Count on a Cowboy (11 page)

Brooke shrugged. “I did show up here unannounced.”

She enjoyed talking to Trent. He was a good listener. Most men she had known wanted to talk about themselves, and none had been as interesting as Trent. Okay, none were as good-looking either.

She took a bite of her mashed potatoes and the buttery favor had her closing her eyes. “Oh, my gosh. These are delicious.”

“Bill’s specialty. And his meat loaf, too.”

Ten minutes later, their plates were empty, and everything had been eaten.

“Well, that was shameful.” Brooke sank back onto the sofa. “I can’t believe I ate all that food.”

Trent nodded. “Horseback riding is great exercise. You burned a lot of calories today.”

“And I think I’m crippled for life,” she joked.

He frowned. “That’s my fault. I never should have let you ride two days in a row.”

“I’m glad you did, because I’ll probably never have the chance again. So thank you for such a wonderful day.”

* * *

A
N HOUR LATER
, Trent glanced down at Brooke’s peaceful face. She had somehow positioned herself against him. One minute they’d been sitting comfortably on the sofa, just talking about Laurel and Rory. Then he’d noticed her lack of conversation and looked at her. She was sound asleep.

He would laugh about the situation if his body hadn’t been in a constant state of arousal since she’d snuggled up to him. There was nothing he wanted more than to kiss her sweet mouth, and feel her body under his while he made love to her. He dropped his head back on the sofa with a groan. He began to visualize several more fantasies with one pretty blonde. And none of them were G-rated.

Brooke shifted in her sleep and her hand moved dangerously close to the waistband of his jeans.

He couldn’t take much more.

As carefully as possible, he held her away from him as he stood, then he leaned down and lifted her into his arms.

Brooke stirred and opened her eyes. “Trent...”

His heart pounded in his chest, hearing her whisper his name. “That’s right, babe, I’m here.” He started walking down the hall and into her dark room. “It’s time for you to be in bed.”

“Oh, okay. So tired.”

He couldn’t believe how trusting she was with him. Reluctant to let her go, he managed to place her down on the mattress, then he pulled a blanket and quilt over her. He felt her shiver and he reached for another blanket off the chair, and layered it on top of the quilt.

A flash of lightning shone across Brooke’s face as she turned on her side, then snuggled into the pillow. Crouching down beside the bed, Trent brushed the hair from her face. He felt something tighten around his heart as he watched her sleep. Unable to resist any longer, he leaned closer and placed a gentle kiss against her cheek. “Good night, cowgirl.”

Brooke’s eyes blinked open. “You kissed me.”

He couldn’t help a smile. “Just a good-night kiss.”

Suddenly a strange expression crossed her face. “No one ever kisses me.” Then her eyes drifted shut and soon he heard the soft sound of her breathing, letting him know she’d fallen asleep again.

He stood and walked out of the room. Nobody ever kissed her? What did that mean? No men? Not her mother?

Trent carried their paper plates into the kitchen and dumped them in the trash can under the sink. He thought back to his own childhood, his brother’s death, then his parents’ divorce and the lonely years in the military. He’d found he still wanted to come back here to the Lucky Bar L. Maybe find what he’d lost, exorcise ghosts from the past.

He thought about the woman in the next room. He fought the urge to go back and pull Brooke into his arms and hold her. Something told him she hadn’t had much of that in her life. Whether or not she had, he couldn’t let her get close. Brooke Harper was still a mystery to him and he might need help to figure her out.

He grabbed a towel to wipe off his hands, then grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.
Rory Quinn, you need to get home and take care of
business
. He walked out into the storm, but it was nothing compared to the one brewing inside him.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, the sun was up and the sky, clear. Trent looked out his cabin window as he sipped his third cup of coffee. He’d been up for two hours, helped the men feed the barn stock, and been on the phone with Ricky to check on the Lucky Bar L. They’d been fortunate the storm had passed through the area, and hadn’t done any damage.

He couldn’t help wondering about Brooke. Did she awake during the night scared? He suspected the Las Vegas desert had its fair share of storms, but in Colorado, at a higher elevation, the thunderclaps were a lot louder.

