Charming the Cowboy

by Liz Isaacson

  “Question.” He didn’t even have to look at her to know she was really regretting agreeing to not being able to ask him any more questions for the whole day. Someone like Heather would have dozens of them.

  “No one except for Dwayne knows. This is another one of those things I’d like to stay between us.”

  “We’re getting quite the pile of those things,” she said.

  “Yeah.” Levi pulled off to the side of the road where an old wooden stand leaned into the wind several paces down. The white paint had started to peel, and a giant Texas flag flew on the pole fixed to the roof. At least a dozen trucks were parked along the road, and a line strung itself out.

  “We forgot to stop and get your shoes,” he said.

  She waved her hand like it was no big deal. “It’s fine. You can just buy me a new pair.” She smirked at him, unbuckled, and reached across her body to open the door. A giggle went with her, but all Levi could do was stare.

  Was she seriously laughing about his three-year gambling addiction?

  She doesn’t know that part, he said. Sure, he’d told her how he’d earned the money, even that placing bets on the ponies was all he lived for. But someone as sweet and innocent as Heather didn’t get it. He didn’t want her to get the depth of his addiction, his pain.

  Please forgive me, he prayed as he turned toward his side of the car. As he got out, he had the distinct thought of Already forgiven. His step lightened, and he met Heather at the front of the car before sweeping one arm around her waist.

  “I have one more question,” he murmured as they swayed together right there in the dirt parking lot.

  “Do I get one more if I answer it?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  “I just answered your question, so you just got an extra.” He grinned down at her. “So this is our first date, right? Don’t answer that. That’s not the question.” But what he wanted to ask was almost as hard as admitting he’d won over a billion dollars through his horrible gambling addiction.

  “Do you kiss on the first date?” He forced the question past his vocal chords. He ended up sounding midway between a growly bear and half-asleep.

  She bumped him with her hip, gave him a coy smile, and said, “Maybe,” in the flirtiest voice he’d ever heard.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The date improved drastically after they got their food, and not only because the brisket was the best thing Heather had ever put in her mouth. Levi loosened up, and asked her about her father’s health, told her about his horse buying escapades with her brother, and brought up the Fall Festival.

  “Oh, I’d forgotten about that.” Dread settled in her stomach. “I guess I’ll have to figure out what to do about the photo booth.”

  “Tell me what you do again.” He’d ordered a pulled pork sandwich, and he took a bite of it. The caramelized onions looked amazing, and Heather wondered if they were to the sharing food stage of their relationship yet. Didn’t quite feel like it.

  “I take the pictures.” She indicated her injured arm. “But there’s no way I’ll be able to hold a camera.” She shouldn’t stare so blatantly at his mouth as he ate, but he was the one who’d asked her about kissing on the first date.

  She’d known Levi for her whole life. They’d shared meals together before. She’d been fantasizing about him for far too long. And yet her heart pumped out an extra beat every other pulse. Her desire to kiss him reached epic proportions, especially as she watched him lick the barbeque sauce from his lips.

  With great difficulty, she pulled her eyes away. They sat at a rickety picnic table, under a tiny umbrella for shade. The Texas breeze blew the scent of smoked meat toward them, as they’d gotten a spot down a ways from the Rib Shack.

  And what a shack it was. She’d thought it would collapse with the owner inside. With no sign, no menu, it seemed to be something someone did for fun on the side. But Levi had known exactly what to order, and he’d paid. Still, it didn’t seem like a real establishment, what with the leaning frame and the old refrigerator the owner had converted into a smoker.

  “So what do you want to do?” Levi asked, and Heather blanked on the conversation they’d been having.

  “About what?”

  “The pictures?” He locked his gaze on hers. “Weren’t we talkin’ about the Fall Festival?”

  “Oh, right. I don’t know. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if there was no photo booth.”

  “Maybe your arm will be better by then. It’s not for five more weeks.”

  “Maybe. But I’d need to commit to doing it now, or not doing it. Or find someone else.” Her mind churned around who she’d trust enough to do the pictures. “I don’t even know who I would ask.”

  “Why is it up to you?” he asked. “Isn’t there someone in charge who could figure it out?”

  “Yeah, Karla LeGrande. But…I’ve always done the photo booth.”

  “Yeah, and this year you can’t.” He watched her, and she didn’t like the way he did.

  “It’s….” She wanted to say mine. Or my way out of going to the festival alone.

  “I’m sorry about your arm,” he said, real quiet as if someone would overhear him. “But there are some things we can’t control.”

  “I’m not trying to control the photo booth.”

  He cocked his head and smiled. “Heather, I’ve known you my whole life. You think I’m just now figurin’ out that you’re a control freak?”

  “Calling me names won’t get you your kiss.”

  His dark eyes positively danced with amusement. “So it’s my kiss? Like you won’t have any part in it?”

  Heather didn’t know how to respond, so she said, “Question,” which only made him chuckle.

  “You never said I couldn’t ask you a question. And this isn’t a serious conversation.”

  “No?”

  “No.” He scoffed and waved his hand. “I’m teasing you about being a control freak and you’re teasing me about not letting me kiss you later.”

