12-Alarm Cowboys

by Cora Seton

  His pace became more frenzied. More feverish. His lunges savage. She took it all and gave back as good as she got.

  His muscles tightened. His grip on her hair became fierce. His cock swelled, filling her even more, stretching her and sending her over the edge as he sawed in and out of her with desperate intensity.

  Rapture flooded her. She devolved into something primal, something bestial and bare. Absolute rapture imbued her every nerve. She shuddered; she shook.

  He made one last manic plunge and stilled. His groan echoed through the pantry. Then one small surge. And another.

  He collapsed on her, curving into her, covering her as she clung to the table.

  “Lisa,” he said on the whisper of a breath.

  And somehow, that said it all.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ‡

  Cade lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Though it was the middle of the night, he couldn’t sleep. His mind was beset.

  Lisa snuffled something and nestled closer and he tightened his hold on her. He loved the weight of her on his chest. The feel of her hand caressing him in her sleep. Her scent.

  Hell, he loved everything about her.

  He’d always been fascinated with her, sure. In high school it had been a stupid crush, and when he’d seen her again, there’d been that undeniable blaze of physical attraction. But this? This was something more. This was something all-consuming. Something that lit his soul on fire and made him ache with a hunger he’d never before known.

  He had her now, in his life, in his arms, in his bed, but he didn’t want just now. He wanted forever. It killed him that she’d been hurt before. Hurt so badly she was too gun-shy to even contemplate a long-term relationship with him.

  Because that was what he wanted.

  That was what he needed.

  She stirred and lifted her head and blinked drowsily. “Can’t sleep?” She traced the bristles on his chin.

  “Mmm. Just thinking.” He stroked her hair then pulled her closer for a kiss. It was lazy and luxurious. Her essence infused him.

  “About what?” she asked when the kiss finally ended and she had settled back on his chest.

  His pulse thrummed. Should he tell her? Could he dare? The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her or push her away, but the desire to confess the depth of his feelings for her was strong. Before he could pull it back, he said, “Us.”

  Damn. She stiffened in his arms.

  Well hell. In for a penny, in for a pound. He drew his fingers over her back, reveling in the shimmy of her skin to his touch. “I like us.”

  He could tell she was holding her breath. Waiting for her response was a torment. Finally, she whispered, “I like us too.”

  It was hardly a declaration, but it was something. It made his soul fly.

  Though he was tempted to push further, to say more, he curtailed the urge. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I have next weekend off.”

  “Do you?”

  “What do you think about going away for a couple days?”

  “Away?”

  “Maybe to the coast. Only the two of us?”

  She blew out a sigh and her breath danced over his chest. To his delight, she wriggled closer and murmured, “Only the two of us? No Cody? No Claire? No horny housewives?”

  “Not a one.”

  “That sounds amazing.” She lifted her thigh and rubbed it against him.

  It didn’t take long for passion to rise.

  But then, it never did.

  The next week flew by. Lisa spent a lot of time in town, working with the lone realtor on finding a workable site for the bakery. There weren’t a lot of options. When she got frustrated, she would think about the coming weekend and her excitement would flare. Cade had made reservations at a hotel on the beach in Corpus Christi. She couldn’t wait to go, especially since it had started to rain and hadn’t let up for days. The thought of lying on a sunny beach was tantalizing.

  She wasn’t sure why the prospect of going away with him was so alluring. They had plenty of time alone here. As much as they wanted, really. But still, each time she thought of it, she smiled.

  Heck, when she thought of him, she smiled.

  He was such a warm, sweet, loving soul. So gentle and tender…and so wild. Each night he brought her to higher and higher pleasure, as though each time they tangled built on the last. But it went beyond physical pleasure or something so superficial as animal attraction. It was his grin. His laugh. His sense of humor. His view of the world. They’d had engaging conversations about politics and humanity and world issues, and while they didn’t always agree, she had to respect his opinions. They were well thought out, balanced and threaded with compassion.

