She looked at her legs, seeing every imperfection. Too thick. Too pale. Too short. Too—
“Oh! Would you shut up!” she grouched to herself. “They already know what you look like nekkid!”
“You say something, darlin’?” Chris asked through the bedroom door.
“No, honey, just talking to myself. I’ll be right out.”
“Can’t wait,” he called as he continued down the hallway.
She wondered at why she was feeling so self-conscious and decided that Julián had bought the Western minidress, and the drop-dead-gorgeous boots that she’d coveted for weeks, and she was wearing them on their date that night.
Julián and Chris had convinced her that she could afford to take a night off now and then. When she wasn’t working on the ranch, she stayed busy with Tutti. It kept her mind off of being alone on Wilbur’s ranch during the day, wondering if that asshole, Hatch Dunlap, was nearby or watching her from the property next door.
She hadn’t seen him in town and he hadn’t paid another visit since the first one and she wanted to keep it that way. When the men weren’t nearby, she carried her revolver on her at all times. Not because she was paranoid but because she’d seen human nature run its course on several occasions and it paid to be prudent.
She’d visited the hospital a few days before to see Rosemary and admire little Thomas Daniel Garner. She’d also wanted to thank Rosemary. Julián had told her that Rosemary had set him up with everything Gwen needed for their date on Valentine’s night, plus given him a suggestion about visiting Discretion for undergarments. Between the three of them, Julián, Rosemary, and Summer Webster had Gwen decked out.
Giving one last look at the black, white, and turquoise paisley print dress and the knee-high boots that shimmered in the lamplight, Gwen smiled. Sometimes she was just too hard on herself. She looked better than just presentable. After straightening the waistband on her thong, she winked at herself and opened the door.
If I can face an arena full of screaming rodeo fans, on horseback with a timer going and competitors breathing down my neck, I can go out in public in a dress, for crying out loud!
Julián’s jaw dropped and a big smile spread across his face as she made her appearance at the bottom of the staircase.
Chris was the first to speak. “Rowr! Bow-chicka-wow-wow, darlin’!”
“You like it?” she asked as she gave them a slow turn at Chris’s urging.
Chris replied, “Like? Oh yeah. We need to get you to The Pony before I forget we have a date and just take you back upstairs. Wait—” Chris added as he squinted at her. She wondered if he needed glasses and made a mental note to ask him later.
“What?”
“Julián said there are fancy undies with this outfit. Can I see?”
Gwen wanted to burst out laughing because he looked ready to let his tongue hang out. Oh, how I love you! Then she had another thought.
“Just a tiny peek. Good things come to those who wait, cowboy.” She hooked the hem of her dress with her index finger and slowly lifted it, gathering the hem in her hand so that she didn’t reveal more than a tiny peek at the sparkly black-and-white print waistband of her thong.
“Damn,” he growled.
“Disappointed?” she asked, turning as she lowered the hem so that he’d catch just a hint of her left butt cheek.
“No, you’re damned sexy. That’s a thong, isn’t it?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out later, cowboy.”
Chris turned to Julián as though expecting him to share the information, and Julián shrugged. “As the lady says. I can tell you it’ll be worth the wait. That’s not the only sexy thing on underneath there.”
“We need to get out of here before I throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to bed.”
“Let’s get going so we can pick Gwen’s truck up first,” Julián said as they escorted her to the doorway. She’d taken her truck into divine earlier in the day to have new tires put on it. She’d need them for her months on the road, and her horse training fees from Tutti would easily cover the cost.
The sky looked darker than normal with the impending storm forecasted for that evening, and the scent of rain was in the air. At Torvel’s Tire Center, Chris commented on the state of her cracked upholstery and threatened to have it redone for her before he offered to drive the old truck so she didn’t take a chance on snagging her pretty new dress.
“You should ride with Julián.”
“You two spoil me. I can drive my truck. I’ll follow you,” she offered, like she didn’t know the way to The Pony, as she gently took her keys from his big hand. “You’re a sweetheart, baby, but you know I like to do things for myself.”