Sheltered by the Cowboy

by Carla Cassidy

  “That makes two of us,” Brody replied. He had a feeling if this arrangement with Mandy went on for too long, he’d lose his mind.

  To Brody’s relief, the talk turned to ranch business, and the muscles that had bunched up as they’d talked about the attacks on Mandy slowly relaxed.

  They tensed up again only when he was on his way to pick up Mandy at the café, and then the tension that filled him had another reason.

  At least they were making a trip to the grocery store before going on home. Whenever they could spend some time outside the intimacy of the apartment, it was good. He’d rather think of buying cornflakes and milk than the wonderful silkiness of her skin. He much preferred focusing on what cut of meat to buy than how her naked body felt against his own.

  It was a few minutes before four when he walked into the café. Mandy stood behind the counter and greeted him with that smile that always made him feel better no matter what had gone on during his day away from her.

  “Howdy, partner,” she said as he sat on the stool across from where she stood.

  “Howdy, ma’am,” he replied with a grin he couldn’t repress. “What’s cooking?”

  She leaned over the counter, bringing with her that particular scent that threatened to make his head spin with desire. “Tonight’s special is Daisy’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. I think we should eat here before we go grocery shopping.”

  “Whatever you think is best,” he replied.

  “I think it’s best if I don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Otherwise I’ll fill the cart with candy and cookies and chips and dip, and that’s not good for my girlish figure.”

  “Honey, your figure isn’t girlish...it’s all woman.” The words fell out of his mouth before he could filter himself. He stood quickly. “I’ll just go get us a booth.”

  “Okay, I’ll join you in about ten minutes.”

  He turned away from her quickly, cursing himself for saying something that had put a spark of heat in her eyes. How he wanted to fall into that heat, but he refused to make another mistake with her.

  But he wanted to. Their lovemaking couldn’t have been that pleasant for her. She’d even admitted it had hurt a bit. He hated that. He longed to make love to her again, to teach her all about pleasure without any pain.

  He’d been her first...and there was a small part of his heart that wished he would be her last. But that was crazy thinking. He couldn’t allow his heart to dictate his future. He knew what he was and he’d never be right for any woman...especially one as warm and loving as Mandy.

  Dillon needed to get to the bottom of the crimes sooner rather than later. Brody definitely needed to get out of that apartment and back on the Holiday Ranch where he belonged.

  * * *

  “Graham came in for lunch today,” Mandy said when they’d been served their chicken dinners.

  “Anything new with him?” Brody picked up his chicken leg and took a bite.

  “He said he’s been hounding Dillon for answers to the point that Dillon runs in the opposite direction whenever he sees Graham coming. Of course he was just joking about it, but I guess he’s been pressing Dillon pretty hard.”

  “I’d be pressing him hard, too, if I thought it would make a difference,” Brody replied. “But we can’t wring blood out of a stone and he can’t tell us what he doesn’t know.”

  “I don’t think anyone is going to have any answers until somebody tries to kill me again.” A shiver of fear threatened to work up her spine. “I just hope before he gets to me, you or Dillon gets to him.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment. “Mandy, I’ve told you before that nobody is going to get close enough to kill you as long as there is breath in my body.”

  She believed him. She had faith in his ability to shelter her from harm. It was only one of the many reasons why she was in love with him.

  For the next few minutes they ate in silence. “Tomorrow I don’t work, so I’m going to make you that pecan pie,” she said when they were ready to leave the café. “I asked for Cass’s recipe from Cassie.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  They walked out into the cold night and got into his truck, and as always his familiar scent wrapped around her. “I made a full grocery list during my break today.”

  “And do you always stick strictly to the list?” he asked.

  “I always plan to, but more times than not something sneaks into the basket that wasn’t on the list.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like chocolate cupcakes or chocolate cupcakes.” She laughed. “I love to bake, but there’s something about those boxed cupcakes that I love. What about you? Do you have a guilty food pleasure?”

  “Not really.” He angled into a parking place in front of the grocery store. “The only thing I get a hankering for is Cass’s pecan pie.”

  “And I’m going to fix that hankering first thing tomorrow,” she replied.

  He flashed her a smile that sparked a deep longing inside her, the longing to belong to him forever and always. She shoved it away as they got out of the truck and entered the store.

  With Brody pushing the basket, they went up and down the aisles and she picked items that would ensure them at least a week’s worth of meals.

  “We’re going to spend some time in the morning picking pecans out of the shells,” she said as she placed a bag of the nuts in the basket. “And I need to pick up a bottle of bourbon. No wonder you liked Cass’s recipe. It’s heavy on the alcohol.”

  “That would explain the mellow mood I always got after eating a couple of pieces,” Brody replied with a grin.

  A small fight ensued between them at the cash register when she insisted she pay for the groceries. He had done so much for her already and there was no way she was going to let him pay her for the food she cooked.

  “You always pay when we eat at the café,” she exclaimed. “The least I can do for you is provide you meals since you’re with me to keep me safe.”

