Lipstick and Leather: Rough and Ready, #7

LIPSTICK AND LEATHER

ROUGH AND READY

CHEYENNE MCCRAY

Copyright © 2022 by Cheyenne McCray LLC

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual business establishments, events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

CONTENTS

Cowboy Up

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Rough Rider

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Back in the Saddle

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Excerpt: Country Thunder

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Also by Cheyenne McCray

About Cheyenne

COWBOY UP

CHAPTER 1

Y ou’re leaving? Anna Landon looked at Becky with incredulity, unable to believe what her friend had just said. The party was so loud that maybe she got it wrong. She raised her voice to be heard over the music and voices. You’re going off with some rodeo cowboy you just met tonight?

Les is so freaking hot. Becky handed Anna folded papers she had taken out of her purse. Here is the hotel confirmation. You can check in and I will meet up with you tomorrow at the rodeo. You have my cell number if you need anything.

Anna took the papers from Becky. This was supposed to be a girls’ weekend out. Not girl-meets-and-goes-to-bed-with-cowboy-the-first-night weekend.

Theresa is coming tomorrow and we’ll all have fun. Promise. Becky hugged Anna with her normal excited enthusiasm. Oh. Becky started rummaging through her purse again. She produced another paper and handed it to Anna. Almost forgot, your ticket for the rodeo. See you there tomorrow.

With a sigh, Anna grasped the ticket. Point the guy out to me so that I can pick him out in a lineup if something happens to you. And what’s his name again?

Becky laughed and gestured to a cowboy across the Denver bar, near where the live band was playing. It’s Les something. Don’t remember the last name. Anna squinted to get a good look at him in the darkened bar. He was hot all right. Lean, muscled, tanned. He had a cute grin when he looked over at Becky.

She waved to him before giving Anna her attention again. Don’t worry, I’ll find out his last name and text it to you. I’ll meet you at the rodeo tomorrow. Becky said it with a smile before she turned and made her way across the crowded room.

Great. Anna unzipped her purse and shoved the papers inside of it. Nothing like being alone in a strange city after getting dumped by one of your best friends.

You don’t look like you want to be here.

The deep male drawl had Anna raising her head. Her gaze met a pair of green eyes that captured hers at once. Her heart started pounding and her mouth grew dry. The man was the hottest cowboy she’d ever seen. Being from Arizona she’d seen plenty, but she hadn’t had the slightest interest in cowboys.

This cowboy was powerfully built, tall and muscular, and looked fit from his cowboy hat to his boots. A thin white scar ran along his stubbled jaw and another just below his right eye. He had a rough, tough look about him, but a smile so sexy it would charm the panties off of most women.

She wasn’t most women.

Not to mention she didn’t do long distance relationships. Once was enough, thank you very much.

Parties aren’t my thing, especially rodeo parties. She zipped her purse shut. I’m not into rodeo.

You’ve come to the wrong place. The cowboy’s smile verged on amused. Are you lost?

I was here with my friend. Anna sighed. She’s leaving with some cowboy named Les, so I’m going to go check in at my hotel.

Les is a stand-up guy. The cowboy looked in the direction of Becky and Les. He turned his attention back to Anna. I’m headed out myself, he said. Have an early morning. I’ll walk you to your car.

Anna paused then said, That’s nice of you but, no thanks. I’ll be fine.

He glanced around the bar. Just about anyone at the party can vouch for me if you’d like to check me out.

She followed his gaze with her own and a group of cowboys raised their beer mugs to him and no less than six women gave him flirtatious smiles. Two looked like they were starting to come across the room in their direction.

Why don’t we head on out? He gave a nod toward the door.

Spending a little more time with this cowboy was appealing, but she was not going to start something with a cowboy. Like I said, thank you, but no.

He raised his hands and laughed. I get the message.

She held her purse tight to her body. Now to get myself out of here, she muttered to herself. She could feel the burn of his gaze on her back as she grabbed her coat from the table she’d been sitting at and then pulled on the gloves that she pulled out of her purse.

The Colorado night was cold and windy, causing her long dark hair to rise above her shoulders as she stepped out of the bar. Immediately, she felt relief from the loudness of the music. The band had been great—for country music—but way too loud as far as she was concerned. Rock salt used to melt the ice in front of the door crunched beneath her feet.

