The Last Cowboy Standing (14 page)

As Katrina chatted happily about the wedding cake, the flowers and the decorations they’d put up at the mansion during the afternoon, Danielle began to relax. Katrina raved about Danielle’s dress, sharing the pictures with Mandy, and teasing Travis about being a shopping companion. Caleb and Reed stepped in as well, but Travis took it all in stride.

They were interrupted by the clinking of a knife against a glass. The room went silent, as Hugo rose to his feet.

Though he’d suffered a stroke many months back, he was now fully recovered. He looked strong and sure standing in front of his family.

“This is the time,” he opened in a clear voice, “a toast would traditionally be given by the father of the bride.” He looked to Lisa and smiled lovingly. “As you all know, these are special circumstances.”

He paused and cleared his throat. “What I’m about to say to you, I’ve discussed at length with your mother, with my wife Maureen.”

Maureen reached up from her chair and took his hand, gripping it tight.

“I spoke with Lisa this morning. She and Alex have asked me to tell you this.” Hugo paused again, clearly bracing himself.

Everyone in the room had gone still and silent.

“As you all know, we learned of Lisa, your cousin’s, existence only recently. Her mother Nicole was an amazing young woman, who we miss and mourn every day. What you don’t know, is for a short time, many, many years ago, Maureen and I grew apart in our marriage. We separated, even considered divorce.”

Danielle felt Travis stiffen beside her. She glanced at his profile, seeing his jaw tighten and his eyes go hard.

“During that time, I had a short-lived relationship with Nicole. It ended amicably. She moved on, and I thought it was merely a blip on the radar of our lives.” Hugo reached for a glass of water and took a drink.

Maureen reached up with her other hand, wrapping them both around his. Lisa was blinking rapidly, while Alex had placed an arm around her.

Danielle, along with everyone else in the room could guess where this was going. She reflexively reached for Travis’s hand. It was cold against hers, but she held on.

“Seth, Travis, Abigail, Mandy, Katrina.” Hugo named each of his children individually. “Lisa is not just your cousin. She is your sister.”

It was Hugo’s turn to blink, but he couldn’t quite contain his emotion, and a single tear streaked down his wrinkled face. He turned to the wedding couple. “And so, as the father of the bride, it is my proud and incredible honor to congratulate Alex, and tell you, Lisa, that I love you very much, that Maureen and I both loved your mother, and we could not be more delighted to have you as part of our family.” He raised his glass. “To the beautiful bride.”

There was only stunned silence, and then applause filled the room. Katrina squealed and jumped to her feet, rushing to Lisa to hug her tight. Mandy followed after her.

Maureen came to her feet and hugged Hugo, the two embracing for a long time.

Travis didn’t move. He looked as if he’d been sucker punched.

Danielle leaned in, pressing herself against his shoulder. “Go,” she whispered. “Lisa needs you right now.”

Travis turned to stare blankly at Danielle.

“Go,” she repeated, giving him a small shake. “Tell your sister you love her. Anything else can wait.”

He seemed to rouse himself. Then he nodded his agreement.

He rose from his chair and strode determinedly to the head table. His eyes were warm, and his smile was genuine as he spoke to Lisa. He hugged her to his chest, then he shook Alex’s hand. That he didn’t speak to his father seemed lost in the general chaos surrounding the family.

“Looks like the women are taking it better than Travis and Seth,” Caleb muttered.

Danielle scanned the room for Seth and realized Caleb was right. Seth was hugging his mother. Over her shoulder, his expression went tight and accusatory for the fleeting second that he met his father’s eyes.

Danielle quickly switched her attention to Caleb. “I shouldn’t be here.” It wasn’t right that she was witnessing this intimate family moment.

“Travis wants you here,” said Caleb, causing Reed to send him a confused look.

“He wanted to dance with me,” said Danielle. “He had no idea this was going to happen.”

“It’s good that you’re here,” Caleb insisted.