  She loved their chats. She loved kissing him. She loved being in his presence.

  She suspected she loved him, but she didn’t allow herself to think about that. If she did, if she was tempted to contemplate breaking her rule, all she had to do was dredge up the pain and anger of Guy’s betrayal, or recall how her father’s infidelity had ruined her life as a girl.

  Neither of those things were Cade’s fault, of course. But it didn’t matter.

  She couldn’t allow herself to be hurt like that again.

  Sadly, she suspected she was headed in that direction regardless. Even if she and Cade were not an item, at this point, if he dumped her or traded her in for a newer model, it would devastate her. She should walk away. She should end it. But she couldn’t. Not yet. She couldn’t bear the thought.

  She returned to the ranch house after another dismal meeting with the realtor on Friday afternoon to find guests arriving for this weekend’s party. It was a birthday this time, for an eighty-year-old Dallas socialite and her friends. Lisa refused to be shocked by the lascivious comments of the silver-haired octogenarians as they milled in the lounge, waiting for the dancers to arrive for the welcome party.

  “Don’t worry. We have a portable defibrillator on site,” Cody whispered in her ear.

  Lisa chuckled and smacked his shoulder. “Stop.” Though the ladies were all preoccupied, it wouldn’t do to have them hear.

  Claire came into the room carrying a tray of Lisa’s cookies. She set it on the coffee table next to a pitcher of lemonade and then lurched back to avoid the rush as the grannies descended on it. She headed over to Lisa and grinned. “This is going to be a fun one,” she said. “Too bad you’ll miss it.”

  Lisa grunted. “I’ll survive.” She eyed the frenzy at the table. “I hope I made enough goodies though.”

  “Me too.” Claire glanced at her. “Did you have a nice afternoon in town?”

  “I got some clothes.” She tried to sound cheerful about that, but all Snake Gully had was a thrift store. And most of the people who donated to it were, well, not fashionistas.

  “I told you, you can keep wearing mine until the rest of your stuff comes from Dallas.”

  “And I appreciate that, Claire. But…”

  “But what?”

  Lisa grimaced. “Apparently I enjoy baked goods a little more than you do.” For some reason, since she’d arrived, Claire’s jeans were getting tighter and tighter on her.

  “Is that even possible?” They both ignored Cody.

  Claire’s brow rumpled. “I have sweatpants.”

  “And sweatpants are sooo attractive.”

  “They’re comfortable.”

  “Well, thank you. I appreciate the offer.”

  “Humph.” After a moment of watching the grannies squabble over cookies like jackals with a zebra carcass, Claire asked, “So, how did things go with the realtor?”

  “Awful.” Lisa wrinkled her nose. “There’s not a lot of retail space available right now.”

  Cody snorted. “There’s not a lot of retail space, period.”

  “I don’t know why you don’t retrofit your grandmother’s house and use that,” Claire said with a shrug.

  Lisa gaped at her. Holy God. Why hadn’t she thought of that
? It was right on the main drag, it had a large kitchen and it wouldn’t take much to remake the front room into a storefront. “Claire, you’re a genius.”

  She buffed her nails on her shoulder. “Yeah. I know. Oh crap.” She frowned at the tray, which was now littered with crumbs. The grannies had turned to her and fixed her with gimlet glares. “I’d better get some more.” She bustled from the room.

  This left Lisa alone with Cody. It shouldn’t have been uncomfortable, but he was studying her with an intensity that made the hairs on her nape prickle. She shot him a frown. “What?”

  He looked away. Shrugged. “Nothing.”

  “Come on, Cody. What is it?” She knew him well enough to know it wasn’t nothing. Not at all.

  Another shrug. “Just…you and Cade are going away this weekend.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I was wondering…”

  “Wondering what?” For a guy as brash and reckless as he usually was, he was certainly dancing around this.

