Her Forever Cowboy (Harland County Series Book 4)

by Donna Michaels

  Guilt hit Shayla’s solar plexus with unmerciful force. She shifted in her seat and berated herself for allowing her concern over the stupid Casanova cowboy and his antics to keep Caitlin from enjoying a normal social event.

  “All right. I’ll try to put Amelia down for a second nap tomorrow, but I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to stay until midnight,” she conceded, hating to deny her sister any bit of happiness.

  “Sweet! Thanks.” Caitlin leaned in to kiss her cheek. “We’ll have fun. You’ll see.”

  Fun…

  That’s what Shayla was afraid of.

  An hour later, after Jordan left and her sister had gone to sleep, she sat on the couch with her Rubik’s cube, hoping the puzzle would work its magic and calm her mind. It wasn’t working. Between worrying about Caitlin and college, her dad and his greed, her upcoming classes and her run-in with the sexy Casanova downstairs, Shayla was too keyed up to sleep.

  Or sit.

  She rose to her feet and heaved a sigh. There was no other alternative. Well, actually, there was, but sex was out of the question. Heck, it had been out of the question for over two years now. Probably why she was so keyed up. Darn, sexy Dalton stirred her body, and now she had to deal with the fall out. Tossing her cube in the kitchen drawer, she heaved another long sigh, which rippled through her curtain of hair. It wasn’t fair. The guy was probably off getting him some, while she was pent up with no one to…

  A soft knock sounded at the door. Her heart immediately leapt in her throat.

  Who in the…?

  She glanced at the clock. Half-past eleven. Maybe the deputy forgot something. She hurried down the hall before the knocking got louder and woke up Amelia and Caitlin. Yeah, it was probably Jordan, after all, if it had been her father, he wouldn’t have bothered to knock. He would’ve burst right in.

  Holding her breath, she palmed the door and peered through the peephole Kade had installed.

  Please let it be Jordan.

  Blue jeans. Black Stetson. Blue-eyes…

  It wasn’t Jordan.

  Holy heaven.

  Her heart dropped to her knees then shot back to her chest where it raced out of control.

  Kevin?

  Opening the door before his third knock, she leaned against the doorframe, attempting to appear calm, when in truth, she needed the support. Her stupid legs were as shaky as her quivering stomach. “What do you need?”

  Ah, hell, why did she have to go and ask that?

  His brows arched, and amusement danced in his eyes as a slow smile spread across his handsome face.

  “You know what I mean,” she rushed to say before the cowboy managed to zap the rest of her strength with sexual innuendos.

  Still smiling, he nodded and touched the brim of his hat. “Well now, I need a lot of things, darlin’, but at the moment, I’m just here to bring you your coat as per Jordan’s orders.” He held up her jean jacket.

  She was going to kill Jordan.

  “Thanks,” she said, swiping the coat from his hand, happy her voice hadn’t wavered. “But I hope you weren’t expecting me to invite you in. The others are asleep, and I’m heading to bed.”

  “No worries, darlin’.”

  “Good night.” She nodded and turned to the door.

  “But I have to admit, I am curious about something.”

  Don’t do it. Don’t take the bait. Step inside the apartment and shut the door. “Oh?” She turned around and stared at him instead. “Curious about what?”

  “Maybe you should come out in the hall and shut the door so we don’t wake anyone up,” he suggested, reaching past her to close the door without waiting for her reply, his body much too close for comfort.

  Clutching her coat, she walked a few feet away from him and leaned against the wall. “So, what’s the problem?” The distance probably would’ve helped her to breathe easier if he hadn’t followed.

  “That’s precisely what I’d like to know,” he said, not making any sense.

  Or was it her muddled brain? She couldn’t seem to think clearly when he was around, especially when he was so close she could count his eyelashes. They were thick, and black.

  Lucky bastard.

  “Why are you always on the defensive around me?” he asked. “You’re not like that with Kade or Cole or Connor.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, then stilled. He was right. Shoot. “I…don’t know.”

  Frowning, he cocked his head. “Do you have something against having fun?”

