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

  It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. And it certainly wasn’t that she didn’t want him. She did. But she couldn’t trust herself not to start longing for the things she knew she’d never have.

  Stepping from his arms, she started to walk away.

  “Faith?”

  “I’ll be in the living room,” she said without turning to face him. “Let me know when you’ve finished dressing and I’ll start dinner.”

  Cooper dried the plate Faith handed him and placed it in the cabinet. He hated the sadness shadowing her pretty brown eyes, hated the silence between them. She hadn’t said more than a handful of words in the past two hours.

  “Thanks for supper,” he said, trying once more to start a conversation. “There’s not a whole lot of ways to fix Spam on a camp stove, but that was really good.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, turning to wipe off the counter. “Would you mind emptying the dishpan for me?”

  As he dumped the water outside he wondered how he could get them back to the easy companionship they’d shared for the past few days. He could tell she was no longer embarrassed by his walking in on her while she took her bath. But he couldn’t understand the sadness that had taken its place. If anything, he’d have thought she’d be hopping mad that he’d barged in like a charging bull.

  He shook his head. There were some things about women he just didn’t understand and probably never would.

  The rain dripped off the porch roof and he shook his head. If the weather would cooperate, he’d take her out and show her some of the things he’d found in the barn. Things that were sure to make her smile, like the hula girl lamp or the castle made out of hundreds of glued together bottle caps. But since the storm showed no signs of letting up, that was out of the question.

  Opening the door, he reentered the kitchen deep in thought. What could he do to lift her spirits?

  Looking around, his gaze landed on the CD player still sitting on a box in the corner and he felt a smile slowly lift the corners of his mouth. “Faith?” When she glanced up from the book she’d started reading, he asked, “Would you mind if I used your CD player?”

  “Of course not.” She got up from the plywood table to remove the classical disk she’d been playing while she bathed. “Are you going to listen to it in here?”

  “No. I think I’ll take it into the living room,” he said, reaching for the handle.

  As he picked up the unit and headed toward the front of the house, he purposely didn’t ask if she’d like to join him. He had a few things to take care of first.

  Setting the player on a wooden crate, he pushed all of the packing cartons into one corner and took down the rope clothesline. Fortunately, the room was large and they would have plenty of room to move around.

  By the time he finished, it was getting dark outside. “Where did you put the candles?” he asked as he walked back into the kitchen.

  She glanced up from the book to give him a curious look. “On the counter by Old Faithful. Why?”

  “It’s getting dark outside and I need a little light to keep from stumbling over something and breaking my neck,” he said, grinning.

  “Would you like to use the lantern?” she offered.

  The last thing he wanted was the brighter light. “No. You need it for reading.”

  Faith watched him collect all of the candles, then stroll back down the hall. Why on earth did he need so many?

  As the sound of lively country music filtered in from the front of the house, she shrugged and turned her attention back to her book. The less she thought about Cooper Adams, the better off she’d be. But when she found herself reading the same page for the third time, she closed the book and abandoned any pretense of trying to read.

  Her initial embarrassment at her reaction when he’d found her naked had given way to deep sadness. He wanted her and she wanted him. But if they made love, she couldn’t trust herself not to fall head over heels for him. And, if the longing that held her tightly in its grip was any indication, she was already well on her way to doing just that.

  Something deep inside told her that Cooper was exactly the man he appeared to be—honest, hardworking and loyal to a fault. But she’d trusted her instincts once before and been proven devastatingly wrong.

  She’d misjudged her husband and best friend, and hadn’t even suspected they were having an affair. The first that Faith knew of anything going on between them had been when Eric asked for a divorce to marry Charlotte because she was pregnant with his child.

  “Faith, darlin’, are you all right?” Cooper asked from her shoulder.

  Looking up, she noticed the concern on his handsome face. She’d been so lost in her disturbing memories, she hadn’t noticed that he’d walked back into the room.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “You looked like you were a million miles away.”

  “I think I was,” she admitted, shaking off her dismal mood and forcing a smile.

  “Are you back now?” he asked. He grinned and her heart skipped a beat.

  “Absolutely,” she said, feeling a little breathless. How could she think about the past with Cooper standing so close?

  “I’m glad. I have somewhere I want to take you for the evening,” he said.

  Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Where could he possibly take her with it raining cats and dogs outside?

  Taking her by the hand, he pulled her to her feet. A warm tingling sensation immediately raced up her arm from the contact. “Would you do me the honor of joining me in the front of the house, ma’am?”

  Laughing at his mischievous expression, she followed him down the hall. “What’s this all about?” she asked, raising her voice to be heard above the music coming from the CD player.

  When they came to the end of the hall, he moved his arm in a sweeping gesture and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I’m taking you to the Triple Bar Dance Hall, ma’am.”

  Her eyes widened and she brought her hand up to cover her startled gasp. He’d lit every candle they had to cast a soft glow over the cleared room and draped a sheet over a packing carton for a table. Two small wooden crates had been arranged on either side of the table for seating and a single taper stuck in a longneck beer bottle served as the centerpiece.

