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

“Doesn’t matter to me,” Cooper said, following her into the room. He pushed his hat back on his head, then jammed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans as he rocked back on his heels. “Take the one you want and I’ll take what’s left. I’ll move your luggage in the morning.”

  “All right.”

  She gathered her nightgown, slippers and robe into one arm, traded him the lantern for the flashlight and walked down the short hall to enter the first bedroom she came to. Stopping short as the beam of light flashed across the bed, she bit her lip to keep a hysterical giggle from escaping. Life just kept getting more bizarre with each passing minute.

  Leaning back around the door, she called, “Uh…Cooper, we have a slight problem.”

  “What’s wrong? Did you see another critter? I swear I checked—”

  “No.” She couldn’t keep from laughing. It was just too unreal to be believed. “I think this problem is a lot bigger.”

  “What makes you think that?” he asked, walking toward her with the lantern. The light cast his features into sharp relief and accented the frown furrowing his brow. He was the best-looking man she’d seen in years. Maybe ever.

  Shaking her head to dispel the wayward thought, she pointed into the room. “Unless I’m mistaken, that’s chunks of the ceiling on top of my bed.”

  Shouldering past her, he raised the lantern to get a better look. Pieces of plaster and dust covered the entire double bed. He suddenly let loose with a string of curses that all but turned the air blue and ended with a threat to do bodily harm to Whiskers Penn.

  When he stopped cursing, he looked thoroughly disgusted. “The roof must have leaked, water collected behind the plaster—”

  “And it gave way,” Faith finished for him, unable to stop giggling.

  He eyed her like she might be suffering from hysteria. “Do you feel all right?” he finally asked, ushering her into the bedroom that would have been his. “Maybe you should lie down.”

  Nodding, she wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes. “I’m fine, but this whole day has been a disaster.”

  He stared at her a moment longer, then threw back his head and laughed with her. “It has been like something out of a bad movie, hasn’t it?”

  “So what do we do now?” she asked, yawning.

  “Nothing.” He sat down on the side of the bed and took off his boots.

  What on earth was the man up to? she wondered.

  Cooper stood up in the middle of the bed and poked at the ceiling. “This one’s fine,” he said, stepping back down on the floor. “No signs of weakness, so you should be safe from any more falling plaster. You take this bed and I’ll bunk down in the living room.”

  “But—”

  “Don’t argue.” He walked to the door. “You need sleep,” he said, his low sexy drawl sounding like a caress. “Good night.”

  “Nite.”

  In the silence that followed the quiet click of the door, Faith felt the last traces of her energy drain away. Her arms and legs suddenly felt like lead weights and she was too tired to think about this latest turn of events, let alone how to deal with it.

  Slowly changing into her nightgown, she crawled between the cool sheets. She tried to free her mind and forget everything about the entire day. But as soon as she closed her eyes, a tall, sexy Texan with eyes bluer-than-sin and a voice that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, filled her mind and beckoned her into the welcome respite of sleep.

  Cooper whistled an off-key version of a popular Garth Brooks song while he propped the ladder against the side of the house. He hoped like hell the ladder didn’t sink in the mud. But while there was a break in the weather, he needed to get plastic on the east side of the roof. He’d much rather be slapping shingles in place, but the way the clouds were gathering up in the northwest, he’d be lucky to get the sheeting nailed in place before the sky opened up and poured again.

  Once he climbed onto the roof, he quickly unrolled the plastic and began nailing it down. Halfway through the task he realized someone was calling his name. Peering over the edge of the roof, he spotted Faith standing with her doubled fists propped on her shapely hips, a scowl on her pretty face. She’d pulled on the baggy black sweat suit and it looked as if a lover’s hands had been tangled in her long auburn hair. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman look quite so sexy.

  “Morning,” he said, grinning down at her.

  “What in all that’s holy do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, her voice still husky from sleep.

  “Fixing the roof.”

  She didn’t smile back. “What time is it?”

