Like A Cowboy (Wild At Heart Cowboys Book 1)

by Charlene Bright

  Zoe stood there on his stoop, tears streaking her cheeks.

  24

  Zoe knew instantly that she’d been wrong. But Noah hadn’t given her a chance to apologize, and he had every right to be angry. But she hadn’t expected him to end it all and walk out on her. She’d sat at the table, stunned, for maybe three minutes before she realized that she couldn’t let him walk out of her life forever. Not like this.

  She needed to apologize and explain, and she needed to do it now. Tossing her napkin on the table, she gathered herself and her things and ran out the door. She looked around, just to make sure Noah wasn’t still sitting in his truck or anything, and then she darted to her car. For a split second, she floored it, but realizing she would rather take a couple extra minutes to get there rather than never making it at all, she slowed down and took the turn toward Noah’s ranch.

  She’d been about to knock, fearing he wouldn’t answer, when the dogs had come bounding toward her and saved her the trouble. She simply stood there and waited for him to open the door.

  His face told her he hadn’t expected her at all, and she was glad she’d surprised him. It meant he wouldn’t have such an easy time blowing her off. But as she gazed at his bare chest and the muscles in his stomach above the jeans slung low on his hips, everything she’d planned to say flew right out of her head.

  Afraid Noah would recover and shut the door in her face, she stepped over the threshold and right up to him, taking his face in her hands and capturing his lips with the purest of intentions. She knew what she wanted, and she knew how to prove to him that she trusted him completely. She kissed him until she felt him warm to it, and then she kissed him with more passion and desire, bringing him to the point of desperation she had already reached.

  She felt his physical reaction as she pressed her body to his, and it made her moan. He grunted and threw the door closed, taking her in his arms with an embrace that spoke volumes, telling her that he didn’t plan to let her go ever again. Needing to breathe, she broke the kiss and gasped, staring up into his eyes and feeling the fire ignite inside her. “Noah, I’m sorry,” she whispered, searching for forgiveness.

  He put a finger to her lips and shook his head. “I’m the one who should apologize.”

  She silenced him with another kiss, and this time, he lifted her from her feet and carried her with arms around her waist to his bedroom. He set her down and gave her a questioning look, as if to ask if she wanted this. She didn’t answer out loud, instead reaching for the button of his jeans. He helped her, drawing them down his legs and stepping out of them, and Zoe stared in complete awe at his body. He was a sculpture from head to toe, a complete work of art, and she reverently reached out to circle his length with one hand, caressing it and making him shiver in delight.

  He stepped closer and reached around to draw the zipper of the dress down. Zoe shrugged and let it pool on the floor, and Noah knelt to remove her panties. She could feel his breath tickle her mons, and her core liquefied in response. She couldn’t remember ever being so aroused, and she could hardly contain herself. She reached for his hand and drew him with her as she lay back on the bed so he rested on top of her.

  He bent his neck to kiss her, but she held him back for just a moment. “I love you, Noah.” They were the hardest words she’d ever said, and the most important, and she loved the way his eyes glistened in response.

  His crooked smile twisted his mouth, and he told her, “I love you, too, Zoe. I think I knew that a long time ago. I’m a stubborn horse’s ass for not saying it sooner.” He didn’t let her tell him otherwise as he bruised her lips with the force of his kiss. She moved beneath him, liking the sensation of skin to skin, and his hands were everywhere, lighting fires that trailed over her and made her heart thud wildly.

  When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he was hard and ready, and he drove into her in slow measures, capitalizing on the sensation and taking them both to the breaking point. But as he found his rhythm and filled her fully, Zoe crested and cried out his name. She threw him over the edge, and he released with a growl and a shiver that made her convulse in response. She clung to him as her body settled, and he didn’t seem in a hurry to move.

  She didn’t know how long they lay there, but just as her stomach began to remind her she hadn’t eaten, his growled loudly, and they both laughed. “Maybe we should feed our other appetite,” Noah suggested, kissing her nose before he stood and drew on his jeans again.

  He tossed her a pair of boxers and one of his t-shirts, insinuating she might be wasting her time getting fully dressed. She smiled and said, “I think that’s a fabulous idea.”

  25

  Arlene gasped and covered her face as Noah and Zoe pulled the covers from their paintings at the same time. They’d had to sneak them over to Alan Crosby’s house earlier in the week for the big unveiling at the party they had set up for her birthday. Alan had insisted on having it at his house, and that was fine with Noah. There were quite a few people celebrating, and he couldn’t fit all of them at his mother’s apartment. He certainly didn’t want them all at the ranch, where he was rearranging things to make room for Zoe and some of her furniture.

  The tears in his mother’s eyes spoke volumes. “Oh, sweetheart, that looks just like your father. I can’t believe you did this for me. When did you find the time?”

  He grinned and hugged her, kissing her cheek. “It wasn’t that hard, Mama. Think about all the times you gave me hell about not answering your calls.”

  Arlene blushed and reached for Zoe, wrapping her neck in a tight hug. “You are the most amazing artist in the world. I don’t think a photo could do my boy more justice. I don’t even know how to thank you two. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had, and I couldn’t think of a better gift.”