  “No.” she laughed. “Fun is a good thing.”

  “And yet, you don’t like me because I have fun.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’m not lying.” She shook her head, doing her best to be truthful without revealing too much. “I don’t like you because you’re dangerous.”

  He reeled back and stared at her. “Me, dangerous? No, darlin’. I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

  She blew out a breath. “And that’s exactly why you’re dangerous.”

  His brows disappeared under his hat. “Oh, now I’m really curious,” he said. “Does that make me irresponsible, or irresistible?”

  Tempting as hell.

  “Both.”

  Heaven help her, a wicked gleam entered his eyes and turned them positively electric.

  “So this is probably a bad idea.” Placing his hands on either side of her head, he leaned in and inhaled near her ear.

  Breath caught in her throat while goose bumps raced down her right side, perking her already perky nipples. “Yeah.” It wasn’t smart at all. And neither was she because he hadn’t touched her. He was giving her the opportunity to protest. To move.

  She didn’t.

  Yeah…stupid.

  “And this,” he said, against her neck, knocking his hat off, but he didn’t stop, just continued to blaze a trail to her shoulder, giving her eyes a real good reason to roll back in her head.

  “V-very bad.” Her legs were about to buckle.

  Push him away.

  She needed to push him away. Now.

  “Then I definitely shouldn’t do this.”

  Thrusting his hand in her hair, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her full on the lips, and deep, very deep. That was it. She was done. To hell with pushing him away.

  Shayla dropped the jacket, reached around his back and yanked him close, her perky nipples rejoicing at the contact with his hard, hot body. And he was hard and hot. All of him. A very impressive erection pressed impressively against her belly as his hips rocked against hers.

  Someone moaned. Probably her. Didn’t matter. He felt so damn good, plastering her against the wall, dipping and drinking as if he couldn’t get enough. Or was that her? Again, it didn’t matter. Her whole body was alive and on fire and wanted. It had been so very long since someone had wanted her. Not since that cowboy in Amarillo. Amelia’s father.

  Shoot.

  Shayla drew back and sucked in air. “This…is…”

  “Bad, I know,” he said, breath ragged, gaze as dazed as she felt.

  “It can’t happen again.”

  He nodded.

  “We’re too…”

  “Combustible,” he correctly supplied.

  “Exactly. We lead two different lives.” She inhaled deeply. “You should go.”

  “I know.”

  He didn’t move. Why didn’t he move? She didn’t have the strength, or willpower, to resist him if he initiated another killer kiss.

  “You need to leave,” she tried again.

  Amusement chased away some of the haze from his gaze. “I will…as soon as you let go of me, darlin’.”

  “Oh.” She released the lapel of his coat and belatedly pushed him away, fighting off a blush. Idiot. No time to be mortified. The best thing to defuse the situation was to leave. She walked back to her door and opened it, then glanced at him. “This can’t happen again, Kevin. I have Amelia to think about.”

  She
did not need another Casanova cowboy in her life, no matter how mind blowing the sex promised to be.

  “I know,” he repeated for the third time.

  “Good.” She stepped inside the apartment and closed the door without another word.

  And without her coat.

  Dammit.

  Face heating beyond inferno, she opened the door to find the cowboy leaning against the frame, jacket dangling from his finger, a lopsided grin tugging his face to sexy.

  Damn him.

  She grabbed the coat, shut the door, then locked it. Not to keep him from coming in, but to keep her from going out.

  “Pleasant dreams, Shayla,” he said, door muffling his voice, but she still heard his damn chuckling.

  It was going to be a long night.

  “Well? What’s the verdict, Jordan?”

  Alex McCall waited with his wife, Leeann, and good friend, Nate Masters, as Nate’s wife, Hannah, talked to her oldest daughter on the phone. Standing in a corner at the Dalton’s, they eyed the door, watching guests arrive for the New Year’s Eve party, but so far, not the one they’d hoped.

  “Okay. Great.” Hannah gave them a thumbs up, a smile easing the anxiety from her face. “I know you’re on duty, but you are able to stop by, right? Your husband’s here and looking a little bit lonely. Oh, that’s good. Okay. Bye, honey.”

