The Cowboy's Summer Love (9 page)

“Does that make it better?” she asked, looking at him with heat warming her big brown eyes until they looked like pools of sweet milky chocolate.

“Almost,” Travis whispered, trailing a hand over her head. He pulled the band from her ponytail and watched her long hair tumble in rich, dark curls around her shoulders. “What would make it all better is if you go swimming with me.”

“I just can’t, Trav,” Tess said, looking out at the water.

“Can’t or won’t,” Travis asked, running his hand through her hair and down her back. He rubbed titillating circles across her shoulders, making tingles race up and down her spine. “You’re not a girl to back down from a challenge. So I dare you to get out there and have fun.”

Tess turned and looked at him. He had yet to issue a dare she wouldn’t accept and win.

“Did you have to dare me?” she asked in misery. She didn’t want to see the look on Travis’ face when he saw her in a swimsuit. She’d seen the looks of appreciation from the males observing their group at Cady’s trim figure and Lindsay’s lean athletic form. She couldn’t bear the look that would surely cross his face when Travis saw her.

“Yep. That way I know you’ll get in the water,” Travis said with a devilish smile. “Now, are you going to take off your clothes and get out there or am I going to do it for you?”

Reaching over, Travis grabbed a handful of Tess’s T-shirt and started tugging it up. A hint of something navy blue teased him from beneath the lifted shirt.

“Travis, so help me, I will break your hand if you pull even another inch higher,” Tess said, tugging down her shirt with both hands.

Travis laughed and got to his feet, planting his hands on his hips. “Either you shuck off your clothes and get out there or I’ll drag you in with them on. Your choice, but I’m only going to give you to the count of five. One, two, three…”

“You are the most insufferable, obstinate, obnoxious idiot,” Tess said as she jumped to her feet, glaring at Travis. “Turn around.”

Travis turned around but stared at her over his shoulder. “You know I’ve seen it all before, Tessadora. Don’t forget your mom has a picture of you and me and Brice playing in the bathtub.”

“Yes, but I was three and both of you were two. That certainly doesn’t count. Now turn around and no peeking.” Tess waited until Travis turned his face toward the water then quickly pulled off her shirt and shorts before inhaling a deep breath and walking up beside him. Taking his hand, she tugged him toward the river. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Not so fast,” Travis said,
pulling her to a stop and drinking in the sight of her. She looked like a Hollywood siren from the 1940s with her figure eight shape and glamorous swimsuit.

All one piece, the dark blue swimsuit was a halter style with a sweetheart neckline and ruched waist that ended in a cute perky skirt teasing the tops of her thighs.

The style accented her voluptuous form and Travis couldn’t think when he had ever seen anything as beguiling as Tess looked right at that moment. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her hair blew around her face in long dark curls. She stood studying the bright pink polish on her toes with her hands crossed in front of her waist, obviously uncomfortable under his perusal.

Travis pushed up her chin until she had to look him in the eye. He was surprised to see tears glistening on her long, lush eyelashes.

“You are absolutely beautiful. You should be ashamed for keeping all that hidden behind those scrubs and loose shirts you always wear. I mean it, Tessa, you look amazing.”

Tess studied his eyes and saw only honesty there. Honesty, admiration and something else she couldn’t quite define. A smile played on her lips. “Thanks, Trav.”

Unable to stop himself, he pulled her into a hug and breathed in her citrusy scent. She felt so perfect in his arms. He wanted to run his hands up and down her back, explore and taste every curve. Instead, he kissed her cheek, grabbed her hand and tugged her into the water.

Joining the rest of their group, they laughed and splashed for the next half-hour until they were all tired and chilled. Resting on the beach, they soaked up the sun and warmth. By the time they pulled on their clothes over their mostly-dry suits and piled back in the vehicles, it was past mid-afternoon.

Arriving back at the Triple T close to dinner time, Cady invited the three Morgans to join them for the meal, which they accepted. Tess was glad her brothers weren’t in a hurry to return to the Running M. She had enjoyed her day more than she thought possible and wasn’t quite ready for it to end.

After more laughing and teasing through dinner, Travis walked her out to Brice’s pickup where her brothers were visiting with Trent and Lindsay.

“I had a great time with you today, Tess. I’m really glad you came along,” Travis said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked. She fit so perfectly into the curve of his arm, like she was the only person intended to be there.

“I had a great time, too. Thanks for making me go,” Tess said with a grin, relishing the feel of Travis’ arm around her. Although it was a gesture he’d done since they were kids, each time his skin made contact with hers, she felt sparks flashing between them.

“That’s what I’m here for. To push you out of your comfort zone into new experiences,” Travis said, smiling at her in the dusk.

“You’ve always been good about pushing me around,” she said, giving him a playful shove, but not hard enough to push him away. She enjoyed his closeness too much to break the contact. “I appreciated you not making fun of me today.”

Travis stopped walking and turned Tess so they were facing each other.

“Why in the world would I make fun of you, other than for obvious reasons?”

“You know,” Tess said, still embarrassed. “The whole swimming ordeal.”

“Swimming ordeal? There was an ordeal and I missed it? Why didn’t someone tell me?” Travis teased. The smile left his face and his eyes grew hot and tender as he raised his hand to her face and brushed gently across her soft cheek with his thumb. “I thought you were the most beautiful girl at the river today, Tess. That’s a fact you can bank on. You’re gorgeous so don’t forget it.”

Travis moved toward her, watching as her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted, anticipating his kiss. The spell was broken when Ben leaned out of the truck and hollered at them. “Tess, time to go!”

“Thanks again, Travis,” Tess squeezed his hand before running to the pickup and climbing over the top of Ben to sit in the middle.

