12-Alarm Cowboys (102 page)

Thanks to the cold night, it actually flowed chilly at first and Lacey glued her body against him.

“Are you cold?” He grinned, loving how she needed him for so many things.

She pulled back a little as the water warmed up and pressed her pointed finger into his chest. “Listen, Cole Hatcher, not everyone is hot like you.”

He grasped her finger with his hand and brought it to his lips, watching her mouth as it opened in anticipation. “I’m only hot because you make me that way, Racy Lacey.”

She smirked. “Well, if I’m a cowboy’s match, you better get to work putting the fire out, Mr. Firefighter.”

He moved her hand behind her and lowered his face until it was only inches from hers. “No, I don’t think so. I want to see exactly how big this fire can get first.”

She sucked in her breath before his lips claimed hers and she was lost to the flames only he could stoke.

‡

W
iping her hands
off on her skirt as she strolled back to the house at Last Chance Ranch, Lacey halted at the sight of Cole riding in on Sampson, a strong black quarter horse who wouldn’t let anyone near him but Cole. She waited for him to bring the “Beast” as she’d nicknamed him, to a stop.

Cole jumped from the saddle, looped the reins over the fence and pulled her in for a searing kiss that had her forgetting everything but him.

When he finally lifted his head, he winked. “Missed you.”

She looked at the sky then back at him. “You were only gone two hours. Did you find the spot?”

His grin widened. “I did. Do you want to see it?”

Her stomach turned somersaults in anticipation. “Yes, but I want to show you something first.”

“Sounds good to me.” He swept her up in his arms and headed for the ranch house.

“No, no. Cole Hatcher put me down.” Really. The man had a one-track mind. It was amazing she could still walk.

His frown had her laughing as he released her.

“Tell you what. Why don’t we pack a cold dinner and while we’re out, we can make the most of our private time.”

“I’ll be holding you to that, Racy Lacey.”

“Shh, Cole, your grandparents are around.”

He stroked his finger over her cheek. “You’re blushing again.”

She swatted his hand aside and took his other one. “Come on.” She couldn’t wait to show him the progress she’d made with Angel. The dainty Arabian was finally starting to trust her. It would be hard leaving her to go back to Poker Flat for work tomorrow morning, but she loved her job too, so she’d just have to spend extra time with the horse when she came home.

She stopped outside Angel’s stall. “Okay, I want you to stand right there. Don’t move a muscle.”

Cole tipped his hat at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m not a ma’am…yet.” But she would be soon. She looked at the modest diamond engagement ring on her left hand. Cole had wanted to buy her something expensive, but she’d chosen something more moderate to save money for the horses.

She approached the stall, then looked back to make sure Cole stayed where she put him. Assured he would behave, she called Angel by name.

The white horse raised her head and looked at her.

Stifling the urge to click her tongue, something the atrocious former owner must have done often, she instead kept her voice high. “Come show Cole what you like to do now, sweetie. Can you give me some lovin’?” She patted her own cheek.

The horse turned around, its brown eyes focused on her.

“Come on, Angel. You know I love you, sweetheart.”

Trying to keep her heartbeat steady, Lacey focused on keeping her own excitement down and her breathing even.

The horse moved toward her and she patted her cheek again.

Angel brought the right side of her face, the side that hadn’t been marred, to Lacey’s right cheek and rubbed. Gently, Lacey moved her hand to stroke the horse up her nose and around her ears. “That’s a good girl.”

After a few minutes she turned away and looked at Cole. Pride was shining clearly in his eyes. “I’m glad you two are learning to get along. The minute I saw her I knew she was the perfect horse for you.”

She raised her hand to her chest as her heart raced. “You mean she’s mine.”

“Only if you want her.” Cole’s look turned guarded and her heart ached for him. How many people had turned away his imperfect horses?

“That’s the best gift anyone has ever given me.”

His whole body relaxed as he grinned. “I knew you’d like her.” He looked over her shoulder. “And it looks like she likes you, or at least your hair.”

Lacey tried to turn around, but Angel had her braid between her teeth.

“Here let me.” Cole walked over slowly, talking to Angel the whole time, finally coaxing her to let go. “There you go. I’m so proud of you.”

She linked her arm around his waist. “I’m proud of you too. What you do here is amazing.” She glanced up at him. “Are you going to miss the horses when Wade picks them up tomorrow?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but I know they are going to a good home and it’s one I plan to visit often.”

“Not as a guest I hope.” She squeezed him harder as they walked toward the house.

He chuckled, the vibration sending happiness through her.

“No, not as a guest. I don’t think my wife will ever let me vacation there.”

“You’ve got that right, mister.” She laughed as he pretended to be scared. “You didn’t tell me how it went yesterday with you and Sean. Did you manage to scare that fraternity house into toeing the line?”

Cole’s grin was wide. “Yes, we did. You should have seen the look on their faces when the SWAT team showed up.”

“Sean got the SWAT team to help too?”

“Oh yeah. When I say Sean has no tolerance for stupidity, I mean it. That man had every one of those boys shaking in their boots. Then as a bonus, he arrested four for possession, three for having stolen property, and one for underage drinking. Then he told them he would send an undercover cop to the school to keep an eye on them.”

Lacey stopped and Cole looked down. “What?”

“He’s really sending an undercover in?”

“No.” Cole shook his head. “But they don’t know that. They’ll be trying to figure out who it is for at least the rest of the year.”

“Wow, remind me not to do anything stupid around that man.”

He grinned. “You could never do anything stupid. You are way too smart for that. You’re even too smart for me.”