  Tears blurred her eyes and she had to blink several times in order to hold back the threatening flood of emotion. She’d never seen anything more romantic or touching in her entire life.

  “Do you like it?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

  She nodded and had to swallow around the lump in her throat before she could speak. “Cooper, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” Raising up on tiptoes, she placed a kiss along his chiseled jaw. “Thank you.”

  Looking sexier than any man had a right to look, he touched the back of his hand to her cheek. “I’m glad you like it.” He gazed down at her for endless seconds before his expression changed to a teasing grin. “It looks pretty crowded in here tonight, but I think I see a table over there,” he said, pointing toward the box.

  He obviously wanted to lighten the conversation, which was fine with her. “I believe you’re right,” she said, playing along.

  They crossed the room and once he’d seated her, Cooper made a show of looking around. “The waitress must be taking a break. I guess I’ll have to go up to the bar to get something for us to drink. What would you like?”

  She pretended to think for a moment. “I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she finally said.

  Grinning, he tipped his hat. “I’ll be right back.”

  In no time at all he was seating himself on the crate opposite her. He placed two juice boxes on the table, then stuck narrow straws in the tops. “I got myself a beer, but I thought you might like wine.”

  “Nice choice,” she said, smiling back at him.

  The song that had been playing ended and another one began.

  “Would you like to dance?”

&n
bsp; “I’m afraid I’m not very good at country dancing,” she said, shaking her head.

  He rose to his feet and took her hand. “Come on, it’s easy. I’ll teach you.”

  She stood up and followed him into the middle of the room. “I have to warn you, I’ll probably step all over your feet.”

  “That’s going to be kind of hard to do, since we’ll be doing the Stroll,” he said, laughing.

  “Stroll?”

  Nodding, he draped his arm across her shoulders. “It’s a Texas tradition.” He instructed her where and how to hold his hands, then how to do the steps.

  They’d made a full circle of the hardwood floor before she realized that she was actually doing the dance correctly. “This is fun and not nearly as hard as I thought it would be,” she said, laughing.

  He grinned as they started around the room another time. “I told you it was easy.”

  By the time the CD ended and the changer switched to another disk, Cooper had not only taught her the Stroll, he’d taught her the Two-Step and a couple of line dances as well.

  “This is really fun,” she said, breathlessly.

  “Ready to take a break?” he asked, leading her over to the table.

  She sank down onto the crate she’d used for a chair and took a sip from her juice box. “Cooper, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

  “Shoot,” he said, taking a long draw on his straw.

  “Why do you wear your hat while you’re dancing?” She paused. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen you take it off more than once or twice since I’ve been here.”

  He shrugged. “No self-respecting Texan would be caught dead dancing the Two-Step or the Stroll without it,” he said as if it were the most reasonable explanation in the world. “In fact, there are only a couple of things a Texan will do without wearing his hat.”

  She could just imagine what one of them was. His sexy grin told her she was right.

  “Have you ever tried not wearing your hat when you dance?” she asked, hoping he didn’t notice the heightened color she was sure tinted her cheeks.

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  He slowly set his juice box down and the grin he sent her way curled her toes. “It’s like Samson and his hair. With it, he’s a hell of a man. Without it, he’s nothing but a scrawny little wimp. Same thing holds true for a cowboy. With his hat on, he’s a dancing fool. Take it off and he has two left feet.” Grinning, he leaned over as if sharing a secret. “Besides, it looks real good.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “That hat is your security, isn’t it?”

  “Something like that.”

  When a slow song began he took her hand in his, then stood and pulled her to her feet. “Ready to try a slow one?”

  The scent of his clean, masculine skin, the feel of his warm palm pressed to hers, made the ability to speak impossible. Nodding, Faith willingly followed him onto their private dance floor.

  He reached down to take her hands and place them on his wide shoulders. Then, positioning one of his thighs slightly between her legs, he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close.

  Moving them around the floor, he gazed down at her and the edge of his hat brim rested on the top of her head. It seemed to lend an intimacy that took her breath.

  Lightning illuminated the room and thunder crashed. She barely noticed.

  “Cooper?”

  “What?”

  “What are we doing?” she asked, her tone nothing more than a throaty whisper.

  “We’re dancing,” he said, his gaze never wavering from hers.

  “No, I mean—”

  He placed his index finger to her lips. “Just dancing, darlin’.”

  She tried concentrating more on the song and less on the man holding her to his hard body. Big mistake. The words were every bit as provocative as their dancing. Maybe more so.

  Cooper’s hands roamed the length of her back and every cell in her body tingled to life. Resting her head against his shoulder, she had to remind herself to breathe.

  When he cupped her breast and teased the tight tip with his thumb, her knees threatened to buckle and she couldn’t for the life of her seem to draw in air. His muscular thigh between hers and the friction it created as he guided them around the floor sent heat streaking through her veins to pool in the lower part of her stomach.

