Six Degrees of Desperation (Dirty Tricks) Read Free

precious
cargo—horses.
    Cowboys waved and called out to each other,
having ridden the circuit and studied up on their competition. They
strutted by in their blue jeans and snap shirts, displaying their
biggest, shiniest belt buckles won at the various rodeos across the
country and into Canada.
    Charli hadn’t gone ten steps without passing
five good-looking men, each tipping their cowboy hats in her
direction. She smiled and said hello, friendly, but not too
friendly. Then a cowboy with sky blue eyes, medium brown hair and a
black Stetson strode by, tipped his hat and winked.
    Her heart leaping to her throat, Charli
tripped over her own cowboy boots and almost plowed face-first into
a streetlight pole.
    The cowboy reached out and steadied her, his
hand going around her waist, warm and rough.
    With her mouth open to ask him if he was her
lover, Charli didn’t get out the words before Sadie Watkins burst
from the drugstore, waving a bag. “Mr. Sanders, you forgot your
wife’s medication!”
    “Are you all right?” The tall, dark and
married cowboy still held her elbow.
    Heat rose up Charli’s neck and into her
cheeks as she thanked the heavens she hadn’t blurted out what had
been poised on her lips. “I’m fine, just clumsy.” She stepped away,
until his hand fell to his side. “Thanks.”
    The man tipped his hat and smiled at Sadie.
“Thanks, miss. Julia would skin me alive if I came back empty
handed.” He tipped his hat at Sadie, smiled at Charli and strode
toward a very large pickup truck.
    Not until he got in and backed away from the
curb did Charli gather her senses and dive into the drugstore.
Sadie waved, a grin spreading across her face. “Mister Sanders has
a way of making a girl’s knees weak, doesn’t he?” She sighed. “Why
are all the good ones taken?”
    “I don’t know. But seems there are a bunch
of them out on the streets today.”
    Sadie rolled her eyes. “Rodeo clowns all of
them. A girl in every town, and probably the STD’s to go with them.
What can I do for you? Your hair looks fabulous, by the way.”
    For the second time in as many minutes,
Charli’s face flushed with heat. “Thanks, Sadie. I had a few things
I needed to get.” She hurried toward the shelf full of condoms and
tubes of lubricating jellies and stood for a long time, searching
for those “things”. She wondered if her mystery cowboy had arrived
early in Temptation to prepare for the rodeo. And why were there so
many kinds of condoms, and which ones should she choose? The
selection seemed endless.
    Sadie appeared at her side. “Crazy choices,
aren’t there? I have troubles deciding as well. It really depends
on what your man likes. Does he have a preference?”
    Having already spilled her guts to two of
her friends about her sexual exploits, Charli couldn’t tell another
soul. Sadie was nice enough, but if word got out to the town
gossips, the news would be all over Temptation that Charli Sutton
was a slut, sleeping with multiple partners. If that got to Connor
before she had a chance to explain…Holy crap.
    “I’m getting these for a friend,” Charli
lied.
    Sadie smiled, nodding, as if to say yeah,
sure, that’s what they all say. “If you’re not certain, try these.”
She plucked a box off the shelf. “They’re ribbed to give the woman
a little more thrill, and they fit comfortably for the man of a
larger size, if you know what I mean.” Sadie winked.
    “Thanks.” Charli snatched the box from
Sadie’s hands. “I’m sure she’ll like it.”
    “Like them or not, at least you’ll be
protected.”
    Charli started to reiterate that the condoms
weren’t for her, but decided against it, figuring Sadie got that
response a lot, and who cared? Charli was getting some after a long
dry spell. She should consider that fact cause to celebrate.
    Sadie turned toward the checkout stand. “I
can take you at register one whenever you’re ready. Take your
time.”
    Charli selected a lubricating jelly