Her Forever Cowboy

She knew she sounded ridiculous every time she denied being worn-out. The look in his eyes told her he knew that if he blew hard enough she’d topple over.

“You’re right,” she said reluctantly. “I did need your help. But now I’m fine. Really. I almost ran you over. The last thing I’m going to do is make you take me the hour back to Ranger.” Especially on a motorcycle…she was terrified of the things. Not that she’d dare tell him that, she thought as she turned back to her truck.

“Whoa, there. Look at it from my point of view.” He placed a hand on her arm to halt her. “I can’t let you get back in that truck. What kind of man would I be to do that?”

His hand was warm and the pads of his fingers were rough against her skin—a tingle of awareness waltzed slowly through her. Whoa—the man was trying to take charge of her business and she was thinking about tingling skin! What was wrong with her? This would not do. “Cole, I don’t need you—I can take care of myself,” she said, locking firm eyes on him. She’d spent her life learning to stand on her own two feet. She didn’t need a virtual stranger telling her what to do. The last thing she expected was for him to reach past her and snag her keys from the ignition.

“Obviously there’s no reasoning with you,” Cole said. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re comin’ with me. End of story.”

“Cole Turner, give me those keys!” she exclaimed. “Right this minute.”

“I like that fire you got goin’ on there, darlin’. But no can do. See, a friend wouldn’t let a friend drink and drive, and I won’t let you sleep and drive.”

Glowering at him in the moonlight, she plopped one hand palm out. “Then I’ll sleep in my truck. Hand over my keys. Now.”

“Not happening.” He proceeded to step around her, blocking her from the inside of the truck as he slipped the key back in the ignition, pressed the automatic button and waited as the window rolled closed.

“Cole Turner,” Susan gritted out from behind him.

His back burned from the heat of her wrath. Ignoring it, he slipped the key safely into his pocket, locked the truck door then slammed it firmly shut. When he turned around she had her hands on her hips shooting daggers at him with those amazing electric-blue eyes. He did like her eyes.

“You are not funny, Cole. I want my keys.”

She was tenacious. “You might as well give it up, Doc. I’m more stubborn than you, and you’re going for a ride with me and that’s it.” Snagging his helmet from the ground, he strode up the embankment toward his ride. “Come on, Doc,” he called over his shoulder. “We’re burning up precious darkness standing here arguing. There is nothing more you can do.”

A loud huff said what she thought of him.

No surprise there…he wasn’t exactly impressed with her, either. Still, her footsteps, make that stomps, behind him brought a smile to his lips.

Chapter Two

Maybe sleep would help.

Everything was sort of mingled and mixed in a confusing way in her fuddled brain. It was hard to separate them. She was definitely going to need a few hours of sleep to ensure she didn’t make some crazy mistake—like making goo-goo eyes at the man. So not happening.

Of course him acting all me-man-you-woman on her was helping toss some cold ice on the situation. Taking her keys like he did—out of concern or whatever—didn’t sit well. She was embarrassed beyond belief that she’d nearly run him down. She was reacting badly—in part because of the fact that she found the man unnervingly attractive. Cole was tall at about six-three, which for a gal of five foot ten inches, like her, made for a nice combination. He was lanky lean, with an athletic grace about him. She had a feeling he was a jogger…but she wasn’t about to ask him.

“Put this on,” Cole demanded, swinging around so quickly she practically ran him over. He steadied her with his hand then held his helmet out to her.

“What about you?” she asked, holding the slick red helmet away from her.

He took it back and settled it on her head. “You wear the helmet.” He stared hard at her as he pushed her hair out of her face and, oddly, his actions touched her.

Totally out of her comfort zone, she stood like a deer in headlights as he tugged the strap snug. She fought to seem calm.

“It’s a bit large, but better than nothing,” he continued, thankfully not picking up on the battle that was waging in her head. “Not that I plan on letting anything happen to you.”

His gentle words caused a rush of butterflies to settle in her stomach. Not good at all. Cole Turner was a restless spirit. A wandering man.

