A Cowboy Kind of Love

by Melissa Storm

  So at last Rhett admitted his temporary defeat and returned home. This was not the end of his search, just the end of the first round. He would find her. He would find his angel in blue jeans, no matter how long it took.

  Cassie had always loved mornings like this, the grass springy beneath her boots, the air sweet, the sky so bright and new it was like someone had pushed the refresh button on the world. Still, the storm had done considerable damage, not the least of which was completely destroying a portion of the already weakened fence that held the cattle in their pasture. While most of the cows remained in their field like the good bovines they were, several had taken the opportunity to wander off to only God knew where.

  Including the very pregnant Maybel. As if Cass didn’t have enough to worry about already. Sigh.

  “Looks like we have our work cut out for us,” she said to her favorite painted mare, Susie Ann. She fed Susie Ann a quick breakfast while she prepared her riding saddle. Time was of the essence, but the horse needed her strength to get the job done.

  And just as Cassie was about to slip her boot through the stirrup and climb onto the horse’s back, a fancy little sports car pulled up to the stable and a familiar, heartbreakingly handsome stranger got out.

  Her heart sped up with the excitement of seeing Rhett there, but then she remembered how very angry she’d been the night before. How very angry she still felt.

  “You’re a good twelve hours late,” she grumbled as he jogged over to her.

  “I’m sorry. Let me explain?”

  “You didn’t have time for that last night, and I haven’t got time for it now.” She focused on hitching up the reins, in making sure both she and the mare were comfortable for the ride ahead, at looking anywhere but at Rhett’s pleading eyes.

  Damn it, I looked, and he’s just as sexy when I’m sober. Great. Real great, Cass.

  “Please, Cassie, I—”

  “Sorry, I have a lot to do. And seeing as there’s no way that little speedster could handle this terrain, and as I don’t feel like loaning you a horse, seems you’ll have to run alongside me if you want to talk.” She knew it was ridiculous and cold, but she’d almost compromised on the most important thing just because a good-looking stranger smiled at her. Just because he’d given her the most earth-shattering kiss she’d ever…

  No. Get a grip, Cass. Or at least get out of here. Go. Now!

  She took off at a gallop, eager to put as much distance between Rhett and herself as she could. She had too much work to do, and she didn’t owe him a damn thing. But she did owe her great-grandfather her absolute best attempt at preserving his legacy, at making sure Saddleback Ranch would live another day.

  Now where had those darned cows gotten off to? She reached the creek and turned Susie Ann around to search in another direction. Much to her surprise, a tiny figure bobbed on the horizon. Rhett had accepted her challenge, even though she hadn’t actually intended for him to follow her.

  Okay, so she was impressed. What kind of fool would try to chase after a horse on foot? Maybe he really was sorry. Maybe he did have a good reason. Still, none of that changed the fact that she didn’t have time to allow herself to fall for the foolhardy stranger, no matter how sexy he looked as he huffed and puffed across her scenic family ranch.

  But the least she could do was slow down and allow him to keep up. Because, after all, manners. He’d say his piece and then probably collapse to the earth in exhaustion. She’d have given him the courtesy of hearing him out while maintaining a safe distance on the back of Susie Ann. Which meant he couldn’t kiss her even if he wanted to.

  She raised her hand to her lips and the memory of their kisses a couple nights back sent a tingle through her. She had to bite her cheek to distract herself.

  Rhett was closing the gap between them and she certainly didn’t want him to see her acting like a school girl with a crush. So she took a deep breath, yanked at Susie Ann’s reins, and trotted over to Rhett.

  “You’ve got some balls.” She tried to sound angry, but it came out much more flirtatious than she’d intended.

  “Oh, you have no idea.” He winked, and she felt her knees soften. Thank God for the sturdy steed beneath her!

  “I’m still mad at you for standing me up,” she reminded him.

  “I know you’re mad, but…” He kept running alongside her and Susie Ann, determined to make small talk despite his obviously growing exhaustion. “I didn’t stand you up. At least not on purpose. By the time I got there you were gone, and I…” He took a deep breath. “I made sure I found you so I could explain.”

  “So go ahead explain.”

  “Well, you see, I’ve always been really good at running, and—”

  She laughed despite herself. “That’s your explanation?”

  “Let me get to it, will you?” He waited a moment to see if she was going to interrupt again, and then continued. “I guess it’s in my blood, the running. My father ran out on me and my mom when I was just a little kid. He ran away, and all my life I’ve been running, running, running, and never looking back. But now I’m looking at you, and I don’t want to run away. I want to run with you. I want to run to you. Cassie, I want to get to know you, if you’ll let me. Will you? Let me?” He took a huge breath, almost wheezing, but still keeping pace with her and Susie Ann.

  This whole thing came straight out of a damn romantic comedy. At least that’s what it felt like. Men showed up and made declarations like this to beautiful women in movies, not to tomboy cowgirls like herself. Never to girls like her.

  If it seemed too good to be true, then it definitely was. Right?

  She felt herself softening to him like she had two nights before, but, no, she couldn’t. In another time, another place, maybe, but too much was at stake here. She couldn’t afford to be selfish, so instead she had to be cruel even though she too wanted to run toward Rhett and never look back.