Katrina returned to the table, wrapping her arms around Reed’s neck. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“It’s a surprise,” Reed responded.

“A good surprise. A
great
surprise.”

“Well, well, well,” said Mandy as she took her seat next to Caleb.

“People are complicated,” said Caleb, lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Travis plunked down. “Is
that
the word we’re using?”

The tension was clear in his tone, and Mandy and Katrina both gaped at him.

“I think it’s the right word,” Danielle quickly put in. “Life doesn’t come in a neat package with a bow on top.”

He gave her a hard look. “That doesn’t mean it—”

She grasped his shoulder, pulling up to kiss him hard on the lips. He stilled in what had to be shock. She pulled back a mere inch from his face.

“Shut up,” she whispered harshly for his ears alone. “Don’t hurt your sisters. Don’t upset your family. Just shut up right now.”

He didn’t answer, but he leaned in and kissed her again, this time longer, and he was obviously no longer shocked.

They drew apart to amazed stares of everyone at the table.

“Danielle and I dated in Vegas,” Travis told them all, his tone back to normal. “So, you might want to get used to her kissing me.”

“You dated in Vegas?” asked Katrina.

“We had lunch,” said Danielle. “You know we danced that night. I wouldn’t exactly call it—”

“Dating,” said Travis with finality, and he looped an arm around her shoulders.

“Well, well, well,” Mandy repeated.

Reed stepped in, reaching for one of two bottles in the center of the table. “I think I should pour the wine.”

“Excellent idea,” said Caleb.

Danielle swiftly lifted her glass and held it out. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but a little wine sure couldn’t hurt the situation.

* * *

Seth joined Travis where he’d parked himself against the wall, gazing through the window at the lights on the river walk below.

Seth copied his posture, leaning back, staring out the window. “You as ticked at him as I am?”

“Yeah. For a minute there I wanted to string him up.”

“He cheated on our mother,” said Seth, downing a final swallow of whiskey.

Travis wished he had one himself. “She didn’t deserve that.”

“They
were
separated, I suppose.”

“Do you have any memory of that?” Travis asked his brother. “I don’t remember any fights, any trouble. Did it all just go away?”

“I have a vague recollection of yelling, of Mom telling him to leave, crying. She was hugging you, and Abigail was in the bassinet. I think I picked her up and brought her to Mom.”

Seth tried to take another drink, but the glass was empty. “Weird, huh? That memory shimmering there all this time?”

“He shouldn’t get off scot-free.”

“It seems like Mom’s forgiven him.”

“She loves him,” said Travis. His mother was kind, caring and pragmatic. Just because she’d given their father a break, doesn’t mean he deserved it.

“We love him, too,” Seth reminded his brother.

Travis wanted to argue the point. They loved the man they’d thought he was. This was a whole new side of him.

“What are you going to do?” he asked Seth instead.

“Nothin’. It was a long time ago, and it brought us Lisa. It’s up to Mom to forgive him or not. And it seems like she has.”

Travis thought about that. “With you and Darby. Would you ever, I mean even if you were fighting, would you cheat on her?”

Seth’s gaze moved to Darby. “Not even with a gun to my head.”

“Good to know.” Somehow that reaffirmed Travis’s faith in his gender. “Caleb and Reed, do you think? ’Cause I might have to kill them if they hurt our sisters.”

Seth grinned. “Not a chance. Not Zach, either. Despite what you hear, bro, most men don’t cheat. We marry the right person, and we stop wanting anyone else.”

Travis’s gaze fell on Danielle, laughing and talking with Katrina. He thought he understood what Seth meant. He wasn’t married to Danielle, wasn’t in love with her, but when she was around, the entire world disappeared. Other women were irrelevant.

“Thanks,” he told his brother, straightening away from the wall.

“What are you going to do?” asked Seth.

“Nothin’,” Travis tossed over his shoulder.

