Champagne & Chaps

by Cheyenne McCray

  “I always had an aptitude for languages from the time I was a young age.” She fingered one of her hoop earrings. “A lot of our neighbors spoke Spanish and I picked it up as if I’d grown up with it in my own household.”

  He looked genuinely interested in everything she said. “Where does the Italian come in?”

  “Like Spanish it’s a romance language,” she said as she speared a grape tomato, “and I always loved the sounds and inflections of Italian. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to Italy twice.”

  “How did that come about?”

  “My sister’s travel agency.” Sabrina lowered her hand from her earring. “She had a couple of great deals come up and she knew how much I wanted to go.”

  “Do you plan to travel to any other countries?” he asked.

  “Someday.” She smiled. “On a teacher’s salary that isn’t always possible.”

  Their salad plates were cleared as their food arrived and the waitress warned them that the plates were hot and told them to enjoy their meal. She told them she’d be bringing by another beer and margarita without Wyatt or Sabrina putting in the order.

  “I think I’m really going to enjoy this,” Sabrina said as she started to cut into her filet mignon and the knife slid through it almost like butter. Juices shimmered onto the plate and her mouth watered.

  “This is amazing,” she said after her first bite.

  “Glad you like it.” Wyatt cut into his own steak. “This is one of the best steakhouses in the southwest and it happens to be in little old Sonoita.”

  She swallowed another bite of the filet and sighed with pleasure. “I will have to agree with that statement.”

  A server stopped by with the beer and margarita and Sabrina took a healthy drink. She was feeling relaxed and slightly tipsy.

  “What’s your favorite food?” he asked.

  “Right now this is it,” she said and he smiled. “I tend to lean toward Italian and Mexican foods, but love a good steak, too. What about you?”

  “Steak and potatoes man.” He gestured toward his plate with his fork. “And a little veggies thrown in for good measure.”

  Sabrina didn’t think she’d ever enjoyed herself with a man more than she did with Wyatt. She’d expected to be nervous and a little edgy, but she felt none of that.

  As their dinner wound down, though, her belly did flip a little at the thought of being alone with him again once they left the restaurant.

  Wyatt couldn’t keep his eyes off of Sabrina. She was so sexy and beautiful. There was something a little sad about her that she tried to hide, but he didn’t press her. There would be time to get to know everything about her. He intended to get to know her real well.

  “How was your day?” he asked when they were finished with dinner and now sharing a small apple pie with French vanilla ice cream for dessert.

  “Not bad.” Then she shook her head. “Well, it wouldn’t have been as good this morning if a man hadn’t saved me.”

  Wyatt frowned. “What happened?”

  “When I was leaving the general store in Patagonia, my SUV wouldn’t start,” she said “It’s under warranty and I thought I might have to have it towed back to Tucson. But a guy asked me if I needed help and he discovered that one of the battery cables was loose and there was some corrosion that he cleaned up. I took him to lunch to thank him.”

  Wyatt nodded. “What’s his name?”

  She wrinkled her nose and looked like she was trying to recall it. “Derrick… Derrick Harper.”

  A wave of heat hit Wyatt and he ground his teeth before saying. “Sabrina, you need to stay away from that man.”

  A look of surprise crossed her face. “Why? He was really nice and helpful.”

  I’ll be he was, Wyatt thought to himself. “Trust me,” he said aloud. “You don’t want to get involved with him in any way. He is not good people and not a guy who anyone likes for very long. There are all kinds of stories about him. Even if only a few are right, it shows what kind of man he is. Let’s just say you should avoid him.”

  She just looked at him like she was trying to figure something out and the moment felt awkward for the first time that night. Maybe she thought he was jealous. The best thing he could do was hope that she listened to him and stayed away from Harper.

  He had to turn things back around in their conversation. “How’s your visit going with Carly?”

  She smiled. “So far it’s been relaxing. Carly is the perfect vacation mate. Fun but let’s me have downtime which I desperately need.”

  “School a bit much this semester?”

