One Night With a Cowboy Read online

  “Not anywhere I want to teach.”

  “Becca. In this economy, can you really afford to be so picky?” Emma looked every inch the older sister as she reprimanded her.

  “What? Do you want me to have to move out of New York State and never see you?” She cocked a brow.

  Emma squinted at the page up on the screen. “The University of Chicago? Correct me if I’m wrong since I don’t have a doctorate or anything like you do, but last I checked Chicago was not in New York.”

  Becca scowled. “There was nothing around here. I had to geographically expand my search.”

  Emma narrowed her eyes and continued to look doubtful. “Fine, and what have you found in your newly expanded search? Anything?”

  “There’s one position available in Oklahoma, but that’s obviously not going to work.” She dismissed even the idea of it with a flick of her wrist.

  “Why not?” Emma frowned.

  “Oklahoma? Emma, be serious.” Becca had to laugh. Her, a New Yorker born and raised, in Oklahoma? The notion was absurd. She’d always lived just a train ride away from Manhattan. She needed culture, theater, museums, and world-class restaurants. Chicago. Philadelphia. Maybe she’d be all right in those places, but not in Oklahoma.

  The persistently judgmental expression on Emma’s face had Becca sighing. She moved her wineglass to the side and dragged the computer forward.

  “All right. See for yourself.” A few clicks of the mouse and the website for Oklahoma State University’s Stillwater campus popped up, including images of the school’s pride and joy, the OSU Cowboys football team. She angled the laptop toward her sister. “See?”

  “OSU. That’s a good school. Their football team did really well last year.”

  “I wouldn’t know.” She screwed up her face at the idea that last year’s college football team standings were even on Emma’s radar. Vassar didn’t have a football team. There the school sports were things like fencing and crew team, pretty much the polar opposite of OSU. To prove her point, she pointed to a link on the screen. “Click on the rodeo team link.”

  “Rodeo? Wow.” Emma leaned forward and looked far too excited.

  “Emma, seriously, what do you know about rodeo?” Hell, what did Becca know about rodeo? Nothing, that’s what, and she’d be fine if it stayed that way. “I’ve worked at Vassar. I can’t apply to a school with a rodeo team.”

  “Oh, who cares if there’s a rodeo team? It’s not as if they’re going to expect you to teach it, silly. The position is in the English department, right?” Emma cocked a brow.

  “Yes, and that brings me to the next issue. Take a look at the course list.”

  So far her sister hadn’t reacted at all as expected. Who would have guessed Emma cared about college football or rodeo? But she was confident the uninspired English curriculum would be the nail in the OSU coffin and get her sister off her back for not wanting to relocate to work there.

  Emma scrolled down the web page of English course listings and nodded. “Shakespeare. That’s one of your specialties, so that’s good.”

  “Fine, they have one Shakespeare course. Where’s the Chaucer? Where’s the literary interpretation of the great philosophers? Where are the Old English and the study of Beowulf in the original language? I based my thesis on the impact of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century writings on modern literature, and the only thing they offer is Shakespeare?”

  “Well, maybe they have a different focus there. There’s History of the American Film.” Emma glanced up. “That looks like fun. Maybe you could spin it to be how Chaucer has influenced modern films or something like that. I think that could be really interesting.”

  Becca, who’d made words her life and her career, had no more for her sister at the moment. All she could do was shake her head.

  “I’ll be back.” She stood and, rather than say something she might regret, headed for the bathroom.

  “I really think you should apply. Look. There’s even a link on the English department page to send in your résum é.” Emma’s voice followed her all the way down the hallway and to the other side of the condo.

  “No.” Becca shut the bathroom door with enough force it should leave no doubt in Emma’s mind she didn’t want to be disturbed.

  She’d find another position, eventually, and it wouldn’t be at a university that specialized in cowboys.

  The ringing of the phone interrupted Becca’s new favorite daytime talk show. She frowned at the number but didn’t recognize the area code. With a sigh and one eye on the recipe the show’s guest chef was in the middle of preparing, she hit the button to answer. “Hello?”