“I am not.” She watched as his gaze moved over her to where his grandfather worked with a horse. She could tell Cole wanted to talk with him. “Why don’t you go help your grandfather while I pack us up our dinner?”

He stopped and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Thanks. Meet me by Sampson?”

She nodded and watched as he strode away, his ass stretching the material of his jeans nicely. If she had her way, those jeans wouldn’t be on him long.

Anxious for them to be on their way, she ran up the steps to the porch, throwing the screen door wide, causing it to bang against the house. “Oops.” She glanced out to see if it had spooked the horse, but it appeared intent on the two men.

She ran upstairs to Cole’s room and grabbed a blanket from his closet. She hadn’t fully moved in yet. She wanted their house to at least be started before she gave up her casita at Poker Flat. Right now, it was the only place they had complete privacy. She adored his grandparents, but she and Cole needed their own home.

Besides, the plan was once Billy made it through rehab, he would live in the guest room. It had been the carrot she’d needed to persuade him to get help, and Cole’s willingness to give the man a second chance had proved to her exactly how special he was. Though he said it was Billy’s “last chance”, much like the name of the spread. She’d laughed when Cole’s grandparents had explained the name for the ranch. They figured it was their “last chance” to follow their dream of raising cattle because they were so “old,” but they were barely thirty-one at the time.

Back downstairs, she packed up a cloth bag with roast beef sandwiches and threw in a couple ice packs to keep the cans of lemonade cold. Then she walked back outside to find Cole waiting for her.

“You ready?” He took the items from her, securing the blanket to the saddle and pushing the food into a saddle bag. Then he cupped his hand and gave her a boost onto Sampson’s back. As usual, the large horse pranced at having her up there, but Cole quickly mounted behind her.

In no time, they were riding across the ranch, the setting sun reflecting off the mountains, making them appear on fire with their orange glow. They hadn’t ridden more than twenty minutes before Cole turned Sampson toward a hill in front of the long rise of a mountain. When they reached the top, she found them on a much larger piece of land than she’d expected. From this vantage point, she’d bet they could see the entire ranch, even his grandfather’s house in the distance.

He pulled Sampson to a halt and dismounted. After helping her down, he pointed to a small creek that ran down the mountainside, though it was dried up this time of year. “This is Last Chance mountain, or at least that’s what my grandfather calls it. And this area here my brother and I named Fire Hill because at sunset you can stand here and see the whole valley turn orange. What do you think about this for our new home? It’s still close enough to the old house in case we’re needed, but far enough away that we can have some privacy.”

She looked around the little hill dotted with mesquite trees. “I think it’s perfect.”

He pulled her into his arms. “You’re not just saying that to make me happy, are you?”

“No. I’m saying that because it is such a lovely spot. Of course, we’ll have to get the road laid in first or the expense of bringing in construction materials will be twice as much. But I’m betting this is a good spot for a well, since it is at the base of a mountain. They’ll probably still have to dig deep. This is Maricopa County after all.”

“Whoa, we haven’t even decided on the house plans yet and you’re scheduling the infrastructure? You have to understand, Lacey, the money I had saved for this project has been raided a few times for vet bills so it may be awhile.”

She frowned. “How long are you thinking?”

He looked over her head, a sure sign he wasn’t comfortable with the conversation. But she had to know. Their finances would be tied together once they married.

“Maybe three or four years.”

She shook her head. “Nope, I’m thinking a year tops.”

“Lacey, you know I’d love to, but if I did that I’d have to turn away any—”

She pulled out of his arms. “Cole Hatcher, are we getting married or not?”

“Well, yes, but what does that have to do with our house?”

She sighed. “Everything. I know you’re a cowboy and think you have to handle everything, but I’m an accountant. I’m not only good with numbers, I’m good with money.”

“What are you saying?” His whole body tensed as if he expected her to knock him down.

“What I’m saying is that as Lacey Hatcher, my money will be added to your money and we will have enough to start building as soon as we decide on a design.”

He stood rock still and her stomach tightened. Would he pull some macho bull poop over using her money? When he finally met her gaze, his grin was sheepish. “Do you think as my wife you could also work for no pay and take care of the books for Last Chance Ranch? I never was too good at math.”

“Really?” She’d been itching to get her hands on them, sure she could help him make more money than he had been.

He took two steps to bring him directly in front of her. “I know you now. I know what you can do. I don’t just trust you with my heart but with everything I own. I’ve always needed you. You fill in all my weak spots and hopefully, I fill in all yours. I want our marriage to be like our lovemaking, equal on all counts, completing each other.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Satisfying.”

He ran his hands along her waist, across the sides of her breasts and up her arms. “Hot.”

She stepped back. “Flaming hot.” Slowly, she undid her button-down shirt and threw it over a mesquite branch. The pretty lavender bra she wore supported her breasts, but had a large hole in each cup where her areola and nipple were visible.

The air whistled out from between his teeth as he stared at her. “Shit, Lacey, that’s beyond hot.”

At his words her nipples hardened, making them stand out ahead of her pretty lingerie. “I want to see you too.”

Faster than a scorpion could strike, Cole had whipped off his t-shirt, his muscles tensing as his gaze riveted to her. Her hands itched to feel the hard planes of his chest again. The man’s torso had more crevices and outcroppings than the mountain next to them.

Her folds moistened in anticipation of his gaze when she revealed what she wore below. Hooking her fingers in the waistband of her skirt, she pushed it down, stepping out of it and hanging it on another branch.

When she turned back, he was staring at her lavender panties. These too had a strategic hole. It revealed her small patch of blonde curls.

Cole growled as he unzipped his jeans and let out his hard cock.