Harlequin Romance July 2013 Bundle: A Cowboy To Come Home ToHow to Melt a Frozen HeartThe Cattleman's Ready-Made FamilyRancher to the Rescue

by Donna Alward

  “Things are heavy with you by definition, Cooper. Because of our history.”

  “Forget history,” he replied, coming a step closer. “I’m tired of the past getting in my way, aren’t you? Let’s forget about Scott and everything else and just focus on the present.”

  It sounded so tempting. “I know I’ve let him influence my life far too much.” She had. She told herself and everyone else that he had no effect on her life, but that wasn’t true. His affair and their divorce had changed everything, and colored every part of her life even now. She didn’t like it, but she’d learned lessons that she didn’t ever want to forget.

  “You have a chance to start over,” Coop said, his voice persuasive. “Go out on a date with me.”

  “A date?”

  “You do remember what those are, right? I pick you up and we go somewhere like dinner or a movie. Then I drive you home.”

  “You’re seriously asking me out on a date?”

  “Yes. A real date. Not meeting up at some town get-together or hanging out at my parents’ place.”

  She shouldn’t say yes. Coop was so complicated, but the idea of truly shedding the past and having an actual date sounded heavenly. When had she last done that? When she was about nineteen. Then she’d been married, and date night wasn’t quite the same. Then even those had stopped—and there’d been none since. Good Lord. She was twenty-seven and she hadn’t been on a date in years.

  “Where would we go?”

  He grinned. “You let me take care of that. You’re saying yes?”

  “I’m saying yes. To one date.”

  “I’ll pick you up Saturday night at seven. That gives you enough time to get ready after closing, right?”

  She nodded, excitement building in her chest. She was going out and didn’t know where. What should she wear?

  Neither of them noticed Avery approach until she spoke. “Mel, your arms must be ready to fall off. Thanks for watching Nell for so long. Callum went for chairs and I got sidetracked...”

  “It was no trouble.” She shifted her arms and slid the sleeping baby into her mother’s embrace.

  “Oh, she’s left a drool spot on your dress,” Avery said apologetically.

  Mel looked down at the damp circle and gave a soft smile. “Don’t worry,” she answered. “I love babies. It was a real treat to have her so relaxed. Besides, this gets tossed right in the washing machine.”

  “Well, you two should get some food. Martha’s put on a great spread.”

  “Thanks.”

  When she was gone, the silence got a little awkward. “Listen,” Coop said, “I’m going to talk to Ty about a mare he’s just bought, but I’ll see you Saturday, right?”

  “Saturday,” she echoed.

  He smiled, then let his gaze drift down her body. “Oh, and Mel?” He winked before he turned away. “Wear those boots.”

  She watched him walk off, admiring the view. After thinking of him as a friend for so long, and then as an enemy, it was quite shocking to realize that she was now thinking about him in a totally different manner altogether. One that made her temperature rise considerably.

  He wanted to put the past behind them, forget it existed. That sounded good in theory, but there was just one problem. It was impossible, because the past gave them context. And it was impossible because he was making her feel fifteen again, young and nervous and craving a kiss from him. Just like then, she thought about him all the time. And that didn’t fit anywhere in her formerly well-ordered plans.

  CHAPTER TEN

  SHE IGNORED THE ORDER to wear the boots. Instead Mel went shopping. The first “first date” in years deserved a new outfit, and she rarely spent money on herself anymore. Wednesday, after the store closed for the day, she drove to the West Edmonton Mall, determined to find something new and pretty. She liked the result as she stood in front of her bedroom mirror. The black pencil skirt hugged her hips like a dream, and the ivory blouse with its black collar and cuffs made her feel feminine and pretty. Best of all, though, were the shoes. The heels were higher than she normally wore, but manageable due to the platforms in the toe, and they did magical things for her calves.

  He would be here at any moment....

  Her doorbell rang and she jumped, stared at her wide eyes and pressed a finger to her freshly lipsticked lips. He was here. Coop. As a date. A new beginning for both of them.

  Her heels clattered as she crossed the hardwood floor to the front door. Taking a breath and hoping she wasn’t blushing, she opened it.

  Coop was on the step and he held out a bouquet of flowers. “I know it’s weird giving a florist flowers, but...”

  He’d brought her three roses, red ones, wrapped up with baby’s breath. She didn’t even care if they were a cliché and from the grocery store—it was too special. “Not at all,” she said, hoping he didn’t hear the nervous tremor in her voice. “Come on in while I put these in some water.”

  He waited just inside the door as she escaped to the kitchen, her heart hammering against her ribs. When she returned she nearly swallowed her tongue, he looked so delicious. Once again he’d left the cowboy hat at home, but he’d kept the jeans—dressier ones—with spit-shined boots, a white shirt with the top button undone and a caramel-colored sport coat.

  “You look amazing,” he said, pushing the panels of his coat back and hooking his thumbs in his pockets. “Really...amazing.”

  “I went shopping,” she explained, belatedly realizing he’d know she went especially for tonight. She hid her face inside the closet as she reached for her coat.

