Cowboy State of Mind (Tarnation, Texas Book 4)

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  Crossing the room, he put some distance between them, but her scent lingered in his senses. He saw a menu sitting on the dresser, grabbed it and scrolled the options. Even the choicest cuts of meat didn’t entice him when he had a hunger for CC buried in his body. “Are you hungry? Looks like there’s a restaurant in the main lodge.”

  “No, I’m not. Are you?”

  “No.” Yes, he was, but for her.

  She scanned the space. “This is very romantic. Perfect.” She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, causing the silver ring on her fourth finger to sparkle in the light. “I think I’ll go change out of this dress.”

  “Okay.” His heart kicked up like a heavy drumbeat, knocking against his ribs. His brain worked overtime wondering what she’d change into. He paced the floor, wearing a spot in the rustic wooden flooring, stopping on occasion to look at the closed bathroom door. Maybe she’d brought a sexy lacey negligee? Or one of those racy bra and panties.

  His mind stretched—and so did his zipper.

  Needing to do something, he stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air. Why was he tied up in knots? Feeling like a clueless teenager who had no idea how to look cool in front of a crush. But CC was more than a crush. She was his wife.

  Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he shook his head. He’d never been this nervous.

  In a box next to the porch he found split logs and carried an armful inside, dropping them next to the fireplace just as the bathroom door opened. CC came out in a loose-fitting T-shirt and baggy sweats. Adam chuckled. He’d allowed his thoughts to run wild.

  “What’s so funny?” She lifted a groomed brow.

  “Nothing. I brought in some wood for a fire later.”

  “Sounds great.” She stepped over in front of the small TV. “How about a movie?”

  “Sure.” He piled the logs in the fireplace and busied himself starting a blaze that matched the one burning inside his body.

  “I realize that I have no clue what genre you like to watch.” She plopped down on the couch and used the remote to turn on the TV.

  He grabbed the package of strawberries from the basket, intentionally leaving behind the champagne, and joined her on the couch. “Want another?”

  “I’d love another.” She bit into the fruit and her tongue came out to roll across her bottom lip. “You’re sweating. “

  “I guess I am.” He swiped the back of his hand over his forehead.

  “Did you think I was going to come out of the bathroom wearing nothing but heels and a smile?”

  “Yeah, I kind of did.” He placed the strawberries on the table. “

  “I thought I’d take it easy on you, so I picked sweats.”

  “Action, by the way. Movies. I like action movies.” He was trying his best to not screw up tonight.

  “Well, let’s see…” She scrolled through the list of available movies. “I think I found one.” She tucked her feet under her bottom. “I love this movie. When the White House is in trouble this guy sweeps in and saves the day. Have you watched it before?”

  “No.”

  “Then you must.” She turned up the volume a notch. “The actors are amazing. Do you have a favorite actor or actress? I have too many to name.” She must have realized he was staring at her profile because she turned, her brows scrunching.

  She looked amazingly beautiful with her hair hanging in soft coils. Her eyes were wide and expectant. Her lush lips were full and kissable. Truth was, he wanted her. He’d wanted her since the first time he saw her, but why now, when this had been their plan, did he feel a lot like a stallion who’d been neutered?

  Fact was, he cared for her and he’d never cared for anyone like this before. “I better stoke the fire.” He jumped up and headed for the fireplace. When he had the blaze going again, he turned and found her staring at him, wearing a smile that triggered something inside him.

  “Come and sit.” She patted the cushion next to her, her gaze holding his.

  Rubbing his hands together, he took the five steps and sat down. “The fire is nice.”

  “It is.” The weight of his body made her fall into him, their thighs brushing, arms touching.

  She reached over and took his left hand into hers, tapping the platinum band with her short nail. “How does the ring fit?”

  The wide band looked out of place on his hand. “It might take some getting used to.”

  “Same here.” She let go of his hand and held up her own, flashing the ring he’d placed there earlier. “I like mine.”

  “I didn’t mean that I didn’t like mine,” he blurted.

