Cowboy Candy (8 page)

Maddy’s cabin was her sanctuary. She had scoured and scrubbed it from
top to bottom. It was decorated with black and white framed photos that
she had taken while walking in the woods at the ranch.
She had painted
some of the walls a pale butter yellow and purchased a cayenne red sofa and
loveseat.
She loved coming home after work and relaxing with a good
book, or a shovel in her hand. She was an avid gardener and her vegetable
and flower gardens and pots added a bright splash of color to her little
corner of the world.

Every night, she had quietly worked to clear out the pathway leading
from her porch to the thermal pool below, determined to create an
enchanting spot in which to relax. One particularly warm evening, she was
carefully pruning some of the wisteria trees into an archway. Lost in her
own thoughts, she suddenly heard a twig snap behind her and spun around,
panicked.

She placed her hand over her heart.
“Dusty...oh, my word...you scared me half to death.”
He
had something
behind his
back
and walked towards
her,

She smiled, “I’m not. Guess I was just concentrating on which one of
these branches to trim,” she lied. She had been thinking about Dusty nearly
every minute, of every day since they met.

He walked over and towered above her, like a giant oak tree. She
gazed up at his sky blue eyes and black lashes, and resisted the urge to reach
up and run her hands along his jawline. He had a sexy five o’clock shadow
and looked like he had stepped out of the pages of a magazine.

