The Countess and the Cowboy

by Linda Wisdom

  She smiled and nodded. "With some left over."

  His eyes seemed to be opening up more and more around her. It appeared she was willing to do whatever was necessary. "A lot of women wouldn't be willing to give up their jewelry to save a ranch. It's not something you have to do."

  "Of course it is. The finances are my problem." She looked at him as if it couldn't be any other way.

  His smile grew broader. The lady was most definitely getting to him. "You'll ruin Mr. Beecham's day. He lives to foreclose."

  She laughed and threw her hands up. "That's show biz"

  Tyler joined in her laughter as he grabbed her hands and pulled her toward him. "You are one cocky lady," he murmured.

  "And you're the most exasperating man I have ever met and believe me, I've known more than my share," she stated, placing one hand against his chest. His body heat immediately wrapped itself around her fingers.

  "Then we're even, aren't we?" He circled her wrist with his fingers. "If I had any brains at all, I'd run the other way."

  "But?" she whispered.

  "But I guess my best bet is to fight fire with fire." Tyler leaned even closer as if he was going to kiss her. Letitia's lips started to slightly part, anticipating his move. He halted short of her mouth. "Good night, countess. Pleasant dreams." He straightened up and walked down the steps.

  Letitia watched him leave with a mixture of frustration and humor. With just a hint of anticipation for spice. She pressed her hand against the doorjamb, finding the wood still warm from Tyler's body. "You'll be back, cowboy," she murmured. "You'll be back."

  TYLER LAY IN BED with his hands folded behind his head. There was no way he could sleep when every time he looked up at the ceiling all he could see was Letitia's face.

  I should just crawl through her window late one night.

  "I THOUGHT FOR SURE he'd show up tonight," Letitia muttered, pacing back and forth in front of her bed. The folds of her peacock blue silk chemise swirled around her thighs with each step she took.

  Le Chat looked up from his nest in the middle of the tumbled covers and gave a mighty feline yawn before settling back to sleep. He couldn't have cared less if his least favorite person showed up.

  Letitia froze when she thought she heard a sound near the front door. She strained her ears but heard nothing more.

  She bent down in front of the mirror, fluffed her hair and licked her lips before returning to the bed. She tried sleeping without the covers, then with them. She settled for the latter. She dropped back against the pillows.

  "Well, he still might show up."

  TYLER SNAPPED UPRIGHT in bed. "The window!" He turned his head and looked at the open window with its cotton curtains flaring slightly from the late-night breeze. The window was the only one on this side of the building. He could easily climb onto the overhang and jump down.

  Tyler crept out of bed and hurriedly pulled on a pair of jeans. He didn't care if it was the middle of the night. He was so damned hard just thinking about Letitia, he just knew she was lying awake thinking about him.

  He carefully lifted the window a few more inches, wincing as it squeaked a soft protest. He tensed, fearing someone might hear it. Convinced all was well, he draped his leg over the sill then the other and climbed out onto the sloping roof. He carefully made his way down to the gutter and jumped to the ground. Then swore long and hard under his breath when he realized in his hurry to go to Letitia, he'd forgotten to put on his boots and had landed on a small pile of rocks that dug painfully into his bare feet.

  Still cursing under his breath, he gingerly walked toward Letitia's bedroom window and at the same time, kept a sharp eye out to make sure no one was up and about. With his luck, Myrna would come out of her cabin with a shotgun.

  Tyler felt the thrill of victory when he reached the window undetected. He started to pull himself through when he realized it wasn't open far enough.

  "Letitia," he hissed, staring at the swathed figure on the bed across the room. "Ticia!" He hesitated when he saw glowing yellow eyes peering at him from the middle of the bed.

  Giving up on getting her attention, he grunted with effort as he tried to open her window farther. He grasped the window-sill and pulled himself up and over. He groaned as the sill dug into his middle.

  "Damn, I should have tried one of the doors." "Ticia." He kept his voice quiet so he wouldn't alarm her. Then raised it. She didn't stir. "Dammit, woman, wake up!" he finally ordered in a fit of frustration, shaking her bare shoulder.

