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

  She couldn’t have put it more plainly if she’d drawn him a picture. Faith wasn’t interested in a dust-covered cowboy with nothing but a run-down ranch and a pocketful of dreams.

  A pang of disappointment knifed through him. But instead of turning her loose and walking away as far as his legs could take him, he pushed his hat back, then brought his hands up to tangle in her thick auburn hair.

  “What the hell. I never was the brightest bulb in the lamp,” he muttered, drawing her forward to lightly brush his mouth over hers.

  Her lips were soft and receptive, and he couldn’t have stopped himself from deepening the kiss any more than he could stop water from rushing over Niagara Falls. Her sigh of acceptance encouraged him and Cooper parted her lips to slip his tongue inside.

  When he felt her hands tentatively come to rest at his waist, he reached down to take them in his own and bring them up to his shoulders. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her forward and held her to him as he once again tasted and explored her sweet mouth.

  Faith knew she was playing a fool’s game—that her assessment of men had proven too flawed in the past for her to ever trust it again. Unfortunately, with Cooper she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She’d only meant to be helpful when she massaged the knotted muscles in his back, only wanted to help him relieve the pain of the old injury. But the temptation of his warm flesh against her palms had quickly built a fire inside her that was too strong to deny.

  His arms drew her closer and the feel of his hard arousal pressed to her stomach made her knees weak and caused her disturbing introspection to dissipate. Bringing her arms up to circle his neck, she told herself it was only for support, to keep herself from falling in a heap at his feet. But the truth was she wanted to be close to him, wanted to once again feel feminine and desired.

  He lifted the tail of her shirt and skimmed his hand up her ribs to the swell of her breast. His callused palm cupping her, his thumb teasing her hardened nipple sent ribbons of desire swirling through every cell in her body. When had he unhooked her bra?

  She didn’t know and didn’t care. His tongue stroking hers, his hands caressing her sensitive breast with such mastery, felt absolutely wonderful. Never in their four-year marriage could she remember the same degree of pleasure from Eric’s touch that she experienced from Cooper’s.

  When he lifted his head to nibble kisses along her jaw to her ear, she moaned. “This is insane.”

  “You got that right,” he said, his warm breath sending a shiver coursing through her.

  “We can’t—this can’t go any farther.” She wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince herself or Cooper.

  “It won’t,” he said, resting his forehead on hers. “I told you when you first arrived that you had nothing to fear from me.” He took a deep breath, refastened her bra and took his hand from beneath her shirt. “And as much as I’d like to deny it right now, I’m a man of my word. Nothing is going to happen that you don’t want happening, Faith.”

  She started to tell him that he wasn’t the one she didn’t trust, that it was her lack of judgment that scared her witless, but the words died in her throat. A truck was slowly easing its way down the bumpy lane that led to the ranch.

  And for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why she felt nothing but sadness at the thought that they now had a way off the ranch.

  Six

  “I s that your brother-in-law?”

  Cooper glanced over his shoulder to see what had distracted Faith. He mentally cursed a blue streak as he watched a silver truck navigate its way around the many potholes in the dirt road leading to the house.

  “No,” he said, releasing her.

  At any other time, Cooper would have been more than happy to have Brant Wakefield show up. Not only would the man pitch in and help finish the repairs on the corral, he was one of the best friends Cooper ever had. Hell, if not for Brant’s skills as a rodeo bullfighter, Cooper would be pushing up daisies in some graveyard instead of standing there holding the most desirable woman he’d ever known.

  But Brant’s arrival represented a way for Faith to leave the ranch—to leave Cooper. And although having a way off the ranch was exactly what he’d wanted two days ago, it was the very last thing Cooper wanted now.

  “Who is it?” she asked.

  “Brant Wakefield.” Turning to face the approaching truck, Cooper made it a point to stand in front of her while she straightened her shirt. “He’s an old friend of mine.”

  “Well, whoever he is, I’m darned glad to see him,” she said, stepping to Cooper’s side.