  Her laugh eased the tension some. “Why are we acting this way? Like two teenagers.”

  Shrugging, he exhaled through tight lips. “Is this how it’s supposed to be on the wedding night?”

  “I’m not sure what I was expecting. Maybe we’re shell-shocked.” Creases appeared around her eyes. “Adam, I—”

  A rapping on the door made them both jerk.

  “Are you expecting someone?”

  “No, are you?” Her eyes were wide.

  “I’ll get it,” Adam volunteered.

  Opening the door, he was surprised to see a frantic-appearing Raina Calvin standing on the stoop. Her eyes were red and there were moisture tracks down her cheeks. Her chest heaved up and down like she’d ran a marathon.

  “I’m so sorry for being here.” She sniffed back a round of sobs. “I-I remember your wife saying that she’s a vet. Like I said, I’m so sorry, but my dog, Annabelle, she is having trouble. I don’t know what to do. I can’t get in touch with the vet—”

  “Raina, what’s wrong?” CC stepped in front of Adam and took Raina’s hands.

  “I…she…she’s having babies. She’s been in labor for a long time and…and she’s tired. I can’t lose her. She’s my girl.”

  “I have my bag in the truck. Adam and I will follow you, okay?”

  “Thank you so much, dear.” Raina’s bottom lip quivered.

  “You will go, right?” CC asked Adam.

  “Let me put out the fire. I’ll meet you in the truck.”

  Chapter 13

  “CC, HOW WILL I ever thank you enough? My Annabelle would have died if you hadn’t helped her.”

  Standing up from where she’d been crouched next to the Shorkie and her three healthy newborns, CC gave the other woman a quick hug around the shoulders. “I’m glad I could help. Annabelle will still need to see the vet, but she’s out of emergency. The last little pup was being stubborn.” Swiping off her gloves, she dropped them into a trash can.

  “Let me make you and Adam dinner. It’s the least I can do for all your help.”

  Looking into the kitchen from the laundry room, CC could see Adam sitting at the table talking to the Pastor. Since they’d said “I do”, things had been awkward between them. A newly married woman would be burning rubber getting back to the cabin alone with a man like Adam, but a part of her wasn’t in any hurry. She had a strong feeling that he had regretted his decision to marry her. What had she been expecting? They hadn’t married for love. How would two people act when they were together for circumstance?

  But CC did care for him.

  She’d kept those emotions hidden, hiding behind her need for a child. She realized Adam would want out of this relationship the second the opportunity arose. “Sure, Raina. We’ll stay for dinner as long as Adam is okay with staying too.”

  CC followed Raina and stopped to look at framed pictures hanging on the wall. She looked closer at one and then another. “Raina, did you and your husband live in Tarnation?”

  “Yes, we did. This picture here is from our wedding. We married at Lover’s Cliff. That was one of the happiest days of my life.” Raina pointed to one of the pictures. “We moved here when he was offered the pastor position.”

  “What a small world.”

  They entered the kitchen and Adam brought his chin up, his gaze meeting hers. A smile appeared and she smiled back. “Raina wou
ld like for us to stay for dinner.”

  “Raina, dear,” Pastor Calvin shook his head. “This is their honeymoon night for goodness sakes. These kids don’t want to spend their night with us.” He waved his hand through the air. “You’ve already kept them here for hours. You don’t need to spend your evening with us old cronies.”

  “Oh my.” Raina laid her palm against her bust. “Pops, I was just wanting to do something nice for them. I guess he’s right. You wouldn’t want to hang out with us.”

  Seeing the disappointment in the woman’s face, CC stepped forward. “I smell something delicious. I realize how hungry I am. If you two don’t mind, I’d love to stay. Right, Adam?”

  Did she see a glimpse of disappointment? Before she could examine it further, she was whisked to a chair by Raina who joyfully said, “I made my mother’s Italian hot dish. You’ll love it.”

  Once the meal was served, CC looked to the Pastor and said, “Raina told me you two lived in Tarnation and were married at Lover’s Cliff.” Did the man stiffen some?

