Too Close For Comfort (Sweetrock Cowboy Romance Book 2) (7 page)

Right. Friends. That’s what they were just friends. “I’ll always be your friend. You can count on that.”

She smiled. “I really mean it. It’s great to have friends you can trust and count on. Best friends, right?”

“Of course. We shook on it, remember?”

She nodded. “Right. Best friends. Forever.”

Her face broke into a smile and then she turned and disappeared into her room, leaving Cash standing in the hallway. A stab of longing for something he could never have swept through him. Their childhood pact and the handshake might have been silly, but his word meant everything to him. Even if it meant they would never be anything more than best friends.

T
he next morning
, Tessa woke to discover that Cash had breakfast ready as usual. They were settling into a nice, comfortable routine that was a lot better than living alone. The morning breakfast sure beat eating corn flakes. But the fluttery feeling she got when she was around Cash now set her on edge. She didn't know how to interpret it.

Did the flutter have something to do with the kiss?

Cash had made it clear that the kiss was a mistake. Not in just his words, but with his actions, too. The fluttery feeling was probably just due to the comfort of having someone around to share things with. It felt good. Familiar.

Once the floors are refinished, I'll move back to my place and be all alone again.

Unless she was able to get past her hang-ups and find a guy she could trust. Maybe Beulah was right. Maybe she should look up Derek and pay him a visit. But could her heart take that? She wasn't in love with Derek anymore, but why hadn't she been able to feel that same raw emotion with anyone else?

Her thoughts drifted to the kiss again. She
had
felt something with Cash. Something more than with any other guy. But that was crazy—Cash was her longtime friend. Her feelings probably had more to do with what had happened prior. The way John's flirting had become more insistent and how Cash had shown up exactly when she'd needed him. Not to mention the drinks she'd had.

Better not to think that way about Cash, anyway. They were
only
friends. He'd said as much just last night. And friends didn't get physically involved with each other.

They drove over to the Campbell ranch in Cash's Jeep. They'd go together to the school and then he'd drop her off at her truck after they delivered the baby chicks to the school.

Before collecting the eggs from Henrietta, Tessa ran into the barn to say hello to the horses. The Riley ranch wasn't a working ranch. They didn't have any horses. Her parents had gotten rid of them long ago when she went to college and she missed having them around. Maybe someday she'd have her own ranch or business that allowed for horses, but for now, it was nice to know she could pop over to the Campbell’s and get her fill. She lingered in front of Stardust, savoring the memory of their ride from a few nights before.

"Maybe tonight, girl, huh? We'll beat them this time," she whispered as she stroked the soft part of the horse's nose.

Stardust whinnied and flicked her tail as if in agreement.

They collected the eggs from Henrietta and put them carefully in the brood box despite the hen's protesting squawks.

By the time they were done, they were both picking feathers out of each other's hair and laughing. It was as if the years had fallen away and they were kids just enjoying each other's company. As if there was no underlying tension. As if the kiss had never happened. Things were back to normal between them.

They parked behind the school and Tessa helped him slide the long, rectangular metal box out of the back of the truck. Heat lamps were attached to the top, partially obscuring her view. The box was filled with eggs cushioned inside special, thick egg cartons for the ride. They each grabbed an end and then carried it together toward the back door of the small school.

Through the obstructed view, Tessa could see part of the side of the school. The door opened and a familiar, dark-haired woman came out, then her view was blocked. Tessa craned her neck to see around the obstruction.

Was that Melina?

She wanted to stop to see for sure, but Cash kept going with his end, pulling her along.

"Hey, isn't that Melina over there?" Tessa jerked her chin toward the woman.

Cash looked over then jerked his head forward. "Nope."

"But it looks like..." Tessa turned around to double check but the woman was no longer in view. Weird. Probably not Melina. What would she be doing at the Kindergarten?

Tessa forgot all about the woman as they pushed inside the steel doors of the school. She hadn't been inside there since she'd attended Kindergarten herself and the sight of the manila-colored walls dotted with colorful finger paintings, the smell of paste and animal crackers, and the squeaking of her rubber soles on the manila industrial tile floor brought back warm memories.

They walked the box down the hall and found room 302. Inside the room, miniature desks with plastic seats were lined up in rows. Each seat held an eager-faced student. A pretty dark, haired woman who looked to be a few years younger than Tessa came out to greet them.

"Mr. Campbell, thank you so much for coming." She smiled and nodded at them and then gestured toward a table over in the corner. "I've cleared a space for the box over there."

Tessa and Cash carried the box over and got busy setting it up, plugging in the warming lights and carefully placing the eggs inside on the bedding. One had a little crack, the chick inside ready to meet the world.