  She won the battle, and minutes later they were on their way home. “So, what did you do today?” she asked.

  He told her about riding the range looking for broken fences that might need mending and then ordering supplies and doing the payroll.

  She liked that they shared the days they spent apart, that he told her stories about the other cowboys, making her laugh, and she in turn told him about the persnickety customers she might have waited on that day.

  She also loved that she thought she could tell him anything, that she could bare her entire soul to him and he’d take good care of it. Even with somebody trying to kill her and her father being murdered, she’d never been as happy as she was with Brody.

  And she was going to be devastated when he left her.

  She couldn’t imagine loving another man half as much as she did him. She could only wish that he’d love her half as much back. There were times when she believed she saw a wealth of love shining from his eyes, but it never lasted long and she wondered if it was only lust.

  Lust. She’d seen it in men’s eyes from the time she was twelve and had fully developed. Lust was what she was certain drove half the men in town to ask her out for a date.

  But Brody was different, she told herself. He’d cared about her as a friend first, and that mattered to her.

  Still, lust was on her mind when they arrived home. It chased her as they put the groceries away. Thoughts of lust and death continued to plague her as they settled onto the sofa to watch television.

  She hadn’t wanted to die a virgin and she’d desperately wanted Brody to be her first. Now she didn’t want to die having just one experience with making love and she desperately wanted Brody.

  There was no question that since the night of the attack in the kissing booth, her own death had been on h
er mind. Despite Brody’s protection she feared that the danger would find her.

  When she thought about dying so young, she grieved for the love she would never know, the children she would never have and the sadness of her own life interrupted.

  As a crime drama played on television, she kicked off her shoes and took off her socks. As usual her feet ached from standing on them for most of the day and then she thought of the Christmas promissory note Brody had given her.

  “I think I’m ready to cash in on one of those foot rubs,” she said.

  “Feet hurting?” he asked.

  She nodded. “As usual.”

  “Then give me your feet and tell me if I’m doing it wrong, because I’ve never rubbed anyone’s feet before.”

  She turned her body so she could lift her feet up and into his lap. Thank goodness the polish on her toes was still pretty and pink.

  He picked up her left foot and began to massage the bottom. His touch was light as if he feared pressing too hard might hurt her. “You can put a little more muscle into it,” she said.

  “Just let me know if I hurt you.” He applied more pressure to the ball of her foot, and she closed her eyes and released a small moan of pleasure. It hurt some...but it hurt so good.

  He massaged each and every inch of her foot and then rubbed her toes one by one. It was heavenly. “Okay, now the other foot,” she said half-drowsily.

  She dropped the massaged foot to his lap and realized he was aroused. Her drowsiness snapped away, and while he massaged her other foot a sense of sweet anticipation filled her.

  No matter what he said to the contrary, he wanted her. If all he had to give her was his lust, then she would take it and hope that lust would eventually drive him to love her.

  She wiggled the foot in his lap. His gaze shot up and locked with hers. “What are you doing, Mandy?”

  “Trying to seduce you, but I’ve never seduced a man before. You have to tell me if I’m doing it right.”

  He stopped his massage. “Mandy, you seduce me when you don’t even know you’re doing it.”

  “I do?” She looked at him in surprise.

  He began to knead her foot again. “You seduce me when you smile or when you laugh. You seduce me with your thoughtfulness and with that little moan you just made. You have me crazy with wanting you.”

  “Then why aren’t we together in bed right now?” she asked half-breathlessly.

  “Because it isn’t a good idea.”

  “Who made you the judge of ideas? Why can’t we make love again? It’s not like I’m a virgin,” she said jokingly.

  She pulled her foot from him, sat up and then scooted closer to him. “Brody, I can’t tell you how badly I want you.” She threw an arm around his neck and sat on his lap.

  He made a half-hearted attempt to get her off, but before he could accomplish his goal, she kissed him. And he kissed her back.

  “Mandy,” he murmured as his lips finally slid from hers and instead trekked down the length of her neck. “This is a mistake on so many levels.”

  “It’s a mistake I’m willing to live with.” She leaned back from him and stripped off her T-shirt.

  His eyes lit, and he picked her up and carried her to the bed. Within minutes they were both naked and beneath the sheets. They moved together with frantic need. Their foreplay was hot and his mouth seemed to touch everyplace where her sensations went wild. He brought her to orgasm and it didn’t take her long to want him inside her.

  This time when he took her there was no pain...only waves of pleasure that had her mindless. She’d never known the height of ecstasy he evoked in her was possible. She’d never dreamed she could feel so completely connected to another human being.

  As he stroked into her she raised her legs and wrapped them around his hips, taking him in as deeply as possible. He moaned his pleasure and as he stiffened with his release, his gaze locked with hers.

  In that moment Mandy felt more loved than she knew she would ever feel again, with his body united with hers and the light of love shining from his eyes.

  Later, when he left the bathroom and headed for the sofa, she stopped him. “Brody, please sleep with me. Otherwise I’ll just feel like a booty call and nothing more.”