His brother was right. Their father and Nicole were the past. Lisa was the present.

He reached Danielle. “Hey.”

She turned and smiled at him, and he felt its impact right to his toes.

“You want to walk?” he asked on impulse.

“Walk where?”

“Back to the mansion. We can cut across the park.”

She glanced down at her shoes, which were heels but not too high. “Sure.”

“See you guys back there,” sang Katrina, taking her leave.

Travis slipped his hand over Danielle’s, and they took the back exit, climbing down a narrow staircase to come out at the river walk.

“You okay?” she asked as they set a course along the bank, the sound of the river filling in the background.

“I’m okay. I talked to Seth.”

“Did you talk to your dad?”

“Not yet. But I will. I don’t like it. I’m not sure my mother should forgive him. But that’s not my call to make.”

“Really.”
She seemed surprised.

“What really?”

“I know you meddle. And I always heard you were a hothead.”

“I am a hothead.”

“That was a sound, reasoned, rational decision.”

“I have my moments.”

“That, you do,” she agreed as they walked.

“You’re the hothead,” he accused.

“I most certainly am not.”

“You kissed me to shut me up. Was that reasoned and rational?”

“No, that was impulsive. But you were about to do something really stupid.”

“Impulsive is another way of saying hothead.”

“I notice you don’t disagree on the stupid part.”

He tugged her playfully against his arm, and she hop-skipped to keep her balance.

“I don’t disagree on the stupid part,” he told her.

“That’s progress.”

“Progress toward what?”

She shrugged her slim shoulders. “I don’t know.”

They walked in silence for a while, along the river, then across the park walkway. Travis kept her hand in his, glancing every once in a while at her profile, reminding himself how beautiful she was, how smart, how funny. He was content simply to be with her, and he wished the walk would never end.

Too soon, they arrived at the back gate of the mansion and its gardens.

“What now?” asked Danielle, taking in the arched wrought iron.

“I’ve got the combination,” he told her, typing into the key pad. The lock clicked free, and he pulled the gate back wide enough to allow them to go through.

“Impressive,” she said as she passed.

“You mock my bull riding, but this does it for you?”

“Bull riding is brute strength, no thinking required. This shows preplanning and intelligence.”

“I’ve never met a foolish bull rider,” Travis defended.

“I bet you’ve met a lot of bruised ones.”

“True enough.”

“Why would an intelligent man get on the back of a two-thousand-pound beast intent on doing him harm?”

“The adrenaline rush,” answered Travis, pulling the gate back into place. “You can’t beat it for a thrill.”

She’d stopped to wait. So they were now facing each other in the dark garden.

“You like thrills, cowboy?”

He heard a sensual edge to the question, but he was sure it was his own imagination.

“I love thrills.” He wanted to kiss her so badly, it was all he could do to hold back.

She was drop-dead gorgeous in the moonlight. Her hair was mussed, her lips dark, her eyes soft pools above beautifully flushed cheeks.

“I like safety and predictability,” she countered.

He raised his fingertips to her chin. “That’s too bad.”

“Why?” she asked in a voice that had gone low.

“Because I’m not predictable, and I’m sure not safe.”

His lips parted, but she didn’t reply.

“I’m going to kiss you, Danielle,” he warned.

“I know,” she acknowledged.

“And I’m not going to stop.”

Eleven

D
anielle let herself mold against Travis’s
body, holding herself tight against his hard strength. She hadn’t known until
now just how much she’d missed him, how much she’d ached for his touch, his
taste, his scent. There was nothing reasonable or rational about her emotions,
but she felt as if she’d finally come home.

She kissed him deeply, instantly opening up to him as his
tongue tangled with hers. His hand slipped its way down her back, cupping her
buttocks, pulling her tight to the vee of his thighs. She twined her arms around
his neck, stretching up to devour his kisses.