"They're going to start hatching any day now. There's already one with a little crack starting now," Cash said as the teacher looked in.

Tessa could feel a ripple of restlessness run through the children who were still sitting patiently at their desks.

The teacher turned to the class. "Okay, class, you can come up. Single file and don't rush."

Barely able to contain their excited energy, the children filed up in a single line and crowded around the box.

Tessa remembered when Cash's grandpa used to bring eggs to their classroom, she hadn't shown the same restraint. She was pretty sure she'd rushed right up to the box, probably knocking over some of her classmates—maybe even Cash. She caught Cash smiling and knew he was thinking the same thoughts, possibly even having the same exact memories since they’d been in class together.

"Okay, everything's set up now," Cash said. "You'll give me a call when the chicks are all hatched?"

The teacher nodded. "Thank you. You too, Mrs. Campbell."

Mrs. Campbell?

"Oh, she's not..." Cash looked like someone was trying to strangle him.

The teacher’s hands flew up to her lips. "Oh, I'm sorry. You two just seemed so..." She turned to Tessa. "Well, thank you for coming, Miss."

Tessa held her hand out. "Tessa Riley."

"Kelly Fairchild. Nice to meet you." They shook hands and Tessa shrugged at Cash. She hoped he wasn't mad that she'd thought they were married, but he seemed to be taking it in stride.

They turned to leave and a little boy ran up to them. "Mr. Cash, are you coming back?"

Cash squatted down to the boy’s level. "I'll be back next week, Gordy." He reached out and tucked the incredibly thin boy’s shirt into his pants.

"Do you have money for lunch today?" Cash surprised Tessa with the question.

Gordy's face fell. He glanced back at a crowd of boys standing in the corner, whispering to each other and eyeing him. Tessa immediately knew what that was about. Gordy probably got picked on since he was smaller than the other boys. Her heart twisted for him, remembering how cruel children could be.

"I had lunch money, but..." Gordie looked down at his sneakers.

Cash shot the boys in the corner a warning look then dug into his pocket. "I've got money for you. I don't want you to go without lunch. You need to eat up so you can get big and strong." He pulled out a five and handed it to Gordy, whose face lit up.

"Thank you, Mr. Cash. Thank you." He grabbed the five and ran off to get in line to look at the eggs.

"Why did you give him money?" Tessa asked. "Do you know him?"

"Gordy is from a disadvantaged family. You remember how generous my grandpa is, right?"

"Sure."

"He had a special soft spot for teen mothers. Grandpa's own Mom was only sixteen when she got pregnant with him and the father ran off. Anyway, he liked to help out teen mothers and their kids here in Sweetrock. I help him with that sometimes. You know, drive him around 'cause he doesn't drive anymore. Or run an errand for him. Anyway, Gordy's one of the kids. They don't have much money, so I like to make sure he can eat lunch. Especially when those nasty kids steal it from him."

Tessa's heart warmed for her friend's generosity. Cash really was a good guy. She didn't have the words to say what her heart was feeling and suddenly felt the urge to throw her arms around him to express it. But she couldn't do that. Not after she'd kissed him the other night. He might not want to hang around with her anymore if he thought she'd make a habit of doing things like that.

"That's really nice of you. Your grandpa is a great guy," she managed to squeak out instead.

The conversation stayed on neutral subjects all the way home. The weather. Horses. They even lapsed into silence a few times but it wasn't awkward. It never was with them.

When he pulled up next to her truck, Tessa felt a strange reluctance to get out. She slid her eyes over to him, feeling awkward as if something more should be said. A strange urge to kiss him goodbye penetrated her thoughts and she pushed it away. Instead she blurted out, "What are you doing tonight? It's a great night to take the horses out."

Over in the driver’s seat, Cash looked uncomfortable. His hands were locked on the steering wheel, his body twisted in a strange angle to look at her. For a minute, Tessa wished she'd never said anything. He probably had much more interesting plans than going for a ride with her.

"A ride would be great. The horses need the exercise. What time do you get off work?"

She pushed the door open, hopped out, and leaned back in. "Five o'clock. You want to meet at your barn?"

"Sounds perfect."

"See you then." And with that, she backed out of his Jeep and walked to her truck, suddenly anxious for her workday to go quickly.

* * *

C
ash kept
his fingers clasped in a death grip on the steering wheel, fighting the urge to pull Tessa over to him and kiss her silly as he watched her slide out of the car.

He couldn't do that. Even though it might feel good in the moment, he knew it would lead to a lifetime of heartache. Just like his grandfather. Gramps had regretted getting involved with the woman he'd known his whole life, and Cash was determined to learn from his grandfather's lesson. Besides, these crazy urges to touch her and kiss her were bound to fade away.

Couldn't happen soon enough.

