A Cowboy For Christmas (8 page)

As if he sensed he was
taking her too far, he squeezed her neck once more, then she heard
him sit in the chair next to her.

She was sure she wouldn’t
be able to look at him, but when she opened her eyes, he looked
soft, tender. Now, more than ever, she wanted his hands on the rest
of her.

If her voice worked, she’d
thank him, but she couldn’t do anything but stare at
him.

“
Do you think you can
manage to walk home?” He stood and traced the outside of his hand
down her face. “Or I could carry you.”

Carry her? No way.
Stumbling, she got to her feet and shook her head. “I can’t let you
do that.”

He followed her to the
door, where she spun around. Her mind had cleared. “The mess. I
should help you clean.”

He just shook his head.
“I’ll walk you home. You look tired.”

What did he mean by that?
She wouldn’t let him in, no matter how good his hands had felt. Her
neck and shoulders still felt warm and loose.

“
Dinner was great,” she
conceded.

Stopping by the front
closet, they wrapped up before he opened the door. “So no more
teasing about the banjo or crock pot?”

She burst out laughing.
“Oh, no. I’ve got a buzz.”

He shut the door behind
her. “From one glass of wine?”

One glass? He was right, so
why did she feel so light and carefree? Once they were down the
steps, he walked next to her and put his arm across her shoulders.
She shivered from the cold and leaned into him.

“
I’m sorry I teased you
before,” she said. He smelled so good, she wanted to turn her face
into his chest and take a deep breath. They were quiet on the walk.
She wasn’t sure why he was quiet, but she felt so relaxed, she
couldn’t think.

He walked her up to the
door and opened it for her. She searched for a way to tell him she
wasn’t ready to invite him in. While she thought about it, his
other arm slid around her.

Her body willingly relaxed
in his arms, but her mind screamed. What was she doing?

He kissed the top of her
head and stepped back. She met his gaze and then wished she
hadn’t.

“
You’re something else,
Missy.”

She managed a confused
expression.

“
You can trust me.
Promise.” He turned and went down the steps, waving on his way back
on the road.

You can trust me.
How could he promise that? And how did he even
know she was afraid to?

* * * *

The next morning, Brent
awoke and moved, turning onto his side in bed before jolting up.
His side felt great! He was back in the game. He didn’t hear rain
coming down outside, so maybe it’d be clear today.

Even though he’d been back
on his feet the last few days, Dale and Ivan hadn’t allowed him to
help with anything. He didn’t pull rank and tell them it was his
ranch, because he knew they meant well. Doctor’s orders and all.
But, darn it, it’d been hard to see Missy when he couldn’t
work.

He’d known if he allowed
himself to get involved with her, she’d break his heart. The
thought still tormented him, but now he knew he wouldn’t fight it.
If she was going to be here, there was only one way to do it. If he
didn’t get her in his bed soon, he’d never get his work
done.

With that decision made, he
threw back the covers, his mission clear in his head.

He’d been using warm
showers to help his injured muscles relax. After another one, he
didn’t bother with coffee or breakfast in his haste to get outside.
In the pasture, he spotted Missy and Dale in the soup-like fog.
He’d almost reached them before they heard him coming.

“
Hi.” Missy watched the way
he walked, just like a worried mother would. “How’s the
side?”

“
Great. I don’t think I can
take another day of resting.” He waved as Dale started off. Her
coat, he saw now, wasn’t red but burgundy. He wouldn’t normally
notice a thing like that, but the color went perfectly with her
skin tone. “I appreciate the way you’ve helped out around
here.”

“
That’s why I’m here.” She
nudged his arm. “Remember?”

“
You’ve certainly proved
yourself.”

She gave him her beautiful
smile, making him notice even more her full, deep red lips. Her
hair hung loose and wild, framing her face in a way that made her
cheekbones gracefully noticeable.

“
Really? You think I’m
ranch material now?”

“
You can pull your own,
that’s all I’m saying.” He tried to hide his grin, but couldn’t
help it anymore. And he didn’t care. She’d done more than prove
herself.

She glanced up and caught
him watching her. Her smile wavered before she looked away.
Skittish as a colt, but he’d win her over.

Jeffery trotted up and
bumped Brent with his nose while making horse murmurs and pawing at
the ground. “Itching for a ride? Me, too.”

Missy raised her eyebrows
at him.

“
I’m fine.” He wanted to go
on a ride with her and enjoy the morning as the sun burned off the
fog. Though the ground was soggy, Brent thought they could stick to
the gravel road. “Besides, I’ll have to go slow so you can keep
up.”

He turned and started for
the stables to get their tack. He’d seen her eyes narrow, and he
didn’t need another injury now, right when he was up to full speed.
Jeffery came behind him, and he thought he heard Missy huff a sigh
and follow suit. Whistling, he got both saddles and readied their
horses.

“
Here, you lead her out.”
He handed her Speckle's reins. “Did you ride much this week? I
hardly saw you around here.”

“
Some.” She swung up into
her saddle, as though she'd been riding for years, not
days.

He mounted and they started
off together. “Missy, I’m sorry for the cold way I acted when you
came here.”

Her eyes went wide and her
brows rose.

“
Never heard an apology
before?” he teased. They rode side by side out toward the main
road, and he didn’t press her to say anything. He could see her
relax as they rode and he enjoyed just having her beside him, doing
something they both loved. “Look at you, a natural
already.”

