Cowboy At Arms

This short night had only confirmed what she had suspected for months...that she was ridiculously drawn to Dusty Crawford. It wasn’t just because she could drown in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes or because the flash of his dimples warmed her deep inside. It wasn’t that he had a sexy taut butt and shoulders that appeared wide enough to carry any burden.

She was also drawn to the man she sensed he was beneath his handsome outer wrapping. There was a warmth to him, and an aura of a good man with a big heart.

She was vaguely disappointed when the music finally ended because she knew it was time for her to call an end to the night and head back to the motel. She’d told Juanita that she’d be home by midnight, and no matter how much she was enjoying herself she wouldn’t take advantage of the situation by being late.

They walked back to the table, but she didn’t return to her chair. She picked up her purse from the floor beneath the table. “I’m sorry, Dusty, but I really need to get going,” she said.

A flash of disappointment shone from his eyes. It was there only a moment and then gone. “I’m sorry, too, but I understand. Just let me pay for the tab and I’ll follow you home.”

“Oh, that isn’t necessary,” she protested.

He waved to Janis. “But it is necessary,” he replied. “A real gentleman always sees a lady home safely.”

A wealth of unexpected emotion welled up inside her. It had been a very long time since any man had wanted to see her safely anywhere.

He paid for their drinks and then the two of them left the bar and stepped out into the warmth of the night. “I’ll be right behind you,” he said when they reached her car. “We can say our final good-nights at your door.”

Minutes later she glanced in her rearview mirror and was oddly comforted by the lights of his bright red pickup truck just behind her.

The night had been far too short. Would he ask her out again? Did he even want to spend more time with her? She was surprised by how much she wanted him to.

Would he kiss her? A fluttering shot off in the pit of her stomach. Goodness, she felt like a silly schoolgirl with her very first crush.

She parked her car in front of her motel unit and Dusty pulled his truck up just behind her car. Before she had shut off her engine he was at her door.

She turned off her car and unfastened her seat belt as he opened the door for her. He stepped aside to allow her to get out.

“Trisha, I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight.” The neon lights from the motel sign flickered red and yellow on his strong, handsome features.

“I enjoyed it, too,” she replied. Her heart beat a little faster as he took a step closer to her.

“I’d like to spend more time with you. Does your son like to fish?”

She looked at him in surprise. “He’s never been fishing before, but I’m sure he’d love it.”

“Then what if we plan a day of the two of you coming out to the ranch? We can do a little fishing in the pond and maybe have a picnic?”

Her head told her it was far too soon to introduce Cooper to Dusty, and yet as she thought of her son enjoying a day outside and learning how to fish, she couldn’t resist the invitation. Besides, it wasn’t as if she’d just met Dusty. She tamped down any reservations she might have. “That sounds like fun.”

He took another step toward her. “When is your next day off?”

“Tomorrow.” Once again the fluttering was back in her stomach.

“Then can we plan it for around three tomorrow afternoon? I can pick the two of you up here and I’ll arrange it all so you don’t have to do a thing.”

“That would be wonderful,” she replied.

His eyes glittered with pleasure. “Then it’s a date. And now, the most important question of the evening. Can I kiss you good-night?”

She was surprised that he’d asked her and even more surprised by just how badly she wanted him to kiss her. “Yes, I’d like that.”

She barely got the words out of her mouth before he took her into his arms. Unlike when they had danced, this time there was no space between them. She was acutely conscious of his firm, muscled body against hers as he lowered his head to capture her lips with his.

Soft and warm, he moved his mouth against hers. Fire leaped into her veins and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She parted her lips to allow him to deepen the kiss and he did, his tongue swirling with hers.

What had begun as a simple, soft first kiss quickly flared into something hotter, something far more intense than she had initially anticipated.

Reluctantly, she pulled her arms from around his neck and broke the kiss. He immediately dropped his arms to his sides and stepped back from her. “Whew,” he said with a grin.

She gave a breathy laugh. “I second that. And now I really should get inside.” She had to escape before she lost her head and threw herself into his arms once again for another kiss...and another.

They had only taken a couple of steps toward her motel room door when she spied something odd. Directly in front of her door on the ground was a bright yellow coffee mug with a little bouquet of wildflowers spilling out of the top.

A wail began in the center of her brain and she froze, unable to think, unable to even move as a distant but familiar terror rocketed through her.

“What’s this?” Dusty’s voice slowly penetrated into her head. She stared wordlessly as he bent down and picked up the mug. “It looks like there’s a note, too.” He retrieved a white piece of paper that had been tucked beneath the mug.

He held the paper out to her. With trembling fingers she took it from him. Her mouth was dry with fear as she opened it. In the light from the blinking neon motel sign and the bright moon overhead, the words written in red marker practically leaped off the page: “YOU BELONG TO ME.”

Horror clutched her throat, momentarily closing it off so that she could scarcely draw a breath of air. No, her mind screamed. No, please.

Is it safe? It isn’t. Dear God, it isn’t safe at all.

“I’ve got to go. I need to pack up and leave town. We need to get out of here.” The words fell from her lips as she continued to stare at Dusty.

“Whoa.” He set the mug down on the ground next to him and reached out and grabbed her by her shoulders. “Trisha, slow down. I think maybe you’re overreacting. I’m the one who should be worried here. It appears that you have a secret admirer and I have some competition.”

A secret admirer?

Was that all that it was?

She tried to staunch the sheer terror that had momentarily clutched at her very soul. Was she really overreacting? She continued to stare at Dusty and then looked down at the mug on the ground next to her.

“Trisha, are you all right?” Dusty asked with concern.

A touch of embarrassment swept over her and she gazed up at him once again. “I’m fine. I...I just don’t like surprises.”

“This surprise just makes me wish I’d thought to bring you a dozen roses,” he said dryly. He dropped his hands from her shoulders.

She drew in a deep, steadying breath. “Dusty, I don’t need roses, or flowers in a coffee mug from an unknown person.”

“Then we’re still on for our fishing date tomorrow?”

“Of course we’re still on,” she replied. “Would you do me a favor?” She crumpled up the note into a tight ball and shoved it into his hand. “Would you throw this and the mug into the Dumpster for me?”

“Are you sure? The flowers are kind of pretty.”

“I’m positive. I don’t want them. Like I said, I don’t like surprises.”