Lassoing The Last Dance (Double Dutch Ranch; Love At First Sight Book 4)

by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

  “Might want to try the mounting block, ma’am.”

  “Hi, Selva.” Once she got off, she wanted to rub her backside but not with Selva standing so close. “I’ll brush her down. It’ll be a great reward to her after the enjoyable ride she gave me.” Roxanne proceeded to remove the bridle. “Do you know if Randy is coming back?”

  “He left for Dane’s. He’s done here today.”

  “He didn’t get bit again, did he?” Roxanne smiled to let Selva know she joked.

  He bobbed his head and laughed. “I don’t think so. He’s great at his job and has a lot of how-to-do-it-tricks in that bag of his.” Selva removed his hat and swept his fingers through his salt and pepper hair. “See you around.” He strutted out to get into his truck and left in a cloud of dust.

  Roxanne grinned. She was proud to hear Selva brag on her guy. She couldn’t wait to spend time with him later, but first she’d take a shower and smooth on her scented lotion afterward.

  Chapter 10

  Randy came around from the back of the house, showered, hair combed in place, and clean-shaven. He looked great in dark jeans and a white western shirt harboring muted blue pinstripes. Dress black cowboy boots looked smokin’ hot on the cowboy. “Hi, sexy!”

  “Hungry?” he asked. “I fixed us dinner.”

  Roxanne smiled. Her belly had growled a couple times on the ride over. Randy took her arm. Because she had limped? Pain crept over her from the hip down to the end of her stump. “I won’t be dancing tonight.”

  “What if I hold you in my arms?”

  “Come on, you don’t dance much, remember?”

  “Maybe I’ve learned a thing or two since you’ve been gone.” Even before he held the door open, a delicious aroma met her before stepping inside. What smelled so marvelous? Lasagna? Spaghetti? Something tomato-ey.

  “I hope you like lasagna. I bought Gelato for dessert. You know, the fancy ice cream stuff?”

  “I’m impressed.” She clung to his arm in the doorway. “Did you hear about Nora?” Oops! Roxanne clasped her hand over her mouth. Randy removed her hand and kissed her palm, and he remained close to her as he spoke.

  “I don’t like rumors.”

  “It isn’t a rumor, but I fear I tattled too soon. Can you keep a secret?”

  “Well, yeah! All I know is Judy said Nora didn’t feel well, and then Jase came in saying Brenna didn’t either—”

  “Brenna’s pregnant, too?”

  “All I did was eat pancakes and keep my mouth shut.” Randy slid his hands up and down her arms. “Don’t be a bad influence on me now. I’m not into gossiping.”

  Her lashes fluttered involuntarily. She ran her finger down the front of his chest, blatantly hooking it over his waistband. “Aw, sweetheart, it might be kind of fun.”

  He lifted her off her feet, and she hugged his hips with her legs. He pressed her back against the wall. “You never answered me. Are you hungry? You seemed famished in the tack room.”

  Wow, but she liked him taking control! She glanced at his lips, then smiled, but a giggle might slip out. He lowered her to the floor and backed her up against the wall. Randy lifted her chin until their gazes connected. Her smile grew bigger. “Yes.” The next thing she knew, he placed the hush of a kiss against her lips. “Honey, your kisses are always welcome.”

  “Good.” He grasped her hand to bring her to the table, pulled out a chair, and swept his hand forward like a gentleman would in the old days. “Let’s eat.”

  Slow and methodically, he opened a bottle of wine, his gaze on her the whole time. Damn, but he looked remarkably handsome tonight. Every inch and then some! Deliberate and steady movements around the kitchen blew her away. The way he kept glancing back and forth at her after setting each item on the table rattled her spine. Acting like he had a secret agenda going on about got her to her feet and on top of him to take him directly to the kitchen floor. His subdued seduction tonight downright knocked her shoes off. “What are you up to this evening?”

  He lifted his eyes to hers. “What? I’m innocent.” He opened a bottle of beer, set it in front of his plate, and took a seat across from her.

  “Handsome is all you are tonight. Are you planning on being bad, too?”