Okay, he was getting far too drawn to this woman. That could be bad news, especially if Brooke developed a relationship with the Quinns. Worse, if she didn’t. And there was Rory and his past association with Coralee Harper. From what he sensed by the anger in Rory’s voice the last time they talked on the phone, it hadn’t been a good one. How would that affect Brooke? Would Rory resent her, too?

Trent shook his head. He still couldn’t get his head around the fact Laurel wasn’t Diane’s biological daughter. Now Laurel had a sister, too, but would she welcome Brooke?

He wasn’t sure about any of this. He didn’t want to choose sides, either. How could he go against his friend, if Rory didn’t want Brooke around?

He shut his eyes. Three days ago, he didn’t know Brooke Harper. Now, she was stirring up things he hadn’t let himself feel in a long time. He couldn’t let it matter, because she’d be gone by the end of the week.

He only hoped she would at least be able to make a connection with Laurel. Everyone needed a family. He absently rubbed his chest, feeling the familiar tightness. It wasn’t fair that the sisters had to suffer for their mother’s sins.

Suddenly his phone rang and he reached for it on the counter. It was Brooke. He pressed the button and said, “Good morning.”

“Good morning to you, too,” she said, then there was a pause before she added, “Sorry for falling asleep last night.”

“Not a problem. You were tired.”

“But you carried me to bed.”

“So you remembered,” he challenged, knowing he hadn’t forgotten cradling her slight body in his arms.

“Not exactly... I mean not everything, but since you were the only person here, I’m pretty sure you were the one. I hope I didn’t embarrass myself.”

“Not at all. Besides I’m the one who wore you out, getting you up at dawn and putting you on a horse all day.”

“Oh, my, it was so terrible,” she dramatized. “You forced me at gunpoint and threatened me.”

He was grinning like a stupid teenager. “Well, you get today off. So relax, you’ve earned it.”

“Are you going out with the herd?”

“No, I’m meeting with some of the construction crew a little later.”

“How about right now?” she asked. “Are you busy now?”

“No. Why?”

“Why don’t you answer your door and find out.”

He walked across the room, finding he was getting excited about seeing her. He pulled open the door to find her standing there with two covered plates. “Special delivery.”

“Hello, sunshine.”

She blushed as she walked inside. “You’ve been feeding me so often, I thought I would return the favor.”

He inhaled the wonderful aroma of bacon and eggs. “There’s no need, but I’m not going to turn you away.”

She smiled shyly. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, but I only had a few things in the cabin refrigerator. So I made scrambled eggs with bacon and some home fries.”

Mouth watering, he took the plates from her and walked to the counter since it was the only table in the cabin.

She hadn’t followed him. “Oh, Trent. You have no furniture.” She glanced around the empty room. “What are you sleeping on?” She took off down the hall before he could stop her. When she returned, she was frowning. “You can’t sleep on a blow-up mattress.”

He took her hand and felt a strange zing shoot up his arm. “First of all, you aren’t letting me do anything. I made the decision to stay here.”

She raised those big green eyes to meet his. “But...”

“Listen, this place is a five-star hotel compared to some of the accommodations I had while deployed. If I got any sleep at all. That bed in there is pretty comfortable.”

She released a sigh. “I still don’t like it. I’m fine staying out here by myself. You can go back to your ranch and sleep in your own bed.”

“I know, but for now, this is fine.” He grinned. “Although, I love having someone make me breakfast.” He took the foil off the plates and his mouth began to water at the pile of scrambled eggs with diced bacon and fried potatoes. “Woman, if you cook like this, you’re never going to get rid of me.”

Brooke felt the heat climb up her cheeks. She hadn’t been sure if Trent would appreciate her just barging in this morning. He had a lot more things to do than babysit her. And she would make sure she stayed out of his hair today. Maybe she could go into town and look around, or read a book, or go catch up with her emails. Call the Dream Chaser Hotel to see if there was any news. None of those things interested her as much as making breakfast for Trent.

She was in big trouble.

