A Cowboy for Christmas

by Sara Richardson

  Ty’s lips hinted at a grin. “That was fun.”

  “Mm-hmm.” She hadn’t had that much fun since then…

  “If you think about it, sex has never complicated things for us,” he said with an adorable shrug. “We’re still friends.”

  “Of course we are.” And she was working on her fears, trying to be open…

  “Being friends has its benefits,” he murmured. “And since you’re staying the ni—”

  Darla shut him up with a kiss, just a teasing brush of her lips over his before she pulled back. “I thought you said talking was overrated.” Talking allowed her to think too much, and she didn’t want to think.

  “Talking is definitely overrated.” Ty guided her lips back to his, rekindling a fierce desire to give herself over to him. She brought her hands to his shoulders and moved to her knees so she could inch to his lap. He moaned, his hand pressing into her lower back guiding her to straddle his hips.

  His hands lowered to her butt, caressing as she grinded against him. Oh yeah. It had been way too long. “Bedroom,” she gasped, not caring that she sounded desperate.

  Answering with a kiss, Ty somehow stood up and carried her back to his bedroom. He set her feet on the floor and closed the door, backing her up against the wall, gliding his lips down her neck until her breaths turned ragged.

  Darla rifled her hands through his hair as he kissed her neck, nibbling up to her ear.

  “You sure?” he asked her, fingering the hem of her sweater.

  In response, she pushed his shirt off his shoulders and ran her hands over his muscled chest, tracing her fingertips lightly over the bends and curves. “Why are you still talking?” she asked him.

  “I’ll shut up now.” Ty whisked her sweater over her head and spun her toward the bed. Laughing, she held on to him as they teetered and then fell onto his mattress. Impulse took over then, obliterating all thought as Ty greedily undressed her.

  She tore open the button fly on his pants and shimmied them down his hips along with his boxers. Ty kicked them off the rest of the way and reached for the drawer in the bedside table. Before Darla even knew what was happening, he had a condom on and he’d flipped onto his back, pulling her to lie over him.

  Reaching up, Ty gently smoothed her hair away from her face and looked into her eyes as though he was seeing her for the first time. Be brave. Before, Darla would’ve looked away, searching for something to distract her from the ache he put into her heart, but she kept her eyes on his, looking back, letting him see more of her.

  An intensity passed between them, driving a sense of need deeper into her. Ty guided her lips to his, and her eyes fell closed. For the first time in so long, she let herself feel the intimate connection ignited by a kiss. Darla threaded her hands into his hair, kissing him back, letting those pieces of armor she’d surrounded herself with fall away. This was different. He was different. She was different. Open and wanting him with a fierceness that seemed to trample her fears.

  Ty slid his hand up her inner thigh and parted her legs to tease her with his fingers, but she pinned his arms against the mattress and slid onto him, abandoning herself to the feel of his skin against hers, the fluid motions, the heightening sensations. He seemed to know her body, her need. He held her tightly to him and he kissed her again and again. She moved with him, arching and thrusting to bring him deeper until they were both gasping and the orgasm broke her apart, giving her the release she’d been craving. Ty shuddered beneath her, holding her tight, keeping much quieter than he usually did, which made her smile.

  Darla fell over him in a heap. “Your parents said they wouldn’t be able to hear anything, you know.”

  “It’s still weird.” He lay like he was dead, with both arms spread out to his sides. “I’m just going to pretend they’re not here.”

  Darla laughed. “Won’t be a problem for me.” A cavernous yawn interrupted. “I have a feeling I’ll be out cold within minutes.” She turned onto her side and faced him. “I never realized how comfortable your bed was.”

  “That’s because you’ve never spent the night.” His fingertips drifted up her bare hip. “But I’m glad you’re staying tonight.” His eyes searched hers.

  “I am too,” she almost whispered. A deep peace settled over her, making the fears she’d had before seem so far away. Was it a glimpse of the freedom Josie was talking about? She hoped so.

  Another yawn took her by surprise. Dear God. What time was it? Nine o’clock? She was pathetic. “I’m so tired I don’t know if I could drive home anyway.”

