Trouble With a Cowboy (16 page)

* * * *

The
alarm on his cell phone brought him straight up in bed. "Damn," he
grumbled and fell backward again. He hadn’t fallen asleep until the early
morning hours, his arms wrapped around Jacie as she slept soundly beside him. Reaching
one hand out for her, he came up with nothing but a cold, empty bed.

"What
the hell?" He rolled to his side and peeked through squinted eyes. And
then he heard it—the soft hum of her voice coming from the bathroom. He
couldn’t help but smile. Listening to her in the shower brought thoughts of
home and hearth. But reality came crashing down around his ears. Jacie would
never cut her wandering ways. A free-spirited nomad described her to a T. Her
life consisted of being on the road. She had said as much many times before. No
one to tell her what to do and no one to tell her where to be. The last thing
she wanted was an overbearing man insisting she stay home.

He
threw one arm over his eyes.
What the
hell am I thinking? Making myself a permanent part of her life would only lead
to heartache. Even if she wasn’t after money, she’d never settle down and I
can’t be with a woman who is never home.

The
shower turned off and he heard the door open. A few moments later, she plopped
in the middle of the bed.

"Wake
up sleepyhead."

He
opened one eye only to find her smiling face. The wrapped towel on her head and
the big white bathroom hugging her body, had him thinking of getting her naked
and taking care of an issue he had neglected last night. Torturing her
delicious body until she screamed for mercy from the many orgasms he planned to
give her.

"I
ordered breakfast. It should be here in a few minutes. I don’t know about you,
but I need coffee and sustenance if I’m going to be dealing with assholes and NFR
commissioners this morning already."

"You
are a saint, woman."

She
leaned down and kissed him. Not one of the soul-binding, scorching kisses she
had given him before, but a sweet, lose-your-heart-to-this-woman kiss. He was a
goner.

"I’m
going to finish getting ready. You need to roll that hot body out of this bed
and get in the shower," she said, springing out of the bed on the other
side before he could capture her and hold her close. "We can work on
getting naked again later. We have things to do this morning."

"Slave
driver."

Her
warm laughter floated to him as she headed toward the bathroom and he couldn’t
help but smile in return. She could be a fighter when needed, a lover when
required, and friend at the most important times. He was so screwed.

A
soft knock on the door brought his attention to the things at hand—coffee,
breakfast and then dealing with the issues at the arena, in that order.

"I
got it," he called while he slipped on his robe.

The
waiter standing on the other side of the door looked way too cheerful for this
early.

"Good
morning, sir. How are you this morning?"

"Tired
and cranky." Tucker stepped aside so the man could roll in the cart. "Set
it up on the table and I’ll be right back."

"Certainly,
sir," the man replied.

Tucker
grumbled, "Thank you."

He
walked into the bathroom to take care of immediate business, and brush his
teeth, but he should have realized the resourceful person Jacie had turned out
to be as she took over. He could hear her cheerful, high-pitched voice while
she chatted with the waiter. By the time Tucker returned, breakfast had been
laid out beautifully on the table, and his cup had already been filled to the
brim with life sustaining caffeine. He took several sips before he let himself
speak again.

Jacie
was already dressed, hair in a ponytail at the back of her head and a light
dusting of makeup on her face.
Wow
.
He hadn’t seen her all dolled up since the bar the first night they had met,
but this pretty, down home country girl took his breath away. The almost
feminine blouse she wore emphasized her gently rounded figure, while still
showing off the soft swell of her breast. No baggy shirt, oversized jeans and
boots to take your mind off the beauty beneath. Today, she was all woman.

No
one ever said he wasn’t a smart man. Keeping his mouth shut so he didn’t insert
his foot and piss her off, came with a price—the price of biting the inside of
his mouth. Up to now, she always seemed touchy about her femininity and he
wasn't exactly sure why.

"You
did a great job ordering breakfast. This food looks fabulous."

"I
ordered the standard stuff and a little of everything. I figured you could
choose what you wanted."

"Smart
and beautiful. What a combination."

The
dubious look she gave him said she wasn’t buying the sweet-talk.

He
glanced at his watch and groaned. "I would love to sit and have a
leisurely breakfast with you this morning, but I need to get in the shower so
we can get moving. It’s already eight and we have to be there by nine."

"I
would join you, but it would only distract us. I’ll stay here and drink coffee
while you shower and shave."

