Cowboy Jackpot: Valentine's Day (12 page)

Twenty minutes later, the last passenger had boarded, and no
Gigi.

The flight attendant took a call, hung up the phone, and
announced to first class, "We're waiting for one more passenger. It'll be
just a few minutes."

Kira took her first real breath in a half hour. That had to
be Gigi.

Five minutes later, from near the cockpit door, the flight
attendant said, "Welcome. You're in the last first class seat on your
right."

Kira looked up but didn't see who the woman was talking to.
It had to be Gigi. Thank God.

The voice that thanked the attendant wasn't Gigi's. Wasn't
even female. It was low and growly.

Dallas walked down the aisle toward her. His black cowboy
hat sat low on his head, and he wore a dark red cotton button down shirt tucked
into his sexy jeans.

Her heart stopped for a couple seconds then restarted at an
amazing rate. What was going on? Had something happened to Gigi? No, he was
smiling at her.

The flight attendant found a spot for his duffle bag and
inquired about stowing his hat, to which he thanked her but declined. The
cowboy plopped into the seat next to her, and set a black shopping bag on the
floor between his feet.

"Where's Gigi?"

"She's stayin' another night with her fiancé." He
breathed a little fast, as if he'd been running.

"How?" Words wouldn't form.

"Gigi's friend in the travel agency. Cancelled her
flight while booking mine at the same time, and…" He lifted one hand and
gestured down his body. "Here I am."

"Why?"

"I'm not leaving you on Valentine's Day." His dark
gaze locked onto hers. "Not leaving you ever, if I can make you see
reason."

"Ever?" What was he proposing? The chance at a
life together?

"We have a few hours trapped together on this plane for
me to apologize. For me to tell you that I realized…" His jaw worked.
"…that I…" His breath hitched. Reaching into the black bag, he pulled
out a big, red, heart-shaped balloon. He held it for a moment and handed it to
her.

"I love you, Kira. Here's my heart to prove it."

Chills ran through her and shimmied across every inch of her
skin. Warmth surrounded her heart and pumped through her veins. She held the
balloon tenderly in her hands. "Are you sure?" She hated to be
skeptical, but this was too sudden. Especially for a man like Dallas.

"I don't expect you to instantly forgive me, tell me
you love me, too, and ask me to marry you before takeoff." His smile was
sad. "But please let me talk to you, and…share my feelings with you on the
flight."

Dallas Burns? Wanted to share his feelings? "Did you
hit your head or something?"

He laughed, low and slow. "I know. Hard to believe this
is me talking." He took her hand. "I wanna give us a try." His
thumb drew a heart on her palm. "I trust you." His eyes held more
emotion than she'd ever seen in him. "I trust you with my heart,
Kira."

Tears surged from nowhere and she blinked to keep them from
falling. He loved her. Her cowboy loved her and trusted her. Nothing else he
could have said would have melted down her resistance the way those words did.
"That means a lot to me, Dallas." She leaned over and kissed him.
"I…think I'm falling for you, too."

"Yee-haw!" he called, and pulled her close for a
real kiss, a hungry, hot, fast kiss.

"I have something for you, too." Kira whispered it
against his lips.

His dark gaze locked with hers. "That kiss was all I
needed." He grinned. "For now."

"Mmmm." Would they be able to wait until they
reached her apartment to peel off their clothes? She reached for her purse and
pulled out the brown envelope. She handed it to him.

"This is what your lawyer gave you." His brow
furrowed. Opening the flap, he pulled out an eight by ten color photo. His eyes
popped wide. "My grand championship buckle. The one I never found."
He swallowed and looked at her. "What is this?"

"Barret's PI spent the better part of last night
searching for it. He found where it had been listed and sold online."
Here's where her fortune came in handy. "He bought it back and will have
it in New York this week. I'll give it to you at the rehearsal dinner…"

Dallas dropped the papers and reached for her. "God,
Kira, that's the most incredible thing anyone's ever done for me."
Wrapping his arms around her, his face was just inches from hers. "Thank
you."