  Ty’s grin turned naughty. “It was that good, huh?”

  She inched closer and brushed a kiss over his lips. “It was amazing.” So freeing and hopeful it made her want to be brave again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  What was that sound? Ty forced open his eyes and turned his head to the side, blinking until he could make out the source of the quiet snoring noises in the dim light.

  Darla lay on her side facing him, her hair in total disarray and covering most of her face. She was sawing logs—snoring in the cutest way possible, and looking so peaceful and unguarded he had to take his time studying her. Beautiful wasn’t quite the right word to describe Darla. He wasn’t sure there was a way to describe her, but as he watched her in the early-morning light, lying there all wrapped up in his shirt with her hair in tangles, she took his breath away.

  Trying not to disturb her, Ty glanced at the clock. It was already past seven, so his mom would likely be in the kitchen making breakfast, just like she used to do when he was a teenager. Except back then he hadn’t had a girl in his room. Well, not that his parents had known about anyway.

  He’d been shocked that Darla had wanted to stay, but then again, she’d been different last night. More relaxed. Less guarded.

  The events of last night replayed again, but he wouldn’t let himself touch Darla. Wouldn’t wake her up. He’d let her sleep in and surprise her with breakfast before he had to head out for a training ride with Mateo and Levi.

  Inch by inch, Ty moved to the edge of the bed and slipped out from underneath the covers. He quietly stumbled around and pulled on some sweats. Darla stirred, turning to her stomach and snoring louder. Grinning, he carefully pulled the covers up to her shoulders before slowly opening the door and maneuvering into the hallway. For a few seconds he paused to listen outside the door, but it didn’t sound like he’d woken her.

  He walked down the hall and into the kitchen where his mother worked busily frying potatoes on the stove. “What’re you doing up so early?” she demanded.

  “I have to head out for a training run later, so I thought I would bring Darla breakfast in bed.”

  “What a marvelous idea!” His mom wiped her hands on the Christmassy apron she must’ve brought with her in one of her ten suitcases. “The quiche will be coming out of the oven in a few minutes.” She started opening cabinets. “Do you have a tray anywhere? We could dress up the plate with a sprig of some fresh holly from the fireplace mantel.”

  “No tray, I’m afraid.” He didn’t exactly do breakfast in bed on a regular basis. In fact, this was a first.

  “Hmmm.” His mom spun in a slow circle, eyeing what seemed to be every inch of the kitchen. “Ah-ha.” She snatched up a cookie sheet sitting on the counter. “It’s not fancy but it will do.”

  Ty stood back and watched her work. There seemed to be no limit to her energy. She rifled through cabinets until she’d found plates, a mug, a full set of silverware, and a small vase he’d forgotten he even had.

  “There.” She added a sprig of holly to the vase and stood back. “Now we’ll just wait for the quiche.”

  Wait. That was the hard part. Impatience flared as he thought about getting back to Darla, but he poured himself a mug of coffee and forced himself to sit on a stool at the island. “What are you doing tod—”

  A familiar whistling cut him off. Rhett came sauntering into the kitchen with a smug look on his face.

&nb
sp; “There you are.” Their mother gave him a once-over. “What time did you get in last night?”

  “It was actually sometime this morning,” his brother said, stealing some potatoes out of the skillet.

  Ty knew what that meant. “Just tell me you didn’t end up with anyone I know,” he said, draining a third of his coffee. He didn’t need his brother causing any drama in town.

  “She’s not a local, don’t worry.” Rhett pulled out the stool next to Ty and took a seat. “She’s from Steamboat, actually. And she’s a rodeo queen.”

  Of course she was.

  “You didn’t want to invite her over for breakfast?” His mother seemed disappointed. She probably thought they were simply out dancing all night.

  “She’s staying at the ski resort,” Rhett said, popping another potato into his mouth. “They have free breakfast there.”

  Ty was tempted to roll his eyes, but the truth was, he couldn’t judge Rhett. Hooking up had been his MO once too. But now…he thought about Darla snuggled up in his bed. He felt ready for something else.