  He hesitated for a long moment and then got into bed with her. He pulled her against him and began to stroke her hair. His soft caresses felt heavenly, but she also felt the tension in his body.

  “Brody, nothing has changed between us. I still expect nothing from you. I’m just grateful you’re here now with me.” Her heart longed to say so much more. Words of love trembled on her lips, in her heart, but she was so afraid to speak them out loud.

  His body slowly relaxed. “You do realize this is just going to make things more difficult for us when I get back to my own life.”

  “I know,” she agreed. “But can’t we still be friends when this is all over?” She wasn’t even sure if it was possible for her to be his friend and not want more of him. But the idea of losing him altogether was just too much to bear.

  He sighed, his breath a warmth against her neck. “I’ll always be around if you need a friend.”

  Her heart ached more than a little bit. Now would have been the perfect time for him to tell her he loved her. Now, with them naked beneath the sheets after sharing the greatest intimacy a man and a woman could share.

  Instead his words had promised nothing, not even a real friendship. In all her daydreams about a prince, it had never occurred to her that once she found him, he wouldn’t want her.

  Chapter 13

  Mandy sat in the break room in the café, eating a late lunch. Yesterday had been a nice day despite Brody being a little too quiet.

  She’d not only made him his pecan pie but also cooked a nice dinner of roast, potatoes and yeasty rolls. It had been magical to awaken in his arms yesterday morning, with his warmth and scent surrounding her.

  All too quickly he’d gotten out of bed. She’d hoped to spend all the remainder of their time together with him in her bed at night. But last night he’d insisted he return to his place on the sofa to sleep. It had definitely felt like a step back in their relationship.

  “How’s life treating you?” Daisy asked as she came into the room and took a chair at the table across from Mandy.

  “Okay, although I think you enjoy the minutes of your day more when you believe death could find you at any moment.”

  “Jeez, girl, that’s a hell of a way to exist,” Daisy replied. “So, Dillon still hasn’t come up with any suspects?”

  “Oh, we have plenty of suspects. We just can’t figure out who is guilty.” Mandy pushed her plate aside. “And how is life treating you?”

  Daisy released a deep sigh. “To be honest, I’m tired. I could have retired two years ago and I keep wondering if it’s time to start taking it easy. I’ve got a nice nest egg and could travel. Maybe go on one of those cruises to Italy and hook up with a sexy Italian.” Her eyes twinkled merrily. “It’s more likely I’d spend my time in a lounge chair with a fistful of those fruity drinks.”

  “If you ever really decide you want to sell this place, let me know. Once my father’s ranch sells I’ll have some cash and should be able to get a loan,” Mandy replied.

  Daisy’s red eyebrows danced up in surprise. “I thought you wanted to open your own restaurant.”

  “Let’s face it, Daisy. Bitterroot has enough restaurants and I’d love to own this café.” Already her mind filled with some of the changes she would make, mostly introducing new things to the menu, which hadn’t been changed for years.

  “All right, then I’ll keep you in mind when that time comes. I’d like the new owner to be somebody who is passionate about food and friendly service. You definitely fit the bill.”

  “Thanks, Daisy. I ap
preciate it.”

  For the remainder of time she had left on her break, Mandy imagined what it would be like to own the café. She wouldn’t change the cheerful yellow vinyl booths or the wall decor that just made people feel good when they entered. The bathrooms were also in good shape.

  The only room she might update a bit was the kitchen. She could buy a nicer grill and offer additional menu items that were a little lighter in calories. She just hoped Daisy was serious about possibly selling in the near future.

  Ten minutes later, still warmed by her boss’s words, Mandy returned to the floor. It was just after one, still almost four hours before Brody would be there to pick her up. At least she wasn’t working the dinner rush hour that always started just after five.

  When she’d put on the shoes she always wore to work that morning, Brody had eyed the black shoes with the three-inch heels and told her that her feet wouldn’t hurt so bad if she wore more sensible shoes.

  “I’ll wear sensible shoes when I’m sixty,” she had replied. “I won’t care about fashion when I’m that old.” He’d merely rolled his eyes, making her laugh.

  The lunch rush was over and there weren’t too many diners still seated. Mandy got a broom from the back room and began to sweep up the crumbs that had hit the floor through lunch.

  She was excited about the possibility of Daisy finally retiring and her being able to buy the café. Daisy had spent years and years of her life making the café the most popular place to eat around the area.

  It made much better sense to take over a success than to start from scratch. Buying the café would fulfill one of her biggest dreams. She could only wish that she had a man who loved her by her side. She could only dream that somehow Brody would be that man.

  After cleaning up the floor, she put the broom away and went back out front. She wiped down the tables in her section and straightened salt and pepper shakers. She made sure the tops were screwed on tight because there was always a wise guy who thought it was funny to unscrew them and ruin somebody’s meal.

  Julia Hatfield was doing the same kind of housekeeping in her section across the room. Behind the counter, Trisha Cahill was also straightening and cleaning before the dinner rush began.