Home with the Cowboy

by Mary Sue Jackson

  Then again, seeing Daniel in his Wranglers and boots every morning was a great way to wake up. Even better was when he wasn’t wearing anything at all.

  After the night of the fundraiser, Willa had sensed that something was bothering Daniel. Despite her best attempts to get him to open up, he’d skillfully dodged her questions. Deciding that he’d talk when he wanted to, Willa had let it go.

  Besides, it wasn’t as if they were in a real relationship. They’d never talked about commitment; they both avoided discussing the future like the plague. They were solely interested in the present, and Willa would do well to remember that.

  The Saturday a week prior to Willa’s return to New York, Willa agreed to help DeeDee with concessions at the town’s basketball tournament at the rec center. Except DeeDee ended up canceling at the last minute because Izzy was sick.

  So now Willa was doing concessions on her own, which she discovered to be more complicated than she’d expected. Who knew that getting the perfect amount of artificial cheese onto nachos was basically an art form? It only took Willa five tries before she’d gotten it down.

  “I’ll have three hot dogs—one with relish, one without, and one with only mustard—and a Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite,” said Willa’s next customer.

  Willa managed to get the hot dogs right, but she messed up the soda order, and almost gave the man double the change. Lucky this wasn’t New York, where somebody would’ve taken the change without saying anything. It also helped that people here were generally too nice to show any irritation at Willa’s mistakes.

  The game finally started, and Willa breathed a sigh of relief when she could take a small break. DeeDee owed her a big one, leaving her to do this all by herself. Then again, was caring for a toddler harder than getting people their hot dogs? Right then, Willa didn’t know the answer, and her speculations made her laugh at herself.

  It was hard to stay mad these days when everything felt so right. Bobby was happier than ever, and being with Daniel brought Willa joy. Daniel was not only kind, but he was smart and funny—when he wanted to be. He was also devoted to his nephew despite the initial shaky start. Willa had never met a man quite like Daniel Gunn.

  “No customers?” said Uncle James as he approached the stand. “Or did you scare them all away, little lady?” Daniel, Bobby in tow, stood next to Uncle James. Daniel shot Willa a smile.

  Willa crinkled her nose. “I’m taking a breather. You know how intense people are about their hot dogs and nachos?”

  Uncle James chuckled. “I do know. Which is why I’m going to give you an easy order: one large Coke, no ice.”

  “I think I can manage that. Daniel, do you or Bobby want anything?”

  “I hungwy!” piped up Bobby.

  Willa leaned over the stand so she could see the little boy. “Didn’t you just eat lunch? I could’ve sworn you ate some chicken nuggets only an hour ago.”

  “He’s a boy,” said Daniel wryly. “All he wants to do is eat.”

  Willa wished she could give Bobby something better than junk food or soda, but when Bobby insisted he was hungry, she cut up a hot dog and handed it to Daniel on a plate. When she gave Uncle James his soda, she told him that the soda and hot dog were on the house.

  “Much appreciated, little lady.” Uncle James winked at her before giving her and Daniel a little space.

  “How you holding up? If I could keep Bobby from touching everything, I’d help you out here,” said Daniel.

  “I’m fine. Go enjoy the game. I’d much rather read a book than watch basketball, anyway.”

  Daniel tugged on one of her curls. “Of course you would. I’ll see you later, babe.” He gave her a quick kiss, which surprised Willa, considering they were in a public place. But she didn’t have the heart to be annoyed with him for it. Besides, no one had seen them—she hoped.

  Willa was attending to a family of four who’d come up as the threesome had turned away when she heard the voices of Daniel and Uncle James coming from around the corner of the concession stand. Why hadn’t they returned to the game? She frowned, only to give a start when the woman ordering sodas cleared her throat to get Willa’s attention. She hurried to add ice to the cups and sloshed in the soda, handing the beverages over and thanking them for their cheering “Keep the change for the team.” As the family turned away, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  The conversation around the corner was still going. “—need to know about it,” Willa heard Daniel say.