  He took it from her and helped her put it on. When he smoothed it over her shoulders, his hands paused. He was standing close behind her, the air between them filled with silent possibility. “We’d better go,” he said roughly. “Or we’re not going to get there at all.”

  Funny how one little sentence could nearly send her into complete meltdown. She prayed her knees would hold out as she reached for her purse and stepped away from the warmth of his body. Coop moved aside and held open the door, letting her out into the cool autumn air.

  It helped, getting outside. Coop caught up to her at the bottom of the steps. “I borrowed Mom’s car. I thought it might be nicer than going in a huge pickup.”

  Once more he held the door for Mel, closing it behind her when she’d slid into the car.

  During the drive into the city Coop thankfully kept the conversation neutral, chatting about town events and what was going on at the Double C. But the whole time Mel was thinking about what would happen when he drove her home; not if he would walk her to the door, but if she would ask him in.

  * * *

  Coop tried to talk about every possible subject during the drive to the restaurant. Anything to distract him from the way Mel looked tonight.

  She’d dressed up. For him. The tidy little skirt illuminated every curve, and the blouse she was wearing made her look a little like a librarian fantasy. All she was missing was the glasses. And he was glad she hadn’t taken his suggestion of the heeled boots, because seeing her in those shoes...

  His first impulse was to not even leave her house.

  But he’d promised a first date, and a first date she was going to get. So he’d held her coat and the door, and tried to think of other things besides getting her out of that killer outfit piece by piece.

  They had reservations at an Italian place in downtown Edmonton. Once they were seated, they each ordered a glass of wine and scanned the menu. He was nervous. He was with a woman he’d known most of his life and he was suddenly unsure of what to say or do. When their drinks came and they’d ordered, it was Mel who held up her glass and offered a toast. “To starting over,” she said.

  “To new beginnings,” he echoed, clinking the rim to hers. He watched her lips touch the gla
ss as she drank, and he took a bigger gulp than he intended.

  They kept the conversation neutral as they dug into their antipasti and then main courses—he had a spicy pappardelle and Mel had a truffle ravioli that looked delicious, along with a second glass of wine. She made him laugh as she told him about how someone’s dog had got loose, run in the store, investigated every corner and then, to everyone’s horror, lifted his leg on Amy’s expensive handbag—clearly not as funny for Amy as it was for Mel. He talked to her about his plans for the ranch, the new stud stallion he was buying and how he was asked to speak at a conference coming up in Colorado. It was the strangest, best first date he’d ever had—getting to know someone he’d known all his life. New and yet familiar. And exciting. Oh yes, exciting. He didn’t want the evening to end, but he couldn’t wait, either.

  They lingered over dessert, ordering coffee and a rich chocolate torta laced with hazelnuts. Somehow they ended up missing a spoon, and Mel had used hers to add cream to her coffee. Coop spooned up a little of the torta and held it out for her to taste.

  “Coop...” she chided, raising one eyebrow. But he saw the longing in her eyes and waited, holding her gaze. Watching it heat as the moment drew out.

  She leaned forward and took the dessert from the spoon. Closed her eyes and sighed. “Oh, that’s good.”

  He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to drive the forty minutes back to her house.

  He tasted the chocolate confection and agreed it was delicious. But he derived far more enjoyment from feeding it to her from the spoon. The fact that she accepted it without argument took things a step further with them tonight. This was going somewhere. Where, he wasn’t exactly sure. But he was looking forward to finding out.

  The drive back to Cadence Creek was quiet, the car filled with delicious tension. He reached over once and held her hand, driving with his left. Her fingers twined with his and she looked at him and smiled lazily. “Sorry I’m not such a good conversationalist,” she said, leaning her head back on the seat. “A long day, full stomach and two glasses of wine have made me sleepy.”

  Disappointment threaded through him, but he smiled back anyway. “It was a good night.”

  “As first dates go, it was top-notch.”

  He hit the exit for Cadence Creek and started down the secondary highway that led to town.

  It was after ten o’clock and Mel’s quiet street was mostly dark, save a few lights over front doors. “Not much happening here on a Saturday night,” Coop commented, pulling into her driveway.

  “You know how it is,” she said with a smile. “If you want to get into some trouble, you do it outside town limits.”

  He was thinking he could get into a fair bit of trouble inside town limits without much effort. “Hang on,” he commanded, and got out of the car, jogged around the front and opened her door.

  She pivoted and put her legs out first before reaching for the door frame and boosting herself up.

  “Mel, if I can just say one thing...damn, you’ve got the greatest legs.”

  She blushed. Even in the dim glow of her porch light he could see the color touch her cheeks. He shut the door and walked her to the steps, but before she could put her foot on the first one he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

  “I want to do this and I don’t want to do it in the light,” he whispered, and then he finally—finally—kissed her.

  He took his time. He wasn’t some callow teenager in a hormonal hurry to get to the end zone. He pulled her close, twined his fingers into her hair and explored her mouth as if he had all the time in the world.

  Just like before, passion exploded between them. It was thrilling, knowing that it wasn’t just an emotionally heightened situation causing things to run hot, but actual chemistry. Her heels put her eyes on a level with his nose, so that he had to tip her head only the slightest bit to have full access to her mouth. He fumbled with the large buttons on her wool coat, opening it and slipping his arms inside, pulling her flush against his body.

