A Real Cowboy Never Says No (8 page)

He finally saw her, and his gaze stopped, pinned to her. Heat flushed her body, and she lifted her chin, trying to quell the thudding of her heart. He levered himself off the wall and strode toward her, the languid, easy gait of a man who could saunter across a thousand miles of barren country and never break a sweat. He never took his gaze off hers as he neared, but his expression was unreadable.

He came to a stop in front of her, still studying her face.

She pulled back her shoulders, craning her neck to look up at him. "You're taller than I remembered."

"Am I?" He slid his hand behind her neck, his touch warm and seductive. "My dear Mira," he whispered. "I know everyone in this town, and this is a small airport. If we decide to go through with it, it needs to be set up from the start, or there will be holes for Alan to find."

Her heart started to pound even harder. "What are you saying?"

"We slept together two nights ago, and now you're moving out here to live with me." His fingers tightened on the nape of her neck, drawing her closer. "I have to greet you the right way. You on board?"

Oh, God.
He was going to kiss her.
Why hadn't she thought of that before? But he was right. "Okay," she managed, her voice no more than a nervous squeak. "Lay it on me, cowboy."

He grinned. "Be careful what you ask for, sweetheart. A cowboy has a lot of talents, and kissing just happens to be one of them." Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

Her heart leapt the moment his lips touched hers. The kiss was tender and tantalizing, his lips so warm and soft against hers that she melted into him. His fingers tightened on the back of her neck, and she felt his other arm wrap around her waist, tugging her against him.

The well-muscled hardness of his body was in sharp contrast to hers, and he seemed to tower over her, wrapping her up in an embrace that was so delicious she never wanted to leave it.

He angled his head and deepened the kiss, sending spirals of electricity running through her. Instinctively, she slid her arms around his neck, leaning into him. His tongue slipped through her parted lips, and for a split second, she almost melted right there. Dear God. Was this what a real kiss was supposed to be like? It had been so long she'd completely forgotten what it felt like to be thoroughly kissed by a man. She wanted more, more kisses, more of him, more touching, more—

"Who in the hell's this?" A deep, raspy male voice blasted in her left ear, and she jumped back, completely embarrassed to be caught nearly climbing into Chase's skin in the middle of an airport next to a baggage claim.

Chase, however, pulled her right back against him, tucking her under his arm before he swung around to face whoever had interrupted them.

A weathered cowboy in well-worn jeans and scuffed boots was standing beside them. His salt-and-pepper hair was just visible beneath his black cowboy hat, and his denim shirt looked like it had been through a thousand washings. There was a sparkle in his blue eyes, and his grin was engaging as he surveyed them.

Chase tightened his arm around her shoulders. "Evening, Gary. This is my cousin, Mira Cabot. Mira, this is Gary Keller."

Cousin?
She blanched. Was Chase
that
kind of guy, the kind who lived in a world where people made out with their cousins on a regular basis?

Gary burst out laughing, and he slammed his hand onto Chase's shoulder. "Always think you're funny, don't you, Stockton? Cousin, my ass." He swept off his hat and bowed low to Mira. "Welcome to Wyoming, my lady. If Chase gives you a hard time, you feel free to ring me up. He's never too old to get his hide tanned."

She grinned with relief, realizing it had all been a joke. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

Gary set his hat back on his head, gazing at her more intently now. "Haven't seen Chase around women much," he said thoughtfully. "You must be somethin' special."

She felt her cheeks turn red. "I, um—"

"She is." Chase pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It took me ten years to get her to come out here, but she finally made it. The right bribe makes all the difference."

Gary guffawed again, and she smiled, relaxing against Chase. It had been a long time since she'd had much to laugh about, and it felt good to be around a man who wasn't going to get weighed down by what they were embarking upon.

"Ten years, eh?" Gary eyed her. "Why'd you keep him waiting ten years?"

She grinned. "My mom always told me that the right guy will wait. So, I had to test him. I figured ten years was about long enough."

