The Texan Takes a Wife

by Charlene Sands

  “Will do.”

  After she hung up the phone, Erin floated around the cottage in a daze. This was great news. One month ago, she wouldn’t have believed she’d ever get a chance to go back to teaching in Seattle and now the perfect job had landed in her lap. She was so thankful to Will for getting her foot in the door.

  Erin still had a little more than a month here in Texas. A little more time with Dan. She wasn’t ready to give him up. And just as that thought struck, a brisk knock resounded on her door and she jumped. Her surprise was instantly replaced by excitement. She knew who was on the other end of that knock.

  She opened the door and there he was, her beast of a man looking stunningly handsome in a black snap-down shirt and weathered blue jeans. Everything about him lit her up and she matched his wide smile when their eyes locked. “Dan.”

  He strode inside, sweeping her into his arms. “Sweetness,” he said, and nothing more. But Erin knew it was Dan’s way of saying he’d missed her. He’d been busy after the storm and they hadn’t seen each other since.

  He took her face in his hands and touched his mouth to hers, claiming her in a soul-melting kiss. A tiny whimper rose from her throat and all seemed incredibly right in her world. How could that be, when there were so many questions? More questions than answers, but when she was with him everything seemed to fall by the wayside and all she could think about, all she could feel, was how wonderful it was to be kissed by him. His raw powerful scent, his unbelievably firm lips and the taste of him were unequalled by anything she’d ever experienced.

  The kiss lasted a good long while, and she relished being in his arms, having him tilt her face from side to side to devour her lips impartially and when it was time to come up for air, he used his teeth to take tiny nips of her mouth.

  “Hi,” she said with a hiccup of a giggle.

  Dan smiled, staring into her eyes. “Sorry to barge in.”

  Was he kidding? “You’re welcome to barge in anytime.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” she said softly. “How’s your arm?”

  He rubbed the area that had been gashed. “Healing.”

  “I’m glad. It looked pretty bad in the shelter.”

  “It’s not,” he said. “It’s been looked at.”

  Good. He didn’t need her nagging him about it. Dan was smart enough to know his own body and to take care of it.

  “Listen, I had an idea,” he said. “It’s a killer of a day, lots of sunshine left and I wanted to take you riding with me.”

  “Horseback riding?”

  He grinned at the note of fear in her voice. “Ever been?”

  She shook her head.

  “Wanna learn?”

  “Sure. Of course. Now?”

  “Yeah, we’ve come up empty on our search for this Maverick guy. From what Chelsea tells me Sheriff Battle and his team aren’t having much luck either. We’re at a dead end at the moment. Chelsea suggested that we try to clear our heads. Maybe gain a different perspective. Riding always does it for me.”

  “Really? Will Chelsea be coming?”

  “Nope. She’s busy. It’ll be just you and me. If you’re willing.”

  “Sure, I’ll do anything to help clear your noggin.” She tapped her fist onto his forehead several times.

  He grabbed her wrist, a light beaming in his eyes. “Careful, or I might not catch you if the horse decides to dump you on your pretty ass.”

  Her eyes popped wide-open. “Dan?”

  “Kidding, Erin. I’ve got the gentlest mare for you and you’ll never be far from my side. Nothing’s gonna happen to you. That’s a promise.”

  She gave him a wary look, just to mess with his head. But she did believe that he would keep her safe. “Let me change clothes. Give me ten minutes. And just for the record, nothing much clears my head when I’m with you.”

  Dan let out a rolling belly laugh and winked. “See you in ten.”

  * * *

  Dan’s menagerie came rushing toward them as soon as they climbed down from the SUV, Lucky leading the pack and heading straight for her. Once he got close enough, he flew through the air, nearly knocking her down. She laughed as her knees hit Hunt Acres earth and her arms wrapped around his neck. “Hey, boy. I missed you too.”

