For the Love of a Cowboy (Cowboy Dreamin')

by Sullivan, Sandy

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you know who she is?”

  “Sort of. I spent last week at the bar hoping she’d show up so I could tell her thank you. Funny thing was, I saw how stupid people were acting with alcohol in their system and I realized I’d been acting the same way. I haven’t had a drink since the night she helped me.”

  “Interesting way to quit drinking.”

  “Yeah. I’m not sure why it made such an impression on me, but it did.”

  “Did you find out who she is?”

  “Yeah. I met her two nights ago again. We had coffee and pie with Ann at the diner. When we got to talkin’, I found out she’s a preacher’s daughter.”

  “And she’s hanging out at bars?”

  “Yep.”

  “Interesting.”

  “I know.”

  “So what’s her name?” his dad asked, propping himself against the stall door like he didn’t plan to go anywhere anytime soon.

  “Paige, but I don’t know her last name. All I know is her father is a preacher in San Antonio, but there are thousands of churches there.” He wiped the sweat from his neck, realizing his T-shirt was stuck to his back. Didn’t matter. Work needed to be done. Sweat came with the job of handling cattle or running a ranch. “I’m hoping to talk to the bartender to see if he knows her last name, of course he wouldn’t even tell me he knew her when I asked him the first time. I think he’s protecting her a bit.”

  “How are you gonna find her?”

  Jacob crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know, Dad, but I have to. I need to see her again.”

  “It sounds like you’re a bit intrigued by this girl.”

  “Yeah, sort of. I’m not sure what it is about her.”

  “Whatever it is, I’m glad for it.”

  “Me too. But I really don’t want to get involved with another woman right now.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “I can’t. It’s a situation forced on me a while back and it’s somethin’ I’m gonna have to live with for the rest of my life.”

  “I hope you know me and your mother are always here for you, Jacob.”

  Jacob wrapped his dad in a hug before he stepped back. “I know, Dad, but this is somethin’ I don’t think you or Mom would ever forgive me for.”

  “We would forgive you anything, son.”

  “This wouldn’t be easy for either of you.”

  “Try us.”

  “I can’t right now, Dad. Maybe someday I can come to grips with what I’ve done, but for now I’m strugglin’ with it every day.”

  “Well, I hope you find your lady friend.”

  “I hope so too. I’m not goin’ back to the bar until this weekend. Hopefully, she’ll show up, but I’m not holdin’ my breath. She was pretty mad at me.”

  “I think she’ll be over it and be willin’ to talk to you. You’re a handsome fellow.”

  “Looks don’t always make it easier.”

  “You’ll do fine, son.”

  “I hope so. I really want to get to know her a little better, you know, as a friend. I think she’d be a great person to be friends with.”

  “Friends, huh?” The grin on his dad’s face told Jacob he didn’t buy that explanation at all.

  Jacob smiled. “Well, maybe friends with benefits.”

  “I bet.” His dad clapped him on the back. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

  “Thanks for the talk.”

  “You’re welcome, Jacob. Anytime.”

  Jacob climbed the ladder into the loft to get back to work. The hay wouldn’t stack itself. He could have left it for Jeff or Joey, but he wanted the physical labor to keep him sane. Hard work never hurt anyone.

  A low, masculine laugh followed by a high pitched giggle, made him pause. Joel and Mesa or Jeff and Terri?

  In the tack room.

  Jeff and Terri.

  “Hard, baby?”

  “Like a damned rock. It sucks we have to sneak into the barn to have a little alone time.”

  “Ben has been hard to deal with lately.”

  “And your pregnancy isn’t makin’ this any easier.”

  “Aw, poor baby. You’ll live.”

  The soft feminine laugh made him smile. Jacob took a seat on the hay bale, not wanting to disturb his brother and his girl if they were going to have a little fun. Maybe someday he’d find a woman to have a serious relationship with, but he wasn’t sure. The situation with Veronica soured him on relationships. Her situation and the subsequent decision they made together didn’t make him want a connection on a serious level with any woman. The minute everything had taken a turn, she’d basically bailed on him and found someone else.

  Funny thing? Most of the women in Bandera were trying to get their claws into any of the Young brothers, but Veronica didn’t want to turn her relationship into marriage with him. He’d asked. She’d turned him down flat.

  His thoughts turned to Paige. What would she be like in the sack? She seemed rough around the edges. Her personality was a little persnickety. He wanted to get to know her better, he knew that much, but how much better? Huh. He wasn’t sure.

  Her emerald green eyes were gorgeous. Her tall, slender body could melt chocolate on a winter’s day. The way she handled herself with men left a little to be desired. She said she was into random sex though. There might be something there. He could use a good lay. It had been a long time since he’d had meaningless sex with someone. Paige might be up for something along those lines if he could ever figure out her last name or get a phone number.

  Damn.

  Well, nothing he could do about it right at the moment.

  He’d heard the door to the tack room close and lock a few minutes ago, so he figured it would be safe enough to go back to work even though he could still hear his brother’s sighs and Terri’s groans. Listening to someone else have sex wasn’t good for his libido. He wanted that. He wanted a warm pussy around his cock. Just the thought of licking juices from Paige, made him hard as a brick.

