Roughneck Cowboy

by Marin Thomas

  “Yeah, we are.”

  Sara kissed her brother’s cheek. “Thanks for listening.”

  “Let me know what you decide about the bid.”

  “I’ll keep you posted.” She headed to the car, where she found a text message waiting on her cell phone. Travis had invited her out for dinner. She texted back, suggesting they eat at her house. Travis agreed, offering to bring a pizza. Thoughts of Dominick and oil leases fell by the wayside as she drove into town. The only thing on her mind right now was dolling herself up. She might not be as glamorous as the women Travis normally dated, but with a little help from Maybelline, this country girl intended to transform herself into a double-take.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Mmm…heavenly.” The aroma of pizza greeted Sara when she opened the front door.

  Travis’s dark eyes swept over her before he stepped inside and sniffed her neck. “Mmm…heavenly.”

  Rogue. There he went again—his words, his smoldering stares and heated touches coaxing her heart to trust him.

  “Hey, Walt.” At the sound of Travis’s deep voice, her one-eyed boarder bolted from the foyer. “What’s up with him?”

  She rescued the pizza box from Travis’s grip and led the way into the kitchen. “I put catnip in Walter’s stocking and he’s miffed he has to wait until Christmas morning to play with it.” She put the pizza onto a baking sheet and placed it into the oven to keep warm. “How about a drink before we eat?”

  Travis rummaged through the fridge and helped himself to a beer. He unscrewed the bottle top and tossed it into her garbage can beneath the sink. Sara poured herself a glass of wine, grabbed Travis by the hand and led him into the living room. They sat on the couch in front of the Christmas tree.

  “Where are all the presents?” he asked.

  “My brothers and I aren’t exchanging.” Once the ranch had hit upon hard times, holiday gifts had fallen by the wayside. She motioned to the two boxes beneath the tree branches. “The box wrapped in silver and red is yours and the other one is for Charlie.” She’d purchased a handsome wool sweater for Travis and a china tea set for Charlie.

  “Did you buy me a gift?” Sara teased.

  “Of course.” He surprised her when he removed a small box—the size a ring would fit in—from his jeans pocket and placed it beneath the tree.” He returned to the couch, snuggling close. “I wasn’t sure where we’d be celebrating Christmas morning.”

  Sara’s heart kicked into overdrive as she stared at the gift. Did she dare hope there was a ring inside? “Where would you like to celebrate the holiday?” Her voice sounded breathless.

  “In bed with you.”

  His head dipped and Sara caught the faint scent of beer as his mouth grazed hers.

  Sara melted into Travis, her senses soaking him in—his taste, the smell of his aftershave, the low rumble in his chest when he moaned. There was no other place she’d rather be than in his arms. She curled her fingers around his neck, urging him closer.

  His hand found her breast, caressing, squeezing, coaxing a soft moan from her. “I’m not hungry,” he growled in her ear.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.” She clasped his wrist, then moved his hand to her hip.

  “Can it wait until you’ve been properly kissed?” He nuzzled her neck.

  She loved Travis’s gentle teasing. “How long does a proper kiss take?”

  “A very long time,” he whispered.

  “Suddenly I can’t remember what I needed to tell you.”

  “Good.” His mouth settled over hers and Sara basked in the knowledge that Travis desired her as much as she desired him.

  A few minutes later, after his lips blazed a path down her neck, leaving her skin on fire, he murmured, “You have now been properly kissed.” He handed Sara her wineglass. “Okay, what’s this important something you need to tell me.”

  “I’ve thought about what you said the night of the Oilmen’s Ball and—” she sucked in a quiet breath “—I want you to know that I have serious feelings for you, too, Travis.”

  The corner of his mouth curved upward. “I’m glad.”

  She fought to keep a straight face. “You don’t have to act so cocky.”

  “You make me feel…cocky.”

  Sara’s face warmed. “You’re a handsome man.” She brushed a strand of hair off his forehead. “All your sexiness makes me nervous and—” tell him the truth “—makes me want you.”