“There’s some iced coffee over there on the table if you want, help
yourself,” she said as she returned to her tree trimming.
“Thanks, don’t mind if I do,” he replied. She heard coffee pouring
into a glass. “You want some?”
“No thanks, I already had three,” she laughed.
She figured if she kept busy long enough, maybe he’d go away. His
physical presence was overwhelming sometimes, making it difficult to
concentrate. Hell, he made it difficult to breathe. He was drinking his
coffee and could not force himself to look away from her. She had her
long hair pinned up from the heat, and wore some cut off levis and a tank
top.
Damn, those legs, those thighs, that sweet little behind...she was
driving him crazy.
He’d been a perfect gentleman all of these months. Sure, he’d tried to
kiss her a few times, and gauging from her reaction . . . she didn’t mind. He
wanted to make a move, but took the noticably absent bandannas as a sure
sign that she absolutely wanted nothing to do with him.
"Amazing," he whispered.
"What was that Dusty, I couldn't hear what you said," she asked
looking over her shoulder.
He
cleared his
throat, "Amazing...and I'm
not
talking
about
the
Diamond, either." he said with a penetrating stare. He walked towards her
and she suddenly felt weak in the knees. He smelled of sweat and after
shave. She breathed in, trying to concentrate.
As she reached up to lop off another branch she could hear his
footsteps getting closer until finally he was standing a few mere inches
behind her. "Allow me, mademoiselle." he spoke in a husky voice. As he
stepped behind her, he reached up for the tree trimmer and pressed his
body against hers.
“Hey, cut that out . . . I’m not finished yet,” she teased.
“Just trying to help little lady.”
“Little lady? Boy, you better come up with somethin’ better than that!”
She spun around, poking him in the ribs.
“Oh, so you wanna’ play that game, do ya?” he laughed.
He chased her around the tree as she sprinted towards the river.
“What’s the matter, boss? Those nasty old trees got you all tangled?”
He broke free from the brush and she backed up towards the river.
“Hold, on Maddy..... wait, I mean.... don’t make another move.”
“Or what?... she laughed.
Just then, she tripped over a rock and fell backwards into the cold water
of the Diamond. Instantly, Dusty jumped in after her.
“Are you hurt? Miss Maddy . . .”
Suddenly, she turned and splashed his face with cold water.
He sputtered and laughed.
He splashed her back. Before long, they were laughing and frolicking in
the water like two kids playing in a wading pool. It felt good to be alive,
and to be laughing with a member of the opposite sex.
Maddy’s white tank top clung to her skin and her nipples were standing
at attention. Something, that did not go unnoticed.
She self-consciously tried to cover her breasts.
He grabbed her wrists.
“Now, why would you want to spoil all of my fun?”
She felt mortified, like she was on display. At the same time, she felt
free...free from all constraints.
She laughed, he was trying his best at
keeping eye contact. However; his eyes had darkened with intensity.
The sun had gone down, and she shivered, despite the warm fall night.
Dusty mistook the shiver and put his massive arms around her, carrying her
out of the cold river. Every instinct told her to run. Run far. This man
had no idea how she felt one way or another.
She had to admit, she
deliberately did nothing with the bandannas he had been leaving for the
past
few
months. She
valued her
freedom, but
she
cherished their
friendship and did not want something like romance to jeapardize it.
Maybe it was because she was used to taking care of her own problems.
Hell, that’s why she drove out here. She had never relied on a man for
anything in her life, not even love. All of a sudden, Dusty picked her up
and swept her into his arms.
“Dusty, are you nuts? I’m soaking wet!”
He looked down at his own soaking wet clothing and laughed.
“And you point is? ”
She was trying to think of a snappy comeback, but failed. Instead, she
instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. He traversed the hill with
ease and carried her into the cabin.
“You’d better get out of those wet clothes, before you catch your death
of cold.”
“Same goes for you . . .if you’ll kindly put me down, I’ll go grab some
towels.”
He reluctantly placed her gently back down to earth and sat down to
pull off his wet boots.
“I’ll build a fire while your at it.”
“Thanks, hon . . .”
Dusty froze for a moment. Did she actually call him hon?
He grinned
and went about building a blazing hot fire. Standing up, he pulled off his
wet flannel and tee-shirts and hung them by the fire.
Maddy ran out of the bathroom with an armful of towels and stopped
dead in her tracks.
“Dusty, uh .... here’s . . . here’s your towel.” She gulped, trying not to
stare. She tentatively stepped towards him.
“Thanks, babe....” he grinned, accepting the towel.
“Wait a minute . . . did he just call me babe?” She inwardly grinned and
went to the kitchen.
“I’ll make some hot chocolate, that sound okay?”
“Sure does, I love sharing a cup of hot chocolate with a beautiful lady.”
“Flattery will get you, nowhere.”
“We’ll see about that,” he teased.
“Dusty, I’ve got a big bathrobe if you want to step out of those wet
dungarees. I put your things in the dryer.”
He shook his head and laughed.
“Bathrobe? Um...no. How bout’ I just wrap this here towel around my
waist? I appreciate the offer and all, but highly doubt you have anything in
my size.”
“You’re right, I don’t,” she laughed.
He went to the bathroom to change and put his wet clothes in the dryer.
She pulled on her robe and limped into the kitchen to pour their
chocolate.
He was sitting on the big braided rug in front of the fire when she
returned.
“Hey . . .hold on, Miss Maddy. Looks like your ankle’s beginnin’ to
swell.”
He reached over and gently inspected her ankle.
“Ouch . . .dammit. I am the clutziest woman on the planet.”
He grabbed some pillows from the couch and had her sit down.
“I’ll be right back. You need some ice on that ankle.”
She began to protest, but what was the use?
He was right, her ankle
wasn’t going to stop swelling by itself ... and it hurt like hell.
He returned and elevated her foot, applied the ice pack, and wrapped it
loosely with an ace bandage.
“There, that ought to help a little.”
She smiled. He was so sweet. No man had ever taken care of her when
she was hurt or sick before; especially that worthless good for nothing Jack.
Dusty made her feel special. She liked this gentle side of him.
“Now, lean back against me and try to relax.”
She took a sip of warm cocoa and nestled up against his chiseled chest.
He rested a muscular arm on her hip and kissed the top of her head. The
fire was crackling and popping. Their silence was electric.
Finally, she
looked up at him with sleepy eyes. She drew in a deep breath. He was
quietly looking into her eyes.
He didn’t know what was running through her mind. Instinctively, he
knew that he didn’t need to fill up the silence with a bunch of small talk.
She reached up and ran her finger along his jaw and traced a gentle path
to his lower lip. He opened his mouth and nipped at her finger with his
teeth, his hungry eyes never leaving hers. He began to kiss the back of her
wrist and swirled his tongue against her palm.
She responded by nestling further into his chest.
“Hey, you want me to get going?”
“No Dusty, I don’t want you to feel like you’re not welcome, because
you are.”
Self-consciously, she pulled her robe a little tighter.
“I’ve got something to confess,” he whispered.
“What’s that?”
“You sure are built like a brick house . . .I accidentally saw you last night
in your window.. . you were brushing your hair and naked as a jaybird.”
She punched his arm.
“Accidentally?”
He gave her a squeeze. “I know it, cheap thrills. My apologies for actin’
like a peepin’ Tom.”
“So, you saw everything?”
“Yep, I saw it all. That’s why I slept so bad . . .I kept thinkin’ about
those perfect silver dollar nipples of yours, and . . .”
“What? Well, guess I don’t have to worry about my boob accidentally
popping out of my bathrobe then.”
They both began to laugh and she gave him a squeeze.
The combination of hard work, a cozy fire, and total relaxation soon
had its effect and they began to drift off.
He stirred a little and looked down at her lovely face.
“Night, Mad”
She murmured . . .
“I love you, too.”
He closed his eyes and smiled. She loved him. He knew it!
She was wrapped safely in his arms and soon, they were fast asleep.

