Country Courtship (The Texas Two-Step Series, Book 2) (3 page)

And speaking of manly men—at that moment a good-looking cowboy stormed into her kitchen, evidently in some sort of argument on his cell phone, judging by the loud grunts and noises he made on this end.

She could hear a lot of the other end of the conversation, too, which said a lot about the decibel level of the shouting there. The words louse and stud fees stood out as among the few that should have been repeated in mixed company.

She took a cautious peek through her bangs, but didn't recognize him. That was strange. After she'd dated a guy who'd turned to pestering her family when she broke up with him, it was unusual to find any unattended stranger at the Palmoral estate. But if it were going to happen, Independence Day would be the day. It was an especially important holiday to her family, even though they had such strong ties to the tiny European monarchy Valrovia.

The event was huge, with all the Palmers, of course, and all of Kelli's American aunts and uncles, along with their families. If that weren't enough, everyone was encouraged to drag in any friends they could lasso for the barbecue and a massive fireworks show that any city would be proud to host.

Kelli's mother, Elizabeth of Valrovia, was a royal princess. Kelli's father, Clark Palmer, had been a smitten billionaire playboy. Both were hounded by the media, so the family had been forced to be more careful about who was allowed past the estate's gate. Still, the guest list hit two hundred for Independence Day.

But security was tight enough that the cowboy had to have been especially invited by a family member. She wondered who.

She could tell he was the Real Deal. The cut of his jeans, the wear and tear on his boots and his bowlegged walk all said he was a working cowboy.

Although his clothing was clean, a pleasant cattle and horse aroma wafted her way. His fingers were weathered and callused. This was a man who worked with his hands and toiled long and hard in the fields. His dark hair sported streaks of blond from extended hours outside in the sun.

His lively green eyes were checking her out as thoroughly as she was looking him over.

Kelli quickly lowered her gaze to the deviled eggs she was working on and hoped he couldn't see the faint blush climbing her neck.

She grabbed a fork, preparing to stuff the egg whites. A masculine hand grazed the top of her palm.

She gasped.

"Whoa," said Bobby Gray. His entire frame jolted at the contact with her hand. Every nerve ending in his body stood at attention. Amazingly, it was a lot like the feeling he got when he climbed on a bull and waited for the gate to be released—an adrenalin rush sending his stomach plummeting.

He had reached out to her intending to ask her to tell his dang-blasted brother that Bobby Gray was at the estate, not at home and not within quick driving distance, either.

He hadn't expected this reaction to her—a feeling he didn't know how to describe in words other than dizzying. There was something about her expressive wide eyes and smile, each setting off the most appealing nose he'd ever seen on a woman.

She wasn't caked in makeup and layers of hair lacquer like most of the women he met—she was naturally pretty. She was also covered in Miracle Whip, but that didn't dampen his immediate awareness of her femininity. A basic yin yang, he=man and she=woman.

There was a lot more to her than a guy would first expect.

Either that or her deviled egg recipe contained pheromones.

"Are you there, Bro?" Monty Joe's voice came loudly from the cell phone.

"Hang on," Bobby Gray said into the phone as he realized he was still clutching the pretty girl's hand. He turned to her, summoning up what he hoped was a whole truckload of charm. At least, the 150 watt smile he turned on her was his best weapon for convincing women to do what he wanted—most of the time.

Even fierce Mrs. "Stone" Wall back in fourth grade had let him off the hook after he'd set the class guinea pig free. Surely one gorgeous blonde wasn't proof against it. "Hey, I'm Bobby Gray."

"Kelli Palmer," she replied, concentrating on her eggs and missing out on his smile.

Drat. This was harder than he'd expected.

She'd said her name was Palmer. Palmer? "Another sister in the Palmer dynasty?"

She shook off his hand. "Second oldest."

"I thought Barbara was second oldest."

"No."

"Your name's Kelli?"

"Dr. Kelli Palmer."

"MD?"

"Vet."

Her attitude was so formal, he couldn't resist teasing her a little. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Princess."

Her shoulders stiffened and he liked the way she got all huffy. "I work too hard to be labeled as someone who lies around in a tiara and feathers."

He fought back a grin because she might misinterpret it. "You're pretty enough to be."

She rolled her eyes, but she didn't walk away—a very good sign.

"What are you making?"

"Deviled eggs."

"One of my favorite foods." He pointed to the jar on the counter. "Especially when made with Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise. You don't add celery to it, do you?"

"Nope. Just a little celery seed." She offered him a spoonful of the mixture for him to try.

"Perfect. You're a woman after my own heart." All the while they talked—or as Bobby Gray preferred to think of it, sweet-talked—Monty Joe's hollering could be heard from the cell phone speaker. Now that Kelli was looking at Bobby Gray, it was time to turn on the smile again. Amy Llewellyn had once told him this particular smile of his had made her forget she didn't like him.

Again, fourth grade.

It had been a few years since then, but he didn't think he'd lost his touch. He grinned at Kelli, who had long-lashed brown eyes and a high-wattage smile of her own. Hmmm. "Don't suppose you'd do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor." She frowned and then added, "Say, you aren't the rodeo star, are you?"

She must have recognized the smile. He grinned, showing his teeth. Dealing with women could be very much like dangling candy in front of children. "You could say that."