  She slowly rolled over and peered up at him through slitted eyes. Le Chat, angry at being disturbed, jumped off the bed and stalked out of the room with his tail held high.

  "Tyler, you're late," she said in a slurred voice. "I expected you long ago. And now you're a dream."

  He chuckled softly. "Baby, I'm here," he insisted, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm not a dream."

  She licked her lips. "Yes, you are. But I understand." She started to roll over again, but Tyler stopped her by holding on to her shoulder.

  "Well, countess, I guess there's only way one to prove to you I'm not a dream." He pulled her upright into his arms. The kiss Prince Charming awakened Sleeping Beauty with was nothing compared to the heated kiss Tyler used on Letitia.

  Letitia stirred slightly. Maybe this wasn't a dream after all, her mind hazily told her. Maybe he finally had shown up! She opened her mouth to accept his tongue and curled her own around his. In her somnolent state she could feel his body heat radiating against her splayed palms, the crisp hairs on his chest prickling her fingertips. She rubbed a nipple to a tiny taut pebble. She felt herself falling backward against the pillows and his body following her down.

  "Ticia, you better wake up soon," his husky voice crooned in her ear. "It would be a hell of a lot more fun if you actively participated."

  "Mmm, I am awake," she murmured, enjoying what her hands were finding. A tiny frown furrowed her brow.

  "Tyler?" Her voice was clearer this time, although her eyes still remained closed.

  His lips nipped hers. "In the flesh, darlin'. Why don't you open your gorgeous eyes and take a look?"

  She blindly groped. Her fingers encountered denim and bare hair-dusted flesh above that. She slowly opened one eye. Then the other. There was next to no light, but there was more than enough for her to identify her late-night visitor. She decided this was the perfect way to be awakened. Even in the middle of the night.

  "What took you so long?"

  Tyler's mouth dropped open. He chuckled. "Most women would scream if they found a man in their bedroom in the middle of the night."

  She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down next to her. "I would have thought that by now you'd realize I'm not most women."

  "And I'm damned glad." Tyler pushed the covers back. Sweat immediately broke out on his brow as he stared at the scrap of silk barely covering her body. "Lady, you sure know how to dress for bed, don't you?"

  Letitia stretched under his admiring gaze. "Like it?"

  "Too much." He couldn't stop staring at the peacock blue silk chemise that bared enough arm, chest and legs to send his blood pressure sky-high.

  "It's a lot more practical than your idea of nightwear." She traced the jeans' metal button with her fingertip, then flicked it open. She slowly pushed the zipper downward. A sharp breath of air escaped her lungs when, instead of the opening revealing cotton fabric, she found dark coarse hair springing outward. "I've heard of cowboys sleeping with their boots on..."

  "I sleep in the raw," he explained, his voice growing hoarse under her exploration.

  "Yes, I see that." Her gaze slowly traveled upward with her mouth following. His flesh was warm and slightly salty. She impatiently pushed his jeans down his hips while he scrambled to help finish the task. Her chemise met with the same fate as their few pieces of clothing were tossed off the bed.

  Letitia's neck bowed as Tyler traced every inch of her upper body with his hands and mouth. He nuzzle
d the hollow of her throat, all the while telling her exactly how he’d love her. She cried out in ecstatic agony as he nudged his knee between her parted thighs, giving her only partial satisfaction.

  "Dreams are nothing compared to the real thing," she moaned. Her hands fluttered around him as he latched on to her nipple and sucked inward.

  "I want you so much that I'm afraid it will be over before it really begins," he muttered hoarsely against her skin as he felt her breast swell under his touch.

  Her breath caught in her throat as his sucking motion was felt all through her body. "Then we'll just have to try again, won't we?"

  Tyler smoothed his hands down Letitia's body, enjoying the feel of her silky skin. She twisted and turned in his embrace, crying out as he traced patterns on her abdomen before venturing lower. The hair curled madly around his fingers as he found her center moist and welcoming. He tongued each rosy pink nipple to a tight peak.

