Cowboy Strong (Cowboy Up Book 5)

by Allison Merritt

  “What is it?” she whispered into the indentation of his breastbone. Her cheek fit as if it were meant to lie there.

  He chuckled and the sound rumbled through her. “The time you nursed a duck back to health after Dad’s old bird dog broke its wing. I didn’t think the thing would live, let alone fly again, but you splinted the wing and forced it to eat. And damn, if it didn’t get better. It followed you around for a while even after you let it go.”

  She sniffed and looked up at him. His eyes were as dark as a nighttime sea, and just as mysteriously deep.

  “That’s when I knew I wanted to be a doctor. Well, back then, I wanted to become a veterinarian, but when I got older I decided I wanted to save people.” The memory of the little girl flashed in her mind, and she swallowed hard. “Well, I try to save people.”

  “You aren’t God, Lorelei.” His voice dipped low. The muscles in his back tensed as she caressed the smooth skin to the ragged scar from his accident. “You can’t save them all.”

  “No, I can’t, and I know it.” She sounded rough and not at all like herself, but the emotion clogging her throat wasn’t only for her patients and their families. Despite her exhaustion, excitement thrummed through to settle deep in the pit of her lower belly where it fueled her blazing desire.

  She sighed with pleasure when his mouth covered hers. Unlike in the afternoon under the ponderosa trees, all gentleness was gone, replaced with a demand matching her own. She opened to receive him, and he thrust his tongue in to dance with hers. He tasted of beer and the same sweetness from earlier.

  A shiver of delight passed over her as his big hands fanned her shorts-covered behind and pressed her closer, if it were even possible. She brought her hand between them, to run them over his chest, relishing the feel of the curly hairs. Gooseflesh stippled his skin, but she doubted he was any more chilled than she was.

  He sighed and pulled away, resting his forehead on hers. His breaths came hard and fast. “Lorelei, if we don’t stop now something we both might regret in the light of day is going to happen.”

  “I want it to happen. I want you.” Had she completely misjudged him? But she didn’t think so, not with the evidence of his own desire was trapped between them. Long, hard, and hot.

  He put a little distance between their flushed and heated bodies, though he didn’t let go of her waist. “I want you, but you’re tired. And…” He swallowed and caressed her face with gentle calloused fingers. “And I know you. Jumping into bed with me on a whim is not something you’d ever do.”

  She sniffed and stepped out of his embrace. Turning away from him, she rubbed both hands over her face. He was right. She may have always found Tucker attractive, but sleeping with him had never crossed her mind, until that afternoon. How could she deny it? With a sigh, she met his gaze again. “No, I’m not someone who has ever slept around.” She couldn’t help the bitter snort of self-derision. “Hell, I’ll even admit I was a virgin when Danny and I married. I’ve never been with anyone else. But I also want to move on. Danny’s situation knocked the wind out of me, Tucker. I did love him. And I know you’re thinking I’m on the rebound. I suppose I may still be, but I’m also over him.” She swallowed and reached out to take his hand. “I’m attracted to you, Tucker. I’ve known you my entire life, and I’ve always considered you a good friend. Maybe even one of my best friends.”

  The exhaustion her desire had held at bay crashed over her with brutal force causing her to wobble on her feet.

  He wrapped a supporting arm around her again. “C’mon. Let me take you up to bed.”

  She laughed and leaned against him. “I thought we were just deciding not to do that.”

  He shook his head and vibrated against her as he chuckled. “I’m putting you into your bed, and I’m going to mine. Morning is gonna come very quick for me. I have an early appointment with the farrier.”

  “What time will he be here? I want to be there with you.”

  “Eight. Are you sure you don’t want to sleep?”

  She shook her head. “No, I need to take more interest in how this place is run.”

  “Okay.” He took a step toward the doorway into the hallway.

  She started to move away. “The lights.”

  He pulled her to his side again. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of them.”

  She let him lead her up the stairs to the open door of her bedroom. There, she turned and hugged him close. “How have I survived until now without you?”

