Page 40 of Breaking All The Rules
“I got mine from a litter at one of the farms out of town,” Mia said.
“Annie will know,” Winona mused. “People tell her stuff like that.”
“Oh, yes.” The mention of Annie’s made Bea’s tummy grumble despite it being full of cheesy garlic bread, beer, and piña colada. “Good tip, thanks. I’ll ask.”
Bea sucked to the bottom of her second cocktail, making a loud slurping noise. It wasn’t very ladylike, but it was as satisfying as the drink. Maybe she would become a cocktail convert in Credence? Then miraculously, Tucker appeared again, putting another round of five piña coladas in the middle and removing the empties.
“Tucker,” Winona said, “Della is right—you are a god among men.”
He laughed. “Well thank you, ma’am, but I don’t think she’s referring to my cocktail prowess.”
Winona hooted out a laugh. “I don’t think so, either.”
With that, he left, and Bea felt so damn happy to be sitting here, far away from her old life with new friends and a new future ahead of her, she grabbed the third cocktail.
“You ever met a movie star?” Marley asked, leaning in.
Bea grinned, took a long drag of the pineapple-flavored rum through her straw, and said, “Who do you want to know about?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Austin was barely listening to the conversation among Tucker, Arlo, and Drew. He was too conscious of the five women in the booth behind him, laughing and drinking and having a good time. Well, just the one woman, really. Every time he glanced over, she was smiling and animated, and she’d taken off her fleece jacket, revealing a snug-fitting black top, and she was so relaxed and happy compared to the woman she’d been that first day he’d met her, he just wanted to be over there soaking up her aura.
Of course, had she suggested going back to her place so he could lick melted cheese off her body, he would have been up for that as well. Apparently, you could also melt chocolate in a fondue pot—he’d googled it. God…if his mother only knew the deviant thoughts he was having about that fondue pot, she might not have been so enthusiastic about giving it away.
“And then,” Arlo said, “we heard reports over the radio that the perps were heading out to the Cooper ranch to steal all their bulls and burn down their barn.”
Tucker tsked. “Did you try and stop them?”
“I said they should just go on ahead and do it, not my place. They’re probably still out there now, ransacking things.”
Drew shook his head as he surveyed Austin, then glanced at his friends. “Nuthin’.”
“Earth to Cooper.” Arlo snapped his fingers in front of Austin’s face. “Come in, Cooper.”
Austin blinked as he came back to the conversation to find all three men staring at him. With bemused expressions. “Sorry, I was miles away.”
Tucker laughed. “Yeah…’bout point zero zero zero zero one of a mile.” He tipped his head in Beatrice’s direction.
“You think you got a chance with her, Junior?” Arlo asked.
Arlo had known Austin all his life and had taken great pleasure in calling him junior the second he’d walked through the door in his uniform. Not when they were on official police business—then it was usually just Cooper—but when they were socializing, absolutely. Until Beatrice had arrived, Austin had found it kind of amusing.
Now it was just plain irritating.
“No comment.” He might not have Arlo’s years of experience with women, but even he knew they didn’t take guys speculating about them like this very kindly.
Tucker patted him on the shoulder. “Atta boy, good answer. But if you need some tips for your first time, you know you can talk to us, right?”
“I can even slip you some condoms,” Drew offered.
Austin grinned at their good-natured teasing. “But, Mr. Carmichael, my momma told me I should save myself for my wedding night.”
The guys laughed. “Seriously, though,” Tucker said, “you don’t think you’re punching above your weight there?”
There wasn’t one atom in Austin’s body that didn’t think he was punching above his weight. Beatrice was wonderful, and he’d thought that when she’d had scary hair and was dripping ice cream everywhere as she gave him a hard time. But she’d sat here holding her own with three other good-looking guys and hadn’t shown the slightest interest in any of them.
Austin had been worried initially that she might. That she’d be charmed by three men closer to her age than he was, being all howdy ma’am. Hell, Drew, that bastard, had even flirted with her. But it had been him—Austin—who she’d looked to and smiled at. It had been his thigh she’d pressed along. The movement had only been slight, but he was sure it had been deliberate.