  “Seems silly to keep it a secret,” said Uncle James.

  Willa knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but she was too curious to hear what Daniel’s secret was. Oh God, was Uncle James talking about them? Did he know they were . . . involved? Her stomach dropped.

  “It’s not a secret, but I don’t want people to look at me sideways,” said Daniel.

  “Who’s gonna think it’s strange that you helped build this place with your own money?”

  Willa blinked. That was the secret? That Daniel had donated to help build this rec center? She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the startled laugh that almost burst forth.

  Soon the voices faded, meaning Daniel, Uncle James, and Bobby had returned to the game, leaving Willa to wonder about what she discovered. She couldn’t blame Daniel for not broadcasting his donation. He wasn’t the type to welcome public praise. She respected him for that. She didn’t like to be the center of attention, either. Besides, if somebody needed a pat on the back each time they did a good deed, that didn’t make the good deed selfless to begin with.

  Although Willa had brought a book, she ended up watching the game from her vantage point behind the concession stand. In truth, she was mostly watching Daniel with Bobby. Bobby kept trying to climb out of his seat, and Willa had to laugh when Daniel resorted to basically grabbing the toddler by his pants to keep him from tumbling into the next row.

  During halftime, families could go on the court and shoot baskets. Daniel took Bobby down onto the court and, putting him on his shoulders, had him throw a child-sized ball at the basket. It never went in, but Bobby didn’t care. He laughed each time the ball bounced away as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

  Willa’s heart flip-flopped watching them. Bobby was in good hands—the perfect hands after his parents. She didn’t have to worry about him.

  She also couldn’t help wanting to kiss Daniel then and there as she watched him with Bobby. She loved to see his domestic side, and every day, she saw more of it. Who would’ve thought the gruff cowboy from a few weeks ago would’ve transformed into a loving father?

  By the time the game was over, Willa’s feet hurt, and she wanted a shower to get the smell of grease off of her skin. She joined Daniel and Bobby, who was asleep in his uncle’s arms until they got to the car. Buckled into his car seat, he was out for the count for the ride home.

  They talked about the game, and Willa told funny stories about the orders she’d messed up. But she couldn’t help thinking about what she’d overheard earlier. Deciding she might as well bite the bullet, she said, “I overheard you talking to Uncle James.”

  Daniel shot a quick glance at her. “Oh?”

  “About you donating to the rec center but not wanting anyone to know.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah.”

  “I shouldn’t have eavesdropped, I know. I sort of get why you’d keep it a secret, but why does it matter so much if people knew?”

  Daniel didn’t answer for a long moment before shrugging. “I’d rather not have people know. That’s all. I have the money, and I wanted to spend it on something that would benefit lots of people. So I did. That’s really all there is to the story. Besides, since it’s just me, I don’t have tons of expenses. I can afford to donate where others with families can’t.”

  “You have Bobby now, though.”

  “Well, yes. I meant before all of this happened, obviously.”

  Willa fell silent. She couldn’t help hearing the other implication in Da
niel’s words: he didn’t have a wife to worry about, either. Unbidden, an image of being that wife filled her mind. Sleeping in Daniel’s bed every night; cooking dinner for him and Bobby; helping him on the farm. Maybe having children with him.

  Her heart tightened as she told herself that wasn’t going to happen. She was going back to New York where she belonged.

  That night, Willa went to Daniel’s room after showering. Instead of saying anything, she kissed him. She didn’t know what to say, anyhow. It was a tender kiss, expressing gratitude, kindness, and admiration for this man who’d changed her world in such a short time. All she knew was that she wanted to give him something tonight.

  She knelt in front of him and, after unzipping his jeans, she wrapped her fingers around his cock before taking him into her mouth.

  He shuddered as she licked him from root to tip. She swirled her tongue around the tip as she squeezed him, and when he swore long and low, she smiled.

  “Your mouth should be illegal,” he said. He dug his fingers into her hair. “If you keep that up, this night will be over before it even started.”