  “Me, too,” he lied. He reached over to smooth her silky auburn hair where he’d run his fingers through it.

  “Should I go inside and find a mirror?” she asked as she tried to finger-comb it into place.

  He smiled. “You look beautiful.”

  “No, I mean—”

  “You look just fine,” he assured her.

  He wasn’t about to tell her that her perfect lips were swollen from his kisses or that her cheeks still wore the blush of passion. That would send her running into the house for sure. And, although it was none of the man’s business what went on between himself and Faith, Cooper did want Brant to know she was off limits.

  “Coop, you old dog, how have you been?” Brant called as he slowly got out of his truck.

  “Looks like I’ve been doing better than you, Wakefield,” Cooper said, pointing to the brace on his friend’s knee. “What was the name of the bull and whose butt did you end up saving?”

  Grinning, Brant limped over to where Cooper and Faith stood. “You think you know it all don’t you, Adams?”

  “Am I wrong?” Cooper asked, returning the man’s good-natured grin.

  “Nope.” Sighing, Brant reached down and rubbed his knee. “I had another run-in with Kamikaze.”

  Cooper whistled low. “He’s one of the worst for trying to hook a cowboy when he’s down.”

  “You got that right,” Brant said, nodding. Turning his attention on Faith, he asked, “And who is this lovely lady?”

  Without thinking, Cooper slipped his arm around her waist, then making the introductions, added, “Brant and I go way back. He was the bullfighter who kept The Shredder from finishing me off once he had me down.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Wakefield.” She shook his friend’s hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll let you two gentlemen catch up on old times while I go inside and make sandwiches for lunch. You will be staying, won’t you, Mr. Wakefield?”

  “Sure thing, Ms. Broderick.” The grin Brant sent Faith’s way had Cooper grinding his teeth. “And call me Brant.”

  “Only if you call me Faith,” she said, turning toward the house.

  As she walked away, Cooper swallowed hard. He’d be damned if the woman didn’t have the sexiest walk he’d ever seen. If given the chance, he could watch the sway of her sexy little hips all day long and never get tired of seeing it.

  “Nice view, isn’t it?” Brant asked from his shoulder.

  “Best I’ve ever seen,” Cooper answered without thinking. He could have cut out his own tongue. He might want Brant to steer clear of Faith, but he could do without the man’s good-natured ribbing.

  “So how long have you two been together?”

  “She’s my housekeeper.”

  He watched his friend survey the sagging porch and the plastic covering most of the windows and roof. “Sure. Whatever you say, Coop.” Brant leaned one shoulder against the fence. “Then you wouldn’t mind if I—”

  “Leave her alone, Wakefield,” Cooper warned. Turning, he yanked his shirt off the top rail of the corral and shoved his arms into the sleeves. “You’ve got more than enough women to keep you occupied. You don’t need to add another.”

  When he looked up, Cooper cringed at his friend’s ear-to-ear grin. “You’re a damned liar and we both know it,” Brant said, laughing. “You’ve got a case of the hot and bothereds for the lady that just w
on’t quit. So you might as well ’fess up.”

  Jamming the tail of his shirt into the waistband of his jeans, Cooper shook his head. “You irritate the hell out of me sometimes, Wakefield.”

  Brant threw back his head and laughed. “That’s what Morgan and Colt keep saying.”

  “They’re right, too,” Cooper said, grinning. Maybe if he got Brant to talking about his family, he’d drop the line of questioning about Faith. “How are those ornery brothers of yours?”

  Brant shrugged. “Same as ever. Morgan’s still trying to find out who inherited old Tug Shackley’s ranch so he can buy them out and expand the Lone-tree to the west. And Colt’s joined the Professional Bull Riders.”

  “I thought he was riding broncs,” Cooper said, gathering his hammer and sack of nails.

  “That didn’t work out.” Brant shrugged one shoulder. “He said he didn’t get the same rush out of riding horses that he did from riding bulls.”