"Perfect,"
he said, coming to his feet. The kiss he gave her left him wanting more—a whole
lot more, but there wasn’t time.
Later.

When
he had finished showering and stood at the sink doing his best to cut the
whiskers from his face without cutting his skin off, as Jacie called from the
living room.

"Uh,
Tucker? I think you need to see this."

"What
is it?"

"Apparently
the news got wind of the issue with your bull. There’s a group of reporters
waiting at the arena for you and the commissioners to show up from what it
looks like."

"Fantastic.
Could this day get any better?"

"Oh
yeah."

"What
now?"

"It
appears they are on the trail of who reported you."

"Did
they say who?" he asked while he ran the razor up his neck to get the
final swipe.

"Not
yet. I think they are waiting until you all show up."

He
stepped out of the bathroom as he wiped the remaining shaving cream from his
face. "Well, I hope they do so I can kill the bastard." He tossed the
towel over his shoulder in the direction of the sink. "Give me a minute or
two and we’ll go. There should be a car waiting downstairs for us. I had them
deliver one here since I knew I would be arriving in a semi."

"Fantastic.
I don’t want to think about driving my rig all over town."

The
appreciative sparkle to her eyes when she raked her gaze over his body, made
his cock twitch. Typical cowboy garb, from the tip of his Stetson to the boots
on his feet, fit his frame and his personality, but she obviously liked what
she saw.

"Aren’t
you the handsome cowboy."

"I
try, darlin’." He slipped his wallet into his back pocket and his cell
phone into his shirt pocket. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah.
We’ve got some commissioners to put into their place," she replied with a
toss of her curls and he couldn’t help but laugh.

God
help anyone who got in her way.

Once
they secured the car from the concierge desk downstairs, they pulled out of the
parking garage and got on the freeway. At least morning rush hour was over and
traffic had trickled down to almost nothing. The sun shone bright in the
morning sky, emphasizing the grungy and dirty side of Las Vegas most people
forgot existed in the lights and glitter of the nightlife.

They
pulled into the arena's rear lot with several minutes to spare. The crowd of
reporters hovered near the entrance and they would have to traverse them to get
inside. "Damn vultures."

"The
reporters?" she asked.

"Yeah.
They smell blood and it’s on."

He
parked off to the side and squeezed her fingers before they both got out.

"You
can handle them, Tucker."

"Thanks
for the vote of confidence," he replied.

"Mr.
Marshall, is it true you used steroids on your bull Lightning Strike?" one
reporter asked, pushing to the front of the crowd.

"No."

"Isn’t
Lightning Strike up for Bull of the Year?"

"Yes."

"Who
is your lady friend? Is she involved in the rumor of your bull being on
steroids? Maybe she’s the one who is trying to ruin you, Mr. Marshall. Did you
ever think of that?"

"Why
you son of a—" she growled, and took a step toward the squinty-eyed man.

He
grabbed her around the waist and held her back more for her safety than the
man. "Easy, honey," he whispered next to her ear. "I trust my
lady friend with my life," he told the crowd "She drove the
eighteen-wheeler for me to get the bull here in the first place, coming to my
rescue in Oklahoma."

"A
business arrangement then? Some sex on the side for transportation? I believe
that is called prostitution, Mr. Marshall."

Red
blurred his vision. This man, this imbecile just called his woman a prostitute.
"I suggest you leave the grounds immediately, sir, before I put your ass
in the hospital."

Now
Jacie took over and all he could do was stand there with an open mouth.
"I'll have you know, Mr. Marshall and I are married. I would suggest you
be careful who you are calling a prostitute. I doubt he would have any second
thoughts about taking you to court for slander."

"Excuse
me, Mrs. Marshall. None of us were aware you two had been married.
Congratulations."

"Thank
you." She turned toward him, kissed him on the mouth, and then grabbed his
hand. "Shall we go, honey? I believe we are being waited on inside."

"Uh…yeah."

The
reporters continued to shout questions left and right, but they ignored them
and walked inside. The arena lights were off and silence filled the area.
Things would be kicking up soon when the festivities started later on today,
but for now, quiet prevailed.

"I
don't mind you telling them we are married, Jacie, to shut them up, but you do
realize it will get out eventually that we aren't."

She
shrugged her shoulders. "By the time they investigate everything, the
rodeo will be long over, you will be home in Austin and I'll be in Tennessee or
somewhere in between."