  She leaned away from her nearly empty plate. “Maybe I’m not a control freak.” She folded her arms. “And maybe you’re not getting that kiss.”

  He shook his head and stood. “All right. Whatever you say. Should we go find you some shoes?”

  “I was kidding about that.”

  He collected their plates and walked them over to a garbage can. She trailed after him and slipped her hand into his. “Maybe we can walk here a little.”

  “We’re on the side of the highway.”

  “So, what? We drive an hour for a fifteen minute meal?”

  “Yeah, that’s about it.”

  “Wow, the time and energy required to plan this date must’ve left you exhausted. Good thing you have that private chef come in so you don’t have to cook later.”

  He laughed with her and strolled back toward the SUV. “We could drive over to the river and walk there.” He gave her a quick glance. “Y’all want to?”

  “I’d like that.” Fact was, Heather would like anything Levi suggested. Her pulse practically galloped as he maneuvered the SUV around a couple of corners and toward the Colorado, and it seemed like only moments before he was unbuckling and climbing out of the car.

  He’d parked in the visitor lot, and he took her hand as soon as she met him near the hood. She drew in a deep breath. “I love Texas.”

  “Best state there is,” he agreed.

  Heather moved toward the trail, bringing Levi with her. “Better than Kentucky?”

  “Definitely better than Kentucky.” Levi dropped his eyes to the ground, and Heather recognized the tell that he didn’t want to talk about this anymore. The time he’d been in Kentucky was a blank spot for her, so her curiosity revolved around those three years he’d been gone.

  There are some things we can’t control. His words echoed in her head, no matter how she tried to silence them. She didn’t want to control him. She just wanted to know more about him.

&n
bsp; “Tell me something about yourself I don’t know,” she said, making her voice light and flirtatious.

  He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “You know everything about me.”

  But she detected a hint of falseness in his voice. “That’s not true.”

  “Why don’t you tell me what you do know and I’ll fill in the empty spots.”

  “Okay, so I know you don’t like eggs. I know you do like horses.”

  “I love horses,” he said.

  She smiled and conceded the point. “And you own the peach orchards, and I think you like those. In high school, you liked those peanut butter cups and wouldn’t touch soda pop. Is that still true?”

  “Yep.”

  “You played football, and then you graduated and learned how to manage the orchards, and then…you went to Kentucky.” She glanced at him, but he didn’t seem upset. In fact, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.

  “And you got married there,” she said. “And you won a lot of money betting on horses.” She breathed in and pushed the air out. “And then you came back here, and built a big old house on the edge of the orchard and then built a boarding stable, and did open riding lessons, and proceeded to ignore all the available females in town.” She laughed, the sound floating up into the sky. “You have no idea how upset some of them have been.”

  “I’m sure they’ll survive,” he said. “None of them have ever tried that hard.”

  “Are you kidding?” She took an extra step and faced him. He paused, looking down at her. “Do you know how hard it is to pluck up the courage to go to the open lessons? They’ve been trying hard, trust me.”

  He reached up and trailed his pointer finger down the side of her face. “How long did you come to the lessons?”

  Sparks skittered through her skull. She couldn’t think with both of his hands on her body, and the world seemed to spin way too fast.

  “Couple of years, I think,” he whispered, edging closer. The heat from his body made her internal temperature skyrocket. How long was he going to make her wait?

  “Three years,” she whispered.

  “Why didn’t you say something?” His fingers slipped along her shoulder and then around to the back of her neck.

  She looked up into his dark, heated eyes, and everything inside her flayed open. “What would you have liked me to say?”

  Regret passed through his expression. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s not like you don’t see the women at your lessons. You said that much.”

  “Yeah, I just…didn’t know it extended to you.” He leaned closer, his hand that was holding hers sliding along her waist. Ice exploded down into her legs, quickly turning into fire. “I’m sorry, Heather.”

  “You never saw me.”

  His lips touched her jaw just below her ear. Her muscles felt like marshmallows, and he’d just turned up an open flame. “I see you now.”

  A smile pulled at her mouth even as a roar started in her ears. “Do you know how to take pictures?”

  He pulled back, confusion covering his handsome face and pulling his eyebrows in. “Take pictures?”

  “Maybe you can run the photo booth. I’ll work it with you.”

  He blinked and understanding bloomed in those beautiful eyes. “So you can boss me around, is that it?”

  “You’ve already said you’ll do anything I need you to do.” Heather grinned, pure enjoyment pulling through her.

  “I’ve never picked up a camera.”

  “I can teach you.” The thought of spending more time with Levi made giddiness prance through her the way Starscape did. “After all, I won’t be staying at your house very much longer.”

  He frowned again. “You won’t?”

  “Levi.” She pushed gently against his chest, but he didn’t move an inch. “I’m fine.” She cleared her throat, her flirtiness almost gone. She wasn’t even sure what she was doing was working. “I don’t need a babysitter for much longer.”

  A wicked grin curved his mouth. “Are you sure?”

