Welcome Home, Cowboy

by Annie Rains

  “I’m not.” She stepped inside, but stood close to the door. If things got out of hand, she’d grab the knob and run.

  He faced her. “No? You want your job back then? Well, I’ve already replaced you. I had your replacement lined up before you even disappeared.” He seemed to enjoy relaying this information. Looking back, he’d enjoyed hurting her ever since he started using drugs. It was sick. He was sick, which made her sad. Once upon a time he’d been a really sweet guy.

  “No.” She shook her head again. “I don’t want to work for you, Daren. I came to explain why I left.”

  “You did that in your letter.” He folded his oversized arms at his chest. How had she ever found his muscles attractive? “And the truth is I was ready to end things with you anyway. I was going to be the one to do the breaking up,” he told her. His upper lip twitched with a satisfied smile.

  “I’m glad you weren’t too upset,” she said.

  “Upset?” He laughed. “I was glad. I threw a party after reading that damn note.” His voice was getting loud the way it did when he got angry. Her spine stiffened and she raised her chin. She might’ve left this house in the dark, too afraid to face him, but she wasn’t afraid anymore. She’d moved back to Seaside and was making her way on her own. By her own terms. Daren was wrong. People did appreciate yoga. Lawson appreciated it. And she’d helped a handful of Marines. Now, she was even going to manage a health and wellness center—if she could get Daren to give her a good reference.

  “Good, Daren. I’m glad you’re happy. I’m happy, too. I moved back home. I have a job.” Or two. “And I’ve been offered an excellent opportunity.”

  His expression was hard as he stared at her. “Why do I care?”

  “You probably don’t. But as my former employer I need—”

  “Oh. I get it. You need something from me.” His smile broadened on his angular face. “Is that it? You came crawling back here, pretending to be sorry about being the bitch you are so you could get a few nice words from me?” He laughed dryly. “Well, forget that, princess. If someone calls asking about you, I’m going to tell them the truth.”

  Her own anger flared now. How dare he talk to her like that? “Which is that I’m the best worker you ever had?” she asked, stepping toward him. “I showed up early and worked late. I’m honest, reliable, and good with customers.”

  “Yeah, right. Well, you’re also a bitch.”

  Julie stiffened as memories of her life here with Daren scrolled through her mind. Why had she stayed? Why had she let him treat her the way he did? Because she believed him. Because she fell in love with him, and he slowly became someone different. But she’d still loved and trusted him. Not anymore. “I wonder”—she raised a finger to her chin thoughtfully—“how will your faithful customers react when they find out you’ve been doing steroids? That those muscles plastered to your body aren’t from all your hard work like you claim.” She took another step closer to him, very aware that while his hard muscles were a result of pills, they were no less destructive.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “They’d probably cancel their memberships and go to Fitness Universe across town. Heck, you might lose so much business that you have to close your gym.” She tsked, enjoying this a little too much. “All I have to do is call the local news station or, better yet, I can call the police. The news will like the story far better if it includes a mug shot of you, a weasel of a man who sells steroids to clientele under the table.”

  Daren’s face had gone sheet white. His upper lip twitched. That’s right. She was no longer his doormat and if he wanted to play dirty, she’d play, too.

  “Fine,” he said, shoving his hands on his narrow hips. “Fine. I’ll tell your caller that you’re great, a prized employee. Now get the fuck out of my house. You don’t belong here anymore,” he spat.

  And he was right. She didn’t belong here. She belonged in Seaside, with Lawson.

  Smiling, and shaking a little bit, she headed toward his front door, and slammed it behind her.

  —

  Lawson wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Griffin. “Thanks for helping, man.”

  Griffin had stripped down to a white undershirt, showing off his tattooed arms. He glanced back at the window where several women, half of them over seventy, had stood for the last two hours that they’d been working. “Looks like our audience is gone.”

  “All but one.” Lawson pointed at Val Hunt. She was innocently lingering by the back door. Caught in the act, she disappeared while Griffin laughed.