  He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be here for you, always.” His voice came out deep and sounded a bit choked. “Good night, Lorelei.”

  Before she could say anything, he let her go and turned away. Her quiet “Good night” followed him down the stairs.

  * * * *

  Tucker entered the kitchen and picked up the bottle of beer he’d left on the counter. Condensation made the glass slick and cold, but it did nothing to cool the memory of the warmth coming from Lorelei’s skin. He’d tipped the bottle with a shaky hand and drained half of it as he reminded himself he’d done the right thing. Having sex with Lorelei tonight would only complicate things.

  He snorted at the thought and lowered the beer. How the hell could things get any more convoluted? He’d known being here would be hard, but he hadn’t expected Lorelei’s response to him. Her wanting him both thrilled him and scared the living daylights out of him.

  Only fear had kept him from giving into her tonight. He hadn’t been wrong about not rushing things. She would have hated herself and very possibly him in the morning.

  He’d seen the desire in her eyes and felt it in her kiss, both in the afternoon and now. What did it mean? Would not giving into his desire make hers stronger? Could it help her fall in love with him?

  Dear God, could he even hope?

  He finished the beer, and despite the danger, he let excitement take root in his heart.

  CHAPTER 5

  Their shared breakfast the morning after the kiss in the kitchen had been filled with awkwardness, but the easygoing friendship they’d always had replaced the strained cordiality as soon as they’d entered the stable and met with the farrier. Two days had passed since their kiss. They hadn’t made any overtures toward each other, but Lorelei was very aware of Tucker and had caught him watching her more than once.

  Today, they spent the morning vaccinating and tagging about quarter of this year’s crop of calves. The work was dirty, exhausting, and amazingly fulfilling. For the first time, she didn’t feel like the princess most of the hands considered her. She felt useful. The three ranch hands who’d met them at the temporary pen and shoot where the calves had been corralled had been surprised by her appearance, but soon relaxed, and the five of them made quick work of inoculating and tagging the hundred three-month-olds.

  After the last of the calves found their anxious mamas, she and Tucker bid good day to the two cowboys and the staff vet tech. As they bounced over the rough gravel road back to the main house in the company pickup, she watched the pastures dotted with cattle pass by.

  “You did well today.”

  She looked at Tucker. “I think Jim, Amanda, and Allen were afraid to let me use the vaccination gun.” She grinned at the memory. “Like I’ve never given a shot before.”

  “I’m sure sticking a needle in a pissed-off, terrified calf trapped in a cage isn’t exactly like giving shots to a person.”

  “You’ve never tried giving lidocaine injections into a lacerated chin, and then suturing said laceration, on a demented child before. I’ll take shooting up cattle any day.” After his snort of laughter died away, she added, “It was fun. In a perverse sort of way.”

  He spared an incredulous glance at her before turning back to road. “Only you would think that way. I swear all doctors are needle happy.”

  Laughing, she turned her body to face him. “And how exactly do you know this?”

  With a snicker, he shook his head. “Trust me. I’ve been jabbed by needles
enough to last most people three lifetimes. Maybe not shots, but I’ve been stitched up a few times.”

  She’d never liked his desire to ride bulls for a living. The terrifying image of his last ride at the NFR last December rushed to her. She and Danny had been in the audience that night, cheering him on when the bull he rode threw him off and mulled him before the bullfighters could get there to steer the beast away from Tucker’s battered form lying in the dust.

  “So, how bad does your back bother you?”

  He looked at her and something darker replaced the glint of humor in his mossy eyes. “Not enough for me to want to take pain killers. I take ibuprofen occasionally, but I don’t need anything stronger.”

  “I’m glad. You really scared the hell out of me.”

  He pulled the truck in front of the garage, turned it off, and stared at the closed wide door. “How did you get to me?”

