Calamity Gene

Chapter 1

"Oooooohhh."

The sound sighed out of Gene St John—unstoppable—the moment she caught sight of the cowboy unhurriedly approaching the enclosure.

"Preach it, sister," was sighed back at her from her right. "But maybe move your hand knee-wards while you do that, hmm?"

"Huh?" Gene looked down to where her fingers were gripping the thigh of her best friend Llew—yes, all right, a little on the high side—and giggled as she lifted her hand.

"Sorry!" she said. "Did I damage the goods?"

"The goods are fine and dandy, thank you."

"It's just...well, I mean...look at him!"

"Oh I'm looking. Chaps on a hot cowboy—nothing better." He grinned. "If my gaydar wasn't screaming at me that he bats for your team, you'd have a fight on your hands. But as it is..." Another sigh. "You go girl. Have at him."

Gene looked longingly at the cowboy as he opened the gate. Oooooohhh...

But she shook her head, decisive. "Nope. N.O. When I told you men were off the menu I meant it. Cats, a vibrator, a turkey baster when the time comes—that's what my future holds."

"My upper thigh begs to differ."

"Well my upper thighs are staying closed."

"Then how do you think you're going to ride a horse, Genie?"

"There's always sidesaddle," she said.

"Yeah, except this isn't one of those historical romances you're addicted to—and even if it was, you know it's always the feisty rebels who ride astride that get the guy."

"Um...what part of 'I don't want to get the guy' don't you understand? I just want—" She broke off as a muted clanky jangling sound reached her ears. "Can you hear that?"

Llew listened. "Gate closing," he said, "which means hot cowboy is—Jesus!" as the sound started up again and he saw what it was. His eyes went wide. "Je-sus!"

The hot cowboy and the jangle came to a stop, directly below the sixteen eager dudes who were sitting on the wooden benches that were tiered like mini bleachers around one curve of the small, open-air arena.

"Spurs, it was the sound of his spurs, he's wearing spurs," Gene whispered furiously out of the corner of her mouth. "I'm going to die. Spurs! I swear, I'm going to—"

She broke off as hot-cowboy's narrowed eyes zoomed up to her. Had he heard that?

"Oooooohhh." Repeating herself, but she couldn't help it, because his eyes were some pale shade that made her shiver. She felt the pierce of them, even from beneath the shadowy brim of his battered cowboy hat.

Chaps. Spurs. Eyes. Add in the going-to-burst-through-my-shirt-any-second-now shoulders, and he was so gorgeous it was almost a crime.

"Everything all right up there?" he called out, in a smoky voice that vibrated all the way down to Gene's toes.

Gene fumbled in her frazzled brain, trying to locate a word—she simply couldn't immediately think past the fact that her thighs did not want to stay closed—and eventually came out with a squeaky, "Yes."

The cowboy placed his hands on his hips. Confronting, that pose. "Anything you'd care to share with the rest of us?"

Gene's eyes darted to Llew, who muttered sotto voce from the side of his mouth, "You're on your own kid!"