“
A natural?” She patted her
horse. “I guess I do enjoy riding. Sure wasn’t easy that first
day!” He joined in her laughing, mostly because he loved the light
and carefree sound she made. Enchanted, he couldn’t help but be
encouraged.

“
So, have you worked things
out with your boyfriend?” Now that thought had popped into his mind
and out his mouth. During the last week, he’d spent far too much
time wondering if she still talked to the man she’d left, if she
thought about him, and if she planned to go back to him.

Her quick cutting look
proved he’d been a real jerk to ask. “What boyfriend would that
be?”

“
Your boss. Sounded like
you had a fight before you came out here.”

“
It was over before I came
out here, and I don’t plan on ever speaking with him again.” She
nudged the horse ahead, leaving him to watch her hair shimmer in
the weak sunlight that made it through the morning fog.

The light vanished and he
looked up. The fog was dissipating, but a front of dark clouds
followed behind. He usually saw a storm coming, so he wasn’t happy
that she’d distracted him.

“
It’s about to break
loose,” he told her just as a brisk wind flipped her hair around.
She followed his lead and turned her horse to head back.

* * * *

In the stables, Brent moved
the brush across Jeffrey’s back with long, sweeping stokes. “I
shouldn’t have asked.”

“
It’s fine.” She shrugged
without looking at him. “But if we’re going to be friends, we can’t
do that.”

“
Do what?” And why did they
need to stick to friendship? How could they deny what they
felt?

“
Ask questions.”

“
Why not?” His hand paused
as he looked at her. “Friends do that.” Her face was guarded,
setting him on edge.

“
Ok, fine, but my past is
off limits. I’m sure by now you understand it’s too hard for me to
talk about.” When she pulled in a deep breath, he noticed her hands
tremble on the horse.

Speckle made a loving noise
as if she felt Missy’s fear, and Brent felt awful for causing
it.

“
I’m sorry. Listen, I’ll
try to keep to that, and if I mess up, just tell me.”

She smiled.
“Thanks.”

He stepped closer so that
when she turned, she was inches from him. They stood close enough
for him to smell her lavender shampoo.

Confusion washed across her
face before understanding.

“
You change gears awful
fast.” Her try at lightness failed and her voice came out heavy,
husky.

“
Think so?” His voice grew
as quiet as it could without becoming a whisper. “If you don’t want
to kiss me, you’d better run. Now.”

Chapter Five

She had to be imaging the
care in his eyes. This hadn’t been her goal. So when had these
feelings snuck in?

He hovered, obviously
waiting for her to either make a move or run.

He wasn’t her boss this
time, but close enough. Wasn’t she here to prove she could make it
on a ranch? She wanted to turn away, but leaned closer
instead.

Weren’t his eyes
magnificent? She thought of a clear winter sky, so freshly light
blue. His eyes searched hers, searched her face as if to memorize,
and settled on her mouth. Oh, no, her mouth was open, her lip
trembling.

Get a grip, Missy! Get a
grip and run!
No, no, no, why was she
leaning forward? Her heart hammered as his head tilted, leaned, and
then it happened. Their lips met.

Something sharp and sweet
washed through her, starting at her mouth and running down to her
feet. His lips moved against hers and she nearly jumped. She would
have, if she could move.

She was timid and he seemed
to feel it. Though their tongues touched lightly, he kept space
between their bodies. He rested one hand on her arm and nothing
more.

That made her want more of
him.

Brent tasted like the
outdoors, sweet like autumn sunshine and country air. The smell of
his leather coat and his aftershave racked through her. She’d never
smelled anything like it.

Or felt anything like his
lips on hers, so tender and asking. She reached up and found his
shoulders with her hands and leaned closer. She’d lost control. His
arms came around her, encircling the dip of her waist. She ached
for him, wanted his hands to tease lightly all over her bare skin,
but she knew better. She could lose everything again. What was she
doing?

Sanity raised its troubling
head and she pushed out of Brent’s hold. She shouldn’t have kissed
him.

She’d vowed to never again
get involved with someone she worked with. Not after the struggle
to get past the humiliation and the rumors. She turned and ran
clear to her house.

* * * *

“
Missy!”

She didn’t hear. She was
gone.

His body felt on fire. For
a minute, he’d been lost in the most moving experience of his life.
His lips felt cold now that hers weren’t there.

Was he loosing it, or had
she leaned toward him first? The woman had no idea of what she
wanted. Her reaction sent a chill through him, though he couldn’t
tell if she’d been shocked or disgusted. Both were
disheartening.

He breathed deeply and
debated for a minute, and then started walking. Maybe it wouldn’t
be as simple as getting her into bed. He had tried to tell himself
that would fix these feelings for both of them so they could get on
with their work.

But she was afraid of
something, and he felt a lot more than plain old lust.

If only he knew what to do
about it. For the moment, he needed to make sure she was okay. He
knocked five times before she opened the door. The words he wanted
to say just didn’t work. Not when he saw the pain in her big brown
eyes.

She’d removed her red coat,
revealing the white long sleeve shirt she wore underneath. It
stretched across her breasts, making him wish they were here to
continue what they’d started, not discuss why they wouldn’t
be.

Something big stood in the
way of her trusting him. He could see it in her expression. Her
pale face made her eyes larger, darker. He wanted to hold her and
kiss her again to make it all right, but not after what just
happened.

“
Missy, don’t you trust
me?”

Taking several steps back,
she nodded. At the very least, she said she did. Maybe she’d been
upset with herself for breaking a personal rule. Could it be that
simple?

“
Then did I read you
wrong?” he asked, stepping inside and shutting the door.