She backed away from his touch, feeling foolish, especially when his own expression said nothing at all about returning her infatuation.

Oh, no, instead he threw a leg over the big machine, glanced over his shoulder and gave her a lopsided grin. “Hop on.”

She swallowed hard, reminded herself this was her only option for getting home then climbed on behind him. She sat stiffly, really not wanting to stretch her arms around his waist.

“How, um, long are you in town for your visit?” she asked, needing something to fill the moment. She hoped he was leaving the next day.

Instead of answering, he cranked up the bike and the engine burst to life. He glanced her way and his eyes glinted in the moonlight. “Depends on a few things, but I might be here for a few weeks.”

A few weeks! “That long?” she squeaked the words out. Thankfully they were drowned out by the roar of the motorcycle.

Or so she thought.

“Yeah,” Cole said with a grin. “That long. Now hang on. It’s time to get you home so you can get some rest.”

Like that’s going to happen. She was wide-awake; her arms were wrapped around Cole Turner—the handsome nomad.

The rolling stone. From what she knew of him he would never be happy unless he was roaming the country. She’d never be satisfied until she was settled and had a family, so this infatuation was ridiculous. Sleep. She needed it! If she wasn’t so tired she wouldn’t be engaging in this weird assortment of thoughts.

A very long time ago she hadn’t thought she wanted a family, either, but…things changed. She sighed and tried again to quiet her mind.

“You okay back there?” Cole called over his shoulder a few miles down the road. His words were almost lost in the night as the air rushed over them. She gave up and settled closer to him, nodding her helmeted head against his shoulder. Weariness sank over her as they rode and thankfully overcame most of her wayward thoughts.

He didn’t try to talk to her over the drone of the engine, blessedly. He made sure she hadn’t fallen asleep every once in a while but other than that he left her alone. She had to admit that he might have been right about her not having any business driving herself.

“That’s it,” she said almost an hour later when her clinic’s small lighted sign came into view on the outskirts of Ranger. “My apartment is out back.” She pointed out the drive around the far side of the metal building and then past the holding pens.

“You live back here by yourself?”

The censure in his voice was unmistakable and it sent her an immediate reality check. “It’s small, but it worked for me,” she said when the little apartment that had been built onto the back of the barn area came into view. She didn’t tell him that soon it would no longer be her home.

“No one has ever tried to bother you back here?” He turned the engine off.

Susan wasted no time getting off the machine and removing the helmet—she didn’t plan on giving him the chance to do it for her. “No, they haven’t,” she said, holding out her hand. “Thanks for everything. Now may I have my keys.”

He got off the bike and dug her keys out of his pocket. But instead of handing the keys to her he began taking her truck key from the ring. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking this. As soon as it’s daylight—in about three hours—I’ll crawl up under it and make sure you didn’t tear anything up while you were plowing up turf. If everything checks out, I’ll have your truck here by seven or eight. You won’t be doing calls before then I hope.”

She didn’t like him taking control like this. But since she could tell there was no sense arguing, she didn’t. She was too tired. She took the rest of the keys from him. “Eight will be fine. Thank you,” she managed, though her jaw ached from clenching it.

He smiled and she could practically hear him thinking “checkmate.”

Maybe not, though, she thought a few minutes later as she closed the door to her apartment and listened to the motorcycle purr its way back toward the pavement. The man was used to sweeping into emergency situations and taking charge. That was what he did for a living—helped in rescues, then remodeled and rebuilt after hurricanes and other disasters. So maybe there wasn’t anything personal about how he was treating her.

Maybe. But as she took a quick shower and then fell into her bed—basically passing out from exhaustion—she knew she wasn’t buying that notion by a long shot. Cole had pretty much made it clear that he thought she was an irresponsible fool for letting herself get so tired. He’d been doing his civic duty by keeping “the fool woman” off the streets—that was pretty personal. Of course, nearly running him down was, too.

“I’m just sayin’ it’s a fine thang you came along when ya did last night,” Applegate Thornton said, his voice booming in the early morning quiet.