  "Letitia." All he could speak was her name as he rotated his palm against her, feeling her moist heat reach out to him. She twisted her body under the loving pressure.

  "I need you," she breathed, grabbing hold of his arms and trying to pull him back down to her.

  He started to pull away. "I need to get something out of my jeans."

  She held on tight. "It's all right."

  Tyler needed little encouragement. He rested his hips against hers, slowly thrusting down as her body arched up. He bared his teeth when her sheath enveloped him in a tender caress. He looked down and found her gazing up at him with the same look of awed wonder he knew had to be on his own face. He couldn't believe anything could feel so perfect. He pulled back and thrust again. He wanted to make it last forever. He cupped the back of her head in his palm, feeling her hair spill around his fingers in a tawny cloud as he lifted her face to his. They stared at each other, unable to say a word. None was needed as each silently telegraphed what they were experiencing at that moment. Still, keeping her eyes on his face, Letitia slowly raised one hand, brushing the damp hair away from Tyler's face. He took her hand and pressed his mouth against the palm. She kept her eyes open as his face grew nearer to hers.

  He made love to her mouth with the same intensity another part of his body used to catch her up in a maelstrom of colors and sensations.

  "Tyler!" Her nails raked his back as she seemed to draw him even deeper inside her. Her legs wrapped themselves tightly around his hips as if she couldn't bear to let him go.

  "Stay with me, baby." His voice was raw, teetering on the brink of completion.

  If Tyler could have had a coherent thought at that moment, he would have realized he'd found a perfect way to keep Letitia quiet. She was past any point of coherency.

  The world seemed to erupt around her. Feeling as if she couldn't take it all in, Letitia sunk her teeth into Tyler's shoulder. The sharp pain was the only thing needed to send him hurtling over the edge with her.

  TYLER ROLLED OVER on to his side and tucked Letitia against his chest. He took slow stock of his surroundings. The soft cotton beneath him, his head cradled by a firm pillow that smelled of Letitia, her skin damp against his. He wrapped his arms around her just below her breasts and kissed the top of her head.

  "I see you believe in that hackneyed phrase,"

  Letitia said quietly, with the faintest hint of amusement.

  He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever felt this relaxed after making love. Or if he'd ever felt this way before. Something about her seemed to take him out of himself and wring him dry. He nibbled the soft skin behind her ear.

  "What phrase are you talking about?"

  She turned her head. Her breath wafted across his chest, cool on his sweat-slicked skin.

  "Ride'em cowboy."

  Chapter Twelve

  "How did the old goat take it when you handed him the check?"

  "Just as I thought he would. His face turned so red that I thought he'd choke. He was doubly shocked that I came in a full twenty-four hours ahead of the deadline.”

  Tyler laughed at the picture Letitia drew. Uncaring who saw him, he grabbed her around the waist and twirled her in a circle.

  "Tyler, put me down!" She laughed, holding onto his shoulders to balance herself.

  He set her back on her feet but kept his hands on her waist. "I was wrong, countess," he said softly. "It appears you have more grit than I first thought. Amazing how one ring with a huge rock could do so much good?"

  "By the times the penalties were tabulated, there wasn't much left," she admitted. "And he enjoyed reminding me the due date for next quarter's payment. That will be here before I know it. But for now, I intend to do a little enjoying of my own." She looked around the center of town, her brain already racing with ideas.

  Her exuberance left him feeling a bit wary. Letitia was well known for her larger than life ideas. "What are you cooking up now?"

  "I wouldn't dream of inflicting my fledgling culinary skills on anyone just yet." She was so happy she wasn't going to take offense at his teasing remark. "But that isn't going to stop me from planning a party. I want to have a 'get to know Letitia DeMarco' party. We could have a barbecue and a band." She was already lost in her plans. "We could get a band, couldn't we?"

  Tyler paused. He knew what kind of gossip had been roaming the county about her. So far, he'd been lucky enough to keep it from her. While the people hadn't been downright rude, they had been cautious and standoffish when they met up with her. He had to hand it to her. She always presented a smiling face and a warm manner and there were people she'd charmed. A charm he now knew was sincere. If only he could make the rest of them see her the way he did.

