Mountain Man's Proposal

by Lauren Wood

  “I am meeting someone in the lobby and I don’t know what to think about it all.”

  I didn’t like the idea of her meeting anyone for a night out. She was too beautiful and I felt a wave of jealousy take over me. She didn’t know how I felt about her, I would never admit it out loud, but for over a year I had thought about Cece as mine. She was mine and she just didn’t even know it yet.

  “Who are you meeting? I didn’t know you knew anyone in Houston.”

  I pushed the button to the elevator to make it go down and wondered who it was that she was getting all dressed up for. I didn’t want to consider that it was a man, though all of the signs were there that it was a guy she was meeting. I didn’t like the idea of that, at all.

  “Well I don’t really know him.”

  I heard the ‘him’ part and I felt a fire start inside of me.

  “Who?”

  “He is a rodeo guy that I have always liked. He rides bulls and is pretty famous. Kind of like you, but they had him on magazine covers when I was a teen.”

  “Sounds old.”

  Cece turned to me and scoffed. “You aren’t that young either Dante. Besides, it almost sounds like you are envious.”

  “No, just worried about you taking off with some stranger in the city. Houston isn’t as safe as Conroe.”

  She waved me off and told me that she was a big girl and that she would be fine. I knew she would be of course, but I didn’t like the idea of her meeting some guy and then taking off with him. Couldn’t she see that she had all that she needed in front of her? My frustration came out once and a while and this was one of those moments. I wanted to know what was going on and who this guy was. When I looked up at the changing floor numbers on the top of the elevator door, I realized that I wasn’t going to have much longer to figure it out.

  “So who is it?”

  “Cliff McGow.”

  “Never heard of him.”

  That didn’t seem to faze her. “Well if you were into rodeos, you would know who he is. He has been the champion bull rider for many years. He is rather famous.”

  I shrugged like I didn’t care. “Doesn’t ring a bell to me, so he can’t be all that famous.”

  I was jealous and I wanted to see who the hell this guy was. How was she going to go out with him and wouldn’t even give me the time of day?

  “Do you want to meet him?”

  I did, but I didn’t want to look too eager. I wanted to see what he was about and I wasn’t above saying something if necessary.

  “I guess I can make sure he is not a creep. He is a stranger and you just met him. Maybe you shouldn’t be going out with him so quickly. Dressed like that you might give him the wrong idea.”

  She giggled and brushed me off. It was a physical light touch that sent a shiver through me. I could barely take Cece when she was in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Now it was even harder to concentrate when she was dressed up like that and the light touch set me on edge, especially knowing that she was about to go out with another man, looking like that.

  The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I looked around figuring that I would know who it was right off the bat, like I would smell the other man from being so close to my woman. But no one stuck out at me as some famous rodeo bull rider. All I could see was a bunch of people waiting for something.

  “Well I guess he isn’t here. Since you are all dressed up, do you want to go out and get something to eat? I’m not famous but I can be just as much fun. I am pretty good at riding as well.”

  There was fret on her face and I didn’t like to see her sad. It was a worse feeling than seeing her excited to leave with another man.

  “Come on. He doesn’t know what he is missing out on. Guys like that…”

  “You mean, guys like you.”

  I didn’t like where the conversation was going. How the hell had it gotten all turned around on me all of a sudden? I wasn’t the one standing her up, but I was the one that got the flash of anger to assuage the upset.

  “Look Cece...”

  She nudged me over. “Never mind, here he is.”

  I looked up where she was referring to and I can’t say that I liked what I saw. The man was about my age and he had the same kind of swagger that I knew I did as well. That meant that he was confident and in my experience, confidence was the main aphrodisiac for women. I looked over at Cecelia and I could tell that she was turned on. It pissed me off and I immediately didn’t like the guy.

  Cliff was blonde and blue eyed, with tan skin. He dressed to show off his physique and I could tell that he worked out. I was sure that Cece could tell as well. She hadn’t taken her eyes off of him and I was quickly forgotten. The man was exactly like me and that was the worst part of it all. She had told me time and again that she wouldn’t date men like me, but here she was.

  “Dante, I would like you to meet Cliff. Dante is our horse trainer. He does a great job.”

  I was surprised that little add-in of information, but I shouldn’t have been. Cece was always very generous with the compliments, though I wasn’t too worried about what Cliff thought of me at the present moment. He had that same smile on his face that I caught in the mirror from time to time and it drove me to my limits. I took his hand a little too firmly, letting him know that I wasn’t happy about it.

  “Well I think it is great that your employees are so worried about you Cecelia.” The charm was dripping off of him as he looked her way and she was just eating it up. He turned to me and assured me that he would take good care of her. He was patronizing me to no end, but I deserved it. I shouldn’t have come down here. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.

  “Cece is a big girl. I don’t worry about her with anyone. She can handle herself.” I kissed her on the cheek and saw a bit of surprise in her face as I did so. I had never kissed her before, not even on the cheek and I wanted to do more, but it wasn’t done for that. It was done to let Cliff know that I was here and I wasn’t going anywhere. He may have her attention for now, but Cece was still mine, whether she knew it or not.