  “I noticed Darla’s car is out there,” Rhett said, shoving an elbow into Ty’s ribs.

  “Yeah. She’s still in bed.” If he didn’t need to get in another training run before the rodeo, he’d spend the whole day in bed with her.

  “Speaking of…” His mom slid the quiche out of the oven. “It’s perfect.” She quickly set it on the stovetop and ran a knife through the soft layers. The aroma had Ty’s mouth watering. After placing a slice of quiche onto the plate, his mom added a heaping pile of the breakfast potatoes and a garnish of fruit.

  “Hurry up and take it to her.” She shoved the cookie sheet into Ty’s hands. “Before it gets too cold.”

  “Damn.” Rhett eyed the tray. “I’d definitely marry you if you brought that to me in bed.”

  “He’s not trying to win her over, silly.” Their mother eyed the vase and then quickly added another sprig of holly. “She’s already marrying him. Because he treats her like a woman deserves to be treated.” Her eyes gave Ty’s brother a stern reprimand. “You could learn a thing or two from watching Ty.”

  Well, well, well, would you listen to that? His mom had paid him a compliment, and judging from the stony look on his brother’s face it had pissed him off. He couldn’t help but gloat as he filled up a glass of orange juice to take to his fiancée.

  * * *

  It was going to be a beautiful day. Darla sat up against the pillows in Ty’s bed and admired the view through the crack between the curtains. The morning sunshine made the fresh snow gleam brilliantly all the way to the peaks off in the distance. Against those white mountains, the sky had a crystalline-blue glow. It was as perfect as last night had been. She’d forgotten how it felt to let herself go, to stop analyzing and controlling every emotion. But Ty had made it easy for her. Easy and safe. Now if he would just get back in bed with her, the morning would be even better. Where’d he go anyway?

  She slipped out from under the covers and quickly redressed in the clothes she’d been wearing the day before. Peeking in the mirror that hung over Ty’s dresser, Darla fluffed her hair as best she could without her full arsenal of products and walked out of his room. She followed the sound of voices to the kitchen, where she spotted Rhett and Maureen and Ty, who was holding a tray of breakfast.

  She went right to Ty. “Morning.”

  “Well, hello.” He set down the tray and wrapped her in a hug. Ty happened to be one handsome cowboy, but it seemed he was especially sexy in the mornings with his hair tousled and a little wild and more stubble than usual shading his jaw.

  “What’s all that?” she asked, nodding toward the beautiful tray of assorted breakfast foods. A sudden hunger pang rumbled through her stomach.

  “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.” Ty replied, running his eyes down the full length of her body.

  “That’s sweet.” She raised up to her tiptoes so she could kiss his cheek. Two days ago that would’ve been for the benefit of his family, but now she simply kissed him because she wanted to. “But we don’t have to eat in bed. We can have breakfast with your family.”

  “Great idea.” Rhett swiped a slice of bacon off the tray and ate it on his way to the dining room table.

  “I’d love to, but I have to go wake up your father.” Maureen untied her Christmas apron and pulled it off, hanging it up on a cabinet nob. “And we still have so many presents to wrap upstairs.” Before Darla could jump in and help, Maureen quickly carried the food and a few more plates to the dining room table. “But you kids sit down and enjoy your breakfast.”

  “Oh, we will.” Rhett flashed what Darla had come to think of as his camera-ready smile.

  Ty didn’t smile, but he followed her to the breakfast table and they sat with his brother.

  Rhett piled food onto his plate. “So what do you two lovebirds have planned before the auction today?”

  Darla glanced at Ty. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Maybe she should’ve let him bring her breakfast into the bedroom. What would it be like to spend a whole day with him? Someday soon she might like to find out. “I have an appointment in Glenwood Springs around eleven.” Every year she looked forward to their support group’s Christmas party, but for the first time, she wondered if she could skip out to be with Ty. She took a bite of quiche and savored the salty taste. Maureen wasn’t kidding. It was the best quiche she’d ever tasted.

