Miss Firecracker Read Free Page B

unfreeze until Blake disappeared. Then she sagged against the barstool.
    Holy moly. She’d wondered if she’d imagined Mr. Hottie Bartender’s attraction to her.
    Apparently not.
    Blake was the first man she’d been attracted to in a long time—even before her forced abstinence during her reign as Miss Firecracker. She had no clue what to do about the attraction. Men like him didn’t usually give her the time of day, let alone the I-wanna-lick-you-up-one-side-and-down-the-other sexy stare.
    Forget about it .
    Grabbing the bottle of disinfectant spray, she blanked her mind to everything but scrubbing the scum from the tables, when she noticed the chunks out of the wall.
    Her stomach clenched. What if she had connected with Norbert’s head? She might’ve killed him. What could he have done or said that’d caused her to swing a barstool at him?
    Willow traced the deep gouges and scratches with her fingertips. Evidently she’d held onto the seat portion and the chair’s legs connected with the wall. Repeatedly. Luckily she could fix the damage with Sheetrock mud instead of having to cut out the ruined section and install a new piece, which would require taping and lots of sanding.
    Blake’s footsteps stopped behind her. “It could’ve been worse.”
    “Yeah, I could be in jail for attempted murder.” Willow faced Blake. Or rather his chest. Her gaze traveled up his broad torso until she met his remarkable eyes.
    “Old Norbert hit the ground pretty fast the second you picked up the barstool. So in your defense, I don’t think you meant to hurt him, just to scare him.”
    “Why? Do you have any idea what he said that might’ve made me act so…rash?”
    “Mandy, the cocktail waitress, said Norbert propositioned you.”
    “Eww! He’s older than my dad!”
    Blake’s mouth hardened. “Dirty old man. Mandy also claimed he grabbed your butt and tried to bury his face in your cleavage.”
    “That’s disgusting.”
    “Yep. It’s also sexual harassment and I don’t put up with that crap in my bar. If the sheriff hadn’t banned Norbert for his part in last night’s events, I would have. So you don’t worry about him showing up tonight.”
    “Good.” She swiped the table one final time. “Done.”
    He whistled. “You’re fast.”
    “Efficient. Now what?” She glanced at the door. “Are we open for business?”
    “Yeah. Been slow this time of day. Picks up around four when all the events let out. That’s when Mandy comes in.”
    Willow followed him behind the bar. “So we’re alone?”
    Blake spun around so fast she smacked her face into his chest. His hands landed on her shoulders to steady her. “You aren’t afraid to be alone with me, are you?”
    “No. Geez. I woke up naked with you this morning, Blake. I think you’ve proved yourself trustworthy.”
    “And here I was hoping you’d try to find my hidden wild streak.”
    “Do you have one?”
    “Everyone has one. I can’t wait to see more of yours.” He smiled and chucked her under the chin. “Let’s finish prep.”
    He showed her how to load the glass washer behind the bar. Then he demonstrated the best way to slice the fruit for drinks.
    Willow stared at him as he dried glasses.
    “What?”
    “Tell me about yourself, Blake West.”
    Unease briefly skittered across his face. “Not much to tell. I’m your basic, boring bartender.”
    “I don’t believe it.” She let her gaze wander from the mass of curls, down his rugged face, across that solid chest and sculpted abdomen to his lean hips. Don’t look lower . Yet, she wondered if he was well proportioned everywhere. Withholding a smirk, she met his eyes and pointed the knife at him. “You can do better.”
    “All right, all right. I’ll talk if you quit waving that knife at me and get to work.”
    “Fine.” She turned. Thwack . The knife halved a lemon. “Start talking.”
    Heavy sigh. “I’m a born and bred Wyomingite. I’ve lived outside of Sundance my whole