The Heart of a Cowboy

by Charlene Sands

  "There, just about through," she said. "Wasn't that painless?''

  He grunted his thanks. It was getting sizzling hot in the bathroom. And she thought that was painless? Being tossed off Dynamite Dan, one rowdy stallion had been less painful than having Sarah so close.

  She took a towel and wiped off his face, then peered at his scar. With a finger, she traced the rough edges that slanted down from his right eye. The soft caress, the trail of her fingers on his face, left him yearning for more. Her touch sharpened everything male inside. "This must have hurt."

  "It hurts more looking at you," he said honestly, of­fering no further explanation.

  Sarah's eyes grew wide. "Don't say those things, Case."

  Her breathy voice did something to him. It was about all he could take. He stood and drew her into his arms, splaying his hands around her slimmed down waist. He brought her up close with a gentle tug, his hips meeting with her belly. Sarah gasped her surprise at his bold move, but didn't back away, and the contact, their con­nection was pure heaven. He lowered his head. "I think you know what I mean, Sarah. But I'm going to show you anyway."

  His lips were sizzling hot, his kiss sweetly gentle. The combination sent ripples of excitement through Sarah's body. Case took his time, slanting his mouth over hers with exquisite tenderness. He tilted his head, licked at her lips, murmured something soft and sweet then claimed her mouth again. Sarah moaned softly from the delicious sensation. Case Jarrett sure knew how to kiss a woman. He always had.

  He cupped her face with his good hand and spread his fingers through her hair, tilting her head up. Their eyes met briefly before she closed hers again, but the look in his eyes, the urgency and need couldn't be denied. This time, his lips crushed hers with heat, a passion Sarah was just beginning to understand. She met his passion with her own, a crazy intense blending of lips that demanded more.

  Case parted her lips and their tongues entwined, mat­ing together as if they'd been preordained. A deep groan of pleasure escaped his throat and Sarah rejoiced at the heady sound. He kissed her again and again, his breaths as rapid and labored as hers.

  "Sarah," he said, a raspy whisper of need, "come here." He sat down and took her with him. She landed on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, the scent of lime and fresh soap enveloping her.

  Sarah's head spun. She was certain she was out of her mind especially after what happened between them the other night, but she hadn't the will or the power to stop this wildness. And when he nudged her closer, the full extent of his desire pressed against her, Sarah lost all rational thought.

  Case kissed her again, his mouth gentle at times, bruis­ing at others. His lips traveled down her throat, playing close and dangerous with the edge of her cherry red tank top. He stopped then, cast her a heated look, smiled, then with slow calculation, he lowered the straps of both her bra and her top. She felt the cool morning air hit her chest.

  "So beautiful, Sarah."

  Sarah's heart pumped with such fierceness she thought it would burst from her chest. And when Case lowered his mouth to graze one fully aroused peak with his tongue, she flung her head back and cried out, both plea­sured and tortured at the same time. ' 'Ohhh.''

  Spirals of heat climbed up her from her belly as Case kissed her with finesse, stroked her with sure hands and left her wild with want. "Case?"

  "I can't get enough of you, lady," he whispered with velvety smoothness.

  His words seared straight through her. The truth was, she couldn't seem to get enough of him, either. And that scared her more than anything else ever had because she still didn't trust him. She couldn't wipe away the last twenty years so easily. She'd known Case before, but how well did she know him now? She wanted him, but she still had little faith in him. What did that say about her? About him? Confusion warred with desire, but the decision was instantly taken out of her hands. The phone rang.

  "I'll get it," she said, attempting to lift up from Case's lap.

  He smiled and pulled her back down. "Let it ring, sweetheart."

  She hesitated, listening to the ringing. Then, the baby cried. And cried and cried.

  When she looked at Case, he sighed with resignation. "I'll get the phone," he muttered on an agonized groan, "soon as I can stand again."

  "And I'll get the baby," she said, righting the straps of her top and backing out of the bathroom. There were some major advantages to being female, Sarah decided, as she headed to the nursery.

  Case yanked the phone from its socket. "Hello," he grumbled.

