Gentling the Cowboy

by Ruth Cardello

  “Bunny, stop. Does it really matter how he finds out?”

  Tony’s temper began to rise. What don’t they want me to know? Did I leave Sarah alone for too long? Did she find someone else? If so, I hope she’s not overly attached to a man I’m going to kill when I meet him. Between gritted teeth, Tony asked, “Find out what?”

  The sound of a car entering the driveway caught Tony’s attention. He didn’t wait for an answer to his question; he strode down the steps and headed toward Sarah’s apartment. It was Sarah driving her SUV with the horse trailer in tow. She parked next to the barn and jumped out, rushing to the side of his truck and looking around.

  Thankfully, she was alone.

  “Sarah,” he said. He knew his tone had been harsh and was wishing he’d softened it when she spun toward him. He saw the joy she felt at seeing him, just before she reined her emotions in. I’m an ass.

  There isn’t anyone else.

  He closed the distance between them, rehearsing exactly what he’d say to convince her to give him a second chance. He’d start with an apology. He’d tell her how much he’d missed her, how much he needed her. And then, he’d tell her what had taken him weeks to admit to himself.

  I love her.

  She took a step toward him and he swung her up and held her slightly above him, kissing her with all the passion that had been building within him since he’d last seen her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and settled into his arms as he lowered her slowly against his chest. Her tears mixed with their kiss. He buried his face in her hair and held her to him.

  “I was a fool,” he said urgently, hugging her closer.

  She pulled back so she could look into his eyes and said, “No, I was. I pushed you when I should have given you time.”

  He cupped her face in his hands and said, “I didn’t need more time, I needed a swift kick in the pants, and you leaving me did that. I was trapped in the past. You set me free.”

  Still crying even though she was smiling, Sarah said, “Are you really here?”

  He kissed her lips lightly, tenderly. “Yes, and I hope you can pack fast because you’re coming home with me.”

  She cocked her head to one side. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “I know what I want and that’s you, Sarah.”

  Her beautiful brown eyes searched his face. “For how long?”

  He ran a light thumb over her bottom lip. “Forever.”

  She launched herself onto her tiptoes and kissed him, and the world around them receded. All that existed, all that mattered, was the two of them and their hunger for each other. They kissed until the desire to rip each other’s clothing off, right there in the driveway, almost won.

  Tony broke off the kiss and rested his forehead on hers, their mutual labored breathing blocking out all other sounds. “Do you have anything inside that you can’t get later? You already have Scooter loaded. Let’s go home. We’ll come back for my truck and your things tomorrow . . . or the next day. I want you in my bed, and once I have you there I can’t imagine we’ll be leaving it anytime soon.”

  Flushed and looking a bit bemused, Sarah said, “That’s not Scooter in the trailer.”

  “You bought yourself another horse?”

  Sarah touched his cheek softly. “No, I bought you one.”

  He looked at the trailer but couldn’t see more than a shadow of what was inside. “You bought me a gift? Does that mean you were coming back?”

  “No,” she said, her eyes brimming with emotion. “I was going to have David deliver her to you.”

  “I don’t understand,” Tony said.

  “Go look at her,” Sarah suggested.

  The last thing Tony cared about right then was a horse, but Sarah seemed to care an awful lot about her gift, so he went to the back of the trailer and opened it. To his surprise, it wasn’t a quarter horse or even a young horse.

  Sarah opened the side door and unclipped the horse’s harness. An aged white mare backed off the trailer. Tony’s gut clenched painfully as he recognized her profile. It couldn’t be.

  He put out his hand for the mare to smell. She whinnied into his palm, then rubbed her head roughly against him. His voice came out in a whisper. “Missy?”

  Emotion flooded him as he tried to make sense of what he’d never dared to think possible. Sarah had found the horse his father had sold when he was twelve. The only horse he’d ever let himself love.

  Did she remember him? Before Sarah, Tony would have said she didn’t. He would have dismissed her greeting and the way she was nuzzling against him as learned behavior—something she associated with any human contact. But as he looked into those wise equine eyes, he saw recognition and love.

  “Where did you find her?” He put his hand out to Sarah and his heart swelled when she took it between both of hers.

  “Dean found her. The people that owned her bought her at an auction in your town. They remembered your father. She’s been at their farm since. All their children learned to ride on her, but they retired her when their kids moved out. If I hadn’t told them your story, they would have let her graze in their back field for the rest of her life. They loved her, Tony, just like you did. And they would like to come visit her at your ranch if you’ll let them.”

  Whatever wall had been left around Tony’s heart crumbled, and he pulled Sarah into a bone-crushing embrace. He didn’t even try to hide the happy tears that ran down his cheeks. He didn’t know that he’d ever done a single thing to deserve a woman as kindhearted and loving as Sarah, but he knew he’d spend the rest of his life trying to. “I love you, Sarah Dery,” he said.

  Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist. He loves me! “It took you long enough to realize it.”

  He pulled her to his side, kissed her upturned lips softly, and said, “From the moment I found you in my shower, I knew my life would never be the same.”

  “In a good way?”