  “Nope. I don’t have a bad bone in my body.” He took a drink of beer but nearly spilled it all over himself, laughing.

  “Thought so.” She accepted the casserole dish filled with gooey cheese and five star rated looking lasagna, and scooped out some for herself before handing it back to him. He filled their salad bowls with a tossed green salad.

  With a wiggle to his eyebrows, he took a bite of piping hot lasagna, but before swallowing it, rushed to slice a couple pieces of the garlic bread.

  “Did you make this dinner yourself?”

  “I did. There’s nobody here to feed me.”

  Roxanne picked up her fork and took a bite. It tasted as yummy as it looked, and the garlic and olive oil added enough zing to be Italian. “What was the favor you had to ask me from earlier?” Here comes his secret agenda.

  “Ahhh, yeah, I nearly forgot.” He tapped his fingers against the table. Randy picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth. “It’s been a long time since I’ve asked anyone this, but I have to have you…”

  She waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. All he did was stare with a glint shining in his eyes. He has to have me? Roxanne truly wanted to be like she used to be. “I have to have you—”

  “Pose for me.”

  Huh? “What do you mean?”

  “Since you know I paint now, let me paint you. I’ll photograph you first then I’ll paint from the photo. I have an image in my head.” He buttered a slice of bread. “I want that image hanging on my wall. Over my bed to be truthful.”

  She peered through the doorway at the pictures hanging within her view. “You want to paint me? Wearing what?”

  “Not much.” Their eyes locked and neither said anything more for at least thirty seconds. He nodded toward a tall wooden stool at the end of his counter. “Sitting on that stool in a type of robe. I don’t know, I have a vision in my head of what it looks like.”

  “You have a muse?”

  He pressed his teeth against a side of his lip but didn’t answer. Impressive. The idea of posing for him stirred up sensual urges that waited to be loose again. Her rough looking cowboy had a muse. “Okay.”

  Randy took her hand across the table, squeezed it, and closed his eyes a moment as if he could already see it in his mind.

  She liked the subtle smile on his face. Roxanne pulled her hand free and dipped a point of the garlic bread into tomato sauce on her plate. “I can’t believe you painted all these fabulous paintings. How long have you been doing this? Why didn’t I know before?”

  “I had set it aside for a while. It’s good therapy, so I brought it back. All my life I’ve painted. I used to sketch until I got out of the Army. It’s no big deal.”

  It sure as hell was a big deal to her. “What kind of robe? Sexy? A terry bath robe? Flannel?”

  “Yeah, right, flannel! Not on my watch, sister. Sexy.”

  Randy picked up her glass of wine and handed it to her. With his beer in hand, he tapped it against her glass. “After dinner, we’ll check a sexy lingerie site.”

  The Merlot tasted delicious and so fitting with their dinner. “Do you make a habit of checking sexy lingerie sites? Do you watch porn?”

  An eyebrow lifted. “No and No. Not yet. I imagined this one all by myself. I can imagine things, you know.” Randy narrowed his eyes. “And I imagined you in a sexy gown, not robe, on my tall stool. I’ve painted it in my mind. You look hot in my dream painting. Maybe that’s what I’ll title this one.”

  Roxanne got serious for a moment, for a comforting rush splayed over her. Tonight she felt normal, and stress had gone from her shoulders, mind. For an instant, she’d forgotten about her injuries, or that anything outside of this room existed. She whispered, “You make me forget the bad things. Tha
nk you.”

  Randy pushed out his chair and came to her side. “I’m glad.” He took her hand to pull her up, and when she stood, he lifted her off her feet, carrying her like he’d carry a big folded up quilt across his arms. Without another word, he went through the house to his bedroom, dropped her on the queen size bed, and sat on the side to remove his boots. Without hesitation, he unbuttoned his shirt, ripped it off his shoulders, and rushed to his belt buckle.

  Gulping, Roxanne leaned back on her elbows to savor the view as he continued until he stood in nothing but gray Calvins. Looking mighty hot in those Calvins, too, she might add. My, my! He placed his legs astride her. On his knees over her, Randy set his hands on the bed beside her head until she lay back.

