The Texan and the Cowgirl

by Victoria Chancellor

  Her hands worked on the buttons of his pants, then the zipper. He moaned and bit lightly on the side of her neck, practically sending her over the edge as she arched off the cot.

  “Easy, darlin’,” he whispered.

  “Cassie,” she said roughly. “Call me by my name.”

  “Always, Cassie, my darlin’,” he said, right before he plunged inside.

  Oh, goodness, he felt so wonderful. She felt so wonderful. Anything this good just had to be wrong.

  No—no regrets. No thoughts of tomorrow or—

  “Protection,” he said with a moan. “Damn, I forgot.”

  “Do you have any?” she asked, wondering why she hadn’t thought of something so essential. She knew better…when she was thinking clearly.

  “Stay right there,” he ordered, his voice strained and rough as he kept holding her, then pulled out. He leaned over her, half off the cot, and wrestled something out from beneath the bed. “I should have thought about this, but you made me a little crazy.”

  “The feeling is mutual,” she said, stroking his back. All his wiggling around was keeping her turned-on, even though he wasn’t right where she wanted him to be.

  He rolled on the condom and started over again, beginning with long kisses, using those remarkable hands of his to make her hotter than ever. This time she was sure the cot, the camper and the truck were all rocking hard. Cassie clung to him, kissed him and gasped his name as they finished what they’d started on the dance floor in glorious style.

  “I WISH WE COULD JUST stay here,” Charlie said, stretching his legs on the cot with Cassie tucked tight against him. “I don’t ever want to leave.”

  “Not for another rodeo, another audition?” she said, her voice soft and teasing. She played with the hair that flopped over his forehead and around his ears.

  “Not for nothin’,” he said, teasing her back, kissing her nose.

  She giggled. “My purse is inside and Toni will come looking for me if I don’t go back. But I don’t want to leave here either. Besides, I’m pretty sure my dress will be a wrinkled mess and everyone is going to know what we’ve been doing.”

  “Do you care what they think?”

  She turned her face to the side. “I’m trying to be a fun-loving, devil-may-care single woman, but it’s kind of hard when you care what people think of you. I guess the lessons my aunt and uncle taught me are pretty hard to break.”

  “Were they strict?”

  “Yes, very. Good people, but convinced they were right and if you didn’t follow their path, you were going straight to hell.”

  “I know people like that.”

  “Your parents?”

  “No, they’re hardworking, God-fearing folks, but not too strict. They’re nice and they have fun.”

  “I love Aunt Helen and Uncle Jim, but they’re older and they have simple views. Hard work, good grades, integrity, and, above all, no sex before marriage.”

  He grinned. “I assume you’re hardworking and have integrity.”

  “And I made good grades.”

  “Three out of four isn’t bad.”

  She snuggled closer. “Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t take that last command too seriously.”

  “I could go inside and get your purse from Toni, tell her I’m taking you home.”

  Cassie stilled. “You would?”

  “Of course. I can’t have you sully your reputation with a wrinkled dress now, can I?”

  “I guess not.”

  He cupped her jaw and kissed her. “Do you want to go back to your place or mine? I’m staying with my brother at the ranch but he won’t mind if you come home with me.”

  “Maybe it would be better if I went back to my apartment. I think Darla, my roommate, is spending the night at the Rocking C. She’s the nanny for Cal and Christie Crawford’s two children.”

  “I heard Cal has two kids. That’s great.” For Cal. He’d been the kind of guy who was always serious, always focused on the ranch and the family legacy. He needed kids to carry on the tradition.

  Charlie didn’t have any traditions to carry on. No desire to leave his half of the Lazy Y to anyone. Hell, his brother could have the whole thing if he wanted it, and he did. Colby, like Cal, was a serious, dedicated rancher. Charlie was the fun-loving cowboy in the family.

  “Your place it is, then.”

  “I don’t suppose I can stay in the back of your pickup while you drive me home, can I?”

