Best of Cowboys Bundle

by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Barbara White Daille, Judy Christenberry, Christine Wenger, Shirley Rogers, Crystal Green, Nina Bruhns, Candance Schuler, Carole Mortimer

  What the hell had gotten into him? He’d never in his life felt the need to impress a woman with his physique. He hadn’t needed to. From about the age of fifteen he’d pretty much had all the female attention he wanted or—for that matter—could handle.

  He frowned. It had to have been a case of temporary insanity. That’s all it could be. He’d been working so hard lately, he hadn’t had the time to think about a woman, let alone be with one. And finding himself stranded on a deserted ranch with a beautiful female after a long dry spell wasn’t going to make the next several days any easier. Not by a long shot.

  Satisfied that he’d discovered the reason for his irrational behavior, Cooper shucked his muddy jeans and toweled himself dry. He could tell she didn’t like the attraction any better than he did. But that didn’t change the fact that it was there. They just had to ignore it.

  That might be easier said than done, though. Faith had put on a sweat suit, and Cooper would bet his last dollar it was an attempt to lessen her appeal. He chuckled. She had no idea that even if it was baggy fleece, she made black look good. Real good.

  When his body reminded him of the way she’d felt sitting on his lap, he shook his head. That line of thinking was not going to help the situation one damned bit.

  Pulling on a dry set of clothes, he forced himself to look around his new home. If anything could douse a case of the hots and get his mind back on track, it was all the work he had ahead of him. Cooper wandered into one of the three bedrooms and discovered that he’d get a lot of the repairs done while they were stranded.

  Whiskers had planned quite well and thought of just about everything. New panes of glass for the broken windows were propped against the walls awaiting installation, gallon buckets of paint for both the inside and outside of the house were stacked in one corner and several squares of shingles to fix the roof were stacked in another. A tool belt with a hammer, tape measure and caulking gun, along with several boxes of nails and an assortment of handsaws were piled on top of a stack of plywood resting on sawhorses. Two large rolls of heavyweight plastic with a note attached rounded out the supplies.

  Fencing supplies in the barn. Have a good time. Whiskers.

  “Crazy old coot,” Cooper muttered, relieved to find the other bedrooms had double beds with comfortable looking mattresses. At least, he’d get a good night’s sleep after working himself day and night trying to get the place livable.

  “Did you find candles or something we could use for light?” Faith called. He listened to her poke around in the kitchen, opening drawers and closing cabinet doors.

  “I’ll check,” he said, grabbing a roll of plastic and the tool belt. He tucked them under his arm and walked back into the kitchen. When Faith raised a brow, he explained, “After I help you find some type of light, I’m going to tack up some of this plastic to keep the heat in and the rain from blowing through the broken windows.”

  He put the tool belt and plastic to one side, opened the boxes and started pulling items out. Handing Faith a handful of candles and a camping lantern, he turned back to the cartons. “Looks like Whiskers left us a camp stove for cooking,” he said, setting the item on the counter.

  “Tell me he left a can opener in there somewhere,” she said, eyeing several cans. “If he didn’t, we’re in bigger trouble than he is.”

  “You planning on giving him a piece of your mind?” When she nodded, Cooper laughed and held up a can opener. “He’s off the hook on this one, but you’ll have to stand in line. I have first dibs on his ornery old hide.”

  “How long have you known Mr. Penn?” she asked, taking the can opener and several other kitchen utensils he’d removed from the boxes. She placed them on the counter. “Does he do things like this very often?”

  Cooper handed her a bag of rags and a spray bottle of all-purpose cleaner he’d found at the bottom of the box. “Not really. Not since…”

  His voice trailed off as he thought of the last time Whiskers had pulled a stunt like this. It had been with Cooper’s sister Jenna and Flint McCray. The old geezer had purposely glossed over the news of a storm warning in order to strand them in a remote line shack. And Whiskers had even tried to get Cooper to help him. Cooper gulped as he stared at Faith’s back. Jenna and Flint had just celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.

  When Whiskers called to say he was on his way to the Rocking M, Cooper had been so angry he hadn’t given much thought to the old man’s reasons for stranding them. Now that he’d calmed down, Cooper knew exactly what the old goat had up his sleeve. Whiskers was trying to get them together for a trip down the aisle.

  “Not since when?” Faith asked, spraying the cleaner and wiping down the insides of the cabinets with the rags.

  “Not…” Cooper had to clear the gravel from his throat before he could finish speaking. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just say it’s been a long time and leave it at that.”

  She stopped cleaning and turned to look at him. “Do you think his age has something to do with his behavior?”

  “Could be,” Cooper hedged. “If you can handle things from here, I’m going to get this plastic put up.”

  When she nodded, he hastily picked up the items he needed and headed into the other room. He wasn’t about to tell her that the only thing wrong with Whiskers’s mind was a misguided belief that he needed to play matchmaker and see everyone he knew blissfully hitched.

  Two hours later, Faith looked around to find all the boxes of food had been unpacked and put away. After Cooper had finished putting plastic over the broken windows, he’d helped her by storing the canned goods in the cabinets she’d cleaned. Then he’d tinkered with the hand pump and finally gotten enough water to warm on the camp stove for her to wash the few dishes and cooking utensils they’d found.

