Chapter 7
Sawyer looked around his room. His accommodations at the Double C were simple, but adequate. There was a lot more space than his room in the trailer park back home. Full-size bed, nightstand, dresser. There was even a closet to hang his nice shirts. The small building sat next to the barn and had three bedrooms, a small living area, and a tiny kitchen with an ancient electric stove, microwave, and a fridge that mostly held beer and frozen dinners. He lived there with two other ranch hands. It wasn’t much, but it was perfect for him.
There was a knock on his door and Travis poked his head in. “Hey, man. There’s a girl here askin’ for you.”
“Thanks.” He followed him down the hall and found Laney standing in the living room, blanket in one hand, takeout bags in the other. “What’s all this?”
“It’s my turn to pay for dinner, so I grabbed some stuff from the diner and brought a blanket. I saw a perfect picnic spot when I was here last time.”
He opened the door and motioned her toward it. “Lead the way.”
They crossed the property to an old oak tree. She set the bags down and unfolded the blanket, handing him one end. He helped her spread it out.
Laney sat and started pulling things out of the bags. “I have beer,” she said and set a six-pack on the blanket. “Per our alcohol agreement. And here’s dessert.” She set a down a small pan of chocolate-frosted brownies.
“Beer and brownies. That’s all I need.” He sat down next to her.
“I’ve got more.” She flashed that beautiful smile of hers and opened Styrofoam containers filled with cheeseburgers, fries, macaroni and cheese, and onion rings.
“How many people are you trying to feed?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t know what you liked.”
“I like you.”
Her cheeks turns rosey. “I like you, too.”
He leaned to her, his lips caressing the baby-soft skin on her shoulder, her neck. She turned to him and pressed her lips to his, a sweet sigh as he deepened the kiss. Fuck, did that turn him on.
Her stomach growled, transforming their hungry kiss into a fit of giggles.
“Sorry. It all smells so good.”
“Then let’s dig in.”
They ate and talked about their favorite foods and what places they could eat at on future dates. The meals she promised to make him.
“My grandma makes the best fried chicken. She made me learn how to do it when I was twelve. You know southern women and their cooking. But she’s really good. She should have opened a restaurant.” Laney took another bite of her cheeseburger. “What about you? Anyone in your family make anything special?”
Since meeting Laney, she’d told him a few stories about her family, nothing major, but he’d kept quiet about his own. He didn’t have any stories worth telling. Maybe just the one.
“My sister used to make me chocolate chip pancakes every Sunday morning. Sometimes she’d put whipped cream on them. We’d watch cartoons while we ate. But then she left. I haven’t had one since. I was nine, I think.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
He turned away from Laney. “I don’t see her much.”
Desiree had left home when she was a teenager to move in with her boyfriend. He’d only seen her a handful of times after that, but at least there were semi-regular phone calls. He hadn’t heard anything from her since he’d gotten out of jail. Sadly, he didn’t even know if she was alive, neither her nor their mom. But it’s not like he tried to stay in contact either. He’d wanted to forget about his former life, which meant forgetting about the people in it, too.
“I’m sorry.” Laney put her hand on his.
“Don’t be.” He met her saddened gaze. “I have more of a family at the Double C than I ever had growing up. If I’ve learned anything since working here it’s that sharing blood doesn’t make people give a shit about you. It sure as hell doesn’t make them support you when you need it.”
She nodded. “I can definitely relate.”
He didn’t push her for an explanation. He sure didn’t want to give one for his declaration.
“I want to introduce you to someone.”
He stood and held his hand to her, helped her to her feet, then kept her hand in his as he lead her to the far side of the property, the only place that felt like a home to him. The stables.
“This is my family,” he said as he led her inside. “This right here is Randall. He’s the grumpy grandpa type that yells at you to get off his straw. Bobby here is the annoying little brother. Susie Q is the cute baby cousin who has a crush on you.” The white horse peeked over the wooden wall and nuzzled his hand. They passed a few more stalls and he introduced Laney to the other horses. More of the beings that made up his life. “And lastly, this is Cooper. He’s like the brother I never had. A huge pain in the ass at first, it took a long time before we got along. He did not like me for a while.”
Sawyer opened the stall door and stepped in. “Hey, Coop. How’s it goin’?” He stroked the horse’s forehead and he blew out a little snort. “This is Laney.” He motioned her forward.
She hesitantly stepped toward the creature. “That’s gotta be one of the biggest horses I’ve ever seen.”
“He’s a big boy, but very gentle.”
Laney reached and stroked his neck. “He’s gorgeous.”
Cooper seemed to understand and nuzzled her arm.
“He likes you.” Sawyer turned to the horse. “Don’t be trying to steal my girl.”
They petted him and brushed him, gave him some carrots and apples. “Ready to go for a ride?” Sawyer asked.
“Now?”
“Yeah. Sunset is the best time.”
“But I’m not a good rider.”
“That’s fine. We can ride him together.”
Sawyer saddled Cooper and helped Laney up on him. He adjusted the stirrups to fit then climbed up behind her. Reigns in one hand, he led Cooper out of the stable. They walked the trail along the ranch’s property line, a soft breeze blowing around them. Her hair tickled his skin. He moved it to the side, unable to resist her exposed neck, and leaned to place a kiss there. She turned to him, her gaze locked on his, full of desire.
