A Cowgirl's Pride (12 page)

“I am so glad you were here, Luke,” she said.

“Me, too, sis.”

“Makes me wonder what else Roddy is cooking up.”

“Yeah, I hear ya. We just proved that we’re
smarter than him. Kudos to us.”

“Kudos to you, Luke. I probably would’ve gone
with him.”

“And that’s exactly what he counted on. You’re
not alone in this. Thank God you had the sense to come home when you did.”

“Luke, what if there really is a warrant?”

“There isn’t or that phony sheriff wouldn’t have
run.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m not thinking straight,” she said,
tucking a strand of hair behind one ear.

“No wonder. That was quite a shocker.”

The phone rang, and Luke went to answer it. She
used the time to talk quietly with
Cal
and tried to calm down.

“That was Michael,” he said. “Our phony sheriff hit
some black ice, lost control, and crashed into a telephone pole. He’s in bad
shape according to Michael. An ambulance is on its way to them. He’ll be back
after he gets that mess sorted out.”

“Okay.” Leah slumped into a chair at the table,
suddenly exhausted.

“Work’s finished for today,”
Cal
said. “Need me to stick around here for
a bit?”

“Actually, yeah. If you don’t mind staying with
Leah until Michael gets back, I’ll go help Zakia put the boys to bed. Dad and
Winnie are watching TV in the office, but I’d rather not bother them.”

“No problem.”

After Luke left,
Cal
took off his hat and coat, hung them on
a hook by the door, and toed off his boots. “Any coffee left from dinner?” he
asked.

She saw the holster strapped to his hip but
never said a word. He’d come ready to protect. Who wouldn’t love a man like
that? “Yep, lemon pie, too,” she answered. “Have a seat. It’ll just take me a
minute.”

She poured herself another cup while she was at
it and joined him.

“Thanks for coming. That was thoughtful of you.”

“Thoughtful my ass! I was worried sick. I never
got dressed so fast in all my life.”

“Were you in bed already?” Her mind instantly
conjured a picture of him lying naked between the sheets, and she squeezed her
legs closed tight against the sudden itch.

“Showered and resting, not asleep. I heard the
gunshot and got here as fast as I could.”

“It’s a wonder Dad never heard it, but thanks. You’re
a good friend to have around.”

“I’d be around even more if you’d let me.” His
declaration was more than she could deal with. If only it was that simple.

“Not now,
Cal
.
I can’t talk about us tonight.”

“That’s all right, just so long as you know I’m
here for you.”

She nodded and smiled. “Yes, I do know, and I
appreciate it, all things considered. How’s the pie?”

“Delicious!” He grinned and stuffed another bite
into his mouth.

He really was a handsome devil. Those
devastating twin dimples in each cheek drew her focus every time he smiled. His
hair, still wet from the shower and a bit on the long side, suited him. The
ends curled up from wearing his hat and gave him a boyish look that took her
mind back to their last summer together.

* * * *

They’d
ridden out to the far pasture one afternoon and dismounted beside the creek,
instantly coming together in a passionate embrace that had them gasping for
breath when the kiss ended.

“Let’s ride
out to the line shack,” he said.

She’d
vetoed the idea, wanting to make love under the shade of the big, old oak tree.
And they did—glorious, totally abandoned lovemaking. He, always such a
gentleman, insisted on her being on top. She felt the freedom, the power of the
moment, as he turned the reins over to her. They’d never tried it that way
before, and she gloried in the feeling of impaling herself on his hard cock.
She rode him until their bodies were slick with sweat, her tits bouncing freely
and his hands holding tight to her hips. He lifted his upper body to capture a
nipple and sucked it hard. The climax, when it came, was nothing less than Earth-shattering,
and
they
collapsed in a tangled heap on the grassy bank.

Once they
had their breath back, they waded into the creek hand in hand—the water cold on
their heated bodies, but they warmed up soon enough and made love again, buoyed
up by the current. The loving she experienced that blistering hot afternoon had
stayed in her memory, recalled every time she felt she couldn’t endure another
moment in Roddy’s company.

“Penny for them.”

She smiled. “Just remembering the good old
days.”

“Yeah, I do that a lot.”

“We had a lot of fun.”

“Yes, we sure did.” He grinned. “Too bad it isn’t
summer.”

She laughed. “Do you read minds now?”

“Nope, but you wear your feelings on your
sleeve. You always have.”

“Maybe with you, but no one else.”

“Why is that, do you think? Could it be that you
still feel comfortable with me?”

“Could be,” she teased. Then more serious, she
continued speaking. “You’ve always been my best friend, my confidante. I missed
that. Missed you.”

“Glad to hear it.” He grinned again. “It’s a
start.”

He got up, rinsed his plate and cup, left them
in the sink, and leaned against the cupboard. “You are still the most beautiful
woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“And you’ve grown into one gorgeous hunk of
cowboy,” she said as she rinsed her cup and set it beside his.

She didn’t know who moved first, him or her, but
she found herself in his arms being kissed as never before. Her body pressed
against his, close, then closer still. The ridge of his cock hardened and pushed
against her. Their tongues dueled and darted, tasted and twirled until she
forgot where she was and why.

“Am I interrupting something?” asked Zakia.

“Damn!” she said as they guiltily jumped apart.

“Oh, shit!” he said, turning to look out the
window.

