To Tempt a Cowgirl

by Jeannie Watt

  “That’s part of it.” For a moment their gazes held and he could see that she was working over possible interpretations of his words. He decided to clarify. “I trust you because you went out of your way to rescue that paint mare. You care about horses.” The words came out on a low note.

  “I see,” she said in a way that made him wonder if she saw more than he intended. She cleared her throat then, tearing her gaze from his. “I’d better get back. I still have evening chores to do. You can either walk your mare over tonight or tomorrow morning. I start working the horses at five.”

  “That’s about what time I go to bed.”

  “I know.” She flashed him a quick look, as if realizing what she’d just said and how it could be misinterpreted. “Your lights...I can’t help but notice.”

  “I figured.”

  “I’m not keeping tabs on you or anything.”

  “You don’t look like the tab-keeping type,” he agreed easily.

  Dani shifted her weight. “What I meant to say was I see your lights when I can’t sleep.”

  “Why don’t you sleep, Dani?”

  “I do, usually, but I worry about things sometimes. Think too much. Then I get up and wander the house a bit. I see your lights. Wonder what you’re doing.”

  She shrugged casually, but color had risen in her cheeks, as if she wasn’t comfortable having him know that she thought about him. He wondered how she’d take it if he told her that he liked being in her thoughts. A brief second later she huffed out a short breath, and her voice was all business as she said, “So will you bring the mare tonight or tomorrow morning?”

  “The morning.”

  “See you then.” She quickly covered the distance to the gate and let herself out. Gabe stayed where he was with one hand on the horse’s neck. Dani Brody was skittish. She found him interesting, but whatever had happened to her recently had made her one gun-shy woman. Well, that was all right, because all he wanted to do was to get to know her better and discover what her thoughts were on selling the family ranch.

  * * *

  SHE’D BLUSHED! DANI smacked the steering wheel with her palm as she drove through the gate on her way up the drive. She’d blushed like a junior high kid. Son of a bitch.

  It was his fault. If he wasn’t so damned hot and so very off-limits, well...

  Dani pushed her hair back from her forehead. He didn’t need to be off-limits. She was making him that way, but she had good reason. The problem was that she was thinking about him way too much for a woman who wasn’t interested in getting involved with someone. Even a gorgeous landscape architect.

  But what about some no-strings-attached sex?

  The thought edged into her brain and Dani considered for a moment, very much aware of the curls of warmth unfurling deep inside as possibilities tumbled through her mind.

  So not her style, yet...so tempting.

  Chad had done a number on her. She needed a confidence builder that wouldn’t turn around and dump on her emotionally. From what she’d seen so far, Gabe seemed to be a good guy. Not a user. But she wasn’t totally certain on that front and wasn’t yet willing to take that risk. The no-strings sex would have to wait until she was certain. And even if she became certain, there was no guarantee he would be interested.

  Really? Have you noticed the way he looks at you?

  Okay, he’d probably be game, which was all the more reason to take small steps rather than tumble in over her head.

  Unless tumbling was the way to go... She needed a sister talk.

  Dani drove home, made herself a cup of tea, curled up in her chair and started dialing. Mel was out of cell phone range as always. She spoke to Allie for almost thirty seconds—long enough to discover that her oldest sister was studying for her first quiz and, being the overachiever she’d always been, was totally on edge. Dani knew that side of Allie all too well, wished her good luck and punched in Jolie’s number. As soon as the call connected she could hear the sounds of a raucous party on the other end and her sister trying to shout over the noise.

  “Let me get to a quiet place!” she yelled.

  “Where are you?”

  “What?”

  “Where. Are. You?”

  The sound muffled and Jolie said, “I didn’t hear you. I’m at a rodeo dance.”

  “Sounds like a free-for-all.”

  “Show me a rodeo dance that isn’t— Hey!”

  “Hey, me?”

  “No, hey to the guy who’s pounding on the door.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Bathroom. I’m beginning to think it’s the men’s.”

  “Maybe I better let you go.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Make it after five. No, make that six.”

  “At night?”

  “Yes.” As if Jolie would see 6:00 a.m., unless of course she wasn’t yet in bed by that time. “Talk to you soon. Have fun.”

  Another given. There was rarely a time when Jolie didn’t have fun. Just for kicks, she punched in Mel’s number and reached the out-of-service recording.

  So, given the circumstances of her isolated sister, her party sister and her cranky academic sister, Dani was pretty much on her own. Not that she would have divulged many details...or even discussed the fact that the guy next door was making her squirm. She just needed to feel as though she wasn’t alone.

  “Just you and me, big guy,” she said to Gus as she set down the phone. She walked over to the window and pushed the curtain aside. Light filled the large windows of the Staley house. Would it be that way all night, like usual? Or would Gabe get some sleep before walking the horse over?

  Dani pulled the curtains shut and promised herself that tonight she wouldn’t check. Or care.

  * * *

  GABE SHOWED UP with his mare close to eight o’clock the next morning. Dani was already working her second horse of the day, a former barrel horse that needed to learn a few manners. The horse was making progress, although Dani had concerns about the new owner’s ability to remain consistent with the animal. Sometimes it was as much of a matter of training the owner as the horse.

