Under a Rodeo Moon

by Roni Adams

  Carrie nodded. “Thank you. Will you do me a favor? Let me know if anything changes with this place, if anyone puts in an offer.”

  Joyce frowned. “I don’t know why, but okay.”

  Carrie climbed in the car. With one last glance at the “in need of serious help” ranch house, she turned around and drove back down the drive. In her mind, she could already picture the house fixed up, some nice flowerbeds by the wraparound porch, and she and Dusty sitting on a porch swing, sipping his favorite sweet tea in the evening.

  Dragging her hand through her hair, she forced herself to stop thinking such nonsense. Ever since his fall two nights ago, they’d been together. Neither had said a word about the future or anything else, but she’d stayed at the hospital with him the entire night before, going back to her apartment to shower and work the afternoon shift. This morning she’d opened and then told CoraBeth she’d be taking the rest of the day off.

  If all looked good, they both hoped Dusty would be released by late afternoon, and she planned to take him to her apartment to recover. Whether he’d come or not remained to be seen, but she hoped he wouldn’t insist on going out to the rodeo track.

  Walking down the hall toward his room, she shifted the bagged lunch she’d brought him from the diner. She wasn’t so naïve as to believe that everything was fine, but at least for the first time since Dusty showed up in Wayback, just maybe they’d been given another chance.

  The door to his room was open, and she could hear his voice raised. His words stopped her cold.

  “Damn right, I’m riding next Friday night. I need the money and you know it.”

  His brother’s voice responded, but Carrie couldn’t make out the words. Knowing Grey, she had no doubt he was being understanding and encouraging instead of telling Dusty he was being ten times a fool.

  Her heart sank. So much for thinking anything had changed. Now the ball was back in her court. Could she handle this? She’d told herself she could. But now with the reality here, could she?

  Two heads turned as she entered, but it was Dusty’s face she focused on.

  He grinned and his blue eyes lit up. “Hey.” He held out his hand toward her.

  Her cheeks warmed and, without glancing at Grey, she dropped the bag of food on the small table and moved to his side.

  Dusty grabbed her hand and tugged her down toward him, almost knocking her off her feet. His free hand reached up to cup the back of her head as he brought her mouth to his. His lips were warm and persistent as they teased hers apart and kissed her with a hunger that she quickly responded to. In the back of her mind, she registered that his brother was still in the room and pulled back even though she didn’t want to.

  Dusty winked and she cupped his cheek. “How do you feel? Did you sleep well?”

  “I feel better now, and, no, I didn’t sleep. Where’d you go?”

  She eased her hand from his grip and stepped back, picking up the bag of lunch she’d brought him. “I went home and showered and helped out a bit with the morning rush. I told you I’d be back right after lunch.”

  Grey crossed the room toward Dusty’s bed. “I’m going to head out. I need to pick up Gretal from Free’s.”

  Carrie unwrapped the sandwich she’d brought. “Your little girl is absolutely adorable.”

  The big cowboy’s face split into a huge grin. “She is, isn’t she?” He picked his hat up off the chair and nodded to his brother. “You said they’re going to release you today?”

  “Yeah, the doctor will be here around four. He said if all looks good, I can go home before dinner.”

  “You can come out to our place to recuperate.”

  “He’s coming home with me.” Carrie lifted her chin and stared at Grey defiantly.

  She watched the two brothers exchange a look, and Dusty laughed. “You heard the lady. Sounds like she’s wanting to play nurse with me.”

  Carrie pulled the table on wheels over to the bed so Dusty could reach his lunch, but she didn’t bother to comment.

  “Either way, give me a call and let me know if they let you out or not,” Grey said. “Bye, Carrie.”

  “Bye, Grey. Give my best to Elizabeth.”

  “I’ll do that. Thanks.” He walked out.

  Amazing what a few months could do. She never thought she’d see Dusty’s loner of a brother married, with a baby, and happy about it. Could Dusty ever feel like that? Satisfied with settling down? She turned back to find Dusty staring at her and not eating. “Don’t you want your lunch?”