  “Yes, that’s true.” The elderly man leaned back into his chair.

  “Pops here doesn’t believe in all the magical tales that happen on that cliff, but he humored me and we exchanged our vows right there on that historical spot.” Raina’s face glowed. “We’ve only been back a few times over the years. The last time was when his sister died.”

  “Your sister?” CC asked.

  “She ran a B&B there.” The Pastor spooned up some food.

  “Fancy Grace?” Adam blurted.

  “Yes, that’s my sister,” the man admitted.

  “The B&B was on my family’s ranch, Grinning Spurs.”

  Pastor Calvin smiled. “I recognized the name, son.”

  “Buzz and Fancy—”

  “Were in love,” Raina said. “They were quite attached if you ask me. But things just weren’t meant to happen between them.” A sadness swept over her features. “Fancy was my best friend and her heart broke into pieces when her parents, my in-laws, demanded she never see Buzz again.”

  “Wow, it is a small world,” CC whispered.

  “I knew your father well. Ask anything,” Raina offered. “Pops and Buzz were best friends too.”

  “Now that was amazing,” CC said from the passenger seat as they drove toward their cabin. “All those stories of Buzz and Fancy. It makes him seem…well, real. Doesn’t it?”

  The dark had long settled. Adam eased into the leather of the driver’s seat. “I guess.” What it did was confuse him more. He listened to the stories about his father and Adam painted a picture of a man who was fun, lively and compassionate…so then why did he leave his kids?

  “I really like Pastor Calvin and Raina. I think she’s lonely. Her kids are all grown and living their own lives in different places. I guess we can only hold onto our babies for so long until they’re all grown up.”

  “Human nature.” Adam glanced over at her, her face lit in the dashboard lighting. “She definitely can cook, yet I didn’t really want that second helping. I’m stuffed.”

  “You made her day by accepting seconds.”

  “I guess this wasn’t the night we’d planned,” he said quietly. “Yet it’s not every day a new bride saves a beloved dog and her pups.”

  “Okay,” she shifted in the seat, blowing out a long, agitated sigh. “Let’s not do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “Be all awkward with each other. You look like you’ve swallowed a razor blade.”

  “You’re right. I guess this is all different for me.”

  “It is, but we’re in control of how odd it has to be. How about we just go with the flow and not put pressure on each other.” She rolled her window down a few inches.

  “I second that.”

  The cabin came into sight and she let the subject drop.

  Once they were inside, he watched her toe off her shoes and she said, “I’m tired and want nothing more than to crawl into that bed, but I better wash up first.”

  “I can sleep here.” He pointed at the couch.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. There would be nothing sadder than sleeping in that large heart shaped bed alone.”

  “Yeah, sleeping with my feet hung over the edge would be much sadder. That is more of a loveseat than a couch.”

  “See you in a few, Cowboy.” She disappeared into the bathroom.

  Chapter 14

  EVERY WARNING SIGN in his head told Adam to take the couch, but truth was the loveseat didn’t look appealing. And his wife did. He dragged his gaze to the bed where she was cuddled up under the red blanket, but her attention was on him. He knew what would happen when he crawled in there with her and for God’s sake, he wanted her more and more. He was wrapped up in wanting to treat her right but ignoring the swirling bittersweet pains in his body had become difficult to say the least.

  While she’d taken a shower he’d started a fire, put away the strawberries, and drank a glass of champagne hoping it’d ease the awkwardness a bit.

  He toed off his boots and socks, then came his jeans that he tossed over the nearby chair. Unbuttoning his shirt, he yanked it off his shoulders and laid it over the arm of the chair as well. Her eyes were still on him from where her head was pressed on the heart shaped pillow. He felt a prickling in his gut that sprinted into his groin. His plan to be a perfect gentleman, allowing her to set the pace of what happened between them, didn’t come easy. His body constantly reminded him of his hankering to feel her naked underneath him. Climbing into bed with her, her tantalizing scent wafted under his nostrils and her soft-spoken words met his ears, “Relax, Cowboy. I won’t bite. At least not too hard.”

