Stone Cold Cowboy (22 page)

“Good. Then let's finish this and go for our ride.”

“That sounds a lot better than doing this. You take the cash. I'll put these papers together and make a couple of calls.”

“Don't you want to deposit this money in your bank account to pay bills and stuff?”

“No. That's for you. I know it doesn't cover everything—”

Rory placed his finger over her lips, cutting off her words. “Stop. I am so damn tired of this.”

She didn't move from his touch, but cocked up one eyebrow.

“You didn't need to give me your horses, the money, and clean my house. Yes, the cattle theft set me back, but it didn't ruin me. I don't want any more money. I don't want you working at my place. I just want you. Don't you get that yet?”

She nodded because he still held his finger against her lips.

“Good. Now pack your stuff and let's go home.”

He took his hand away, but she still didn't say anything. Did he hear what he just said to her? Let's go home. She was home. This was her house, but it didn't feel the same. She didn't really want to live here alone.
In fact, she wanted to be with him. Always. He hadn't asked her to move in. Not in so many words, so what did he expect going forward?

She didn't know, but tonight she'd be sleeping in his bed, and she didn't intend to be there alone.

“I'll be ready in a few minutes.” It surprised her—in a good way—that she was ready to move on with her life with him. Yes, she grieved for her father. The ache sat heavy in her chest even now, but over time it would lessen. She'd learn to smile without having to try. She'd be happy again without feeling guilty.

R
ory put the last sandwich in the insulated bag and zipped it shut. He stared out the window at Sadie in her tight jeans, brown boots, and pink long-sleeved shirt with her hair blowing in the wind. She stood next to the corral watching her herd of horses romping around, showing off for her. Lost in her thoughts, she tilted her face to the wind and sun.

“She looks a little sad,” Colt commented, coming to stand beside him. “Did everything go all right at her place?”

“Collecting her things and getting her father's paperwork was the easy part. Watching her struggle with her emotions, not so much. The DEA agent riding her for answers didn't help.”

“DEA. Do they think she's involved with her brother?”

“No. They want her help to bring him in.”

“If he won't listen to her, what can she really do?”

“Exactly. It's inevitable he'll get caught or killed. She'd rather have him behind bars than dead, of course, but he doesn't trust her anymore. Unless he calls her again, she can't do anything, including wasting her
breath trying to find out where he is and convince him to turn himself in.”

“Where are you two off to?”

“Listen, man, I know I've been absent a lot and you and Ford have been carrying the load around here.”

“Hey, I don't mind. Neither does Ford. You want to spend time with your girl, be my guest. You've covered for us, hell you've toed the line and sacrificed a hell of a lot more than we have. If this is your chance for something with her, take it.”

“You really like her?”

“She makes you happy, I'm happy.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Do you have everything you need?” Colt's gaze settled on the old quilt Rory had rolled up to take along.

“I thought I'd take her on a picnic to cheer her up.”

“Is that what they call it now?”

“Shut up.” Rory shoved Colt away. “You're just jealous.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“You ever going to tell me what the deal is with you and Luna? She is Sadie's best friend, you know?”

“Did Luna say something to Sadie and she told you?” The fear that Rory would disapprove of whatever it was showed in Colt's eyes.

“No.”

“Well, that's something.”

“What would she say?”

Colt shrugged. “Right now, I don't know. Something happened. Something I didn't mean to happen, something that shouldn't have happened, but it did, and now I'm not sure if it really was a bad thing.”

“If you feel this bad about it, maybe you should apologize. Maybe she'll change her mind about you.”

“You think she would?”

“Give her a reason to change her mind.”

Colt walked out without another word, but the thoughtful look in his eyes said Rory might have gotten through to him.

While Colt needed to change a woman's mind, Rory hoped his woman didn't change hers about staying here. Right now, she had clothes hanging in his closet and filling two of his drawers. He didn't mind making room for her. In fact, his room felt different now. He used to go up there and dread sleeping alone. Now he couldn't wait for night to come so he could hold her, make love to her, and wake up to her beautiful face each morning.

He might have lost his mind taking things this fast, but he didn't care. He wanted her. He needed her. Being without her anymore just wasn't an option.

“Heading out?” his grandfather asked. He went to the coffeepot and poured himself a mug.