  He nodded. “What’s this about me going home with you? I planned on going back to the trailer.”

  She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. “I just thought maybe you’d come stay with me for a few days. You know, until you were feeling better. That way I could help you and cook for you.”

  “And what else?”

  Carrie linked her fingers together in front of her. “What do you mean, what else? I guess whatever you need.”

  “What if I need you?”

  She couldn’t answer around the lump in her throat, so she just nodded.

  Dusty pushed his uneaten lunch aside and shoved the wheeling tray away. “Come here,” he commanded and patted the side of his bed.

  Carried crossed the small space between them and awkwardly sat down on the side of the bed, trying to get around the hospital rail.

  Dusty tucked her hair behind her ear. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.” She swallowed, trying to keep from begging him, pleading with him to stop riding bulls and stay in one piece.

  “All the same problems are still there. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

  She nodded, but couldn’t look him in the eye.

  His finger under her chin forced her gaze to his. “I’m riding again next weekend.”

  “I heard you tell Grey that.” She tried to smile, but couldn’t.

  “You think I’m an idiot.”

  She nodded, but smiled to soften her words. “You are an idiot, but I love you and want to be with you no matter what.” Doubt crept through, but she kept her voice strong. “I guess I need to get used to you doing things I don’t think are a good idea.”

  He caressed her cheek and traced his finger over her lips. Carrie’s breath quickened at the desire in his eyes. “It’s been six long months of only my memory making love to you. Do you have any idea how much I want you?”

  She licked her wet lips. “I think I have a small idea of how much.”

  “Honey, there is nothing small about my ‘idea.’”

  He leaned toward her and Carrie met him halfway. His mouth found hers gently. He kissed her softly, tasting her lips and coaxed a response, tracing his tongue along the seam until she parted and kissed him back. Dusty tangled his hands in her hair. He’d ditched the hospital gown the first night and wore his T-shirt and boxers in bed. Carrie worried about hurting him and was careful not to touch his body too hard, although she longed to sink into him and feel him pull her up hard against him. Her hands curled into his muscular chest and her nipples throbbed as they longed for his touch. His fingers massaged her scalp and held her head still as he feasted on her lips and then slid his mouth to her throat.

  Carrie closed her eyes as Dusty kissed her skin. Her heart raced and she couldn’t catch her breath. She knew the door was open and it was inappropriate to be making out in the small hospital room, but she was beyond caring. She wanted to give Dusty whatever he wanted. Hell, she wanted the same thing. Still, when someone cleared his throat from the doorway, she felt a blush creep into her cheeks as she pulled away.

  “Sorry.” The doctor walked in with a smile on his face. “That’s actually probably the best medicine I could prescribe, some tender loving care from a beautiful woman.”

  Carrie stood up and stepped away from the bed.

  “As you can see, I’m more than ready to get out of here. How about it, Doc? If this pretty lady promises to take real good care of me, can I head out?” Dusty sm
iled his most charming smile.

  “You’ll be taking him home?” the doctor asked her.

  Carrie nodded. “Yes, he’s going to stay with me for a few days.”

  The doctor shone his pen light into Dusty’s eyes, reviewed his chart, and listened to his heart and lungs. Pulling the stethoscope from his ears, he wrote on the chart. “Everything looks good, Mr. Wulfsen, but you’re still bruised pretty badly. I’d take it easy for a few days to a week, at least. No more wrestling with bulls for a while.”

  Dusty glanced at Carrie, and she got the message loud and clear. Don’t say anything about his plans for the weekend.

  She turned away as he finished speaking with the doctor. As soon as he was gone, Dusty swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Carrie handed him the clean jeans that were folded on the chair by the window. The nurse came in, and, even as he complained, he let the nurse put him in a wheelchair and push him through the hospital.

