Caught Kissing the Cowboy: A Return to Snow Valley Romance

by Cindy Roland Anderson

  At least Ian had stayed holed up in office the day before, only to come out occasionally to see how things were going. While he hadn’t blatantly ignored her, he’d treated her as if the kiss had never happened.

  Today, he didn’t show up at all, which had both hurt and annoyed her. She didn’t ask Colby about where Ian was but speculated he’d gone fishing without her. It stung that he hadn’t rescheduled their fishing trip. She didn’t like his rejection, mainly because she couldn’t stop thinking about him or the searing kiss they’d shared. Just thinking of it now made her feel as gooey as a roasted marshmallow. Never had a guy’s kiss affected her like that. She could still feel the warmth of his lips against hers and how soft his beard had felt beneath her fingertips. She’d been kissed by plenty of men she liked and plenty of men she didn’t like. That was the bane of an actor’s life, but one kiss from a cowboy veterinarian had rocked her world.

  Obviously, she liked Ian Davies. More than she should.

  Sighing, she knew not seeing him today was for the best. Truthfully, not seeing him ever again would be even better. It would be wise to cancel her scheduled time with him next week. She could send him a text right now, thank him for his time, let him off the hook for next week, and delete his contact information. Then she’d spend all day tomorrow and Sunday with Lindsey and Shane and take the rest of the week working on her lines. By the time Jake arrived and filming started, she’d have Ian out of her system.

  Reaching out, she turned off the little lamp, plunging the tent into darkness. She blinked, waiting to see if the back-porch light would give off enough light so the kids wouldn’t be frightened if they awoke during the night.

  It didn’t take long for her eyes to adjust. While it was a little dimmer than Lindsey might like if she had a bad dream, Tomi was right next to the little girl. Climbing inside the sleeping bag, she drew in a deep, cleansing breath and then let it out slowly. Still feeling wound up from the day, she daydreamed about the movie’s success and then her next big role that would take her to Hawaii. Soon, that delicious feeling of sleepiness came over her as she turned on her side to get comfortable.

  Seconds later, her eyes flew open when she heard a rustling sound coming from outside. Muscles instantly taut, she lay still and listened carefully. It was difficult to hear anything other than the swooshing sound in her ears. That tiny little sound had dumped enough adrenaline in her bloodstream that she would be awake for hours.

  Her breath caught in her chest when she heard the noise again, only this time it was prolonged enough to decipher what it was. It almost sounded like someone was opening a plastic bag. Then it hit her. The marshmallows. She’d left a half-filled bag of large marshmallows sitting on the patio table.

  Surely, an ax murderer wouldn’t stop to snack on marshmallows before attacking them. That meant the interloper was more than likely not human. She felt relieved for all of one heartbeat. Bears liked marshmallows. And bears lived in Montana.

  She was so stupid. Wasn’t the first rule of camping to keep food far away from your campsite? More rustling was heard, then the tearing of paper. She immediately knew what it was. In addition to the white sugary bear bait, she’d also left out the last package of graham crackers on the table. The only missing S’more ingredient she hadn’t left out was the chocolate.

  That made her jolt upright, her eyes landing on the empty space next to Shane’s sleeping bag. Being the cool aunt that she was, she’d given him the last couple of candy bars to snack on. Now her nephew could be the bear’s next snack.

  No way was she going to let that happen. Not while she was on duty.

  Wishing she’d left the nightlight on, she squinted into the dark, trying to come up with a makeshift weapon. There wasn’t much, only her laptop, the small lamp and her cell phone.

  Her eyes zeroed in on the small device she’d plugged in to charge an hour earlier. It was crazy how stupid fear made someone. Calling for help should’ve been the first thing that popped into her mind.

  She reached down and snagged her phone. The swift motion jerked the charging cord from the bottom of her phone and knocked over an aluminum water bottle sitting next to her sleeping bag. Half expecting the perpetrator—human or animal—to come crashing through the tent wall, she sucked in a breath and listened. Other than her pounding heart, everything was silent.