“Yeah. We'll be back in a couple of hours.”

“Have fun. Looks like she needs some.”

“Granddad, I didn't ask . . . I just moved her in here, and . . .”

“Hey, this is your house, son. I just live here. You don't need my permission to do anything that makes you happy. I'm glad to see things are changing in this house and in your lives.”

“Yeah, maybe all your pushing and prodding for us to settle down had some merit. Don't tell Ford and Colt I said that.”

“Never. And Rory, it's not about settling down, it's
about being with someone who makes you the best you. I think she does that for you. If you think so, too, then hold on to her.”

“I'm trying.” Rory tucked the quilt under his arm and picked up their lunch bag.

“Take one of the walkies. With all the trouble that's gone on, you can't be too careful.”

“We're not going that far, but you're right. I'll grab one on my way out.”

S
adie rode beside
Rory down the long trail. She had no idea where he planned to stop for their picnic. She didn't really care. She loved being out on the land on horseback, nothing but wind, trees, and sunshine. She stared up at the sparse white fluffy clouds overhead. A beautiful day. The perfect afternoon for a picnic with a gorgeous cowboy.

“Are you falling asleep back there?”

Sadie brought her face back down and stared at Rory in front of her. “Just enjoying the day and the sights.”

“See anything you like?”

“Every time I look at you, cowboy.”

Rory tipped his finger to his Stetson. The man looked even more handsome and dangerous in the black hat.

“Ready to eat?”

“I'm starving.” She looked around the area. “Hey, didn't we pass this spot about twenty minutes ago?”

“Yep.”

“Why are we going in circles if this is where you were headed all along?”

“Because you needed time to relax and get out of your head.”

She had to admit he was right. Until about ten minutes ago, she'd spent most of their hour-long ride thinking about everything that happened and everything she still had to do. She thought about her clothes in Rory's room, her hairbrush next to his in the bathroom, and the fact she planned to sleep in his bed with him tonight.

The flutter of anticipation in her belly excited her. The eagerness and growing need to be with him zipped through her system and made her body hum. This wasn't just the natural progression in their relationship. It was a step toward their future.

She thought about that, too. Where they were headed. What the rest of their lives would be like now. She had a hard time picturing it clearly with everything from her past still so present now. She'd get through this rough time, sort out everything she felt was holding her back, and move forward with Rory. He was the one thing she felt certain about always.

“Do we need to take another circle, or are you going to come back from wherever you went in your head?”

She smiled down at him, surprised to discover they'd stopped and he'd already dismounted. “Sorry.”

He took her by the hips and lifted her right off her horse.

“God, you're strong.”

“You hardly weigh a thing, little one.”

His hands slid down her hips to cup her bottom. She went up on tiptoe, her hands braced on his shoulders. He pulled her close and kissed her.

“Did you like the ride?”

“Yes. Very much. I'm sorry I wasn't great company. You wanted to show me your land and I barely paid attention.”

“It's not important.”

“Yes, it is. This is your home. Your work. It's what you've worked so hard to hold on to since your parents died.”

“We'll ride as often as you like and you'll see it all then. Today, you needed the peace and quiet.”

“You always seem to know just what I need.”

He cupped her face and brushed his thumbs under her eyes and over her cheeks. “You need to rest. You barely slept last night.”

“You had something to do with that,” she teased.

He leaned down and kissed her again. “My pleasure. But you need to eat and get some rest. Come on.” He took her hand and tugged her toward his horse. He released her long enough to unstrap the blanket and their lunch bag. He took her hand again and walked her up toward the cluster of trees with the soft grass and dappled light.

Another man had walked her into the trees once. It seemed a long time ago, yet fresh as if it were happening right now. She stopped midstride. Rory kept walking another step, tugging on her hand, but she didn't budge. Her mind took her back to the terror she felt that day and the bite of the wire pinching and poking into her skin.

“Sadie,” Rory yelled, like he'd said her name more than once.

“Huh. What?”

“You're white as a sheet. What happened?”

“Nothing. Sorry. I got lost in thought.” She stared up the sprawling tree branches.

Rory dropped their stuff and cupped her face, making her focus on him. “You're safe here with me.”

She clamped her shaking hands over his wrists. “I know that. I'm fine.”