  “Something like that.” There was that touch of sadness again and she took another drink of her margarita, as if to keep from having to talk anymore about it.

  Wyatt reached out and put his hand over hers. “I’ve had a great time tonight.” He squeezed her fingers. “Thank you for agreeing to go out with me.”

  “It was most definitely my pleasure.” Her smile was brilliant. “I have had a terrific time talking with you and getting to know more about you.”

  He moved his hand from hers. “Let’s dance.”

  She glanced in the direction of the bar then back to Wyatt. “All right.”

  They both stood and scooted out of the booth. He touched the base of her spine as he guided her toward the bar. Her blouse was soft but he imagined her skin was softer.

  When they reached the bar, he swept her onto the dance floor. This time he held her closer than he had at the Stampede. She seemed a little less skittish than she had then. And when they danced a slow tune, it was almost like she was cuddling up to him.

  Desire slammed into him and he hoped she wouldn’t notice the effect she was having on him. He didn’t see how she couldn’t, but she didn’t move away.

  One hour blended with the next. He’d stopped at two drinks since he’d be driving, but she had four before the night was through. She wavered a little when she walked and she giggled a lot when she got tipsy.

  He couldn’t help grinning at how cute she was. Her inhibitions and fears seemed to slip away and she didn’t have that same sadness about her that she had been showing every now and then. Sabrina seemed to be even more fun, outgoing, and friendly, as if a little alcohol let her be who she really was when she wasn’t weighed down with whatever it was that had affected her so badly.

  “Are you ready to go?” Wyatt said after their ninth or tenth dance.

  She nodded. “I think I’ve worn out the heels on my boots. You might have to carry me out.”

  With a grin he left some bills with the ticket and stood. “It would be my pleasure to carry you anywhere you’d like to go.”

  She giggled and clapped her hand over her mouth, and he thought she blushed a bit, too. She moved her hand away and said, “Me and my big mouth.”

  He laughed and she looked up at him and smiled as they walked out into the parking lot. “Thank you for bringing me here,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed tonight.”

  “Thank you for saying yes.” He settled his arm around her shoulders as they walked to his truck. She didn’t tense up. She seemed to be comfortable around him—most of the time. Sometimes he saw something wary in her eyes that told him not to push her too far too fast and he wondered what had happened to make her skittish that way.

  The drive back to Carly’s house passed as easily as their dinner had as Sabrina told Wyatt about her last camping trip and the squirrel that kept dropping nuts at her head. It was so easy to talk with him and he made her laugh.

  Still she started feeling nervous as he pulled his truck up to Carly’s house, beside her friend’s Jeep. When he parked, she waited for him to come around and he helped her out of the truck.

  The night was mild and a slight breeze teased the hair at her nape as he shut the door behind her. They were on the far side of Carly’s Jeep, furthest away from the house, and her stomach flipped. She knew he wanted to kiss her.

  And she wanted him to.

  Her he
ad told her no, she should leave now. That she shouldn’t risk either of their hearts. But something inside of her wanted him so badly in so many ways.

  He moved his hands to her shoulders and drew her close to him. He lowered his head and his mouth hovered over hers, his breath warm on her lips. He was waiting for her to tell him no, giving her a chance to back out.

  Without giving herself a chance to think about it, she closed the gap between them and moved her mouth to his. He gave a soft groan as she slid her arms around his neck and fell into the kiss.

  Stop, stop, stop kept going through her mind. But she couldn’t make herself.

  He smelled so good, his spicy, masculine scent filling her. His body felt warm and solid against hers and she loved the way he tasted.

  When she didn’t think her head would stop spinning from the power of his kiss, he drew away and he held her gaze with his. “Why don’t you come out to my place tomorrow?” he asked. “I’ll show you around the ranch.”

  She swallowed and against her better judgment said, “I’d like that.”

  He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “I’ll call you tomorrow with directions.”

  She nodded and then he kissed her again.

  This time when he stepped back he said, “I’d better get you home before Carly comes out with a shotgun.”