  His gaze automatically zeroed in on his youngest son. Cole was watching his brother and sister-in-law dancing, a wistful expression on his face. His son was a good man, and very supportive of his wife’s career. Right now, Jordan was Kade’s deputy. But the guardsman had already made it known he was not running for re-election in the spring, and had suggested to Cole’s wife that she should run for Harland County Sheriff. Don’t that beat all?

  A smile tugged his lips. Alex had to agree. It was an excellent suggestion. His daughter-in-law was strong, tough, tenacious and fair. She’d certainly get his vote.

  “Jordan said Shayla was definitely coming,” Hannah informed, slipping her arm around her grinning husband. “Are we ready?”

  He nodded with the rest of them.

  “Well, my friend,” Nate said, slapping him on the shoulder. “Over the last twenty-two months, we’ve managed to nudge our children toward their right match.”

  True—his boys with Nate’s girls. “And fulfill half a promise we made to Sarah Dalton,” he added.

  “Yes,” Nate agreed. “She would be very pleased with Brandi and very happy for Kade.”

  His gaze followed Nate’s across the room to where their hosts were greeting arriving guests. The oldest Dalton stood next to his cousins with his arm around his new fiancée, and the most content expression on his face Alex had ever seen—and he’d known the boy since he was born. Then there was Brandi. She was all relaxed and happy, gazing adoringly up at Kade. The four of them had only played a small part in bringing those two love-birds together this year, but it warmed his heart to see the boy happy. He knew Sarah would feel the same.

  Before their dear friend had passed on fifteen years ago, she had asked them to watch over her children, Kevin and Jennifer, and her beloved nephew Kade. And they had. As best they could. The kids were good. Didn’t need much watching where their careers were concerned. In the beginning, they’d helped the Daltons out with college tuition, but the kids had long since graduated and insisted on paying them back.

  “You’ve done right by the Daltons,” Nate said. “Keeping an eye on them, helping when needed. Sarah and Hal would be pleased that Jen’s an accountant and taking care of the books here at Shadow Rock while her husband manages the ranch.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. It was touch and go there for them in the beginning, but they managed to get it together. Jen and Brock have been married, what, three years now?”

  “Four,” his wife corrected.

  “And they have cute little Cody,” Hannah added.

  Alex smiled, watching the young whipper-snapper sneaking a cookie off a table while the grownups were busy by the door. He got the biggest thrill when the little guy called him Grandpa McCall.

  “Well, we’ve seen Cole and Connor finally wise up and marry your daughters,” his wife told Hannah. “And now Kade is engaged to Brandi. His perfect match.”

  Drawing his pretty wife closer to his side, Alex smiled at her romanticism. But she was right. Brandi was perfect for that boy. Kade had seen too many deployments with the Texas National Guard. That last one had nearly done him in when he’d taken the death of one of his own, Shayla’s fiancé, pretty hard. They’d all seen it. Thank God for Brandi. She was the only one to get through to him. The only one he’d listened to when things overwhelmed him. Now, he was seeing a therapist, no longer holding things in and on his way to healing. Alex was right proud of the boy.

  “So, there’s only one more left,” Nate stated.

  “The toughest,” his wife added.

  “Yep,” Hannah agreed.

  Alex nodded as the four of them stared at their target. Smiling, joking…“ Kevin.”

  It was going to take more than one girl to rope the wild cowboy. The way the sparks flew off the vice president and the pretty single mother from north Texas, Alex was positive they’d found Kevin Dalton his woman. And with the loss of her fiancé, raising her daughter on her own, plus looking out for her younger sister, Shayla Ryan deserved her perfect match, too. The four of them would nudge when needed.

  Starting tonight.

  Of all nights for her daughter to not be tired, she had to pick this one. Shayla had hoped her baby girl would’ve conked out by ten since the little stinker hadn’t settled down for a second nap that afternoon. But no. Here it was half-past and Amelia was still going strong.

