Cowboy Courage

They both sat on the floor, facing each other. Laurie, legs folded Indian-style, rested her arms on the coffee table. Cole, legs extended and crossed at the ankles, leaned back, hands braced at his sides. Desire stilled the conversation.

Outside, the rain had softened to a light whisper. Inside, a slow fire continued to flicker and crackle upon oak logs in the fireplace. But it was the storm raging in her soul that concerned Laurie the most.

When an old country love song began to play, Cole slowly rose to his feet and extended a hand to her. “Dance with me.”

She shouldn’t get too close. Touch him. Hold him. She didn’t trust the strength of her own desire. God knew she didn’t need any complications in her life right now. She had to return to California. Soon. But she didn’t have to go anywhere tonight.

As though mesmerized by something in the depth of those blue eyes, Laurie stood and stepped into Cole’s open arms. They fit together perfectly, and swayed in time to the slow, gentle beat of one sweet moment in time.

One hand held hers against his chest, while the other warmed the small of her back and gently pressed her against him.

Laurie rested her head against his cheek, feeling his soft, warm breath upon her neck. She took a deep breath, savoring the scent of nature, musk and man. Closing her eyes, blending into the music playing softly on the radio, she lost herself in thoughts of love and forever. Of magic and dreams.

It was the merlot, she told herself. And the love song. Their hearts beat softly in time with the romantic, soul-stirring ballad. And once again, she blamed too much wine for the stirring in the pit of her stomach, the warmth in her heart.

The wine and the music increased her awareness of his male scent, caused her nipples to tingle against the broad expanse of his chest, her hips to press closer to his.

But try as she might, Laurie couldn’t still the small voice that whispered she was lying to herself. The wine and music had little to do with the intoxicating magic she felt in this cowboy’s arms.

Cole closed his eyes, and fought the urge to nuzzle Laurie’s neck. To pull her close against his heart. To whisper things he couldn’t possibly mean. To make promises they’d never have time to keep.

He’d gone without sex too long, he reminded himself. A man had needs, and lust drew him to Laurie Smith. But any kind of relationship with a woman like her would bring on emotional complications. And neither Cole nor Beth needed any more disillusions or disappointments.

As they swayed to the beat of the music, Cole couldn’t help but pull her close, press the small of her back to hold her flush against him. Without a doubt, he held more woman than he’d ever held before, but the sooner he let her go, the better. Beth needed stability in her life and a mother-figure she could depend upon. And Cole needed a woman he could trust. A stranger passing through couldn’t be either.

When the song ended, Cole released her. Arms, now empty and useless, hung at his sides. He raked a hand through his hair before crossing his arms casually, hiding a momentary sense of unease. “I suppose I’d better turn in. I’ve got a lot of things to do in the morning.”

She nodded. “I’m pretty tired, myself.”

Later, as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Cole felt very much alone. He knew he could easily have encouraged Laurie to join him, to spend the night in his arms, to wake in his bed. He’d seen the passion blazing in her eyes, a raging desire that matched his own.

All he had to do was ask with his eyes, take her hand in his, lead her to his bedroom down the hall. If she’d told him no, it would have been with regret.

He closed his eyes, but couldn’t shut out the memory of the passionate kiss they’d shared the night before. Something powerful sizzled between them.

Chemistry, some people called it. Cole grimaced at the apt analogy, and tried to convince himself experimenting with passion might prove to be a big mistake. Especially with a woman who would walk out of his life.

Hell, making love to Laurie might damn near blow the roof right off the house. It would be hot, wild and intoxicating. A once-in-a-lifetime affair. But it would also be wrong.

And Cole had always tried his damnedest to do the right thing. Even when it made falling asleep damn near impossible.

Chapter Four

It had taken Laurie nearly forever to fall asleep last night. Confusion reigned in her mind while desire for Cole McAdams threatened her resolve.

Blaming too much wine and soft music for last night’s magic, she decided she’d have to avoid both today, or she might do something she’d later regret. By the time she finally climbed from bed, the sun had peeked through silver-gray clouds in the east. The rain had stopped. And, her conscience reminded her, she couldn’t stay here forever.

