Turn and Burn (Blacktop Cowboys 5)

“Never.” He rubbed his whiskered cheek across hers on the way to whisper in her ear, “Why you still playing hard to get with me, Miss Tex-ass?”

“Because f**king me would ruin you for all other women since I’m so fantastic in the sack, and I think there’s a few ladies in the far reaches of Maine that haven’t sampled the love machine that is superstar Devin McClain.”

Devin threw back his head and laughed. “Have I mentioned how much I love that you bust my balls?”

“Even when they’re blue?”

“Even then. But I’ll admit that’s a rare day. It’s good to be me.” He gave her a smacking kiss on the mouth. Then his too-handsome face became serious. “How you really doin’?”

“I’ve got a job and a place to live for the summer.”

“Maybe I shoulda thought of hiding out at the Split Rock this summer. No one would think to look there.”

Strange comment. “Dev? What’s goin’ on?”

“Fame bullshit. I feel f**king stupid even saying that. Nothin’ major, just a few overzealous fans forcing me to be cautious. Which is why I’m happy to be here, covered in cow shit, hanging out with people who happily bust my balls.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “So after the branding work is done, let’s you and me put on some music, do a little two-steppin’ and get totally hammered.”

“In your dreams, superstar manwhore.”

He laughed again. “Let’s partner up for the next bunch of calves.”

Tanna smirked. “I’m assuming you’ll be on the ass end since you’re so good at chasin’ tail?”

“And I hear you’re an expert at giving head, so you got the front end, Miss Tex-ass,” he shot back.

Then Bran opened the gate, the calves rushed in and they got to work.

Chapter Four

Fletch showed up at Kyle and Celia’s in the early afternoon. They’d just branded the last calf and were running the pairs back into the pasture. So he hopped in Eli’s truck and rode along behind the guys on horseback and manning ATVs.

Several minutes passed when they didn’t speak. Finally Eli said, “Did I do something to piss you off that I ain’t aware of, cuz? You’re awful quiet.”

“Nope. It’s stupid but there’s something I can’t get out of my head.”

“Ah.” Eli shoved his sunglasses on top of his head. “Not it. So who is she?”

“I don’t know.” He gave Eli the lowdown, and his frustration on why this woman had gotten under his skin. After he finished speaking, he said, “So, got any sage advice?”

“Nope.”

That made him laugh. “That’s gotta be a first.” As the truck bounced through the pasture, Fletch wiggled to get comfortable. These regular-sized passenger cabs were torture for a big guy like him—his knees were smashed against the dash, his shoulders hit the wrong part of the bench seat and his head touched the roof of the cab.

He stared out of the dirty pickup window. He’d purposely shown up after the branding, vaccinating and castrating portion had ended. His friends wouldn’t razz him for appearing when the hard work was over. They understood that his profession as their veterinarian and their personal friendships straddled a fine line. So far none of his buddies had taken advantage of his good nature and expected his help without compensation. Hank and Abe, Bran and the Split Rock were decent-sized operations and Fletch depended on the income.

Not that he was getting rich. But he had been restless the past few months and had closed himself off from his friends. Cora blamed it on his lack of downtime for any length of time. His dad suggested he try one of those lateral career moves—going to work for someone else. Despite the demands of his grueling job, Fletch enjoyed his clients. He enjoyed the challenges of diagnosing and treating large animals, as much as he enjoyed the familiarity of performing the same procedures day after day.

But wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to share the burden with? At least professionally?

His married friends dropped hints that he should focus on his personal life and actively look for a woman to settle down with.

The Texas hottie from two nights ago popped back into the forefront of his thoughts—which provided all the proof he needed that he was nowhere near ready to settle down.

“You’re still awful quiet over there,” Eli commented.

“Sorry I’m not great company. Just wondering if I should’ve gone home after that last call instead of coming here.”

“Because of her? Your mystery woman?”

“Seeing all these happy couples makes me worry I’m starting to suffer burnout from one-night stands.”

Eli looked at him sharply. “You? Damn, Fletch, that scares me.”

“Me too. And being here makes me feel guilty about how far behind I am in helping Renner and Tobin with their potential commercial stock-breeding program.” Fletch ran a hand through his hair. “I need to devote at least a month to it—just on the research side.”

“You’re headed into a slower season with calving done. I heard Bran sayin’ he planned to turn the bulls out in the next two weeks.”

“Some of my clients already have.”

“So that gives you, what, two months before you start preg testing?”

“Yep. Even if I manage to take one full day off a week during the slower season, that’s not enough time. And I don’t want to be the one holding up the project—then I realize I already am and I probably need to back out. I freakin’ hate bein’ that guy who lets people down.”