Lady Luck's Cowboy: A Contemporary Western Romance

by Gina Cole

  “I had it crammed full of goodies. There is one left, too.”

  “Your closer?” Her voice was wry as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

  “Exactly. The closer.”

  “Well, keep your ‘closer’ with you. Dinner will be ready in a few. I hope you are ready for something simple, yet edible.”

  “Sounds great,” he said with a grin and handed her a glass of wine. He raised his glass towards her. “To chance encounters and the happiness that they bring.”

  “To chance encounters,” she repeated softly and took a sip. She was surprised when he invited her to sit down and offered to serve up the meal. “You don’t know where the plates are.”

  “But you are here and could tell me,” he countered with a smile. “Let me sweep you off your feet, little one. I can’t cook, but I can dish it up and play the romantic for my lady.” Holding out the chair for her, he smiled tenderly. “Have a seat, love.”

  Charlie sat down for two reasons. One, he asked her to. And two, he called her love. Her knees went weak at hearing the word come out of his mouth. Yes, it was a term of endearment. But not one thrown around lightly in her book. She watched him move about her tiny, feminine kitchen and realized she liked seeing him in her little sanctuary, her home. Jack grabbed two plates and filled them, setting one down in front of her and then pulling a chair out beside her.

  The dim lights in her apartment, the candle votives and the sunset all gave off a warm glow that seemed to make their dinner even more intimate. Jack pulled out his iPhone and put on some music. Adjusting the volume, he smiled at her. “How am I doing?”

  “Well, I’m impressed.”

  “Have I swept you off your feet?”

  “Sure,” she said laughing. “I’m sitting, so that is a win in your book.”

  “Hear, hear!” he said with a smile and clinked his glass with hers again. “Charlie, this is really wonderful.”

  “Yes, it is. Eat while it’s hot,” she urged, starting to feel a bit antsy at being so alone. She couldn’t help imagining him in her bed not ten feet from where they sat in her studio apartment. His dark, tanned skin against her white eyelet coverlet and pink sheets. She already knew his lips were ticklish. What else could be? Grabbing her wine and looking away, she felt her face heating up.

  They finished their meal in a peaceful silence. Jack emptied the wine bottle between their glasses and set it on the counter. Swirling the white wine in her glass, she felt herself feeling languid. This truly was wonderful. No pressure, no stress and that was what she liked the most about him.

  “You think it’s time for the closer?” he teased.

  “Are you ready for the night to be over?”

  “I have something special that I’d like to show you.”

  “Is that what you call it?” she quipped and then slapped a hand over her mouth, laughing. “Oh my gosh, I swear I would have never said that. It’s the wine talking.”

  “Little one, when I get ready to show you that, it will need no intro,” he bragged, making her giggle. She loved that he called her “little one” as a term of affection. “Besides, I can’t show you here.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s all about location, or haven’t you heard that?”

  “That’s houses, silly.”

  “It’s for everything that is long-lasting. Houses, businesses, friends, relationships…” he murmured and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. “You said you needed to drive my truck. How about that test drive?”

  “Well, okay,” she answered, confused. There was absolutely nothing romantic about driving his truck to verify if it overheated again. They were either going to get stuck, or it was fixed, and the mood was gone. “You sure about this?”

  “Positive. How about I meet you downstairs in a few. Bring a jacket.”

  “It’s September and sticky out.”

  “And getting cooler all the time. Plus, the sun is going down and the temperature will be dropping. Relax, and go with me on this.”

  “Fine. You win. I’m in your hands.” She smiled at him, stepping away and moving to get a light sweater. She watched, amazed, out of the corner of her eye as Jack carefully scrapped off the dishes into the trashcan and quickly loaded them in the dishwasher. Man, that is porn for women! Having a man do the dishes without asking, she thought and chuckled at the idea.

  “Care to share?” she heard behind her as she grabbed her wallet.

  “No. No, I’m good,” she answered quickly. There was no way she’d ever utter the words aloud in her lifetime. He blew out the candle votives. She found herself staring at his lips, admiring how they looked and remembering how they felt. He glanced up and met her eyes, causing her to blush heartily. Jack grinned and walked over to her, gesturing her to head down the stairs back to the lobby of her garage.

  “You go ahead. I need to lock up.”

  “You lock the garage, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but if someone was to break in, it’d be bad enough to have my work intruded upon. I think it’d feel worse to have them enter my home, too.”

  “Smart and beautiful,” he admitted and kissed her quickly on the cheek as he passed her to head down the stairs first just as she requested. She stared at his back and then quickly grabbed her keys, jamming them in the deadbolt.

  Hurrying down the stairs behind him, she went through the motions to make sure the shop was locked. Throwing the locking bar back on the large, glass, garage bay door, she raised it carefully to make sure the truck would clear it when they backed out. “Are you getting in?”

  “I thought I’d wait for you.”

  “Did you want to drive, or shall I?”

  “I can,” he quickly volunteered. “It’s been a few days since I have gotten to drive it.”