  Cooper checked his watch. “It’s a little past seven. I could tell how tired you were last night. That’s why I didn’t wake you for breakfast. I thought I’d let you sleep in.”

  “And just how did you think I’d be able to sleep with you banging on the roof above my head?” she asked, giving him a look that clearly stated she didn’t think he had enough sense to pour water out of a boot with the directions on the heel.

  “Uh, sorry about that.” He ran his hand across the back of his neck. He hadn’t even thought about waking her. “I’m used to Whiskers being around. He can sleep through anything. And I wanted to get this plastic on before it rained again.”

  Fat raindrops began to make little plopping noises on the heavy plastic and the wind suddenly picked up. The end of the sheeting he hadn’t yet tacked down began to flap wildly. Cooper lunged to keep the wind from tearing loose the end he’d already nailed in place. In the process, he lost his grip on the hammer. He watched it slide down the roof, then heard it drop to the soft dirt below.

  “Damn,” he muttered. How was he going to hold the plastic and climb down for the hammer?

  “Lose something?” Faith asked.

  Her voice sounded close. Too close.

  He glanced over his shoulder and his heart came up in his throat. She’d just finished climbing the ladder and was crawling on all fours up the slope of the roof toward him.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, lady?” he demanded, holding his breath until she was sprawled out on top of the plastic beside him. She was afraid of harmless critters, but she’d scaled a ladder to lend him a hand? Maybe she was more gutsy than he’d first thought. “You could fall and break your neck.”

  “You’re very welcome, Mr. Adams,” she said, handing him the hammer. “Now hush and get this thing nailed down while I hold it. I’d like to get off the roof before we both get soaked.”

  Taking the tool from her, Cooper quickly nailed the sheeting. “Okay, it’s done,” he said, pounding the last nail into place. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” She sat up and began to make her way toward the ladder, but hadn’t gone more than a few inches before she started sliding on the wet plastic. “Ooh…”

  Cooper quickly reached out, circled her waist with his arm and hauled her to him. “Careful, darlin’. We’ll have to take this slow or we’ll both wind up flat on our backs on the ground.”

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His heart felt as if it was in his throat as he held her close. What would have happened if he hadn’t been able to catch her before she slid down the slope of the roof? With no transportation and no way to call for help, it could have been disastrous.

  The heat of her slender body pressed to his chest, the feel of her breasts resting on his forearm and the scent of her peach shampoo where her hair tickled his nose, quickly turned his thoughts from what had almost happened to what he’d like to have happen.

  Cooper suddenly felt as if he’d already taken a dive off the roof and landed on his head. Damn but the woman smelled good. Felt good in his arms.

  “What do we do now?” she asked, sounding breathless.

  He threw the hammer over the side of the roof, shifted her to sit between his thighs, then wrapped both of his arms around her middle. “We’re going to take this real slow and scoot our way over to the ladder.”

  He felt he
r spine stiffen at the intimate contact of her bottom resting so intimately against the most vulnerable part of him, but placing her hands on his forearms, she nodded.

  Slowly, carefully maneuvering them toward the ladder, Cooper felt his lower body awaken to the fact that a delectable, feminine rear was rubbing against it. His problem must have registered with her, too, because she stopped scooting to glare at him over her shoulder.

  “Mr. Adams—”

  “I don’t like it any more than you do,” he lied, interrupting what he figured to be a strongly worded warning. He wasn’t about to tell her that he was having a hell of a time fighting the urge to throw caution to the wind and seduce her right here on the roof. She’d probably throw him over the side herself if she found out.

  “There’s nothing I can do about it,” he tried explaining. “You’re a beautiful woman and I’m a flesh and blood man, not a damned saint.”

  Faith’s cheeks burned. It seemed that every time she turned around she found herself in Cooper’s arms. How on earth did she manage to get herself into these predicaments anyway? More than that, why was her body responding to his?