  She couldn’t even look at him as she delivered her line in this absurd drama. “That’s a nice speech, but no. One chance is all you get, and honestly I shouldn’t have even given you that.”

  Neither of them said anything for a moment, but he continued to jog alongside her as he waited for whatever it was she planned to say. Well, she’d say it, but he wasn’t going to like it.

  “Look, thanks for stopping by to apologize, but I have to find these missing cows before they wander even further away, so…” She ventured a look at him, and he smiled even though he had to know what would come next. “So have a nice life.”

  She dug her heels into Susie Ann and took off in a full gallop, leaving Rhett in her dust.

  Before too long she found all the missing cows, all of them except Maybel. When at last she found her at the absolute edge of the property, she also found Rhett sitting in the grass beside her.

  “What are you doing here? I thought we said our goodbyes.”

  “Actually, neither of us said goodbye. You just said you needed to find the missing cows, and I decided to help. She’s nice,” he said, patting the cow between her eyes. “What’s her name?”

  “That’s Maybel. She’s my favorite actually.” Why was she telling him this? None of it mattered since they wouldn’t be meeting again.

  “Seems all the excitement has worn her out.”

  “Well, I should say so. She’s 37 weeks pregnant.”

  “You seem worn out too.” He walked around behind her and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, then pressed tiny, soothing circles into them. “Is this okay?”

  She should have said no. She should have told him to go away and never come back, but she was tired and he was so close she could…

  “Mmm,” she answered.

  He laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. C’mon over here and sit down. Let me rub those knots out for you.”

  “Well, if you insist.” She settled into the grass and let herself melt into his touch.

  “I know I said it before, but I’m really so sorry about last night. My ex s
howed up unannounced, and I felt like she deserved an explanation as to why I really couldn't see her anymore.”

  “And what explanation was that?”

  “That I’d already fallen for somebody else.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her neck. “In case you had any doubts, that somebody else is you.”

  It would have been so easy to stand up and walk away, but it was every bit as easy to turn her head, find his mouth, and return his scorching hot kisses.

  “I knew you liked me,” he whispered on a shared breath.

  And she did like him, way too much for her own good. Well, since they were already here… “Shut up and kiss me.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  Chapter 6

  Everything about Cassie felt so right. Rhett trailed his fingers across the bare skin of her back with feather touches as their lips continued to meet with firm, passionate kisses. He loved what a study in contradictions she had proven to be—rough and tumble but also a lady. Strong yet soft, beautiful yet natural. He never wanted that moment to end, there in the meadow. But he also needed to be sure there would be more moments like this for them in the future.

  Funny how he could be both so wrapped up in this perfect moment and thinking ahead to the future. He, too, was becoming a giant oxymoron, a giant oxymoron who was falling head over heels for this sweet farm girl who lay tangled with him in this soft meadow grass. He’d never wanted anything as bad as he wanted more time with Cassie, and he still couldn’t understand all the feelings that came rushing to the surface whenever she was around, but he wanted to. He just needed the promise of more time.

  “Give me another chance. Please, Cassie. I won’t let you down again.” He pulled back to look at her, but she avoided his gaze and instead pushed him back into the grass and climbed onto his lap.

  “Let’s not talk.”

  There was so much that needed to be said, but he was still a man, damn it, and when a beautiful woman climbed onto his lap and demanded he kiss her…well, that’s exactly what he was going to do.

  And so he did, and they did, completely absorbed in their own little world amidst the tall grass and the wild flowers, losing all track of time just as they had that night in the bed of her dirty old truck.

  Maybel mooed from a distance, and Cassie jumped to attention.

  “Oh, shoot. She’s wandering off again.”

  Rhett jumped to his feet too, beating her to the cow, whom he then led back toward Cassie and her horse. By the time he’d managed to get the stubborn creature back to the clearing, Cassie had already hopped onto Susie Ann’s back. She sat tall and stiff, twisting the reins in her hands and actively avoiding his gaze again.

  Rhett knew she needed to be the one to speak next, that for whatever reason she was hesitating even though she obviously felt that same undeniable attraction that he felt for her.

  She took a deep breath and focused her eyes on a nearby patch of wildflowers. “Rhett, I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

  He waited for her to say more, and after a few moments’ hesitation, she finally did.

  “The timing is all wrong. Maybe if it weren’t…look, the ranch is in trouble. It’s my life’s work, my family’s legacy. If in the end I lose it, I’ll be devastated, but if that happens I need to know that I did everything in my power to make things work. And that includes not allowing myself to—”

  She gulped and hopped off her horse, finally looking him straight in the eye.

  “To get distracted by you or… or anything else.” She took in a long, shaky breath as if delivering this proclamation had weakened her, and she needed to build up more strength to finish whatever she planned to say next.

  “But enough about my problems. The point is I just can’t. I’m sorry, really I am. I wish things were different, but this is the way they have to be. This time I’ll make sure to say goodbye to avoid any confusion. Goodbye, Rhett, and thank you for helping me prove to myself how much I want this, how committed I am to saving Saddleback.”

