Read Online Millionaire in a Stetson by Barbara Dunlop - Free Book Online

asked Dylan. “This looks like fun.”
    Sawyer had gone with a pair of blue jeans, a white, Western shirt, and a black blazer, topping the outfit with a white, curved-brim Stetson. As they moved into the crowd, he and Dylan received friendly glances from a number of women. A perky brunette in a fitted, white, off-the-shoulder, full-skirted dress gave Dylan a long, alluring gaze.
    “I’m having fun already,” said Dylan.
    “She thinks you’re a bronc rider,” Sawyer warned.
    “I am a bronc rider, and a steer roper and—”
    The woman’s mouth curved into a broad, sparkling smile.
    “Catch you later,” Dylan said to Sawyer, tipping his hat to the woman and offering his arm for a dance.
    Letting his grin fade away, Sawyer began moving methodically through the crowd, scanning as he made his way in the general direction of a bar. His gaze passed over the back of a sexy woman in a glimmering gold dress that dipped low and hugged her rear end. He felt a jolt to his solar plexus.
    He paused, staring at her.
    She turned, and he saw her profile. It was Niki.
    She was speaking with a man, laughing at something he had said. She held a glass of white wine in one hand, her fingernails shimmering against the pale liquid. Her glasses were gone. Her makeup was perfect, and her hair was fluffed and curled, looking beautifully feminine, emphasizing her delicate features.
    She looked over at him and their gazes met. A shower of sparks seemed to flash through his body, making him nearly burn, before they rushed away, leaving longing in their wake. Now, this was the Niki he’d expected when he first came to Colorado.
    He took an automatic step toward her, while her companion stopped talking, looking confused. Then the man followed her line of sight and saw Sawyer baring down. His eyes narrowed.
    “Hello, Nellie,” Sawyer opened. “You look lovely tonight.”
    “John Reynolds,” the man beside her announced as he stuck out his hand. It was a challenge more than a greeting.
    “Sawyer Smith,” Sawyer returned, shaking, taking his eyes off Niki for only the barest of seconds. “Pleased to meet you.”
    John Reynolds glanced from Sawyer to Niki. “You know this guy?”
    “He’s my neighbor,” she answered, her own gaze still resting on Sawyer.
    Then she seemed to catch herself, and she returned her attention to John. “He just bought the Raklin Place, across from Reed and Caleb.”
    “Oh, new in town,” John observed, his arms crossing over his broad chest.
    He wore a blue plaid shirt, the sleeves rolled up, and a new pair of blue jeans. His face was clean shaven, and his hair was trimmed neat. But there was something keenly predatory and proprietary in his eyes. His hands were beefy and strong, liberally covered in calluses.
    The thought of him touching Niki sent Sawyer’s blood pressure climbing. Every instinct he possessed told him to get her away from this guy.
    “New in town,” Sawyer acknowledged.
    He returned his attention to Niki, vaguely annoyed now that she’d dressed to the nines. Didn’t she know what kind of attention she’d attract?
    “Nellie,” came a new voice, and Travis Jacobs stepped up, beaming at her. “I believe you promised me a dance.”
    And, just like that, Niki was swept onto the dance floor, and Sawyer was left standing next to John.
    “I realize you’re new in town,” said John. “But I’m going to warn you—”
    “That Nellie is taken?” Sawyer arched a brow, watching her smile in Travis’s arms. At the moment, he was jealous of Travis, not John.
    “I have no desire to fight you,” John warned.
    Sawyer nodded to Niki and Travis on the dance floor. “It doesn’t look like I’m the one you’ll have to fight.” Though Sawyer felt like taking on Travis himself all of a sudden.
    Why did Niki look so relaxed and happy with Travis Jacobs? And why were they suddenly a thing? Both of them had been at the construction barbecue. And they’d both been at the river swim. Travis