  Willa was halfway tempted to continue just to see him lose control. But soon Daniel gently pushed her away and took her hands to pull her to her feet so he could kiss her.

  “You’re incredible,” he said.

  Willa beamed and was about to reply the same, but Daniel was too intent on kissing her. Things started to progress from there.

  When at last they were both naked, Willa climbed on top of Daniel, sheathing herself on his cock. She rode him slowly as she stared into his eyes. Heat spread from where they were joined, filling her veins, until she finally closed her eyes and focused solely on her own pleasure.

  “Willa,” groaned Daniel as he bucked under her. “You’re driving me crazy.”

  She smiled, her eyelids fluttering open. “That was the plan.”

  Daniel reached up and pulled her head down for a ravenous kiss. He pumped into her, taking over, until they were both mindless with wanting. They came together, and Willa collapsed onto Daniel’s chest, gasping for breath.

  Willa laid her head on Daniel’s shoulder. He played with her fingers, the sounds of the night filling the room. Strangely enough, it was lying in bed together in silence that felt the most intimate. Maybe that was the reason why Willa had wanted to sleep in her own room for so long. At the moment, she was almost tempted to give into fear and go back to her bed, but she also didn’t want this moment to end, either.

  It was strange to be torn between such disparate feelings. Willa barely understood herself.

  Then Daniel gazed into her eyes, and his smile made all such thoughts disappear for a moment. He kissed her forehead, skimming his hand down her back. Willa let herself fall into his kiss until nothing in the world existed except for Daniel Gunn and this moment.

  Later, she curled next to him, her cheek against his chest. She listened to the steady thump of his heart until its beat lulled her to a dreamless sleep.

  Twenty-Five

  On Monday, Willa returned to the living room to find Bobby ripping up some paper that she definitely had not given him. Taking the paper from him and seeing that it was some important document of Daniel’s, she grimaced.

  Then she read something that caught her attention: Daniel’s birthday. Which also happened to be in . . . five days.

  He hadn’t said a thing, the sly jerk! If Willa had known, she would’ve thought to throw him a party. Frowning, she placed the document in Daniel’s office before returning to the living room and sitting herself down on the floor with Bobby.

  “He thinks since he didn’t tell me, he’s not getting a party,” she said to the little boy. “Well, we’ll see about that.”

  Bobby, for his part, handed her a plastic wrench so they could play construction worker.

  Although she initially wanted to plan a party for Daniel, on further thought, she quickly realized that he wouldn’t enjoy a party. Instead, she decided on a fundraiser to help build the new addition at the rec center. The fundraiser would be in Daniel’s honor. Surely he wouldn’t object to something like that, she reasoned.

  Five days! It was a total whirlwind, and it would never have happened without DeeDee and Sarah’s combined help, but Willa managed to get the fundraiser together in that short time. It helped that the entire town loved and respected Daniel, too. So many told Willa that they’d drop any plans they had so they could attend.

  “I knew his parents,” one man had said as he’d dashed a tear from his eye. “His brother, too. Nothing I wouldn’t do for that kid.”

  By the time Saturday arrived, Willa could barely keep the fundraiser a secret, she was so excited. Luckily, Daniel had been so preoccupied with farm work every day that he hadn’t noticed how often Willa had been running into town or leaving the room to talk on her phone.

  She just hoped and prayed that he’d like his surprise not-party.

  It had been a long week, but instead of relaxing on the weekend, Willa had insisted that they go into town to do something fun instead of sitting at home. When Daniel entered the rec center’s large gymnasium where they’d attended the basketball game, he thought they’d come to the wrong place.

  The gymnasium had been turned into a carnival with all kinds of games: horseshoes, bag toss, Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Kids screamed and ran all over the place while harried parents tried to catch them.

  “What is this?” said Daniel, turning to Willa.

  Her smile was wide, her eyes sparkling. “Happy birthday!” She squeezed his arm.

  Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes at her. “How did you find out?”

  “Oh, I have my ways. And when I found out, I knew I had to do something. I wanted to throw you a party, but I thought: I can do something better than that.” Willa gestured at the carnival. “It’s a fundraiser for the new building here. In your honor. It also helped that the Lutheran church had just hosted a carnival and had all the supplies handy.”

  Daniel couldn’t speak, he was so surprised. And honored. He couldn’t believe that Willa had not only gone to the trouble of putting this all together, but she’d known that he didn’t like parties for himself. It was such a thoughtful gesture that Daniel wanted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her right then and there.

  Daniel didn’t say anything for such a long moment. Willa’s smile faltered.

  “Are you happy?” she asked. “We don’t have to stay long—”

  “I love it,” he said sincerely. “This is amazing.”

  She beamed up at him, and he could honestly say he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. Only the distraction of Bobby tugging on his jeans kept him from doing something truly stupid, like shouting to everyone how amazing this woman was, and then sealing the deal by kissing her.

  “Want to play, Unca Dan,” said Bobby. “Come on!”

  “There are games for little ones over there. I didn’t want to leave out the babies.” Willa took Bobby’s hand to lead him in the right direction as Daniel followed.

  “Happy birthday, son!” Uncle James came up and slapped him on the shoulder with a wide grin. “I have to tell you, your little lady worked her tail off to get this done. I’ve never seen a more determined woman.”

  Willa blushed a little. “I had a lot of help. Your uncle pitched in, too.”

  “Don’t try to act like this would’ve have happened without you,” said Uncle James.

  Daniel was stopped again and again, until finally Willa mouthed that she’d meet him at the kiddie pool with Bobby. Bobby, for his part, was impatient to play, and standing around listening to adults was the height of boredom in his toddler mind.

  “Well, this turned out all right,” said Sarah, her hair in her customary braid. “I didn’t know if we could pull it together in time, but Willa wouldn’t hear no for an answer.”

  “I had no idea she was planning this,” admitted Daniel with a laugh. “She sure knows how to keep a big secret.”

  “I can�
�t believe this whole town kept it a secret. It’s a miracle.” Lowering her voice, Sarah added, “This goes to show that Willa is feeling like she belongs, you know? She talked and called and managed almost everyone in this town, and I know she wouldn’t have done that for anybody but you. You’re a lucky man, Danny.” She wagged a finger in his face, making him feel all of five years old. “Don’t do anything stupid, got it?”

  Daniel wanted to disclaim that Willa wasn’t his, but as he turned to watch Willa play with Bobby, he knew that was a lie. She’d been his since—he didn’t know when. That first kiss? The first time they’d slept together? Or had it been the first time he’d seen her, that day when she’d brought Bobby to him?

  It was in that moment that he realized he loved her. He’d probably known it for ages now, but he’d told himself it wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t happen, because he didn’t think love existed. Well, he’d been wrong, hadn’t he? So very, very wrong.

  He loved Willa Markson with all his heart, and if he couldn’t get her to stay with him, he knew he’d never recover from the blow. He couldn’t let her go.

  He didn’t know when Willa had become the representation of everything he wanted in life, but he knew it was true.

  His heart hammering, he went to Willa and Bobby, trying to keep his composure and act as if he hadn’t just had a momentous realization.

  Bobby helped distract him, though. A kiddie pool had been set up for the toddlers and filled with sand and toys they could dig up. When Bobby found his first toy—a rubber duck—he was so excited that he was close to throwing all the sand from the pool.

  “Hey, buddy, look,” said Daniel, pointing to where something was poking from the sand. “Can you get it?”

  Bobby dug into the sand and grabbed the toy truck with a laugh.

  “Good job!” Willa kissed him on the cheek. “You’re so good at this, Bobby.”

  Later in the evening, when Willa announced how much money had been raised for the rec center, Daniel knew he had to tell her how he felt. It was practically bursting from his chest, he was so proud and touched by her hard work.