  He nodded slowly, knowing that it would only take a few choice words, a few sweet kisses to make her change her mind yet again. But he also knew that he would hate himself for manipulating her like that. She needed to come to him willingly when she was ready. Part of the chase was knowing when to fall back, and the time had now come for him to step aside and let Cassie focus on the one thing he now knew she wanted more than him.

  “I understand, Cassie.” He drew close and gave her a tight hug. “If you change your mind, I’ll be ready. This could be so good between us.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed each of her fingers one after the other.

  “I—I won’t... Change my mind, that is.” She choked on the words but took a step back to put some distance between them. “I’m sorry, Rhett. Goodbye.”

  And he swore he saw tears threatening to spill at any moment.

  She shook her head then pulled herself back onto the saddle.

  “Goodbye, Cassie. Thank you for the great morning.”

  This time he walked away slowly, feeling as though each step put not just a few inches but an entire chasm between them. How had she gotten so under his skin, and why did it hurt more saying goodbye to Cassie than it had to Trish? This was crazy, the way he felt.

  Rhett had never been a touchy-feely relationship kind of guy, but then again he’d never found a woman like Cassie before either. Were these feelings all about her, or did they just mean he was ready to give more of himself to a woman? And if Cassie didn’t come back around, would he ever find another woman who could measure up to her? So many questions swirled in his mind, and unfortunately only time would be able to answer them.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he was glad to see his friend Cole was the one on the other end of the line. Cole would know exactly what to do.

  He pushed the big green button to answer the call. “What’s up, man?”

  “Anna wants to know if you’re planning to come out to the baby shower next month.”

  Rhett laughed. “Aren’t those things kind of for chicks?” It felt good to have something other than Cassie to focus on. Leave it to Cole to have the perfect timing.

  “Yeah, but she’s got it into her head that I need to have a dadchelor party of my own. Says I have no idea what’s coming and that I may as well celebrate while I have the chance.”

  “When is it? Next month? I’m not so sure. Maybe, I…” He let his words trail off, and Cole caught on immediately.

  “Jet, what’s going on? Is everything okay? Is it San Antonio? The new team?”

  “No, everything’s great—better than great, actually. It’s just there’s this girl.”

  “Oh, gotcha.” His friend chuckled, but urged him to continue.

  “I just can’t stop thinking about her. I’m going out of my mind.”

  “Wait, you didn’t run off to Vegas to get married or anything, did you?”

  “Ha, no, only you and Anna could ever be that crazy, man. But here’s the thing, I know she wants me, and God I want her, but she keeps putting me off.”

  “Ahh, the classic hard-to-get maneuver,” Cole said with a sigh.

  “I know I should just give up and move on, but for some reason, I can’t.”

  “So you’ve found your Anna?”

  “I think so.”

  “And I bet you’re losing your damn mind, wondering if you’ve gone soft or if you can actually feel the way you’re probably feeling right about now.”

  Rhett glanced over his shoulder, but there was no sign of Cassie or Cole, even though it felt like one stood in his heart and the other right in his brain, thinking his thoughts along with him. “Yeah, that’s exactly right. What the hell am I supposed to do, Cole? Now that I’ve met her, I can’t just forget about her, but that’s exactly what she’s been telling me to do. If women confused me before, now they’re a damn unsolved mystery. Nothing I’m feeling makes sense. Nothing she’s saying makes sense either. I’m just…”

  “Confused ou
t of your mind? Yeah, you’ve definitely found your Anna. Look, let’s take it like football. Most people think that it’s all about scoring in football, but you and I both know that’s not how it is. It’s not just about who can get the ball to the end zone. It’s about playing to your strengths. When there’s a strong defense, you don’t just pass the ball, you mix it up with runs. You get your yards piece by piece. You play it smart and think about the whole game. Worry about getting your first down instead of thinking about the score. Make sense?”

  Rhett thought about this for a moment. “So you’re saying I need to run the ball?”

  “Yeah. You should be good at that, Mr. Running Back. Just make your way down the field. As corny as this sounds, if it’s meant to be, you’ll find a hole in her defense. Then we’ll be having your bachelor party next.”

  “Leave it to you to take everything back to sex. I think I get what you’re saying though.” Laughing felt good. He could always count on Cole to give it to him straight.

  “Yeah, but one more thing. When it comes to love, you basically have to throw out the playbook and just do whatever feels right.”

  And now things were serious again, and all his anxiety came flooding back. “Being with Cassie is what feels right, but she keeps turning me down.”

  “Well, you just have to be creative. Come up with a new play. One that can’t lose.”

  “Cole, you’re being ridiculous, but…” And just then an idea struck him. “But that actually kind of makes sense. I think I have an idea.”

  “Let me know how it turns out, and don’t forget about the dadchelor party. I know Anna would love to see you there.”

  Cass watched as Rhett stalked away. No small part of her wished he would turn around, come back and refuse to leave. But he never did. Instead, he took out his phone and started to have a conversation she couldn’t hear—he’d already gone too far away from her. This time for good; she’d made sure of it.

  “C’mon, girl,” she said to Susie Ann. “Let’s get this cow back to the barn.”