  She shrugged and looked down at her hands. “I forced my way through the security detail and demanded to see you. I guess Danny, your mother, and your sister helped explain I was a doctor. My mind was preoccupied with you. I was afraid your back was broken. I’d seen where the bull’s horn hit you. I rode with you on the ambulance and stayed at the hospital until I knew you’d be okay.”

  “I never thanked you.” He swallowed enough to make his throat bob as he looked at her.

  She gave him a wan smile. His back hadn’t been fractured, but rather he had three displaced discs and some torn muscle, which she knew caused him pain. She’d seen him wince more than once over the past week. “You were lucky.”

  “I know.” He opened his door and got out.

  When she met him on the walkway to the porch, she asked, “What do you have planned for tonight?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Why?”

  She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. “I’m off tonight, though I have this thing I need to attend. I originally wasn’t going to go, but my colleagues are threatening me if I don’t.” She sighed and smiled. “I need a date. And I want it to be you.”

  “Okay. But where’re we going?” He made a face of utter disgust. “I don’t have to dress up in a money suit, do I?”

  She laughed and the tension at asking him to be her date went out of her. Why she was so afraid, she didn’t know. Maybe because he hadn’t tried to kiss her since the other night, which she hoped to rectify by the end of the evening. “No suit required. It’s a farewell dinner at the Saddle and Spur Saloon in Waco for one of the doctors I work with. I think you’ll fit right in with jeans and boots.”

  * * * *

  Lorelei and Tucker followed the hostess into the back room of the Saddle and Spur Saloon where the party for Dr. MaryAnn Reeser was already in progress.

  Tucker leaned over and said near her ear, “I’m sorry we’re late.”

  After vaccinating the calves, he’d spent the afternoon documenting their morning’s work into the computer system. Afterward, he’d been on the phone dealing with the trucking company they used to transport the cattle to market. The firm wanted to renegotiate their contract and wanted more money. The time slipped by until she knocked on the office door to remind him about the party.

  “Don’t worry about it.” She couldn’t and wasn’t upset with him. After all, he worked for her and had to deal with the problems the job threw at him.

  MaryAnn stood and came over to them. “You’re here. I thought you decided to bale on me after all.”

  Lorelei hugged her friend. “I told Beth I’d be here,” she said, referring to the nurse who’d arranged this going away get-together. She stepped back beside Tucker, took his hand, and introduced him to her. “He had an urgent issue to work out before we could leave.”

  Tucker shook MaryAnn’s hand. “Congratulations on your new job.”

  “Thank you. C’mon, sit down.” She motioned for them sit next to her. “The waitress just took our drink order. So, you’re not late.”

  Lorelei shifted her clutch to the table and got down to making introductions between Tucker and the other five people already sitting around the table. “Tucker O’Connell this is MaryAnn’s husband George.” The two men shook hands before she moved on to the other man and a heavily pregnant woman at the table. “Doctor Mason Anderson and his wife Beverly.”

  She introduced the two ER nurses who’d worked the longest with MaryAnn, Shirley Markel and Beth Lambert.

  Tucker tensed beside her, but held out his hand.

  Shirley shyly shook his hand. When he faced Beth, her smile broadened and something too familiar shone in her eyes as she held Tucker’s hand a little too long for Lorelei’s liking. “Hello, Tucker. It’s been a long time.”

  Lorelei’s stomach lurched at the words. “You know each other?”

  “We’re acquainted.” Tucker’s rigidness spoke volumes.

  She should have known soon or later she’d meet up with one of his flings. He was a notorious playboy, and in the past his promiscuousness never bothered her, but right now, she wanted nothing more than to throttle the pretty dark haired RN.

  Before she could comment, the server arrived with a tray laden with various alcoholic beverages. She and Tucker took their seats--thankfully at the opposite end of the table from Beth--and ordered beers, and after a cursory glance over the menu, they both ordered the Texas burger and fries.

  Her coworkers kept the conversation light over dinner, until Mason asked between bites of his vegetarian lasagna, “So, what do you do, Tucker?”

  He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “I’m the manager for Kentland, Lorelei’s ranch.”