  Adrenalin made her hand shake as she tapped on the screen to bring up the keypad and typed in 911. Her finger hovered over the little green phone icon, hesitant to bother dispatch if there wasn’t anything threatening outside. She didn’t want to waste their time or hold up the line if someone had a true emergency. Besides, if it was a bear, it was a quiet one. What if it was merely a stray cat foraging through the S’more leftovers? It would be so embarrassing to call the police for a cat. Or worse, the wind.

  She remained quiet, straining to hear anything more. There was the crinkling again, followed by a high-pitched trilling sound. It wasn’t the sound of a bear or a mountain lion. The trilling sound came again, followed closely by a higher pitched squeal. Small animals squealed, right?

  Tomi deleted the three numbers before climbing out of her sleeping bag to investigate further and to clean up her mess. Regardless of how small the animal was, she needed to put the food away. She’d never be able to sleep if she didn’t.

  Tiptoeing across the tent floor, she peeked through the small window. She could barely make out the outline of the animals—there were two that she could see—as they continued foraging.

  A cold fear spread through her veins. Yeah, the little critters might be small, but they could be deadly…their scent, anyway. Hoping the pair didn’t spook easily, she pressed the home button to awaken her phone and pulled up her contacts. She didn’t need the sheriff’s department. She needed someone who knew animals and how to get rid of skunks.

  Chapter 12

  Pulling into the darkened driveway, Ian cut the engine and climbed out of his truck. Before closing the door, he grabbed the powerful flashlight he took with him whenever hunting or camping and headed for the backyard.

  Getting rid of skunks wasn’t really his line of work. Fish and Game were better equipped to handle this job, but Tomi had called him. He could tell she was stressed, her whispered words laced with worry the skunks might hear her talking and then spray the tent. He didn’t think that would actually happen but given the nature of a skunk’s defense mechanism, he could understand her fears. One of his friends from high school had been hit by a skunk. The stench had been so overwhelming the poor guy couldn’t stop throwing up. Even after taking multiple showers, the scent had lingered for a week.

  Pausing at the gate to the backyard, he quickly sent Tomi a text that he was here. Her reply was a row of smiley face emojis with rounded eyes and a flat line for a mouth. He stifled a laugh, slipped the phone into his back pocket, and pushed the gate open.

  Approaching the picnic area, the back-porch light allowed him to make out the animals as they busied themselves with the gold mine of snacks left out for them. He paused, hoping his brief search on how to scare away skunks was effective. His best bet was to shine his flashlight directly on them. Supposedly, the bright beam of light should make them scatter.

  He treaded softly across the yard, noting the tent was still pitch black. Tomi said she didn’t dare do anything to provoke the stinky visitors, even though Ian told her the light might be a good deterrent.

  Once he was a few feet away, he transferred the flashlight to his right hand and positioned his thumb over the button on the end. He really hoped this worked and that he didn’t end up getting sprayed. If that happened, he wouldn’t be the only victim. The putrid stench would saturate the entire area. Tomi and the kids might not get hit directly, but they would still suffer.

  “Here goes nothin,” he murmured before pressing the on button. A shaft of bright light illuminated the two intruders. Both animals froze, then Ian watched in horror as both of their tails went straight up. Bracing himself for th
e worst, he held the animals in the light, silently begging them to vacate the area.

  After several seconds of intense silence, the little pair dropped their tails and waddled toward the fence line. Ian let out a breath of relief as he watched them disappear under the fence. The breach had probably been dug by Rascal, the derelict dog he’d rescued and then adopted out to Gabe Wesson. While the dog had ended up bringing Gabe and Piper together, Ian felt guilty for his part in facilitating the adoption in the first place. He’d stop by in the morning and fill in the hole and then check to see if there were any other openings.

  When he deemed it safe to call out for Tomi, he whispered her name and let her know it was all clear. A light flickered in the tent, and then he heard the zipper as she slowly opened the flap. His pulse bounded wildly as he braced himself to see her again. The girl was driving him crazy, and he’d hoped to avoid her the entire weekend so he could get it together before she spent another week following him around.