"I
never know what will come out of those beautiful lips next," he replied
with a chuckle and a quick kiss to her mouth.

"Remember
that." Her smile took his breath away and reminded him of her naked body
in the tub with him last night.

"Mr.
Marshall?" a portly man called from down the dirt aisle.

"Yes?"

"I'm
Commissioner Black. If you'll come with me, we have the vet waiting to take the
sample of blood."

"Of
course," he answered, following the man toward the pen. Tucker slipped
inside with his bull with the veterinarian behind him. "How long will it
take to get the results?"

"We
have a new testing system in our office. It enables me to test the sample and
get a preliminary result within twenty-four hours. If the preliminary result is
positive, then I send it off to the state lab to be tested further. Those
results could take a while," the doctor said.

"Good.
I want this cleared up quickly." His gaze stopped on the commissioner who
stood behind the safety of the rails. "Commissioner Black, care to reveal
the name of the person who reported this to you?"

"I
don't have the information, Mr. Marshall. The tip came in anonymously."

"Great,"
he grumbled.

"It
will be fine, Tucker. You know the bull is clean. This is nothing more than an
inconvenience," Jacie said.
God love
her
.

After
the veterinarian had finished, they all walked toward the doors together.
"Will you be at the Gold Buckle Gala tomorrow night, Mr. Marshall?"
the commissioner asked.

"Of
course. My wife and I planned to attend," he replied and almost smiled when
Jacie's eyebrow shot up in question.

"Your
wife? Well congratulations. I didn't realize you had married."

"Thank
you," he answered. "Now, if you will excuse us. We are using this
trip kind of like a honeymoon of sorts."

"Of
course. We shall see you tomorrow evening then. Hopefully by then we will have
the results so we can put this messy business behind us."

"Of
course, sir. I look forward to the ball."

As
they reached the outer doors, he noticed the reporters hadn't disbursed, much
to his annoyance. They circled like vultures waiting to attack. Fortunately for
him, he knew exactly how to handle them.

"Please
excuse us," he said, ushering Jacie toward the car, but the next words
stopped them in their tracks.

"Mr.
Marshall, how do you know Kyle Fredrick?"

Chapter Nine

Kyle? Something isn't right here.

"He
owns a shop in the small town where I had to hold up for a few days. Why?"
Tucker replied, but Jacie began to shake as her anger exploded.
If Kyle had anything to do with this, I will
personally kill him.

"Our
sources tell us he is the anonymous caller who reported your bull being on
steroids. What do you have to say?"

"The
man is a coward, a liar and a cheat. I wouldn't put much stock in his word on
anything, gentleman. In fact, during our stay in Littleton, Mr. Fredrick made
sexual advances toward my wife, earning my anger. I challenged him to ride my
bull and he chickened out."

The
reporters laughed, but her fury held no bounds. The son of a bitch had it out
for them. He obviously wanted to ruin Tucker or at least make his life
miserable. If the bull is clean, they wouldn't have anything to worry about,
but if for some reason he wasn't, Tucker could be ruined completely.

"If
you gentlemen will excuse us, my wife and I planned to do a little shopping
this morning."

The
men didn't like not getting a juicy story, but they grumbled to themselves and
moved on. Tucker held the door for her on the car until she slid inside. Within
moments, they were on their way to the hotel—or so she thought. When he turned
into the parking lot of the Mandalay Bay hotel, she shot him a confused look.

"They
have a really nice women's shop in here, I thought you might like to look in
for a dress. The gala tomorrow night is formal."

"We're
really going to a formal dance? I don't know, Tucker. I don't think that is a
really good idea. I mean, I'm sure there will be people there who know full
good and well we aren't married, but—"

One
finger pressed to her lips. "It doesn't matter if someone finds out we
aren't really married, Jacie. I want you on my arm. I can't wait to see you in
a formal dress. I probably won't be able to take my eyes off you all night. I
have a feeling, you'll be the belle of the ball."

"I
doubt it," she grumbled.

"I
don't," he replied before kissing her fingers. "Come on. This will be
fun."

He
slipped out of the car and shut the driver's side door behind him.

"Great.
A man who likes to shop and I hate it."

In
through the fancy glass and gold doors they went, up the escalator to an
impressive women's shop in the corner, only to be greeted by the overzealous
sales girl.

"Mr.
Marshall. Good to see you, sir."

"Thank
you. I take it you received my phone call."