Her skin felt too tight, warm and restless. At the same time,
desire swirled from the base of her belly to the tops of her thighs, circling,
tightening every nerve ending it found. The breeze buffeted her ears, muting
sounds and blocking out the world. There was only Travis, nothing but
Travis.

Their kisses went on and on.

“I’ve missed you,” Travis groaned against her mouth. “I’ve
missed you so, so much.”

“Don’t let me go,” she begged. She couldn’t stand it if
something broke them apart right now.

“I’m not letting you go.”

He kissed her again, over and over, until both of them were
breathless.

He drew his head back, kissed her once more, then drew his head
back again.

“The gazebo?” He canted his head to the side.

She nodded her agreement.

He took her hand, and they rushed down a short pathway. It led
to a cedar gazebo, octagonal in shape, a half wall bottom with screened window
openings around the top. The night breeze and the scents of pine and asters
wafted inside. A bench seat stretched along the walls, and Travis sat down.

He pulled her forward. She clambered up, straddling his lap.
Her skirt rode up, but she couldn’t have cared less. The closer she could get to
him the better.

He tipped his head to kiss her. His thighs were warm against
her bare legs, her knees braced on the smooth, cool, wooden bench. He looped his
arms beneath her blazer, stroking her back through her thin blouse.

She shrugged out of the confining jacket and tossed it on the
bench beside them. His broad hands cradled her ribcage as their kisses
continued.

After long moments, she slowly straightened from him. She
looked deep into his eyes, smiling with knowing anticipation. She tugged her
blouse from the waistband of her skirt. Then, starting with the bottom button,
she popped them free, one at a time.

His breathing was deep and even, his fingertips convulsing
gently against her as he watched her progress. His gaze locked onto the seam of
her blouse, eyes widening as she drew it open, revealing her lacy, white
bra.

“Have I told you that you’re gorgeous?” he rasped.

She slipped the blouse off her shoulders and tossed it on top
of the blazer.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” she told him, reaching back to
unhook her bra.

She didn’t feel remotely self-conscious. She wanted him to see
her. She wanted him to touch her. She wanted to make long, slow love with him
tonight. Maybe she was being hotheaded and impulsive. But she couldn’t bring
herself to care.

She peeled off her bra, and he sucked in a tight breath.

“How did this happen?” he mumbled.

“I was born a girl.”

“Thank goodness for that.”

“You’re overdressed,” she prompted.

He lifted his gaze to hers. “Can I just sit here and stare at
you?”

His words brought a smile to her lips. “For how long?”

“Forever.”

“Sure,” she told him, leaning down to kiss his mouth. “But
we’ll miss the wedding.”

“What wedding?”

As she kissed him, she pushed off his jacket. It pooled on the
bench behind him, and he freed his hands. She went to work on his tie, then the
buttons of his shirt.

His hand closed over her breast, and she fumbled with a button,
a moan escaping from her lips. His palm was warm, her breasts cold and the
contrast was unbelievably arousing.

“I want you,” she told him. “So very much.”

“Oh, Danielle,” he groaned. “I don’t know how to be without
you.”

He ripped off his shirt, wrapping his arms tightly around her,
drawing her bare breasts to his skin. He kissed her again, his mouth on hers,
tongue delving.

A sense of urgency overtook her.

She got rid of the rest of her clothing and his in
record-breaking time, and then, they were one.

His hands slipped up her skirt, cradling her hips, pressing her
down then lifting her up, synchronizing her to the rhythm of his body. Warmth
radiated from their joining. Pleasure skipped across her skin. She kissed him
desperately, while her hands kneaded his shoulders, then his back, then his
buttocks.

“Don’t stop,” she told him. “Keep going forever.”

She wanted the sensation to go on and on. She was happy and
safe. Travis’s arms were strong around her. There was no yesterday, no tomorrow,
nothing else mattered except the two of them together.

His thumbs slipped along her thighs, up to where their bodies
joined. She gasped and jolted at the sensation, her head falling back and her
toes curling in her shoes.

