The Texan's Cowgirl Bride (Texas Rodeo Barons)

by Trish Milburn - The Texan's Cowgirl Bride (Texas Rodeo Barons)

  “But you can’t give it up entirely?”

  She shook her head. “It’s in the blood.”

  This time when the wheel moved, it slid into motion more smoothly. There was something freeing about being up in the air, high above all the laughter, music and bright lights below. In the distance, she saw flickers of lightning.

  “Looks like we’re in for a storm later,” Travis said beside her.

  She nodded but didn’t take her eyes off the horizon. For a moment, she allowed herself to wonder if her mother was out there somewhere, what she was doing, whether she ever thought of her children. Savannah pressed her eyes closed and shoved the thoughts away. She was having fun, and she didn’t want it to end quite yet.

  Tonight she would spend time with a good-looking man, allow herself to laugh and forget her cares. Tomorrow was soon enough to face the real world again.

  Chapter Six

  Halfway back to the ranch, it began to rain. The pace increased the closer they got, and by the time they made the turn onto the road that paralleled the ranch Savannah could barely see the road in front of them. Loud booms of thunder and bright flashes of lightning made Savannah jump several times.

  “I’m surprised you could even see where to turn,” she said.

  “I would have probably missed it if we hadn’t just passed that dead armadillo in the road. I saw it earlier.”

  “Navigating by roadkill. That’s new.”

  Travis glanced at her and chuckled. In the next moment, they ran over something that made an unholy racket beneath the truck. Travis cursed and looked in the rearview mirror.

  “Damn, I have no idea what that was.”

  Savannah hoped it hadn’t been an animal, though thankfully it hadn’t sounded like the distinctive thud that accompanied hitting a dog or cat. If they’d hit anything larger like a horse or cow, they wouldn’t still be rolling down the road.

  Somehow, Travis managed to spot a dirt pull-off beside the gate that led into Jackson Bennett’s pasture. “I need to check what that was.”

  “It’s pouring rain. If someone else comes along, they might not see you.”

  He turned on the SUV’s flashers. “I’ll be careful.” And then he opened his door and jumped out into the downpour.

  She didn’t like the idea of him striding down the road when any other drivers couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of them, but she wasn’t in a position to tell him no. Instead, she twisted in her seat and watched him until he disappeared into the dark deluge. She stared hard, as if that would somehow give her the ability to part the rain and see him. Her stomach twisted more the longer he was gone. But while she couldn’t see him, she also didn’t see any headlights piercing the night.

  “Come on, come on,” she said.

  As if in answer to her plea, Travis appeared alongside the SUV, then jerked the door open and hopped in, looking more like a soaking wet river otter than a man. But then an otter wouldn’t have a T-shirt sticking to its chest like a second skin.

  Savannah snatched her gaze away from Travis’s chest before he could notice. “What was it?”

  Travis wiped rivulets of water from his face. “Two-by-four with nails poking out of it. No idea if I hit the nails.” He turned off the emergency flashers and carefully pulled back out onto the road.

  It wasn’t long before it became apparent that they had indeed hit at least one of the nails. As Travis turned into the parking lot for the store, she heard the distinctive thwump-thwump of a tire going flat over the sound of the rain continuing to pound down.

  “Bet you wish you hadn’t taken me to the carnival now, don’t you?”

  “Are you kidding? I had funnel cake, a corn dog and got soaked to my skin. That’s exactly what I wanted when I woke up this morning.”

  Savannah laughed and shook her head. “You’re just not right.”

  Travis shrugged. “I’ve had worse said about me. Funny how a guy doesn’t like you when your report of his infidelity allows his wife to take him to the cleaners.”

  “You don’t have any sympathy for them?”

  “For cheaters? Not one bit. I figure if you’re not happy in your marriage, get divorced. Then do whatever you want with whomever you want.”

  “I have a feeling you might be in the minority there.”

  “Maybe, but I had a good example. My parents are every bit as in love now as when they met forty years ago.”

  “That’s sweet. You and Rita were very lucky.”

  “Yeah, we were. I’m sorry you didn’t have that.”

  “Me, too.” It wasn’t that she thought her dad hadn’t loved every one of his three wives, but it just wasn’t the same as two people making a commitment and sticking to it for a lifetime.

  Though she couldn’t be too hard on her dad. After all, her mother had walked away from him as much as she had her children. And then he’d grieved Peggy’s passing in his own way. Thankfully, despite their age difference, he and Julieta still seemed to be doing fine, helped by the fact that Julieta had a way of handling Brock that Savannah had never seen before.

  Travis pulled out his phone and looked up the local weather radar. Even from where she sat, Savannah could see the endless wave of red and dark green marching across the phone’s screen.

  “That doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon,” she said.

  “Nope. Good thing I’m already soaked.”

  “No changing the tire in this storm, not while it’s lightning.”

  “It shouldn’t take me long.”

  She fixed her gaze on him. “And it only takes a moment to get fried. Ask Juan, who works on the farm.” She pointed out the windshield toward where the rows of peach trees were shrouded by the rain. “He was trying to finish up some picking before a storm a couple of years ago, and he got blasted right off the ladder he was on. Broke his arm and had burns on both his hands and feet. He couldn’t work for two months.”