  As soon as he’d caught her from sliding off the roof, tiny currents of electrical impulses had streaked through her to form a coil deep in the pit of her stomach. The feel of his changing body pressed to her backside tightened the coil and reminded her that she hadn’t been held by a man, loved by a man, for well over a year.

  Giving herself a mental shake, she took a deep breath in hopes of steadying her voice and nerves. “Let’s just get down from here and out of this rain.”

  “Works for me,” he said, tightening his hold on her and carefully scooting them both toward the edge of the roof. Reaching their destination, he lifted her to lie beside him. “I’m going down first. If you slip on the wet rungs, I’ll be there to catch you.” He lifted his hand to brush her cheek with his knuckles. “I promise I won’t let you get hurt.”

  His statement set off alarm bells deep within her soul. But his warm breath feathering over her cheek, sent shivers of excitement down her spine. She watched his blue gaze darken to navy and his lips part as he stared down at her. The warning signals seemed to fade considerably.

  “I want to kiss you,” he said simply.

  “That wouldn’t be wise.”

  He shook his head. “Probably not. Would you stop me if I did?”

  The alarm bells went completely silent, and instead of nodding that she would stop him, she shook her head.

  “Do you want me to kiss you, Faith?”

  “Yes.”

  Yes? Had she lost the last of what little sense she had left? They were stretched out on a rooftop, it was raining buckets and she’d just told him she wanted his kiss.

  Faith watched Cooper push his hat back, then slowly, deliberately move closer. She could tell he was giving her the chance to change her mind, to call a halt to this insanity. But she found she really did want his kiss, wanted to feel his firm lips pressed to hers, wanted to know the taste of him.

  Her breath caught and she closed her eyes as his mouth descended to hers. Warm, firm and oh so exciting, the contact caused sparkles of light to flash behind her closed lids and she felt as if the roof shifted beneath her.

  Cooper coaxed her to open for him and she couldn’t have stopped herself if her life depended on it. She wanted his kiss, wanted to feel his tongue mate with hers. Heaven help her, but it had been so very long since she’d tasted a man’s desire, felt his body respond to hers.

  He slid his hand from her hip, beneath the tail of her sweatshirt and up her ribs to the swell of her breast. Cupping the weight with his large hand, he teased the hardened tip with his thumb. “You’re not wearing a bra.”

  “I…didn’t have time…to put one on,” she said, her head spinning from the sensations his touch created.

  “I’m glad,” he said huskily.

  His callused palm felt absolutely wonderful on her sensitized skin and she couldn’t stop a small moan from escaping. The long forgotten sound of her own passion startled her. What in the name of heaven was she doing? Had she completely lost her mind?

  She had to spend the next week with this man. Falling into his arms, welcoming his kiss, spelled disaster at any time. But the day after her arrival? It was pure insanity.

  “Please let me go,” she said, pushing against his chest.

  He allowed her to sit up, but didn’t let go of her arms. “Don’t be upset, darlin’. A little kiss among friends never hurt anyone.”

  Faith felt as if she’d been dumped into a tub of ice water. She knew better than anyone how deadly a kiss among friends could be, how it could destroy lives. Two years ago, her husband’s affair with her best friend had started with a friendly little kiss under the mistletoe at the staff Christmas party where they all worked.

  Cooper had said that he wouldn’t let her get hurt and she had no doubt he would keep her safe physically. But there were other types of hurt. She had firsthand knowledge of how emotional pain lasted longer and left deeper scars than any physical injury ever could.

  The warning signals were practically screaming at her to run as hard and fast as she could. To put as much distance as possible between herself and Cooper Adams.

  Pulling from his grasp, Faith scooted herself to the ladder and began her descent to the ground. She had a feeling he was completely unaware of the effect he had on women, of how his very presence charged the atmosphere with enough electricity to light a small city. The fact that he’d turned that energy her way, scared her to death.

  “Faith, wait a minute,” she heard him call from above.

