Cowboys, Cowboys, Cowboys

by D'Ann Lindun

  Maybe it was the trauma of the crash or PTSD, but her declaration of love had been real. People might think you couldn’t fall in love in two days, but Teagan knew she had. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as sure of Gage’s feelings toward her.

  She walked into the bathroom and turned on the water, tossed her filthy clothing in the wastebasket and stepped into the tub with a contented sigh. Although the toiletries supplied by the hotel were basic, nothing like the top of the line products she usually enjoyed, Teagan was delighted to have them and scrubbed her hair and body until they finally felt clean.

  She soaked until her skin turned pink and wrinkly. Reluctantly, she climbed out of the tub and wrapped in a large, fluffy towel. As promised, the hotel had supplied a white robe and after drying, she slipped into it. She hoped this hotel offered room service, because she wasn’t going anywhere in only a robe.

  After drying her hair, she wandered into the bedroom. The bed looked wonderfully inviting and she sank onto it. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Five-thirty. Two and a half hours until Gage was to arrive for dinner.

  Plenty of time for a nap.

  Dropping the robe on the floor, she climbed between the sheets, closed her eyes and was out before her head hit the pillow.

  A light knock woke her.

  For a minute, she lay still, disoriented by the strange surroundings. When she realized where she was, and that Gage waited on the other side of the door, she jumped from bed and grabbed the discarded robe from the floor.

  “I’m coming.”

  Tying the sash as she went, she hurried to the door and opened it. Gage stood there, looking like a million bucks. Apparently, he’d either had his clothes laundered by the hotel staff, or he’d found something in the small town, because he wore a long-sleeved Henley, Wranglers and his own boots. He’d shaved and looked wonderful.

  “Can I come in?”

  She stepped aside. “Of course.” Her heart pounded wild with anticipation of what she had planned.

  When he moved, she saw he had a serving tray with several covered platters on it. At her curious look, he said, “I figured you’d rather stay in.”

  She indicated her robe with a wave of both hands. “I’m not exactly dressed for anything fancy.”

  “You look great.” The admiring look in his eyes warmed her insides.

  “Thanks, come in.” She waited until he pushed the cart inside and closed the door behind him.

  “Are you hungry?”

  She leaned against the door and shook her head. “No.”

  He waved a hand over the trays. “I brought a lot.”

  “It’ll keep.” She folded her hands behind her behind and flattened them on the door.

  “Do you have something else in mind?” His voice deepened.

  Seduction had never been her strong suit, unless a camera was aimed at her. Taking a page from that part of her life, she lifted her chin. “Maybe.”

  “Talking?”

  “Not right now,” she said.

  How a big man could move so silently or quickly, she had no idea, but in a blink of an eye he stood in front of her. “Then what?”

  She met his eyes. “Are you going to make me say it?”

  Instead of responding, he tipped his head and claimed her mouth with his. With his tongue, he teased her lips apart. He tasted of minty toothpaste and desire as hot as her own. One large hand cupped the back of her neck, holding her still. As if he needed to imprison her. She met his thrusting tongue with her own.

  With his free hand, he untied the sash holding her robe together. Slipping his hand inside the open garment, he laid his palm flat on her hip. Although her hips were not normally the most erotic place on her body, Teagan had never felt anything more exciting.

  She tugged at his shirt, pulling the hem free from his Wranglers. Once it came loose from his jeans, she popped the buttons. He straightened and took his mouth from hers long enough to and help her slide it from his shoulders and remove his gray T-shirt. She splayed her hands across his flat abdomen, loving the feel of his supple skin and the defined muscles underneath. His skin blazed under her palm.

  He pushed her robe back from her collarbone and nipped it gently. Teagan tipped her head back against the door, baring her breasts. Gage cupped them with his big hands, squeezing and kneading until she writhed.

  With ease, he picked her up, carried her to the bed and placed her on the edge of it. She shrugged out of her robe as he undid his buckle, then the button and zipper on his jeans. With shaking hands, she helped him push his jeans and shorts from his hips. They pooled around the top of his boots and he stepped out of them, then kicked them away, along with his clothes.

