Maverick (Star Valley Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Candace. “Say something funny. But sexy. Like you want to save a horse and ride a cowboy tonight.”
    Leah took one final drink and stood up on shaky heels. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she murmured.
    “Go!” Candace pushed Leah, lightly, but it was enough to nearly knock her off her heels. She grabbed the back of her chair to steady herself. Then she continued, slowly, one foot in front of the other and had the strange feeling that she was either marching to her death or a new lease on life.
    It could’ve been the whiskey.
    Save a horse, ride a cowboy, Leah thought to herself as she carefully measured her steps across the room. Save a horse, ride a cowboy. She skirted a table, had to slow to keep herself from tripping, and put one hand on the bar as she closed in on the man with the shiny, black boots and the devilish grin. When she finally got near him, he turned and flashed her a surprised smile that nearly made her drop to her knees.
    “I’m thinking about saving a cowboy,” she blurted out before he could speak.
    He continued to smile at her. “Oh, yeah? From what?”
    Oh, shit.
    Leah’s mouth dropped open and she felt like a goldfish. “From…” She looked around wildly and finally settled on the crystal glass of amber liquid sitting in front of him. “From alcohol poisoning,” she chirped and reached forward. She ignored the fact that if she had one more drink, she’d be close to passing out herself. She swiped it off the bar, brought it to her lips, and drank it down.
    The liquor burned her throat and for one panicked moment she thought it might come back up. She forced it down and set the glass down on the bar. He lifted his hand, and signaled to the bartender who refilled it. “What’s your name?” he asked before upending it.
    “Leah,” she gasped, stung by the alcohol on her tongue.
    “I’m Austin. Are you from here, Leah? Or just visiting?”
    “I’m from Cody,” she replied, blinking rapidly against the tilting room. “I’m in town for a wedding.”
    He grinned. “Not your own, I hope.”
    “What? No. No, not me.”
    He looked at her, gaze turning a bit more serious. “You’re old enough, right? To get married?” He nodded toward the table where Candace and the others were sitting. “They served you, at least.”
    “I’m twenty-one.”
    “Good to know,” he replied in a way that made Leah want to ask why, exactly. Part of her was afraid he’d tell her. Suddenly he reached up, toward her shoulder. “Your hair’s getting a little wild,” he declared.
    Leah grabbed his hand, terrified he was about to touch her hair. She pushed him away as quickly as she could before he accidentally humiliated her in front of a bar full of strangers.
    Instead of letting go, though, his fingers entwined with hers. His hand felt warm and solid and it dwarfed her own. She’d had enough liquid courage to last a whole year. She swallowed hard and looked down at the obviously hand-carved boots he was wearing. “I like your boots.”
    “What?” he murmured, wine-dark lips moving slowly around his grin. “ Boots. Yeah, boots .”
    Heat creeped up Leah’s face as she realized his eyes had dipped from her eyes to her chest. The bra was drawing way too much attention to her, attention she wasn’t used to having. Unable to stop her own wandering eyes, they slid over his mouth, down his long throat, over his broad chest and down to his crotch which was bulging behind what looked like a brand-new pair of Wranglers.
    He caught her looking and she glanced away, embarrassed and fighting the swirl in her head from the whiskey. He didn’t let go of her hand, instead he drew her in closer. He smelled like aftershave, soap, and possibly something dangerous. “What do you want, Leah?” he asked quietly, fingers stroking the back of her hand.
    Leah turned back and was caught again by his gaze, unable to look away from those deep, dark pools. Her fingers flexed in his. “I want you to keep