  “Looks like Whiskers thought of just about everything,” he said, pulling a blue graniteware coffeepot from one of the cartons. “At least we can start the morning off with a cup of instant daylight.”

  “Why do you call it that?” Faith asked, smiling at his relieved expression.

  “Because one sip of my coffee and the cobwebs are instantly cleared out of your head for the rest of the day,” he said proudly. “Wakes you right up and gets the blood to pumping.”

  Laughing, she took the pot from him and plunged it in the soapy dishwater. “It sounds a little stronger than I care for. I think I’ll pass.”

  “Where’s your sense of adventure?” he asked, grinning back.

  “I lost it…” She checked her watch. “…about three hours ago.”

  He nodded. “I can understand. I guess it was pretty disappointing to find this place in the shape it’s in.” He frowned. “I know I wasn’t too happy about it.”

  “Oh, I was just beside myself,” Faith said dryly. “And then when I found out that I was going to be stranded here for the next week with no electricity it was almost more happiness than I could handle.”

  Cooper chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that did take care of any expectations you had about taking the job.”

  Faith marveled at Cooper’s good-natured attitude. “But I would imagine my disillusionment pales in comparison to yours. My money didn’t pay for this place. Yours did.”

  His grin made her feel warm all the way to her toes. “Well, I will admit that I felt a little discouraged when I first saw it.”

  “A little?”

  Faith could well understand how he must have felt. Her reaction upon seeing the place had been far from thrilled. But to know that your hard-earned money had gone to pay for something that needed as much work as this place did, had to have been extremely disheartening.

  His laughter filled the room. “Okay. You got me on that one. I took one look and felt like I’d taken a sucker punch to the gut. But after I changed clothes, I looked through some of the rooms and it’s not as bad as I first thought. There are three good-sized bedrooms, a big office and a room large enough to put in a whirlpool.”

  “Oh, a long soak
in the tub sounds heavenly,” she said, closing her eyes.

  “Having inside conveniences period, would be nice,” he agreed. “Especially with it raining cats and dogs.”

  Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly. Opening her eyes, she stared at him. “Are you telling me there are no bathroom facilities at all?”

  He nodded. “None.”

  She opened and closed her mouth several times as she tried to digest what he was telling her. “Then how…I mean, where are we—”

  “Outside,” he said, apparently aware of her concerns. “There’s an outhouse about fifty yards—”

  “An outhouse?!” She hated having to discuss something so intimate with a stranger, but it couldn’t be helped.

  He nodded. “Look, I know it’s not the best of conditions, but that doesn’t mean we can’t think of this as an adventure. Try pretending you’re on a camping trip.”

  “Right.” She was beginning to realize just how isolated and primitive their situation was. “Did you find a can of bug spray in any of those cartons?” she asked suddenly.

  “No.” He looked at her like he thought she might be close to losing it. “Why do you want bug spray?”

  “Spiders.” She shuddered. Even the word gave her the creeps and sent a chill snaking up her spine. “I can’t stand them.”

  “Oh, right. I guess there might be a few that have taken up residence in there.”

  “Exactly.” There was no way she’d step foot anywhere that a spider might be lurking about just waiting to pounce on her. She shuddered. And if the spiders around here were like everything else in Texas, they’d be the size of a Volkswagen.

  He walked over to the door and looked out. “The rain’s let up to a steady drizzle, but I don’t think it’s going to stop for a while.” Turning back, he gave her a lopsided grin. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll go out and take care of any eight-legged varmints in there, if you’ll cook supper.”

  “Deal,” Faith said, smiling back at him and extending her hand to seal the bargain.

  The minute he took her hand in his, warmth streaked up her arm to spread throughout her body. His gaze caught hers and she could see by the darkening of his eyes that he’d experienced a similar reaction to their touch.

  Faith jerked her hand back. “If you’ll show me how to light the stove without blowing myself up, I’ll start dinner,” she said, hating the breathless tone of her voice.

  He stood, staring at her for endless seconds before nodding and showing her how to operate the camp stove. Then, without a word, he walked out into the cool, October rain.

  Three

  C ooper watched Faith slowly push back from the makeshift table he’d constructed of plywood on sawhorses. “If you’ll get ‘Old Faithful’ to spout forth some more water, I’ll get these dishes washed,” she said, sounding tired.

  “Nope.” Shaking his head, he got up from the crate he’d been sitting on and walked over to the pump. “You cooked. I’ll take care of cleaning up.”

  “That’s not necessary, Mr. Adams,” she said, gathering their plates to stack them on the cracked countertop. “I’m used to—”

  “The name’s Cooper,” he said, grasping the handle to see if he could coax water from the ancient pump. The first thing he intended to do when he had a means of transportation was to find the nearest hardware store and buy plumbing supplies. “You’ve had a hell of a day and I’m betting you’re pretty tired. Besides, you fulfilled your end of the deal. You cooked.”