  “Have a good night.”

  I walked away with what dignity I had left, which wasn’t much. I didn’t know what to think about it all, but I did know that there was no way I was going to be able to watch them leave together. What had started as such a promising outing with the boss had quickly turned on its head. I don’t know what I was going to do with myself, but the natural thing was to find a bar and find a broad. The two mixed together could take care of anything that ailed me.

  Getting back on the elevator, I made it to my room and changed finally. I had a lot on my mind, but I tried to clear it. It wasn’t the first time that I was left wondering about Cece. Now though, I had to imagine her with another man, something that I never wanted to do. She should be with me. She was mine. I just had to convince Cecelia of that and Cliff wasn’t anything to worry about. He would be out of the picture soon enough.

  Chapter 4

  Cecelia

  I was stumped when I didn’t see Cliff right off the bat. I had thought he had stood me up and it was going to be even worse if Dante had been there to see it. I would have never been able to live it down, but now he was here and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. It was almost unbelievable that he was here, in the flesh right next to me, just as charming and handsome as I had imagined him to be. It was surreal ad the more I thought about it, the more I was sure I was the luckiest girl in the room.

  What I didn’t count on was the way everyone else reacted to him. I wasn’t the only one that recognized him and I wasn’t the only one that was getting his attention. Twice before we got to the restaurant, we were stopped for a picture and an autograph. At first it was nice, but then it became tiresome. I wanted him all to myself because I didn’t know if I was going to have another chance. The last thing that I wanted to do was to feel like I was a third wheel on our own date.

  He must have figured that out though, because he finally gave me a sheep
ish smile and apologized. “Sorry about that Cece. The fans are what keep me going and I don’t want to be rude, but it can be too much sometimes.”

  I just nodded my head and tried not to look as steamed as I was. I knew that he was right of course, but that didn’t mean that I had to like it. I didn’t like it, not at all. I wanted to be the one that had his attention, all of it. This was a night I was going to remember forever and I had plans on where I wanted it to end up. I wanted it to end up in a bed somewhere and it wasn’t going to get there if we kept on this way. There were too many beautiful women vying for his attention at once.

  When we got to the restaurant, I wasn’t sure if this was all a good idea or not. I didn’t know what to think of it all, but no one else stopped us and he made sure that we had a private table where he wouldn’t be bothered. I was starting to feel a little better about it all, but I still wasn’t sure about anything. I really did want to be with him and I had to push the feelings out of the way that were bothering me.

  “Are you okay Cecelia?”

  “Yeah, I am fine. I don’t know how you do it. I think it would drive me crazy if I had someone wanting something from me all of the time. It is like you don’t ever get to just be yourself.”

  He waved me off. “At first I used to get put off by it and sometimes I still do, but there are benefits as well.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well if I wouldn’t have been me, would you have talked to me?”

  He was a gorgeous man, surely he could see that and he had to know what kind of a spell he had over women, over me and most that knew who he was. It was a power, no doubt about it and he seemed to do just fine with it.

  “I am sure that I would have Cliff. You are a handsome man. You know that.”

  He grinned and for a moment I thought of Dante. He had been acting strange when I saw him on the elevator. There was still the banter between us, but it wasn’t like before. Something was different and I really think that it was because of Cliff.

  “Where did you go just now?”

  “Huh?”

  Cliff smiled and shook it off. “Just looked like you were off in your own little world just then.”

  I felt my face getting red and heat going to it. “Oh, well I assure you I was just thinking about something. You reminded me of someone.”

  “Please don’t tell me that you were thinking about that guy down at the lobby, your trainer.”

  That was out of nowhere and I worried that he somehow could read my thoughts. “No, not at all. Me and Dante are just friends. He has worked for me for over a year now.”

  “And nothing?”

  “No, why?”

  “He looks at you like I do. He wants you Cecelia and I just wonder if I have competition or not.”

  “Well I am out with you Cliff, not Dante.”

  He didn’t seem quite so settled with the answer, but then the waitress came and we had to cut the conversation short. It was just as well as far as I was concerned. I didn’t want to talk about Dante. It was already weird to have let him pop in my mind and even stranger that Cliff seemed to pick up on something when there was nothing to pick up on. Dante worked for me. That was it.

  The waitress left and the conversation took another turn altogether. I liked hearing the man’s stories about his career and he seemed interested in what I had going on at the ranch. He wasn’t self-absorbed or rude. He was quite nice and down to earth. It wasn’t at all what I had expected, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

  As we left the restaurant, it was clear that both of us wanted to keep it going and I invited him up for a drink. It was a classic line and it had the same indications that you would think when I offered it. I wanted him and after the state of mind I was in as of late, I needed him. That it was Cliff McGow, a man that I had fantasized about for so long, it just made it all the better. What would it be like to be with my high school crush, in real life?