He let Cooper nibble on some tall grass and dropped the reigns. He cupped Laney’s cheek and leaned into her kiss. If he’d thought the kiss last night was soul-shattering, that had been nothing. Out here, this was his world, where he belonged. And he was so glad he could share it with her.
*
If Laney had ever thought to make a kissing bucket list, on a horse would be number one and it was now officially checked off. With a huge star next to it. And maybe a few doodled hearts. That had been one of the most romantic moments of her life. The setting sun, the warm breeze. The perfect guy who could kiss like nobody’s business.
They headed back toward the stable, the sun setting lower with each passing minute. Sawyer continued to nibble at her neck in between laughter and conversation. She wished she could turn to him, pull him into her embrace, feel more of his skin than just his hand on her waist.
Laney had enjoyed the ride, but had never been more grateful to see the stable. Sawyer dismounted then helped her down. He removed the saddle and made sure his “brother” had water.
Sawyer stepped toward her and took both of her hands in his. “Did you have fun?”
“I did.” She stood tall, pecked his lips, and asked, “Is that a clean pile of straw over there?”
He eyed her quizzically. “Yes.”
“Good.” She yanked him toward it and pulled him down with her.
His lips found hers immediately and she wasted no time in doing exactly what she wanted, what she’d been dreaming about since last night. She yanked his tee shirt over his head and rubbed her hands over mounds of muscle, earned through years of hard-ass labor. His hands roamed her body, too, but she yearned for more. She wanted to feel him pressed against her bare breasts. Tonight there’d be no begging. She’d make her
desires happen.
Laney tore herself away from his greedy kiss, just for a moment, to pull her tank top from her sweaty body and toss it to the side. She reconnected with him, his hands going exactly where she wanted them to. He had her bra off in two seconds flat. She gasped as his hand captured one of her breasts, rougher than she’d expected.
He pulled back, panic in his features. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she purred. “I liked it.”
Laney wrapped her legs around him, and gave herself permission to go further. Her hands caressed his strong back and moved lower to his ass. My God! Pure muscle. She could only imagine how it would feel without the layers of fabric between them. Soon.
“Whoa! Sorry! Just came in to check on something.”
Laney froze at the stranger’s voice. Sawyer looked over his shoulder but held her close to hide her body from the intruder’s view. He was already gone, but had sure as hell killed the mood.
Sawyer chuckled. “I’m gonna kick his ass.”
“It’s okay. It’s my fault for choosing a public place to get naked.”
He reached for her things and handed them over, then pulled his own tee back over his head. Standing, he held his hand to her and pulled her up. More chuckles as he removed bits of straw from her hair.
“I must look awful,” she said and reached for the mess on her head.
“I think you look sexy as hell.” He bent to her and placed another sizzling kiss on her lips. “We should go clean up our picnic.”
She followed him to the blanket, hand in hand. They collected the garbage and leftover food that was probably covered in ants and tossed it all in the plastic bags from the diner. Sawyer took the garbage and Laney picked up the blanket. She dug through her purse for her keys and heard the text alert on her phone. Pulling it out, she saw the lock screen was covered with notifications. Ten texts and three voicemails. Oh my God. Holy Shit! All from her client for this weekend’s wedding.
Call me!
Where are you?
I need you asap. Call me!
“Everything okay?” Sawyer asked, obviously noticing her panic.
“No.” She put the phone to her ear and listened to the first voicemail.
“Laney, this is Michelle. I’m freaking out here. My future monster-in-law is complaining about the corsage we picked out for her and she’s demanding that I let Bobby’s little sister be a bridesmaid. Call me.”
“Laney, Michelle again. I guess I have four bridesmaids now. So I need another bouquet. Call me so I know you got this.”
“Laney! I’m going insane over here! Now his mother is insisting she have a mini bouquet instead of a wrist corsage. Do people even do that? She’s being ridiculous. Help me!”
Terror ripped through Laney’s gut as she hit the callback button.
“Finally!” Michelle’s voice roared through the earpiece. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all night!”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t have my phone on me.”
“Well, that’s pretty stupid. You told me you’d be there any time I needed.”
“I know. And I’m really sorry. It will never happen again.”
“Fine. I handled the problem without you.” Her words sliced Laney’s ear like a razorblade. “Add an extra bridesmaid’s bouquet and make a silly little bouquet for his mom, too. But use crappy flowers like carnations or something.”
“Okay. I’ll make the changes to your order.”
“Good. And I assume there will be some kind of discount to compensate for your unprofessionalism?”
“Absolutely. I’ll let you know what the new balance is as soon as possible.”
“You better.”
The line went dead and Laney could finally breathe.
“That sounded bad,” Sawyer said as he stepped to her, his hands to her waist.
She moved away from him, her eyes stinging, tears threatening. “It was really bad.”
“I’m sorry.” He tried to touch her again.
“I have to go.”
He followed her as she trotted toward her car. “Laney, wait.”
