by Katie Lane
“Not good. Christie’s had a helluva day and feels pretty bad about her mothering skills.”
“We all have those moments, moments when we’re so consumed with everything that goes along with parenthood that we can’t think straight. What she needs is a little time off. After school, I’ll take Carrie Anne back to Gracie and Dirk’s with me. She can spend the night. She loves playing with the triplets. You think of something to do with Christie that has nothing to do with kids.” Granny Bon paused. “I’m talking adult fun.”
Cord almost choked on his spit. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Now I need to go and answer the sheriff’s phone.” The call ended, but Cord stood there for a while holding his cellphone to his ear.
Oh, he could think of something fun for two adults to do.
It was something he’d been thinking about for a long time.
Chapter Eighteen
The restaurant Cord took Christie to in Fredericksburg was called a grill, but it was fancier than any grill she’d ever been to. The tables were covered in white tablecloths and candles flickered in pretty glass holders that were surrounded by sprigs of holly. She had wanted to go back to Bliss, but Cord had insisted that Carrie Anne was having the time of her life at Dirk and Gracie’s. Too exhausted from all her tears to argue, she had finally given in.
But she felt completely underdressed in her sweater and jeans as the hostess took their coats and Cord’s cowboy hat. The hostess led them to a circular booth across from a big Austin stone fireplace that was decorated with swags of greenery and pretty gold stockings. Stockings. Christie needed to buy Carrie Anne a stocking for Santa to fill along with everything else she needed to buy.
“Stop worrying about Carrie Anne,” Cord said as they slid into either side of the booth. “She’s fine.”
“Dirk and Gracie shouldn’t have to babysit my daughter. They have enough with their three girls.” She unfolded her utensils and placed the cloth napkin on her lap. “We need to eat quickly and get back to Bliss so I can pick her up.” She sighed. “Although I can’t pick her up because I don’t have a car.”
“I’ll pick her up tomorrow morning and get her back to you. But for now, she’s fine right where she is. She’s not going to cause Dirk and Gracie any more work. In fact, she’ll be a big help entertaining the triplets. Besides, Granny Bon is there. Now open your menu and relax.”
Everything on the menu cost a fortune. At least, it seemed like a fortune to a woman who had just had her credit card denied. She picked out the cheapest salad, and when the waitress arrived to take their drink orders, she just ordered water. Unfortunately, Cord butted in.
“And she’ll take a glass of your best wine. I’ll have a Dr Pepper. And bring us the stuffed jalapeños to start.”
When the waitress left, Christie turned to him. “I don’t want a glass of wine.”
“Then don’t drink it. Of course, if you don’t drink it, I might be tempted to. And you wouldn’t want that on your conscience along with being a bad mom.”
“I’m not a bad mom,” she snapped.
He smiled at her. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Now what are you going to get to eat? And if you say you’re not hungry or order something puny, I’ll just order for you.”
He ordered for her. He ordered them both a wedge salad with bacon crumbles and blue cheese dressing and a lobster-topped, chicken fried Angus rib eye with tarragon baby potatoes and steamed buttery asparagus.
“I’ll never eat all that,” she said.
“That’s what to-go containers are for.”
By the time she’d finished her glass of wine and Cord had ordered her another, she finally relaxed enough to enjoy the beautiful setting. The fire crackled in the fireplace and the pianist at the piano in the corner played soft Christmas music. She ended up eating three jalapeño poppers, her entire salad, and putting a pretty big dent in the delicious rib eye steak. As she ate, Cord regaled her with funny stories about his rodeoing days. She laughed until she cried when he told her about wearing jeans so tight that they split right up the center seam when he got tossed off a brahma bull.
“I learned that tight jeans didn’t always impress the ladies,” he said. “They weren’t impressed at all by my holey underwear.”
“Is that before Ryker’s mom?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Sadly, I was still trying to impress the ladies after I was married to Jenn. Which is one of the reasons she left me.”
“What were the other reasons?”
“Too many to name. But I think the straw that broke the camel’s back was that I was never there for her.”
She just couldn’t imagine Cord not being there for his wife. “You certainly seem to be there for me,” she said as she cut into her steak. “You’ll probably be glad when I’m no longer your employee, and you no longer feel responsible for me.”
He stopped eating and looked at her. The golden flames of the fire danced in his dark eyes. “Actually, I’ve kind of gotten used to having you and Carrie Anne around.”
“You love her, don’t you?” The words just popped out. She glanced down at her half-full glass of wine sitting on the table and wondered if she was drunk.
Cord didn’t seem upset by the question. He calmly set down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “She’s hard not to love.”
She should shut up. The warm glow inside her was a pretty good indication that she was, if not drunk, slightly buzzed. But her mouth refused to listen to her brain and she continued. “Danny Ray doesn’t love her. He’s starting to like her, but he doesn’t love her. And I doubt that he ever will.”
“He will. He just needs a little more time.”
She set down her fork and knife. “I know you think that Danny Ray is a lot like you. And at one time, I thought all rodeo cowboys were the same too.” She studied him. “But you proved me wrong, Cord Evans. You’re nothing like Danny Ray. He acts before he thinks, and you think before you act. He can’t seem to do anything right, and you seem to do everything right.”