“Forever’s not possible,” he told her through gritted
teeth.

“Now,” she cried out. “Right... Now...”

He groaned his release, and her climax cascaded through her.
Her body convulsed around his, as warmth bathed her skin in pleasure.

She went limp, falling against him, her head on his shoulder,
unable to move.

He anchored her close, massaging her bare skin. Then he reached
for his suit jacket and draped it around her, cradling her in the warm
cocoon.

When she finally found the strength to raise her head, he
touched his forehead to hers.

His tone was low, almost reverent. “You rock my world, Danielle
Marin.”

She drew back, blinking, making a show of gazing around the
gazebo. “There’s still a world out there?”

His chuckle was deep. “I wish there wasn’t.”

She met his eyes, unfathomably beautiful. Something shimmered
and bloomed inside her chest, and for a split second she feared she might tear
up.

He smoothed back her hair. “Will you date me now?”

She couldn’t help but smile. “I guess I’d better date you
now.”

“For starters, do you want to be my date at a wedding? There’s
a bit of family drama in the background, and a crowd of hundreds, but otherwise
it should be fun.”

“I would love to be your date at a wedding. I’ve got a really
great dress.”

He sobered.

So did she.

Unable to help herself, she leaned forward and kissed his
mouth, gently to start. Once, twice, three times.

His hands came up, palms cradling her face. His jacket fell
away, and she leaned against him, got lost in his kisses, wrapping herself
around him all over again.

“What
is
this?” she gasped when
they finally came up for air.

He buried his fingers in her hair. “I have no idea. But it’s
getting stronger.”

* * *

The wedding came off beautifully, a sunny, fall day with
flowers still blooming in the garden beds. Danielle loved Lisa’s strapless,
A-line gown, of white chiffon. It had a sweetheart neckline, and the snug bodice
was accented with sparkling beads. Her blond hair was pulled back in a causal
knot, held there by a jeweled comb. She carried a small bouquet of white roses
and purple iris. Alex looked incredibly handsome in a black suit with a crisp,
white shirt, his purple tie matching her bouquet.

Danielle had sat next to Travis in one of the front rows, where
he’d surreptitiously held her hand, stroking his thumb across her knuckles while
the couple repeated their vows beneath a flower and white chiffon decorated
arch.

Dinner was sumptuous and impressive. But as soon as the
formality of the first waltz was complete, Travis claimed her hand and guided
her onto the dance floor. A few dozen other couples joined them, and they were
swallowed into the crowd.

As he drew her into his arms, Travis sighed heavily in her ear.
“I’ve been waiting for this since you left me last night.”

“It’s a tough life,” she gently mocked, parroting his words
from yesterday.

“Tell me you missed me, too.”

“I missed you, too,” she admitted.

They’d said goodbye in the mansion’s back foyer last night,
each retiring to their respective rooms. She’d lain awake half the night
thinking about him, missing his arms around her, wondering where she and Travis
went from here.

“I
need
to sleep with you tonight,”
he told her now.

She eased back to admonish him. “Aren’t you presumptuous.” Even
though she wanted exactly the same thing.

“No,” he swiftly denied. “I mean, not that. I mean, yes that,
but only if it’s what you want. What I mean is
sleep,
literally. I want you in my arms all night long.” He drew her
back against him. “I’ve realized nothing else is good enough.”

As much as she’d love to spend the night in Travis’s bed, she
felt compelled to inject some reality into the conversation. “I don’t see how we
manage that.”

“Not here,” he agreed.

“But we are here. And so is everybody else. One of the joys of
that humongous family of yours.”

“A hotel,” he suggested.

“Oh, that’s discreet.”

“We could go back to the ranch.”

“Wouldn’t that seem a little odd, us leaving together on a two
hour drive at midnight?”

“Maybe,” he allowed, going silent.

“I feel like it’s prom night,” she muttered.