  He wasn’t sure he could resist kissing her again. Heck, he was tempted the minute she emerged from the tent, looking disheveled in a sexy-just-crawled-out-of-bed sort of way. Her eyes met his briefly before darting over to where the skunks had been.

  “They’re gone,” he said, shining the beam of light on the fire pit and table.

  “Thank goodness,” she said, placing a hand over her heart. She looked his way, giving him a smile that hit him square in the chest. “You’re my hero.”

  Ian touched the brim of his cowboy hat. “Just doing my job, ma’am,” he said, using the fake Texas drawl he’d mastered in college.

  Her lips quirked up. “They teach you how to scare away skunks in vet school?”

  “Nope.” Ian clicked off the flashlight and pocketed it. “I Googled it before coming over here.”

  A small laugh escaped as she closed the distance until she stood directly in front of him. “Seriously, thank you for rescuing me.”

  “I’m glad you called.” Ian swallowed hard, feeling his heart hammer against his sternum. Having her so close was making his body go crazy. Clearly, time away from her hadn’t lessened the effect she had on him.

  “Are you really?” Her eyes clouded with doubt before she dropped her chin to look at the ground. “I wasn’t sure after…”

  Her words trailed off, but Ian guessed what she was going to say. “After we kissed?” he said in a low voice.

  She lifted her gaze, her lips tilted in a mischievous grin. “I was going to say after you basically ignored me for the past two days.” She lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. “But now that you’ve brought it up…yeah, after our kiss.”

  Ian shouldn’t be having this conversation with her. If he were smart, he’d say something to lighten the mood, change the subject, and then hightail it out of there. A light breeze blew strands of dark hair across her cheek. Disregarding his subconscious warnings, he reached out and tucked the errant locks behind her ear. “I thought if I ignored you I wouldn’t want to kiss you again,” he said, letting his fingertips linger against her soft skin.

  Inching closer, she looked up at him through her dark lashes. “How’s that working for you?”

  “Not very well,” Ian said just before he lowered his mouth to cover hers. He told himself to take things slow. Keep the kiss sweet and short. But when Tomi hooked her thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans and pressed in close, all his rational thoughts went up in flames. Heat seared through him as he slid his hands to her waist, pulled her closer, and kissed her thoroughly, tasting a hint of peppermint on her lips.

  A high-pitched squeal sounded, making Tomi jerk back from him. “I think the skunks are back.”

  “Their timing stinks,” Ian said dryly.

  “That was very punny,” she said, the uptilt of her lips beckoning him back. Before he could move in for another taste of her mouth, she rolled up on her toes to peek over his shoulder. “Where did they go anyway?”

  “Through a hole under the fence,” he said, not caring one whit about skunks right now. With her warm body pressed close to him, he wanted to wrap an arm around her waist, pull her to him, and kiss her again.

  She stepped back, a worried expression creasing her forehead. “Maybe we should just toss the food over the fence and let them have their party.”

  “That will only make them want to come back for more,” Ian said, applying the theory more to himself. He wanted more of everything with Tomi. He just didn’t know if she felt the same way. They were both adults and needed to talk, but first, he needed to get rid of the pesky vermin lurking nearby. “Let me take a look.”

  Pulling his flashlight out, he turned and pointed it in the general direction where the skunks had disappeared moments earlier. Unable to see any sign of them, he searched the perimeter of the fence line. Tomi came up behind him and gripped a fistful of his shirt as she pressed up against his back. “Do you see anything?”

  “Still looking,” Ian said, enjoying the unexpected fringe benefit. Slowly, he scanned every inch of the yard, looking for any critters and wondering how long he could keep this up until she grew suspicious. On his fourth sweep, she called him out.

  “What’re you looking for?” she asked, still gripping his shirt. “Or are you just stalling because you like playing the hero?” She gave his side a pinch when he started laughing.