He snorted. “I think Ryker would disagree.”
“Not now he wouldn’t. He admires the man you are as much as I do.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes for a second before he glanced at her wine. “I think you’re a little tipsy, Christmas Day Buchanan.”
She had always hated her name. She didn’t mind being born on a holiday, but she wished her mother had been a little more inventive with her name. Noelle or Holly would’ve sounded much less silly. But when Cord said her name, it didn’t sound silly. It sounded beautiful.
“I guess I am a little tipsy,” she said. “And maybe that’s why I’m being so truthful. You are a man to admire, Cord. You might’ve been a no-good rodeo bum at one time, but you’re not anymore. You’re a father any child should be proud of and a man any woman would love to call her own.”
Okay, she was drunk.
Her face heated, and she looked down at her napkin. “Not me, of course. But any other woman.”
“Because you don’t need or want a man.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. And it was partially true. She didn’t need a man, but she certainly wanted one. Not a boy like Danny Ray. But a man like the one who looked back at her with soft, brown eyes. She couldn’t keep the truth from spilling out of her mouth.
“I want a man.”
Surprise flicked in his eyes for only a second before it was doused by steamy heat. The waitress came up to ask if they would like dessert menus. Without taking his hot gaze off Christie, Cord shook his head. “Thank you, but we’ll just take the check.”
Her knees were so wobbly, she didn’t know how she made it to Cord’s truck. The temperature outside had risen while they were eating. Or maybe her inside temperature was what had risen. She seemed to be radiating heat as he held the truck door open for her. Some of it had to do with the wine she’d consumed, but most of it had to do with acknowledging her desire for Cord.
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br /> When they were in the truck on the way back to Bliss, she couldn’t help glancing over at him. He seemed to have the same problem. More than once, their eyes collided and held for a heart-stopping second before he returned his gaze to the highway.
They didn’t talk. There was too much underlying sexual tension in the cab of the truck to squeeze in words. So they just exchanged quick, heated glances that made Christie grow warmer and warmer. When they reached her trailer, she should’ve bid him a hasty goodnight and gotten inside as quickly as possible. Instead, she just sat there.
He turned the engine off and a stillness settled around them, the only sound their soft, uneven breaths. After what felt like forever, she turned. Their gazes caught and held once again. But this time, no one looked away. This time, they moved together like two magnets flipped to the right side. Their lips met in a kiss that was slightly off center. They readjusted, and their lips parted to share the addictive heat of mouths and rough strokes of tongues.
They shifted in their seats to get closer, but their seatbelts and the console kept them from achieving that goal. Cord unhooked his seatbelt, then reached for hers. Once it snapped back against the door, he lifted her over the console and onto his lap. She was cocooned by his steely arms and chest . . . and an even steelier bulge beneath her bottom. As the kiss grew deeper and more consuming, his hand shifted from her waist and slid inside her coat to cover her breast. He cupped it gently, brushing his thumb back and forth over the hardened nipple beneath her sweater and bra. The rush of wet heat that accumulated between her legs caused her to shift restlessly against his hardness.
He groaned low and deep in his chest and pulled back from the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. “Can I come inside?” His breathing was as rapid and heavy as hers.
Her answer was more of a croak. “Please.”
He opened the door and helped her out. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she hurried to the trailer on wobbly legs. Once inside, she flipped on the light and searched for anything embarrassing that might be lying around. She picked up a pair of panties, then grabbed all Carrie Anne’s stuffed animals off the bed and shoved them into the tiny closet. She slammed the door closed and saw Cord standing there. He must’ve left his sheepskin coat in the truck because he was no longer wearing it or his hat.
He glanced around and his gaze landed on the small bed. It was easy to read his skepticism.
She laughed. “Are you thinking you won’t fit?”
He looked back at her and smiled. It was a sensual smile that made her insides turn to mush. “Oh, I’ll fit. I’ll fit just fine.”
He stepped closer and slipped her coat off her shoulders. After he placed it on the table, she thought he would reach for her sweater. Instead, he reached for her braid. He wound it around and around his hand, pulling her closer to him. “I’ve had a lot of fantasies about your hair. A lot of fantasies.” He bent his head and rubbed his cheek against the thick coil of her braid, his eyes closing and his lungs filling as if breathing the scent of her hair in. He opened his eyes and allowed her braid to slip through his fingers. He caught it on the end and slid off the elastic band. Then slowly, and extremely sensuously, he started to unbraid her hair. “And one of those fantasies was seeing you completely naked surrounded by all this gorgeousness.”
She couldn’t help the tremble that ran through her body at his words and the feel of his hands as they loosened each strand. When he finished, he slipped off her sweater, then unclasped her bra with one twist of his fingers. Once he slid it off her shoulders, she felt a twinge of self-consciousness. She stood in front of him, one breast covered by her unbraided hair and the other completely exposed to his gaze. He studied her for one uncomfortable moment before his breath rushed out.
“Damn. You’re so beautiful, I’m afraid to touch you. I’m afraid you’ll disappear.”