  He did a number with his tongue, soaking her face with doggy kisses. Normally, that was not something Erin enjoyed, a slobbering dog, but Lucky was special and they had a mutual admiration society going for each other. So she let the dog lap at her cheeks and chin before Dan pulled the dog off her. “Hey, buddy. I don’t need the competition.”

  Erin giggled and stood up, surrounded by the other hounds. All were vying for attention. Dan picked up the terrier and gave her a hug, while Erin shared her attention between the other dogs as Romeo and Juliet looked on from their perches atop the porch railings.

  Clearly the cats couldn’t be bothered.

  Dan came down on one knee beside her to pet all of his crew. They were equal opportunity lickers, and Dan came away just as doggy loved.

  “They’ve missed you,” she said.

  “It’s your fault. Keeping me away from home so much.”

  “Ah, so I’m the culprit.”

  “Yes, Miss Sinclair, you are.” He gave her a dazzling look that warmed her up inside. Then Dan took her hand and led her into the house. He tossed her a towel and they washed their hands and face. He was a businessman, smart and efficient, but it was hard to remember that when Dan looked every bit the cowboy in jeans and Western shirts, a black Stetson pushed back from his forehead. He dazzled her with his raw appeal, and made her go soft and gushy inside with his obvious love of animals.

  “Have a drink before we head out.” He grabbed a pitcher from the fridge. “Ever had sun tea?”

  “I don’t think so.” She wasn’t so sure what it was. The only tea she drank came from a kettle and tea bags.

  “It’s rare in November, because we usually don’t get warm days, but Ted and I love it so much, Darla puts it outside on sunny days and hopes for the best. The tea is brewed by the heat of the sun over a day or two. Makes the taste more clean and sweet.” He poured her a glass. “Here, try it.”

  He brushed his hand over hers making the transfer, and Erin loved how Dan found every opportunity he could to touch her. She put the glass to her lips, the lighter scent wafting up to her nostrils and then she sipped, letting the flavor slide down her throat. “Hmm, I like it.”

  He nodded and downed half a glass in one gulp. “Satisfies.”

  It was such a Dan thing to say, she had to tease him.

  “I’ll say.” She eyed him up and down, her lids at half-mast as she gave him a coy smile. Heat rushed up his face. She’d never made Dan blush before.

  “Oh no you don’t,” he said, grabbing the tea from her hand and setting both glasses down. “You’re not gonna tempt me outta that ride.”

  “I’m proposing a different kind of ride.” She couldn’t hold back the smile cracking at the corners of her mouth.

  He pointed his finger in her direction. “Hold that thought,” he said. “And come with me.”

  He took her hand and marched her toward the stables, where a young ranch hand was waiting outside with two horses. “Thanks, Toby.”

  “Sure thing, Mr. Hunt.”

  He took hold of both the reins. “I’ll take it from here.”

  “Have a nice ride,” Toby said.

  “Thank you.”

  The young man tipped his hat. Texans had such nice manners.

  “This is Trudy,” Dan explained after Toby sauntered off. “She’s a sweetheart. She won’t give you a bit of trouble.”

  “I hope not.” Suddenly, staring up at the mare Erin’s bravado waned. “She’s tall.”

  “She’s
average size. My horse, Titan, he’s tall.” Erin couldn’t argue. Titan was a giant of a horse. “Are you ready?”

  She looked at her pretty mare marked with gray and white and nodded.

  Dan rattled off a bunch of instructions but the main takeaway was for her not to panic, to show the horse who was boss and to keep her butt in the center of the saddle and her boots in the stirrups. She could do that. She really could.

  With Dan’s help, namely his hands on her butt, she was mounted and settled in the saddle, holding the reins.

  Dan mounted Titan with the grace of a ballerina. Sitting at least two feet taller than her, he gave her a reassuring smile. “You ready?”

  She inhaled a breath. “As I’ll ever be.”

  This made him laugh. “You’re gonna do fine.” He gave Titan a command and he took off at a slow walk. Erin really didn’t have to do a thing, Trudy began following behind.

  “You okay?” Dan said after a quiet minute.