Laurie stood in the kitchen, bare feet upon the cool, pink-and-white checkered linoleum floor, eyes taking in the dark-stained pine cabinets and pink appliances. This room wasn’t at all as modern and impressive as the rest of the house. Apparently, Cole hadn’t begun to remodel in here. She wondered what plans he had to modernize this room and make it as wide-open as the others. A large picture window, she assumed, like those he had in the rest of the house, using the outdoors as a work of art.

She reached for the light switch on the wall and gasped softly when the room lit up. The electricity worked. She glanced quickly at the black, wall-mounted telephone, quickly assuming everything was in working order.

She’d be on her way, wherever that might be. Farther east or back to the west, she hadn’t yet decided, but she needed to go. No telling what she might do if she remained in Cole McAdams’s presence, if she stepped back into his arms, allowed herself one more magical, mind-altering kiss.

Good heavens, she’d been engaged to a man whose kiss had never affected her like that, whose touch had never weakened her knees or driven her senses wild. But Laurie couldn’t stay, couldn’t pursue a relationship with a man who was little more than a stranger, a man who would be a part of her life for a brief moment. Even if he would give her a glimpse of something wonderful, something she might never experience again.

A strange twist in her heart implied she’d miss the handsome, blue-eyed cowboy she’d just met. She quickly brushed off a wave of sadness. Sleep deprivation had surely done a number on her.

She opened and closed cupboards until she found a can of ground coffee in the pantry, then began to prepare a pot in the usual way—with water from the tap and the flip of a switch on the electric coffeemaker.

While the aromatic, dark brown brew dripped into the pot, Laurie returned to the room in which she’d slept and retrieved the gym bag that held the yellow envelope addressed to Daniel. It was time she faced reality. Her days of Texas magic and dreams were coming to an end.

Sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of her, Laurie slowly withdrew the envelope from the canvas bag. She held it and struggled with her conscience about opening something not addressed to her.

Yet Denise’s artistic script mocked her, taunted her. Laurie grabbed a table knife, slipped it under the sealed flap and slit the envelope open. She peeked inside, then withdrew the contents.

Three canceled checks lay before her, each from Dr. Michael Harper’s business account to Daniel Walker’s campaign fund, all signed by Denise, the doctor’s wife and office manager. Something struck her as odd.

For a man who didn’t seem to have any more political interest than the norm, why would Michael contribute so much money to Daniel’s campaign? And why in three large increments? Before Laurie could find any reasonable explanation, Cole’s red vintage truck pulled into the drive.

She slipped the checks back into the envelope and braced herself for the morning after.

The morning after what? They certainly hadn’t slept together, although her mind had played and replayed the possibility all night long. They’d only danced.

But they’d held each other close, and the memory of the deep, hungry kiss they’d shared the night before had haunted her sleep. Just the thought of that kiss caused her cheeks to warm as though they’d committed an intimate act.

The knob turned, the back door swung open and a pretty blond child entered the kitchen. Round, blue-rimmed glasses framed expressive blue eyes. A splattering of freckles covered a turned-up nose.

Cole’s daughter, Laurie assumed. She smiled at the little girl.

When she spotted Laurie, she stopped in midstep. Her eyes brightened, and her mouth opened. “Who are you?”

“Hello,” Laurie said, unsure of what else to tell the child. Her eyes instantly sought Cole’s.

“This is my daughter, Beth,” Cole said to Laurie. Then he turned to the child. “This is Laurie. She’s a friend of Aunt Kerri-Leigh.”

And what am I to you? Laurie wanted to ask. Instead, she faced the child and extended her hand in greeting, offering the little girl the same respect and formality Laurie had always received when she’d been introduced to Aunt Caroline’s friends. “I’m happy to meet you, Beth.”

The child took Laurie’s hand and giggled. “I’m glad to meet you, too.”

“Why don’t you unpack your bags and put the laundry in the hamper,” Cole told Beth. “Consuela will be here tomorrow afternoon, and she’ll start the laundry.”

Consuela? Laurie couldn’t hide a grin of her own. So, Cole had a housekeeper. She’d guessed a woman had been responsible for the tidy home, but she just hadn’t known who.

Beth skipped off, long blond curls bouncing along behind her, and left Laurie and Cole alone in the kitchen.

Laurie faced him awkwardly. “I suppose I’d better think about heading back to town.”

“With or without your car?”