  As was the situation with Gabe.

  If he really hadn’t ridden since he was eight or nine...well, that was an issue. Especially since he’d bought a young horse.

  None of your concern. If he wanted to follow a dream, so be it, and at least the animal would be well started for him. And if she had to spend a few hours bringing him up to speed...well, so be that, too.

  “Morning,” she called from the round pen where she’d been working.

  “Yeah,” Gabe said gruffly, running a hand over his dark hair, grimacing as his hand hit a cowlick that refused to stay down. “Morning.”

  Dani couldn’t help smiling. “I would have driven over with the trailer.”

  “It’s not the walk. It’s the hour.”

  “So I guessed.” She hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep herself. She’d gone to bed at the usual time, but unresolved matters, such as how to handle her attraction to her neighbor, had made sleep impossible. Finally she got out of bed, stopped at the window and stared at the Staley place. Wondered what Gabe was doing.

  She wasn’t ready to be attracted to anyone, but when she’d stood at that cold window, her fluffy robe wrapped tightly around her against the chill of the night air, she’d realized that while she hadn’t gone looking for an attraction, she needed to stop feeling threatened by it. It wasn’t as if she was going to lose her head and do something she regretted. She needed to trust herself, her ability to deal—just as she had before Chad.

  Dani reached out for the horse’s lead rope and when her fingers brushed against Gabe’s and she felt that warm rush of awareness, she simply smiled at him. She could control these feelings. Oh, yes, she could. “I’ll take her. I have a stall all ready for her.”

  Gabe followed her as she led the mare into the barn. She shot him a look as she opened the door. “What’s her name?”

 
“Molly.”

  “That fits.” She led the horse inside and opened the last stall door. The mare walked inside and Dani reached up to take off the halter, which she hung on the hook outside the door.

  “I have some paperwork in the house you’ll need to read and sign.” Her lips twisted a little as she added, “I have coffee, too, and frankly you look like you could use a cup.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “I ALMOST FEEL obligated to give you a ride home,” Dani said, looking back over her shoulder at Gabe before she opened the front door.

  “I look that bad?”

  The last thing he looked was bad, but Dani wasn’t going to confess that, so instead she smiled. “More like exhausted.”

  “Deadlines. I’ve never been able to move past the up-all-night work schedule.” He smiled with a hint of weary amusement. “But you already know that.”

  And she wasn’t touching that one. Wasn’t going to let him know she’d been at it again the previous night. “Must make it hard to have a day job.”

  “I think that’s why I contract. I can work on my own strange schedule.” He followed her into the house and it struck her that she’d lived there for several weeks, and other than Allie and Kelly, Gabe was the only person who’d set foot in the house with her. She should probably see about getting a social life, but who had time? Of course, if Marti had her way, she’d probably have plenty of time since she’d have no horses to train.

  “I see you haven’t made any headway on the furniture front.”

  Dani waved a hand. “As long as I have a bed and a place to sit, I’m good. There are things I need more than furniture, not that I won’t eventually get some.” They entered the kitchen, Gabe pausing just inside the door as she crossed to the cupboard and opened it, pulling out one of the two remaining cups. When she had all her dishes washed and put away, she had four cups, all with tractors on them since she’d bought them at the feed store when she’d realized she owned no cups. She really did have a Spartan kitchen. “I’m waiting for my sister to move home before I invest. No sense in bearing the brunt of the cost myself.”

  “Is she moving home soon?” Gabe asked.

  “That’s the plan. Her internship ends soon and she’s been saving her money...I hope. We’re going to invest in an indoor arena so we can train year-round.” She smiled over her shoulder at him. “We have a ways to go, but we’ll get there.”

  Gabe leaned against the doorjamb. “So you can’t train in the winters without an indoor arena?”

  “I could if I was a fan of frostbite.” Dani poured coffee into a cup with a John Deere tractor emblazoned on the side. “I’ll probably train until November, then get a job to tide me through the winter.”

  “It’s that easy to get a job?”

  “The schools are always looking for substitute teachers and I can probably waitress at the café. I need something I can walk away from in the spring when I start training again.”

  “What is your degree in?”

  “Animal science with a minor in business accounting.” Smiling wryly, she asked, “Guess which one has gotten me more work so far?”

  “I’m guessing the business.”

  “You’ve guessed right.”

  Setting the coffee on the table, she waved him to a seat, then went to the huge carved-oak armoire just inside the dining room and dug out the manila folder with the contracts. When she came back into the kitchen, he was staring into his coffee, but he looked up as she approached, a half smile lifting one corner of his mouth. It was all she could do not to swallow drily, he looked so damned good. A sexy guy with slightly rumpled hair, sitting at her kitchen table, playing hell with her hormones. He was wearing his usual oxford shirt, but like his hair, it was slightly rumpled, making her wonder if he’d crawled out of bed and put on yesterday’s shirt. She had no problem with that.

  And if she wasn’t careful she would soon be fanning herself.

  She tried to recall the last time she’d had such a strong reaction to a man...and couldn’t. Not even Chad. This was new territory, but as long as she kept her wits about her she’d be okay—if she could get the parts of her body south of her brain to agree.