  “The lasagna can wait, but I can’t. I don’t mind garlic breath if you don’t.”

  Roxanne laughed, cupped his face, and kissed as a ravenous need built up inside of her. It took a moment to catch her breath when the kiss ended, but she unbuttoned the blouse she wore and raised her upper body to remove it. He moved down and leaned on his knees to undo the button on her jeans. For a moment, embarrassment at being seen in the twilight messed with her brainwaves. These jeans didn’t slide off over a prosthesis. “You have to move a moment, love.”

  “Don’t get up.” Randy pulled her pants to her thighs, along with her yellow panties. His gaze raked over her. He only removed the jeans from one leg, then he eased down on top of her. “For now this will work. Until you get used to me seeing all of you.”

  Roxanne closed her eyes. He understood her embarrassment. His weight against her sent all kinds of shakes and shivers throughout her body as he possessed her. He slid his hand behind her to unhook her bra. This evening, she’d be proud to let him take control again, to take her to places of lustful sighs and passionate kisses, no matter where he placed those kisses. She became lost in him.

  “Think of nothing but what you’re about to experience,” he whispered. Randy eased lower to kiss her abdomen, then came back to her breasts, teasing while making her want him. To want every part of whatever he gave. She smoothed her hand over the tight skin of his muscular back, and boldly smiled when he wiggled his shoulders at her touch. Roxanne slowly tiptoed her fingers lower until she shoved down his boxers. Randy lifted his lips from her breast. He took the time to remove his shorts, but went right back to giving his full attention to where he’d left off.

  He rose to look into her eyes. “Look what you do to me with your sexiness.” On purpose and proud, he shoved his hips against her. He lowered his face until he lingered above her lips, staring at her like she was a prized possession. His and all his. She was so enamored by him.

  Hungry for his kisses didn’t even cover how she felt, and the need was uncontrollable for what else she wanted. She gingerly eased his head down. She rose to meet his mouth as his lips parted to kiss her.

  She lifted her bare leg around his waist, waiting, wanting, but he continued to kiss and tease, with his tongue tantalizing her mouth. He softly nipped at her bottom lip. Slipping her hand between them, she grasped him, and caressed the way she had discovered he liked. He pressed hard, and she slid her hands to his tight, muscled rear end.

  He vehemently pushed until he was inside of her, slowly lifting out, again, and again until her thoughts were of nothing except the way he made love to her. Before long, her eyes would roll back in her head. He rose up to give her everything he had—fast, then slowing, fast, and slow again. She dragged the fingers of one hand over his chest. It was all her body, mind, soul could take and she ardently cried out his name, “Randy…”

  He drew in a breath while desire took her over. His eyes closed, and he tipped his head back. His desire heightened hers. Taking and letting out deep breaths through an open mouth, his sighs came out in pants. Upon opening his eyes, his riveting gaze rested on her face as her climax lessened in intensity and totally enveloped her. She smiled like she’d never smiled before. She was proud to be in love!

  Randy stretched out and laid his head on her chest for a moment before he rolled over and collapsed. “We’ll have to do this every day. That’s how good it feels making love with you.”

  “No argument there.” Roxanne sat on the side of the bed to scoot into her panties first before pulling up her pant leg, and hooking her jeans. She settled back down and cuddled close to him. Randy slid his arm across her midriff. She wrapped her hand around his forearm, anything to be touching him.

  Outside, twilight’s burnt glow had faded. Darkness slowly shadowed the landscape and the room. Rising moonlight painted the walls. Randy smelled like garlic and love. This was something she could live with now. Sure, she’d come this far in a short time. Albeit, she could go the rest of the way. One day, she’d be butt naked in front of him.

  “More and more of you is coming out each day. I’m proud of you.”

  She placed her hand against his cheek and eyed the nasty looking wound. “Guess what, baby. You must be the key. What do you think?”

  “Uh huh.” Randy traced a circle around her nipple, and his mouth replaced his finger. “Don’t leave me tonight,” he whispered against her breast.

  Roxanne glanced around the shadowed room. It didn’t seem strange at all to be in his bed. She brought her left leg over his thigh, not embarrassed in the least. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He ran his fingers up and down her leg, and she only winced once when he touched the prosthetic. Now, she wanted him to understand the whole caboodle.

