Home with the Cowboy

by Mary Sue Jackson

  “Well, we can fix this. Here, let’s get the biggest pieces first.”

  They began putting the paper puzzle together, filling the room with the sounds of tearing off tape and of Bobby talking to his toys and to Willa. As Daniel leaned down to tape two bottom pieces together, he found himself inhaling a whiff of Willa’s hair. She smelled like strawberries, and if he were to be honest with himself, he figured the smell of strawberries would arouse him long after Willa had gone back to New York.

  As they worked, Daniel felt his body grow warmer, the sexual tension obvious to anyone with two eyes. How did Willa manage to be so sexy when all she was doing was taping pieces of paper together? He marveled that he found her attractive no matter what she did.

  God Almighty, he wanted her. The thought filled him. He wanted her in his bed, and he knew she wanted him, too. And why shouldn’t they indulge themselves? They were both adults, they were both unattached, and if he were honest with Willa about not wanting something serious from the very beginning, what was the harm?

  At this point, Bobby had abandoned his toys to watch the proceedings. When Willa stuck a piece of tape on his hand, he giggled, pulling it off and pushing it back onto the skin as if it was the best toy he’d ever gotten.

  Daniel had just taped the last piece when he and Willa looked at the result—and it was disastrous. Somehow, they’d managed to tape pieces of odd pages together, and now that he looked closer, he could see some were upside-down. How had that happened?

  Willa’s lip trembled, and she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

  Normally, Daniel would be annoyed that he’d wasted time on something like this. But the situation was so ridiculous that he started laughing.

  And when Bobby stuck his piece of tape in Willa’s hair, Daniel started laughing so hard tears came to his eyes.

  “Ack, Bobby! Where did you put that piece of tape?” Willa tried to get the tape from the back of her head, which made Bobby and Daniel laugh some more.

  Finally, Daniel stopped her and turned her around. “I’ll get it.” He parted her curls, loving how silky soft they were, and gently pulled the tape away. He took in the scent of her hair again before reluctantly handing her the piece of tape. “Here you go.”

  “Wiwah had tape in her hair,” said Bobby over and over again. “I want some!”

  Willa turned so she was facing Daniel, which made it so only a few inches separated them. Daniel watched a light flush climb her cheeks. He took in the rise and fall of her luscious breasts, how glassy her eyes were, and how she licked her lips. If Bobby weren’t right there, he’d kiss her a second time and damn the consequences.

  “I’m sorry about your manual,” said Willa ruefully as she scooted away. “I’m not sure we made it any better.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ll call somebody about the hay bailer.”

  Daniel knew he must be far gone not to care about the manual he’d tried to save or about spending money on a repair job.

  And as he watched Willa play with Bobby on the floor, he decided that he could see this attraction through without anyone getting hurt. If he knew the stakes and Willa knew them, too, then they’d both simply enjoy each other as long as the affair lasted.

  With that thought in mind, Daniel smiled, looking forward to when he could finally get Miss Willa Markson underneath him and moaning his name.

  Eighteen

  “Bobby, honey, you need to go to sleep,” said Willa as she rubbed Bobby’s back.

  Bobby shook his head, his thumb in his mouth. “Not tired,” he kept repeating even as his eyelids got heavier. “Not tired.”

  “Yes, you are, and I am, too.” She sighed. She’d put Bobby in his crib an hour ago, but when he’d started crying, she’d stayed with him to see if she could lull him to sleep. But he was still awake and refusing to let his eyes close.

  “Not tired . . .” Bobby mumbled the words as he yawned.

  Finally, his eyes closed, and Willa held her breath, waiting. When his breathing slowed and his eyes stayed closed, she let out a sigh of relief.

  She went to the guest room, exhausted but triumphant. She glanced at the clock on the wall—it was only seven p.m. Far too early for her to go to sleep herself.

  She heard Daniel in the kitchen, and her exhaustion immediately disappeared. Today when they’d been taping that manual together had been the most sexually charged experience of her life—taping a manual! She shook her head in wonder. And then, when Daniel had touched her hair, she’d only thought of him kissing her yesterday.