  "Whoa! Did I get you out of bed or something?" The or something would have landed him in bed, with Sarah, if the darn phone hadn't interrupted. Case's body still hummed from their all-too-brief encounter in the bathroom. "Hello, Carl."

  "Case, are you ready for some bad news?" "It's been that kind of morning. What's up?" "There's been trouble at Keith Dryer's farm. Seems somebody got into the house while the Dryers were away. Everything was turned upside down. Made a big mess of things inside, but nothing was stolen. The sheriff came out to investigate. Seems the Beckman Corporation is denying any part in this. But, they'd sent an agent over to their house not five days earlier, trying to get them to sell."

  Case absorbed the information as doubts crept in. Even though an agent had come out to badger Sarah about selling, Case wondered if such a high-powered corpora­tion would stoop to such low levels, committing crimes, risking their business, in order to get what they wanted.

  Intimidation in the form of high-handed land agents was one thing, but the actual commission of crimes, was cer­tainly another. "Seems a bit too convenient, doesn't it?"

  Carl agreed. "That's what I was thinking. For a while there, I thought those Beckman agents were behind ev­erything happening around here. Now, I'm not so sure. Hardly seems like the doings of a company on the New York Stock Exchange."

  "Yeah, I'm starting to see it that way, too. But none of it makes a darn bit of sense. And you say, nothing was stolen from Keith's house, so what's the point, other than to frighten and intimidate the landowners in Barrel Springs?" Case decided that he wasn't going to let Chris­tiana and Sarah out of his sight from now on.

  Carl added, "Three of our neighbors have sold their places, but the rest of us are hanging on. It doesn't look good for those Bridle Path Homes, right about now."

  "Yeah, I was hoping they'd cut their losses, pack up and leave us all alone."

  "Maybe they will if they don't get enough of us to sell out. They'll end up with a miniature golf course in­stead of a five-star championship green."

  ' 'Yeah, and pony rides, instead of state-of-the-art sta­bles. Now, that would be worth seeing."

  Carl laughed, his deep voice going soft and smooth. "Seems like Bobbi Sue and me are going to have some­thing worth seeing in about eight more months, our­selves."

  Case's mind grabbed hold of that, realizing what Carl meant. "No kidding? You're going to have a baby?"

  "Yeah, little Mo's beside herself, hoping for a baby sister, but don't spill the beans to Sarah. Bobbi Sue wants to tell her herself."

  "Damn, Carl. That's great. Congratulations. And I won't let on to Sarah."

  "Okay, just have Sarah call her today. Bobbi Sue's ready to burst with the news, but she didn't want to call too early. And you watch out for that little family of yours over there, too. No telling what's going to happen next."

  Case hung up with Carl with two niggling thoughts in mind. Whether Sarah would agree or not that they were a little family, as Carl put it, and the fact that Case wouldn't allow any harm to come to any of them. He wouldn't let anyone destroy the ranch and all that his brother Reid had worked so hard to attain. He wouldn't let anyone frighten Sarah again, or put her in danger. He'd protect Sarah and Christie with his life.

  And then there was Carl's announcement. Case had never given much thought to kids, wanting them, having them, becoming a father himself, until he came to live here again. Now, Case found himself envious of Carl, wanting
so much to be a father to little Christie, and wanting to have children with Sarah. Hell, the thought scared the stuffing out of him, but at the same time, put a wide smile on his face. Having Sarah's children? He couldn't ask for anything more.

  Case strode down the hall and stood outside the nurs­ery watching Sarah finish dressing the baby in a pale pink dress with bloomers twice her size. "There now, sweet girl, don't you look pretty?"

  "She does," Case said, entering the room. "Right down to her cute pink booties."

  Sarah laughed, picking the baby up, but she didn't look at him. In fact, she looked everywhere, but at him. Case let out a silent sigh of resignation. After that night in the barn, he understood that Sarah was running scared. Case hoped it wasn't so, but he knew Sarah all too well.

  "That was Carl on the phone. Seems, there was an­other incident. Keith Dryer's place was broken into."

  Case went on to explain the circumstances while Sarah made herself busy with Christie. "I want you to be care­ful, Sarah. No telling what might happen next."

  "I will be," she said, nodding, putting Christie in the crook of her arm and bouncing her gently on her hip. Her gaze focused solely on the baby.