  Travis winced. “So maybe I’ll wait.”

  She smiled. “Good idea.” She glanced out the window and could barely see the front porch of the store with its collection of rocking chairs. “We might as well go in and wait for this to pass. I’ll make some coffee.”

  “You’ll get drenched.”

  She smiled at him again. “I have dry clothes inside.” Savannah fished her keys out of her purse. She patted the large teddy bear she’d won, which had spent the trip back to the ranch sitting between them. “Looks as if you’ve got to sit here awhile, buddy.”

  With that, she hopped out into the driving rain. By the time she reached the cover of the porch only a few yards away, she was as wet as if she’d jumped in the pool up at the main house with all of her clothes on.

  As she slid her key into the lock, Travis bounded onto the porch behind her.

  “We’re going to leave puddles all the way through the store,” he said.

  “That’s what mops are for.”

  Soaked as they were, the cold of the air-conditioning inside hit Savannah like a wintry blast. She rubbed her arms as she shut and locked the door then headed toward the back stairs that led up to her apartment.

  “That coffee sounds even better now,” Travis said as he followed her up the steps.

  Too late, Savannah realized that perhaps inviting Travis into her home wasn’t the best idea she’d ever had. On a normal day, her apartment had plenty of room. But add one tall, good-looking guy, and it shrank substantially. She crossed the open living area and placed the kitchen counter between herself and Travis. Without making eye contact, she started filling the coffeemaker with grounds and set it to brewing.

  When she did look back across the apartment, Travis hadn’t moved from the spot right next to the door.

  “What are you doing?”

  He pointed at the
rug below his feet. “I don’t want to get your floor wet.”

  She waved him toward one of the iron bar stools on the opposite side of the counter. “The floor will be fine.” A little water wasn’t going to hurt the coated pine.

  Savannah wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the hammering of the rain on her roof increased. “Grab the remote and flick on the TV.”

  Travis complied. As she expected, the Dallas weather guy was in full swing talking about the storms.

  “We’ve had reports of wind damage coming out of Plano tonight and multiple instances of flash flooding. What we’re most concerned with right now is this area right here.” He pointed at what any Texan with a TV knew was a bow echo, an indicator of a potential tornado either forming or on the ground. “If you’re in this line north of Fort Worth, take cover immediately. Most in danger right now are Boonsville, Cottondale and Boyd.”

  The meteorologist panned back on the map to show the string of almost uninterrupted storms lined up all the way back to the New Mexico border.

  “Somebody did something to tick off Mother Nature,” Travis said.

  And there was no way she could send Travis out into that mess. She mentally argued with the thought that popped into her head and barely kept it from flying out of her mouth. But as she turned her back to Travis to pour two cups of coffee, the weather report didn’t magically get any better. If anything, it sounded as if things might get worse. She closed her eyes and told herself not to get so freaked out. She could be an adult about this. Travis was her friend. She’d shelter Abby just the same.

  Yeah, but Abby didn’t make her think inappropriate thoughts.

  Savannah grabbed both cups of coffee and turned around, extending Travis’s toward him.

  “Thanks,” he said as he accepted the mug and wrapped his hands around it for a moment before taking a drink.

  She took a slow sip before setting her cup on the counter. “I’m going to see if I have anything dry you can wear.”

  “No sense in that. I’m just going to get soaked again.”

  “Nope, you’re not.” She pointed toward the couch. “Because you’re going to sleep right there.”

  Travis lifted a brow.

  She nodded toward the TV. “If you go out in that, you’re likely to run off the road. And I need you to not kill yourself being an idiot too stubborn to wait out a storm.”

  The edge of his mouth quirked up. “You certainly know how to boost a guy’s ego.”

  “Most guys I know don’t need any boosts to their egos.” She headed toward the bedroom, telling herself she needed to stop thinking about how attractive Travis was and remember he wasn’t interested in anything remotely romantic.

  When she closed her bedroom door behind her, she was able to breathe a bit easier. Had she really just invited Travis to spend the night? Granted, she’d made it clear he’d be sleeping on the couch, but still. She’d never done anything like this before. And after being so anxious about having anyone in her family see him at the ranch, what kind of sense did it make for her to tell him he was not only staying longer but also overnight?

  Well, if anyone said anything, she’d explain it simply as it was. He had a flat tire, the storm was raging outside and she didn’t want to risk him having an accident on the way home. Anyone with any compassion would understand that. They didn’t have to know that she was probably going to lie in bed all night staring at the ceiling, unable to relax because Travis was sleeping only a few feet away.

  Oh, for Pete’s sake, get a grip on yourself.

  It wasn’t as if she hadn’t ever spent the night with a guy under the same roof. She just didn’t do it at the ranch. For someone who had been married three times, her dad could still be old-fashioned when it came to his kids, especially his daughters. Even her brothers had been known to be a touch overprotective, so she found it easier to keep her relationships far from their prying eyes.

  Not that any of that had anything to do with Travis.