Leah laughed as he tugged at the crotch of his
jeans, trying to hide the bulge. “Sorry, Zakia”

“Hey, don’t mind me. Cammy’s thirsty so I came
down to get him a drink. I, uh, wouldn’t let Luke or your father catch you
making out in the kitchen though. They’re a little on the protective side.”

“You’re telling me! Come on,
Cal
. Let’s go see what’s on the tube.”

They made a hasty exit, and Leah was certain she
heard Zakia giggling behind them.

* * * *

Cal
had rarely been invited to the house, except for the staff
Christmas party every year, although he had helped Luke rearrange furniture
after Zakia moved back in. To be sitting here tonight, watching television with
Leah seemed surreal, yet at the same time, it felt right.

He’d intended to sit in the recliner, putting
some much-needed space between them to calm his libido, but she’d grabbed his
arm and tugged him down on the sofa beside her. She palmed the remote and
searched through the guide.

“Oh!
Titanic
is on. That’s one of my favorite movies.” She tuned into that channel, kicked
off her shoes, and curled up beside him, her feet tucked under her.

She cried softly as the ship began to sink, and
he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Sorry, my hormones seem to be all out of
whack.”

“No problem,” he said as he passed her a box of
tissues from the end table. “It’s not every day that a man gets to comfort a
woman in distress.”

She hiccoughed a snort of laughter. “Yeah, and
tonight you were lucky enough to do it twice.”

“I’m not complaining.”

She turned her face up to look at him then, her
tongue sweeping out to wet lips that were only a breath away from his. That slight
nervous reaction impelled him to kiss her again. Be damned if Luke caught them.
They were both adults.

He bent his head to hers, their lips touching
briefly, once, twice, giving her the chance to pull away if she chose. When she
kissed him back, tentatively at first, he deepened the kiss, careful to keep
his hands to himself. No way did he want to get caught feeling up his boss’s
sister.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as she pulled
him closer, and his arms came around her of their own volition. It felt so good
to hold her like this. He wished they had a place of their own, somewhere they
could go for complete privacy.

“Well, isn’t this cozy? How’s the movie?” Luke’s
voice sounded more amused than angry, but it had the desired effect. Leah sat
back and stared at her brother while
Cal
wished he could vaporize into the woodwork.

“The movie is fine, but I’ve seen it before.
Thanks for granting us a little privacy, big brother.”

He laughed and crossed the room to tend the fire
in the big fireplace. It took up most of the end wall with Zakia’s matching
tiered trinket shelves on each side. “You want privacy? Get a room. Just be
glad it was me and not Dad who caught you making out on the sofa.”

“I already have a room.” She smirked as he
glanced in her direction. “Upstairs.”

Sassy
little wench! That’s my girl!

“Not while Dad’s staying here. That might be
enough to give him another heart attack. This has happened awful fast. Are you
two serious?” he asked, his frowning countenance not boding well for a
favorable outcome.

“Yes,” said
Cal
decisively.

Leah stared at him for a moment as if searching
for something in his expression, then shook her head and turned back to Luke.
“I’m not sure what we are, but is it so bad for me to want a little human
contact? Danger is all around us, and that fake sheriff almost had me tonight.
Cal and I have been friends forever. Who better to comfort me and make me feel
alive again?”

“Hey, I’m not criticizing here. I think
Cal
is a great guy. You
could do a lot worse.”

Cal
wisely remained silent, his attention on the drama playing out in
front of him.

“I
have
done a lot worse. That’s why I’m cooped up in here and not out riding, visiting
friends or shopping. At least with
Cal
I feel something besides fear.”

“Have at ‘er then if that’s what you want. Just
remember I have two impressionable little boys to consider.”

“Credit us with
some
common sense, Luke. If we
do
make out, it won’t be with an audience of any kind.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, can we talk about something
else?”

Zakia joined them, holding a stack of DVDs in
her arms. “Want to watch a movie?”

Leah laughed aloud, and the men grinned.

“What have you got?” she asked as she took the
stack and searched through them.

“
Freedom Writers
is good,” Zakia suggested. “It’s about a teacher, and how she convinces her
students that education is worth having and fights the system on their behalf.”

“Sounds king of boring,” Luke said.

“Not at all. I think you’d enjoy it.”

“Okay. Hand it over,” Luke said, taking the
movie and setting it up to play. He sat in the recliner with his wife in the
armchair beside him.

Cal
was pleasantly surprised at how welcome he felt. He assumed that
once Luke and his wife came back downstairs he’d have his marching orders.
Instead, they’d included him in the evening’s activity. Go figure! He placed
his arm around Leah again, pulled her close to his side, and settled in to
watch the movie. He didn’t even care if it was a crappy one; he was right where
he wanted to be.

Surprisingly, it held his interest all the way
through, and he was sorry to see it end. The four of them discussed it for a
few minutes then he rose to his feet, reluctant to have the evening end.

“Morning comes early. I best be getting some
shut eye. Thanks for making me welcome.”

“No problem,
Cal
. See you in the morning,” Luke said.

“Good night,
Cal
,” mumbled Zakia around a yawn.

He chuckled. “Good night.”

Leah rose and saw him to the door.

“Don’t forget to lock up behind me,” he said as
he donned his coat and boots.

“I’m not about to forget after the scare I had
earlier.”

He paused to take her face in his hands, leaning
forward to kiss the tip of her nose. “Makes me wonder where he picked up the
uniform. You be careful. I’ll see you tomorrow.”