Her chest filled with sweet emotion. "When you told me
the story, I knew I had to be the one to find it for you. It's…" She
shrugged, trying to contain the love swirling around inside her. "It's my
way of helping you heal and get on with your life." He'd dedicated the
buckle to his parents. How could he live a full life knowing someone other than
him had the buckle?

He cupped her cheek. "You're incredible. I'm
lucky."

She laughed. "We both are. Stupid lucky."

"Some of us…" He pointed to his chest. "…are
more stupid than others."

"True." She tipped her head. "But smart
enough to pull off this caper." She gestured to the space around them.

He leaned in for a kiss but stopped when his phone rang. His
gaze fixed on hers. "That’s Jayden's ringtone. Okay if I take it? He's
going to drive my truck back to Reno."

She nodded and busied herself carefully tucking the splendid
heart back into the bag and stowing it under the seat next to her purse. The
flight to New York would be intense, the two of them talking through a lot of
issues, but for him to even say the things he'd just said was a huge step for
him. She'd hear him out. And since there was no chance of his seducing her here
on the airplane, she'd be able to make a smart decision. Her eyes rolled at
that last thought. As if she'd ever be able to say no to him.

"Jay, you got the keys from Boone?" He listened
for a few seconds. "Where are you?" Dallas's lips thinned. Something
was wrong. A few seconds went by. "You what?" he snapped. His eyes
widened and he looked at Kira. "Did you say married?"

She puffed in a breath and felt the color drain from her
face. "Stormie?"

"Jay." Dallas looked at his phone then put it back
to his ear. "You there? Jay?" Glancing at the phone again, he shook
his head. "Lost him. He's in the mountains."

"Did he really say married?" She held back alarm.
Stormie was a grown woman. If they'd done something stupid, her parents would
have it fixed.

Dallas's brow furrowed. "I think so. He'll call back
after he gets through the pass."

"Wow." She snuggled closer to her cowboy.
"And we thought our problems were bad."

He wrapped an arm around her. "All our problems will be
fixed by the time we reach NYC."

"Promise?"

He kissed her forehead then drew an X over his chest. "Cross
my heart."

The cowboy could be so sweet when he tried. "Thank you
for the balloon. It means a lot to me."

He chuckled. "You should have seen me running through
the airport in full cowboy gear, blowing up a red balloon. People actually
stopped to stare."

Laughter bubbled out of her, and joy at his doing something
so conspicuous for her made her weepy again. "I'm sure I'll see a video of
it online somewhere."

He sat silently for a moment, considering it. "Could
happen." He didn't seem bothered by it.

"If we work things out today…" She already knew
they would, but she wanted him to give it his best effort. "You can you
stay with me. At my apartment."

"I'm plannin' on it." He tipped his head.
"Unless you'd want to keep me hidden from your friends for a while."

"No. I want to show you off…and have you meet my
parents."

His jaw tightened and his lips thinned.

She expected his usual silence.

"Yeah, I'd like to meet them. But I should probably go
shopping for something less rustic to wear."

She shook her head. "Oh no. You're perfect just the way
you are." She tapped the brim of his hat.

"I want to know everything about your parents. Your
family. Tell me everything about your life."

His interest tugged at her heart. "I will. If you'll
tell me everything I don't know about you. I want to hear about your business
venture with Boone and Gigi, too."

He seemed hesitant for a moment. "While we're in NYC, I
wanted to meet with your attorney." He ran his thumb along her chin.
"Thank you for talking up the rodeo school to him."

She nipped at his thumb. "I'll go with you. I'd like to
hear what he found out about the business."

"Oh, you're comin' with, all right. And we'll be hiring
you to be our accountant, once we're at that stage of the business setup."

He wanted her involved in his business? He was serious about
bringing her into his life. "I'd love to help."

"But, you may have to move closer to Reno. Like, really
close." The hopeful look in his eyes took her breath away.

"Whoa, cowboy. One major shock at a time." She laid
her hand on his chest. "You're going to have me seeing double if you keep
throwing things like that at me."

"I'll slow down, sweetheart, but not for long. I'm not
a patient man." His gaze took in all the features of her face. "Once
I commit to something, I'm all-in."

Smiling, she asked, "Promise?"

"Yep."

The flight attendant stopped next to him. "Would you
please turn off your phone? We're fifth in line for takeoff."