  “Dr. Hart?” An unfamiliar male voice came through the earpiece.

  “Speaking.” She employed her most scholarly phone voice.

  Just because she was unshowered and still in her pajamas at noon, enjoying what she’d always in the past thought of as crappy daytime television, didn’t mean she shouldn’t act professionally. No need to behave like an animal even if she didn’t know who the hell was calling her and interrupting what looked like a really good recipe she might need if she ever did decide to get dressed, go food shopping, and cook a decent meal for herself again.

  “This is Mark Ross. I’m associate dean for academic programs and head of the English department at OSU. I reviewed your résumé, and we’re very interested in meeting with you about the position.”

  “Uh, what?” Perhaps that response was a bit less professional than she would have liked as her brain spun trying to figure out how OSU had gotten hold of her résumé. Granted, she had polished off a bottle of wine with her sister the other night, but she hadn’t been nearly drunk enough to send her résumé and forget—

  Her sister.

  She stifled an angry growl. That had to be the explanation. Like pieces of a puzzle, things fell into place in her mind. She’d left Emma alone with her computer browser open to the OSU site when she’d gone to hide in the bathroom and pout. Her newly updated résumé document, clearly named as such, was saved right there on the desktop, and Emma had crazy good computer skills from her job in graphic design.

  That sneaky, little—

  “For the associate professor vacancy in our English department. . .” The man was trying to refresh her memory about the position he thought she’d applied for just days ago. The one, according to her reaction to his call, she’d already forgotten about. He must think she was an absolute dolt.

  “Oh, yes, of course. I’m so sorry. There was something distracting me here. Um, did you say associate professor?”

  “I did.”

  She hadn’t reached the associate level yet at Vassar before she’d . . . left. She refused to think the word fired, and let go wasn’t much better. But OSU wanted to hire someone at the associate level and they were interested in her? She hated to admit it, but that grabbed her interest. “And you want to talk to me about the position?”

  “Yes. We’d love to meet with you in person, if it’s possible.”

  “In Oklahoma?” That had come out sounding a bit disparaging. She hoped he hadn’t noticed.

  “Yes. I do realize you’re in New York, but I can assure you, we’d only request a live interview with a candidate we’re extremely interested in. I certainly wouldn’t make you travel all the way here otherwise. Your education and work experience are very impressive.”

  Hmm, the flattery didn’t hurt. Neither did the fact her savings account and the extension on her health benefits were both going to run out if she didn’t find a new position soon. What the hell. How much could it cost to fly to Oklahoma in the middle of the summer anyway? It definitely wasn’t the vacation capital of the world.

  “Okay. I’d be happy to meet with you, Dean Ross.”

  “Would a week from Monday be too soon? Say, eleven o’clock?”

  “No, I think that should be fine.” It wasn’t like she had anything else to do.

  “Wonderful. I’ll e-mail you the details.”

&n
bsp; “Thank you, sir. See you a week from Monday.” Her thoughts a whirlwind, Becca disconnected the call and immediately dialed her sister’s number.

  When Emma answered, Becca pocketed her excitement and dragged her annoyance back to the surface. “Emma Madison Hart, what did you do?”

  “Um. I’m not sure. What do you think I did?”

  She could imagine the guilty look on Emma’s face. She flashed back to when they were children and Emma was in trouble for something or another, only this time Becca was in the disciplinarian mother role rather than being the giggling sibling enjoying her older sister’s troubles.

  She let out a huff of frustration and realized why their mother had so often done the same. “Did you submit my résumé to OSU?”

  “Um, yeah, I kinda did. Can I blame it on the wine? Wait, how did you know I sent them your résumé? Oh, my God, did they call you?”

  “Yes, they called me. Imagine my confusion since I never applied there.” The volume of her voice rose.

  “Okay, I get it. You’re mad, but what did they say? Did they offer you the job?” Emma’s excitement was beginning to infect Becca, just as she was trying to stay mad at her sister for interfering.