  Maybe he’d take a trip into town tonight to see if he could find a random woman. No, the thought soured his stomach. He wanted Paige in a leather bustier, little leather G-string and those fuck me boots she wore the other night. Oh yeah. He could do her in a minute. Was she into rough sex? He sure hoped he could find out and soon. Tonight, it would be a cold shower and his slicked up hand. By this weekend, he’d know her name and where to find her or he’d damn sure die trying.

  * * * *

  Paige smoothed the paisley dress down as she took her place in the pew for her father’s Saturday evening service. Just a little longer and I can make my getaway.

  After spending time with Jacob last week, she’d been restless. She smoothed the material around her thighs again as her toes tapped out an unheard rhythm inside her short-heeled pumps. No fuck me boots this evening. She sighed. This service couldn’t be over fast enough for her. She needed to feel the wind on her face.

  “And God said…”

  Oh, Lord help me.

  Her father droned on and on. Most of his sermon seemed lost on her as her thoughts drifted to last week.

  She really shouldn’t have taken off like she did, but Jacob’s words hit too close to home. Was she really running from her problems with her father like he suggested?

  Nah.

  Well, maybe.

  Okay, yes, but that didn’t mean he knew anything about her or her father. Their relationship was a strained one on a good day. If he knew about her bike and her weekend trips, he’d disown her. She couldn’t have that now could she? He was all she had these days with her mother resting beneath the big oak tree in the church cemetery. God, she missed her some days. What would her mother think of her riding a Harley and dressing in leather? Maybe she needed to spend a little time out there tomorrow after church.

  Tonight she needed something.

  Jacob.

  Why?

  She wished she knew. Wh
at was it about the troubled cowboy that drew her to him like a moth to flame?

  The Dusty Boot would be her destination. In one way, she hoped Jacob was there to greet her. In another, she hoped he wasn’t. Maybe some random guy would work better. No, she wanted Jacob.

  Mrs. Robertson patted her hand and smiled. “He does drone on, doesn’t he?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “I’m not sure how you do it, child.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know either most days.”

  “God love the man.”

  “I’m sure he does.”

  “Visited your momma lately?”

  “No, I was just thinking about goin’ out there tomorrow after services.”

  “Good idea. You look like you need a good mother daughter talk.”

  “And Jesus rose up…”

  “Oh brother,” Mrs. Robertson said as Paige giggled under her breath earning a stern look from her father.

  “Let us pray.”

  “Thank goodness,” Mrs. Robertson added.

  Paige smothered another laugh with a cough.

  The moment services let out, she headed next door to the church where she and her father lived. The quaint little white house had been home for several years now with the swing on the front porch and the flowerbeds she loved to tend. White curtains adorned the two front windows, now closed against the winter winds. Early spring in San Antonio could still be rather cold in the evenings even being in south Texas. The days were mild with temperatures in the fifties or sixties, but nights grew cold when the sun went down.

  “Paige?” her father called several minutes later.

  “Yes, Papa?”

  “There you are.” He patted her shoulder as he headed for the kitchen. He usually took a nip before bed from the whiskey bottle he kept in the cupboard above the refrigerator. She pretended not to notice. “Are you headed to Sunnyside?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sure the ladies love havin’ you there to read to them every weekend. You’re such a good child.”

  If you only knew. “I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up.” She knew he wouldn’t. His nip of whiskey usually meant half the bottle and resounding snores by the time she came home.

  “Be careful.”

  “I will.” She grabbed her purse, the keys to her small sedan and a jacket to ward off the chill of the coming night until she reached the storage shed where her bike sat. Good thing the place gave the tenants the code to get into the gates. She could come and go as she pleased.

  Several minutes later, she punched in the code and watched as the gate swung open. One-forty-two. There it was. Her lifeline to the outside. Her private domain for her other personality. Will the real Paige Tyler come on down!

  She shut off the engine of her car and stepped out. The wind chilled her arms, but she didn’t care. The wind would feel good on her face. There wouldn’t be a leather bustier tonight, but her leather jacket would cut the chill in the air as she rode.

  The lock gave way under her fingers. She lifted the roll door of the shed and then flipped on the bare light bulb in the center of the room. The Harley Softail sitting in the center of the storage unit made her smile. All mine. Every inch of the gleaming bike belonged to her and she loved it like a child. “Aw, baby. I’m sorry I haven’t been here in a few days, but we’ll be ridin’ the wind shortly.”

  The door rolled back down with a push of her hand until it banged against the concrete floor. Goose bumps pebbled her flesh as she stepped out of her dress to reveal her lacy strapless bra and G-string underwear. She loved sexy underwear and the men she ended up with usually liked them too. She giggled. Would Jacob? She hoped he was at the bar tonight. She needed his hunky self to scratch the incredible itch she’d developed since she met him.

  She pulled on the white tank top from the dresser and her skin tight leather pants. Her fuck me boots sat in the corner waiting for her to slip them on. What about fucking with just the boots on? Wow. That would be really hot.

