by Kadie Scott
“I always win,” Autry said.
He took her lips not harshly, but firmly and chastely, the scent of something light and alluring swirling around him as she gasped.
He was tempted as sin to dip his tongue inside the warm recess of her mouth to tease hers, but he wouldn’t push it that far. With more effort than it should’ve taken, he forced himself to stop at the one peck, pulling back to gaze down into wide, bemused eyes. God, he wouldn’t mind continuing though, his body vibrating like a tuning fork.
With Beth Cooper of all people.
Then he went rigid with shock as Beth went up on tiptoe, wrapping her arms around his neck and putting the first kiss to shame as she showed him what kissing should always be like—her lips pliant and soft against his. He hardened in an instant, pushing painfully against the zipper of his jeans as she pressed her petite body to his, her tongue tangling boldly with his. She nipped at his lower lip, then soothed it with her tongue. With a sexy hum, she dropped back, her dimples in evidence yet again. “See. You may always win, Autry Hill, but I never lose.”
Autry stared down at her, his chest tight. Hell, his entire body was tight, and everything primal inside of him took over.
Scooping her up by the ass, he pinned her against her truck and tangled one hand in her silky hair so he could show her sassy mouth what kissing could really be. Beth moaned against him, wrapping her legs around his waist and giving as good as she got. Autry broke the kiss, dragging his mouth over her jaw and to her ear sucking the lobe into his mouth and enjoying how she shuddered against him, a satisfying hitch in her breathing.
A wolf whistle split the air and Autry froze.
Dammit, he was supposed to be changing his ways, not ravishing the local schoolteacher in the parking lot. What if this got back to his parents? They’d never believe he hadn’t done more than kiss her.
He buried his face in Beth’s neck breathing hard, collecting his thoughts for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.
He lifted his head and lowered her gently to the ground. Even through his good intentions, he still registered the slide of her body against his, the smooth skin of her thighs against his hands. When had he gone under her skirt?
Beth swallowed, dimples nowhere in sight. “I goaded you into it,” she said, her voice gone all sultry.
Autry swallowed and shook his head. “Don’t. Don’t apologize. This was all me.”
He stepped back, glancing away to give her privacy while she adjusted her clothes. A glance down jolted him as he realized his shirt was unbuttoned. Vaguely he recalled small hands exploring his chest.
He started on the buttons, glancing up at Beth who watched, her bottom lip—a lip he’d just been sucking on—caught firmly between her teeth.
He couldn’t stand the concern shining at him from those faded blue-jean eyes. With a grunt, he stepped forward, taking her face between his hands. “This was all me. I promise it won’t happen again, and I won’t tell anyone. I’m not the kiss and tell type. Okay?”
Her shoulders dropped from where they’d been hovering around her ears and she nodded slowly, accepting his word. That was the thing about Beth. She’d always trusted him.
And now I’ve gone and messed that up.
Mentally calling himself all sorts of names, Autry reached around her and pulled open her door, then helped her up in silence. Why was such a tiny thing, one who lived in town, driving such a big vehicle anyway?
He closed the door, stepping back as she gunned the engine, but then she rolled down her window. “Autry?”
Was she about to lay into him? He stepped closer. “Yeah?”
Those damn dimples twinkled at him. “I was always curious what it would be like to kiss you. I guess we both won this one.”
With a wink he felt to the bottom of his gut, she put the truck in gear and pulled away.
Autry watched her go with bemusement, shaking his head. “Who knew. Little Beth Cooper has a bit of a bad girl in her,” he muttered. Then chuckled.
Too bad he couldn’t take her up on it.
Chapter Two
“Damn.” Autry leaned forward, trying to peer out his windshield through the sheets of rain pelting his truck as he drove into town.
He’d meant to come to pick up this shipment of feed earlier, but one of their heifers had calved early with complications. They’d had to call in Cash’s wife, Holly, one of the large animal vets in the region, to help and it had taken the rest of the day. He’d left after six, and technically the sun was still out, not that anyone could tell from the dark gloom blanketing the land. After a week straight of thunderstorms rolling through the area, more like spring than winter, he was already ready for this crap to be over.