"I've always been a big fan of your brother."

"Monty Joe?" A twinge of jealousy jabbed Bobby Gray's innards. "Yeah, everyone thinks he's great."

"Well, he's good." She paused thoughtfully, then added, "but I always thought you were better at hanging onto your bronco."

A combination of surprise and pride washed over Bobby Gray. He couldn't believe how bashful he felt, but he finally managed to mutter, "Thanks."

The noise spewing from the cell phone got through to him again, so he lowered the hand holding it and pushed the microphone against his jeans so his brother couldn't overhear. "My brother's a bit," he paused to choose the right word, "
miffed
with me right now."

"Why's that?"

"I paid a goodly amount for a stud fee to breed his mare without his say so."

"How much?"

He cleared his throat, then muttered, "Thirty thousand."

"Dollars?"

He nodded.

"I can see why that might
miff
him."

"It's chicken feed to him. He's just cheap."

"And you're not?"

He placed his palm over his heart. "You wound me."

"I'll be happy to do you a favor—if you'll do one for me."

"What's your favor?"

"Isn't that where we started? You tell me your favor and I'll tell you mine." She batted her come-hither lashes at him and he wondered whether
he
was being
had
rather than vice versa. Another hmmm.

He pointed at his cell phone. "Tell my brother where we are and that I don't have a car."

"Done. Hand me the phone," she said quickly.

Too quickly.

Her crinkled up nose reminded him of his mother's and how, when she was living, she'd crinkle her nose when she was putting one past him.

Bobby Gray narrowed his eyes at Kelli and held the phone suspended away from her. "What's your favor?"

"I'm looking for donors for my charity—North Texas Equestrian Rescue. I'll put you down."

He started to hand her the cell phone, but that enticing nose crinkled again. He could swear he saw a gleam of avarice in her eyes, too. "How much?"

"What?" she asked innocently, and he knew without a doubt that he'd most certainly been
had
by this slip of a girl whose waist was tinier than the circle made when he joined his hands together.

"Exactly how much
are
you putting me down for?"

"Ahh." She gnawed her lower lip and it made him itch to get in on the action.

"Yes?"

"You paid a huge stud fee and didn't so much as flinch."

He had difficulty concentrating on her words when her nose wriggled enchantingly. What was wrong with him? He needed a straight head to deal with her. Where was a bucket of cold water when he needed it? He turned on the faucet at the kitchen sink and dabbed his fingers on one hand into the running water. "How much?"

She named an amount as large as the stud fee.

"Wha—what?" he managed to choke out when he could stop sputtering. Maybe he should have dunked his entire head in the sink.

"The horses really need it. You're the answer to lots of prayers. You're so successful and a great visionary. We could really use a guy like you during your spare t—"

He placed two fingers over her lips to stop her from further sucking up. He sighed. This was going to be the most expensive phone call he'd ever experienced, but he couldn't turn down the owner of those deep brown eyes shining at him like he was some knight.

Besides, he had to stop her before she asked for more than merely cash. She didn't know that, although he was worth millions, he was only a cowboy and pretty worthless otherwise.

It also occurred to him that she was an answer to an unspoken prayer. He needed a second favor. One that would get him out of trouble with his brother and make sure the Nelson Ranch would remain financially stable for his lifetime and the lifetimes of generations to come.

Many people thought as far ahead as their next meal or rent payment. But none of the Nelsons were like that. Each felt responsible for seeing to it that the Nelson Ranch prospered, if not through eternity, at least for as long as possible. They owed it to their parents and their legacy.

Bobby Gray was no exception. Looking out for his future grandkids and great-grandkids was as important to him as looking after his own personal interests.

What doesn't grow often dies, so the Nelsons wanted to expand their holdings. They needed millions for the grand scale they planned. While Monty Joe wanted to expand only what they were already doing, which Bobby Gray agreed they needed, he also had great plans for diversifying—and it wouldn't take millions for that.

Kelli Palmer could definitely help.

Running the toe of one boot over the top of the other, he said, "Fine. I sure enjoy being an answer to your prayers—"

She threw her arms around him, somehow smearing him with deviled-egg goop in the process. Somehow he didn't mind in the least.

The posh date he needed for the big upcoming dinner with the Nelson Ranch banker would soon be in the bag. Monty Joe would quickly forget both the stud fee and the charitable donation if Bobby Gray managed to snag the daughter of a royal princess as his dinner date that night. The banker, Ed Juarez, was bonkers over anything to do with royalty. Bobby Gray mentally chalked one up for himself.

And Kelli felt just about perfect in his arms.

Bobby Gray drew in a deep lung-f of her pure womanly scent and wanted to keep on inhaling, but Monty Joe started shouting again.

At the same instant, Bobby Gray's date for today, Lori, came in the kitchen. She took one look at Kelli in his arms. She emitted an ear-splitting wail, did an about face and hightailed it outta there.

Kelli, the most intriguing armful he'd ever held, pushed away from him and shouted, "It's not what you think, Lori."

She chased after her sister, yelling, "I didn't steal your boyfriend!"

Bull puppies! Just when things had gotten interesting.

And he still needed to make arrangements for their dinner date with his banker.

Bobby Gray pocketed his phone and dashed after both women.

Chapter 2