He pressed the button and slid it into his pocket.
"See, Kira? There's another reason you have to take me back. I can't ever
hear the phrase 'turn off your phone' without thinking of you."

She sighed and kissed him, her hand on his chest holding
tight to the heart she'd never let go of.

####

Here's a sneak peek of the third book in the Cowboy
Jackpot Series which will be coming in February

Jayden and Stormie's story:

Cowboy Jackpot: St. Patrick's Day

Jayden Hancock tucked his hand into the rigging on the back
of Chicken Foot, the bay gelding he was about to ride bareback. "Who the
hell names a horse Chicken Foot?" The object of his derision lurched in
the chute, jamming Jayden's leg against the fencing.

The pain shot up his thigh. He had to get loose. He
tightened his grip and shouted, "Okay, okay, okay."

Three point eight seconds later, he lay on his back on the
hard packed dirt, staring up at the arena ceiling, his breath knocked out of
him. "Fuck." He was careful not to move his lips when he cussed. He
was still on camera, and on the big screen above the ring, someone could easily
read his lips.

He scrambled to his feet and waved to the crowd in gratitude
for the few claps and shouts. He heard women's voices woo-hooing as he walked
out through the narrow opening between the gates. Gigi, who was married to his
brother, Boone, and Kira, who was long-distance-dating his friend Dallas, were
in the stands for the rodeo.

"Great." He pulled off his gloves and stomped back
toward the locker room. Now both Kira and Gigi had witnessed his failure.

"Tough luck, Jay." His friend Rance smacked him on
the back. "Chicken Foot is a tricky bastard."

"It ain't the horse, it's the rider." He hadn't
won an event in months. He rarely hung on for eight seconds. "My head
isn't in the right place anymore."

"Bro, don't jinx yourself." Rance was big into
superstition, and it was working for him. He was getting close to Jayden's
brother, Boone, in the bull riding rankings. "Walk it off."

How many times had he heard that in the last five months,
since his rides had turned bad on him. He jerked off his chaps and stuffed them
in his gear bag along with his gloves, vest, and spurs. "I'm gonna get a
drink. Come with me?"

"I can't, Jay. I'm in the short go." The riders
with the best times in the first round faced off in the final round for the
win.

He punched his buddy on the arm. "Good luck. I'll be
cheering for you from the first bar I find." Stuffing his gear bag into a
locker, he secured it.

"Hey, you've got another chance tomorrow. Concentrate
on that." Rance tipped his hat and walked away.

The two-day rodeo at the Old West Casino in Las Vegas drew
some of the best riders. If Jayden didn't pull it together and win tomorrow,
he'd drop off the bottom of the charts. His pro rodeo career would be over.
Yeah, his mind wasn't in the right place. Instead of set on winning, he felt a
hollow desperation.

Brushing the dirt off his jeans and his unlucky green
"lucky shirt," he walked out of the arena into the casino. Poker
would take his mind off his troubles. It was the day before Saint Patrick's
Day, and he was half Irish. Things should be going in his favor.

He pulled off his brown cowboy hat and ran his fingers
through his blond hair to release the curls. He kept it a little long. The
buckle bunnies liked it that way. Maybe a cutie to spend the night with would
help him feel luckier.

The poker room was packed, and he put his name on the
waiting list for seven card stud. It'd be a while before a spot opened up. He
wandered to the snack bar and had a couple tacos and a beer, then found a
comfortable seat at a video poker machine.

"Might as well practice." He pulled out a twenty
and slid it into the machine. It binged and chirped a welcome. "Dollar
poker. Crap." He'd thought it was quarters. What the hell. It was only
twenty bucks. He played the maximum, five dollars, and won a few hands.

After he ordered a beer from the cocktail waitress, he took
a break and looked around the casino. Both his brother Boone and their friend
Dallas had met their women here, under very lucky circumstances.

The two of them had pooled their winnings and were in the
process of starting a rodeo school where they lived in Reno. Jayden was part of
the school, but he had no money to fund his piece of the partnership. And hell,
the woman he met at the casino on Valentine's Day had turned out to be pretty
darn unlucky for him.