“Later, dude,” Ben waved as Brice started down the driveway.

“Later,” Travis said, waving. He didn’t know how he’d ever get to sleep with visions of Tess in that swimsuit filling his head. Tess wasn’t fighting fair when she withheld ammunition like that from him. When he looked down at her on the bank of the river, he had to struggle to keep his jaw from dropping to the sandy beach. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined she’d look so feminine and alluring. He was glad they went swimming right after the initial shock of the discovery because it camouflaged the drool dripping down his chin.

 Travis would crawl across hot coals for the opportunity to see Tess wear that suit again, preferably when they were alone so he could fully appreciate the way it highlighted every full and wonderful curve of her body.

Raking his hands through his hair, he decided to go find some work that needed done before attempting to go to bed.

Sleep would be a long, long time in coming.

Chapter Six

Love is a spy who is plotting treason,

in league with that warm, red rebel, the Heart.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Giving his gloves another yank, Travis adjusted his helmet and centered his focus on the race ahead. It was a beautiful June day and he was looking forward to the thrill of racing his motorbike along the Oregon Raceway Park course.

Travis looked over at Ben Morgan who was fiddling with his new bike. This would be Ben’s first time to race and Travis hoped his friend would do fine. He didn’t want to forfeit another race to rescue one of the Morgan boys, but would do it in a heartbeat if he needed to.

Turning his focus to the race ahead, Travis visualized the course, mentally went through the turns and pictured himself coming in first. As he crossed the finish line, he could see Tess, dark curls bouncing around her rosy cheeks, as she cheered him on. She’d open her arms to him and give him a huge hug, drawing him into her softness and warmth.

Shaking his head, Travis took a deep breath and narrowed his gaze so that all he could see was the asphalt of the track ahead.

At the signal it was time for the race to begin, Travis leaned over and thumped Ben on the shoulder with a grin.

“Good luck, man,” Travis said, flipping down the visor on his helmet and starting his bike. Travis kept his attention centered on the race, on the next turn, on winning. Going around one blind turn, he nearly lost control when the guy in front of him swerved and veered off the course, but Travis recovered and kept going, adrenaline pumping through him.

Tess didn’t know why she let Brice talk her into coming to watch Travis and Ben race. She was afraid either one or both of them might crash. She had all she could do to not cover her eyes instead of watch them ride.

As the racers entered the final stretch, Tess watched Travis lean so far into the curve his knee was brushing the pavement, but he came out of it like a shot and zoomed across the finish line. Ben safely finished in fourth place.

As Travis got off the bike, he was swarmed by family, friends and well-wishers alike. Tess couldn’t help but notice the college-age girls circling around him and felt a pang of jealousy stab through her. Travis viewed her as a buddy, nothing more. Why shouldn’t he enjoy the attention of a bunch of young, pretty girls? At 26, the girls hanging around Travis made Tess feel old.

Having watched Travis race and also compete in a few regional rodeos, she was aware he was gaining a group of followers of the female persuasion. She noticed it was the same half-dozen girls who showed up at everything wearing too much perfume, too much makeup and not nearly enough clothes with their low-cut tops and cut-off shorts or miniskirts.

Disgusted, Tess turned away and started walking back toward her car. She had plans to go shopping with a friend in Portland this afternoon, spend the night and come back tomorrow. Stopping to give Ben a hug and offer congratulations for finishing the race, she was anxious to leave behind Travis and his entourage.

Tess was nearly to her car when she felt a hand grasp her elbow. Spinning around, she was surprised to see Travis smiling down at her, the brilliant blue sky providing the perfect backdrop to his tan face, white teeth and twinkling eyes.

“Aren’t you even going to say congratulations?” he asked, keeping a grip on her elbow as she turned around and continued walking to her car.

“Congratulations,” Tess said, fumbling in her purse to find her keys. “Good job. Way to go. Well done.”

“That doesn’t sound very sincere,” Travis said, releasing her arm and leaning against her car door. “I thought we were friends, Tess.”

Her head snapped up. He had her there.

“We are, Travis, and I’m sorry. I really am proud of you,” she said, finding her keys and holding them tightly in her hand. “I thought you were going to bite it on that last curve. How can you lean over so far and not crash?”

“It’s all about balance and gravity,” Travis said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Still riding his adrenaline high, he felt on top of the world. He was, however, getting tired of the girls who seemed to have started a Travis Thompson fan club and wouldn’t leave him alone. He couldn’t believe they’d found out he was riding today and shown up at the race track. He wondered how, exactly, they were keeping such close tabs on his activities, but would worry about that another day.

Right now, he was most worried about Tess leaving in such a hurry. When he won the race, he hoped to see her smiling face at the finish line. Instead, he saw her frowning in his direction before she stalked off. If he didn’t know better, he might think she was jealous of the attention the other girls were giving him.

“Well, I’m glad you won and didn’t get hurt,” Tess said, needing to leave, yet wanting to stay. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”

“Where are you rushing off to?” Travis asked, settling his hands on her arms and looking into her face. Something was bothering Tess, but he couldn’t put a finger on what it was exactly. The soft fabric of her blouse beneath his hands didn’t keep the warmth of her skin from sinking into his palms and soul. “We have a big barbecue planned tonight. Want to come?”

“Thanks for the invite, but I won’t be home,” Tess said, stepping back so his hands dropped from her arms. Nudging Travis aside, she opened her car door and made ready to escape. Before she could climb in, he stepped in front of her again.

“You have a hot date? Is that the reason for the cold shoulder and the rush to leave?” Travis tried to keep his tone teasing, but there was a hard edge to it. He didn’t like the idea of Tess going out with anyone.