  “Now if we’re done, I’m going to go back home and shower, then continue with my day,” Griffin said.

  “You sure you don’t want to go inside and talk to Val? She’s cute.”

  “And she’s the daughter of the preacher at Seaside Chapel. Not my type,” Griffin said.

  Lawson nodded. “Run while you can. First Micah. Now I’m crazy about Julie. It’s in the air around here. Watch out.”

  Griff’s brow line lowered. “Are you saying that love is in the air?” He shook his head. “Don’t let anyone else hear you talking like that, bro.” He laughed and slapped a hand across Lawson’s back. “Later.”

  Lawson looked for Allison on the way out. He wanted to tell her that the job was complete, but she wasn’t at the front desk anymore. Just as well. He was anxious to call Julie and make sure she was okay. Stepping outside, he glanced around the parking lot for Mel before heading toward his truck. The coast was clear. Pressing a button on his phone, he dialed Julie’s number and waited, feeling pangs of excitement and worry duke it out inside his chest until he heard her serene voice.

  “Hello?”

  Relief barged in between his battling emotions, and he stopped walking for a second. “You’re okay?” he asked on an exhale.

  “Better than okay. I am woman, hear me roar.” She laughed lightly. He could hear it in her voice. Today had gone well.

  Lucky for her ex.

  “I wish you were here. I just want to wrap you up in my arms and never let go.”

  “Fine by me. I’m on my way,” she said.

  “My place tonight? If you’re too tired I understand, but I’d love to hear that roar in person.”

  She laughed again, pulling a smile to his face as he continued walking to his truck. “I need to stop by my place first and freshen up. Then I’m all yours,” she said.

  “I like the sound of that.” All his. Julie had clipped ties with the past that had been weighing on her over the last several months. She was moving forward, and hopefully he’d be doing the same on Monday. He would climb into a Huey and refuse to let what had happened in the desert keep him from flying. He had to.

  Lawson gave his head a hard shake.

  “Lawson?” Julie asked.

  “I’m here. I’ll see you tonight. Be careful driving.” He hung up and drove home. As long as he went up in that helicopter next week, everything would be fine. Perfect, actually.

  What Griffin had said was true. Love was definitely in the air.

  Chapter 22

  Julie pulled her overnight bag onto her bed and placed her clothes inside. She didn’t actually plan on wearing any clothes tonight. Not even the black lace lingerie she’d packed. She glanced down at the long-sleeved shirt and jeans that she was wearing, hiding the naughty surprise underneath. She couldn’t wait to see Lawson’s reaction to this. Or his reaction when he found the note she’d hidden strategically on her body. He was a man who wasn’t comfortable talking about his feelings, and that was okay. She wanted him to know how she felt, though. Instead of saying those three little words that had been true for a while, she’d written them on a pink square Post-it note.

  With a giddy shrug of her shoulders, she zipped her overnight bag and headed to the front door. Ten minutes later, she rang Lawson’s doorbell. Before she could process the door opening, he’d pulled her into his arms and shut the door behind them, laying her bag on the floor and pre
ssing her against the closed door with his rock-hard body. “Hard” being the key word.

  “I think someone missed me,” she teased, letting her hands rest on his shoulders.

  “Like a drug,” he said. “If I ever had any interest in drugs.” He kissed her neck. The stubble along his jawline tickled and aroused her.

  “Let’s go to the bedroom,” she suggested.

  He pulled back and grinned. “Sounds like someone missed me, too. But not so fast, cowgirl. I have a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise?”

  “Um-hmm. I cooked you dinner.” His hands slid down to rest on her waist.

  Dinner? She wasn’t hungry for food. She was hungry for him. But there was a proud spark in his eyes. “You didn’t have to do that, Lawson.”

  “Yes, I did.” He grabbed her hand now and pulled her toward the kitchen, where she could smell the aroma of something wonderful—something other than Lawson’s cologne. He pulled out a barstool and picked her up under her arms. She laughed lightly as he set her down, then handed her a glass of wine that he had waiting for her on the kitchen counter.