  “Mmm,” she said into his mouth, a little impatient sound as she pushed away. But she only did it to spread his sport coat wide as well, so that they were pressed together, cotton shirt to flimsy blouse, with all their body heat between them.

  Kissing was all well and good, but eventually it did have to lead somewhere, and right now all Cooper could think of was making love to her. “Invite me inside,” he said against her lips.

  She didn’t answer, just ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his head down so she could kiss him again. What else could he do but oblige?

  But after a few minutes more, with their breathing heavier and his hands roaming farther than he’d planned—especially while still in her front yard—he put his palm along the side of her face and forced her to look at him. “Invite me in,” he commanded again.

  “I...I can’t,” she stuttered, her breath coming in short gasps.

  “Sure you can,” he replied smoothly. “You say, Coop, would you like to come inside?”

  She shook her head. “If we go inside, we’re going to...you’re going to...”

  “With any luck,” he answered. And he’d thought ahead. Inside his coat pocket was a condom. For a second he paused, wondering how she’d react to the insistence for birth control. But he had to know she was with him for him, and not for his genetic material.

  He pushed the thought away. Mel wouldn’t do such a thing; he knew her better than that. And he wanted her more than he could remember ever wanting a woman before. To help convince her, he ran his hand beneath the flap of her coat, down her shoulder and over one tightly peaked breast. She shuddered.

  “Coop?”

  “Yes, honey?”

  She grabbed his wrists and stepped back a little. “I am not the kind of girl who puts out on the first date.”

  Dammit. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m very, very sure.” She blinked at him. She meant it, the sassy thing. And he’d better get control of himself in a hurry if he had any hope of leaving this situation gracefully. And possibly making her regret her decision. Because if they kept on this way, it was going to happen sooner or later. Given how he was feeling right now, he prayed it was sooner.

  “You realize you’re killing me here.”

  She nodded slowly.

  He sighed. “Damn you, Melissa, for making me behave.”

  She laughed at him. “You know the show biz motto, Always Leave Them Wanting More?”

  He couldn’t help it; she looked so impish and sexy and wonderful that he chuckled. It might be killing him, but he’d wait. It would be worth it.

  He was in love with her. Any doubts about that had fled at Thanksgiving. How she’d held his hand at the baptism, the date tonight—it all told him he had a chance if he played his cards right. At this moment that meant stepping back and giving her time.

  “Okay.” He gave in, releasing her completely. “You win.”

  “Thank you for a wonderful evening, though.”

  He put his hand in his pocket. “You up for a second date?”

  “Even though I’m sending you away...unsatisfied?”

  “I thought you said you were leaving me wanting more. I want more.”

  The air sizzled between them. “We’re going to do this, then?” she asked quietly.

  “I want to. I want to see where it leads. Don’t you? It doesn’t have to be any heavier than that. Let’s just see where it takes us, Mel.”

  “And what if it doesn’t work?”

  The smile slid from his face as the tone suddenly turned serious. “Then we can say we tried. And no matter what, we stay friends. No more going back to the way things were, I promise.”

  “I promise, too. I didn’t really enjoy hating you all that much.”

  “When can I see you again?”
He didn’t want to wait a week. Or even days. He wanted to see her as often as he could. Every minute.

  “I suppose Tuesday-night bingo at the community center doesn’t float your boat.”

  “I could live through it if you were there.”

  She laughed then, a light, musical laugh that he hadn’t heard in years. “I won’t make you do that,” she replied. “Let’s just meet up for dinner at the diner, then go for a walk or something.”

  It sounded perfectly boring. “If that’s what you want.”

  “I’ll meet you there at six, right after the store closes. How does that sound?”

  He’d rather she asked him here for a private dinner for two, but she was bent on taking it slow. His head told him that was the right move, no matter what his libido was screaming right now.

  “Perfect.”

  “Coop?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Kiss me once more before you go?”

  Kissing her was the easy part of the request. The just once part? He was going to have trouble with that.

  * * *

  For two weeks Mel let herself be wooed into Coop’s definition of dating. They went to the diner on Tuesday and decided on burgers and fries and milkshakes as a throwback to high school days, then took a long walk along the creek in the dark. He stopped by the shop once with a bag lunch and convinced her to eat with him on a bench along Main Street, soaking up the sun. On Saturday they drove to Edmonton for a movie, sat near the back of the theater and held hands. The next week they took a short drive to the coffee shop out on the highway for dessert, and she took a precious few hours one afternoon to go riding out at the Double C.

  There were kisses, but Coop was on his best behavior, with no more suggestions to take things further. Which was a shame, because being kissed at the door was leaving her distinctly unsatisfied. If he was trying to leave her wanting more, he was definitely succeeding.

  They made plans to eat at the diner again, and Melissa told herself that tonight she was going to ask him to her place for their next date. She could cook and they could share a meal without being so incredibly visible to the town. Besides, she had a very nice sofa in her living room and she wouldn’t mind more than a few stolen kisses outside the circle of her porch light.