"Shoot, I married my lady two weeks after I met her. I'd never have waited ten years for her." He flexed his arms. "She knew she had to grab me while the grabbing was good, or I'd have been gone forever."

Chase laughed. "It took you nine years to get her to say yes, you old liar. Don't mess with Mira, or I'll have to hunt you down."

Gary feigned fear, clasping his heart. "Oh, I'm scared now. Watch out, Mira, the man's a force to be reckoned with." The older man winked. "Sunday dinner? The little lady would love to meet the woman who finally got Chase's attention."

Dinner? Mira started to panic. How could she go to dinner and keep up a façade with such a nice man. "Oh, I don't—"

"You bet," Chase said. "I'll bring the pie."

"Excellent." Gary winked at Mira again. "I invite Chase only because he makes the best apple pie in the county. It's the only reason anyone invites him anywhere." He tipped his hat, his affection for Chase evident. He was so warm and engaging that Mira knew he was the real deal, a genuinely nice cowboy who lived by the code of loyalty. "Welcome again, Mira. If you're good for Chase, then you have my vote. See you guys on Sunday."

Sunday? As she watched him walk away, the enormity of what she'd just stepped into suddenly seemed to loom up. This wasn't a simple façade between the two of them. This was an intention to deceive an entire world, one by one, laying the seeds for a deception that had to be strong enough to last the lifetime of her child.

Good God, what had she done?

Chase leaned moodily on his kitchen counter, watching Mira inspect his kitchen. He'd spent a lot of time refinishing the cabinets and installing the granite countertops. He was proud of how the kitchen had come out, but right now, he didn't even care what she thought of it. All he could do was focus on her. Her hair was loose, tumbling around her shoulders. She was wearing old jeans that fit her with enough sensual perfection to make his gut clench every time she turned around. He'd noticed her bright pink toenail polish, and her bare ankles made it clear she was still wearing the anklet she'd had on when he'd first met her.

At the funeral, she'd been gorgeous, all fancied up in her dress, but now that she was casual and walking through his house, it was different. It was real now. She was real, and accessible.

He hadn't meant to kiss her when she'd arrived, but when he'd seen her standing there looking both terrified and brave as hell, kissing her had made sense. He'd wanted to claim her, right there, in front of everyone. Kissing her had set her up as being under his protection, and he'd wanted to do that.

Ah, hell, who was he trying to kid? It hadn't been a conscious, strategic decision. It had been a raw, visceral need to imprint himself on her before anyone else could do the same.

The kiss had been incredible. Amazing. Best moment of his life...and then Gary had interfered. After Gary had left, Mira had withdrawn. She'd been careful not to even brush against him as they walked, and her smile had been taut and distant.

The warm, open woman he'd met at the funeral was gone, and he didn't like it.

He wanted the Mira he knew back, but as he watched her walk through
his
house, he had no idea what to do to make it happen. "I'm not used to having a woman in my house," he said finally, hoping that she might take pity on him and help him figure out what to say.

She glanced over at him, and for the first time since the kiss, he saw a small smile curve her mouth. "I'm not used to being in a man's house, so we're even." She turned to face him, her eyes finally meeting his. "I'm not comfortable going to Gary's, Chase. I feel like we're spiraling too fast into a situation that's out of my control."

Ah...so that was it. He considered her concerns for a moment, but it took him less than a split second to dismiss them. He didn't know what it was, but something was burning in him that he hadn't expected. Going to Gary's would cement their connection in the public eye, and he wanted that to happen. Yeah, it wasn't real, and it was, as he'd said, a business partnership only, but he wasn't going to leave her high and dry. His need to protect her and the baby was growing stronger every minute he was with her. "You don't turn down an invite from Gary," he said simply.

She blinked. "Why not?"

He shrugged. "He's a good guy." He didn't want to explain any more than that. To explain what Gary meant to him was to go places he didn't go with people, especially not a woman he barely knew.