Taking Tessa to the school today had stirred all kinds of feelings in him. He was comfortable with her. They had fun together. He'd enjoyed this week with the morning breakfasts and horse rides. The feeling of having someone at home at night. Even the companionable silence that surrounded them in between conversations. But his feelings ran deeper than just friendship.

He blew out a breath and relaxed his death grip as he watched her drive off.

You're going to have to settle for just friends if you want to keep her in your life forever.

He was looking forward to the evening of horseback riding more than he should be. More than he'd looked forward to anything in his life, but they’d been riding horses since they were kids and it had always been a fun time. No reason why it should be any different now. Not after just one little kiss.

One little kiss that could never happen again because if it did, he feared there would be no more breakfasts, no more horse rides, and no more companionable silences with Tessa ever again.

C
ash had been looking forward
to the afternoon ride with Tessa all day. He normally spent most of the day on horseback around the ranch but today, with dropping of the chickens and taking care of other chores, he hadn’t had a chance. His visit to Gramps the day before had sprouted a seed of doubt in his brain.

What if a relationship with Tessa really
could
work?

Gramps had certainly loved his grandmother and just because she ran off didn’t mean that would happen all the time....

Then he remembered the look of pain on Gramps’ face as he gazed at the photo. No. No way. That wasn’t going to happen to him.

The day had been a scorcher, unusual for this time of year, and Cash had the air conditioning in his Jeep cranked so high that he’d put a light flannel shirt on over his T-shirt. The cold felt good and he sat in the Jeep, feeling the whoosh of air on his face for a few more seconds after pulling up in front of the barn.

Tessa must’ve gotten there before him. Her pick-up was already there. As he sat with his fingers pressed to the AC vent, she appeared in the doorway of the barn. She leaned against the frame, looking in through the window at him, brows raised. The temperature inside the Jeep rose a few degrees.

Cash’s eyes swept her small figure. She was wearing a simple white T-shirt and a pair of thin cotton jeans that looked like they’d been worn to within an inch of their life—and had holes in the knees to prove it. Her hair was pulled back off her neck, and Cash remembered her telling him that her thick curls acted like a wool cap on a hot summer night.

She was practically bouncing with excitement, her brown cowboy boots sending up dust poofs in the dirt as she tapped one toe impatiently. She couldn’t wait to get riding, and Cash’s heart melted with the knowledge that she loved horses as much as he did. Of all his friends, Tessa was the one he rode with the most.

A smile ghosted across his lips as a long ago memory surfaced. They must have been about six years old and Cash was teaching her to ride Buttermilk, the pony he’d had as a kid. She’d taken to it from the start, giggling even when she fell off the back. Mrs. Riley rushed over to make sure she was okay, but Tessa just jumped back up on her feet and back onto the pony.

Her smile widened as he turned off the car and stepped out.

“I got them ready. Hope you don’t mind.” She stepped back to reveal the horses already saddled and ready to go.

“Not at all. Same trail?” Cash slipped past her into the barn, throwing his flannel over a stall door as he grabbed Hangover’s reins and jumped up into the saddle.

“You bet, but tonight I’m going to win.” She hopped on Stardust and led the way to the trail.

* * *

T
essa swiped
at the lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail and was now clinging to the sweat on the side of her face. She glanced over at Cash beside her—his big hands expertly holding the reins loosely—as they walked down the trail beside the creek. Even though the sun was about to set, it did little to relieve the heat of the day.

On horseback, she was relaxed. Happy. But still, something was missing. Her thoughts turned to Beulah’s words. Maybe she did need to talk to Derek and settle her unresolved issues so she could move forward. But move forward with
what
?

Tessa wasn’t sure what, if anything, she actually needed resolution with. Because
this
—riding in the beautiful woods on a gorgeous night and enjoying the company of good horses and a good friend—this was heaven right here.

Did she need anything else?

Excitement thrummed in her veins as they reached the end of the path that opened up into the field. Tonight she was going to win the race. Just before they reached the opening, she dug her heels into Stardust’s sides and the horse lurched forward.

“Last one to the fence does the dishes!”

They burst out into the open field and Tessa was thankful the air from the forward motion would be cooling the sweat on her face and chest. As they raced towards the fence, she spotted dark clouds rolling in across the mountains. Was it going to storm? Cash hadn’t said anything about that.

She noticed him edging up beside her, but she was still in the lead. She urged Stardust faster.

Only sixty yards to go.

She reached the fence a mere nose ahead of Hangover. “I won!”

“Not by much, though.” Cash grinned good-naturedly as they reined in the horses.

“Your riding is slipping and so is your interior barometer.” Tessa pointed to the dark clouds now hovering overhead.