  Leaning against a wall in the Dalton’s family room cleared of all furniture, she couldn’t help but smile at Amelia and Cody. They were too cute, holding hands and jumping up and down while Brandi made her fiddle talk to a Charlie Daniels tune sung by a local band hired for the night. The little boy’s cute, white dog, Ace, was by his side, jumping, too, tail wagging, letting out the occasional bark, to which her daughter giggled.

  “Where does she get the energy?” Mrs. Masters asked, looking smart in a pretty, deep purple sweater and black slacks as she came to lounge next to her.

  Shayla smiled and shrugged, trying not to feel frumpy in her jeans and boots, grateful for the silk, aqua blouse—a present from her sister. “Got me.”

  As it was, she was ready to call it a night. Sleep had pretty much eluded her last night, thanks to a certain Dalton. But, it wasn’t just that. Since becoming a mother, she’d turn into a lightweight as far as burning the candle at both ends. Although, she hadn’t had much need. She didn’t date. Didn’t go out with friends. Heck, until moving to Harland County this past summer, Shayla didn’t really have friends. Except for Bobby, but he was gone. She never stayed in one place long enough to acquire them.

  But she had them now. And her outing last night had shown Shayla what she’d been missing. Maybe her sister was right. She should make some time for fun. Mrs. McCall and Mrs. Masters offered to extend watching Amelia anytime at night, too. Okay, the sweet ladies had practically begged. Maybe she should take them up on that offer. Maybe she should…

  “…dance,” Mrs. Masters said.

  Shayla blinked. “What was that? I’m sorry, I was in another world.”

  Her friend’s mother chuckled. “It’s okay. I often visit there, too.”

  The woman’s smile was so friendly and welcoming Shayla couldn’t help but smile back. Although in her fifties, Hannah Masters was still visually beautiful with lighter brown, shoulder-length hair, side-swept bangs and warm brown eyes. It wasn’t a stretch to see where Jordan and Kerri got their good looks.

  “I was saying you should go out there and dance,” she repeated, nodding to the dance floor. “Caitlin told me you love to dance.”

  Dancing was her love, her heart, and it would’ve been her career, but one well-placed whack from her bastard of a
father had put an end to those hopes years ago. Now, she had to settle for just dancing for fun.

  Fun.

  Exactly what she’d just told herself she was going to start doing. “All right. Maybe I’ll go dance with Amelia.”

  “No.” Mrs. Masters’ silky hair swished as she shook her head. “Go dance with the grownups. I’ll keep an eye on your little girl. Have some fun. Even your sister is out there.”

  And so she was. Shayla smiled. She’d been watching Caitlin kicking it up with several of the cowboys, Doctor Turner and even Kevin. Since going to college, her sister had really started to blossom. It was great to see her face devoid of fear and anxiety. She was too sweet and kind to bear such a mask.

  Walking toward the floor, Shayla had to admit cowboys in south Texas could dance. Especially a certain blue-eyed Casanova. She’d watched the guy putting heel to floor with anyone and everyone, and damn, he had some moves. As always the case when the handsome cowboy crossed her mind, her insides fluttered. He was the reason she’d stayed by the wall. Bumping into the potent guy was too dangerous. That kiss last night was living proof.

  She stopped halfway there. Yeah, maybe dancing with him on the floor wasn’t such a good idea.

  “There you are, Shayla,” Kerri said, grabbing her by the arm. “Come on, let’s dance. I didn’t get a chance to join you guys the other night at the pub.”

  Before she knew it, the chef tugged her out onto the floor next to Caitlin. Shoot. Short of looking ignorant, there wasn’t much she could do other than pick up the beat. So she did, and soon they were joined by Connor and Kade while Brandi finished her set. Laughing and grooving, Shayla didn’t care that several cowboys had joined their group, and that Kevin was giving her the stink-eye.

  Or was it directed at the cowboys.

  She didn’t know. Didn’t care. Just danced and danced. She was supposed to have fun, dammit.

  “It’s good to see you enjoying yourself, Shayla,” Cole said, joining their group. His wife was on duty and hadn’t stopped in yet. “That first year can be tough. I’m glad you didn’t close up and turn into an ass like I did.”