Awkward silence settled between them, and he shifted. He had no idea what the hell to do with her. He hadn't been lying when he'd said that he didn't know what to do with a woman in his house. He was so out of his league. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She sighed, and he suddenly noticed how tired she looked. There were shadows under her eyes, and her shoulders were slumped.

"You're tired." He walked over to the front hall where he'd dropped her luggage. "Sorry for being an insensitive ass. I'll take you to your room." He swung her bags off the floor and headed down the hall toward the bedrooms. His suite was at the far end, taking up one entire end of the house. "This way."

There were two guest bedrooms. One in the basement, and one right next to his room. The basement would give her privacy and space. It even had a kitchenette so she could make her own meals, and its own bathroom. He'd never even have to see her if he put her down there. They could both live their lives and do their own thing. It would be like not even having her in the house.

He glanced over at her as she walked beside him. His gaze fell on her mouth, and he remembered what it had been like to kiss her. She seemed to sense his perusal, and she caught his eye. Neither of them spoke, but a sensual awareness slithered down his spine and wrapped itself around his gut.

This wasn't simply a woman. It was Mira Cabot, the woman who'd been a part of his consciousness for over a decade.

She wasn't going in the basement.

She was going in the room next to his.

Mira awoke at midnight, her heart hammering.

The moonlight was streaming across her bed, casting an eerie glow across the rustic furnishings. A light breeze was making ripples flutter across the surface of the navy bedspread. For a moment, she forgot where she was, and then the events of the last two days came flooding back over her. How could she forget? She was in cowboy country now, shacking up with the father of her child...potentially. Possibly about to embark on the façade of her life...

Not something that happened to a girl every day.

Sighing, she rolled over onto her side, staring out the window. What had awakened her? The utter silence of the night? The lack of fluorescent lights outdoors? Or the sense of sheer isolation descending upon her like a great weight suffocating her? Was she running away like a wimp? Or taking the brave plunge of a woman who would fight for those she loved? Or was she simply just a confused sod wandering cluelessly through life?

Yeah, any of those could have been enough to drag her out of a well-needed sleep. She'd never been a good sleeper through stress—

An eerie haunting howl drifted through the night. She bolted upright in bed, her heart hammering as the creepy sound sent chills racing down her spine. What in heaven's name was that?

Another howl filled the night, and she listened intently, trying to discern what it was. Wolves? Or was it the tortured ghost of an old west outlaw who had met his demise on the gallows and then committed his eternity to haunting the progeny of all those who had betrayed them?

Wolves would probably be better.

There was another echoing howl, and then another, until the night was filled with the mournful wail of the wild animals.

Definitely wolves. Beautiful, but also chilling.

She climbed out of bed, and padded over to the window in her bare feet. She peered outside, searching the night for four-legged shadows. It had been dark when she'd arrived, and she'd been too tired to look around, but now that the moon was full, it was casting the ranch into silvery, glistening shadows.

There was a massive barn several hundred yards away, and numerous corrals, some with grass and others with soft-looking dirt for riding. Beyond the barns stretched dark hills with rocky outcroppings, the perfect place for wolves...or rattlesnakes...or mountain lions.

A loud thud sounded from the barn, jerking her attention back there.

The door slid open. She gripped the windowsill in sudden nervousness, but quickly realized it wasn't a jet-black panther intent on making her his midnight snack. It was a huge dark horse, trotting easily out the massive barn doors. Chase was silhouetted on his back, a figure so imposing that she shivered in awareness. He spun the horse deftly around to close the barn door behind him, his cowboy hat and broad shoulders creating a breathtaking silhouette. He moved in perfect unison with the animal, as if they were one.

After shutting the door, he swung the horse toward the hills, and she caught her breath, leaning forward to get a better look. The pair went still, poised in suspended animation as they prepared for flight. The moment was pure, unbridled freedom, a man and his horse, unlike anything she'd experienced in her life.

She was used to a life of service, never being away from home for more than an hour, in case her mother needed her. And yet, this was Chase's life, climbing onto his horse for a midnight ride, just because he wanted to.