  He kissed her cheek. “In the best way. When do you want to get married?”

  Sarah laughed. “You’re not going to ask me first?”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m not giving you the option of saying no. But you can pick the date as long as it’s soon.”

  “You are one pushy cowboy,” she teased.

  For a long moment, he looked down into her eyes ,and she glimpsed the sadness that had originally drawn her to him. “I love you, Sarah, and I am a better man because you came into my life.”

  Sarah hugged him possessively. “Well, don’t change too much. I have a few things left on my list, and I don’t think they are nice-guy approved.”

  A huge smile spread across Tony’s face. “List?”

  Looking down at his chest, Sarah said, “It’s a bucket list.” Or more accurately titled: My Fuck-it List. Sarah chuckled at the thought that she wasn’t quite brave enough to share that out loud. I should write that joke down.

  Tony held her back from him and waited until she looked up at him. “Tell me.”

  My notebook can wait.

  “Let’s go home,” Sarah said playfully and whispered seductively against his lips, “I’d rather show you.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  The next morning, dressed only in one of Tony’s plaid shirts, Sarah left him sleeping in their bed and slipped away to the bathroom for a moment. She looked in the mirror and smiled. Her hair was loose in a tangled mess. The makeup she hadn’t taken the time to remove was smudged beneath her eyes. I look like we spent the night doing exactly what we did. Eventually one of us will have to go downstairs for food, and I can’t look like this if there is any chance it might be me.

  She turned on the water and slid off Tony’s shirt. A few moments later, Sarah closed her eyes and sighed as she relaxed in the full tub. She smiled as she replayed every wonderful, hot moment of the night before. They’d barely made it in the door before they’d ripped each other’s clothing off and had sex on the stairs.

  Eventually, temporarily spent, they�
��d cuddled in his bed and talked. He told her about the changes he wanted to make at his ranch and she told him about her plans to self-publish her stories. Her heart nearly burst with pride when he explained that he’d given a house to Melanie. He wasn’t a man who boasted about what he did. He told her because there were no more barriers between them. No more secrets.

  “Did you hear any more from Lucy about her ranch? I made the call. Don’t know if it did much good. I figure we should send David out there to see what’s going on. He’s good with the business side of ranching.”

  “You’d do that?” Sarah had asked in awe.

  He’d kissed her and said, “I would do anything for you or those you care about.”

  And she believed him because, as frustrating as it sometimes was, Tony was a man who didn’t say a word more than he meant.

  Breshall Haas is sure going to be busy, because book three is already coming alive for me. My two broken characters will finally bring each other as much comfort as they do passion. She smiled as she remembered how Tony had looked tied to the bed at the cabin, as willing to be taken as she ever was. She sank deeper beneath the warm water and watched the book play out in her imagination like a movie.

  Happy endings are always easier to write when you’ve found your own.

  Wrapped only in a towel, Sarah walked back into the bedroom and saw Tony happily reading her notebook. He put it down on his lap and said, “That will always remind me of the day we met.”

  Sarah looked down and laughed. “Let’s not tell anyone that story, deal?”

  He smiled and held up her notebook, revealing the evidence of his excitement standing erect beneath the sheet. “I see you have been busy. I like your new story, but I have a few questions.”

  Sarah sat and turned to face him, knowing that when she lifted her leg onto the bed she’d give him an intimate view. He sucked in a breath, his attention no longer focused on her writing. “What did you want to know?”

  He met her eyes, desire sizzling the air between them. “What?”

  Sarah ran a hand down the sheet, caressing one of his thighs through the material. “You said you had questions.”

  He reached behind her head and pulled her closer, murmuring against her lips. “It doesn’t matter.”

  Temptation to sink into his arms warred with the need to know what he thought about her writing. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, “I want your feedback. My writing isn’t a hobby to me—it’s a part of me. What did you think?”

  He shifted and pulled her down beside him in the bed and tucked her into his side. “First, why does he have to be a billionaire? Are millions not sexy enough?”

  Sarah ran her hand across the light hair of his chest. “Don’t be jealous. He’s not real.”

  Tony kissed her lightly on her forehead. “He’d better not be, because he and I share some similar techniques.” Despite his obvious hard-on, he reopened her notebook and pointed to a scene. “I think I could do this better than you described it, though. I had some ideas while I read it.”

  “You did?” Sarah asked, allowing her towel to fall to one side. She moved the sheet aside and took him in her hand, caressing him while she spoke. “I don’t mind trying that again. For research purposes, of course.”

  “Of course,” he said huskily, half closing his eyes with pleasure. He flipped to another part of the book and said, “And I’m not sure this particular move is even humanly possible.”

  Sarah moved her hand lower, cupping his balls gently. “Only one way to find out.” Then she took the notebook and turned to a scene near the end of the book. “What did you think of this part?”

  He reread a line, then rolled over so they were face to face on the bed. His thumb circled and teased one of her nipples until it was hard and begging for his mouth. “I thought it lacked sufficient details, but that’s something we can fix together.”

  Suddenly more serious, Tony said, “I never meant to make you feel like what you described in the second book. I wasn’t ready for what you were offering me. But I’m ready now.”