His sweet compliment dissolved her self-consciousness, and she reached out and took his hand, pressing his open palm to her breast. The feel of his warm callused hand cradling her had her breath hitching. “I’m real. And I’m not going anywhere. For tonight, I’m all yours.” She left his hand where it was and slowly unsnapped his shirt to reveal the muscled chest beneath. She ran her hand down the very center, enjoying the feel of his hair against her fingertips. “And you’re all mine.”
His eyes slid closed as if savoring her touch. He pressed his hand against her breast and the beating heart beneath. “Christmas,” he said her name like a prayer before he lowered his mouth to hers and set her already spinning world upside down.
Somehow, between the small space and the heated kisses, they managed to get their clothes off. When they were naked, they stood back and looked their fill. The rest of Cord’s body was as lean and muscled as his chest. It was also covered with scars. Scars that were heartbreaking and intriguing at the same time.
She traced the one on his shoulder, and he answered her question before she could ask it. “Oklahoma City. A bull named Ornery.”
She caressed the scar along his ribcage.
“Amarillo. A horse called Demon Fire.”
She touched the scar under his chin.
He blushed. “Vegas. I don’t remember the name of the bar.”
She looked down and studied the scar on his knee.
“Albuquerque. A bull named Redemption. He was the one that gave me my limp and almost killed me. The one that made me give up rodeo and tequila and change my ways.” He tipped her chin up. His eyes were solemn. “I have a lot of scars, Christie. Some you can see, and some you can’t. Are you sure you want this beat-up old cowboy?”
His kisses had left her slightly dizzy and off-kilter. But her mind was clear, and she knew exactly what she wanted. “Take me to bed, Cord Evans.”
He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath, before he opened them and smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Cord was right. They fit in the bed just fine. Even in the small space, he had no trouble finding every one of her erogenous zones with his talented fingers and even more talented tongue. When he had her completely mindless with want, he positioned himself above her and slid deep inside.
The fit was perfect, and they both took a moment to savor it before their desire grew hot and restless. The first thrust was like a match to a fuse, there was no stopping the sizzling heat that raced toward detonation.
“More,” she moaned.
Cord thrust faster and deeper, but there was still an underlying tenderness in the way he cradled her head between his arms and the way his soft brown gaze held hers. It was this tenderness that had her melting like sugar to a flame. Her body liquefied and turned into caramelized heat that bubbled and popped . . . and finally boiled over. As her orgasm hit and her body tightened around him, he found his own release—which sent after-tingles cascading through her.
When it was all over, she felt like she had been drained of every last ounce of energy. She also felt happy. Extremely happy.
Cord rolled off her and flopped an arm over his eyes. “Damn.”
She smiled up at the low ceiling of the trailer.
Damn.
Chapter Nineteen
Christie didn’t know what woke her from the sound sleep. But after she sat up and looked around, she figured it had been Cord leaving. She felt hurt and surprised. She hadn’t taken him for the type of man to slink off in the middle of the night. But it was probably for the best. Waking up with him would’ve been awkward. Especially when her emotions were such a jumbled mess.
Autumn had been wrong. Having sex with Cord hadn’t cleared anything up. In fact, it had left Christie feeling even more confused. She had hoped that her attraction to him was just physical. But last night had proven otherwise. She felt a connection to him that went beyond the physical. He touched something deep inside her. Something that had needed to be touched for a long time.
And it scared the hell out of her.
She couldn’t fall for another cowboy with commitment issues. And the fact
that she was in her bed all alone was a pretty good indication that Cord had commitment issues. He was still struggling to deal with his past mistakes, and she couldn’t fault him for wanting to focus his attention on his son. That’s exactly what she needed to do. She needed to stop thinking about Cord and focus on her daughter and making this a Christmas Carrie Anne would remember. But how could she do that without credit or a car?
She could come up with only one answer.
It was time to tell her family the truth and ask for help.
She was trying to figure out how to break the news to the Hadleys when a scraping noise had her glancing at the ceiling of the trailer. She would’ve thought it was a tree branch if there had been trees growing by the trailer, but there weren’t any. And the noise was too high to be a bush. It sounded like something was being dragged across the top edge of the trailer.
Her first thought was to call Cord, but she immediately vetoed the idea. If it turned out to be something stupid like a tumbleweed caught on the top of the trailer, he’d think she’d made up the lame excuse to get him back out there. She refused to become the clingy, desperate woman she’d been with Danny Ray.
She got out of bed and grabbed her robe off the hook by the bathroom. As she was pulling it on, a thump followed by a muffled cuss word made her freeze. Tumbleweeds did not cuss. She quickly locked the door, then crouched low and peeked out the kitchen window over the sink.
It was dark outside, but not so dark that she couldn’t see the outline of a man as he moved in front of the window. She ducked down and searched for her phone to call Cord. She didn’t care if he thought she was desperate and needy. She was desperate and needy. Thankfully, he answered on the first ring.
“Hey.” He didn’t sound like she’d woken him up. He sounded wide-awake and . . . happy. Suddenly, she was annoyed. She didn’t expect him to stay the night with her, but he didn’t have to sound so happy that he hadn’t.