  She ignored his request and continued to scurry down the ladder. She needed to put distance between them. She had to get her equilibrium back.

  No sooner had she thought of regaining her mental balance, than her foot slipped on the wet rung and she fell the last few feet to the ground. She landed hard on her right foot, but ignoring the numb, cold feeling that followed, she started for the house. She’d only taken a couple of steps when a searing pain shot through her ankle and up her calf. Crying out, she stumbled and would have fallen if not for the two strong arms scooping her up and cradling her to a wide chest.

  She gazed at the man holding her. Cooper’s bluer-than-sin eyes were filled with nothing but kindness and concern.

  Tears blurred her vision and she buried her face in the side of his neck. Would she never stop making a fool of herself in front of this man?

  Four

  W hen Cooper scooped Faith into his arms, she pressed her face to the side of his neck and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. It just about tore him apart.

  She’d scared the living hell out of him when she’d jerked from his arms and started down the ladder. Visions of her falling and being seriously injured had flashed through his mind and he’d immediately started down after her. But when she fell, he’d swear he aged a good ten years.

  Any way he looked at it, he was responsible for her falling. He’d known how jumpy she’d become after feeling his body respond to hers. But like a damned fool, he’d reacted with his hormones instead of his good sense. He’d given into the temptation that had eaten at him since he first watched her get out of Bubba’s truck. And she’d gotten hurt because of it.

  “It’s going to be okay, darlin’,” he said, shouldering open the kitchen door.

  “Please put me down.”

  “No.”

  “I can walk,” she insisted. Her warm breath on the side of his neck caused him to clench his jaw so tight he thought he’d most likely crack a couple of teeth.

  She might be able to walk, but Cooper wasn’t real positive that he could for all that much longer. “Are you sure?” he asked.

  When she nodded, her silky hair brushed the side of his jaw. His blood pressure shot up several points and his lungs refused to take in air.

  Setting her on her feet, he asked, “Are you certain you’re okay?”

  “Yes.” She started
to limp toward the living room, but in her haste she bumped into the edge of their makeshift table.

  Cooper caught her before she fell and swung her up into his arms once again. She pressed her face to his shoulder and Cooper felt every one of his protective instincts spring to life, as well as every one of his hormones.

  Heading straight for the bedroom she’d used the night before, he gently placed her on the rumpled sheets. He tried not to think about how her slender body had felt pressed to his chest, or how much he’d like to crawl into bed next to her, take her into his arms and…

  Stepping away from the bed, he started backing his way out of the room. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Don’t bother,” she said, throwing her arm across her eyes. “I’d rather die by myself.”

  Apprehension tightened his gut. He hadn’t thought she’d been injured that seriously. “Die? I thought you said—”

  “Of humiliation,” she said, sounding disgusted.

  Cooper was relieved to hear her sense of humor had returned. “You’re embarrassed?”

  She nodded, but kept her eyes covered with her arm. “You probably won’t believe this, but I’m normally a very sensible, very ‘together’ person.” She paused to take a deep, steadying breath. “And I’m never clumsy.”

  “Never?”

  She lifted her arm to glare at him. “Never.”

  Cooper wisely suppressed his smile. At least her spirit was intact. “I’m going to get the first-aid kit. I’ll be right back.”

  Turning, he retraced his steps to the living room to rummage through one of the duffel bags Whiskers had left for him. When he found the white metal box filled with medical supplies he always carried, he returned to the bedroom and sat down on the bed beside her.

  “Let’s get this shoe off and see what we’ve got here,” he said, carefully lifting her leg to rest it on his knee.

  He pushed the bottom of her sweatpants up to midcalf and tried not to notice the feel of her satiny skin beneath his palm. Now was not the time for a case of the hots, he reminded himself. That was what had gotten them into this mess in the first place. If he hadn’t acted like a seventeen-year-old with a perpetual hard-on and scared the hell out of her, she wouldn’t have been injured.