  A short time later, he kissed her cheek. “Let’s finish eating.” He got out of bed to get dressed but held up a moment as his gaze took in the whole height of her. “I like you topless in my bed.” Randy stopped at the door a moment, whirled around, and grinned. “I don’t suppose I could get you to come to the table like that?” He strolled out of the room with a chortle.

  Roxanne rolled over and stretched. She brought up her knees and crossed her arms to hug herself. So do I like being topless in his bed. She held her shirt against her chest, strutted out and around the table, lowering the shirt from covering her, and sat across from him. She smiled as he did a double take, his eyes wide and shining. Before long his tongue would be hanging out, so she put the shirt on and buttoned up. “So there, Drake. How do you like that?”

  He chuckled. “Quite a lot, Connor.”

  While he stuck food in the microwave, she took her tablet out of her purse to look up gowns. This site had a little of every style anyone might want. “What color, sweetie?”

  “Huh?”

  She chuckled at the quizzical expression on his face as he leaned against the counter. “Gown? I didn’t dream about you asking to paint me, did I?”

  “No way! Light colored. I want a bit of your skin to show through.” He came over to look, pointing to the second on the third row of the display. “Sheer.”

  She brushed away his finger, enlarged the image for a better look, but was unsure about having a picture of her wearing a sexy piece of cloth. Then again, she had sat at his table topless. On the other hand, the picture would hang where anyone could see it. “It’s almost too sheer unless you hang it out of sight.”

  “Nah, come on. No, it isn’t. The one I pointed out is close enough to what I visualized. Do it, Rox. I dare you.”

  Dare me? Oh, he’d be surprised. “Can I choose? Trust me.”

  Randy glanced at her tablet and kind of puckered up his lips in indecision. “Okay. Bring it on. We’ll do the photos when you get it.” He rushed to the microwave to punch in another minute.

  She opened the bag of warmed garlic bread. “How long will it take you to paint?”

  Randy placed his hands on his hips in front of the microwave. “I suppose as long as it takes. I can’t put a time frame on my work. It’s like breaking a horse. It’s ready when it’s done.” He grinned. “Let’s eat, baby. We’ll have cannoli in bed later.”

  “What about Gelato? Did you make dessert, too? If you did, you’re a keeper.”

&nbs
p; Pouring her another glass of red wine, he said dryly, “I’m a keeper either way, Roxanne. Best you realize that sooner than later.”

  So true! She could punch herself for hurting him the past months, but the horror had convinced her she’d never be with anyone again. A keeper stood in front of her without a doubt. “I’ve always known that,” she said in a near whisper.

  ***

  Dinner and dishes out of the way, they strolled outside and off the porch. “Think you can stand the night sounds this evening?”

  She nodded. Everything had changed since the first night she had come here. Not the literal first night. The literal first night nearly two years ago, she came here after Nora and Tristan’s party, filled with anticipation at the prospect of a new relationship with a hot, younger cowboy. Tonight, tranquility filled her up inside. He embraced her as they stood in the moonlight, surrounded by night hawks, toads, and an occasional tumbleweed to bounce off their feet. She leaned against him, allowing the warmth of the night and strength of his arms to envelop her.

  “When I lay my head on the pillow, I’ll dream of you in the moonlight.”

  “Nice.” Had he read those words in a poetry book? They were meaningful and perfect for tonight.

  “I’ll recognize your face, your eyes. Recall your smile in the night.”

  “You’re reciting love poems to me? You have a great memory. I can barely remember what I read—”

  “I wrote it.”

  She spun in his arms. No way. This rowdy guy didn’t write love poems. Did he? “You did? You write poetry?” His reply was nothing more than a gentle nod. “Don’t be embarrassed. Is there more to that one?”

  “Yeah.” He took her hand to spin her around like in a slow dance step and moved in close against her back again. “I wrote part of this and another while you slept on the couch that night.”

  Giving a pleasant sigh when his arms closed tighter around her, she asked wistfully, “Can I hear the rest?”