  “You relax,” he ordered. The order didn’t rub her wrong the way it had in the past.

  Then he slipped a camouflage USMC apron over his neck and winked back at her as she laughed again. Either the wine was going to her head at record speed, or he was. He flipped the steak in the frying pan and grabbed a large wooden spoon to stir a saucer of black beans. Beans wouldn’t exactly go with the romantic evening she had planned, she thought, sipping more wine. As he worked, she let her gaze drop to the fit of his low-riding jeans. They wouldn’t exactly go with what she had planned, either.

  Lawson glanced back over his shoulder. “You’re mentally undressing me right now.”

  Her mouth fell open and she nearly dropped her wineglass. Shaking her head, she contradicted herself. “Yes, I am.”

  “I was thinking after dinner we’d watch one of those old black-and-white movies you like. I picked up a few after I left the grocery store.”

  Her heart sank, as did the smile on her face.

  He set the wooden spoon down and stepped toward her, kissing her mouth for a long moment. “I suppose we could watch it in bed afterward.”

  “You mean after you undress me and find the surprise I have waiting for you?” she asked.

  He pulled back and looked at her, his blue eyes darkening. “For me?”

  “Let’s just say I’m wearing layers,” she said, biting her lower lip.

  He groaned. “You don’t play fair, Ms. Chandler. Here I am doing my best to make you feel special.” He ran a soft finger along her cheek. “Now it’s going to be torture to sit through a candlelight meal.”

  “Aww. You bought candles?”

  He smiled. “I also made dessert. It involves chocolate.”

  “You do make me feel special, Lawson.” Julie held her tongue from saying what she wanted to say next. That she loved him. Loved him so much it felt like she might implode with all the warm, snuggly, hot and bothered feelings she had coursing through her. She wanted those words to be part of her surprise.

  “Good. And I’m glad everything went okay in Charlotte today. I was worried about you.” Something shifted in his expression.

  He wouldn’t have to say he loved her back. She didn’t need to hear it to know it was true. Here he was cooking for her, treating her like a queen. He’d worried about her today. His actions spoke volumes. He loved her, too.

  “I’m sorry I worried you. I needed to do this on my own, though.”

  He tipped her chin toward him and kissed her mouth again. “I’m proud of you.” Then he turned back to the stove and continued cooking, dancing slowly to the soft music she hadn’t even realized was playing in the background.

  Her throat was suddenly tight, thinking about what she’d done earlier. She was proud of herself, too. Damn proud. Nobody’s doormat anymore. This was how she deserved to be treated from now on—like she mattered.

  “Thank you,” she said, staring at Lawson’s back. Her words were so soft that she doubted he could hear her over the sizzle of the frying pan and the vent above the stove. “I love you,” she added quietly. Then she sipped her wine and let her eyes continue downward, back to those low-riding jeans with the silky black boxers playing peekaboo.

  —

  Lawson lit the candle on the table between them and sat. “This is about as romantic as this cowboy gets.”

  “It’s nice. Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” He lifted his fork and started to cut his steak, his hands a little shaky. He was out of his element here. A date for him usually consisted of going to a restaurant and paying the bill. He’d put in extra effort here, buying candles and groceries. He’d spent an hour cleaning his home before she’d come over, too.

  So this is what it felt like.

  “It’s good,” Julie said.

  “You wouldn’t let me go with you today, so I wanted to do something. To show you that I was thinking about you. You’re sure he didn’t hurt you?” He ran his gaze over her one more time.

  Julie smiled softly, her colors beautiful against the glow of the candle. “I’m fine. Daren said he’d give me a good reference when Mr. Banks calls him.”

  “How’d you manage to get him to agree to that?”

  Julie shrugged. “I turned the tables on him.”

  “Well, let Mr. Banks call me and I’ll talk his ear off about all your positive qualities.”