  Desire burned in her belly. She’d wished that he’d kissed her again, even with Bobby staring at them both. She’d never known she could want a man the way she did Daniel Gunn.

  Willa had dated, of course, and she’d lost her virginity in high school in the back of her boyfriend’s beat-up pickup. But sex had always felt more like a chore than a necessity to her. Willa had better luck doing the job herself than relying on a man to give her an orgasm.

  So it surprised her now that she wanted to sleep with Daniel as much as she did. Her intuition seemed to be telling her that he was different: He wouldn’t fumble around for a few minutes before the sex began, lasting no more than ten minutes, tops. He’d kissed her like he’d had all the time in the world. The sex could only be equally good.

  Willa put her hands up to her burning cheeks. Did she dare? He’d said he wouldn’t touch her again, but was it because he didn’t want to, or because he thought he shouldn’t? She knew the answer immediately, given the burning desire in his gaze this afternoon.

  Before she lost her nerve, she got up and went to the living room, only to find Daniel sitting on the couch as if he’d been waiting for her.

  Their gazes collided, heat sparking between them even though they were still a fair distance apart. Daniel rose and approached her, and Willa couldn’t help comparing him to some jungle cat prowling toward her.

  He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Willa didn’t want to talk right now. She just wanted to feel. Standing on her tiptoes, she grabbed him by his collar, pulled him in, and kissed him.

  He stilled for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. Willa moaned as Daniel deepened the kiss, raking his fingers through her hair. She could already feel his hardness against her belly. She shivered, nipping at his bottom lip.

  “Are you sure about this?” he rasped, only to kiss her throat and lick at her collarbone. “Because if you tell me to stop now, I won’t touch you again.”

  “Wasn’t I the one who kissed you?”

  Daniel’s lips quirked. “Good point.” Then he swooped down and lifted her up like she was no heavier than a bag of feathers.

  “Bobby?” said Daniel as he set Willa onto his bed after shoving his bedroom door closed behind them.

  “He’s asleep.”

  “Thank God.”

  This time Daniel kissed her, and Willa could only surrender to the sensations taking over her body. She felt like a crazy person, she wanted Daniel so much. She was close to ripping off her own clothes and his, and she’d never felt like that before. Sex had always been so . . . routine for her. Never frenzied.

  Willa knew that this was temporary, and she told herself it didn’t matter. It was worth it. As Daniel pulled her shirt off and cupped her breasts, she tipped her head back and moaned.

  No, she didn’t care one bit about stupid things like consequences or feelings or anything. She just wanted Daniel—here, now, fast and furious.

  “You’re gorgeous, you know that?” Daniel said as he brushed his thumb over one of her nipples.

  Willa laughed, a little self-consciously. “I think ‘pretty when I try hard’ is what I am.”

  His voice rough, he answered, “No, you’re beautiful. I thought you were, the first second I saw you.”

  Willa couldn’t breathe, especially when Daniel deftly unhooked her bra and began to kiss and caress her bare breasts. She’d had no idea her breasts coul
d be this sensitive. When he took one hardened peak into his mouth, she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out so loudly that she’d risk waking Bobby.

  “I wanted you, too,” she admitted. When Daniel looked up at her, his gaze dark, she caressed his cheek. “I thought you were so sexy in those Wranglers you wear.”

  She giggled as he blushed a little. Suddenly growling, he flipped her onto her stomach as he finished undressing her. Normally she’d be self-conscious about her body—her butt too big, her tummy too soft—but Daniel made her believe she was truly beautiful.

  He kissed down her spine as he kneaded her ass. Willa felt heat bloom in her core, and she knew if he touched her there, he’d find her wet and wanting already.

  His callused fingers parted her legs, and Willa arched into his touch. Caressing her sex, Daniel growled deep in his throat as he made her desperate for him. It only took another brush of his finger against her sensitive bud, and release slammed into her so hard that she couldn’t catch her breath.

  Willa flipped onto her back, panting, as she watched Daniel strip out of his clothes. He was all muscles, his pectorals and abdomen spectacular to behold. Sitting up, she caressed him, loving how he responded to her touch.