  Sabrina laughed. “You got the proud mama vibe, too?”

  With a grin, he said, “I was half expecting her to give you a curfew.”

  She smiled and he took her by the hand and led her to Carly’s home and walked with her up the front steps.

  When they reached the door he cupped her face in his hands and brushed his lips over hers. She’d never had such sweet, amazing kisses. Ever. Nothing like Wyatt’s kisses. She felt as if magic spun around them, and she didn’t want to break the moment.

  He let his hands slip away from her face and he looked down at her and smiled. “Good night, Sabrina.”

  “Good night.” She returned his smile before she turned and opened the front door and stepped inside. She looked at him one last time before she shut the door behind her.

  When the door was closed she leaned up against it, her eyes squeezed tight. She felt crazy, like a dozen emotions were flooding her. Giddiness, happiness, concern, fear, and others made her doubt herself and the choice to go out tonight, to tell him she would go see him tomorrow, to let him kiss her tonight.

  “That good, huh?”

  Sabrina’s eyes opened and she met her friend’s smiling face.

  “I knew you two were meant for each other.” Carly gave a satisfied nod.

  “Ha.” Sabrina pushed away from the door. “I was just relaxing for a moment.”

  Carly laughed. “Sure, honey. If you say so.”

  “I say so.”

  “Tell me then, missy.” Carly had her arms folded across her chest, one eyebrow raised. “Are you going to see him again?”

  Sabrina’s cheeks flushed with heat. “I agreed to go out to his ranch and see him tomorrow. He said he’d show me around.”

  “Woohoo.” Carly gave a wide grin. “So much for not wanting to date.”

  With a frown, Sabrina walked to the couch and sat down. “Am I making a mistake? I like him too much already. I don’t want to get hurt and I don’t want to disappoint him. After all, I’m not a whole woman.”

  Carly frowned. “Don’t even go there, Sabrina. You’re all woman.”

  “I don’t feel like it sometimes.” Sabrina sighed, a lump building up in her throat.

  “Stop that.” Carly sat beside Sabrina. “Ever since you and Stanley broke up—”

  “You mean since Stanley broke up with me,” Sabrina pointed out.

  “The idiot broke up with you, yes.” Carly leaned forward. “But that was his loss. His inability to cope is what did it. He had the problem, not you.”

  Sabrina felt tears back up behind her eyes. “I don’t want to disappoint Wyatt.”

  Carly gave a gentle smile. “I don’t think Wyatt’s anything like that ass you used to date. I think he’s about as far away as you can get from that.”

  Sabrina nodded. “I think you’re right. But—”

  “Give him a chance.” Carly put her hand over Sabrina’s. “It’s not fair to him to treat him as if he is the same type of guy as your ex. Because he’s not and you know it.”

  Sabrina looked down at her lap for a moment then returned her gaze to Carly’s. “If it goes any farther than just visiting him at the ranch, then I need to tell him,” she said. “That is important to me.”

  “You do what you think is best, honey.” Carly said. “Just let him have the opportunity, okay?”

  “Okay.” Sabrina squeezed her friend’s hand in return. “But if he runs, it’s your shoulder I’m crying on.”

  Carly smiled. “Something tells me that the last thing Wyatt Cameron is, is the running kind. He’s a man’s man and knows how to treat a lady.”

  Chapter 5

  The drive from Patagonia to Wyatt’s ranch took a while because the road went winding through the Canelo Hills and it was slow going.

  When she finally reached the road leading to the Double U Ranch, it was close to ten in the morning. She drove her SUV up the dirt road, the vehicle shimmying over the rough ground. Like Wyatt had told her over the phone, his ranch was set back aways from the main road, but she could still see his house in the distance over the green grass that covered the ranchlands.

  The closer she got to the ranch, the faster her heart pounded and the drier her mouth grew. She took a sip from her water bottle that she’d almost emptied during the drive. She wondered why she was so nervous. After all, Wyatt was the easiest man she’d ever talked with.