  “I was wondering what’s going on between the two of you.”

  She stared at him. Seriously? Was it not obvious?

  “I mean, where is this, you know, going?”

  Holy God. “Are you asking me what my intentions are?”

  His grin was sheepish. “Kinda.”

  “I think that’s between me and Cade.” As in, MYOB.

  “It is. But, Lisa, he’s my brother. I care about him. I don’t want him hurt.”

  Why that slashed at her like a savage claw was a mystery. “He’s not going to get hurt.”

  “Isn’t he? He really likes you. And you’ve made it no secret that you’re not interested in anything permanent. As I recall, you were quite adamant when you told me you weren’t looking for a boyfriend.”

  That was different. That was…

  Oh hell. It wasn’t.

  “You don’t understand.”

  “I think I do.” He settled his gaze on her, solemn and serious and so out of character for him it snagged her attention. “You’ve been burned. You’re leery. But I don’t want my brother to be a casualty of war.”

  “That’s a bit melodramatic, don’t you think?”

  “Is it?” He leaned closer, studied her with an alarming intensity. “Do you deny you’re holding back because you’re afraid? Afraid of getting hurt again?”

  “That’s none of your beeswax.”

  “But it is. Cade is. The fact of the matter is, Lisa, you don’t know if things are going to work out. You never know. That’s the thing about relationships. It’s about trust. Would Cade ever cheat on you? I’d bet my last dollar he wouldn’t. Ever. He’s not that kind of guy. Besides, he’s had a crush on you since high school…” He trailed off. A hint of guilt crossed his features. His ears went pink.

  Her heart lurched. “He’s…what?”

  “Forget I said that.”

  Forget he said that? No way in hell. “Cade had a crush on me?”

  I was in love with a girl. She didn’t know I existed.

  Good God.

  It was her. She was the moron.

  He was in love with her. In love with her. The thought made her weak at the knees. Made her tremble and want to weep.

  The realization turned her world on its ear.

  She walked away from Cody without another word.

  Words were beyond her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  ‡

  Cade found Lisa in the kitchen with Claire, finishing up another batch of cookies. “Hey, babe. You ready to go?”

  She looked up over the island and their gazes tangled. There was something there, in her expression, something odd that made his gut ripple; he couldn’t name it. But she nodded and said, “Yep. All set,” in a casual tone.

  He carried their suitcases to the truck and stowed them in the cab before walking her over with an umbrella above her head. The rain was annoying, but at the same time, it created a cozy cocoon just for the two of them. He was so excited for this weekend and he hoped she was too. His nerves, he tried to ignore.

  The fact that he planned to tell her everything, the fact that he had a ring in his pocket, made his brain hum. He knew it could be a mistake, pressuring her, trying to pin her down, but he’d made the decision that he had to do something, had to say something, so he would.

  This would be it. The beginning of something wonderful or, possibly, the end.

  Of all the things he’d done in his life—charging into burning buildings, running across battlefields with mortars exploding around him, leaving his home for parts unknown—this took the most courage. This took everything he had.

  He could only hope he wouldn’t lose her because of it.

  He didn’t know what he would do, who he would be, if he did.

  With a deep breath, he shot her a brave smile and started the engine.

  They’d nearly made it out of town when the call came in. Cade glared at the squawk box mounted on his dash, but he couldn’t not answer it. He shot an apologetic glance at Lisa. “Silver here,” he said into the handset.

  “Cade. Where are you?” Sandy’s voice crackled over the speakers.

  “Heading out of the north end of town.”

  “Thank God you’re close. We have an incident. We need someone who’s trained in swiftwater rescue.” Damn. He peered at the road through windshield wipers that were working away like mad. He should have expected something like this. It had been raining for days. “Can you get to the arroyo where it intersects Binion Road?”

  “Yeah. That’s not far.”

  “Thanks, buddy. Bobby and Tank are already there. They’ve set up a command center.”

