Part Time Cowboy (Copper Ridge Book 1) (25 page)

* * *

“P
OTATO
SACK
RACING
.”

“Lame,” he said, lying back on the bed, keeping his focus on Sadie, who was sitting next to him, completely naked, her hair tumbling over her shoulders.

“It is not lame. Not for kids.”

“Three-legged race is better.”

“Unless you have to run with a boy who is stupid, doesn’t listen and stinks.”

“But what if you get to run with the cute girl that you have a crush on?” he asked, leaning in and kissing her shoulder.

“Did you have crushes?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Sure, didn’t everyone?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I kind of picture you like you sprang out of the ground wearing your uniform and a frown.”

“Your flattery is almost embarrassing.”

“Sorry if it didn’t sound complimentary,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t like you. Scratch that, I would be here, you wouldn’t be. And I would be alone.”

“Well, I wasn’t born in uniform.”

“And I wasn’t born running,” she said, smiling faintly.

“Life has a lot to answer for.”

“Sure does.”

She flopped backward, raising her arms above her head, and his eyes fell to the little silver scar on her side. A surgical scar. Sometimes he wanted to ask her about it, but ultimately, her medical history wasn’t really his business. So he didn’t ask.

“Where are you at on your big barbecue plans in terms of booths? We’ll put three-legged races to the side for now,” he said, shifting so that he was lying on his side.

“I’ve got pony rides. Cookie decorating, face painting. John from the Farm and Garden is going to bring over one of those mini-sheds that looks like a playhouse for the kids. And the pie eating. There will be pie eating.”

She ran her fingers through her hair and the temptation for him to do the same was too much. He wanted to pull her close. Play with the silky blond strands. Braid it. Which was not something he’d ever done for his lovers, but something about the idea appealed to him.

He wanted to take care of her.

He wrapped his hand around her hair, about to separate it into three separate sections, but she turned her head. He dropped his hands back down to his sides, the strange tightness in his chest dissipating a little.

He’d had a moment of temporary insanity. Sadie was good at doing that to him.

“What are you going to do about Alison?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said, chewing her lip. “What can I do? I can buy pie from her. Hope she feels proud of her accomplishment. Hope she wants something different for herself, but really, there is nothing else I can do.”

He moved his hand over her breast, down over her stomach, his conscience tugging at him. “I told Connor,” he said.

“About Alison?” she asked, frowning.

“About you and me.”

She sat up, blinking. “Why?”

A damn good question. A weird impulse, as weird as the one he’d just had to braid her hair.

“I just... He sort of asked. Well, he tried guessing. He guessed I slept with you once, and I...corrected him. I’m not a very good liar.”

She leaned forward, covering her mouth, a giggle trapped behind it. “Oh, my gosh. No, I bet you aren’t.” She looked down at him, her hair sliding over her shoulders, over her breasts, covering pale pink nipples. She was such a tempting picture. Naughtier because she was smiling, because she was covered. He wanted her again. So soon. And it didn’t even shock him anymore. “You’re way too straitlaced.”

“I’m straitlaced?” he asked.

“Yeah, you kind of are.”

He pushed her onto her back and she shrieked, then he kissed her neck, feeling her pulse quicken beneath his lips. “How many straitlaced men do you know who can make you come so hard?”

He never talked to his lovers like this. Ever. Hell, he never really talked in bed at all. But she brought it out in him. He didn’t worry. He didn’t overthink. He told her what he wanted. And she loved it. And that did things to him. Things he hadn’t known he wanted to have done to him.

In truth, he’d never been this consumed by sex. Because his mind was always somewhere else. Because taking care of things was still in the forefront, but here, there wasn’t room for anyone but her and him.

“None. But then, I think this might be colored by the fact that I haven’t exactly tested the sexual prowess of every straitlaced man I’ve known.”

“Fair point.”

“I like that you don’t lie,” she said, her blue eyes on his. “I like that when I look at you, I feel like I really see
you
. Not just the man you want the world to see.”

That made him feel a little guilty. Since, in so many ways, he felt like he did just put on a good front. The man who seemed unruffled on the surface, hiding the festering pool of worry beneath. The gut-churning terror all the responsibility he took on built in him.

“Sadie...”

“No. If you’re going to tell me you have secrets, just don’t. Because I want to think I know. What’s the harm in thinking that for now? It’s not like this is forever.”

“No,” he said. “It’s not.”

For some reason, her words and the agreement made his chest feel like it was full of lead.

“So let’s have the fantasy. You be the straitlaced badass who rocks my world. I’ll be comfortable here with you, trusting you. All well-adjusted and stuff.” She smiled and kissed his chin, wrapped her legs around his calves.

“Are you saying you aren’t well-adjusted?”

“Shh. In the fantasy, I am.”

“Are you drunk?”

“A little,” she said. “You won’t share the wine with me so it’s not my fault I have to drink more than normal.”

“Connor won’t tell anyone,” he said. He was sure of that. Because the information Connor had given in exchange was too precious. Connor wouldn’t want anyone to know how bad he was hurting. How hopeless he felt.

Eli didn’t even really want to know, but he did. And now he had to try to fix it. Make it right.

He could never escape that feeling.

He pushed it aside, though, because Sadie was beneath him, and devoting everything to that sensation was, right now, more important.

“It’s for the best. We don’t need everyone all up in our business. And besides, Lydia is a good ally. She keeps the Chamber of Commerce on my side. And I have a feeling she might cut me if she knew I was sleeping with you.”