  A short time later, they pulled out of the parking lot. Dusty glanced at Carrie as she focused on driving. He glanced around the interior, remembering the cushy leather seats of her little sports car. “I still can’t get over you moving here.”

  Carrie didn’t comment, but kept her eyes straight ahead.

  He reached over and covered her hand on the steering wheel and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”

  She frowned and glanced over at him. “What did you say?”

  He ducked his head. “I said I’m sorry. I was wrong to explode at you in Cheyenne that night.”

  She laughed. “Now I know that bull hit you on the head. Dusty Wulfsen would never apologize to anyone for anything.”

  He removed his hand and let her drive as they reached town. “Well, maybe I’m going to try harder to be better.”

  They rode in silence to the diner.

  “Do you want to go through the diner or would you rather come up the back way through the kitchen?”

  “Either way there’ll be questions, right?”

  Carrie parked the car and unhooked her seat belt. “Yep. But we’re both adults, so I’m not real worried about it.”

  Dusty wondered if her friend the sheriff was going to think the same way. Inside, he was quite glad to be by her side as they walked through the diner doors, but the local law man was nowhere to be found.

  The other waitress looked up as they came in.

  “Hey, CoraBeth.”

  “Carrie.” The other woman held a coffee pot in midair and watched them cross the almost empty diner.

  Dusty reached up to tip his hat and realized he didn’t have one on. No wonder he felt like he was naked. He gave a half-hearted wave. “Ma’am.”

  Carrie kept on going, and he followed, forcing his body to move even though it screamed in protest. The pain pill he’d taken was wearing off, and he wasn’t eager to take another until he could lie down.

  At the far end of the diner, Carrie pulled open a door that led to a flight of stairs. Glancing upward, he cringed, but managed to make it to the top, only breaking out in a small sweat. He heard her pull out keys and then slip them into the lock of a wooden door at the top.

  She stepped aside for him to enter first. “It’s not much, but it’s home. Come on in.”

  She kicked off her sandals as she crossed the threshold, an old habit from her parents’ place he noted. The thought of bending over to take off his boots made his head throb harder than it already was. He figured she’d forgive him if he didn’t, this one time.

  “Sit down and I’ll make coffee.” She gestured toward a small couch.

  Grateful, he sank into the cushions and leaned his head back. He couldn’t believe how zapped his energy was. He had to get better fast. His mind ran through calculations all morning and it seemed his chances of getting enough prize money to secure the Kincaid place were looking slimmer and slimmer. Missing out on Sunday afternoon’s finals hadn’t helped, but at least he’d taken first place on Saturday night. Still, he needed next weekend for sure.

  “Here you go.”

  He forced his eyes open as Carrie set a mug of coffee and a plate of cookies on the table. She sank to the couch next to him and tucked her feet up under her as she turned.

  Her fingers sifted into his hair. “You look exhausted.”

  He forced himself to sit up and sip the hot coffee. “I’m fine.”

  She’d remembered exactly how he liked it and even the chocolate cookies were his favorite. God, he’d missed her taking care of him. As much as he hated to admit it, having her with him last year had been amazing. It was the little things he’d missed about her that hurt the most. He set the mug back on the table. She seemed unsure of what to do or say, and he knew how she felt. They were on dangerous ground here. No matter how much they said they loved each other, and how much they physically wanted to be together, what was going to happen when he hit the road again? Would she be able to stick it out?

  How long before he broke down and told her about the ranch and that he was hoping to retire in the next year? Maybe sooner. “I don’t have to stay here. Grey said I could go there, or I could certainly stay by myself.”

  “Don’t you want to be here?” Her eyes filled with hurt.

  He held her gaze, wanting nothing more than to grab her and haul her into his arms. He swallowed, wanting to pick the right words. “You leaving me in Cheyenne was the worst pain I’ve ever been in. I’m not real excited about setting myself up for that again.”

  “I didn’t leave you in Cheyenne. You left me.”