  “That wouldn’t be the best idea. Besides, you need to give me directions. I don’t know where your apartment is—I haven’t lived in Brody’s Crossing since before they built apartments.”

  “Okay, then we have to get up,” she said with what sounded like genuine regret.

  “Don’t worry, Cassie darlin’,” he said, snuggling against her. “I’ll have you home before you lose that pretty pink blush, and then we can start this all over again. I assume you’ve got a bed that’s bigger and more comfortable than this cot.”

  “I do.”

  He kissed her lightly and helped her sit up. “Then let’s go check it out.”

  CHARLIE EXITED THE CAMPER first, scanning the parking lot as Cassie had asked him to. She wasn’t about to run into a crowd of friends, neighbors and business associates looking as if she’d been making love in the back of a pickup truck.

  Which, of course, was just what she’d been doing, she thought with a smile.

  Her smile faded. Maybe she shouldn’t think of what they’d done as “making love.” They weren’t in love but had definitely been in lust. She’d never realized that dancing, weddings and little barbecue ribs were such powerful aphrodisiacs.

  Cassie raised her chin. She’d had fun. She’d met a great guy, maybe a once-in-a-lifetime sort of guy. He was going back to L.A. on Monday, but until then, he seemed to want to be with her. That was enough. She wasn’t looking for anything more, even if he was just about the most perfect cowboy she’d ever met.

  She was kind of proud of the fact that she’d made such an experienced man so crazy, as he put it, that he’d forgotten a condom. Not that either one of them had acted very responsibly in the era of STDs. She should probably ask him about that, because she knew she was safe. She hadn’t had sex since moving to Brody’s Crossing, and not very often before then. Just her first boyfriend when she was an undergrad, and then one brief, rather tepid affair when she worked for Wyatt’s company, before he’d sold it for a fortune and moved back to his hometown. Nothing like this!

  At least Charlie had remembered protection before they’d gotten to the point of no return or she might have ended up with more than great memories. It was probably a good thing that he wasn’t staying around Brody’s Crossing, because if he did, she might just fall hard for Charlie Yates, and that would be foolish.

  “All clear,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.

  “Okay.” She stepped down. The mild night seemed chilly after being so warm—hot, really—in Charlie’s arms.

  “Did you drive here tonight?” he asked.

  “No, I came with the bridal party,” she answered.

  He put his arm around her and they walked around the back of the pickup toward the passenger side. “I’ll be back as quick as I can.”

  He had unlocked the door and gripped the handle when Toni rounded the front of the pickup, out of breath.

  “Oh, good, there you are. You need to get back inside right now, Cassie. Amanda is looking for you. She’s about ready to throw the bouquet.”

  “But I was—” How could she explain that she was cutting out on the reception with Charlie without seeming like a selfish person? “Of course. Um, just give me a minute.”

  “We need you inside right away. I’ll give you one minute, then I’m coming back out after you!” She turned and hurried back toward the restaurant.

  “She was always bossy,” Charlie said.

  “She is my boss,” Cassie replied.

  “Only at the office. She can’t tell you what t
o do at a wedding reception.”

  “No, but I’m the maid of honor. It’s my responsibility to help the bride. If they need me, I have to go back inside.”

  Charlie sighed. “I know. I was just lookin’ forward to getting you alone back at your apartment. But I’ll be patient.”

  Cassie tilted her face up and kissed him. “Thanks. Er, can you tell me if I’m a complete mess? My hair…and is my makeup all rubbed off? I don’t want to go in looking like a raccoon.”

  Charlie chuckled. “That is not what you look like.” He smoothed and fluffed her hair, then rubbed a spot under one eye. “There. Good as new.”

  “I doubt that, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “You’ll be fine. The lights are low, anyway.”

  She looked down at her dress. Very wrinkled. She smoothed it as well as she could. “Maybe no one will notice.”

  “Even if they do, they won’t say anything.”

  “I hope not.” She sighed and looped her arm through his. “Come on, then. Let’s face the music.”