  “Yep.”

  He turned around to look at her white-knuckling the reins, her face probably the same colorful hue. Don’t panic, he’d said, so she made a big effort to calm her nerves and placed her trust in him.

  “That’s it,” he said in his gentle animal voice. There were so many tones to Dan she was still learning. “We won’t go far.”

  “How far is not far?”

  “Two or three miles. There’s someplace I’d like to show you.”

  Erin got the hang of it after fifteen minutes. Well, maybe getting the hang of it was not exactly right, but blood was beginning to flow back into her hands again, so that was progress. They left cattle and feed shacks behind and continued to go deeper onto Hunt Acres land where wildflowers and tall grass grew in abundance. The recent storms greened everything up Dan had said, and the combination of blue sky and colorful earth, fresh air and solitude did bring a measure of peace.

  Dan pulled up when they reached a creek, flowing hard with rushing waters. Large rocks banked the creek on one side and the sound of the rush filled her ears.

  Dan dismounted and came over to help her down. “Swing your leg over the saddle. I’ve got you,” he said.

  She slipped down from the saddle right into his arms. “Yes, you’ve got me,” she whispered as she turned around to face him and stare into his eyes.

  He stared back, blinking several times, and then kissed her quick and hard on the lips. “You did pretty darn good on Trudy.”

  “Thanks. I’m learning.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  He grinned, hooked his finger into her belt loop and tugged her along. “Let’s go sit.”

  She followed him to a boulder, one of the few on this side of the creek and took a seat beside him. “Are we still on Hunt Acres land?”

  “We are.” Dan’s gaze roamed over the water, the trees dotting the area and the meadow beyond. “I used to come here as a boy. Would play in the water, or just come sit and stare out.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Sometimes Bradley and Chels would come, but mostly I came by myself. Me and my horse.”

  “No dogs?”

  He let out a chuckle. “Them too. Had this one mutt, half beagle, half something else, named Joey. He was my BFF. He passed on shortly after my mother left.”

  “You must’ve taken that hard. All those losses for a young boy.” She took his hand and squeezed and stared down at their entwined hands.

  “I...did, I guess.” He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

  “Is that why you don’t let people get too close to you?”

  His eyes snapped to hers, a denial on his lips, but then he nodded. “I suppose. Just doesn’t seem worth it, you know? I mean, you had your heart ripped out too, back in Seattle. Do you think it’s worth it?”

  “I, um.” What could she say? That he was worth it. He was worth the gamble, because she knew something that he didn’t know. She could see into his heart. He was one of the good guys, but he wasn’t willing to take another chance. He obviously didn’t think she was worth it.

  Chelsea was right. Riding out to the far reaches of Hunt Acres, with the blue sky overhead and the air fresh from recent rains, did clear her head. “Dan, I have something to tell you.”

  Her somber tone had Dan lifting his gaze to hers quickly, a note of fear in his eyes. She’d never really seen that look on his face before. Did he think she was going to declare her undying love? No, she knew better. But she did care for Dan. Very much. She could no longer deny her feelings. She’d fallen hard for her Texan.

  “What is it, sweetness?” he asked quietly.

  “I was offered a job as musical director for a school in Seattle.”

  Dan waited a beat, his expression unreadable.

  “I start the first of the year.”

  He nodded. “Congratulations. You’ll be doing what you love to do.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. So, I’ll be leaving after the Christmas break.”

  “With a job waiting for you,” he added.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s what you wanted, Erin.”

  Dan made it seem so logical, so absolutely clear, when right now gazing into his incredible eyes, nothing seemed clear at all.

  “Let me take you out to dinner tonight to celebrate.”

  Sure, why not? She wasn’t going to delude herself into thinking this little fling she was having with Dan, meant anything more to him than having a good time together. “That would be nice.”

  The wind kicked up, the afternoon sunlight beginning to wane and she shivered.

  “Here, put this on,” he said, removing his suede jacket. He helped to put it on over her bulky sweater. “It gets chilly this time of day out on the range.”

