“Yup, she needs that,” Sully said with a chuckle.
“True,” Charley said and laughed. Cash had her size in stock, and Charley, smiling happily, said they fit perfectly. “What do you think, Sully?”
Bringing his eyes from her feet up her legs, to her flat stomach, and over her full breasts to her feminine shoulders, and stopping when her blue eyes captured his, Sully said, “Beautiful.”
“Perfect,” Cash said. “Wrap ’em up or are you gonna wear ’em?”
“I’ll wear them. We’re going skeet shooting,” Charley said. As Sully pulled a money clip out of his pocket, she quickly asked, “How much are they, Cash?”
Cash didn’t answer but had noticed Sully take out his money. He nodded for Sully to follow him to the back counter to the cash register. Sully knew when Cash told him the price, it was one hell of a deal and was about to argue.
Cash held up a hand and said, “First-time family purchase sells for cost.”
“Cash, no, you don’t have to do that,” Charley protested, walking toward them.
“Already done,” Cash said as he gave Sully back the change due to him. “We can’t have you falling off—” He looked at Sully and asked, “Who’s she riding? Rain?”
“Yup, Rain,” Sully said as Cash placed Charley’s tennis shoes into the boot box and then into a bag. “Rain was bitten by a small prairie rattler the other day, but she didn’t have much reaction and is doing well.”
“Time of the year when snakes are looking for one last meal before they hibernate,” Cash commented, rounding the counter. Handing the bag to Sully, Cash looked at Charley’s boots and said, “You’re gonna be a cowgirl before you know it.”
“I hope so,” Charley said and hugged Cash. “Thank you, cousin.” Turning to Sully, she slipped her dainty hand into his and said, “Thank you, Sully.”
They spoke for a few minutes and then more customers bustled through the door. Sully also thanked Cash and theyshook hands before he and Charley walked across the store to leave.
“See you at Chloe and Derek’s on Halloween,” Cash called as they reached the door.
“We’ll be there,” Sully replied. “Got my costume.”
“What are you going to be?” Charley asked him again outside the store.
“Your date.”
“So you’ve said.” She laughed as they walked to the horses. “How can that be your costume?”
“Because,” he said with a laugh, and using the handle of her bag, draped it over the pommel of Storm’s saddle. “You’re a full-time job.”
“You take that back!” she snapped with a grin as she untethered Rain.
Leading Storm and walking toward her, Sully said, “You’re a handful.”
“So are you,” Charley said. Sully stopped in front of her, and when he bent his head to kiss her, with a quick glance left and right, Charley covertly cupped her hands to the soft bulge in the crotch of his jeans. “Mmm.”
Teasing her, he said, “Charley!” And then, with a groan, he pushed against her hands.
“Wanna flirt at my house before we catch up with the skeet shooters?”
“Hell, yes. Forget the skeet shooters. Randy has them under control.” With a grin, he took hold of her and turned her toward Rain. “Saddle up, cowgirl.” He gave her a boost, and she was up on Rain. He mounted Storm, and with a wink at Charley, he said, “Let’s go flirt.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Happy Halloween,” Charley whispered into the mirror in the master bath at Sully’s house.
Charley had been with Sully at her cabin or his house for three and a half weeks. He wouldn’t hear of her paying him back for the gun or boots. In turn, she made good on her plan to surprise him with a delivery of Rocky Mountain Columbines and a few of her favorite plants for his store. She’d cooked for him, and he’d grilled steaks as promised. They played in his jacuzzi, made love at her cabin as well as his house, had ridden in his Jeep with the top and doors off, and become inseparable. Every time they were at his gun club, he’d given her target practice lessons and she had helped with his customers. Sully claimed that not only was she a naturally great salesperson, but the male customers were all charmed by her and therefore bought his most expensive weapons and doubled their needed ammunition.
This morning, she and Sully had ridden out with Randy, who, like Roy, owned his own horse, and a group of four skeet shooters. She had marveled at how professional Sully was with the two men and two women in explaining the technique of skeet shooting. Randy had launched several clay targets from a targetthrower, and using a 12-gauge shotgun, Sully demonstrated his skill by hitting every single target. He was friendly, encouraging, and patient as he gave final instructions to the foursome before they tried to follow in his footsteps. Once again, Randy had sent clay targets flying into the sky, and over the next hour, a few targets were hit.
With Sully and Randy and the guests urging her on, Charley had given it a try. After missing three clay targets, the last one exploded in the air, and everyone clapped. A good time was had by all. Randy had escorted the guests back to the Custis stables as Sully took Charley on a side trip to a stream that ran across Triple C Ranch-South and floated lazily through his ranch. She’d packed their lunches, and they’d eaten deli sandwiches and potato chips while sitting on a boulder near the water.