  “No, but he said they’re very interested and they want a live interview.” She’d tried to keep the stern tone in her voice, but it was difficult. The news still sounded good.

  “I knew it!”

  “Stop acting like you did something wonderful.” She scowled. “You did a very bad thing, Emma.”

  “You’ll get over it. So when’s the interview?”

  She wanted Emma to see what she’d done was wrong, but it was just too hard trying right now, so she gave up. Becca couldn’t undo Emma’s years of practice in sisterly meddling with a single lecture anyway. “A week from Monday.”

  “Yay! I’m so happy for you.”

  “Oh, don’t get too excited, and get out your credit card, because if I have to fly to Oklahoma to interview for a job I didn’t apply for, then you’re coming with me.”

  “Fine. Gladly. I’ve always wanted to see Oklahoma. What day do we fly out?”

  She sighed, not believing for one minute her sister’s secret lifelong dream had been to see Oklahoma. “I don’t know. How long does it take to fly there? The interview is at eleven o’clock.”

  Through the phone, she heard the distinct sound of fingers tapping the keys on a computer. Emma was probably already looking up flights. She shook her head. She’d never meant for Emma to enjoy her punishment for meddling.

  “It’s good it’s at least ten days in advance, so the cost of the flights is still reasonable.” Emma proved she was doing exactly as Becca predicted she would. “We can fly in on Sunday and get a hotel room. That way you can get settled and see the town before your interview.”

  “A hotel room?” She groaned. This was sounding more expensive by the minute.

  “Of course, silly. We can’t fly in and out in the same day. I’ll pay for the room as an early congratulations gift for the new job. I’m sure you’re going to get it.”

  “Fine. We’ll stay overnight.” She rolled her eyes. Inviting Emma had been a bad idea, but at least she was paying for the room.

  “Oh. My. God.” Since that exclamation had been delivered in Emma’s excited voice, rather than her more ominous uh-oh tone, Becca wasn’t too concerned, but she still had to wonder what else could possibly be sprung on her today.

  “Now what?” She drew in a deep breath and braced herself for whatever her sister might reveal.

  “There’s a rodeo the night we arrive.” Emma practically squealed the news.

  “A rodeo?” Becca laughed. “How do you know?”

  “It’s on the website for the hotel. There’s a listing of local events. It says there’ll be over one hundred vendors there selling food and all sorts of Western stuff. Belts. Purses. Boots. Purses made out of boots. And the tickets are only ten dollars. That’s crazy. We are so going to this.”

  “Emma, you’re the one that’s crazy. We’re not going to a rodeo.” She realized she was frowning even harder than before. If she continued talking to Emma much longer, she’d need Botox to fight the wrinkles her sister was giving her.

  “Too late. I just ordered the tickets. We’re going, and you’re going to have a great time. Besides, you can’t interview for a job without experiencing some of the local culture first.”

  “Culture. Mmm, hmm. Sure.” She let out a derogatory snort.

  “Yes, culture. Cowboy culture. Cowboys have a long and illustrious history, you know. Mmm, mmm. I can’t wait to get there and see some up close and in person. Make sure you pack your jeans. Ooh, do you still have those cowboy boots you bought a few years ago?”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure. I only wore them once.” Becca shook her head at the ridiculousness of this all. She should be planning what to wear to her job interview, not worrying about what to wear to this rodeo she didn’t want to go to in the first place.

  “Well, go look. Then right after I’m done with work, I’ll come over and we’ll plan your rodeo outfit.”

  Some forces of nature were impossible to fight. Emma on a quest was clearly one of them. Defeated, Becca sank back into the cushions of the sofa with a sigh. “Fine. See you later.”

  Chapter Three

  “Hey, Tuck. Check out those two blondes walking in.”

