A Moment To Love (20 page)

“So I’m learning.”

He served up the food for both of them, all the while hoping she’d enjoy the taste as much as the aroma. There was a chance the chiles would be too hot for her. His fork hovered over his plate as she took a mouthful, chewed, and swallowed.

“This is delicious.”

He expelled a long-held breath. “I’m glad you like it.”

The easy banter continued throughout the meal. Leisurely evenings with Lexi could definitely become a habit for him—a habit he’d never want to break. Every muscle in his body tightened when he realized the feelings he had for her went so much deeper than he’d ever imagined.

The breath hitched in his throat. Could it be?

Was he falling in love with Lexi?

His mind raced. He’d sworn he’d never fall in love again. The price was too high. And yet every time he looked at Lexi or thought of her, his pulse raced. He couldn’t get enough of her.

Why had he gone and fallen for a woman who would inevitably leave him? Or maybe that was the reason he’d let down his defenses with her.

She was a temporary fixture in his life. With Lexi, there was no future to contemplate. No big life questions to answer. There was only the here and the now. And he didn’t intend to squander either.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

W
ine? Check.

Dinner? Check.

Conversation? Check.

Surprisingly, after Alexis had charcoaled the taco casserole, the evening had still been an amazing success. Thanks to Cord. With the dishes cleared and the kitchen returned to order, Alexis had zero interest in returning to her motel room. There was nothing waiting for her there but more work. Besides, work and no play was making her very frustrated. Her throw-caution-to-the-wind attitude took over. There was no pressing reason not to enjoy a little more of this cowboy’s company—especially since she’d be leaving in just a few days.

Cord led her toward the porch. He pushed the wooden screen door open and held it until she passed. His spicy cologne teased her senses. She knew if she were to stop in her tracks and turn that their bodies would collide. She savored the thought, but she kept moving.

“Hmm…there’s something missing,” Cord said. “Ah, I know. Wait here.” He stepped inside the living room and turned on the stereo. He returned to the porch and sat next to her. “I guess I should have asked if country music is to your liking.”

“It’s my favorite.”

A romantic ballad started to play and floated through the open windows. The intimate lyrics filled her mind with enticing thoughts. Her gaze shifted to his lips, and she longed to press her mouth to his. But she was hesitant, not exactly sure where they stood.

“It was a really nice evening.” Her gaze met and held his. “Thanks for rescuing dinner.”

“The company was my favorite part.”

“It was? I…I mean it was for me, too.” So then what had happened to all of the flirting he’d been doing in the house? Why was he suddenly acting like the perfect gentleman?

If only he’d make the first move
.

Frustration and desire churned within her.

Fine. Nothing ventured, nothing gained
.

Her heart pounded and her hand trembled ever so slightly as she reached out to him. Her fingertips ran along his jawline. “You are so handsome.”

With the pad of her thumb, she gently rubbed over his bottom lip. Their gazes locked. Desire flamed in his dark eyes.

He captured her hand in his and moved it to his chest. “You realize that you’re playing with fire, don’t you?”

So he did still want her. Good. Detecting the pounding of his heart as he continued to clutch her hand to his chest excited her all the more. “If you’re trying to scare me off, it won’t work.”

“Promise?”

She nodded.

“Should I be worried?”

His steady gaze continued to hold hers. If a person could ravish another with merely a look, this could be that moment. For so long now they’d been doing this dance of getting close and then pulling away. Tonight there’d be no pulling back on either of their parts. It was the only thing she was certain of at this point. And in this moment, it was all that mattered.

At last, she found her voice. It came out low and seductive—a new side of her. “You should worry. I have very definite plans for you.”

His brows drew together as though he’d had an unsettling thought. “Not that I’m not flattered, because I am. But Lexi, this is already complicated. Are you sure you’re prepared to complicate things even further?”

The echo of her father’s cautioning voice combined with the memory of Cord’s hesitant question balled her stomach up into a knot. She pulled her hand from his. Why did he have to pick now of all times to be sensible? Why couldn’t he just go with the moment?