  Savannah moved away from the door and started digging around in the bottom drawer of her dresser. If she remembered correctly, there was a pair of sweats Jet left behind when he’d held down the fort at the store one weekend when she was away riding in a rodeo. When she finally found the pants, she paired them with the largest T-shirt she owned, one that swallowed her but that would probably be tight on Travis. At least it was dry. She tried not to think about how it would probably mold to his body. Just glancing at how that wet, black T-shirt he was wearing now hugged his muscles had nearly had her sticking her head out into the rain to cool off.

  And if Carly or Abby knew what was in Savannah’s head now, she’d never, ever hear the end of it.

  She tossed the shirt and sweatpants on the bed while she changed out of her own wet clothing. As she slid on clean underwear, she realized that was the one article of clothing she couldn’t provide for Travis. He’d either have to wear what he had on or...no, she did not need to think about him going commando.

  “Savannah Baron, you are an idiot,” she whispered to herself.

  With a shake of her head she crossed to the door and pulled it open as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on, as if she had guys sleeping over all the time. She handed him the shirt and pants.

  “Bathroom’s through there.” She pointed toward the door. Another door opened off the side of the bathroom into her bedroom. She’d have to remember to close it tonight.

  “Thanks.”

  Her breath caught when his hand grazed hers as he took the clothes, and she wasn’t quick enough to hide her reaction. Also, before she could think better of it, she looked up into his eyes. Yep, he’d noticed how that simple touch had affected her. The only thing she could do was pretend her ass off.

  She stepped away and headed toward the kitchen. “How about I make us something real to eat?”

  “I’ll have you know that fair food is a recognized food group.”

  “Yes, recognized by cardiologists everywhere.”

  Travis laughed, and damned if she didn’t like the sound of that male rumble filling her space. Maybe the intensity of her focus on work at the expense of a love life hadn’t been the best idea after all. She didn’t draw a full breath until he disappeared into the bathroom. For several seconds, she just stared at the closed door, wondering what Abby or Carly would do in this situation.

  Dumb question. They’d march right over to the door, open it and join him. Savannah had to say the idea was enticing, but she couldn’t in a million lifetimes imagine herself doing it, not with someone she’d known since she was little more than a kid.

  Needing to focus on something besides the thought of Travis naked, she pulled some grilled chicken and stir-fry vegetables from the freezer and tossed it all in her wok along with the necessary seasonings, then started a small pot of brown rice. Her mouth watered at the idea of something remotely healthy passing her lips. Beginning with the peach muffin she’d had that morning, all the way through the fair food, she’d had nothing but junk all day. Her body was on the verge of rebelling. She was supposed to be healing, and she doubted a corn dog or cotton candy was on the get-well menu.

  When Travis exited the bathroom holding his pile of wet clothes, she used the spatula to point toward the laundry room. “Put them on top of the washing machine, and I’ll do a load in a minute.”

  “You don’t have to do my laundry, Savannah.”

  “I’m going to be washing mine anyway. What’s a couple more things?”

  Though she told herself not to look, she caught herself glancing at Travis as he walked toward the laundry room. Just as she’d predicted, the shirt was snug. But it was the sight of his bare feet that for some reason sent shivers racing across her skin. Okay, she didn’t have a foot fetish, so what was up with that? Maybe it was nothing more than the fact that he was walking around her a
partment with body parts uncovered that normally weren’t. That she thought he looked right at home, and she didn’t mind it.

  Yeah, she was cracked.

  “That smells good.”

  She glanced over to see Travis leaning against her refrigerator. “I know it’s not a deep-fried hunk of dough, but it’ll have to do.”

  “So, you take in sodden motorists often?”

  “Oh, yeah, all the time. You’d be surprised what an excellent revenue stream it is.”

  “You can pitch that to your dad, the Baron B and B.”

  “Um, no.” If her dad had his knickers in a twist about the viability of the store, she could only imagine his reaction to a bed-and-breakfast. He wasn’t a B and B sort of guy.

  Travis took a couple of steps toward her, and she’d swear she heard “Danger, danger, Will Robinson” in her head, even though he hadn’t given her any vibe other than friendship. No, she was the one she didn’t trust. So what did she do? She shoved the spatula at him.

  “Keep stirring this while I start the laundry.”

  As she hurried to her bedroom to pick up her wet clothing, then carried it to the laundry room, she wondered if Travis was thinking he’d agreed to spend the night in the home of a crazy woman. He might be right.

  Resolving to act casual and normal when she returned to the kitchen, she started the water running into the washing machine and added the detergent. She could do this. All she had to do was focus on the fact that Travis was simply someone she’d hired to do a job. She’d allowed herself to forget that tonight, and that decision had led her thoughts down a path that had her jumping every time he even came near her.

  It wasn’t just because he was a guy. After all, she didn’t act like a skittish colt around Ben, Juan or any of the other ranch workers. Or around any of the cowboys on the rodeo circuit, not even when she would readily acknowledge there were good reasons the buckle bunnies chased them. What was it about Travis? Was it just that he was nice to her, that he wasn’t expecting anything other than rekindling their friendship?