"Yes,
sir, and I've laid out a few things by your specifications in your lady friend’s
estimated size, but I also have a few things bigger and smaller just in case
your estimate wasn't accurate."

Glittering
dresses, sparkling shoes, beautiful handbags and jewelry that took your breath
away, graced every corner and space in the salon.

"If
you'll follow me, Miss."

"It's
Mrs.," Tucker corrected with a smirk to his lips. He was getting way to
familiar with the term and it started to bug her.

"I'm
sorry, Mrs. Marshall."

"No
harm done," she answered, following the young woman behind the curtained
off area.

"If
you'll take a seat there in the waiting area, Mr. Marshall, I'll have your wife
model them for you."

"Perfect,"
he replied as Jacie gritted her teeth.

How dare he think he had the right
to choose her clothing! He may be paying for everything, but this is a little
nuts.

The
young woman held out several gowns and Jacie gasped. Each one stole her breath.
There were gowns in a rainbow of colors including blues, greens, and
golds
. "Wow."

"They
are beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"I
believe this one is perfect for your coloring and eyes, Mrs. Marshall,"
the woman said, holding up a thin strapped green gown with gold accents over
the bodice. The under part of the dress stopped mid thigh, but the outer gauzy
covering draped to the floor. "It will accent the green in your eyes and
expose the right amount of skin."

"Holy
shit." The gown was simply gorgeous.

"I'll
leave you to slip it on. Let me know if you need any help."

"Uh-sure."

The
satiny material felt heavenly on her skin and the shimmering fabric did wonders
for her coloring. The slight tan to her skin accented the green to perfection.
Even if she wore her hair down, the gown would be beautiful and she felt
beautiful in it. Tucker had an eye for size it appeared because the dress fit
perfectly.

"I
have some pretty shoes here to go with the gown."

When
she stepped out of the dressing room and into the small hall, the sales clerk's
eyes glowed with delight.

"It's
perfect," the woman whispered. "I do believe Mr. Marshall will be
pleased." She handed Jacie the open-toed shoes and she slipped them on.
Tucker stood just over six-feet, but the shoes brought her almost to his
height. "Now, go show your man what a beautiful woman you are."

Jacie
bit her lip.
What will Tucker think? The
last thing I want to do is disappoint him and make us both look foolish at this
dinner tonight.

She
didn't have anything to worry about. As she stepped out from the dressing room,
Tucker's eyes glowed with appreciation as he came slowly to his feet. "You
look magnificent."

"Are
you sure? I mean, it's not too much skin?" she asked, glancing down at her
front.

"It
fits you like a glove and brings out the green in your eyes. You will steal the
show tonight in that gown."

The
price tag dangled from her armpit. A quick glance and she gasped in surprise at
the numbers. "We can't buy this, Tucker! It's way too expensive. My God,
look at the price. I'm taking it off right now. We can find something suitable
at Target or somewhere."

He
grabbed her hand and stopped her momentum toward the dressing room. "Do
you like it?

"Well
yes, but—"

"Do
you love the dress?"

"Yes,"
she whispered, afraid she would make him mad if she admitted to the
extravagance of the gown.

The
sales woman grinned in the corner.

"We'll
take it and the shoes. She'll also need a wrap of some sort to go with
it."

"Tucker,
we can't—"

"Yes,
we can, Jacie. The dress was made for you. I'll hear no more about it." He
smacked her on the butt and gently pushed her toward the dressing room.
"Pick out three more. There are two balls and we'll be having dinner with
some people during the next couple of weeks, so you'll need some clothing for
those too."

Over
the next several hours, they shopped and shopped some more. He bought
everything from evening dresses to capes, purses and shoes besides filling in
her wardrobe for the rodeo itself with new jeans, blouses and boots. She lost
track of the money he spent, but she was determined to give it all back, every
penny when she got home. The remark the reporters made at the arena bothered
her. His buying all of this almost felt like prostitution when she thought
about it. Even if she enjoyed making love with Tucker, the money he spent on
her soured her mood and brought the reality of her situation into sharp clarity.

By
the time the dinner hour arrived, exhaustion had set in, but Tucker had made
reservations at the swanky restaurant downstairs with some of his business
acquaintances and he requested she attend with him. After they'd returned to
the room from their shopping trip, she'd curled up on the bed and quickly fell
asleep. The whisper of his lips over her shoulder, up her neck and his teeth on
her earlobe brought her out of her nap with a smile on her face.