  “You gave up bull riding?” Beth sipped her red wine. “I thought you’d never give it up.”

  The bite of french fry got caught in Lorelei’s throat. Had Beth wanted him to stop riding for her?

  “I had to give it up.” Tucker squeezed her knee under the table, surprising her. Had he noticed her discomfort or was he just trying to convey something to her? “I missed the thrill at first, but now”--the side of his lip quirked up and the way he looked made her heart beat a little faster--“I don’t miss it at all.”

  “I know why you’re so familiar now,” MaryAnn’s husband broke in, shattering the spell his intense gaze cast over her. “You had a terrible accident at the last NFR.”

  Tucker squeezed her knee again, and picked up his Corona. “Yes. I was lucky to walk away from that night.”

  Lorelei relaxed into the evening and enjoyed the rest of her meal. While they waited for desert, Beth presented MaryAnn with a card. “This is for you. Congratulations on your next adventure in Indiana. You’ll be missed.”

  “Oh, crap.” Lorelei glanced at her friend and moved to stand. “I left your card in the truck.”

  Tucker tossed his napkin onto the table and stood. “I’ll get it. If you’ll excuse me.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled up at him and touched his arm.

  As she watched him amble from the room, admiring his firm ass encased in faded denim, Beth said, “Okay, out with it. How on earth did you snag a world champion bull rider as your ranch manager?”

  Despite the earlier tension with the nurse, it seemed to have evaporated as the evening progressed. Lorelei set her bottle of Corona on the table and folded her arms on the smooth surface. “I’ve known him my entire life. Danny actually suggested him to take over as manager.”

  Shirley’s eyes widened. “Why would take his recommendation? You’re divorced.”

  Lorelei never shared much of her personal life with her co-workers. The only person who knew the truth of her breakup was MaryAnn, but for the first time she wasn’t ashamed to share the truth with her colleagues. “Danny and I aren’t enemies. We shouldn’t have married in the first place. He felt forced into it by our families, our small town, and maybe even by me, I guess.” Her audience were all staring at her, and she took a deep breath. “Danny’s gay. He fell in love with a fantastic man, and I can’t begrudge him happiness.” As she spoke the new truth, a wei
ght lifted from her. “As for why he would suggest Tucker, he’s the best man for the job. He’s also Danny’s first cousin and our best friend.”

  MaryAnn’s brows rose almost to her hairline. “Are you dating him? Isn’t that a conflict of interest? He is your employee.”

  She laughed and picked up her beer. “I was married to my last manager. Besides I don’t think of Tucker as my employee. Kentland is as much his home as it is mine. He grew up there.”

  Tucker entered the room with a wide grin. How much had he heard?

  He handed the envelope to her with wink as he took his seat again. While they ate their deserts and drank coffee, MaryAnn opened her cards, and they all laughed at the gag gift from the nursing staff presented to her by Shirley. Afterward, the party moved out into the bar.

  “C’mon, let’s dance.” Tucker took her hand and led her to the large dance floor.

  As the jukebox started up the Brooks and Dun classic Boot Scootin’ Boogie, they lined up with the others on the floor, and she laughed. She hadn’t line danced in years, but had always loved it. The last time had been with Tucker at a cousin’s wedding. Danny wasn’t much of a dancer and disliked country line dancing.

  After three other dances, someone decided to slow things down to the collaboration from Chase Jordan and Chris Saint James. A beautiful love song called Ten Thousand Years. Tucker took her into his arms and they moved to the beautiful melody.

  “I love this song.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Chris told me he and Chase got together and wrote it about their wives.”

  “You sound like you know them.” She shouldn’t be surprised.

  “I do. Chris I met years ago at bull riding event in Pennsylvania. He was a new singer on the country scene and was the musical entertainment. We struck up a conversation, and we’ve been friends ever since. Chase mine and Danny’s second cousin, remember? Besides, you’ve met him when he was supposed to marry his wife’s sister.” He chided.