Just Shoot Me (Cowboy Way, #1) by Becky McGraw Page A

out then tossed the bags to the side.
    “ Eat,” he said brusquely as he sat
on the corner of the blanket. She sat on the opposite corner and
Dean realized that the blanket that fit in his saddle bag was
entirely too small. He could still smell that damned shampoo,
because she wasn’t two feet from him.
    Maybe if he pissed her off she wouldn’t have
that soft look in her eyes that wonder in her voice and he could
think straight. He knew it was more a reminder to himself than a
warning to her when he said, “Um, don’t get any ideas from me doing
this.”
    “ Ideas?” Tina repeated dumbly as
she unwrapped her sandwich.
    “ You know. I’m not interested in a
relationship with you. This is not a date. I’m just trying to help
you with the photo shoot, so we can get this over with.”
    “ God forbid you should consider
dating a woman, right? That wouldn’t fit in with your tortured,
wronged cowboy persona, now would it? What excuse would you have
for being mad at the world then?” she asked in a sing-song
voice.
    His eyes flew to hers. “What the hell are you
talking about?”
    “ I don’t think you want to be happy
again. You’re hiding behind your anger. Being so nasty keeps people
from getting too close. That way you don’t get hurt
again.”
    “ Thanks for the analysis, Dr.
Phil,” he said sarcastically. “Where did you get your psychology
degree? Latest prize in your box of Cracker Jacks? Or was it a
two-for-one special with your driver’s ed course?” Dean shook his
head, hoping that would shut her up. He gnawed a bite off of his
sandwich, chewed then took a long drink of his water, before he
said, “Again, mind your own fucking business.”
    “ You’re hurting your son,” she said
softly and his sandwich stuck in his throat. He glanced over at her
and noticed she wasn’t eating. She was too busy judging him
evidently. Analyzing him. And getting entirely too close to the
mark.
    “ Well, you are hurting me with all
your bullshit,” he growled. This woman had some gall that was for
sure. “You don’t know me or my situation from Adam, and you have no
right to judge me. If you want to do this photo shoot you won’t
bring up this shit again.” Dean shoved his sandwich back in the bag
and tossed it onto the blanket. He wasn’t hungry now, he had a knot
in his gut. Because of her. “Now eat your sandwich, I’m ready to
get the hell out of here.”
    “ You’re scared…a coward,” Tina
Montgomery challenged. She leaned forward to pick up the baggie
with her sandwich. “And you’re a bully.”
    “ Any other virtues you want to
list?” Dean asked with anger building inside him like lava inside a
volcano. If she didn’t stop he was definitely going to erupt soon.
“I don’t give a damn what you think about me.”
    “ Well you should at least care what
your son thinks,” she said evenly, removing the plastic from the
sandwich. “You want him to grow up being like that? Because that is
what’s going to happen.”
    Dean shoved up to his feet. “Goddamn, you have
a lot of nerve, lady!” he shouted, staring down at her with his
hands on his hips. “Since I’m your only ride back to the house. I
suggest you just drop it.”
    “ And I suggest you sit back down
and finish your sandwich. I’m just saying what someone should have
said to you a long time ago. It’s time for you to man up and stop
feeling sorry for yourself.” She calmly ate another bite off the
corner of her sandwich and chewed.
    Well one good thing came of her continuing to
run her mouth. Dean was not thinking about sex now. He was too busy
thinking about strangling her. His eyes fell on his half-eaten
sandwich, and his stomach growled. He wasn’t sure if it was because
he was still hungry, or because of the acid swirling there. It sure
didn’t look like she was in any hurry to finish her sandwich. He
thought about leaving her ass there to walk home, but he sat down
on the blanket instead.
    His mother would probably