  Feeling bold, she unbuckled his belt and pushed his jeans down until she could reach inside his boxers. She wrapped her fingers around his length, her heart fluttering as she realized how large he was.

  “Dammit, Willa,” he groaned as she stroked him. “I’m not going to last long if you keep doing that.”

  She laughed. She was almost tempted to keep going to watch him lose control, but he batted her hand aside before sheathing himself in a condom.

  Soon they were both naked and tangled together on the bed. Kissing her deeply, Daniel pushed inside her in one stroke that Willa felt all the way to her toes. She clutched at his shoulders as he began to thrust.

  She felt that she’d been tossed into a stormy sea and couldn’t find her bearings, but she knew if she held onto Daniel, she’d be all right. More than all right—magnificent. Astounding.

  “Don’t stop,” she panted as she felt a second orgasm building inside her.

  Daniel grunted something and sped up his pace. Willa’s eyes rolled back into her head as the wave hit her. Trembling, she wrapped her arms around Daniel. Soon, Daniel yelled out his satisfaction, thrusting a last time before collapsing next to Willa on the bed, careful not to crush her.

  Willa gasped for breath. Her entire body felt as if it was burning up, her bones melted into putty. As she turned onto her side, Daniel did, too, and her heart clenched as she looked into his eyes.

  Had she really told herself that she could sleep with him without feelings? Right that second, she felt as vulnerable as a newborn, and she was afraid that Daniel could see it in her eyes.

  But her luck won out. As Daniel’s gaze poured into her eyes, his breathing deepened, and his eyelids grew heavy, and before long, he was asleep as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Willa stayed awake, watching him sleep for a while longer until she rose and returned to her own room.

  It was better this way, she reasoned. Sleeping in the same bed was something people in a relationship did, not casual lovers. And what if Bobby climbed out of his crib (something he was doing more and more often) and found them together in Daniel’s bed? The last thing she needed was to confuse the little boy.

  Curling into a ball, Willa stared at nothing for a while until sleep claimed her, too.

  Nineteen

  “You’re in a good mood,” observed Uncle James, leaning back in his leather executive chair the following morning. He lifted an eyebrow when Daniel tried—and failed—not to smile. “In a really good mood. Now I’m worried.”

  Daniel had awoken in the middle of the night to find Willa gone, returned to her room, but he hadn’t taken it personally. He’d been disappointed that he hadn’t been able to reach for her and enjoy a second round of amazing sex right then and there, of course, but he was practical enough to understand why she’d gone back to the guest room.

  That morning, she’d blushed bright red when they’d met in the kitchen, and since Bobby hadn’t woken up yet, Daniel had kissed her until the beeping coffee pot had made them part.

  “You make it sound like I’m always in a bad mood,” said Daniel from the chair on the other side of Uncle James’s massive oaken desk. Daniel had gone to his uncle’s office right after breakfast without calling him first. He’d wanted to start the ball rolling without delay.

  “Boy, you can’t stop grinnin’ like a fool.” Uncle James frowned. “Does this have to do with the little lady? Daniel Gunn, if you so much as laid a finger on her—”

  Daniel snorted. “Willa doesn’t need you to be her knight in shining armor. She’s hardly a kid. She’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions.”

  Uncle James wagged a finger. “Don’t matter. She’s a lady, and she deserves your respect. I’d hate to see you hurt her.” He leveled a stern gaze. “Because then I’d have to take you out back and shoot you.”

  “What about me? What if she hurts me?”

  “Now I know you’re being stupid.” Uncle James sighed. “Well, what’s done is done, I guess. Why are you here with me this early, then? I doubt I’m the one you want to spend your time with.”

  Lying awake and alone in the middle of the night, he’d thought long and hard. He’d told himself that this thing between them would be temporary, but he’d seen how Willa had looked at him. She’d looked at him like a woman who wanted to stay, who wanted more than just a quick affair—no matter how great the sex might be.

  Daniel’s mind had turned furiously as he worked to come up with a plan to keep her in Texas. If he made her life easier in multiple ways, wouldn’t she be crazy to go back to New York?

