A Cowboy's Kiss

by Trish Milburn

  Roman gestured for Paige to pause. “Wait, that doesn’t make any sense. Anna and I are from the same place, both college-educated; we’re not that different.”

  “Oh, it’s sweet that you think that. It makes me like you even more. But let’s think about this for a moment. You’re not only a doctor and from one of the wealthiest families in Montana, but you also grew up in the midst of a loving family. How does that resemble Anna’s life at all?”

  It hit him just how much he took all the positive aspects of his life for granted, even after everything he’d been through. The fact that Paige had said Anna was falling for him also settled front and center in his mind.

  “Did she say she was…falling for me?”

  Paige grinned. “She didn’t have to. I know that girl better than she knows herself. Half of what I just told you she’s never told me. I figured it out.”

  “What do I do? I don’t want to push her or make her feel uncomfortable.”

  “Just tell her how you really feel and don’t give up on her. She’s fighting against a lifetime of learning what Helena preached, which is equivalent to some sort of caste system. ‘Don’t marry, don’t date, don’t even like someone above your station. It only leads to heartbreak.’”

  He clenched the edge of the bench. “I don’t like to think ill of someone in Helena’s state, but I’m more than a little angry with her right now.”

  “Welcome to the club. That woman did a number on our girl.”

  He looked over at Paige. “What made you think I feel the same way about Anna that you say she feels about me?”

  “I have eyes and ears. And no one works that hard and goes that far out of his way to help someone without being in love with her.”

  In love with her? Did his feelings run that deep?

  Yes. Somewhere between reading to her while she was in that coma and now, he’d fallen for Anna Kenner. Now he just had to find a way to convince her that he’d never hurt her, no matter how much money his family had.

  *

  “You okay, Dr. McQueen?”

  Roman met the gaze of his last patient of the day, Minnie Forstell, the embodiment of a sweet little grandmother.

  “Yes. I think I’m the one supposed to be asking you that.”

  She waved off his concern. “I’m completely fine. I wouldn’t even be here if I wasn’t required to come in once a year to get my asthma prescription refilled. But you look like there’s something weighing heavy on your mind.”

  “Just another man trying to figure out the complexities of relationships.”

  “Oh, who’s the lucky lady?”

  He waggled his finger at her. “Nope. There will be no wheedling it out of me.”

  She pouted. “Well, you’re no fun. A lady my age has to live vicariously, you know?”

  He smiled. “I’ll make you a deal. If it works out, I’ll let you know the next time I see you.”

  “You better.”

  As soon as Minnie left, he turned to finish up his notes on their visit. When he was done and shut the laptop before securing it in a locked cabinet, he picked up his cell phone and called Parker to see if he’d found out anything yet.

  “Funny you should pick right now to call,” Parker said when he answered.

  “How’s that? Did you find out something?”

  “Dude checks out. He owns a big construction company in Denver, like I’m talking they build sports stadiums level construction.”

  So the guy was that well-off and hadn’t seen fit to give his daughter one red cent. But he could sure show up on her doorstep when he needed something. Roman barely held in a curse.

  “But the more interesting part is that he either is trying to buy his way into Anna’s good graces or, rather, hopefully feels like the giant heel he is because he just left after offering a sizeable reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who ran Anna off the road.”

  If literally any other person had offered up that cash, he’d be grateful without reservations. As it was, the news left him conflicted because he suspected an ulterior motive. Plus, he was annoyed he hadn’t thought of doing it himself. But he also realized that might have been a step too far considering his and Anna’s relationship.

  “Roman, you there?”

  “Yeah. Think it’ll do any good?”

  “Some people will turn in their own mom for a reward, so if it’s someone from around here I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  At least that would be a good result, no matter the motive.

  After the call ended, he considered calling to check up on Anna and tell her what he’d just learned. But now that he wasn’t acting in the heat of the moment, he acknowledged that it hadn’t been his place to do a background check on her father. He’d just wanted so much to protect her from any further harm.

  But he still wanted to see her. He’d thought a lot about what Paige had told him, considered a lot of different ways to tell Anna his feelings so she’d believe him. He still didn’t know if any of the ideas would work, but he wouldn’t know until he tried. And so he hung up his lab coat, put away his stethoscope and headed toward Logan Springs.

  *

  Anna pointed toward the computer screen in front of Mary Wayborn. “If you click here, it’ll take you to the 1820 census records.”

  “Wow, who knew all this information was out there? This is so exciting, finding out about relatives that long ago.”

  Anna smiled and moved on to the next station. Since she and Paige had come up with the idea for monthly genealogy nights at the library six months ago, the event had drawn more people each month. But tonight the last thing she felt like discussing was family ties. Luckily, all she had to do was typically point her patrons in the right direction. Paige was busy helping a couple of people check out books since they kept the regular library services open during special event nights.