  “Get in and start it up. I’ll get the door behind you. If it smokes, overheats or does anything weird at all, turn it off immediately,” she ordered. “I’ll throw the latch back and meet you around front at the entrance.”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Jack got in the truck easily and she smiled as it roared to life. Watching carefully, he backed out slowly from the garage bay where she had worked on it the last few days. As the front of the truck cleared the garage, she gave a mighty yank on a rope that dangled from the glass door handle that brought the heavy door down with a soft thud. Latching it, she waved at the darkness on the other side of the glass. Hopping easily over the lift arms and moving past her tool cart, she turned off the lights. Exiting the building, she locked it and found he had pulled up close.

  “Hey, gorgeous, want a ride?” he teased.

  “Wasn’t that the idea of the road test?”

  “Couldn’t resist,” he drawled with a lopsided grin. “C’mon in.”

  Charlie hopped in the cab of the truck and buckled up. At his smile, she found herself happily returning it. Now, this felt like a date! Jack held out his hand and she happily placed hers in it. “Now, pay attention and let me know if you see anything.”

  “Yes, ma’am”

  “Any idea where you want to head to?”

  “It’s a surprise,” he said simply, pulling out onto the county road. She stared at his profile in the dim truck. His face was illuminated by the gauges and headlights headed their direction. She really didn’t care where they were headed, she was simply fascinated by how the evening was turning out and what a myriad of surprises he was. Jack was an open book and didn’t hide anything – or so it seemed. She was a bit bothered at the thought of him maybe meeting someone at each rodeo. Maybe she wasn’t special after all, just the latest flavor of the week. She sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case, but mentally tried to prepare herself for it deep down inside.

  Dragging her eyes from his profile, she noticed that it looked like they were on the outskirts of town. The small grouping of city lights was far behind them and shrinking every moment.

  “Nervous? You keep looking around?”

  “No, not nervous,” she said with a smi
le, staring out the window towards the darkness. “Honestly, kind of peaceful and excited.”

  “Good,” he said gruffly, giving her hand a few squeezes.

  “Are we heading to your house?”

  “Not the house, just the land,” he countered, pulling off the road down the long driveway. “I’d love to show you my home, but I don’t want to pressure you or intrude. The house wasn’t why I bought the place. It was for the view.”

  “It’s dark out.”

  “Not everything worth its salt is easily seen, Charlotte,” he murmured softly. In fact, the words were uttered so quietly she almost didn’t hear him. He threw the truck into park and reach over the back seat of the truck for a u-shaped travel pillow. That seemed odd and raised a lot of questions in her mind, none of which she voiced aloud. “C’mon and bring your sweater.”

  Exiting the truck, she saw that he was climbing in the back bed easily like he had done so repeatedly in the past. In the distance, she could see one faint light where his house was. Glancing back, she saw his shadowed figure standing in the truck bed with his hand extended towards her.

  “What are we doing?” she asked, putting her hand in his and stepping up on the bumper of his truck. She could hear crickets chirping all around her at the disturbance the truck was creating in the grassy field. Carefully, she swung a leg over and climbed inside where Jack waited.

  “Relax,” he said with an easy smile. “You want the pillow or your sweater?”

  “For what?”

  “To cushion your head.”

  “Is that why you have the pillow in your truck?”

  “Yes. Why did you think I had it in there?” he asked curiously. “I’ve had to travel a lot for work. I’ve slept in the cab more than once over the years. It’s not great but works in a pinch when I’m are exhausted. I come out here, though, to feel at peace, centered. Look around. What do you see?” he asked, lying down in the truck bed.

  “Nothing, its pitch black out here.”

  “Exactly.”

  Charlie carefully sat down in the truck and was surprised that the back had planks of plywood in it to make it flat. She had assumed that he did woodwork on the side when she had first seen it. But now, she saw that it had another use. It provided a flat space for him to lay instead of the wavy, hard metal of the truck bed. Lying on her back, she wadded up the sweater and placed it under her head. Looking at him, she saw that he then put the pillow under his neck with a shrug. “You sure you don’t want this?”

  “Positive. But if you had told me, I could have brought throw pillows.”

  “If I told you to bring pillows and a blanket, what would you have thought, Charlie?”

  “I’d have thought you were trying to fool around with another girl from a rodeo.”

  “Another girl?”

  “I’m sure you have met a lot of girls from competitions over the years.”

  “Charlie, no,” Jack argued, looking up at the sky. “I’ve never met or wanted to meet anyone from a competition. You’re the first.”

  She stared at him, surprised by the vehemence in his answer. She saw him staring up and decided to let it drop. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked up at the darkness above them. It was dotted with faint specks of light that seemed to come into focus as her eyes grew accustomed to the night.

  “That’s beautiful,” she breathed.

  “That is why I bought the place,” Jack said quietly. “The crowds and competitions pay the bills, but it takes its toll on me. I didn’t realize it until I found this land a few years ago. I had originally gotten it for the privacy it gave and the view from the back deck. But this? This is what has kept me here for so long.”

  “I can see why.”

  “There is so much more to it, you know? It was unexpected. But one afternoon, I was out cleaning the grounds from debris the previous owner left scattered. The next thing I knew, it was night and there was such silence around me. I looked up and knew I was home.”