  As they walked into Dewey’s, another popular song and the buzz of voices hit them at once. Cassie was surprised. They’d been gone less than an hour, but the entire atmosphere had changed. Or maybe she was different. She sure felt as if something life changing had happened.

  You learned to be spontaneous, a little voice said. For once, you decided to go for what made you happy, not what you thought was the correct thing to do.

  She smiled and headed toward the head table where Amanda stood next to Leo, looking a little frantic, just as Toni had said.

  “I’m sorry I left the reception without telling you,” Cassie said as she and Charlie walked up. “I needed some fresh air.”

  “No problem, but I didn’t want to throw the bouquet without you being here.”

  “Oh, that’s okay.”

  “No! There aren’t that many single women in Brody’s Crossing, and we need you.”

  “Too bad Darla’s not here.”

  “Yes, it is. But we’ve got several women, including, believe it or not, Clarissa Bryant.”

  Cassie knew she looked surprised. “No way!”

  “Apparently she’s ready to find a husband.”

  Clarissa had been a widow for many years. “Aim for her, then.”

  “We’ll see,” Amanda said.

  Toni walked up. “We need to gather everyone by the dance floor so we can get this over with.” She looked up and down Cassie’s crumpled dress. Cassie had a sinking feeling that Charlie had lied about raccoon eyes and smeared lipstick.

  “What?” she asked, lifting her chin and resisting the urge to find the nearest mirror.

  Toni raised her eyebrows, leaned close, and whispered. “Just thinking you got more than a little air when you went outside.”

  “Hmm.” Cassie turned away from her boss and smoothed her flyaway curls. “Help me with an annoucement, please?” she asked Charlie. “I’ll bet you could call every woman in the county for a bridal bouquet toss. So we can get this over with.”

  He grinned. “I’ll do my best.” He walked to the DJ and borrowed the microphone.

  “Hello, ladies of Brody’s Crossing, friends of Amanda and Leo. Now, we need all the single gals to gather right over here by this pretty little maid of honor, Cassie. Come on, now, don’t be shy. Single ladies only.”

  Within minutes Cassie stood beside Clarissa, Twila, Ham’s date from Tarleton State University, Amanda’s cousin from Arkansas, and someone from Graham that Cassie didn’t know. Surely one of these other women would catch the bouquet. She had no desire to get married, and settled in the back, half-hidden by the heftier Clarissa.

  Amanda stood on a ribbon-wrapped, flower-decorated stepladder, facing away from the ladies. She looked over her shoulder and grinned.

  “Three, two, one.” Amanda tossed the bouquet backward with a good amount of arc. It sailed over the head of the shorter woman from Graham, who made a leap for it anyway, far to the left of Amanda’s cousin from Arkansas, and right toward Clarissa.

  Who wobbled on her heels and nearly fell over sideways as she reached up.

  The bouquet landed right in Cassie’s hands.

  “Yeah! I knew you’d catch it,” Amanda cried as she turned around.

  Cassie looked at the plum chrysanthemums, white daisies and yards of ribbon resting in her hands. She glanced up and saw Charlie staring at her, his eyebrows raised.

  “I didn’t mean to,” she said to no one in particular.

  “Well, congratulations,” Twila said. “You’re going to be the next one to get married.”

  Cassie waved the bouquet. “That’s only a myth. I just want to have fun.”

  Charlie walked up and looked at the bouquet as if it might bite him. “What are you going to do with that?”

  “I don’t want to offend Amanda. I’ll take it home.”

  “Well, okay. Let’s go tell everyone goodbye and get your purse.”

  “An excellent idea,” Cassie said. She’d put the bouquet away where Charlie couldn’t see it. It was just a silly tradition, after all.

  They had only a short time together. She couldn’t wait to get her cowboy alone.

  Chapter Three

  One month later

  “How about that one?” Darla asked as they sat on bar stools and watched the Friday evening crowd drift into Dewey’s.

  “No, I don’t think he’ll be a good dancer,” Cassie said, watching the stiff-gaited man in the white Western shirt and dark blue jeans. “He’s too uptight.”