  He clasped her face in his hands, his expression earnest. “I won’t abuse your trust, Sara. I know you’re not the kind of woman who jumps into bed with just any man.”

  Okay, so he’d guessed her M.O. Rather than make her feel vulnerable, Travis’s understanding of where she was coming from reassured her that she’d made the right decision to give their relationship a chance.

  “You’re the kind of woman who needs feelings.” He flattened her palm against his chest. “There are plenty of feelings in here just for you.”

  He kissed her again—soft and slow. “I’ve never felt this way about another woman, Sara. You’re a first for me.”

  His words freed her fears.

  “Say you feel the same way about me.” He brushed his knuckled across her cheek.

  “I want this…us to work out.” Sara wasn’t sure of the exact moment Travis had slipped past her defenses, but from here on out there was no turning back.

  “I’m glad I found you, Sara Sanders.” Travis kissed the tip of her nose, then relaxed against the couch cushions and held her close.

  “What are you going to tell Charlie?” she asked.

  “That there are now two very special women in my life.”

  “Your first Christmas without your mother will be difficult for you and Charlie.”

  The mention of his mother reminded Travis that he needed to ask Sara if she knew about her father and his mother having an affair. But as he stared into Sara’s luminous brown eyes, all he could think about was her.

  He was certain that what he felt for her was love—the real and forever kind. He didn’t have to try to envision the two of them sharing breakfast at the kitchen table. Arguing over who got to use the shower first in the morning. Sitting on the sofa, watching a TV program. Sara was an easy woman to be with. Heck, Sara was just plain easy on his soul. “I wanted to talk about our parents. I found out—”

  “The pizza’s burning.” Sara got up suddenly and rushed toward the kitchen.

  Thoughts of discussing their parents’ affair faded to the back of Travis’s mind as he watched Sara bustle about the kitchen. His musings turned selfish and he wondered if he could persuade her to postpone dinner while he took her up to the bedroom to…

  “The cheese is brown around the edges—” she placed the pizza on a cutting board “—but edible.”

  He held out a chair for her. After she sat down, he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Her sigh reached his ears, and arousal shot through his gut. “Thanks for having me over for dinner tonight,” he whispered before retreating to his side of the table.

  “As soon as we’re finished eating, I’ll thank you properly for bringing the pizza over.”

  “Does this proper thank-you take place upstairs in your bedroom?” he asked.

  “As a matter of fact, it does.” Sara’s cheeks burned bright pink, and her sexy smile promised Travis a thank-you he’d remember for a very long time.

  2:00 A.M.

  Travis had crawled from her bed a half hour ago and returned to the Lazy River, but Sara remained wide-awake, listening to the wind howl outside the window. She stretched beneath the warm covers—little twinges and aches a testament to Travis’s enthusiastic lovemaking. He hadn’t left an inch of her body unloved.

  His tender touches and whispered words convinced Sara that he truly cared for her. And she decided the only way for her and Travis to have a chance at their own happy-ever-after was to wipe the slate clean between the Sanderses and the Cartwrights. She and Dominick would have to co
me to a business agreement about the Bar T or Travis would become caught in the middle. Sara didn’t want him to have to choose between his newfound family and her. And there was Charlie to consider. The little girl had worked her way into Sara’s heart. After losing her grandmother, Charlie needed her grandfather and Sara did not want to jeopardize the child’s relationship with Dominick.

  Tomorrow she’d phone Cartwright offices in Tulsa and schedule a meeting with Dominick. After visiting Cole earlier in the day, she was confident that her brother wanted to do what was necessary to save their ranch. The money from a drilling lease would pay off the second mortgage and the outstanding medical bills, as well as invest in repairs to the property, preserving her father’s most treasured possession.

  A steady income would also provide long-term security when hard times fell upon the ranch—disease, drought and crop failure. Still, breaking her promise to her father weighed heavy on her heart.

  Daddy, please forgive me. I tried to do as you asked, but if I don’t work out a deal with Dominick, we’ll lose the ranch and I know you don’t want that to happen.