  “But the agreement—”

  “I know what the deal was,” he said, pouring rain water he’d collected in a bucket into the apparatus to prime it. It had to be the ultimate irony that you had to have water to get water from old hand pumps, he decided as he moved the metal lever up and down several times until water finally belched forth from “Old Faithful.” Filling a large pot, he set it on the camp stove and lit the burner before turning to face her.

  The combination of fatigue and nerves had taken their toll. She’d yawned several times in the last half hour and a hint of dark circles had appeared under her beautiful brown eyes.

  “Where did you say you’re from?”

  “Illinois.” She covered her mouth against another yawn.

  “When was the last time you slept?”

  “Night before last.” She yawned again. “I was too excited about the trip to sleep last night.”

  He whistled low. “You have to be dead on your feet. Why don’t you get ready and go to bed? While you finished cooking supper, I found some sheets and made both beds. All you have to do is crawl in and crash.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing.” Cooper placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her away from the counter. He quickly turned her loose and did his best to ignore the heated sensation running from his palms, up his arms and gathering in his gut. “Get some rest.”

  He watched her eye the door. “Is it still raining?”

  “No.”

  “Did Whiskers leave a flashlight?”

  “Yes, but why do you—” When she jerked her thumb in the direction of the outhouse, understanding dawned. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

  Handing her the requested light, he busied himself with the dishes as she quietly opened the door and stepped outside. Why did he feel the need to shelter this woman? What was there about Faith Broderick that made him want to take care of her?

  Several times throughout the afternoon and evening he’d detected a quiet reserve about her, a sadness she couldn’t quite hide. Maybe that was why he’d felt his protective instinct rear its head.

  He’d developed that particular trait when he’d been responsible for watching out for his sister, Jenna. After their mother abandoned the family for greener pastures, their dad had lost interest in life, leaving Cooper with no choice but to finish raising himself and his sister. But he’d learned to tamp down any more of his sheltering tendencies with other women. Jenna had pointed out time and again that he tended to be on the overly protective side, and that women didn’t particularly care for that these days.

  Nope. He wasn’t going to get involved or try to help Faith with whatever bothered her. She’d probably tell him to mind his own business anyway.

  The back door suddenly flew open, breaking into his thoughts. White as a sheet and trembling uncontrollably, Faith slammed the door and leaned back against it.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, rushing over to her. He could tell something had terrified her and without a second thought, he wrapped her in his arms. So much for his internal pep talk.

  Sagging against him, she shook her head. “I’m not going back out there.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Didn’t you hear it?” she asked, her voice shaky.

  “Hear what?”

  She pushed back from his chest to meet his gaze. “Something out there is howling like a wounded banshee.”

  Confused, Cooper stared down at her. “I didn’t hear…” He stopped in midsentence. He had heard something, but he was so used to it, the sound hadn’t really registered. “Coyote,” he said, hoping his smile reflected reassurance instead of the physical awareness streaking through his body. “That was just an old coyote yipping at the moon. He didn’t—”

  “Don’t tell me. I know. He didn’t mean any harm.” She pushed from his embrace. “The creatures I’ve encountered so far might not mean to hurt me, but they’ve certainly succeeded in scaring the living daylights out of me.”

  He let her go. She’d felt way too good nestled against him. And that wasn’t going to make the next week any easier. No siree.

  She stood for a moment, staring at the door, then turned to walk into the living room. Realizing she hadn’t had time to reach her outdoor destination, he tried to think of the least embarrassing way to offer his assistance.

  “I’m going that way,” he said, taking the flashlight from her. He was proud of himself for managing to sound nonchalant. “Want to tag along?”

  A blu
sh tinted her pale cheeks, but after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded.

  Ten minutes later, Faith stepped back onto the porch. She truly appreciated Cooper’s consideration for her privacy when they’d reached the outhouse. He’d stood several yards away, making her feel a little better about his accompanying her. But not much.

  She was still embarrassed beyond words over her recent behavior. Normally she took things in stride and let very little frighten her. Hadn’t her ex-husband always called her the strong one in their relationship—The Rock?

  The only explanation she could think of for her uncharacteristic fear had to be exhaustion. And not just from the trip to the ranch, or the disillusionment she’d felt at finding herself stranded here with the sexiest man she’d ever seen.

  No, it had more to do with the emotionally draining events of the past year than anything else. She wished she had a nickel for every piece of small-town gossip and all the instances of humiliation she’d suffered when everybody in the community learned that her husband had left her to marry her best friend. If she did, she’d be a very rich woman and wouldn’t be seeking employment on a run-down ranch in the Texas Panhandle.

  But she’d lived through it, held her head high and ignored as much of it as she could. Only her grandmother knew the true extent of how badly she’d been hurt by her husband and former best friend.

  Faith shook her head and put it out of her mind. Now was the time to move forward, not to look back. No one here knew the circumstances surrounding her divorce, or that her judgment had been seriously flawed. As far as she was concerned, they’d never find out either.

  Taking the battery operated lantern from the middle of the plywood table, she walked into the living room and eyed her suitcases. “Have you decided which bedroom you’re taking?”