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Eventually, the sting of Sierra’s abrupt exit from my life a second time would fade and I’d move on. I’d feel something again other than the loss of someone I didn’t actually know. I knew her body, sure. I saw her smile every time I shut my eyes. But someone else would catch my eye one day, and I’d take a new woman to bed who didn’t make me feel waking up without her was enough to shred me to pieces.
“I think I just need to get out more,” I said to myself. Keely mumbled something inaudible across the room but I wasn’t paying attention. That was exactly what I needed to do. I needed to get back out there, play the field. Be who I was before Sierra walked into my life and turned everything upside down.
“What is this?” I asked, wrinkling my nose as Jules, a newer bartender and pretty green on the taps, pursed her lips and went a little red in the cheeks. I sipped cautiously from the pink concoction she’d made. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t very good.
“It’s a vodka with watermelon juice and some other stuff.” Jules grinned. “The ladies really like it.”
“This isn’t known to be a ladies’ bar by any means.” Wes chuckled from across the bar as he set dishes out to dry.
There was a lull between the dinner rush and when the entire town seemed to descend upon my business. Wes and Jules were on the taps tonight, and it was Jules first time working a night shift.
Like Frankie, Jules was in her early twenties and just looking to make some cash this summer before she headed down to Bozeman to start what she called a “big girl job.” She was bright and bubbly, but also like Frank, annoying as hell.
Wes was the elder of the bartenders, older than me by twenty years. He was a retired truck driver and a damn good bartender. He was also good at breaking up fights, which was going to be necessary in the coming days.
“Fine,” I said, setting the drink down. “You can run a special on it.”
Jules beamed and looked over at Wes, who just shook his head.
“We have a large party coming in tonight,” I told them. I leaned against the bar, tapping my fingers on the surface. “A retirement party of the sheriff. The rodeo is in town as well, so prepare for a rough crowd mingling with cops.”
“Damn, and what’s the bad news?” Wes joked.
“It’ll just be you two tonight. Louis and Gus are helping with the rodeo and Frank isn’t feeling well.”
“I’m so excited!” Jules squealed.
“Don’t be,” I said, rolling my eyes from her to Wes, who smirked. “It’s going to be hell, Jules. You think you can handle it? I’ll be back around eight to help out—”
“You don’t gotta do that,” Wes said. “I have it handled.”
Jules skipped off to do whatever the hell she was doing right now and Wes closed in on me, leaning across the bar so we could speak privately.
“I won’t let her get into trouble.”
“I’m more worried about the patrons giving her a hard time. If anyone touches her, they’re out of here.”
“She needs to take some notes on how Frankie handles that kind of attention.”
“I know, but she’s young, naïve. She’ll do fine tonight but I know it’s going to get rowdy. I’d be here but I’m supposed to go up tothe Hallston Ranch for dinner again tonight. Keely’s twisting my arm.”
Wes gave me a half-cocked grin at the mention of Keely’s name. They’d met a few years back when Keely came to work for me for the summer. That was when her thing with George started to take off but I’d been kept in the dark about their relationship. I wasn’t happy when I found out. I’d been livid, actually. Furious enough to almost ruin my relationship with the both of them.
“We’ll be fine,” Wes continued just as Jules appeared with the chalkboard and chalk markers.
“What should I name my drink?” she asked us both.
“Terrible?” I offered.
“Ungodly sweet?”
“Neither of you are ever any help,” she pouted before pulling the lid off the marker with her teeth. Jules held my gaze as she did so, and I didn’t miss the pointed little flick of her tongue. Unlike Frankie, who was practically one of the guys and had no interest in me unless she was looking to harass me about something, Jules liked to flirt. At least she tried.
I exhaled and turned away from her, giving Wes a knowing look. Jules was going to be a problem tonight if she didn’t keep her head on straight around the cowboys who were coming into town for a drink after the rodeo.
I adjusted my weight against the bar and looked around. There were a few patrons sitting at the round tables finishing their late dinners. It was a quiet, rainy night, and the sun had just started to set.
“I gotta go,” I said, and moved from the bar back to my office to gather up my things before I headed up to Grant’s house. I took my time, finished up a few things, then packed up and slipped my phone in my pocket. When I came out of the office, the bar was starting to pick up a bit, and people were mingling around the curved, wooden bar while Wes and Jules served drinks and buckets of fries.