  Gage edged between her legs and she lay back on the bed. He knelt and circled her lower legs with his arms. Pressing kisses along her right thigh, he moved up until his mouth covered her center. She arched and gasped when his tongue delved into her.

  Her uninjured fingers curled into the blankets as he tormented her. “Gage.”

  When he turned his wicked tongue to her clit, she raised her hips from the bed. The sensation became almost unbearable and she tightened her knees against his shoulders. Her lower stomach began to pinch and she knew it wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge.

  She cupped his neck and he responded with a long, deep tug on her clit. A scream ripped from her throat as she came for him. Her entire body shook from the intensity. Finally, his laving became almost painful and she scooted away. She covered her eyes with her arm and was surprised to find tears on her face.

  He slid next to her and pulled her close. “You okay?”

  “Amazed,” she managed.

  His chuckle vibrated through her. “Me, too.”

  Gradually, as her own tremors subsided, she became aware of his erection against her hip. With her fingertips, she traced the tip, then the ridge, and the hard length of him. Next to her ear, his breathing increased.

  Circling his cock, she stroked until it became impossibly hard. She turned her head and touched his lips with her tongue. He tugged it into his mouth and she tasted herself on him. A moan slipped out of her throat.

  His fingers found her wet core, parted her and slid inside. She hadn’t thought she could become so aroused again so quickly, but when he pressed upward, her body responded instantly, clenching around his fingers.

  Before she crashed over the edge, he removed his hand. “I want my cock inside you when you come again.”

  He rolled away and rustled around in his jeans for a minute. The unmistakable sound of a wrapper being opened told her he had a condom. She tugged him over her and he placed his palms on both sides of her face and looked into her eyes. “I want you to see how I feel when I make love to you.”

  No one had ever said anything like that to her before, and Teagan’s heart expanded. Her eyes widened, but before she could respond, he slid his cock into her. She gasped. Her fingers dug into his back. His gaze locked on hers.

  He moved his hips, pressing deep.

  Taking his hands from her face, he slid them up her arms and tethered their fingers in a tight knot, above her head. His chest hair brushed her ultra-sensitive nipples and she cried out.

  “Feel me?” He pushed further.

  “Oh, God, yes.”

  He pulled completely out, and she moaned a protest. “Gage—”

  His response was to push back inside her hard enough she was shoved across the bed. With each thrust, he went deeper. She wrapped her legs around his to anchor herself as their pace increased to a fever pitch.

  One of them panted, maybe both.

  Teagan’s lower belly tightened. The tautness grew unbearable. She was going to fall over the edge again. Her fingers, wrapped in Gage’s, squeezed until she thought they might break.

  “Grab on, baby,” Gage muttered. “We’re gonna fly.” He let go of her right hand and slid it between their sweat-slicked bodies. With his first and middle finger, he pinched her engorged clit.

&nb
sp; It was almost painful.

  Teagan screamed his name. She dug her heels into his calves. With her free hand, she raked her nails down his back as she peaked, and as Gage had promise, flew.

  He grunted, pushed one final time. A shudder ran through him as he came. A moment later, he slumped over, onto her. His gasps harsh near her ear. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held tight.

  Slowly, their heartbeats slowed.

  Gage rolled onto his back, tugged her tight against him. He brushed her hair off her face. “Damn, girl.”

  She traced a circle around his nipple. “Damn?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah. Damn.”

  “So romantic.” She lightly pinched his nipple.

  “Hey.” He pulled her on top of him and kissed her lightly. “I love you, Teagan.”

  “You’re just saying that—”

  He looked hard into her eyes. “From the moment I dragged you out of the lake I knew we had a bond.” He grinned. “I’d say we just sealed it.”

  “It was just sex—”

  “It was more than that, and you know it.”

  She did. There had been an undeniable connection between them almost from the time they sat down on the plane. She’d never felt about any other man the way she did this one. Could it be the same for him?