Trent reached behind the counter and grabbed a bottle of water. “I don’t have anything to drink beside water and coffee,” he told her.

She nodded. “Coffee is fine.”

He had an extra mug and poured the aromatic brew. “Sorry, no cream or sugar.”

“That’s fine, I take it black. And the stronger the better.”

“A woman after my own heart.”

“I spent a lot of time studying. I needed something to help keep me awake.”

He carried the full mug to the counter. “That’s quite an accomplishment, working full-time and going to college. Your mother has to be proud of you.”

She tensed. Coralee had never understood her need for an education. She’d hated that Brooke was away so much. “Yes, my getting a better job is important for her care.”

He picked up a fork, dug into the eggs and took a bite. “Wow, this is so good.”

She loved watching his expression. “It’s just eggs with some chopped-up bacon in it.”

“And made with loving care, as my mother used to say.”

A pang of envy struck her. “Are you and your mother close?”

He nodded. “We stay in touch mostly with phone calls, but I haven’t made it back to Denver in about a year.” He shrugged. “She’s happy with her life there, and also that I came back to take over the ranch.”

Brooke swallowed her eggs. “Maybe she’ll come here for a visit.”

When she saw a sad look transform Trent’s face, she quickly realized her mistake. “Oh, Trent, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said, I mean... Of course, she wouldn’t want to come back to the home of her ex-husband.”

“No, Brooke, Mom had bad memories before the divorce. They’re of Chris from when he died here.”

She groaned. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking...”

Trent reached out and took her hand. “It’s okay, Brooke. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. Those memories are hard for all of us.”

She wanted to ask him about the tragedy that took his brother away, but knew he might not want to share with her.

He turned back to his food and began eating again. Brooke did the same, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the man who let her see glimpses of his pain. His parents hadn’t been the only ones who suffered over a young boy’s death.

Once finished, Trent carried his plate to the sink. “Do you have plans for today?”

“Maybe a drive into town. Why, do you need me to bring you back anything?”

He leaned against the sink, and crossed his booted feet. “Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse. I’ve called in an order at the lumberyard, but I can’t get it delivered until tomorrow. And I need to be here to start the crew working. Could you pick it up?”

“Of course, but my compact isn’t very large.”

He frowned. “That’s why you’ll take my truck.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out his keys and tossed them to her.

She grabbed them out of the air. He trusted her with his truck? “Just give me the directions.”

“I have a GPS.”

“Okay, then, I’ll go, but you’re doing the dishes.”

She heard his laughter as she walked out the door. She may only be here a few days, so why not have a good time?

* * *

T
HE TOWN OF
Hidden Springs had a population of only a little more than nine thousand residents. In the summer, people came from all over to ride the rapids on the Colorado River. In the winter, they came for the ideal skiing conditions.

With the help of the GPS, she found the lumberyard easily. She got a friendly greeting, and the employees were eager to load Trent’s order. One man there looked at her twice, but didn’t say anything. He smiled a lot and gave her a wink as she drove off. Probably thought she was Laurel.

Brooke couldn’t help wondering how nice it would have been to grow up here. To have a permanent home and parents who loved her and supported her.

Windows down, country-and-western music playing on the radio, Brooke drove the oversize truck along the highway and headed back to the ranch. She couldn’t live on fantasies. Her life was back in Las Vegas, with a mother in a nursing home, and she was the only one available to take care of her.

There was no time to dream about a life that would never be hers. She had to live in the real world. But for a little while she was going to enjoy this time. She raised the volume on the radio and sang along to the song.

Ten minutes later, she turned off at her exit, then took the road to the Bucking Q and felt her excitement grow knowing she was going to spend some time with Trent.

She drove by the Quinns’ big home, then past the finished cabins and headed to the construction site. Parking the truck, she killed the engine and climbed out. Immediately, Trent appeared and walked toward her. He’d replaced his cowboy hat for a hard hat.

He smiled. “That was fast,” he said and handed her a hat. “Here, put this on. It’s a rule on job sites.”

She slipped the hard plastic hat on her head. “I would have been waiting longer, but this nice man, Johnny Mattson, hurried over and began filling the order.”