The storms were both blessing and curse, bringing with them much needed water for crops and livestock and to help get them through the heat of the summer, but also making it damn difficult to get their work done. Especially winter storms like these, which could blow in with ferocity, then clear out leaving them in humid warmth the next day.
Crossing the bridge over the south fork of the San Juan, the river was just topping its banks. Luckily the homes that backed to it sat above the water on a decent incline, but anyone with patios built at the water’s edge would likely have to replace anything down there. He rolled to a stop at the first light coming into the downtown and happened to glance to his left as a woman burst from the back of her house, which sat on the corner, and sprinted directly toward the river.
“What the hell?” Autry muttered.
She disappeared down the incline. What was she thinking? Didn’t she know the river was in flood? The thing could suddenly rush up the banks in a flash of rushing water that would sweep her away if she got caught up in it. An average of two-hundred people lost their lives to flooding in Texas every year. Who could be stupid enough to chance that?
He watched from the side mirror, frustration rising with each ticking second thanks to both the rain that obscured his view and the fact that he didn’t see the red flash of the shirt she’d been wearing appear anywhere. Where was she? What was she doing down there?
The person behind him honked, indicating the light had turned green, but, rather than go straight to the feed store, Autry jerked the wheel to turn left, then again to pull into the woman’s drive.
He hardly gave the slightly shabby white house a glance as he jumped out into the rain, immediately soaked to the skin, and raced around the side, through the gate to her backyard, and down to the river. The second he topped the incline, he caught a flash of the woman, ankle deep and apparently oblivious of the rushing waters ready to drag her to her death as she picked her way into underbrush at the edge of her neighbor’s property line.
“Hey,” Autry yelled.
She didn’t hear. He lost his footing in the mud thanks to the sparse grass and the slope, and so concentrated on getting down to the stone patio rocked into the edge of the river without falling on his ass. By the time he made it there, she’d gone deeper into the underbrush.
“Dammit.” Autry went in after her.
The branches of the prickly bush snatched at his clothes and skin as he hunched over to get to her. He grabbed her arm, ready to keep her from falling in if he startled her into slipping. “Hey!”
The woman spun, deep blue eyes wide with fear, and recognition slapped him in the face.
Beth Cooper.
“Autry?” She’d said his name but he couldn’t hear her as the torrent of water around them snatched the word from her mouth and carried it away downstream.
Every protective instinct in his body kicked in hard, and he started to drag her to safety, his only thought to get her away from the water. Except she dug her heels in and twisted out of his grasp.
“What the hell are you doing?” he yelled.
“There’s an animal caught in that trap.” She screeched the words, pointing frantically.
Autry leaned around her, and sure enough, a few more feet away a metal cage sat, h
alf-submerged in the rising river water. The opening faced away from him, and whoever had laid it had put a black plastic bag over the back end, so he couldn’t see what was inside, if anything.
Damn. If she was willing to risk her life for that thing, no way was Beth going to meekly leave it there to drown.
He leaned closer. “Let’s get you up on dry land and I’ll come back to get it.”
Beth blinked at him for a moment, as if assessing her trust level. Before Autry could lean forward and say more, she nodded. “Thank you.”
Together they made their way back to her patio and up far enough that Autry felt comfortable leaving her there. He backtracked and carefully made his way to the trap, gripping the flimsy branches of the bushes he climbed through in case his feet got swept out from under him. Assuming the animal had to be a possum or maybe an armadillo, he grabbed the cage from the top. The second he lifted, the animal inside went nuts, clawing, thrashing, and hissing. Before he could adjust his grip, some kind of liquid burst from the inside of the cage and scored a direct hit.
Horror gripped him with hot talons of frustration as the smell kicked in immediately—distinct, nasty, and unmistakable.