  "Yeah, we could get a band. I know some men who play at church socials and such. They're pretty good."

  The brightness in her eyes dimmed a little. "You don't look very happy about my idea. I thought it would be a good way for people to realize that I intend to stay here."

  "It's going to take more than stopgap measures, Letitia," he said quietly. "You're going to have to start thinking about what you're going to do next. There's a lot of hard work ahead of you. If anyone knows, it's me."

  "Well, that's obvious. I need to find a way to turn the ranch into a paying proposition," she answered without hesitation. "Any suggestions? After all, you want the ranch too. What would you do?"

  "Not turn it into a dude ranch," he retorted.

  She nodded. "Well, at least we know what not to turn it into." She sighed. "How about big-time cat breeders with Le Chat as our patriarch?"

  "Try again," he suggested, opening the truck door for her.

  "I want to stop by that bookstore we drove past," she decided.

  "More reading material?"

  She settled down in the seat. "In a way."

  Letitia decided to hold off pursuing the subject until they left the bookstore where she'd picked up every ranching journal and magazine she could find. And laughed when Tyler chose the latest copy of Popular Mechanics.

  "So, what plans did you have for the ranch?" she persisted, turning in the seat and leaning against the door. "Please Tyler, I really am interested."

  He still hesitated. "I grew up in Idaho. My dad had a good-sized ranch, but he tried to build it up too fast and ended up losing it all. One thing I learned was what not to do in ranching. I want to start out small and build up slowly. My ultimate dream was to raise quarter horses. There was a rancher in Wyoming who had to slow down because of poor health. I heard about him through some friends. We talked a few times, but ... "He shrugged it off.

  She could sense his sorrow over what could have been an excellent chance for him. She also knew any show of sympathy would only cause his stubborn side to rear its ugly head again. Amazing what she had learned about him since that first time they made love. It hadn't stopped their arguing at every other turn, but it had given them a new way to resolve their differences,

  "I understand J.T. makes a belly-burning pot of chili. Do you think he'd make some for the barbecue?
" Letitia wondered aloud.

  By now, Tyler had grown used to the abrupt changes in subject. This time, he knew she did it for a good reason and silently blessed her for it. "All you'll have to do is bat those big beautiful eyes at him and he'll do anything you ask." His mouth moved in a crooked smile. "I'll expect you to dance every dance with me," he said gruffly.

  "I beg your pardon?" She used her best upper-crust accent.

  "You can beg it anytime you want."

  "I don't believe in dancing with just anyone," Letitia haughtily informed him. "I will require a long list of references."

  Tyler grinned. "What about my warm and wonderful personality? Doesn't that count?"

  "Not if you think I'm going to let you dance all over my feet with those big boots of yours," she informed him.

  "I thought bigger was better."

  "Not in boots."

  "My boots are special," Tyler told her.

  Her gaze flickered downward but didn't quite make it as far as his boots. "It appears that's not all that's special."

  He took several deep breaths, although by now he knew they wouldn't do a bit of good where Letitia was concerned. She always managed to keep him so off balance he wasn't sure if he was coming or going. The last week of getting little sleep hadn't helped either, but his nights in Letitia's bed were more than worth it. At least he'd sneaked in a ten-minute doze while waiting for her to finish her business in the bank. Right now, he just wanted to listen to her excitedly make plans for the party while they drove back to the ranch.

  Letitia couldn't remember ever feeling so happy. And she knew Tyler had a great deal to do with it. The past week had been full of surprises when he'd crept through her bedroom window almost every night. The only dark spot was that he had to leave so he'd be back in his own bed when it was time to get up.

  She wanted to tell him that this party was as much for him as for her. She hoped by meeting her neighbors in a social atmosphere, she would have a better chance of getting to know them. And for them to get to know her. While she was too busy to feel lonely she feared the day would come when she would crave other people to talk to. Women her own age. Besides, the ranch was her home now. She had a lot of plans for that, too.