  "Sarah?" Case stepped closer. He wanted Sarah to admit that something special was happening between them. Something unique, rare and okay, maybe a bit complicated, but hell, good things didn't always come too easy.

  She lifted her head up, finally meeting his eyes. "You said Bobbi Sue wants to speak with me? I'd better call her. Here," she said, handing Christie over to him, her expression so guarded, Case wanted to punch the wall. Just minutes ago, she'd let down her guard with him and it had nearly knocked him to his knees. "Will you take her for a few minutes?''

  "Sure, darlin'. I'd never refuse little Christie."

  "Okay," she said, her relief apparent. "I'll, uh, go call Bobbi Sue."

  Case nestled Christie in his left arm and called to Sarah, just as she walked out of the nursery, "You can't keep running from me, Sarah."

  She stopped, hesitated, but didn't turn to face him. "I'm...not...running, Case." Then she dashed down the hallway. Running.

  Eleven

  Sarah ushered Bobbi Sue, Carl and little Maureen into the house then quickly hugged her best friend. "I'm so happy for you, Bobbi Sue. This is wonderful news." Sarah turned to Carl and kissed his cheek. "Congratu­lations."

  "I'm gonna be the big sister," little Maureen offered in earnest.

  Sarah bent down and hugged her tight. "Yes, and you'll be the best sister ever. I just know it, sweetheart."

  Sarah brought her guests into the kitchen where dinner was just about ready. She'd invited them over tonight on impulse, overjoyed at Bobbi Sue's news, but also grateful to have an excuse not to be alone with Case tonight. She'd been doing that lately whenever she could, finding ways not to be alone with him. Her sister, Delaney's visit acted as a buffer and now, her dear friends had come to the rescue.

  Only Sarah wasn't entirely sure she needed rescuing. What she needed was time to sort out her feelings. She'd spent the last weeks in a state of confusion where Case was concerned, and no doubt why. Her life had taken more turns in the past year than she could ever have imagined. Never in her wildest of dreams, would she have thought that she'd have feelings—real, honest, heartfelt feelings for Case Jarrett. She'd been fighting them off, unsure of him, unsure of herself.

  Yet, Case wasn't a man to be ignored.

  That fact became even more evident when he walked into the room, wearing a smile for their guests, dressed in a clean, chambray shirt pushed up to his elbows, the scent of lime wafting in the air. After that erotic shave this morning, Sarah would never think on that innocent scent as anything but magnetic, drawing her in, remind­ing her of the appealing man who had nearly toppled all of her defenses.

  Case greeted their friends and they all sat down to eat pot roast, creamed corn, roasted potatoes and biscuits. Everyone ate up heartily, except for Bobbi Sue.

  "Are you having morning sickness?" Sarah asked, af­ter the meal. The men had taken Maureen out to see Striker, the new colt.

  "Not really. Just a bit queasy at times." Bobbi Sue put a hand on her stomach.

  "It won't last long, hopefully. I got over my morning sickness in the third month. Then the pregnancy was a breeze."

  ‘‘I know. I remember, sort of. Five years is a long time. Carl and I, well, we didn't really plan this," Bobbi Sue confided.

  "No?"

  She chuckled and shook her head. "No, in fact, the news was enough to put a shock in both of us. But now, we couldn't be happier. Just took some time getting used to the idea."

  Sarah grinned. "It'll be great for Christiana to have a baby to play with. They won't be too far away in age. The new baby and little Mo will be the closest she'll have to real siblings." Sarah sighed deeply, a melancholy mood settling in. "Sometimes, I wish she didn't have to be an only child. I don't know what I would have done without Delaney growing up. Of course, we didn't have a usual childhood. But then, Christiana won't, either."

  "Sure she will, honey. She's got you and you're a terrific mother. And Case, well, anybody can see how much that man adores that child."

  Somehow the conversation always came back to Case. Sarah didn't want to bank on him. She didn't know when or if he'd leave the ranch, no matter his claims otherwise. She'd been hurt in the past, terribly, losing Reid, the fa­ther of her child. She couldn't afford to rely on a man she couldn't really trust. If she did, and he left again, Sarah's heart would shatter all over again. She didn't know if she could take that. "Case is a great uncle to Christiana. But—"

  "But?" Bobbi Sue listened intently.