  Cooper nodded. “I felt the same way when I was riding.” He watched Brant rub at the brace on his leg. “You never did answer my question. Whose butt did you save from Kamikaze?”

  His friend’s easy grin disappeared immediately. “My dumb brother’s.”

  “Colt?”

  Brant nodded. “Most guys have the sense to turn out when they draw that black-heart beast,” he said, referring to a cowboy’s decision to let the bull out of the bucking chute without making the ride. “But not Colt.”

  “I understand how he felt about a turn out. I’ve only done it a couple of times myself.” Cooper shook his head. “It’s not easy paying your entry fee, then standing by to watch the gate swing open without you on the bull’s back.”

  “I agree. But with some bulls it’s a matter of survival.” Brant stared off into the distance. “I’m just glad I was in the arena that day.”

  “You got a busted up knee out of the deal. What did Colt get?”

  “He walked away without a scratch,” Brant said, grinning.

  Cooper wasn’t surprised. Brant was one of the best bullfighters he’d ever seen.

  “The sandwiches are ready if you two would like to come inside and have lunch,” Faith said, stepping out onto the porch.

  “We’ll be right there,” Cooper called as he and Brant started toward the house. Glancing up at the sky, he noticed that the bank of clouds he’d been watching earlier had changed directions and gone due south. “By the way, what do you have planned for the rest of the day, Wakefield?”

  “Far as I know, I don’t have anything going,” Brant said with a shrug.

  Grinning, Cooper slapped his friend on the back. “You do now.”

  Faith watched the two men finish the last of the sandwiches she’d made. “I guess that answers my question,” she said dryly.

  Cooper wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “What’s that?”

  “Whether or not you two like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” she said, smiling.

  Both men laughed. “In the early days, when we both started out on the rodeo circuit, we lived off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” Cooper said.

  “Don’t forget the times when we’d get a little money ahead and could afford baloney and cheese,” Brant added.

  Cooper grinned. “Or when we’d scrape up enough change from the floorboard of your truck to get a burger at one of the fast-food joints.”

  Brant chuckled. “Yeah, it felt like we were dining at a five-star restaurant.”

  Faith enjoyed listening to the men talk about their days together on the rodeo circuit. But she couldn’t seem to stop herself from comparing the two.

  Physically, they were both tall, handsome beyond words, and had physiques that could cause women to stop dead in their tracks to stare. Both were easygoing and friendly and had blue eyes. But that was where the similarities seemed to end.

  Although Cooper had dark blond hair, while Brant’s was black, that wasn’t what Faith found so different about the two men. It was her reaction to them that had her baffled. When she’d shaken Brant’s hand when he first arrived, she’d experienced none of the warm tingling sensations that she did with Cooper. All Cooper had to do was walk into a room and her heart would start to flutter. And when she looked into his gorgeous blue eyes, she felt as if she might drown.

  Heat flowed through her and she decided it would be in her best interest to concentrate on something besides Cooper and the way he affected her.

  “Did you ever ride bulls, Brant?” she asked, careful to avoid Cooper’s warm gaze.

  “Good lord, no!” He looked shocked. “I’ve got more sense than that. I’ve always been a bullfighter.”

  “I thought that was a Mexican or Spanish sport.” She rose from the table to clear away their plates. “I didn’t realize they had it in rodeo, too.”

  Cooper shook his head. “It’s not that kind of bullfighting, darlin’. Brant puts himself in front of the bull to distract him while a cowboy dismounts and gets out of the way.”

  “That sounds dangerous,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt. Whenever Cooper called her “darlin”’ in that sexy drawl of his, it seemed hard to take in air.

  “It’s not that bad,” Brant said.

  “Don’t let him fool you,” Cooper said, shaking his head. “There are dozens of cowboys who owe their lives to this man, including me. That’s why you’ll never hear a bullrider have anything but praise and gratitude for the job he does.”

  “Aw, shucks, Coop. I never knew how much you cared,” Brant said, grinning mischievously.