Snowflakes swirled around her as she walked down the sidewalk to a dark parking lot and she almost wished she did have an escort. She headed in the direction of her Toyota, which already had a good inch of snow on the top and there were a couple of inches on the ground.

When she reached the car, she dug in her purse for her keys and brought them out. They slipped from her gloved fingers before she could press the door unlock button. She tried to hold on but they dropped into the snow.

Noooo. She knelt and tried to see the keys but it was too dark in the parking lot to get a good look, not to mention the snow. Not good, she said to herself. So not good.

On her hands and knees, she started feeling the snow around her feet as she searched. The sound of an approaching truck’s powerful engine was followed by lights that nearly blinded her. Someone cut the lights and she saw spots before her eyes. A truck door opened then slammed shut before she heard the sound of approaching bootsteps in the snow.

She thrust her hand into her purse, trying to find her Mace can before she saw that it was the cowboy who had talked to her in the bar.

Need some help? The cowboy crouched beside her. His shoulder brushed hers and tingles spread throughout her.

I dropped my keys. She continued to feel around in the snow in her search.

I’ve got a flashlight in my truck. He stood and headed away from her, his boots crunching the snow.

She continued her search while she waited for him. When he returned, he crouched beside her again and skimmed the light over the snow. A few minutes later she was about to give up hope of finding them before the snow melted.

Here. He leaned forward and picked up the keys from a depression in the snow, the motion causing the keys to jingle.

She reached for them as he handed them to her. Thank goodness. She stood and opened the car door. Despite the gloves, her hands felt cold and her teeth chattered. In Tucson it never got this cold. I appreciate the help more than you can imagine.

She felt a strange thrill in her stomach when he looked at her. He extended his hand. Mark Cooper.

I’m Anna Landon. She took his hand.

She liked the firmness of his grip but he held on to her longer than necessary.

How about meeting for a cup of coffee tomorrow morning? Mark’s face was shadowed, but she could see his smile.

Temptation was so strong she almost couldn’t resist. She withdrew her hand from his. I appreciate the offer, but no. Thanks again for finding my keys.

No problem. He touched the brim of his hat in a polite gesture she’d come to recognize from cowboys. He turned and walked away.

Once she was in her car, the doors locked, and the heater on full-blast, she sat for a moment wondering if she should have taken the cowboy up on his offer.

Nope. She’d done the right thing. Too many thoughts were going through her mind of what she would really like to do with that cowboy.

She sighed and plugged in her GPS then figured out the best route to take to the hotel. Considering it was dark and snowy, and she didn’t know her way around the city, she was glad she didn’t have far to go and that she had something that would tell her exactly where to drive.

The drive took ten minutes and it took another fifteen to park in the parking garage, unload her suitcase, walk to the front entrance, and make it through the doors and into the lobby of the hotel.

She shrugged out of her coat and pulled off her gloves and tucked them into the pockets of the coat, before heading across the elegant lobby. She rolled her suitcase behind her, when she heard a now familiar voice.

Ma’am? Mark said, obviously trying to catch her attention. Anna.

Unbelievable. She turned and faced the tall cowboy, feeling a sense of pleasure at seeing him again that she had to push away. Are you following me?

His lips quirked as he pointed in the direction she had just come. Is that your version of a trail of breadcrumbs?

Anna looked over her shoulder and her face went hot. Her suitcase was open and a trail of three shoes, a blouse, nighty, two pairs of panties and a bra had been left in her wake.

Other hotel guests looked on in amusement as Anna set her bag down and began grabbing up her clothing. Mark started helping her. I can do it, she said, then groaned as he picked up some of her lingerie along with her baby doll nighty.

He reached her suitcase before she did and she watched her panties slip from his fingers into the suitcase. She wondered how long it would take before she could look at Mark and not think about him holding her panties.

Her face went hot again at the sudden thoughts that went through her mind—of Mark getting to know her panties in a whole other way.

I was standing in line and I saw your suitcase come open when it bumped through that door, he said. I don’t think anything fell out before that but I’ll go out and check. What level did you park on in the garage?

First level. She latched her suitcase shut and then they stood at the same time. No need to. I can do it.

But he was already walking away from her. She watched as he headed out of the hotel and she waited for him to return while trying not to look at the other