  “What is it?”

  “A car tried to cross.”

  “Hell. In this rain?” The riverbed was usually dry, but when the spring rains came, it could become a raging torrent in seconds.

  “Yeah. They were swept downstream and snagged on a sandbar, but the way the water’s rising, we need to move quickly.”

  “Gotcha. I’ll be there in a flash.”

  “You’re the best, man.”

  “Thanks.”

  He ended the call and glanced at Lisa. “Sorry about this. Looks like our getaway will have to wait.”

  “I don’t mind. If someone needs help, that’s more important.”

  He shot her a grateful smile. It was nice to know she understood.

  He reached the command center the guys had set up, which wasn’t much but a collection of trucks. Bobby and Tank were in the process of stringing a line across the river. Cade would use that as his anchor, snapping into it with a carabiner.

  Safety was the watchword in operations like this. Cade knew one careless moment could be the difference between life and death, so they had multiple backups.

  He could see a red compact in the middle of the arroyo, snagged on a mound of sand. Water swelled and rushed around it on both sides. As he watched, a chunk of wood careened down the river and slammed into the elevated bank, causing a wedge of the shoreline to sheer off and cascade into the river.

  Damn, it was moving fast.

  He moved fast too, changing into the gear he kept in his truck. The rain had drenched him by the time he was ready. It hardly mattered. He opened the passenger door and gave Lisa a quick kiss. “Stay here,” he said. “The riverbank is saturated and unstable.” He waited for her to nod, then he kissed her again and closed the door.

  He jogged over to Tank. “What do we got?” As they spoke, Cade pulled on a PFD and helmet. No matter how skilled a rescuer was, a man never went into the water without headgear and a flotation device.

  “Two victims. A woman and an infant.”

  Shit. “I’ll get the baby first.”

  “Right. We’ve done a scene assessment and determined a tension line is the best approach.”

  Cade agreed. The water was moving too fast for a throw bag and it was too high to wade. He studied the rope anchored on each side of the river at a diagonal angle. He’d hook in and zip-line
to the car, secure each victim and be towed back. “Let’s do it.”

  As he locked in and adjusted his webbing, it was a relief to see Sandy pull up with a couple other guys in the medic unit. Though he was trained in swiftwater rescue, it was good to know it wasn’t just the three of them, in case anything went south.

  One could never trust a raging river.

  Bobby jogged downstream with throw bags in the event he or the victims got swept away, Tank headed upstream to watch for debris and Sandy and the other guys took point on belay.

  With a deep breath, Cade headed out. Since the far side of the river was lower, he didn’t hang up as he maneuvered toward the car. The water rushing beneath him was flecked with white and littered with debris, everything from branches to old pop cans. Occasionally something large would sweep by. He knew it was a dangerous flow, and it was rising quickly. There was no time to waste, especially since he needed to make two runs.

  He reached the car and shot a smile at the woman, hoping to calm her. Her face was pale and she visibly shook. She held the baby tightly. Too tightly as it was. The child was shrieking. “Don’t worry, ma’am,” he said. “We’ll get you out of this.”

  “I didn’t know,” she said. “I didn’t realize…”

  “It’s all right. It’s all right. Listen, I’m going to take the baby first and then I’ll come back for you.”

  She paled even more. “T-take the baby?” She glanced at the shore. “How safe is that?”

  “Very safe. We’re all well trained. I’ll put her in this harness.”

  It took far too long to convince the woman to hand over the child. Water crept up, higher and higher. It would soon reach her window, and that would block her exit. Once Cade had the child secure, he gave the signal and Sandy hauled him back up. He handed off his precious load and headed back down immediately. Even so, the body of the car was almost completely submerged by the time he got there; water was licking at the bottom of the window.

  “Okay, ma’am,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “We need to hurry.” She struggled to get through the window; the angles were awkward. Cade helped as much as he could. He secured her to the harness and pushed off.