  “Where do we go from here?”

  “How about dinner first?” he suggested. “And we work out the details later?”

  After they dressed, they sat cross-legged on the bed, their meal spread out between them. He had a thick elk steak, fries, hot, yeasty rolls and two ears of corn.

  Although it wasn’t steaming hot, he ate it all.

  Teagan had a salad, corn and a bite of bread. More than she usually ate all day. She nibbled on a French fry stolen from Gage’s plate.

  With a contented sigh, she said, “This is perfect.”

  Gage cleared their plates. He held up a dessert plate. “Apple pie? I wish there was ice cream.”

  She groaned. “Are you kidding me?” She patted her stomach. “I’m stuffed.”

  “You eat like a bird.” Gage stuck a fork into his treat.

  “I’ve trained myself to not want much,” she said. “A pound turns into five on camera.”

  He abruptly pushed away his pie. “When do you go back to work?”

  She drew a deep breath. Here goes nothing. If he agreed, a lifestyle change of unimaginable magnitude. One she was ready for. “You know that bucket list we talked about?” At his nod, she continued. “I thought I might jump to the part where I leave New York and try life on a ranch with a cowboy.”

  “Any certain cowboy? Or will just any old cowhand do?”

  “I was thinking maybe you might want to show me the ropes,” she said. “Teach me everything I need to know about your way of living.”

  A grin as big as a Colorado river split his face. “I think this old cowboy would like that.”

  “Are you saying yes?”

  He set the plate on the side table and crawled toward her. “Baby, I’m saying yes to anything you want.”

  Joy filled her heart. “Anything?”

  “Anything.”

  She held out her left hand and wiggled her wrapped fingers. “Put a ring on it?”

  “As soon as I can buy one.”

  With a squee, she threw herself into his arms. “I love you, cowboy.”

  He sealed the deal with a kiss.

  The End

  A Cowboy Kinda Christmas

  DEDICATION

  ~For Rhonda Duffy~

  Thank you for your friendship!

  A Cowboy Kinda Christmas

  Noelle Jackson would rather find coal in her stocking than spend Christmas in Black Mountain, Colorado. But her best friend’s wedding means putting aside her reluctance. What she doesn’t count on is falling hard for a sexy cowboy who changes her mind about love.

  When an angel driving a red Mustang runs Nick Hadley's sleigh off the road, his first reaction is indignation. His second is awe. The beautiful woman makes him forget his past and look straight into the future. If he takes a chance on love, she will change his life forever.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Who gets married on Christmas Eve anyway?” Noelle asked her best friend’s mother as she stuffed another pair of jeans into her already overflowing suitcase.

  “Amity, apparently.” Marilyn Levore shrugged. “I just hope she goes through with this one.”

  They shared a meaningful look.

  Not three months ago, Amity had left her fiancé standing at the altar to run away to Black Mountain, Colorado, where she’d met and fallen head over boots for a cowboy named R.J. Hadley. In what had to be the fastest preparation ever, she’d put together a second wedding—one to take place in a little over a week.

  As the maid-of-honor, Noelle was going up early to help with last-minute plans. Marilyn had come over with a few items Amity needed. She, the rest of the family and assorted friends would join them the afternoon of the rehearsal.

  Taking a last look around her apartment for anything she may have forgotten, Noelle picked up her suitcase with an exaggerated groan. “I have everything but the kitchen sink in here.”

  “You packed enough for a month, instead of just a week,” Marilyn chided.

  “You never know what you might need in the wilderness,” Noelle shot back.

  Marilyn hid a smile. “Hardly the wilderness. It’s a small town. Much different from Denver.”

  “One that doesn’t even have a ski resort,” Noelle grumbled. “Why couldn’t Amity have married Brad? Then I’d be on my way to the Bahamas with my friends, instead of taking off to some God-forsaken settlement that probably doesn’t even have indoor plumbing.”