  He shrugged. “Whatever way you see it, we ended and it hurt. I’m not convinced that…”

  Suddenly she was on her feet, and he braced himself for her tossing him out on his ear. Instead, she began to matter-of-factly unbutton her blouse. He frowned and then his eyes grew wide as the soft cotton hung open revealing a very scant, very lacy, pale pink bra.

  “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to talk about the past anymore.” She flipped the front clasp of her bra open and her breasts spilled free.

  Dusty’s mouth went dry. Carrie held his gaze and smiled a slow, sexy smile. She moved until she stood in front of him and then straddled his thighs and lowered herself to his lap. She wiggled herself into a comfortable position, her breasts bouncing with her movements. She leaned into him and pressed her open mouth against his neck, nuzzling his skin and kissing him below his earlobe. Her hands skimmed down his chest to the bottom of his T-shirt, then slipped underneath to his bare skin.

  “The doctor ordered lots of rest. I think I should get you into bed.”

  Dusty cupped her breasts and brushed his thumbs across her hard nipples. Carrie arched her back, thrusting them further into his hands. He molded them in his palm, reacquainting himself with their softness. “Bed does sound like the right place to be right now.”

  She pushed away from him, but grabbed his hand and pulled until he followed. Leaving the coffee and cookies behind, he followed her down the tiny hall to her bedroom. Carrie didn’t turn on the light, and with the blinds closed, only a sliver of afternoon light shone through. She bent over to pull the covers down and Dusty couldn’t help but reach for her. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and grasped her breasts as she snuggled tight up against his erection. She straightened and reached her arms behind her to touch his face as her head turned so he could capture her lips.

  He rolled her velvet-soft nipples between his thumb and finger and she shivered and gave a long sigh of pleasure. How he’d missed the sounds she made when he touched her!

  Releasing her mouth, he kissed her neck, his hand drifting down her flat stomach to the front of her pants. He unsnapped her jeans and shoved his hand into her panties, loving how wet she already was with wanting him. He stroked between her legs and she cried out, groaning his name. Lightly he bit her neck, tasting her salty skin and inhaling the scent of the lotion he long ago thought he’d never smell again.

  Carrie twisted around in his arms, and her hands found his
zipper and quickly drew it down. He jerked his T-shirt up and over his head, wincing as he caught the stitches in his haste. Carrie sat on the edge of the bed and slipped her jeans off. She smiled as he leaned over her, resting a hand on either side as he bent her down to the bed, her legs dangling off the side.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he kissed her as he braced himself above her. Her mouth was eager and hot, and he stroked her tongue with his own as she drew his into the hot recesses of her mouth. Dusty made his way down her body, kissing her breasts, her stomach, and finally the soft curls between her legs. The room began to spin and, try as he might, Dusty couldn’t ignore the way his head thudded.

  He straightened slowly. “I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but I need to lie down.”

  Immediately she was concerned and tried to sit up away from him. “Are you okay?”

  He stood up. “I just need to lie down, but don’t think for a minute we’re stopping.”

  “I get to be on top?”

  She stood up and he stretched out on the bed, shoving pillows behind his head so he was half-sitting. “I like the view better this way anyway.” He wiggled his eyebrows as she straddled his legs. He lifted her breast to his mouth, suckling hard in the way he knew made her half-crazy.

  Carrie cried out and pressed closer, her moist heat between her legs rubbing against his erection. He bucked up, urging her to take him inside her.

  With her panties still on, Carrie slid along his length and stroked herself with his hardness. Dusty growled and took her other breast in his mouth, licking her nipple and nipping gently with his teeth as she was merciless in her assault on him. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore, and reached between them, tugging at the lace panties until she squealed.

  “Don’t rip them. I’ll do it.”

  “Quick,” he gasped as he waited impatiently for her to get rid of the obstacle he didn’t want between them.

  Carrie opened her nightstand drawer.

  Dusty watched her pull out a package. “Why do you have condoms in there?”