  She didn’t say anything. It was evident he needed his privacy and peace. Who would have thought that the bull rider was a stargazer at heart? “Do you study the stars? The constellations?”

  “Oh no, not at all,” he admitted with a shy smile. “It’s simply the feeling you get here. You feel almost humbled and struck by the beauty that is hidden. I mean, look at it. It’s dark, but there is a light that burns so brightly that it has been a beacon for centuries. People hundreds of years ago worshipped the stars. And years from now, they will be looking at the same ones we are looking at now. It draws you in and you feel like if you were lost, you are home now.”

  “Why, Mr. Seguin? You might be a romantic at heart!” she teased nervously, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Maybe,” he admitted, looking back up at the night sky. “Maybe I just found something else that calls to me, too.” Charlie looked up, admiring the stars and feeling the stress slip away. It really was gorgeous out. Just then, she felt something on her hand.

  “What’s this?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Well, it doesn’t feel like nothing.”

  “Open it.” Jack sat up and Charlie followed, looking at him. It wasn’t gift wrapped, it was just a small paper box that looked dented. Pulling off the lid, she saw tissue paper inside.

  “What is this? The closer?”

  “I should have never said that,” he said with an embarrassed laugh, ruffling his hair nervously. “I was joking when I said it and it came out wrong.”

  “I’m not going to fall into bed with you, you know? I don’t do that,” she said bluntly, pulling the tissue paper away from the box. “Oh, my word,” she breathed, staring at the box, shocked. Inside was a tiny hammered star on a silver chain. “Jack, it’s too much.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing! This is beautiful. Where did you get it?” she marveled, staring at the delicate, little star and pulling it out of the box. Opening the clasp, she felt his hands take it from her as he gently draped it around her neck, fastening it.

  “I made it”

  “How? You did?”

  “I like to work with my hands when I have some time between gigs. It’s not much, but I thought I’d like you to have something to make you think of me. To think of tonight and how it went.”

  “But I don’t have anything for you and I feel like I should have something now. This is too much.”

  “Charlie, all I want it one of those lovely kisses tonight when I drop you off at home. That, and I want you to think of me and our time together when you look up at the stars.”

  “I think I’m going to be thinking of this for quite a while,” she admitted shyly, dropping her hair back down as the tiny star lay at the base of her neck. “It fits perfectly.”

  “A pretty star against a beautiful canvas,” he whispered tenderly, kissing the side of her neck. “Just like above us now.”

  “You are definitely a romantic,” she breathed, feeling intense pleasure at his breath on her throat. Her hand reached up and curled in his hair to hold him in place behind her. His other hand crept around her waist, pulling her seated against him. Leaning back and arching her neck, she felt herself melting at the intimacy that was between them.

  “You make me feel that way,” she heard him whisper in her ear. Her heart beat loudly in her chest as she felt herself wanting him to kiss her again, to touch her. She found herself unbuttoning her blouse in order to have him touch her skin. She craved the sensation and the roughness of his shaven chin against her neck was driving her mad. She could imagine how it would feel in other places, causing her to catch her breath. Her mind was racing at the idea of touching his chest, his thighs and having him touch her intimately. Suddenly, his hot hands grasped hers as he backed away, breaking the moment.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

  “Yes. No. Damn, Charlie,” Jack groaned. “You are killing me, little one.” She saw his hand shook
as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from her.

  “If this was the closer? It was a darned good one. So far, it’s working.”

  “That was a poor choice of words for me to use. I will drive you home,” he said quickly, standing up in the truck.

  “What? What’s wrong? I thought you wanted this!” Charlie practically yelped, getting to her feet to join him as he moved towards the side of the truck to get down.

  “I do, but I want to do it right.”

  “Well so far, it’s pretty darned right!”

  “Charlie, this is not…” he bit off and looked away. “You deserve better and I want to be that.”

  “I know you said there weren’t any other girls from the rodeo, but I thought you wanted to fool aroun-”

  “Charlie! No!” he bit out, his intense eyes looking back at her. “I do want to make love to you! There have been no other girls, ever. Don’t think that and don’t ever compare yourself to anyone else. Yes, I want you.”

  “Right now, I want you, too.”

  “But, I want you to want me later on, as well. When I’m hurt or you’re sick, I want us to want each other. I knew it when I saw you standing there, from the very first. I was in awe and humbled by your smile. You’re my star, my beacon,” he breathed, his chest heaving as if he had run a marathon. They stared at each other for several minutes in the dark silence. “I’m ruining it all, aren’t I? It’s too soon and weird, right? I will take you back.”

  Jack sat down on the side of the truck, silent. She stared at his figure in the darkness.

  “You had better not,” she bit out suddenly, feeling her heart pounding in her chest nervously. The feelings she had just experienced at his kiss and his touch were still working their magic on her. This might be the biggest mistake of her life or the best decision ever. “You promised me a goodnight kiss first and that we were going to talk. Well, there is the talking and I’m waiting for my kiss now.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea and I don’t want our first time to be in the back of my grimy pickup truck.”

  “Your house is over there,” she countered quickly, shocking herself at the rush of adrenaline pumping in her veins.