  Looking into his loving green eyes, Sarah thought about how much they had both changed. They’d each been lost in their own way and together had found a way back. Nothing would change the past. Even love can’t do that, but they no longer had to face it alone.

  There are things we can fix and things we can’t. I guess life is about figuring out which is which, and dealing with both the best you can.

  And if you’re lucky, you find someone who loves you, scars and all.

  Tony rolled on top of her, seeming to sense the serious direction of her thoughts. He kissed her cheek softly and said, “Let’s take it slow and gentle this time.”

  Sarah dropped her notebook on the floor beside the bed.

  My cowboy . . .

  Gentle or rough.

  When it’s right, they’re both good.

  The End

  Other books by Ruth Cardello

  Legacy Collection:

  Book 1: Maid for the Billionaire

  Book 2: For Love or Legacy

  Book 3: Bedding the Billionaire

  Book 4: Saving the Sheikh

  Book 5: Rise of the Billionaire

  Book 6: Breaching the Billionaire (Coming Winter 2013!)

  Texan Nights Series:

  Book 1: Gentling the Cowboy

  Did you enjoy Gentling the Cowboy?

  Then enjoy this excerpt from Bluegrass Undercover

  By Kathleen Brooks

  This is the first book in the Bluegrass Brothers series by Kathleen Brooks. This series is a follow-up to her best selling Bluegrass Series. The final book in the Bluegrass Brothers series, Secrets Collide, will be out on October 7th, 2013.

  Prologue

  He wiped his sweaty hands on his mesh shorts and took a deep breath to calm himself. If he got caught, it would end his high school football career, cost him a chance at a college scholarship, and his parents would be pissed. Those factors were outweighed by the fact that he was a full two tenths of a second slower in the 40 than his backup, and that meant if he didn’t pick it up, he’d be riding the bench this season.

  The glass doors were looming in front of him as he approached the dealer. His hands left sweaty imprints as he pushed the doors open and tried to casually walk inside. His heart pounded as if it were up to him to make the last-second play to win the big game. He smiled to those he knew, which, thanks to being such a small town, was practically everyone. Did they all know what he was about to do?

  The locker room was just ahead of him now. This was it. He put his hand in his pocket and felt for the cash he’d stolen out of his mom’s and dad’s wallets over the last couple of weeks. He’d had to empty his piggy bank and save up his allowances for a month, but if this worked, it would be worth it. He’d be faster, stronger, and maybe even Mr. Football in Kentucky. A scholarship to a Division I school would make everything perfect. Even his parents couldn’t get mad about taking a couple hundred from them if he was going to be on ESPN every Saturday.

  “Hey, man.”

  “What’s up?”

  “You got the five hundred?”

  “Yup.”

  He pulled out the cash and handed it to him. His eyes darted around the momentarily empty locker room. Someone could walk in at any minute, but his dealer was as calm as could be counting out the cash. Shouldn’t he hurry and give him the stuff before the police barged in?

  “Here you go kid. Ten cc’s three times a week.” He caught the small, black duffle bag and nodded his head toward his dealer before he walked as fast as he could out of there.

  He managed to get home before his parents got back from work, but his little sister was already home and would be a problem. If only he had a lock on the door. He moved his desk chair over to his door and shoved it under the doorknob. It would have to work. If Cindy knew he was home, she’d come running in, wanting to play or talk about the gossip going on in cheerleading camp. God, little sisters were a
trial.

  He placed the duffle on his bed and slowly unzipped it. Inside were a handful of diabetic syringes and a small glass bottle with a black rubber stopper. Pulling off the orange cap on the needle, he slowly poked it through the rubber stopper and measured out ten cc’s. He dropped the bottle back into the bag and pulled down his shorts. He heard the garage door open and knew his parents were home. He had to hurry. Would he feel stronger by tomorrow? Would he be like Spiderman? He envisioned himself as the best football player in the country, shredding defenses and scoring every time the ball was in his hands. He’d be a hero.

  He grabbed the skin at his waist between his thumb and middle finger. This was it. The needle met resistance as he pressed it against his skin. It pricked, and he winced as he pushed it through his skin. His thumb pushed the plunger down, and he watched the drug that would change his life enter his body.

  “Honey! Dinner!”

  “Coming, Mom.”

  Chapter One

  Annie Blake felt the ocean breeze ruffle her sweat-drenched hair. It was Miami in August. Even being on the beach did nothing to cool her off. She hardly ever went to the beach. Who had time? But, she must admit, the sand did feel good between her toes, and the smell of the salt floating by and the feathered waves of the breeze did relax her.

  She looked over the sparkling blue water as far as she could see and took a deep breath. It was going to be a great day. She scanned the beach and saw kids playing, sunbathers in barely-there swimsuits, and a thug by one of the beach bars. He was shorter than she, probably around five six to her five seven. His black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his neck. His body was shiny with sweat, which made his tattoos sparkle in the sunlight. His jean shorts started at his thighs and ended at his ankles. She had no idea why thugs liked this style of clothing, but it worked for her. It was hard to run with your pants falling down.