Miss Mabel looked up at the tall, lanky cowboy sitting at the far
end of the counter. He wasn’t from these parts, that was for sure. His hair
was long, his beard was scraggly, and she didn’t much care for his beady
blue eyes.

“Howdy. What can I get for ya, cowboy?”
He glanced up at her and feigned a polite smile.
“Howdy maam. Can I get some eggs over easy, hash browns, and

coffee?”
“Sure can . . .cream and sugar?”
He shook his head, “No, black’s fine. Thank you maam.”
She scribbled on her order book and went to hand the ticket to Gus, her

Mabel didn’t like him. . . not one bit. Her sixth sense kicked into
overdrive the minute he opened his mouth to speak. He sure wasn’t from
around these parts, not with a thick Southern drawl like that.

“You’re not from these parts, are ya?”
“No maam, just passing through.”
“What part of the South you from cowboy . . .I have some kin back in

He looked at his watch.
“Say, you wouldn’t know how I’d go about payin for a room, maam?”
Mabel knew he was lying. He sure sounded like Tennessee to her.
She

definitely didn’t like being called maam. But she let it slide. The only folks
allowed to use her God-given name were kin or good friends.
Right from
the get go, this cowboy rattled her nerves.

“I sure do. Why don’t you finish your breakfast and you can pay me for
the room up front. By the way, I’m the owner of this here establishment, if
you need anything. . .I’m always just a holler away. So’s my right hand man,
Gus.”

The grungy cowboy looked up and could see a mountain of a man
behind the grill.
Mabel brought over his plate.
“So cowboy, how long you in town for?”
He chased down his eggs with a swig of coffee and wiped his mouth.
“Not long, mebbe’ a week or two.”
“Oh? You have family in these parts?”
“No, maam. I’m on my way to the coast, thought I’d pull off the road
and enjoy some back country scenery. He pulled a camera bag off of the
back of his seat.
“I’m a photographer and thought I’d take a working vacation.”
“Gosh, really? Well then, you’re in the right place for that. Say listen,
my place gets a lot of traffic. Why don’t you give me your business card so
I can post it on the wall?”
He gulped audibly, and pretended to feel his pockets for a card.
“Well, what do ya know bout’ that? I plum ran off in such a hurry, I
forgot to bring some with me.”
Mabel thought for a moment. She didn’t believe him. No professional
photographer ever left home without a business card. He was a liar, and
she felt like calling him on it, but decided to hold her tongue.
He pulled some cash out of his wallet and followed her up to the
register.
“Why don’t you pull your vehicle out back and I’ll give you your
key....Mr.?”
“Why where’s my manners? The name’s Clay....Clayton Moore. Pleased
to meet you maam.”

Dusty was caught in the moment. He laid her back against the pillows.
She traced a line down his chest and smoothed her hand along his six pack
abs. Her fingers moved down to the makeshift waistband of his towel. His
sensual mouth was just inches from hers, and the tension that had built up
between them was electric. He began to gently caress her face with his
hand. She felt as if they were trapped in a vortex.
He gazed hungrily into
her eyes and brushed his thumb slowly over her slightly bottom lip.