  “Thanks. I know Allison wants me to have the job, but I think I could still be a hard sale to Mr. Banks.”

  Lawson looked up. “Why is that?”

  “The whole yoga thing. He still doesn’t exactly seem impressed with the idea. Even if he does think coming to my class that night saved his life.”

  Lawson reached out and stroked her hand on the table. “Well, he’s as big a fool as I was when I first joined your class.” The simple touch made him want to feel more of her in his arms. “You won me over. I’m sure you’ll do the same to Mr. Banks. Well, not exactly the same.”

  She lifted a brow. “Did I mention that I have a surprise for you?”

  He was only halfway done with his meal, but he set his fork down. The huskiness of her voice told him her surprise wasn’t wrapped in paper. Even Lawson Junior had a sense of what her surprise was. “What kind of surprise?” he asked.

  “Oh, you know…” She moved her food around on her plate, looking up at him under her dark lashes. “I wrote you a note.”

  And his libido took a kick to the groin. “A note?” he asked, trying not to sound disappointed. He’d read her wrong. Her surprise was sweet, not sexy. “Can I read it?”

  Julie’s lips curled softly. “Yes. But you’ve got to find it first.”

  His libido kicked back up. “Where is it?”

  She shrugged a shoulder, still swirling her fork on her plate. Finally, she set her fork down and leaned back in her chair. “It’s hidden somewhere on my body.”

  His pants tightened around him. He stood.

  “You haven’t finished eating yet.” Her eyes widened.

  “Oh, I’m finished here. I need to do a thorough search for this note you wrote me. Sounds important.” And he needed to get his hands on her. Pulling her up to stand, he kissed her, pressing his hands around her waist. He played with the hem of her shirt for a moment and then pulled away from the kiss to lift it over her head. “Mmm,” he moaned, laying eyes on her black lace bra. “Now there’s a surprise.” He liked the image, but not nearly as much as seeing her with nothing on. He kissed her softly again, running his hand along her sides. “This could take a while. I might need to lay you down.”

  “The bedroom?” she asked.

  “Too far away,” he growled. If he had to wait one more second he was going to explode. “Here. Now.” He dropped to his knees on the floor beside the kitchen table and started to peel off the rest of her clothing. Unbuttoning her jeans, he ran his thumb over her navel. “Not there,”
he said, looking for this note of hers. He continued searching, and kissing, stroking. “Not there…Nope.” He pulled her down on the floor with him, loving how she looked in black lace and candlelight. His eyes stopped searching when he met hers. “You know you’re beautiful, right?”

  “I know I feel beautiful when you look at me that way.”

  He hovered over her. “Then I’ll keep looking at you. Now where is this note?” He looped a finger in the strap of her bra, making it fall and revealing the Post-it. “Aha,” he whispered, meeting her gaze again.

  She lifted a hand to stop his. If he wasn’t mistaken, she suddenly looked nervous.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s just, you’re a man who prefers not to talk about his feelings. So, instead of talking, I thought…” She pulled that pouty lower lip of hers between her teeth.

  “Can I read it?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  Unfolding the paper, he held the note up against the flicker of light from the table. I love you. Three small words. Lowering his body back over hers, he kissed her mouth.

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know how I—”

  Silencing her with another kiss, he stopped her nervous chatter. Then he pulled back and looked at her, as serious as he’d ever been. “I love you, too, Julie.”

  He’d never said those words to a woman before. Never felt this way about a woman before. “I don’t mind talking about my feelings when it comes to how I feel about you. I love you,” he repeated, loving how easy it was to say. “I’ve said it. And now I’m going to love every inch of you, if that’s okay with you, darling.”

  She smiled. “Only if I can do the same to you.”

  His jeans were so tight now that the only thing to do was take them off. He unbuttoned and stripped down. Then they made love on the floor, and the couch. The shower. By the time they found their way to his bed, they were so spent that the only thing to do was hold on to one another, which was fine by Lawson. He planned on holding on to Julie longer than just tonight. A lot longer.