  “And I’m meeting Levi and Mateo.” Ty looked as disappointed as she felt. “We’ve got to get in a few more training runs before the main event.” He slipped his hand onto Darla’s thigh. “But maybe we can meet up this afternoon?”

  That simple touch brought waves of desire rolling through her. “Hopefully.”

  Rhett poured himself a glass of orange juice. “Speaking of training, I just read an article about a bull rider from Texas. Blane Fuller.”

  Darla didn’t know anyone named Blane Fuller, but Ty immediately set down his fork.

  “Did you know him?” his brother asked.

  The answer was obvious. Ty’s eyes had narrowed into a glare. “Yeah. Why?”

  “Just wondering.” Rhett glared back at his brother. “He was killed during a training run this fall, wasn’t he?”

  Ty didn’t answer. Instead, he held his coffee mug against his lips and took a sip.

  “Was he a friend?” Darla asked. She vaguely remembered Ty, Mateo, and Levi traveling down to Texas for a funeral in October, but Ty had never said much about it.

  “Yes.” Ty set down his mug, his jaw tightening. “He was a friend.”

  He obviously didn’t want to talk about it, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “What happened?”

  “The article said it was just a routine training run, but the bull bucked him and then stepped on his chest,” Rhett answered for his brother.

  Ty’s gaze got even stormier.

  “I don’t get it,” Rhett went on. “Bull riding makes no sense to me. Why would you want to risk your life to ride around on the back of a lethal animal?”

  Darla could feel an argument brewing between them, but she was still stuck on the fact that Ty’s friend had died. During a normal training ride. Probably a training ride a lot like the one he was getting ready to take. A tremor ran through her stomach, killing her appetite.

  “Same reason you run around tackling a bunch of grown men,” Ty shot back. “For the challenge. The competition. The discipline.”

  Rhett raised his hands as though surrendering. “All I’m saying is, it doesn’t seem worth the risk.”

  For the first time, Darla had to agree with Rhett. Thinking about Ty getting on a bull had never bothered her before. She’d seen him ride plenty of times, but then he’d only been a friend, someone she hooked up with occasionally. She hadn’t let him get to her heart. Not before last night.

  Even though he hadn’t finished his food, Ty pushed away his plate. “Football has its fair share of risks too.”

  “
Sure. But it’s nothing like bull riding.” Rhett pushed away his food too, staring down his brother. “You should look up the statistics sometime.”

  “What statistics?” Darla’s throat had weakened.

  “About how bull riding is the most dangerous sport in the world,” Rhett said with his typical self-importance. “About how many deaths and catastrophic injuries have happened on the rodeo circuit. More than any other sport, that’s for sure.”

  Judging from Ty’s expression, he already knew the statistics, but she’d never even considered them. How many deaths? How many catastrophic injuries? She couldn’t make herself ask. Don’t analyze. Don’t think. Don’t fear. Too late. She could already feel herself freezing up again. How could she have ignored the fact that Ty competed in the most dangerous sport in the world? “You don’t have to train today, do you?” She slipped her hand in his and held on, desperate to find the same courage she’d felt when they’d made love last night.

  “I’d rather not.” Ty lifted her hands his lips and kissed her knuckles, his eyes softening. “Trust me. I’d much rather hang out with you, but I have to be ready for the competition.” He refocused on his brother, his face turning stony again. “I know the statistics. And I know sometimes things go wrong out there. But we don’t focus on that.”

  Why, Darla wanted to ask. Why didn’t they focus on that? Because she was sure starting to. What had she been thinking searching for freedom from her fears with Ty of all people? Ty who rode bulls for a living. Oh God. One wrong step from the bull was all it would take to rip him away from her.

  Heart pounding hard, Darla suddenly stood up. “Will you excuse me?” she half whispered before making a fast escape down the hall to Ty’s bedroom. She moved to shut the door behind her but Ty was there.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I feel fine.” She paused midstep and turned back to him. That was a lie. She wasn’t fine. Her stomach had clenched and her heart raced. This whole thing had gotten out of hand. She’d let herself get swept away in hope and desire, but Ty was not right for her. They weren’t right for each other.