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“Hell, Charlie. Any redneck can wrestle a cow. Put me in a room with computers and the kind of work you do, and I’d look like a trapped bear.”
A wide smile spread slowly over her face. “I admit, I can’t imagine you dressed in creased pants and sitting at a computer.”
“Aw, shit, darlin’. Nobody can. That’s why I’ll never be anything but a dirty cowboy.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” she purred. “Hard work is a beautiful thing, Walker Pearce. It really is.”
“Jesus, Charlie,” he said, huffing out a shocked laugh.
“Go on and take your shower. Get cleaned up and maybe I’ll take pity on you and bring you a beer later.”
“Ha. I’ll be sure not to still be in a towel, then.”
“Don’t get all dressed up on my account.” With that, she sauntered off toward the saloon, her ass a sweet, swinging demand for attention.
Suddenly, Walker wasn’t half so tired. In fact, he felt like a man who’d just gotten home from a two-week vacation. Or so he assumed. He’d never had more than a few days off at a time, but one thing he’d learned was how to jam a hell of a lot of good time into a quick moment. Maybe he could put that skill to use tonight.
He forgot all about his muddy truck and headed inside.
CHAPTER SIX
THIS DEFINITELY WASN’T the Charlie he’d known in high school. That Charlie had been comfortable and low-key and studious. This Charlie was sitting on a man’s lap at the bar, leading the whole damn room in a sing-along of “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places.”
Walker shook his head in shock, but he was smiling when he headed toward the bar. He tipped his hat when she looked up.
“Oh, my God! Walker!” She hopped off the stranger’s lap and hurried over to hug Walker. He couldn’t say he minded. “I thought you were too tired to come down?”
“I decided I didn’t want to miss the fun.”
“We’re just getting started.”
He raised an eyebrow. “This is you just getting started?”
“Oh, sure. I’ve got hours of fun left in me, Walker. I could go all night.”
Yeah, she was definitely doing this on purpose. And now that he was clean and scrubbed, he could lean as close as he wanted. “When did you turn into such a flirt, Ms. Allington?”
“I’ve always been a flirt.”
“Liar. You never flirted with me. I would’ve noticed.”
S
he threw back her head and laughed, drawing his gaze to the long curve of her neck. “You wouldn’t have noticed in a million years, Walker.”
“I would have. You smart girls didn’t flirt with me, so it would have been memorable.”
“I guess we were too smart to get pulled into trouble with boys like you.”
“Exactly. So what happened?”
Her hand curled around his arm as she edged close enough to speak into his ear. “Now we’re smart enough to know exactly the kind of trouble we want.”
He couldn’t sleep with her. He couldn’t. And she was just flirting anyway. It meant nothing more to her than sitting on that other guy’s lap had. But, God, his heartbeat picked up at the thought. Charlie. Sweet, smart Charlie, filling his head with images of sex. It was wrong. And more than a little intimidating.
She was way smarter than he was. Always had been and always would be. She’d been a great tutor, but his skin still prickled in fear at the memory of having to write in front of her, concentrating so hard at shaping the letters the right way and spelling everything correctly. Damn embarrassing that the only girl he’d had to do schoolwork in front of had also been the smartest girl he’d known.
He’d hated every moment of it, but her kindness had made it easier to make a fool of himself in front of her.