  Laughing, Cooper stood up. “Don’t let it go to your head, Wakefield. You’ve already got an ego the size of Texas and I’ll be damned if I’m going to be responsible for making it bigger. I’m surprised you find a hat that fits now.”

  “You’re just jealous ’cause I get all the girls,” Brant said, winking at Faith.

  “Like that little blonde down in Tucson?” Cooper shot back.

  Brant groaned. “You would have to remember that.”

  “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Cooper opened the door and walked out onto the porch. “There was that time over in Albuquerque that you…”

  Faith watched the two men file out the door, their good-natured jibes fading as they walked toward the corral. It was clear to see they were the best of friends and had been for a long time.

  A lump formed in her throat and tears threatened. Until a year ago, she’d had a friend like that. Charlotte Turner and Faith had grown up next door to each other and they’d been as close as any sisters could ever be. She’d been able to trust Charlotte with everything.

  Or so she’d thought.

  But having her oldest and dearest friend use her deepest secret fear that she’d never be able to have a child against her had been almost more than Faith could bear. Charlotte had purposely become pregnant with Eric’s baby because she knew how important having his own child was to him, and because she’d fallen in love with him.

  Sniffling, Faith grabbed the broom and began to sweep the worn hardwood floor. Thinking about her best friend dredged up some of the best memories of her life, as well as the most painful.

  But more than anything else, it proved that her judgment of people never had been reliable.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance as Cooper folded his arms across his chest and proudly gazed at his newly repaired corral. With Brant’s help, Cooper had replaced three fence posts, the rest of the missing rails and hung a new gate. By his calculations, they’d been able to accomplish in a few hours what it would have taken him and Faith at least a full day.

  Cooper pulled his shirt on, then began collecting the tools they’d used. “Thanks for the help, Wakefield. I owe you one.”

  “Hey, man, I had the time and you needed the help,” Brant said, grabbing his own shirt from the top of a post. He looked around. “By the way, what’s the deal here? I thought you told me you’d bought a ranch that needed a little work. This place looks like it will ta
ke a month of Sundays to get into shape.”

  “One word,” Cooper said sardonically.

  Brant chuckled. “You don’t have to tell me. It was Whiskers, wasn’t it?”

  By the time Cooper finished explaining the purchase arrangement for the property and about the scheme the old man had cooked up to strand Cooper and Faith together, Brant was laughing so hard he had to wipe the moisture from his eyes. “He sure is a crafty old buzzard.”

  “I was thinking more like a mean old goat,” Cooper said, grinning. He spotted a roll of screen wire and an idea began to form. “I have one more project I need your help with before you leave.”

  “Besides taking you and Faith back to civilization?” Brant asked.

  Cooper’s stomach clenched into a tight knot. He’d purposely avoided thinking about them having a way off the ranch. But whether he wanted to or not, the subject had been broached and there was no turning back.

  “Faith will probably take you up on the offer.” He felt as if someone had punched him in the gut as soon as he said the words. Taking a deep breath, he added, “But I think I’ll stay and see what I can get done around here before the cattle arrive.”

  Brant gave him a wicked grin. “That’ll give me a good hour or more to get to know Faith on the way to Amarillo.”

  Cooper knew that he was being baited, but he couldn’t stop himself. “I’m warning you—”

  “I get the message, Adams.” Brant laughed. “I just had to see how far gone you are.”

  “I’m not—”

  “Save it,” Brant said, holding up his hand. “I wasn’t born yesterday. Even I’m smart enough to see that you’re a goner.” He smiled knowingly. “And unless I miss my guess, the lady has it just as bad for you.”

  “You’ve got it all wrong, Wakefield.”

  Brant folded his arms across his chest and stubbornly shook his head. “I don’t think so. What do you want to bet she stays here with you when I take off?”

  Cooper glared at the man. “Did that bull kick you in the head while he was tearing up your knee?”

  “Nope.” Brant’s grin sorely tempted Cooper to reach out and strangle the man.