  “You can’t tell from the way he walks.”

  Cassie sipped her clear, bubbly soda and shrugged. She probably shouldn’t be dancing tonight anyway. She might be coming down with something. Her stomach had been upset yesterday evening and again tonight. She’d been too tired to go back to the apartment and change after work, so she was still in the sweater and skirt she’d worn to the office today. Not exactly dancing clothes.

  “Okay, then this one, in the brown plaid shirt,” Darla said. “He’s kind of cute in a boy-next-door way.”

  “He’s got the ‘Dunlop’ problem,” Cassie said after swallowing a sip of soda. “His belly has done lopped over his pants.” A touch of cowgirl humor she’d learned at the stables where she boarded Rooster.

  Darla rolled her eyes. “Just a little bit, and besides, you only want to have fun, right? It’s not like you’re going to spend the rest of your life with him.”

  “I know.” The problem was she didn’t want to spend any time with him. Maybe she shouldn’t be trying to have fun tonight. The thought of cozying up to any of these cowboys seemed like way too much effort.

  They really couldn’t compare to Charlie Yates.

  “Well, I’m going to see if I can get that tall one who was talking to Colby Yates to notice me,” Darla said.

  “Colby’s here?” Cassie sat up straighter and looked around. Maybe Charlie had come back to town.

  She was so pathetic. If he’d come back and hadn’t called her, that meant he didn’t care, didn’t want to see her again. And if that was the case, she shouldn’t want to see him at all.

  Except she did.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Darla asked. “Can you please think about someone other than Charlie?”

  “I didn’t say a word.”

  “You don’t have to. I can tell what you’re thinking. And you’re thinking about him again.”

  Cassie looked down at the bubbles in her glass. “I wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t mentioned his brother’s name.” Charlie had called her twice in the past four weeks, but said he’d be busy with some personal appearances related to the conclusion of The Next Cowboy Star. He’d promised they’d have some fun together next time he came to town. Whenever that might be.

  “Liar. You compare every man you see to him, and all of them are lacking. When are you going to move on?”

  “When I feel better. I think I have a stomach virus, or maybe I ate something that
didn’t agree with me. I’m not going to be much fun tonight.”

  “Okay then, we can go home if you want to. We’ve got Pepto, or I’ll fix you some chicken soup if you feel like eating.”

  “No, you go flirt with Mr. Tall and Wonderful. I’ll sit right here and watch our drinks, and I’ll be our designated driver.” And try not to think about the last time she saw Charlie in person, as he drove away in his pickup toward Hollywood, fame and fortune.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all.” Cassie played with her straw, then looked back over to the taller man Darla had mentioned. “If you talk to Colby tell him I said hi, okay?”

  Darla rolled her eyes and walked across the floor muttering something about not talking to Colby.

  One month later

  CASSIE STARED AT THE test strip in her hand and wondered if she’d suffered a brain hemorrhage. Or maybe she’d come down with extremely early dementia. She couldn’t be reading this right, could she?

  Pregnant. Right there in little letters. She squinted and read it again. Yep, the test claimed she was p-r-e-g-n-a-n-t.

  She closed her eyes and rested her head against the cool porcelain sink. “No,” she whispered. She wasn’t ready for this. Besides, it shouldn’t have happened. She and Charlie had been so careful, except in the very beginning, but then he’d remembered about protection.

  Could that have been enough to get her pregnant? Good grief, the man must have super sperm. He hadn’t even…and by then, they were using the condom. It should have been okay.

  But it wasn’t. It wasn’t okay at all. She was going to have a baby. A little Charlie Yates baby with dark brown hair and a big smile and two adorable dimples.

  Oh, God. What was she going to do? She could already see the baby in her mind and it wasn’t any bigger than a peanut. Everything she’d planned—all her efforts to lose the plain-Jane image, learn to dance, ride a horse, totally embrace the Texas lifestyle in Brody’s Crossing—would come to a crashing halt.