  She giggled and put her good arm around his shoulder. “You’re not even that good at it,” she said. “I’m the one who manages dozens of children for a living.”

  “You don’t think I’ve been taking good care of you?” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “Did you or did you not say that was the best brisket you’ve ever eaten?”

  The moment sobered between them. Heather looked up at him through her eyelashes. “It was the best brisket I’ve ever had.” She tipped up onto her toes. “And you’re taking great care of me.”

  Only a couple of inches separated her from Levi. His hand pressed against her lower back, and the fingers on his other hand threaded through her hair. Still, he didn’t kiss her.

  “What are you waiting for?” she asked, her calves starting to cramp the slightest bit.

  “Oh, is this the kissing part?” His breath washed across her cheek.

  Heather regripped his shoulder, pressed closer, and said, “Yeah, this is the kissing part, cowboy,” just before matching her mouth to his.

  And wow, kissing Levi was ten times better in reality than it had been in her fantasies. The taste, the smell, the feel of him next to her overwhelmed her senses, and Heather knew she’d be ruined for another man. Ruined for life.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Heat and desire popped through Levi the same way fireworks exploded in the sky on the Fourth of July. There was something magical about kissing Heather he hadn’t anticipated. Something passionate without going too far. Something absolutely right even though he didn’t normally kiss women out in the open, beside rivers, where anyone could see.

  He pulled away sooner than he’d have liked, a laugh building in his chest. Heather sighed, breathed, and kissed him again. Her fingers trailed fire down the side of his face, then moved back up to curl around his ear.

  He leaned into her touch, enjoying himself much more than the last time he’d kissed a woman. With a jolt, he realized he hadn’t kissed anyone since his ex-wife.

  “You okay?” Heather put a couple inches of distance between them, and Levi opened his eyes. She stood in front of him, a heavenly vision of concern, with flushed cheeks and sparkles in her eyes.

  “I’m okay—no, you know what? That was more than okay.” He grinned at her, sobering quickly. “I was just thinking that you’re the first woman I’ve kissed since my marriage ended.” He ducked his head and moved down the riverwalk. She went with him, tucking her good hand into her pocket instead of his.

  “That was a long time ago, Levi,” she said.

  He liked the way his name sounded in her Texas drawl. Almost like it had three syllables instead of two.

  “Yeah.”

  “She must’ve hurt you badly.”

  “It wasn’t her.” He sighed, his mind whirling again. He was so tired of revelations, and he’d said enough today already. “No hard conversations, remember? This is just a fun lunch date.” And he’d already told her more in two days than he’d told anyone else in seven years. She was definitely a wizard of some kind.

  Or maybe he yearned to share his life with someone, and she was the first one he’d trusted enough to reveal little pieces of himself.

  “Thank you for not judging me about the gambling,” he said to the river water, hoping his voice was loud enough for her to hear.

  She slipped her hand into his on the next step. “We all make mistakes, Levi.”

  “You’ve said that before.”

  “Well, that’s because it’s true.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you make one.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” She giggled. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that time in high school when I thought dating Jonathan Myers was a good idea.” She filled the sky with the delicious sound of her laughter again. “Or what about that time I thought bangs would be cute? Or when I entered that beauty pageant as a joke but then I almost won? I had to walk across that stage in my swimming suit….”
She shivered and stepped close to him. So close her hair brushed his bare arm.

  “Those are simple mistakes,” he said. “Not life-altering ones. What I’ve done….” He gazed down the path, glad there were trees here to keep him grounded, keep his voice contained. “It changes a man.”

  “You did come back from Kentucky a different man,” Heather said.

  Levi had, and he knew it. His parents had seen it too, but when they’d asked what had happened, he’d told them, “Nothing. Decided this was where I needed to be in order to be happy.”

  And that had been the truth. He’d never been happy in Kentucky, even with Johanna on his arm, even with the millions and then billions of dollars. At least in Texas, he had his sister, his horses, his goats, and his peaches.

  And now Heather. The thought infiltrated his mind like a sneaky snake in the grass.

  His phone rang, and when Sawyer’s name and face came up on the screen, Levi said, “I have to take this. Is that okay?”

  “Sure.” She released his hand and kept walking.

  Levi slowed to a stop and answered the phone with, “Hey, Sawyer.”

  “So I know you’re not comin’ in today, but the soffit guy is here. He said the entire roof needs to be fixed on the shed, and I told him I had to talk to you to get that done.”

  “Why does the whole roof need to be fixed?”

  “Well, apparently the side that was compromised by the tractor has been bending for a while. So the roof is all skiwampus, and he can’t just fix the gutters on that one side.”

  Levi closed his eyes, wishing he was at the boarding stable to have a real conversation with Todd-the-soffit-man. “Fine, whatever. If the roof needs to be replaced, let’s get it replaced.” He was already tearing out the entire north side of the building. How he hadn’t noticed that it had been bumped by the forklift tines of a tractor, he didn’t know.

  Oh yes, he did. He didn’t actually use that tractor or go into the equipment shed much. But over time, the weakened wall had started to collapse, and it was during open riding night when the shed had decided to fail completely.