  “It’s good. The coffee.” He held up the cup in a small salute.

  “I do love my coffee. Keeps me going during long days.”

  “Same here.”

  “Only for you it’s long nights, right?” she asked, sitting across the small table from him.

  “No. The days. I come awake at night.”

  “How vampiresque.” She slid a contract in front of him, trying not to notice the way amusement lit his eyes at her offhand comment. Or the way her body was reacting to the warmth in his expression. “Please read through it so you know exactly what you’re getting into. The short version is that I guarantee thirty hours of training for this price. You release me from indemnity if your horse hurts another horse and vice versa as long as I keep your horse segregated from all other animals. There’s more...”

  Gabe took a sip of his coffee and then pulled the contract closer. He read it quickly, gave a nod and reached for the pen. Dani did not ask again if he understood all the clauses because being a contractor, the guy dealt in contracts. “Looks good,” he said.

  “Are you going to be here for thirty hours’ worth of training? I only train six days a week.”

  “Only six.”

  “Look who’s talking,” she said. “The guy who forces himself to take a vacation and then works anyway?” She gave a dismissive sniff. “Besides, sometimes I only work a half day on Saturday.”

  “And another half day on Sunday to make up for it?”

  She shot him a look. “Maybe.” Her mouth twisted as she regarded the contract for a split second, then she asked, “How many days a week do you take off?”

  He gave her a touché smile and shook his head.

  “As I thought. However, you never answered my original question—will you still be here when I finish?”

  “Yes.”

  Her heart really shouldn’t have jumped at that. “Thinking of making the move permanent?” Because she wasn’t certain how she felt about him staying—although he probably wouldn’t be living at the Staley house if he remained in the area. That lease had to cost a bundle. Even if he wasn’t her neighbor, she wasn’t sure having him in the area on a permanent basis would be all that great for her peace of mind.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said.

  “Must be nice to have that kind of freedom.”

  “Double-edged sword,” he said. “Contracting can be feast or famine. When the economy tanks, there isn’t a lot of call for landscape architecture. That said, I can design from anywhere.”

  “You have to make site visits.”

  “That’s why I have a fast car.”

  Dani laughed and then pulled the contract toward her and put it into the folder. “I’ll have a copy of this for you by tomorrow.”

  “No hurry.” He drained his coffee, then took the cup to the sink and rinsed it. Dani watched him with a small frown. Really? A great-looking guy who cleaned up after himself? This could only mean that when she found his fatal flaw, it would be a big one. Maybe he was bad in bed...

  Her throat went a little dry as he turned back toward her and wiped his hands on the sides of his jeans. No, that would be too cruel...for someone who wasn’t her.

  “Everything all right?” he asked curiously.

  “Fine,” she said briskly. “I just need to get to work.” Kelly would show up within the hour and until then she was only doing groundwork with a young filly. “But I will give you a ride home.”

  She had to make the offer, but she felt a whisper of relief when he said, “I’ll walk. Thanks.”

  “And I’ll be in contact about Molly.”

  He stopped on the porch. “Would it be all right if I came by to watch you work her? Not every day, of course, but since I’m close...”

  He shrugged and Dani heard herself
say, “Sure. I’m all right with that. But give me a couple days, okay?” That would give her time to get acquainted with the mare.

  “Great. Thanks.”

  He started down the path, but Dani stopped him by calling his name. When he turned back, she said, “Just what are your plans for Molly? You never told me.”

  “I’m giving her to a friend as a present.”

  “Must be some friend.”

  “Oh, she is.” He smiled, raised his hand in a brief salute, then headed down the driveway, leaving Dani with something to think about. Maybe it didn’t matter if he became a permanent resident. And she was glad about that.

  Regardless of how her stomach had twisted at the word she.

  * * *

  GABE WANTED NOTHING more than to conk out for a while, but he forced himself to stay awake. He really needed to break this late-night habit if he was going to keep normal hours, watch Dani train his horse, live like a normal person. But it was killing him. His ability to live on two hours of sleep for days at a time seemed to be slipping away.

  Stewart had sent another small job his way—redesigning the entrance area of an older getaway hotel that he was refurbishing—and Gabe was determined to take his time instead of blasting out the entire project in a few marathon sessions.

  He wandered outside and sat on the front terrace with his sketch pad. He’d barely touched his pencil to paper when a rooster tail of dust at the far end of his driveway caught his attention.

  Dani?

  She had his number and would call first.

  A salesman? A neighbor coming to greet him? A package delivery?

  No—it was law enforcement.

  Gabe got to his feet as the white sheriff’s SUV came to a halt at the end of the path leading to the house. The guy that got out was tall and lean, wearing a cop face.

  “What can I do for you?” Gabe called as he walked down the path, thinking he’d rather be on the offensive than the defensive. It’d been well over a decade since he’d had any kind of trouble with the law, but old habits and knee-jerk reactions were hard to shake.

  The deputy tipped back his hat, his expression shifting toward friendly as he held out a hand. “I just wanted to stop by and thank you for helping my sister-in-law the other night. I’m Kyle Randolph.”