  Her phone rang when she was about a quarter mile from Wyatt’s ranch house. She picked it up off the console and checked the number. She didn’t recognize it, but answered, “Hello?”

  “Sabrina, this is Derrick.”

  Her surprise at his call caused her to pause a moment. “Oh. Hi, Derrick.”

  “Hope you don’t mind me calling you,” he said.

  “Oh, of course not.” She relaxed. “What’s going on?”

  “Just wonderin’ when you’re heading to Tucson next.”

  “I’m going on Wednesday,” Sabrina gripped the steering wheel harder with one hand as the SUV shimmied again. Wyatt’s home was growing closer.

  “Mind if I send along a package to my sister with you?” he asked. “It’s right off the I-10 freeway and Ajo Way. I don’t think that’s out of the way for you since you’re going up to the north side of Tucson, is it?”

  “Not at all. I’ll be happy to take it.” She felt a little distracted as her belly tightened. She was almost to the cattle guard at the gate. Almost to Wyatt.

  “I appreciate it.”

  “I’ll give you a call Tuesday night,” she said.

  “Talk to you then, Sabrina.”

  She pressed the end button, flipped the phone shut, and set it back on the console. Her thoughts turned fully to Wyatt and a shiver went through her belly as she remembered his kiss last night.

  The SUV’s tires thrummed over the cattle guard and her heart thrummed along with it. She pulled up to a beautiful tan ranch house with a red tiled roof. An old pueblo style fence and gate curved around in front of the long house. A grassy, tree-covered hill rolled up behind it and tall dark oaks were around the property. Five giant sycamore trees shaded the house. A garage stood separately from the house and there was a long barn next to wood corrals.

  After she parked her SUV, she rubbed her palms on her thighs. She didn’t see anyone around. She stuffed her cell phone in her pocket and climbed out of her vehicle.

  The sound of hooves came from behind her and she turned to see a horse trotting toward her, a cowboy on its back. She’d recognize that form anywhere. It was Wyatt and he’d never looked better.

  His sexy grin lit a trail of fire straight to her heart. His cowboy hat was low over his brow and his eyes
were shaded. His features were square cut, his skin tanned where his sleeves were rolled up and he was wearing a set of chaps. Damn but cowboys looked so hot in chaps.

  He looked dusty and there was a sheen of perspiration on his arms and face. His muscles flexed as he swung off his horse and then stood in front of her. She smiled up at him but caught her breath in surprise as he took her by her upper shoulders, pulled her toward him, and kissed her.

  It was like this cowboy was staking his claim and at that moment she was more than happy to let him. Her stomach flip-flopped as she breathed in the scent of leather and felt his heat. His hat bumped her head, his body firm and his clothing rough next to her softness.

  When he drew away, his mouth was curved into a sexy grin, his hat raised so she could now see his incredible blue eyes. “I’ve been dying to do that since last night, Sabrina.”

  She flushed with heat. She had wanted it just as much.

  The horse neighed and bobbed its head as if wanting attention, too. Wyatt grinned and caught the horse by its bridle and patted its neck. “Now don’t go getting jealous,” he murmured to the horse. “Meet Sabrina.” He looked at her. “Sabrina, meet the other girl in my life, Senorita.”

  “Hi,” Sabrina said and then felt silly. She looked at Wyatt. “I’ve never been around horses, but she looks beautiful.”

  “Why don’t you touch her and start from there?” He took her hand and settled it on Senorita’s neck.

  “I can feel the power in her.” Sabrina moved her palm over the horse, feeling the hard corded muscle and the coarse hair.

  “Senorita’s been out working with me all morning,” Wyatt said. “She’s pretty dusty. About as much as I am. Why don’t you come with me while I take her into the barn to be put up.”

  Sabrina nodded. “Sure.”

  He tugged Senorita’s bridle and they walked beside her toward the barn.

  “Did you have any problems finding my place?” he asked as they walked.

  She shook her head. “Your directions were great. I did start to worry that I’d passed it, though. You were right. It is a little bit of a ways out here.”

  He grinned. “Part of its charm.”