“I guess so. We better hurry and get the horses in before it starts to rain.”

Cash reined Hangover around, and they headed at a canter toward the barn. The rain started before they got halfway—fat, wet drops that came down fast and soaked through their clothes. They charged into the barn just as the first clap of thunder echoed off the mountains.

The horses shuffled nervously at the sound. Cash jumped off Hangover and took both of the horses’ reins as he calmed and quieted them. They nickered and shifted on their feet nervously, but Cash kept stroking their necks and murmuring to them.

Tessa had slipped off Stardust and watched from a few feet away. Despite the fact that she was soaked, the power of the storm, the electricity in the air and the rush of the ride had her pulsing with exhilaration.

And something else.

The sight of Cash soothing the horses with strong, gentle strokes set a spark off deep in her core. His soaked T-shirt was plastered to his body, showing off every flex of muscle as his strong hands calmed the horses.

Suddenly, she had the urge to feel those muscles. To feel his warmth and power against her palms. She stood there staring at him, surprised by the feeling and the tight coiling of desire that welled up inside her.

As if sensing a change in the air, Cash’s hand stilled on Stardust’s nose. He looked over.

Their eyes locked.

* * *

T
he reins fell
from Cash's hands as his eyes crashed into Tessa's. She was soaked to the bone, and locks of wet hair had escaped and curled around her face. Her thin shirt clung to her, revealing the tantalizing swell of her breasts and dark peaks of her nipples.

But it was her eyes, large and luminous in her delicate face, that held Cash's attention. Deep inside them, he saw a desire that mirrored his own.

Cash was frozen on the spot, his heart thudding against his rib cage in a staccato beat that kept time with the sound of the rain pelting against the roof of the barn.

Tessa took a tentative step toward him.

A strangled noise escaped his throat and then they were in each other's arms. He crushed her to him so tightly that he was afraid he would break her. He claimed her lips with a passion that he was sure would leave bruises.

Her hands slid under his shirt, searing his flesh as she explored the muscles on his chest before peeling the shirt up and flinging it to the side.

He did the same—her shirt and bra falling to the floor, his heart thrumming even faster as he looked at her perfect breasts before dipping in to claim her lips again, his hands running along her sides then cupping her breasts, his thumbs caressing her tight nipples.

She twined her arms around his neck, arching against him as he used his hands, his lips, his tongue to explore her with the pent-up desire of a lifetime.

* * *

T
essa couldn't get enough
of him. The drumming of the rain on the windows did little to drown out the sound of her own heartbeat pulsing in her ears. She was hyper-aware of every sound, every scent, every touch. The smell of damp horses and summer rain. The soft sounds of the horses. The boom of thunder in the distance and Cash's touch ignited an explosion of sensations inside her that made her dizzy with desire.

Her wet clothes, now mostly discarded, had done nothing to douse the fire within her. She curled her fists in his hair, feeling the warm skin of his chest pressed against hers as he peeled her jeans down over her hips. She kicked off her boots, and then wriggled her jeans off and kicked them to the side.

She ran her hands over his muscles down to his belly, causing him to shiver as she flipped open the button on his pants. Needing to feel him. All of him.

The growl that vibrated from deep in his throat as she explored his length made her knees grow weak. His hands slid lower, his mouth on her neck, her breasts, his teeth scraping her nipples and making her cry out as he pressed her back against a wooden post.

She leaned back, opening herself to him. The exquisite feeling of his strong hands stroking her body electrified her. Her skin, her muscles, every sensitive nerve ending tingled and awakened something deep inside her with an intensity she'd never felt before.

His fingers slipped between her legs, stroking, probing, taking her higher and higher. She rode it out, clinging to him, her back braced against the post. Not thinking, just feeling—every nerve in her body focused on that one second of release.

She shattered in his arms, and slowly drifted back to earth as he rained soft kisses on her face.

It wasn't enough. She wanted all of him, wanted the intimacy of being joined with him. She cupped his cheeks in her hands, lifted his head to look into his eyes.

"I want you."

* * *

H
er words were nearly
his undoing. He let go of her long enough to grab the shirt he’d flung over the stall door earlier and a condom from his back pocket. He spread the shirt on a bale of hay as he crushed Tessa to him again. He didn’t want to be apart from her for long. He needed her warmth, to feel her next to him.

He bunched his fingers in her hair, pulling it out of the ponytail and watching it spread around her face like a fiery halo as she lay down. His heart constricted. She looked so beautiful lying there. Giving herself fully to him.

To
him
.

He wanted to feel every inch of her. He struggled to slow down, to savor the moment as he covered her body with his. Kissing her, stroking her. Then when she wrapped her legs around his hips, urging him to go further, he slipped inside her, his heart exploding with emotion.