  The phone rang, startling Sara. Thinking Travis was calling to tell her he’d made it home safely, she snatch up the receiver. “Travis?”

  “Sorry, sis, it’s your brother, Gabe.”

  “Gabe?” She sat up in bed, tugging the covers over her naked body. “Where are you? What have you been doing? Please tell me you’re coming home for Christmas?”

  “Whoa. One question at a time.”

  “Are you okay?” She hoped he wasn’t calling because his wild ways with women had gotten him into trouble.

  “I’m fine.”

  She waited for details, but only silence met her ears. “Where are you?”

  “Colorado. I’m roping cattle for the Ace of Spades near Durango.”

  Fighting a smile, she said, “I guess rodeo didn’t work out for you.”

  Gabe chuckled. “I stink at bull riding. I’m better suited to chase after bulls than ride the ornery beasts.”

  If she hadn’t already made up her mind, Gabe’s call would have swayed her. She didn’t want to see her family split up because her brothers had been forced to leave the area to find jobs. Not even her father would have wanted her to put the ranch before family.

  “We’re not going to lose the Bar T,” she said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m scheduling a meeting with Dominick to negotiate a drilling lease with Cartwright Oil.”

  “It’s about time you came to your senses.”

  “Let’s not debate who has more sense in the family.” Gabe liked to provoke her, but Travis’s lovemaking had left her too mellow to care. “Since we won’t be losing the ranch, you can quit your job and come home for Christmas.”

  “That’s why I called. I met someone and I think she’s the one, Sara.”

  Oh, no. Gabe had met the one three times before and it had never worked out. When push came to shove, her brother couldn’t commit. “What’s her name?”

  “Letty.”

  “What does she do?”

  “She’s a waitress at Bud’s Bar.”

  Another barfly.

  “If it’s serious, bring her home with you.”

  “Ahh…”

  “Please, Gabe. I want all of us to be together for Christmas.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Good. Cole’s got several ideas on how to improve the ranch and I’m sure he’d appreciate your input.” Sara cringed inside at the lie. Cole and Gabe knocked heads on a regular basis. Cole never cut corners and Gabe opted for taking shortcuts wherever he could find them.

  “You think Cole would be open to starting up a horse-breeding business?” Before now Sara had never heard her brother talk about the ranch with excitement in his voice.

  “I don’t see why not.” Lots of ranches managed both cattle and horse operations. Raising horses would allow Gabe to escape his brother’s shadow. “Try to make it home for Christmas.”

  “I’ll give it my best shot. Tell Cole I called.”

  “I will.”

  “Merry Christmas, sis.”

  “Merry Christmas.” Sara hung up the phone, then dialed Cole’s number.

  “What?” he grumbled into the phone.

  “Gabe just called.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Yes. He’s working as a ranch hand in Colorado, but when I told him I intended to negotiate a drilling lease with Dominick he said he’d be interested in starting up a horse-breeding operation on the Bar T.”

  “He’s nuts. We’ve got all we can handle with cattle.”

  “Our brother needs something of his own to manage.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve always called the shots and—”

  “That’s because I’m the only one who does the work.”

  “If we cut a deal with Dominick, there’ll be enough money for each of you to run your own business.” Sara intended to use her share of the extra income to renovate her Victorian.

  “Do you want me to be there when you talk to Dominick?”

  “No, thanks. I won’t sign any papers until I discuss the terms with you and Gabe.”

  “Any more news for me tonight or can I go back to bed?”

  “Go back to bed. ’Night.” After Cole hung up, Sara stared at the ceiling. How ironic that the one man her father had detested most of his adult life was the very person who would save the Bar T and keep the Sanders offspring together.

  “CHARLIE, YOU HAVE A visitor,” Juanita called down the hallway after ushering Sara into the kitchen.

  Instead of Charlie answering the housekeeper’s summons, Travis appeared in the doorway. Hair rumpled and a pillow crease across his cheek, he studied Sara through groggy eyes. “Hi.” The greeting rumbled in his chest—the sound triggering a flashback of the intimate words he’d whispered after their lovemaking two days ago.