  Marilyn laughed out loud at that. “Amity’s found true love,” she said. “Or at least what she believes is true love.”

  They walked out to the parking garage together and Noelle didn’t respond as she tossed her heavy bag into the trunk of her bright red Mustang. She knew Marilyn had fallen for a cowboy who left her pregnant and alone in the same small town Amity now called home, and she worried the same fate would befall her eldest daughter.

  They’d met R.J. at Thanksgiving and he seemed nice enough, but he had a lot to overcome to conquer Marilyn Levore’s distrust of a Black Mountain cowboy.

  She wasn’t the only one.

  Although Amity swore she’d never felt for anyone what she did for this guy, Noelle had her doubts. To go from planning to marry a successful, wealthy lawyer like Brad to a small-town cowboy in less than three months seemed ludicrous. Someone had to force Amity see reason. And that someone was her—even if it did make her the grump who stole Christmas.

  Noelle kissed her friend’s mother’s unlined cheek. “I’ll see you on Thursday.”

  “Drive safe.” Marilyn stepped back and wrapped her arms around her still slender middle. “See you soon.”

  With a jaunty wave, Noelle backed her sporty little car onto the road. In about five and a half hours, she’d be on the other side of the Continental Divide.

  ~*~

  “Get up, Jingle. Get along, Bell.” Nicolas—Nick—Hadley ducked his head into his sheepskin collar. His team’s breaths looked like smoky clouds in the cold air and their hoofbeats were muffled on the snow-covered pavement as they jogged, but bells on their harness rang a merry tune in the icy afternoon air.

  They were headed home when a red sports car flew directly at them.

  Nick hauled on the driving lines and the team dove off the road into a belly-deep drift. The sleigh tipped onto its side, throwing Nick headfirst into the cold snow.

  Sputtering, he came to his feet. “Damn it.”

  On the other side of the road, the driver skidded to a sideways stop and leaped from the car. Through his ice encrusted glasses, Nick thought he saw a woman in a thigh-length mini dress and knee-high boots. The temping patch of ivory skin in between caught and held his attention.

  He removed his glasses and blinked.<
br />
  His eyes hadn’t deceived him. A woman wearing a forest green sweater dress that barely covered her essentials rushed toward him. “Oh my God. Are you all right?”

  “Do I look all right?” he growled as he stumbled out of the snow.

  Her lips quirked as she looked him up and down. “You look like—” giggles erupted out of her “like…Santa Claus.”

  “Santa Claus?” He brushed at the snow covering his Carhartt coat. “Are you on drugs?”

  She covered her mouth with both hands, caught in the throes of hysteria. Finally, she gained enough composure to speak. “With your hat and face all covered in snow, and your red coat, you reminded me of the jolly old elf. Your disposition is a little sour though.”

  He opened his mouth to say something smartass, then thought about it. Maybe with his red and green plaid bomber cap tied under his chin, a bright red coat and jeans tucked into black Sorel boots, he might bear a passing resemblance to the guy. Add his round glasses, and he supposed he could see the mistake. He glanced at his flat belly. No way did he carry a spare tire around his gut though.

  “Well, I’m not him.” He gave her outfit a nod. “But you look like an elf in that get-up.”

  Her mouth opened and closed in indignation. “An elf? I assure you this is the latest from Macy’s winter line.”

  “Whatever, sugarplum.” He moved to the tipped-over sleigh. “Damn. My ride’s stuck, thanks to you.” Wedged on its side in a ditch, there was no way his team of Suffolk Punches could move it. Doing so would take a truck with a tow chain. He hoped it wasn’t damaged just before his brother’s big day.

  “I’m sorry.” She stood beside him. “Can you get it out?”

  “Nope.” He was distracted by her scent—vanilla and cinnamon and something womanly that had him thinking of anything but cookies. To mask his sudden desire, he said gruffly, “What were you doing, driving like a maniac on a slick road?”

  “I wasn’t going that fast,” she denied. “Why were you in the middle of the road with horses and a sleigh?”