  The weather outside seemed to be intensifying, but it was nothing compared to the storm raging within her own body when he cupped her bottom with his other hand and pulled her closer. He pressed his arousal against her stomach and nuzzled the sensitive skin of her neck. Sparkles of light flashed behind her closed eyes and her heart felt as if it turned a cartwheel inside her chest.

  As the song ended, she started to pull back. He held her tightly to him.

  “Just let me hold you a little while longer, darlin’,” he said, his tone husky.

  It was pure insanity on her part, but that was exactly what she wanted him to do. “Cooper?”

  “Whenever you tell me to let you go, I promise that I will,” he said, brushing his lips against hers.

  His mouth settled over hers and anything even resembling a thought escaped her. She was too caught up in the warmth of his kiss, the teasing of his tongue as he parted her lips and slipped inside to stroke her own.

  The longing she’d fought from the moment she’d met him welled up inside her and created an aching need that only Cooper could cure. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted any man in her entire life.

  “Faith?”

  Pulling back, she stared up at him for endless seconds before conceding defeat to the desire that she’d felt from the moment she’d first seen him. The way he’d said her name, the hunger in his deep blue eyes told her more than words that he wanted exactly what she wanted.

  He’d told her there were very few reasons why a cowboy removed his hat. She was absolutely certain she knew what one of them was.

  She took a deep breath and smiled. “Cooper, take off your hat.”

  Eight

  C ooper’s heart slammed against his ribs, then took off in overdrive at Faith’s request that he take off his hat. “Are you sure?” he asked. The last thing he wanted was for her to have regrets tomorrow morning.

  She reached up and removed his Resistol. “The only regret I’ll have is if we don’t make love,” she said softly.

  He searched her face for any indication that she had even a shadow of a doubt about making love with him. When he found none, he pulled her against him and buried his face in her silky auburn hair. He’d bet good money that Faith didn’t trust easily. But the confidence in him that he’d seen in her luminous brown eyes had damned near brought him to his knees. He’d make this the most memorable night of her life, or die trying.

  Releasing her, he walked over to the CD player and changed disks. When the classical music that she’d been playing while taking a bath filled the room, he blew out all but one of the candles, then took her by the hand.

  He used the remaining candle to light their way as they silently walked into the bedroom and, setting it on a box in the corner, took her into his arms. Her body fit against him perfectly and lowering his mouth to hers, he let her know without words how much her trust meant to him.

  Her lips clung to his a moment before she opened for him to deepen the kiss, and her eagerness excited him more than anything he could have ever imagined. She was letting him know that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, that she was as caught up in the magic as he was.

  When he slipped his tongue inside to explore and tease, she whimpered, then wrapped her arms around his neck to thread her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. Her warm touch, the sound of her desire and the sweet passion he tasted as she tentatively met his invasion, sent his blood pressure soaring and caused his lower body to throb with need. He’d never in his life been this turned on by a single kiss.

  Shifting to relieve the pressure of his suddenly too tight
jeans, he reached down to cup her bottom and lift her into the cradle of his hips. He wanted her to know what she did to him, wanted her to realize the power she held over him.

  He brought his hands up to the tail of her sweatshirt and sliding his palms along her ribs, cupped her full breasts. “You aren’t wearing a bra,” he said, feeling her already tight nipples bead even further against his palms.

  She slowly shook her head. “I was in such a hurry to get dressed, I…forgot.”

  “I’m glad.” He gently circled his thumbs over the tight nubs.

  She closed her eyes and he felt a tiny tremor course through her. “Mmmm.”

  “Feel good?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “It’s going to feel even better,” he promised, reaching down to pull her shirt over her head.

  She lifted her arms to help him and once the garment lay on the floor at their feet, he sucked in a sharp breath. He’d caught a glimpse of her breasts that afternoon when she’d tried to hide behind that puffy little bath sponge. But it was nothing compared to the unrestricted view he now enjoyed.

  Supporting the weight of them with his hands, he lowered his mouth to first one puckered coral bud, then the other. “So soft. So sweet.” He raised his head. “You’re beautiful.”

  “So are you,” she said, sounding breathless.

  Raising his head, he smiled. “Guys are too flat and angular to be beautiful.”

  “You are.” The sincere expression on her pretty face just about knocked his size thirteen boots right off his feet. “Please take your shirt off, Cooper.”

  He couldn’t have denied her if he’d wanted to. Which he didn’t.

  Tugging his shirt from his jeans, he grasped the tails and pulled the chambray open with one quick jerk. He’d never been more appreciative of snap closures on a shirt than he was at that very moment.

  When she placed her soft, warm hands on his chest, heat shot straight to his groin and his heart thumped so hard that he wouldn’t have been surprised if it cracked a couple of ribs. As she ran her palms over the rise of his pectoral muscles, her fingers tracing his own puckered nipples, Cooper took deep breaths and tried to slow down his libido. But when she explored the ridges of his stomach, her fingers dipping slightly below the waistband of his jeans, he stopped breathing altogether.