  She motioned to his faded T-shirt and pj bottoms. “It’s almost noon and you were in bed?”

  A lazy grin spread across his face. “Had an emergency at one of the wells yesterday and I didn’t get home until six this morning.”

  “Coffee?” Juanita held up the coffee pot.

  “Yes,” Travis answered.

  “No,” Sara replied at the same time.

  Juanita frowned. “Which is it?”

  “None for me, thanks.” While the housekeeper poured coffee for Travis, Sara asked, “Is everything okay at the well?”

  “A break in one of the pipes, but no one was injured, that’s the important thing.”

  “Did you have any plans for today?”

  “Nope.” His eyes sparkled. “Is there something you wanted to do with me?”

  Sara blushed. “No, but there’s something I’d like to do with Charlie.”

  Travis’s mouth fell open and Sara chuckled at his forlorn expression.

  “Who wants to see me?” Charlie burst into the kitchen. When she saw Sara, she smiled. “Hi, Ms. Sanders. Did you wanna see me?”

  “Yes, I did, Charlie. How would you like to do a little Christmas shopping with me today?”

  “Can I, Dad?” Charlie tugged on Travis’s T-shirt.

  “We’ll stop and have lunch at Tina’s Trinkets & Tea House.” Sara needed to reassure herself that Charlie had no objections to her schoolteacher becoming involved with her father.

  “I gotta get you and Grandpa a Christmas present,” Charlie told her father.

  “You’d better.” Travis tugged his daughter’s ponytail. “Run upstairs and grab my wallet on the bedroom dresser.”

  Charlie raced off. Juanita handed Travis a cup of coffee, then retreated to the laundry room. Travis moved closer until he stood before Sara. His brown-eyed stare stirred butterflies in her stomach. He threaded his fingers through her hair, then nuzzled her cheek. She breathed in the scent of faded aftershave and coffee. “I heard you scheduled a meeting with my father this afternoon?”

>   “Yes, I did.” She flashed a sassy grin.

  “Good.” He kissed a sensitive patch of skin behind her ear. “Now, invite me over for dinner tonight. I’ll ask Juanita to make her famous chicken enchiladas.”

  “Ask Juanita what?” the older woman returned to the kitchen with a laundry basket of bedsheets.

  “I’m having supper at Sara’s tonight and I suggested your chicken enchiladas. She’s never had them.” He glanced at Sara. “Have you?”

  Sara shook her head. “Beulah claims they’re the best she’s ever tasted.”

  The housekeeper smiled at Sara. “For you, I will make my enchiladas.”

  “Okay, I’m ready.” Charlie entered the kitchen, dragging her coat on the floor behind her. “Here.” She handed Travis his wallet. He pulled out several bills and passed them to Sara. “Ms. Sanders will hang on to your Christmas money.”

  “I’m gonna buy a present for Fred, too.” Charlie poked her head around the kitchen door frame and yelled. “Bye, Fred.”

  At Sara’s quizzical frown, Travis explained. “Fred’s Dominick’s old dog.”

  “When Grandpa goes out of town, I get to keep Fred in the house with me.”

  “Dominick’s out of town?” Sara asked. What happened to their meeting this afternoon?

  “He flew to Arkansas yesterday but he’ll be home later today.”

  Charlie opened the kitchen door. “Bye, Dad. Bye, Juanita.”

  “Be good for Ms. Sanders,” Travis warned before the door slammed closed. He hauled Sara into his arms and kissed her neck. “I’ve missed you.”

  The housekeeper had made herself scare once more, so Sara relaxed in his arms and soaked up the warmth of his embrace.

  “Thanks for spending time with Charlie,” he said.

  “My pleasure.” Sara kissed his cheek, then hurried out the door.

  Once she and Charlie buckled their seat belts and drove off, Charlie asked, “Where are we gonna shop for presents?”

  “Tina’s Trinkets & Tea House.”

  “What’s a teahouse?”

  “A place that serves lunch and tea. Mostly ladies eat there and Tina sells gifts like jewelry, candles and collectibles.”