“Really?”

“She’s very smiley. I find that concerning.”

“Maybe she’s friendly.”

“Maybe,” Sadie said. “You are just something else.”

“Am I?”

“How have you seen so much of the crap you have, and still... How are you so good, Eli Garrett?”

“I have to be,” he said, the words slipping out before he had a chance to think them through.

“Why?” she asked, pushing his hair off his forehead.

“If I’m not...who will be?”

“Not enough people,” she said.

“You are,” he said.

“Me? You mean me, who runs away from everything and everyone?”

“I should never have said that to you. I’m sorry.” Regret tightened his stomach.

She shook her head. “You weren’t wrong. And the more I see you here, the more I realize how much harder it is to deal with people when you have to watch them not learn. And not listen.”

“Regardless, it doesn’t mean that you haven’t helped people. You listen to people.”

“For money,” she said.

“So? Some people would pay to
not
listen to people’s problems.”

She laughed. “Okay, so maybe we’re both okay?”

“Sure. We’re both okay.”

“Right now anyway.” She arched against him, sending a shock of pleasure down his spine.

“Right now I’m more than okay.”

* * *

S
ADIE
CLOSED
HER
LAPTOP
and looked out the window at the row of buildings across the street. The sky was bright blue, clear, the breeze pushing waves over the American flag that rose up from the two-story restaurant behind the main street, just off the harbor. She imagined it was creating matching waves on the sea beyond the buildings, too.

She’d managed to touch base with Alison, awkwardly, about the pies and confirmed that she would make some for the contest and sell some in the booth. But it didn’t really make her feel much better about the situation as a whole.

She’d spent most of the day in the coffee shop approving the mock-up of the B and B’s website. She’d ventured out briefly to go to the Wagon Wheel, a local home store, and special order curtains for the house, and some quilts. Then she’d stopped in at the glass studio Brooke, her old friend from school, now owned.

Brooke’s life seemed to be going better than Alison’s. So that was a comfort at least. She’d been enthusiastic about the barbecue and had asked for brochures for it, and for the B and B, to put in her shop. They’d parted with plans to do lunch, and unlike most times vague lunch plans were made, Sadie had a feeling they really would get together.

She tapped her fingers across the top of the computer. Eli was off today. Well, working on the ranch. Putting in his part-time cowboy hours. Which was his definition of a day off. And she’d decided to leave the ranch and come to town because it was better and less embarrassing than hanging out and hoping to catch glimpses of him walking around all sweaty and sexy and
everything
that a man should be.

Yeah, she needed an Eli hiatus. Which was why she’d asked Kate to drop her off at the coffee shop this morning, so she could do all her online work for the B and B from a remote location.

She wouldn’t be taking a hiatus from him at night, of course, because heaven knew how many nights they had left together. And she would not be skipping a single night of orgasmic bliss. Apparently, pleasure was the price she’d willingly pay for her sanity. And she couldn’t even be bothered to feel bad about it.

Nope. All she felt was pleasantly aroused, thank you very much.

But the issue with being around him all day was that he made things other than her lady parts fluttery. He made her chest area feel fluttery. And that was not something that needed to be indulged.

In fact, quite the opposite.

It was harder still after nights like last night. Where they’d sort of wound around each other, naked, and talked, and laughed. And he’d told Connor about them.

That had made her breath hitch. Made all the questions about what that could possibly mean float to the forefront of her brain. The logical part of her knew it meant that he was too honest to lie to Connor. But then there was this weird, previously dormant girlie part of her that seemed to want to pull it apart further to assign labels and meaning to every little piece and part of what he’d said.

This was not a good time to get all freaky about that stuff. Well, okay, there was never a time for that. She sighed and stood up, tucking her laptop into her purse, chucking her cup into the trash can and waving at Baby Barista Number One before stepping outside.

She shook her head and lifted her face toward the sun, taking a deep breath before crossing the street and cutting through two buildings on her way down to the wharf.

The water was a deep gray blue, pitching and rolling against the rocks on the jetty. She turned and looked down toward the bar, and saw a patrol car, parked across the narrow street in the do-it-yourself car wash.

“He’s at the ranch,” she said to herself. “And not on duty, so that isn’t him.” She was already walking toward the car, her internal commentary not doing anything at all to deter her.

She got closer, and her view shifted, and then she saw him. In blue jeans and a T-shirt, washing the patrol car in one of those do-it-yourself car wash spots. It was like some sort of fantasy delivered to her at a very unexpected time.

All that was left was for him to spray his chest with the water so the shirt stuck to his muscles...

“Hello, stranger,” she said, feeling like a total dork the moment it left her mouth. “I mean, hi, Eli.” She knew the amendment hadn’t done much to cover up the original silliness, but oh well.

His eyebrows shot up. “What are you doing here?”

“I am a hallucination,” she said. “Your subconscious mind brought me to you.”

“Oh, really?” he asked.

“Yes. Don’t you want to know what I mean?”

“I suppose you’re going to tell me.”

“I mean that you’re extremely—” she wiggled her brows “—randy. And you’re feeling sexually frustrated. Taking it out on your car, too. Wax on, wax off. Very suggestive.”

“Is that all, hallucination Sadie?”

“No. I’m also here to warn you. You’re in graaaave danger.”

“Is that all?”

“And I would like a sandwich?”