Skunk.
“Fuck!” He only managed not to drop the damn cage as instinct had him wanting to wade deeper into the river and wash off the stench and scrub at his stinging eyes.
Muttering a string of curses and squinting through half-blinded eyes, he made his way back, getting sprayed at least twice more as he went. Beth’s face would’ve been a comical pantomime of relief followed by realization as the odor hit her if he hadn’t been so pissed. Her eyes widened with shock even as she covered her nose. Still cursing, because he knew she couldn’t hear, he marched past her and all the way up to her house.
Under the cover of the awning that covered her back porch, he deposited the cage then stalked around the side of the house and up to her front porch which was also covered. There he stopped, out of the reach of the rain, hands on his hips, and did his damndest to get his ire under control.
“Are you okay?” a quiet voice asked from behind him. Only Beth couldn’t hide the waver in her voice. Not a waver of tears or concern, but laughter.
Autry spun around to find her standing there, pale hair plastered to her head, red T-shirt and jeans soaked through, and her lips clamped tight against giggles, her teasing dimples peeking out at him despite her efforts.
“You think this is funny?” he demanded.
She shook her head, eyes wide, but crinkling around the corners with unmistakable mirth.
He took a step forward, glowering. “Why didn’t you tell me I was handling a skunk?”
“I didn’t know. Dan only told me he had a trap out there for a pest that was digging up his yard. Not a skunk. He—” She slapped a hand over her mouth, trying to hold in more giggles. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny.”
“No, it’s not.” Autry grumbled.
“I laugh when I get nervous.” She tugged at her jeans, plastered to her body, then scrunched up her face against another fit of hilarity.
“Sorry.” She managed around guffaws.
Beth’s words sank in. Dan. “Not Dan Fogelman?”
That sobered her up in a hurry. “Yeah.” She dropped her hands, lips flat now. “He told me yesterday that he’d caught it and was going to kill it. But I didn’t think about it until now. By kill it, he meant let it drown slowly. I couldn’t…” She trailed off and shook her head.
Every last ounce of Autry’s frustration with the situation turned into an immediate urge to punch Dan Fogelman in the face. Only he couldn’t do that because the guy wasn’t here. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Beth brightened and he could practically see the idea lightbulb go off over her head.
“I can help with that. Stay here.”
Before he could ask what she was doing, Beth yanked open the front door and ran inside. In the minutes she was gone, the rain suddenly slowed, the clatter of the fat drops on the awning over his head turning more into drips, as the water dribbled off the rooftop over the eaves and off the new green leaves of the trees in her yard.
A few minutes later, Beth came back outside with a tray laden with opened cans of tomato sauce. “I wasn’t sure if we’re supposed to use sauce or juice, but I only have this.”
For the skunk smell. “You want me to douse myself in tomato sauce? Can’t I just come in and use your shower?”
She shook her head. “One of our dogs got sprayed once when I was in high school and came into the house right after. The house reeked for weeks. We’ll do this first. Then you can come in.”
She put the tray on the small wood table she had out on the porch next to two rocking chairs, then straightened, hands on her hips, eyeing him up and down. “You’d better strip. Those clothes are ruined anyway.”
Immediately, Autry’s natural sense of humor kicked back on, and his lips tugged up in a grin as his hands went to his belt buckle. “I always knew you wanted to get me naked, Beth.”
In answer, she crossed her arms and stared him down with the teacher look she’d perfected. “I could let you drive home smelling that way.”
Autry chuckled and undid his pants. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“Why not?” she demanded, chin tipping up.
“Because you’re too nice.”
A flicker of what he guessed was irritation passed over her face before being replaced with comical resignation. “Yeah. Sounds like me.”
Autry grinned again as he toed off his boots with effort thanks to being soaked. “I bet all your students jump to do what you ask, just so they don’t get that look.”
Beth’s glare turned into a smirk. “As long as it works on stubborn, smelly cowboys…” She shrugged.
