, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe they're – hic - playing my song."

Sean mockingly bowed, stepping aside and gesturing that she should proceed. "The stage is all yours, Duchess."

###

The next thing Lucy knew, she was squinting into the bright lights as she leaned on her sister's shoulder and they sang a sad country song together.

She remembered dancing with Jake later, and hoping that Sean would notice and feel awful about letting her go and all that he was missing out on.

Then she looked across the bar and spotted Sean, dancing with Nicole, a waitress at the local diner.

Lucy was so upset that Sean was stealing her thunder that she sought Jake out immediately and started kissing him at the bar for everyone to see.

She blacked out a few minutes later.

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