  “Hey,” he said when she pinched him again. “That hurts.”

  “You’re terrible,” she said, releasing his shirt so he could turn to face her.

  “You’re right.” He switched off the flashlight, slipping it back into his pocket. “But I couldn’t help it. You’re kind of irresistible.”

  A flicker of uncertainty crossed her features. Ian wasn’t sure how to interpret the look, or how he should proceed. Given his past failed relationships, it seemed futile to want more with Tomi. The odds were already stacked against them with her living in California as an actress and him living in Snow Valley with a thriving veterinary clinic. How could it ever work? Still, he wanted to try.

  A sassy grin appeared on her kissable mouth. “You think I’m irresistible?”

  That did it. With a growl, he snaked an arm around her and pulled her to him. She lifted her face to meet his kiss, her arms circling his neck. He took his time, kissing her long and slow, savoring the feel of her lips and her warm body fitted snuggly against his.

  She belonged here in his arms. It was as clear to Ian as a Montana spring in the mountains. While he’d fallen for plenty of girls before, this felt different. Tomi made him feel complete…grounded while at the same time as if he was soaring like an eagle. There was also plenty of heat packed in with the mix of emotions. If he wasn’t careful, he could easily cross lines into forbidden territory.

  With that last thought, he wisely ended the kiss, but couldn’t let her go just yet. Tucking her head in the crook of his neck, he held her for a few minutes until their breathing settled into a normal rhythm. “I did try, you know,” he said in a husky voice. “To resist you.”

  “I tried to resist you too.” She edged back to look up at him, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “But this sexy beard was my undoing,” she said, placing her palm against his whiskered jaw. “And here you thought it would turn girls off.”

  “You like my beard?”

  “I like it very much.” Then she placed a tantalizing kiss on his mouth, showing him just how much she liked it.

  When they parted a few minutes later, Ian rested his forehead to hers, his thoughts racing with questions he didn’t want to address yet. Still, he wasn’t the type of guy to mess around with a girl, get what he could for however long, and then let her go. He didn’t think Tomi was that kind of girl either, but they had a major obstacle to hurdle if their relationship had any kind of chance of developing into something more.

  “You really hate the snow?” he asked, peering down at her.

  “I don’t hate snow…I hate being cold.”

  “I can keep you warm,” he said with a win
k.

  She smiled, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “It’s more than just the cold weather, Ian.”

  “I know.” He loosened his hold when she stepped out of his embrace. “But what if the movie is turned into a series?” he asked, grasping onto the first possible scenario. “Doesn’t that mean you’ll be here for a while longer?”

  “This shooting location is only temporary.” She turned her gaze away from him, studying the darkened horizon. “Once the ranch in California is restored, we’ll move back there to shoot if we get picked up for more.”

  Ian nodded his head, even though she wasn’t looking at him. It was going to take more than one conversation to figure things out. What’s more, he was jumping the gun again. Getting ahead of himself. They weren’t in any hurry. Long-distance dating sucked, but technology made it easier. Plus, they could fly out to see each other. Having a business partner made leaving a little easier. If needed, Ian could use the temporary pool of traveling veterinarians out of Billings. It was more expensive, but affordable, especially if scheduled out rather than an emergency fix.

  “We don’t have to figure everything out right now, Tomi.” He stepped beside her, their shoulders touching. “It might be complicated, but I do want to keep seeing you.”

  “I want to keep seeing you too, but I…” Sighing, she lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. “I guess we’ll just take it one day at a time?”

  “Yeah.” He found her hand and threaded their fingers together. “One day at a time.”

  Chapter 13

  Pulling her hair into a messy bun, Tomi winced when a few pieces of hair got caught in the hair band. She had a killer headache from lack of sleep. Worry did that to her. And she had plenty to worry about. As in Ian Davies. She couldn’t get involved in a serious relationship right now. She knew that, yet she’d spent the entire weekend with him, telling herself that everything would work out if they were meant to be together.