  The front door opened, revealing the last person she’d expected to see tonight.

  “Hey,” she said. “I thought you had your family traced back to before Montana even became a state.”

  “Huh?”

  At his confused look, she motioned to all the people sitting at computers. “Genealogy night.”

  “Oh, I’m not here for that. I need to check out some research books.”

  Now it was her turn to be confused. “You know there’s a library in Livingston, right?”

  “Yes, but I know the librarian here.”

  She caught a few of the patrons at the computers looking their direction, so she motioned him toward the circulation desk.

  “What kind of research books are you looking for?”

  “Something that will teach me how to win a woman’s heart.”

  Anna almost tripped over her own feet.

  “You see,” Roman continued, “there’s this woman that I really like a lot and I think she might like me, too, but she’s…I guess you could call it skittish. And I want to find a way to assure her that I’ll never do anything to hurt her. That she can trust me with her heart if she feels the same way about me.”

  Anna’s heart was currently busy trying to test the limits of the human heart rate.

  “Roman,” she said under her breath.

  “I know it’s hard for you to trust people, and I understand why. But I can’t go another day without saying in plain words how I feel. I’m falling for you, Anna Kenner, and I really hope you feel the same.”

  She shook her head.

  “Stop,” he said. “I can almost hear all the reasons why we can’t work that you’re manufacturing in that brain of yours, and they’re all wrong. This is not just a passing thing. I tried to go out with someone else. It didn’t work. Even Kailee could tell how I feel about you, and she also said she could tell that those feelings weren’t just going one direction.” He paused, and she was pretty certain everyone in the building could hear the pounding of her heart. Roman stepped closer to her and took her fingers in his. “Was she wrong?”

  Anna coul
dn’t deny it anymore. Not to herself. Not to Roman.

  “No.”

  His fingers entwined with hers, and when she looked up he was smiling so wide she felt as if she were standing in the first warm sun of spring after a long, cold winter.

  “You think Paige could handle the rest of genealogy night?”

  “Yes. Yes, she can,” Paige called out, eliciting laughs from the people who’d abandoned their searches for long-lost ancestors.

  “I guess there’s your answer.” Anna felt like giggling as she went to retrieve her purse. She wondered just how red her face was when she accompanied Roman through the front door into the twilight outside.

  As soon as they rounded the corner to the parking lot, Roman spun her into his arms, eliciting a little surprised yelp from her. And then he was kissing her like she was the only woman in the world.

  *

  Strange. That’s how it felt to believe she could have a future, one well beyond anything she’d allowed herself to imagine.

  After they’d left the library, Roman had driven them to a pretty spot beside the river and then produced an actual picnic basket filled with a meal from the Pinnacle, the restaurant at his family’s resort. They’d sat on a blanket and eaten as the last of the day’s light faded over the mountains. Then they’d lain side by side staring up at the stars talking about big things—what she was going to do about her father—as well as the inconsequential. And they’d kissed. A lot.

  She could still feel the soft warmth of his lips moving against hers even though he was probably back in Livingston by now. She’d almost thrown all caution out the window and invited him to stay the night, but she needed time to process what had happened. The fact that she had decided to give a relationship with Roman a chance. To stave off the lingering fear that it could be a mistake.

  No, stop thinking like that. You’re done being that person.

  She had just crawled into bed when her phone dinged with a text. When she saw the words on the screen from Roman, she was surprised her smile didn’t light up the room.

  Good night, beautiful.

  For a few moments, she held the phone against her heart, not quite believing the turn her life had taken after some terrible lows.

  *

  Anna jerked awake with her heart slamming against her rib cage. For several panicked moments, the grief consumed her. But gradually she realized what she’d just experienced was only a nightmare. A truly heartbreaking nightmare.

  When she felt she could stand, she went to the bathroom and washed her face with cold water. She still felt shaky when she returned to sit on the side of her bed.

  The dream had been so real, one of those that lingered because it ripped such raw emotion from you when you were defenseless against it. The kind that made you question whether it was dream or premonition.

  But no, Roman’s cancer had not returned. And it hadn’t killed him. He had regular checkups, and as a doctor he knew signs that should cause concern. This was likely just her subconscious worried about allowing herself to get involved with him.

  To love him.

  Because she did. If that dream proved anything, it was that she’d fallen totally in love with Roman and that losing him was the absolute worst pain she could imagine.

  But maybe the dream meant something else entirely. She considered how awful she felt thinking of losing Roman and realized that her father’s wife would likely feel the same if she lost him. If Anna could prevent that, she had to. It didn’t matter that her father hadn’t been a father at all to her. He was still a human being facing a scary diagnosis.

  Still feeling jittery, she grabbed her phone and called the resort where he was staying. The way their first meeting had ended hadn’t led to the exchange of cell numbers. She didn’t even know if he’d stuck around. He could very well be back in Colorado thinking he might die.

