Page 9 of Jillaroo from Jacaranda

‘A girl after my own heart.’ He half-smirked and nodded.

As Ty turned towards the barman, she stepped back a little and before she’d had time to blink, women were herding to him like cattle to a barrel of a molasses. Typical buckle bunnies, all practiced smiles and long lashes fluttering. Ty acknowledged each of them with that same knee-buckling smile he’d flashed her, the very one that had made her agree to having a drink with him. She rolled her eyes as she swallowed a whole lot of expletives. She’d met enough professional bull riders to know their egos were usually as big as their need to conquer every buckle bunny they could get their hands on. Well, she wasn’t one of them.

Why had she agreed to have a drink with him? Just by being seen with the likes of him, she felt like she was betraying her true self. But she couldn’t back out now. One drink and she was going to be on her way, whether he liked it or not.

Ty turned back to her, a drink in each hand. He held them high as he pushed through a few of the admiring women. It felt good, in a devilish kind of way, that they were jealous he’d turned his back on them. She had to silently admit, although it wasn’t one of her greatest choices, after being royally rejected by Finley, it felt good to be fancied, even by this blow-in cowboy. Which prompted a thought – was Finley making sure the grass wasn’t greener in his neighbouring paddocks? Her stomach and heart squeezed painfully with the thought.

‘Here you go.’ He passed her a drink.

‘Thank you, Ty.’ Some drunken idiot bumped into her and half her drink sloshed over the glass before she’d even had a chance to have a sip.

‘Oi, buddy.’ His deep voice echoing, Ty put his hand out to stop the bloke repeating his stumble. ‘Watch it, hey?’

Holding his hands up, the guy grinned lopsidedly before grimacing and apologising profusely then stumbling onto the dance floor.

‘Here, let me have that one.’ Before she could stop him, Ty reached out, took her glass and replaced it with his full one. ‘Cheers to winning.’

Her eyes meeting with the burliness of Ty’s chest, Rose felt tiny beside him. She raised her glass and clinked it against his. ‘Cheers to that.’ His size was oddly comforting, making her feel safe and protected. Not that she needed protecting. She was a big girl, and didn’t need a man to save her, but still.

He pointed to a quieter part of the rowdy pub. ‘How about we go and grab a seat over thatta way?’

‘Sounds like a plan.’ She followed him to the dimly lit corner and they pulled up a seat each at a little round table.

Taking two coasters from the centre of the table, Ty plonked one in front of her, then himself. ‘So, Rose Jones, are you from around here?’ His bright gaze firmly remained locked on hers, never once wandering to the ample curves of her breasts beneath her button-up Ariat shirt. Like a deer in headlights, Rose took a second to respond – she’d never had such vibrant blue eyes homed in on her so intently. ‘Yeah, I’m a born and bred local.’

‘Nice.’ He took a sip from his drink, watching her over the rim of the glass. ‘What do you do for a quid?’

‘A few things,’ she said, wanting to pique his interest.

He sat forward a little. ‘Like what?’

‘I teach horse riding, I do a bit of jillarooing whenever I get the chance to, and I write handbooks for barrel-racing enthusiasts.’

‘Wow, bloody awesome, good on you.’ His voice reached her over the loud music. ‘Whereabouts do you teach riding?’

‘Well, I was teaching it here in Mareeba, at my fiancé’s property, but we broke up a few days ago and—’ Ty’s brows shot up and she stopped short. My god, what was she doing, talking so frankly with a virtual stranger? This wasn’t like her at all.

‘Sorry, just shocked me you were engaged, is all. Go on,’ he urged, setting an elbow on the table and leaning forward.

Admiring the tribal tattoo on his forearm, she gave him a wry smile and shrugged. ‘Nah, you don’t need to hear all my dramas.’

His mouth inched into a mischievous smile. ‘Maybe I want to.’

She made a sound like she was being strangled. ‘I doubt that.’

He regarded her with kind, compassionate eyes. ‘Try me.’

‘Yes, you are trying,’ she said playfully in a bid to lighten the mood.

‘Ha, good one.’ His laughter rumbled deep within his chest. ‘I like your dry humour, Miss Jones. It’s refreshing to meet a woman who can take life so lightly.’

She like the sound of his laughter, and the dark stubble on his jaw, way too much. ‘So, you’re trying and I’m refreshing. Great combo.’

‘Enough of the compliments, you’re going to give me an ego.’ Pulling a face, he laughed again and she couldn’t help but crack up with him. Rose realised it was the first time in over a month that she’d laughed out loud, and that said a lot for his company.

Their laughter subsiding, he held his empty glass up and gestured to hers with a tip of his head. ‘One more for the road?’

She almost said no, but she was enjoying herself too much to knock his offer back. ‘Yeah, go on then.’ She reached into her back pocket to grab some cash. ‘My shout this time, though.’