  ****

  This man was her husband.

  The thought both excited and scared her.

  They barely knew each other, but she felt like she’d known him forever. She wanted him, no doubt, but believing he didn’t want her slowed her down, made her put up barriers she’d wanted to immobilize. Many times since she’d met him, she’d felt a connection between them, thought he found her attractive, but where most men would be taking her now, ripping the T-shirt to shreds, he seemed…well, uncertain. Perhaps if she laid her hand on his arm, or his chest, he’d get the hint.

  But that wasn’t what happened. They both fell asleep to the vibration of the bed and just as the sun rose, filtering in through the window across the room, she awoke to a heaviness at her waist. Fluttering her lids open, she yawned and started to stretch when she realized where she was and who had his arm draped over her. His gentle, even breathing tickled her ear. They were sharing a pillow. It all came back to her. They’d married and ended the romantic day by falling asleep.

  While most women would be disheartened for a less than uninspiring ending to their wedding night, CC found it funny, until she remembered that they were on a timeline. If she didn’t get pregnant in two months, less than, he would leave and her chances would go with him.

  He groaned and moved, and she felt him against her. The bulge didn’t go unnoticed.

  Biting her bottom lip, she slowly lowered her arm and touched the thick, wavy mass of his hair that had grown so much in the last few weeks, twirling a silken strand around her knuckle and allowing it to fall back into place. From her angle, she could see his profile. He had a layer of dark whiskers over his solid jaw.

  The sheet was pulled low on his waist, exposing firm, large shoulders and arms that were covered in crisp, black hair.

  Out came a sigh about the same time she felt the sleeping giant stir. And boy did he. A husky moaning sound escaped his throat as his fingers dug into her stomach like he thought he was grabbing his pillow. He jerked and his breathing became heavier.

  He lifted his face. How was it possible that he could look even more handsome in the morning? His eyes were bright and warm. The dark whiskers on his prominent jaw made him appear dangerous. He was dangerous alright, to her libido and her heart, which now wanted more and wouldn’t take “wait another day”
as an answer. Her inner thighs screamed for his touch and by golly she wasn’t the wait and see kind of girl.

  “Good morning,” she said lightly.

  “Mornin’.” One corner of his mouth flipped into a guarded smile.

  “Did I wake you?”

  “I believe so.” The remainder of sleep in his voice made her nipples tingle.

  “I’ve been thinking,” she cleared her throat. “The sex thing, it’s like the elephant in the room. If we just get it out of the way I think the elephant will disappear.”

  He smiled and her inner thighs vibrated. “That’s one way to put it.”

  “So, what do you think, Cowboy? Is that too forward of me?”

  He lifted himself until he was above her. He cupped her cheek with his warm, callused palm that sent heatwaves into her bloodstream. “I’ve been trying my best to be a gentleman.” His other hand was still on her waist, his thumb creating magical figure eights on her skin where the shirt had ridden up.

  “I’m giving you permission to let loose.” She smiled then leaned in, kissing him lightly on the lips.

  A tense groan bolted from him as his arm snaked up under her, dragging her closer. His hard body pressed against her breasts and hips, triggering a need within her, one she couldn’t remember ever feeling before him. He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him until she was sprawled over him, her thighs spread over his hips, his erection situated at the apex of her body where her juices flowed. His strong hands clamped her bottom as the kiss deepened, his tongue meeting hers.

  Her hands were on his wide, bare shoulders while his fingers found her cleft through the layer of her lace panties. She sucked in a labored breath, overcome by the sensations swirling through her. Her body had become so sensitive, like a livewire.

  Slipping her hand between their bodies, she slid her fingers inside his cotton boxers and touched him, mesmerized by the iron covered satin. Moaning, she wrapped her fingers around his girth, stroking him. He hissed and groaned, and she smiled against his lips. She liked the power of making a powerful man want her. Need her.