Part of her said life wasn’t worth living without a few risks. Another part said she was being reckless and irresponsible. She was getting in far too deep with this sexy cowboy. She inwardly groaned. Why did she have to have an attack of conscience now?

She jumped to her feet and moved to the porch rail. The stars twinkled overhead as a gentle breeze rushed past her. In the distance, the moonlight lit up the paddock, giving it a peaceful glow—the opposite of the upheaval of emotions churning inside her. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

From the way she saw it, this was their last chance to be together, to see what might be between them. If she walked away now, they’d avoid further complications. But she’d be plagued by what if’s and should have’s. Could she run off into the night? The thought didn’t appeal to her. Instead, she decided to let the night unfold one kiss at a time.

As though sensing her resolution, Cord moved to stand behind her. He leaned toward her, until his chest rested flush again her back. His breath tickled over her ear. Her every nerve ending tingled. He ran his warm hands down her chilled arms, and she began to relax. Even if common sense dictated otherwise, she didn’t want anything but to be wrapped in his warm embrace.

The full length of his hard body pressed against her, making her insides quiver with excitement. A moan swelled in his throat, the deep tones reverberating in his chest. She’d never met a man who intrigued her both mentally and physically.

“I can’t remember an evening I’ve enjoyed this much.” He lowered his mouth to her ear and murmured, “I’m glad you decided to come over and share the evening with me.”

“Me, too. Whistle Stop is growing on me.” She hoped her voice sounded steady, but she couldn’t hear it for the pounding of her heart. “I understand why you love it here so much. With the continuous string of sunny days and the colorful citizens, what’s not to love?”

He didn’t answer. His fingers continued stroking her arms. Her head rested just below his chin, and their arms entwined. They fit together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. She didn’t ever want to walk away. She wanted him to continue to hold her like this—forever.

The thought of
forever
shook her to the core. Her stomach tightened. She was supposed to be here conducting business, not losing her heart to a man who made her want to forget her responsibilities and follow her desires.

She glanced up at the sky. A star caught her attention with its brilliance, twinkling like a diamond chip.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star. First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight…to capture the heart of this cowboy who’s holding me close.

“Do you think our fates are written in the stars?” She hoped the childhood lyric would bring her luck.

“I think we’re the masters of our own fate by the choices we make in life. Right now, I choose you.”

She turned in his arms. “I choose you, too.”

Chest to chest, their lips were merely a breath apart. She didn’t want to talk anymore. She lifted up on her tiptoes. Her lips tingled with anticipation. She pressed her mouth to his. His hands slid up her back as he deepened the kiss. A moan grew deep in her throat. No one had ever evoked such a powerful longing in her with a mere kiss—Cord’s touch was most definitely magical.

Her arms slid up over his broad shoulders and slipped around the back of his neck. Her fingers stroked his neck and combed through his hair.

His eyes widened. “Your hands are cold.”

She honestly hadn’t noticed. Her mind had been on more important matters. “You know what they say: Cold hands, warm heart.”

He smiled. “That’s the thing about the desert. Once the sun sets, the temperature dives. You should get out of the cool air.”

She swallowed hard. “Do you want me to go?”

“No…well, not unless you want to go.”

Again, the warning voice in the back of her mind chimed in, willing her to go, to keep her heart safe from being broken again. But was that truly what she wanted? Would the memories be enough for her? Maybe if he didn’t have his arms around her, she’d be able to think clearly. She pulled free from his hold and walked over to the porch swing.

“Would you like to go inside? I could light a fire.”

“Not yet. This evening is so beautiful and peaceful. I don’t get a chance to sit outside in the evenings very often. Can we talk?”

“Talk? Isn’t that what we’ve been doing all evening?”

“Yes, but I meant about something a little more personal.” She knew exactly what topic she wanted to broach, but she was still working up her courage. “You know…so we know each other better.”

When he joined her, the swing seemed to shrink considerably. His thigh brushed hers, sending her pulse soaring, but it wasn’t like having the entire length of his rock-solid body pressed up against her, driving her heart into overdrive. Just the memory of it warmed her chest. She had to think of something—anything—but how good he’d felt.