“Backseat of my car?” he offered on a lighter tone.

“I don’t think it’s going to work out tonight, Travis.”

They might be able to get away for an hour or so, but there was
no way they could disappear for the entire night.

“It has to work out,” he insisted.

“There’ll be lots of other nights,” she reassured him.

He drew back. “Are you serious?”

Her stomach lurched in regret, her skin prickling with
embarrassment. That was entirely the wrong thing to say. What was she
thinking
? She struggled to think of a way to turn the
words into a joke, dial them back.

“Will you promise me lots of other nights,” he asked her.
“Because I can convince myself to give this one up, but only if I know there’ll
be others.”

“Where is this going, Travis?” she forced herself to ask him.
“What exactly do you want?”

“I want to spend time with you. It’s as simple and as
complicated as that.”

Her entire body relaxed. “I want to spend time with you
too.”

“That’s good.” He pulled her close again, kissing her
surreptitiously at her hairline. “That’s very, very good.”

The music drew to a close.

“Travis,” came Maureen’s cheerful voice as she sidled up to
them. “Come dance with your mom.”

“Love to, Mom,” he answered warmly. “Don’t go far,” he
whispered to Danielle as she drew away.

She nodded her agreement.

Her heart singing along with the music, she all but skipped off
the dance floor. Dating Travis was complicated, but when they cut through to the
heart of their attraction, it was also very simple. They liked each other, so
they’d find a way.

She was thirsty, and so went in search of a bar.

The connected rooms of the mansion were crowded with guests,
but the mood was joyful, and people smiled and nodded as she passed by. She was
starting to recognize a few of the faces and feeling less like an outsider. She
realized she was truly enjoying the evening.

A uniformed bartender greeted her as she approached one of
several rollaway bars set up around the perimeter of the hall.

“Soda and lime,” she requested.

“Coming right up.” He deftly flipped a clean glass, filling it
to the brim with ice.

While she waited, she heard Mandy’s voice nearby. “Caleb hadn’t
even thought of it.”

Danielle leaned back, craning her neck, catching a glimpse of
the ice-blue, satin bridesmaid gown.

“So, it was Travis’s idea?” came Katrina’s voice. “Because
that’s sort of dangerous.”

“I thought so, too,” Mandy returned, as the bartender dropped a
lime slice into the glass. “Caleb said that Travis was adamant he had to hire
her.”

The bartender filled the glass with soda water. “Here you are,
ma’am.” He handed it to her.

Mandy kept speaking. “Something about keeping her out of
D.C.”

Danielle stilled.

But Mandy wasn’t finished. “She had a killer job offer
there.”

“What I don’t get,” said Katrina, “was how it’s Travis’s
business at all. I mean, I get that he’s attracted to her. But you know his
track record. Why would he interfere in her career? And why would he drag Caleb
into it?”

Danielle’s stomach clamped down hard. She knew she had to
announce herself. She had to tell the two women she could overhear. She forced
herself to move back, to where she could see them.

“It’s not at all like Travis,” Mandy agreed. “But I think it
worked out for—” Her gaze caught Danielle’s, and her eyes grew huge. “Danielle,”
she sputtered.

Katrina whirled, her mouth forming an O of shock.

“I’m so sorry,” Danielle quickly put in, hearing an edge of
hysteria to her own voice. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I just...” She gave a
vague wave toward the bar. “I was...” She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t
know what to do.

The only thing for certain was that Caleb had hired her as a
favor to Travis. He didn’t want a company lawyer. He didn’t need her on his
payroll. He’d been helping out a lifelong friend who wanted to sleep with her.
And who’d decided he had some kind of a right to interfere in her life.

“I’m sorry,” she quickly finished, turning to rush away.

“Danielle,” Mandy called from behind her.

Danielle didn’t look back. She plunked her full drink on the
tray beside the bar and carried on through the front foyer, escaping outside to
the fresh air.