  Tucker Jenkins grunted as Jace’s elbow hit the exact spot on his rib cage where Son of a Gun had stomped on him last night. The bull’s hoof had only glanced off his safety vest or Tuck probably would be warming a hospital bed with a collapsed lung tonight rather than riding, but that didn’t mean the bruised ribs didn’t hurt like a son of a bitch. He sure as hell didn’t need his friend poking him, and over two buckle bunnies no less.

  Without bothering to check out the most likely overly endowed women Jace was so excited about, Tuck turned toward him. “What’s with you and the bimbos lately? Ever since you and Jacqueline broke up, you’re like a dog in heat. I swear.”

  “That was mean and uncalled for, but I’ll forgive you since going without female companionship for as long as you have tends to make a man ornery. I can only imagine you must be getting pretty tired of only having sex with the four sisters on Thumb Street.” Jace’s sandy-colored brows drew low beneath the brim of his black cowboy hat. “And the girls I was looking at are not bimbos, thank you very much. These two happen to be classy.”

  Ignoring Jace’s jab about his only pleasure coming from his own hand for far too long, Tuck decided to focus on Jace’s taste in women instead. “Classy? Ha! I doubt that. You don’t generally go for the high-class type.”

  “I could. For these two chicks anyway.” The sound of Jace’s voice rose and took on a defensive tone.

  With a huff of defeat Tuck gave in and finally turned toward the entrance. Who the hell could these girls be that his friend thought they were such a big deal it warranted such an overly long conversation?

  He didn’t need Jace to point out the newest objects of his attention. There were only two blondes in the immediate area worthy of all this discussion, and they happened to be walking in his direction. The two looked so much alike, they had to be sisters. That fact, back in his younger years, might have held really intriguing possibilities of the sexual nature for Tuck. He’d had an unfulfilled sister fantasy since high school, when the Gibson sisters had shunned him and most of the other guys in their class in favor of the star players on the football team. He’d filled quite a few nights of his misspent youth dreaming about both of the Gibson girls, and thanks to the obsession they’d fueled, he’d also enjoyed a threesome a time or two while on the road competing.

  However, those types of exploits and those single days—before the U.S. Army and a divorce had aged him beyond his years—were long past. Still, he was only thirty, not dead. He could appreciate the sight of a tempting female or two. He had to admit the one blonde, the woman looking like she’d be more at home on Rodeo Drive than at a rod
eo, sure captured his attention.

  Tuck knocked his cowboy hat back a bit and took a better look at the rear view as she turned and began to climb the stairs leading to the upper level seating of the arena. Dressed in black from the leather of her boots, to the enticingly tight denim of her jeans, to the low-cut but tasteful blouse, she definitely stuck out from the rest of the colorful crowd.

  He saw the minute she noticed him watching her. She’d just turned to walk along the upper level. Her gaze met his, and she literally stumbled in her shiny, high-heeled, city-girl cowboy boots. She had to reach out and grab on to the arm of the blond woman walking next to her. Interesting. Apparently, he’d caught her eye just as she’d captured his. It was nice when things worked out. She continued to glance at him and then drag her gaze away, only to peek again a second later.

  Feelings Tuck hadn’t let himself own up to in a long time started to heat him. They began somewhere deep inside his core and radiated outward, filling him with warmth and anticipation. Jace was right. Tuck had been too long without a steady woman warming his bed. He hadn’t let anyone inside his world, either for a night or for the long run, since that string of rebound flings he’d indulged in right after the breakup to try to forget his cheating ex-wife.

  In his head Tuck knew one bad apple didn’t spoil the whole barrel, and a woman who would run around on her husband while he was deployed in service to his country was surely the lowest of the low, but it was taking a while for the rest of him to believe it enough to take a risk on getting close to anyone again.

  A twisting low in his gut accompanied by a familiar stirring in the region just below his championship belt buckle made Tuck decide he might be willing to explore things further with this girl. Not that it mattered much if he might be ready for something more involved than a quick tumble, because from the looks of this woman, she wasn’t local. This area wasn’t exactly a tourist destination, and she had just passing through written all over her. He doubted she’d be around long enough for him to get attached or hurt.