Cord stretched his arm out along the back of the swing. His fingers lightly brushed her hair, sending goose bumps down her spine. She’d never be able to carry on a conversation with him touching her. She attempted to wiggle over on the seat to give them each space, but there was nowhere to go. She turned to him. If she was going to get intimately involved with him tonight, she needed to know what she was getting herself into.

“Tell me about her.”

Cord sat up a little straighter. “Tell you about who?”

“The woman whose clothes are in the barn, the one who made you afraid to become involved with other women.”

Why anyone would want to hurt someone as thoughtful and caring as Cord was a mystery to Alexis. Then she realized that if she wasn’t careful, she’d end up hurting him, too, whether she intended to or not.

Cord’s voice interrupted her troubled thoughts. “You don’t want to hear about her.”

“Sure I do.”

“I guess you’d say it started back when I was twenty-two…after my parents died in a collision with a tractor-trailer. It was up to me to keep the Brazen H up and running. After a while, rambling alone in this place got to me.”

“I couldn’t imagine the overwhelming loneliness. It isn’t like you have any close neighbors or anything.”

The muscles in his neck worked as he swallowed. “To make a long story short, I fell for a good-looking and outgoing young woman. Things moved fast—too fast.”

“But she must have cared about you.” Alexis couldn’t imagine any woman in her right mind not falling for him.

He shrugged. “Maybe at first. I didn’t want to be here alone, and she wanted to escape her family’s poverty. So we eloped.”

“Was it your idea?” She couldn’t imagine Mr. Cautious taking such a big leap without lots of thought.

“No. But I went along with it. Things were okay at first, but it all changed after her artwork started to get noticed.”

Alexis reached out and squeezed his thigh.

“After five or so years, Susan decided ranch life wasn’t for her. She packed up her paintings and left, taking half of the ranch’s equity with her.”

So that’s how he’d ended up in this horrible jam.

He sighed and ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I tried to reason with her, but she was too caught up in her rising career. She wanted to sell the Brazen H. She wanted—oh, it doesn’t matter anymore. She didn’t want to hear anything I had to say. And I couldn’t do what she asked of me.”

Alexis’s body tensed. He might as well have been talking about her. Her only reason for being in town was to take away a part of his ranch. She was doing it mainly for her father and his company, but she doubted Cord would make the distinction. From his standpoint, she was no better than his ex. The thought lodged in Alexis’s stomach like a jagged rock.

She glanced at Cord, seeing the same emotional turmoil on his face that she felt inside. She wanted to tell him it was different with them, but was it? Would she visit again after their business was concluded? Or would she find herself sucked back into the fast-paced life in New York—the life that left no time to think about a vacation?

“How about you?” he asked. “Ever had anyone special in your life?”

“I was engaged once,” she admitted, not wanting to delve into those painful memories, but she realized it was only fair that she share since he had.

“What happened?”

Borrowing a phrase from Cord, she said, “To make a long story short, his work led him to the West Coast, and mine kept me in New York.”

“Couldn’t hack the long-distance relationship?”

“Something like that.” She failed to mention that within two months of moving, her fiancé had had a new girlfriend—a girlfriend Alexis hadn’t learned about until the woman answered the phone very early one morning.

Cord set the swing gently rocking. “Do you think you could ever be happy living somewhere other than New York?”

That was the million-dollar question. After spending time here in the Southwest, she’d fallen in love with the acres of sprawling red clay and living in the shadow of Roca Mountain. But there was something else more important to consider…

“I can’t leave my father, not when his health is failing.”

“Is he that bad?”

“If I don’t convince him to retire...” She blinked, holding back the tears that stung her eyes. She couldn’t repeat the dire prediction the doctor had given them should her father have another coronary episode.

“That’s tough.” Cord’s fingers grazed down her cheek.

“What about us?” Her eyes searched his. She’d been dying to ask this question all evening, but she’d held back, fearing his answer.