She said nothing as she popped her trunk and tossed the blanket in, then stepped toward the driver’s side door.
“Talk to me. Let me help you.”
She faced him as tears trailed down her cheeks. “You can’t. All you’re gonna do is mess things up more. This is exactly why I didn’t want to go out with you to begin with. I can’t get distracted. I need to make this work. I need to succeed. And all you are is a huge distraction for me.” Laney opened her door, sat, slammed it shut, and turned the ignition.
Her window was open, and even over the rumble of her deteriorating muffler she heard him say, “I’m sorry.”
She knew he was looking at her. She couldn’t bear to see the hurt in his eyes. Just get the fuck out of here.
Laney put the car in drive and headed for town. She’d vowed not to repeat her past mistakes, but here she was, doing it again. But it ended now. Her moments of weakness, indulgence, and stupidity were over. Whatever she had with Sawyer, regardless of how happy it made her, was over.
Chapter 8
Laney woke Thursday morning, her day off from the coffee shop, after sleeping in. Or trying to. She hadn’t slept well at all the last couple of nights. Not after her disaster date with Sawyer. Her shift at the coffee shop had been spent in a fog and even a double espresso had done nothing to help her.
Sawyer hadn’t stopped in. Part of her had hoped he would, but this was for the best. That night had been a dramatic reminder of why she didn’t want to get involved with him to begin with. She needed to stay focused. If she allowed her emotions to take over, let herself get swept away…it would all set her up to fail.
Laney got out of bed. She had work to do. She was determined to blow this bride away and make up for her mistakes. She had to. She needed this bride to be happy and refer all her friends.
She showered and dressed and checked the tracking on her flower shipment. There were no local floral wholesalers like there had been when she’d worked in Dallas, so Laney’s only option was online fresh floral companies who shipped their flowers direct to the customer. It worked well and the quality was good. When she entered her tracking number, she saw the flowers had already been delivered. Two hours ago. Shit! Were her boxes sitting outside in the Texas sun?
Laney dashed out her door and ran down the stairs. She looked around. Nothing. Fuck! Had someone stolen them? She needed to think rationally. The hardware store. She stepped inside and tried to remain calm as she asked about her flowers. Nope. They didn’t have them. Heart already racing, she ran back upstairs and grabbed her phone to call UPS and find out where they were. She happened to glance at her computer screen and the shipping address. It was listed as 859 Main Street instead of 589. There’s the damn problem!
Laney got in her car and drove down the street. She didn’t know how far three hundred numbers was and she wouldn’t be able to carry her boxes several blocks. She found number 859, the barbershop. Black and white checkered floor, chairs that looked like they were a century old, the place was more of a hangout for the 70 plus crowd.
“Can I help you, darlin’?” A man in a white coat asked.
“I think my flower shipment was delivered here by mistake.”
“That must be what those boxes are in back. Let me get ‘em for ya.” A moment later he returned with one long, narrow box. “There’s five more back there.”
“Thank you so much!” Laney followed him and a few of the men helped her load them into her trunk and back seat of her car. Finally Laney’s heart returned to a normal beating pattern.
“Oh, wait. There’s one more little one.”
She followed the men back inside, got her last box, and headed for the exit.
Crash!
Laney pushed on the door and panic filled her. Her body went numb and she thought she might faint. The box of orchids slipped from her hands and landed
at her feet. A big rusty truck was now lodged in the rear end of her car. The trunk was completely smashed in, the back seat pushed up to the front.
This isn’t happening.
There were sirens in the distance, but all Laney could do was stare at the mess in front of her, envision her destroyed flowers.
“What’s going on?” a voice asked. It was familiar and comforting.
She turned to find Sawyer behind her, and she lost it. Sobs overtook her body. He pulled her into his embrace, smoothing her hair, rubbing her back, whispering words she didn’t believe but needed to hear.
“We’ll fix it. Everything will be okay. It will all work out.”
He stayed by her side while she gave the sheriff the information he needed. When the tow trucks had taken away both wrecked vehicles and the gawkers had dispersed, the town went back to its normal day, but Laney was left with a huge mess.
“So what’s the plan?” Sawyer asked.
She looked up at him, still numb. “I don’t know.”
“Is there another flower place nearby where you can get stuff?”
She breathed deep and closed her eyes, an attempt to clear her head and get her brain to work. “The closest one I know of is outside Dallas.”
“Let’s go.” He started to walk away.
“But it’s a two hour drive.”
“And?”
“I can’t ask you to do that.” Not after what had happened the other night. The way she’d pushed him out of her life.
“You’re not askin’. I’m offerin.’”
Laney was out of options. “Thank you,” she managed, more tears finding her eyes.
He took her into his arms again, a kiss to her forehead. “It will be okay.”
And she truly believed him.
The drive flew by with brief moments that felt as if nothing had changed. They talked, even laughed a few times. He pulled the truck into the parking lot for the flower market and she expected him to stay there while she shopped, but he got out.
“You don’t need to come in with me.”
“Maybe I want to. I’m curious to see what a flower market looks like.” He flashed the grin that made her knees weak.
Lone Star Burn: Broncos & Bouquets (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 4