  ***

  I woke up the next morning to a knock at the door. My sight were blurry and I had to close my eyes back up to get them to focus. My gaze went to the man that was next to me in the bed. It had been an interesting night and Cliff still being there made me feel kind of strange about it all. I don’t know what that meant for tomorrow or the next day, but last night was a night I was never going to forget, for many reasons.

  I heard a knock at the door again and I remembered why I was sitting up in the first place. Not really thinking too much about it, I just wrapped the sheet around me and headed to answer the door. My head was booming a bit, a direct result to the little bit extra that I had imbibed to give me the courage that I needed the night before. In the light of the morning, my head was heavy and I didn’t care near as much as I should have.

  It was only when I saw Dante that I started to rethink it all. He saw what I had on and had this look on his face. It wasn’t one that I was going to forget any time soon. I don’t know if I like the smoldering heat that they held because it made me feel good that he was so into me. But I did feel awkward when he wanted to come in and like Dante, he didn’t ask. The next thing I knew he was moving in past me and started to tell me about the plan for the day. I had some promoting to do and he was going to help me.

  I forgot about Cliff in bed until he made a noise in the other room and I saw Dante looking his way.

  “Sorry, I didn’t realize you had someone here.” The tone of his voice and his eyes told me that he wasn’t happy about that revelation, but I was doing nothing wrong. Why did I have to keep telling myself that? I was single and able to do what I wanted, with whom I wanted. The sheet was wrapped tighter around me, but I could still feel his eyes and wondered how much of me he could see. The fabric of the covering was thin and I felt like he could see me all with his roaming eyes.

  “Yes, well, I kind of forgot for a moment.”

  “If it was me here with you, I guarantee that you wouldn’t forget that I was here. I don’t know if you would be able to even get out of bed. I might just tie you down so you couldn’t go anywhere.”

  I sighed to myself and tried to push the thoughts that he was bringing to mind back into the far recesses where they belonged. I couldn’t think like that. It was all just too awkward when Cliff was in the other room. It was normal for us to talk this way, but after the comment that Cliff made before, I am not so sure I wanted him to see Dante here, with me in such a state.

  It got worse, considerably worse when Cliff came moseying into the entry room that we were standing in and he was completely bare. I got his attention to help him realize that I wasn’t the only one there and he didn’t even seem to mind.

  “Oh, hey Dante.” His hand went to cup the semi-hard cock swinging between his legs.

  Dante was seething. I could see it and actually feel it from where he stood next to me. It was like heat was emanating off of him at a record rate. I know that he was ready to lose it and even though he had no right or claim on me, I can’t say that I found it the worst thing in the world.

  “Go get some clothes on Cliff.” I shouldn’t have had to have said that out loud, but he seemed to realize that he was naked. Either way, he left and I tried to get my face to stop flaming before I looked up and met Dante’s gaze.

  “Sorry about that Dante. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

  Dante had a tight look on his face and I didn’t like him being upset with me, but at the same time, it wasn’t really something that I plan to happen. I didn’t want them to ever meet after the night I had with Cliff, but especially not with Cliff still in the room with me. It was embarrassing to no end and I didn’t know what to think or what to do in this situation. I really just wanted it to end somehow.

  “You shouldn’t ever apologize for a man Cecelia. You should be with one that doesn’t give you a reason.”

  I just shook my head. I didn’t need this from him. Not while I was feeling like this. “Let’s go get some coffee. My head is killing me and the last thing I want to do is go sell the ra
nch.”

  “Do you want to tell your boyfriend that you are leaving?”

  I would have, if he hadn’t said it like that. After he said it like that, all I could do was nod and go on with it. I wasn’t going to give Dante the satisfaction and I didn’t like the way he grinned so big. Why did Dante love to bother me so much? It was like he was seriously happy about it all and it just drove me crazy to think about it.

  “So how was it? I can see that he didn’t live up to the hype.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Dante just grinned and again I hated his mirth for some reason. Why was he so dang happy about everything and what did he mean that he didn’t live up to the hype? I had found Cliff more than adequate.

  “Nothing, sorry I brought it up. I am sure you two had a nice time.”

  “We did, thanks.”

  “Just seems a little small in proportion.”

  I groaned out loud. Was he seriously talking about what I think he was talking about?

  “Dante…”

  “What? It is just an observation. If you can be satisfied with just that, who am I to judge?”

  I just shook my head. Cliff had been adequate, but I had thought the same thing when I had seen it first as well. He was just such a big guy, but that didn’t matter. That sort of thing didn’t matter to me. This is what I told myself anyways.

  “Well I had a great time for your information.”

  “I am sure you did Cece, but if I had a night with you, I would make sure that you couldn’t walk afterwards.”

  I shivered from his words and ignored his gaze for the rest of the time. I mean really, what the heck was I supposed to say to that? Dante just loved to get me hot and bothered and this time as no exception. He was really good at it.

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