Despite her show of bravado, though, the second he whipped his T-shirt over his head, a pretty pink color flooded her cheeks. Suddenly, all Autry could think about was that kiss in the parking lot a few weeks ago. How she’d tasted. How she’d felt against him. The little moans that had come from her throat.
Pump the breaks, buddy.
If he didn’t, she wouldn’t be the only one blushing. Metaphorically. Autry didn’t blush, but he also didn’t want to show Beth how much she affected him either. Because he wasn’t the kind of bastard to lead on a good girl like her, even if he did find her inexplicably adorable all of a sudden.
Just think of the house and let it go.
Luckily, Beth turned away to pick up a can. He took advantage of her distraction to shuck his jeans, leaving him in boxers that were thankfully clean, hole free, and not white.
Beth straightened and turned to him, a can in each hand. “Ready to—” She stopped talking, her gaze directed over his shoulder. “Oh, bananas.”
Bananas?
Autry turned to see what had caught her attention only to find Dan Fogelman pulling into his drive in his jacked-up, brand-new truck that hadn’t seen a day’s work on a ranch as far as Autry could tell. Not in that pristine condition. Not that he expected Dan even know what ranch work was.
The short break in the rain meant Dan didn’t have to run into his house. It also meant he felt free to stroll across their yards, his smarmy smile widening with each step.
“Autry Hill. Never figured our Bethie would be your type,” he joked.
Beside him on the porch, Beth scoffed low enough Dan didn’t catch it. Yeah. Autry didn’t like the guy using her childhood nickname either.
Not in the least wrongfooted by the fact that he was standing there in nothing but boxers and still rank, Autry set his feet and crossed his arms. “I got sprayed by a skunk.”
A bark of laughter escaped the man. “That’s what that smell is. Phew, man, you—” Realization must’ve sunk in because Dan frowned, then his gaze narrowed and zoomed to Beth. “I told you to leave it alone.”
He stalked closer, coming around her shrubs to approach from the stairs. Beth didn’t back down even an ounce, stepping forward to block D
an from coming up the stairs. “I’m calling animal control on you.”
Dan’s usually handsome face descended into something dark and ugly. “Don’t you even think about it. I’ll have you up on trespassing charges.”
Autry tried to step between them, only Beth refused to move back, so he was relegated to standing behind her. “The cage floated to her side,” he lied.
A white lie, only he wasn’t entirely sure Beth would agree with it. Thankfully, she held her tongue.
“Cages made of metal don’t float. I’m not a moron,” Dan said.
Beth stepped down a level, practically going chest to chest with the guy. “They do when the river is flooded.”
“Bullshit,” Dan spat.
“You need to leave,” Beth fired back. “Now. Or I’ll be the one to add trespassing charges to the list.”
Her hands curled into small fists at her sides. Did the woman have no sense of self-preservation? Dan had a reputation for being a jerk. One with a temper. One whose daddy bought his way out of any trouble he landed in, which meant he didn’t back down. Ever.
Dan glanced between them, then pulled his lips back in a sneer that reminded Autry of a rabid dog. “What is this, Hill? You pretending to be some kind of knight in shining armor?” He turned his scowl Beth’s way. “Don’t believe him, sweetheart. Autry would do anything to get laid.”
The next few seconds happened in a blur of motion. Dan huffed a laugh. Beth lunged for the guy, obviously with no clue what her plan would be when she made contact. And Autry scooped her up around the waist, tugging her back. “Hold on there, feisty pants. Just let the asshole go.”
He put Beth down on the top step.
“I’m the asshole?” Dan’s posture changed from passive threat to overt, his chest puffing out, his expression rivaling the next line of thunderclouds off in the distance.
Autry put himself bodily between Beth and Dan, coming down the last step forcing the guy to back up. “Walk away, and Beth won’t call animal control.”
He didn’t miss the squeak of protest behind him, but he needed to deescalate this situation before Dan got a full head of steam.