  She lifted the door on the storage shed again before she straddled her bike and slipped on her helmet. Once she pushed it out into the open, she tapped the ignition to start the bike.

  The distinctive Harley growl made her smile. Lord, she loved that sound. She could almost come from the rumbled of the bike between her legs.

  Once she was outside the door, she stored her purse and keys in the saddle bags and then locked the storage shed with a snick of the lock. Her car would be safe until she returned.

  The tires hummed under the machine as she headed down Interstate 10. Cars zipped past her, but she didn’t pay any attention to them. The destination she had in mind took up her entire thought process or more like the man she hoped to find there invaded her thoughts to overwhelming. Why was she so stuck on him? What made him so special? Was it the sadness in his eyes or the overwhelming need to take care of him she felt every time she got near him?

  She wasn’t sure. Maybe fucking him once would take care of those thoughts.

  It wouldn’t hurt anyway.

  Before she knew it, she was pulling down the side street in Bandera where The Dusty Boot parking lot took up one whole block. The music could be heard with each swing of the doors.

  The parking lot overflowed with trucks and cars of every shape and size. She couldn’t tell if Jacob was there or not since there were several trucks matching the description of his.

  I hope he’s here.

  Once she got inside the bar, she found Dan behind the mahogany expanse and waved. “Hey, Dan.”

  “Hey, Paige. I didn’t think you’d be here this weekend after the way you left last Saturday.”

  “I know, but I couldn’t stay away from your handsome face.”

  “Yeah, right. Mimi would believe that like she would believe one of these hot young cowboys was comin’ onto her.”

  Paige laughed. Mimi was Dan’s wife, stood about four foot nothing and weighed in at about two hundred pounds. Don’t piss the woman off though or she’d take out your knees before you could blink. She took no shit off anyone, especially her husband, the big tough biker dude.

  Dan put her helmet beneath the bar before he wiped down an imaginary wet spot with the towel in his hand. “He’s here you know.”

  “He?” she asked, pretending to be nonchalant about what she wanted.

  “Jacob.” Dan cocked his head to the side, indicating the back corner of the bar to his right.

  “Why would you think I’m lookin’ for him?” Paige picked at the imaginary lint on her top, leaving the zipper open on the front of her jacket.

  “I saw you two last week. You can’t put anything over on this old fella, Paige. You two are hot for each other. I saw the way you was dancin’.”

  “It’s nothin’, Dan. Just gratitude on his part.”

  “I don’t believe a word you is sayin’, darlin’.”

  Paige took the Coke Dan set out and moved down to the other end of the bar to her normal spot. Amazing, it always seemed to be open when she got there. With her back to where Jacob sat, she concentrated on the music, letting it surround her with the beat.

  The band they had in here every Saturday night actually sounded pretty good. Maybe someday they’d make it big in Nashville. She hoped so. The members were nice people.

  She waited knowing sooner or later Jacob would approach her.

  Her skin tingled from the heat of his gaze.

  She wondered if he’d started drinking again. She knew how hard it was to give up a habit.

  Several minutes later, the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck told her he stood near. “Paige.”

  Goose bumps flittered across her arms at the sound of his voice. She closed her eyes to absorb his heat before she turned to face him. Her whole body exploded in sensation the moment she met his gaze. “Jacob.”

  He leaned in to talk in her ear. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Are you?” she asked, fighting the urge to rub herself
all over him.

  “Yeah. I prayed I’d see you again.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted to apologize for my behavior last week.”

  So it’s all about his behavior and not really his need to see her again. Disappointment surrounded her heart. She’d really hoped he wanted to see her for other reasons. “Apology accepted.” She spun back around to face the bar.

  “I’m not done.”

  “I am.” She shot over her shoulder. Why am I doin’ this? If he’s sincere in his apology, which I think he is, why am I givin’ him such a hard time?

  He took her arm and spun her back around on the bar stool. The next thing she knew his mouth slammed down on hers in a desperate kiss that pushed her back against the bar. Even though the kiss was harsh and demanding, she dove into it with all the pent up desire in her body for this man. Her hands found the front of his shirt as she grasped the material in her fists to pull him closer. She spread her thighs to take him between them as he deepened the kiss to volatile.

  She didn’t taste alcohol on his tongue, just man and desire.

  He pushed his hands into her hair, fisting the strands at the back of her head. God, she loved a man to take control.

  When he finally pulled back, she could see the need in his eyes as he stared down at her.

  “Wow.”

  “Pretty good for a cowboy.”

  “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, darlin’.” He glanced around them for a minute. “Care to get out of here?”

  “What are you askin’?”

  “I’d like to take our kiss a bit further if you’re game.”

  “Oh, I’m game all right.”

  “We can go back to my place. It’s not far. About ten minutes.”

  Did she really want to get personal with this man on the level of seeing his bachelor pad or would it be better to get a motel in town. She cringed at the thought of the seedy place across the street. She wanted a little more pampering from this man for the hell he’d put her through the last couple of weeks. He’d better live up to the desire she saw in his eyes. “Sure.”