  Besides, New York was expensive, and he knew Willa wasn’t flush with cash. Even if she got this job, would it pay enough for a decently sized apartment there? He doubted it. She’d probably end up living in some dump with a bunch of strangers and still struggle to pay her bills. At least here, she could save money and live cheaply.

  And… she’d stay where he lived. That was the most important thing.

  “I want you to add Willa as a tenant on the farm,” said Daniel.

  “You want her to start paying you rent or something?”

  “No, the opposite. She won’t pay me a dime, but I know she’d want it in writing. She’s that type of woman. Then she can get her mail sent to the house and get a Texas driver’s license.”

  “Danny boy, have you plumb lost your mind? The little lady told you a million times she’s going to skedaddle back to New York the first chance she gets. Didn’t you tell me she just went there for some interview? What if she gets this job? You think she’s going to say no to that and stay here?” Uncle James frowned deeply, his mustache quivering. “This ain’t a good idea, son.”

  Daniel crossed his arms. “Willa did go to that interview, yes, but did you know she only stayed one night in New York, when she could’ve stayed a week? That doesn’t seem like a woman who wants to go back there to stay.”

  Uncle James let out a sigh. “I’m afraid you’re reading too much into this. Have you asked her if she wants to stay now?”

  Daniel barely restrained from squirming in his seat. No, he hadn’t asked her, but he wasn’t the type to ask for permission. He wanted to show Willa he was serious about her staying, and he preferred action to words.

  Besides, Uncle James was worrying for no reason.

  “I’m also going to get a car for her so she doesn’t have to keep driving mine. It’ll make her feel more at home,” he added, watching the older man’s face.

  Uncle James was silent a long moment. Then he said resignedly, “Let me draw up the paperwork to make Willa a tenant. It won’t take me too long.”

  Daniel began browsing on his phone for cars for Willa while Uncle James pulled out his keyboard and typed up the documents. Daniel didn’t have the money to bu
y Willa some fancy car, but he could get her a reliable used car without spending an arm and a leg. Something that would keep her and Bobby safe if, God forbid, they got into an accident.

  He shuddered inwardly at the reminder of his parents, his brother, his brother’s wife. He couldn’t lose any more of the people he loved.

  Loved? He knew he loved Bobby, but Willa? No, he cared about her, and he wanted her to be happy, but it wasn’t love. Daniel knew that romantic love wasn’t for him. He’d known it since Caroline had shown him her true colors. He’d thought he’d been in love with Caroline, and look how that had turned out.

  The sound of the printer ripped Daniel from his thoughts. Uncle James scanned the freshly printed documents before handing them to Daniel.

  “That should cover everything, even if you don’t want her to pay rent. Which seems mighty nice of you, considering she isn’t your wife . . . or even your girlfriend.”

  Daniel took the papers with a sardonic smile. “She takes care of Bobby. That’s enough for me.”

  Uncle James harrumphed. “You really think she’s gonna go for all this?”

  For whatever reason, Daniel had never doubted that Willa would embrace his gesture exactly as she had when he’d given her an art shed or when he’d made her lunch. He’d seen how her face had glowed each time he’d given her something. He had a distinct feeling Willa Markson hadn’t been given a lot of nice things in her life, and who was he not to take advantage of that to get her to stay?

  “Who wouldn’t say no to free place to live, and a car?” countered Daniel. He got up. “Besides, she doesn’t have anyone in New York to go back to. Robert and Stacey were her only friends.” His throat closed as he thought of the younger brother he’d never see again.

  “Well, if you think it’s a good idea, I won’t stop you. I’m just an old bachelor, so what do I know about women?”

  Not able to help himself, Daniel said, “Yet you’re always talking about Sarah Nevarez.”

  Uncle James’s face took on an obstinate look. “Why not? That woman is a holy terror. I went to Jack’s yesterday, and she wouldn’t stop harping on me about how I’d tracked mud inside, when I knew it was those Flannery boys who’d done it!” He gave a snort. “But she swore she saw mud on my boots. Even when I showed her the bottoms, she didn’t believe me. She said I’d just transferred all that mud to her floor.”