  But the person who answered the phone connected her to his room. He sounded both surprised and relieved to hear from her.

  “I’m going to the hospital to get tested.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?”

  “No.” She still wasn’t ready to face him yet. “I’ll let you know the results as soon as I have them.”

  “Thank you. And Anna…I’m so sorry, for everything.”

  “Thank you for saying that.”

  She ended the call and set about figuring out what she needed to do to see if she was a match for her father, a sense of the surreal accompanying her every step.

  *

  Anna had to give Roman credit. While she awaited the results of her tests, he did his best to distract her. Not that it was particularly hard because a single kiss from him sent her mind spinning into a bright, dizzying bliss.

  They went on dates like a normal couple, had dinner with his family on more than one occasion, and texted each other throughout the days when they were at their respective jobs. She felt as if she walked around with a perpetual grin on her face. One day at the library, Paige pulled her into a hug for no reason.

  “What was that for?”

  “I’m just so happy to see you happy.”

  And before her father had to go back to Colorado, she even spent more time with him. All was not forgiven, but she had hope that they’d at least have a relationship from now on. He’d also surprised her with a hug before he left. The even bigger surprise was how much she’d held on to him, needing some sort of connection to family.

  Though she also felt as if she was being welcomed into the McQueen family. They were kind, loving, funny—everything she’d ever dreamed about having. But a tiny part of her still worried that in the end things might not work out. Granted, that voice was smaller than it used to be, but it was still there. She wondered if it might always linger.

  As she walked down the sidewalk in Livingston to meet Roman at the restaurant where they’d eaten the night of their first kiss, her phone rang. Thinking it might be him she paused on the sidewalk and answered.

  Instead it was Parker Varton.

  “Hi, Parker.”

  “I have some news I thought you might like to hear. We just arrested the guy who ran you off the road. He admitted to being intoxicated at the time.”

  “How did you find him after all this time?”

  “The reward money.”

  “What reward?”

  Parker hesitated, as if perhaps he’d revealed something he shouldn’t have. “Your dad put up a reward for information leading to the arrest.”

  “He did?”

  “Yeah.”

  He’d done that without telling her, so there had been no ulterior motive. She warmed a bit more toward him, but she was still feeling stunned when she reached the restaurant.

  “What’s wrong?” Roman asked as soon as he saw her.

  “Nothing.” She looked at the phone still in her hand. “I just got a call from Parker. They’ve arrested the guy who caused my accident.”

  He took her hands in his. “How about we go to my place and order pizza instead?”

  “I’d like that.” She hadn’t realized she suddenly wasn’t in the mood for sitting out in public, but Roman had seen it and offered her a way out. Yet another reason to love him. She almost told him standing right there at the entrance to the restaurant, but that didn’t seem like the right setting or the right time. Plus, she thought he felt the same, but he’d never actually said the words.

  Would she never be totally free of the doubt that seemed to be woven into her very DNA?

  When they were settled at his house, a hot, cheesy pizza newly delivered, Roman looked across the table at her.

  “Can I confess something?”

  Dread filled her. Was he already having second thoughts about being with her?

  “Uh, sure.”

  “I knew about the reward your dad offered.”

  That had not been what she was expecting him to say. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I didn’t think it was my place, but Parker kind o
f told me because of something else I need to confess.”

  “Well, you’re full of confessions today.”

  He gave her a sheepish grin. “I had asked him to do a background check on your dad, to make sure he was who he said he was. I know I overstepped, but I can’t seem to help feeling protective of you. I didn’t want anyone else to hurt you.”

  Tears filled her eyes.

  “Oh, hell,” he said. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

  She shook her head, and he looked devastated.

  “No.” She grabbed hold of his hand. “That’s not what I mean. It’s just…I love you.”

  She waited, her heart pounding, to see how he would react. But she hadn’t been able to hold it in any longer. Slowly, his face transformed in a way that, miracle of miracles, erased her doubt as if it had been drawn on a whiteboard and then wiped clean.

  “I love you, too.”

  As they ate pizza and talked about their day, Anna felt the power and weight of his gaze upon her. She suspected her gaze might be falling upon him the same way.

  After dinner, they cuddled on the couch and watched a movie. She didn’t think she’d ever felt better in her life. Having something as simple as the arm of the man she loved around her was indescribably wonderful. She’d missed out on so much because of the belief system on which she was raised.

  But she had to acknowledge that it wasn’t totally Helena’s fault. Anna was proving now that it was possible to break free of indoctrination. She’d just taken the path of least resistance, the one that was less likely to lead to more heartache, until she’d found a person for whom she was willing to take a chance.

  She couldn’t adequately express how much she loved Roman. Or could she?

  As the credits rolled on the movie, she leaned back so that she could look up into Roman’s eyes. With her heart going wild again, she asked, “How would you feel if I didn’t leave tonight?”