  "But, I just don't know him well enough to...I mean to say, what if Christiana becomes attached to him and then he packs up and leaves us?"

  Bobbi Sue thought on that a minute, casting Sarah a long penetrating look. "Sarah, the way I see it, the only way that man is going to leave this ranch is if you drive him away. I'm telling you, he's staying this time. Carl tells me Case has got all kinds of plans for the ranch. He really wants to make a go of it. You need to give him a chance, honey. Let him prove himself."

  "I'm just trying to protect my daughter." And myself, she didn't add. As yet, she hadn't confided in Bobbi Sue about her encounters with Case. About the way she was beginning to feel about him, despite her worries. She hadn't shared that information with anyone.

  Bobbi Sue smiled. "You're a good mother. I can un­derstand you worrying over her. Let's face it, Case does have a reputation to live down. But, I think he's trying, Sarah."

  "Mmm, maybe." Sarah just couldn't be sure and there was far too much at risk to make a mistake.

  Little Mo came barreling back inside, her face awash with joy. Case and Carl were just steps behind her. "Un­cle Case says I can ride Striker when he gets a mite older!"

  "That's great, honey," Bobbi Sue said, stroking her daughter's hair. "Uncle Case will let you know when the colt is old enough to take on a rider."

  "And he says it's time for dessert. What's for dessert, Aunt Sarah?"

  Sarah blasted Case with a look. He knew darn well her cherry cobbler had flopped. Her mind hadn't been on baking this afternoon. It had been on him and the erotic shave in the bathroom. Every time Case came close, her mind went numb to everything else. Thoughts of him took hold and threatened her sanity as she recalled the power of his touch and the impact of his kiss. Her insides churned with a need Sarah tried real hard to brush aside. But this afternoon Case had wandered in the kitchen just in time to find Sarah biting back a curse when her mas­terpiece had all but crumbled apart. "Uh, well," Sarah fumbled.

  Case's face lit with amusement. "Why don't you look in the refrigerator, Mo?"

  Maureen thrust the refrigerator door open. "Wow! Chocolate cake!" With the care only a five-year-old could muster, Maureen lifted the double fudge chocolate cake off the shelf. Her hands wobbled, but she managed to bring the cake safely to the table.

  Case winked
, bent down and whispered in Sarah's ear. 'I picked it up this afternoon."

  His warm breath sent shivers down her spine. Case Jarrett was full of surprises. She never knew what he was about to do. That thought thrilled her, but also frightened her. The man was so doggone unpredictable. But at least her guests could plunge into a decadent double-decker chocolate dessert.

  Even Bobbi Sue dug in. The room became quiet as they all forked their way through and drank their coffee. And afterward, Case and Sarah walked their guests out to their car. Bobbi Sue and Sarah met with an easy em­brace, and Case shook Carl's hand once more as they said their farewells.

  Case and Sarah watched the Blazer kick up spirals of red dust down the road before they turned toward the house. Case hesitated on the steps. "I think I'll check on the animals before turning in. See how Pretty Girl and Striker are doing. Want to join me?"

  Slowly Sarah shook her head. The last thing she wanted right now was to be alone with Case in the barn. Thoughts rushed in of the night they'd made love. He'd been a wonderful lover; patient and tender with her, a new mother. Decidedly, she needed time to sort out her feelings. Case was just too darn appealing with those quick killer smiles and dark piercing eyes for Sarah to trust herself with him, just yet. Having him near, pretty much clouded all her well-intentioned reasoning. "No thanks. I'm tired. I think I'll put the baby down and get to bed early."

  Eyes twinkling, Case nodded. "Okay. The meal was real delicious, darlin'."

  Sarah blushed and called herself a silly fool, for acting like an awestruck teenager. "Thanks."

  Case leaned in and kissed her soundly on the lips. There were no bodies brushing, or arms entwined, or even earth-moving heat this time, just his lips quickly on hers. But the gesture, the familiar, domestic, possessive ritual that happens between a man and his woman, caught her completely off guard.

  "Good night, Sarah."