“Then breathe.”

She sucked in a ragged breath and tried to smile to wipe the concern from his narrowed eyes. She reached for him, pulling him close and pressing her body to his. “Did I thank you for saving me?”

“A dozen times, sweetheart. It's over. Soon that asshole will be behind bars where he belongs.”

She pressed her hands to his chest and leaned back in his arms. “You're right. I'm sorry. It hit me all at once, seeing the trees, feeling the cool wind, and being out here again. I'm fine. Let's eat.”

“I'm sorry, I should have thought before bringing you out into the woods.”

“No. I love that you wanted to take me on a picnic. I don't want what happened to become so big in my life that I stop doing the things I love, like going for a ride and being out here with you.”

Rory didn't look quite convinced, but he released her, picked up the blanket, shook it out, and spread it over the soft grass under the largest tree. Shaded from the afternoon sun, Sadie sat on the soft blanket and pulled off her boots, getting comfortable. She wanted Rory to see she had every intention of kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying their time together.

Rory set the lunch bag on the blanket. She pulled out the paper plates, wrapped sandwiches, and plastic containers. She found the two cans of PBR and bottles of water on the bottom, including her prize, a bag of her favorite chocolate chunk brownie cookies.

“How did you know these are my favorite?”

“I see you eating them all the time.”

She held up the can of beer. “Planning on getting me drunk?”

“Sweetheart, if one can of beer gets you drunk I'm not letting you drink at all.” The silly grin he gave her settled the last of the fear she'd felt reliving her nightmare.

She popped the top on the beer and took a deep sip. She swallowed and sighed. “That's good.”

“Hand me the other. Let's eat.”

The chicken, ranch, lettuce, and red onion on sourdough sandwich was also her favorite. One of the plastic containers had sliced apples. The other a pasta, broccoli, zucchini salad. “It's kind of creepy that you know all the things I like.”

“I've been stalking you for years.”

The teasing tone said one thing, but he'd been watching her for a long time.

“Why didn't you ever ask me out if you were so interested?”

Rory didn't look at her for a long while. He chewed his roast beef sandwich and stared off into the distance. “I intimidated you.”

“You scared me. You take up the space around you like no one else I know. It's not just your size, but your presence. You never smiled at me to let me know you wanted to even say hi. Whenever I caught you looking at me, you walked away. I thought maybe I'd done something to piss you off. Or at least my brother had.”

“It's no secret to anyone around town you watch over him like a hawk and he treats you like crap for all your trouble. That's what I didn't like. But that wasn't why I never said anything.”

“Then what was it, because you don't seem to have a problem with me now.”

“I never had a problem with you. I liked you. A lot. But you're Colt's age.”

“So.”

“So I didn't think you'd be interested in someone six years older than you.”

“Age doesn't really matter. Not when you're headed toward your thirties.”

“You've got a few years to go yet.”

She shrugged. “Maybe, but it's coming quicker than I thought. So that's it, the age thing is why you never said anything, why you always sat across the restaurant. I thought maybe I smelled bad, or always had something stuck in my teeth.”

Rory laughed at that and set his empty plate aside. He took a sip of his beer, then looked at her again. “I didn't know what to say, and it seemed too important to mess it up, especially when you didn't seem interested in me.”

She went still, understanding the real reason he'd held back. The shyness most people didn't see. The depth of emotion Rory felt but never let show. He'd opened up to her and showed her who he really was these last weeks. The age thing was an excuse for him to cover how much he really liked her but feared doing something, saying something that ruined his chances with her, especially when she'd kept her distance.

His fault for always being cold and remote, never letting anyone in, until he'd saved her and they'd found each other.

“Besides that, I've been too consumed with raising
my brothers and keeping this ranch. It's an all-day, every-day kind of thing.”

“Yet you've barely worked since I met you.” Because being with her had become more important. Like her, he found something he wanted and didn't want to waste this opportunity and good fortune.

“I've turned into a real slacker.”

“After all these years, you don't even care.”

“When I found you . . .”

He left off the part about how he found her and she appreciated it.

“I realized that I might lose you before I ever got the chance to see if what I felt for you was real or just some made-up thing in my head. I didn't want to lose it then, I certainly don't want to lose it now that I know how real and deep it is.”