Always a Cowboy by Linda Lael Miller Page B

hardware store, grinned unapologetically. He was a tall, lean man with iron-gray hair who always wore suspenders and, if there weren’t any customers, wasn’t averse to stepping outside to smoke a cigar. The place was a labyrinth of packed aisles, but he knew where to find every nut, bolt and screw, and tell a customer exactly how to use every item he sold.
    Romeo. Drake was pretty sure he could thank Mace for the new nickname, although he couldn’t prove it. In a very short time, it seemed that everyone in Mustang Creek had heard the story. It didn’t help that the entire population of Bliss County was fascinated by the idea that Slater was filming a documentary right there. His out-of-town crew was staying at the resort, eating at the local restaurants, shopping at the stores, so it could’ve been one of those blabbermouths. He’d decided to ignore it all.
    When he could, anyway.
    â€œI have a list.” He handed it over to Jack. “Most of it’s for Mace. He’s planning to build a newfangled contraption for fermenting a certain kind of wine, I guess. I just need the usual to do repairs in the stables.”
    Jack slipped on a pair of spectacles and surveyed the list. “Can do. Take me about fifteen minutes. Heard what you did for Thelma. She’s hopping mad at you.”
    That was Thelma, but it probably meant she was hopping mad because he’d found out she’d cried over the gesture in front of people. They were in real trouble now.
    â€œDid it for Frankie,” Drake said blandly. “And it was all of us. Point me in the right direction and I’ll help you with this list.”
    â€œBack of the store, last aisle, for those hinges. I’ll get the rest.”
    As Drake headed toward the right section, he rounded a corner and came face-to-face with one of the few people he truly detested. Reed Keller straightened, a box of roofing nails in his hand. “Carson. Or I guess I should call you Romeo?”
    He tolerated it from Jack, but he had his limits.
    â€œKeller.” Drake nodded curtly, trying to ignore the man’s smirk. He walked past as swiftly as possible. They’d clashed since grade school when he’d caught Keller pushing Mace around, and their relationship hadn’t improved in high school, when Keller deliberately went after Drake’s girlfriend.
    The ploy had worked for him, too. She and Drake broke up, Keller had gotten her pregnant—there went Danielle’s dreams of college—and married her. They had a couple of kids now, but he’d heard they’d recently separated.
    Not his business.
    Still, seeing the guy at all added a sour note to his day.
    Exactly fifteen minutes later, just as Jack had promised, Drake was in his truck, on the way home. He thought the day was improving—until he saw Red outside the barn with Luce, leaning on a shovel and definitely chatting her up. He had the distinct feeling there was another Romeo reference in his future.
    He parked the truck, texted Mace that he’d bought his supplies so his brother could come and unload them.
    Unfortunately for him, Luce looked very cute in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, with her hair whipped back into a no-nonsense ponytail as usual. She was wearing her hiking boots and held a lightweight backpack slung over her arm.
    â€œHey, Romeo.” Yup, just as he’d predicted. Red obviously thought he was being funny.
    Luce blushed. Drake took it in stride. “First time I’ve heard that today? Uh, not really. Word of warning, I’m starting to lose my sense of humor over this.”
    Red adjusted his position. He might be older, and was certainly wiser, but he understood boundaries. He raised his hands. “Just joshing, son. Usually, you let it roll off your back. What has you as grouchy as a grizzly crawling out of his cave on a spring day?”
    â€œYeah, well, word about that film is all over town.” He took out the