  She cuddled into his jacket, putting her nose to his collar, breathing in his scent and wanting to cry. But she didn’t dare. She held her tears in check. “Thanks.”

  She couldn’t fault Dan. He’d always been honest with her. She’d known from the beginning that he wasn’t a staying kind of man. He’d practically told her so on the first night they’d met and Erin had too much pride to be one of those clingy women who wouldn’t let go.

  “Let’s head back,” he said. “Get you warmed up.”

  “Sounds good,” she said. “I sure could use some warming up.”

  * * *

  Dinner had been fantastic, champagne flowed and Dan couldn’t have been more attentive, toasting her new position at Lincoln Elementary. But as he wound around the car to open her door, Erin wondered, what now?

  Dan didn’t seem to have any such qualms. He helped her out into the chilly night air, wrapped his arm around her waist, cradling her close, and walked her to the door. “Would you like to come in?” she said, not sure if she should be asking. It wasn’t as if they had any future, but then, there was always right now.

  “Would love to.”

  One look in his eyes and she was a goner. She nodded and inserted the key into the lock and entered the darkened room. Dan removed his coat and walked over to snap on a lamp in the parlor area. “It’s a great night for a fire.”

  She hadn’t used the fireplace since she’d been there. “Sounds perfect.”

  Dan moved to the wall-to-ceiling stone fireplace and set about lighting a fire, while Erin took their coats and hung them in the entryway closet. They looked so settled there, the two coats brushing up against one another, side by side. She shouldn’t get used to seeing them that way...just a few more weeks and all this would seem like a dream, a perfect, sweet, sensual dream.

  “I’ll make coffee,” she said and headed to the kitchen.

  Minutes later, the fire was snapping, casting the room in a golden haze and the scent of coffee flavored the air. “Here you go,” she said, handing Dan a steami
ng mug.

  “Mmm.” He took a seat on the rug in front of the hearth and gestured for her to sit next to him. Together they stared at the new flames erupting, sipping coffee quietly.

  “There’s a Thanksgiving dinner at the Cattleman’s Club this week. Chels will probably be there along with some of the friends you’ve already made here in Royal. Would you like to join me?”

  “You’re too late, Daniel Hunt. I’ve already been asked to go.”

  Dan put his mug down, a look of confusion marring his chiseled face. “What? Who? Do I need to beat up the guy?”

  She chuckled softly. She loved being in the position to surprise Dan and she had the feeling it wasn’t all teasing on his end. Her ego could stand seeing him being a tiny bit jealous. “Maybe. Will Brady’s already asked me to go.”

  “Will? He already has a girl.”

  “He does. One I like very much.”

  “But, you’ll be my date, right?”

  “If you insist,” she said, smiling.

  “I do.” He took up his mug again and sipped as if to say the subject was closed. Erin did the same, keeping both hands wrapped around the mug to keep warm. But in reality, sitting next to Dan was enough to make her sizzle inside.

  He turned his attention to her, brushing her hair aside and nuzzling the back of her neck, planting moist delicious kisses there, and her arms broke out in goose bumps.

  “Erin,” he murmured.

  “Hmm?”

  “You’re beautiful in firelight.”

  She smiled, and a moment later he wiped it away with a breathtaking kiss. She was in deep and didn’t want to get out. She was totally ready for whatever the night would bring.

  On a labored groan, Dan pulled her into his lap and turned her so she straddled him. Heat from the fire scorched her face as his kisses continued to flame her body. They were all hands, reaching to pull off each other’s clothes. Garments flew through the air and landed who knew where. Bodies brushed, the initial contact so mesmerizing, so intensely beautiful, that it felt new, as if it was their first time.

  Dan began touching her naked skin, lapping at her breasts, stroking her thighs, making love to her whole body with his hands, with his mouth. She touched him too, running her hand up and down his firm, ripped torso. He was broad and tough, there was so much of him to touch and the flat of her palms explored every inch of him.