  Noah took his mother’s hand and grew serious for a minute. “I wanted to give you something that would remind you of the good times, something that meant more than jewelry or a trinket of some kind. I wanted to give you something that showed you how much I love you.”

  “Well, you certainly succeeded,” she sniffled, laughing through her tears. “I love you two so much! And I’m so glad you’re happy together.”

  Two months after that dreadful night, when he’d almost made the biggest mistake of his life, Noah truly was happy. He couldn’t see the future, but he had a good feeling about it, and though he didn’t tell his mother, he had a feeling that, for Christmas, he’d have more good news, since he was already looking at rings. He wanted to pick out the perfect one for Zoe. Lord knew it would be the only one he ever bought, and hopefully the only one she ever wore.

  “Me too, Mama,” he told her. He looked up as Alan came toward them and reached out to shake the doctor’s hand. “I really appreciate you taking care of all of this, man.”

  Alan smiled graciously. “Well, I just wanted it to be the best possible birthday for my girl.” He reached out and took Arlene’s hand, making her blush. She smacked him playfully on the chest, and he chuckled. “Honey, if you’re embarrassed now, I’m about to completely humiliate you.”

  “Don’t you dare!” Noah’s mother threatened.

  “I think it’s too late,” he said shaking his head. “See, I noticed you weren’t wearing your ring, so I brought it to you. I think that lets the cat out of the bag.”

  Zoe gasped, and Noah gawked as Alan slid a plain white gold band on his mother’s finger. It wasn’t an engagement ring. It was a wedding band. “Mama, what’s this all about?” he demanded.

  Arlene was so overwhelmed she couldn’t seem to speak, and Noah made a mental note to mark the calendar. His mother was never speechless. Alan cleared his throat. “Well, your mother and I have apparently had feelings for each other for a very long time and just never spoke up about it. We wanted to move quickly, and your mother didn’t want a big fuss over her. I told her I would pay for the most extravagant wedding and dress she could imagine, but she insisted she would rather elope. So, we went to La
s Vegas a couple of weekends ago and got married in a little white chapel.”

  Fiercely red, Noah’s mother told him, “I didn’t mean to lie, sweetheart. But Alan wanted to make the announcement to everyone on my birthday. And I couldn’t tell you I was going to Las Vegas because you would have been suspicious.”

  Noah shook his head and laughed. “I don’t need you to apologize, Mama. You’re a big girl and you can do what you want. Congratulations!” He turned to Alan. “Be good to her, okay?”

  “Every day, Noah. Every day.”

  Stepping back to let the other guests give their best wishes, Noah grabbed Zoe and pulled her up against him, planting a firm kiss on her lips. “That was unexpected.”

  She laughed. “Not the marriage, just the timing and surprise of it. You knew they’d end up together all along.”

  “Of course I did. I made sure of it, didn’t I?”

  “That you did.” She sighed and glanced over at Arlene. “She looks so happy, Noah.”

  “So do you,” he said, causing her to turn back to him. “If I asked you to go with me to Vegas today, would you?”

  She blinked at him with wide eyes. “Noah, if you’re asking—”

  “Only hypothetically,” he interrupted her.

  She seemed to be looking him over to see if he was joking, and then she said, “Well, hypothetically, then, I’m only going to get married once. If that doesn’t work out, I’m not going through everything we’ve already been through all over again. So, I would go if that’s what you wanted, but I’d rather have the works.”

  He nodded. “I think I’d like to watch you walk down an aisle in a beautiful dress with all of Five Forks watching you, including me where I stand at the front of room waiting for you.” He took a deep breath and laughed when her fear seemed to grow. “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to spring anything on you today. I don’t even have a ring.” She relaxed, and he added, “Yet.”

  “Noah, I love you, but—”

  He pressed his lips to hers, silencing her, and when he pulled away, he told her with confidence, “When I do pop the question, you’ll say yes. You know how I know?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “How?”

  “Because we have that kind of connection and that kind of love. It’s guaranteed for us, Zoe. We just had to find each other to find our belief in a happy ending.”

  She laughed. “I guess you’re right. And I guess, if that’s the case, I better learn to dance!”

  I hope you enjoyed getting to know Noah and Zoe. I’d really appreciate a review. Next up, The Cowboy in Me, Book Two in the Wild at Heart Cowboys series.

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  Welcome to Charlene’s World!

  Charlene writes sweet, heartwarming stories of small-town romance where lucky ladies seem to always fall for the ruggedly handsome cowboy next door. Charlene is a lifelong resident of the American South currently live in southern Oklahoma on a family-owned cattle ranch near the Red River. She loves to greet each morning with a hot cup of coffee and an optimistic smile. After raising their children, she and her husband recently became empty-nesters. With the peace and quiet that comes with that, Charlene began to hear the characters in her head begging for their stories to be told which is when the author inside her was set free. She has always enjoyed reading romance and it was her husband who encouraged her to write her first novel. You can find all of Charlene’s book by visiting and following her on her Amazon Author Central Page.