"Mmm.
Keep it up and we won't make your dinner engagement."

"Sounds
good to me, but unfortunately, I have to attend," he grumbled. "Do
you want to shower before we go down?"

"A
quick one, yes. I need to do something with my mop of hair and change
clothes," she replied, stretching like a contented cat on the bed.

The
low growl from his throat brought a smile to her lips. She loved when he made
that sound. "Care to join me?"

"Witch."

"Just
a thought." She giggled. "But then again, maybe not. We wouldn't make
your meeting at all then. But I promise later, we'll finish what you
started."

"We'll
leave early." He kissed her hard. "Off to the shower with you woman,
before I throw the whole thing to the wind and stay holed up with you right
here in this bed until morning."

It
took well over an hour to shower, curl her hair and tuck one side of it back
into a gorgeous diamond clip Tucker had insisted on buying earlier. A few
swipes of makeup over her cheeks and eyes and she stood ready to meet his
business associates.

She
stepped out of the bathroom, completely unprepared for the sight of her
husband
in his finery. Stark black suit
jacket over a brilliant white tuxedo shirt and tie brought out the color of his
blue eyes. The man stole her breath. She thanked her lucky stars and whatever
cosmic alignment brought them together in Littleton, Oklahoma even if it could
only be for a short time.

"Wow.
You clean up pretty nice, Mr. Marshall."

"So
do you, Mrs. Marshall."

"You'd
better be careful with calling me that. I might get used to it," she
quipped, hoping to make light of the nervous flutter in the pit of her stomach.

"I
might get used to it too." He held out his arm and said, "Shall
we?"

Before
she could even think of a reply, he had her out the door and inside the
elevator headed downstairs. The room he'd reserved inside the Picasso
restaurant gleamed in the subdued light of the restaurant. Crystal stemware,
real silverware, gorgeous floral arrangements and beautifully dressed women
were everywhere. There must have been at least fifty people in his little
party.

"I
didn't realize you'd invited so many people, Tucker," she whispered with a
nervous twitter to her voice.

"You'll
do fine, honey. Relax and stick with me," he replied, placing his palm on
her lower back to guide her. "Ah. I see someone I want you to meet. I
think you'll get along fabulously."

They
walked toward a very handsome couple standing off to the rear part of the room.
The man had dressed similar to Tucker with dress jacket, white shirt and black
Stetson, but the woman next to him was stunning.

"Justin,
it's great to see you. It's been way too long," Tucker said, holding out
his hand in greeting.

"Tucker
Marshall. You old dog. I haven't seen you since last year." The man's eyes
stopped on her and he cocked a questioning eyebrow. "And who might this
lovely lady be? You've been holding out on me, Tucker."

She
stuck out her hand and said, "Jacie—"

"Marshall,"
Tucker added. "My wife."

"Your
wife? Are you serious? When did this happen and why wasn't I invited to the
wedding?" Justin laughed as he pulled her into a hug.

"For
the same reason I wasn't invited to yours," Tucker grumbled and turned to
the woman. "Hello again, Kat. I'm so glad to see you. Are you keeping this
rascal in line?" Tucker replied, kissing the other woman on the cheek and
giving her a hug.

"I'm
doing my best, Tucker, but you really should have told us you'd gotten married.
You know we would have loved to been there," Kat said, and then turned to
her. "I'm Katrina Wilder, Justin's wife. It's very nice to meet you,
Jacie."

"You
too. I'll admit I'm not used to these big business parties."

"Stick
with me, honey and we'll kill 'em together. I hate these things too, but Justin
insists I accompany him."

"Do
you two live here in Vegas?" she asked Katrina.

"Yes.
We own a place outside of town."

"We'll
be back in a bit, darlin'," Tucker said. "I see some people I need to
talk to."

"Of
course." Tucker kissed her on the cheek and grabbed Justin around the
shoulders to lead him off. The two men had very close to the same coloring.
Justin had big brown eyes though, where Tucker had eyes so blue, they could see
right through her. Same height and same build. The two of them together would
make any woman lose her heart fast.

"How
long have you two been married?" Katrina asked as she sipped from the
fluted glass in her hand.

"Not
long," she replied, watching Tucker walk away and feeling very intimidated.

Katrina
touched her arm. "I, for one, am very glad he's found someone. By the way
he looks at you, I would say your husband is very much in love with you. I
never thought I'd see the day Tucker Marshall fell in love."