The Cowboy's Return

by Susan Crosby

  He realized Annie was watching him for a reaction. “Well, good for her.”

  She’d stacked cookies on a plate and poured milk for all of them. He picked up two glasses and headed to the living room. From that point, the evening was more subdued. Austin showered and went to bed when told. Annie went next.

  Mitch couldn’t deal with being within hearing range of her showering, so he went outside and sat on the glider. Bo came along, abandoning Austin’s bed when he heard the front door open.

  The quiet night washed over Mitch in soothing waves. It wasn’t quite dark yet. The sun had set but the sky held a tinge of orange and purple. It would fade soon, too soon. He’d always loved summer evenings, the welcome cooling after a long day of being out in the sun.

  She’d created a home. He understood why she was fighting so hard to keep it. He had a house he’d hadn’t seen in three years, one he’d helped build and he’d missed it like crazy, but he’d figured he would appreciate it even more when he came back. Now he had a hankering to see it again, to sleep in his own bed.

  He must have made a noise because Bo whined then set his head in Mitch’s lap as if sympathetic. He hadn’t felt homesick while he was in Argentina, just sick with grief, which had lessened in time, and guilt, which hadn’t.

  He’d been able to set aside his anger and disappointment when his marriage ended after a much shorter period of time, and had barely thought about Marissa for years. Now here she was, back in Red Valley, mother of three and pregnant with twins. He’d never known someone could change to the degree she had. Not even close.

  Bo hopped up a moment before the door opened and Annie came out. Mitch stood, offering the glider to her.

  She waved him off. “I just wanted to say good night.”

  “Night.” He couldn’t get rid of the image of her crying because he’d played with her son. She might be strong, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel the same things every mother felt.

  She didn’t move.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “I’ve been considering asking Austin to keep your secret.”

  Mitch moved toward her. “I appreciate that, but I don’t want to ask him to lie.”

  “He wouldn’t be lying, just not talking about you. There’s a difference.”

  “Why would you do that, Annie?”

  “Because I trust you. I think you must have good reasons for keeping your identity a secret.”

  “For the moment. Not forever.”

  “I understand that. I think we can enlist Austin for a short time.”

  Mitch considered it, but not for long. “I’m willing to let fate have her way.”

  “Fate’s a she?”

  “Isn’t she? The three goddesses of mythology, if I recall ninth-grade English correctly. Anyway, we all know women control human destiny.”

  “We do?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “Are you thinking about Marissa?”

  “Not at all. Just life in general. From my experience, anyway. In relationships, women lead the way, therefore have control.”

  She leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms. “I’m going to take a stab at this—you have trust issues.”

  “I—” Did he? He’d known Marissa for years before they got married, and she’d been hiding her dreams and desires all that time, not cluing him in on the important issues a couple should settle before they marry. “Maybe I do. How about you?”

  “No, although I’m careful. I’m too tired to have issues of any kind.” She smiled in a way that touched his heart, then she patted his chest lightly and went indoors.

  He put a hand where hers had been.

  He wanted to believe her, that she didn’t have issues, but it couldn’t possibly be true. He hadn’t met a woman who didn’t harbor secrets about herself. They always revealed themselves in time. Which hadn’t stopped him from enjoying their company, but had stopped him from letting himself become involved in what might be considered a real relationship.

  He wasn’t giving up half of what he’d built ever again. Once burned, twice shy, that was his touchstone.

  Mitch snapped his fingers at Bo to go inside with him. A shower would feel good. A back rub would feel better.

  Spending some quality time with Annie in bed would be perfect.

  And tomorrow they would be alone for a few hours.

  Also tomorrow the truth about him might be revealed.

  Maybe it was just all meant to be.

  Chapter Five

  Annie had been dirty before, filthy even, but never from head to toe like today. They’d dug trenches, tested water lines, redug and retested, delaying going inside for lunch until they were done with the messy, muddy work. Austin had been allowed not to dig, but sent to pick blueberries to give to Marissa as a thank-you gift. He’d made himself a sandwich and was ready to go.

  “They’re here!” he called out, racing to the greenhouse. “They’re coming up the drive.”

  Annie didn’t even attempt to brush herself off. She would’ve only been rubbing the muck in deeper.

  “Come meet my friend,” Austin said to Mitch, who exchanged a look with Annie before answering.

  “Another time, bud. I need to stem this leak before we create a sinkhole.”

  Austin frowned. “But—”

  “Ben will be back,” Annie said as Mitch went deeper into the tunnel, out of anyone’s line of vision from the driveway.

  “When they bring me home, okay, Mitch?”

  “We’ll see.”

  “They’re waiting, honey,” Annie said, urging her son toward the car.

  “Well, aren’t you a glamour shot waiting to happen,” Marissa said, laughing, as Annie came up to her window.

  “You think?” Annie held out her shirt like a tutu and curtsied. “I left my tiara in the safe.”

  Questions about Mitch crowded Annie’s thoughts. She couldn’t ask them, not even in a vague way. “You’re not showing yet.”

  “I can’t button my jeans anymore. I’m held together with rubber bands. Thank goodness for long blouses. All buckled up, Austin?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Here.” He passed her the bag of berries.

  “My favorites, thanks, sweetie. I figure he’ll be back between four and five, Annie. They’ll want to play the arcade games for a while.”

  “Two treats in one. Have fun, honey.” Annie waved at her excited son, who was already in deep conversation with Ben and barely gave her a second look. She smiled as they drove off. It was heartening to see him having a good time with friends.

  “So, how was it?” Mitch asked from right behind her, startling her so that she jumped.

  She pressed a hand to her throat for a second. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

  “I didn’t think I was. Lots of gravel to crunch around here.”

  “Um, so how was what?” she asked.

  “Seeing Marissa, knowing we were married once.”

  “Kind of weird. Did you see her?” Annie asked as they walked back to the high tunnel. She felt...strange, being alone with him, knowing they would be alone for hours.

  “I didn’t even try.”

  “Are you curious?”

  “I guess. Kind of.” They stopped just inside the tunnel, both of them staring at the mess. “I found the leak and changed out the line.”

  So he didn’t want to discuss Marissa. Annie would respect that, even though curiosity ate at her.

  When the dirtiest work was done, she grinned at him. “I know we’re not completely finished, but doesn’t it look beautiful?”

  He grinned back.

  “I’ll bet you’re starving,” she said. “I know I am. How about if I take a quick shower then put some lunch tog
ether while you take yours.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “If you go in through the back door, the washer and dryer are right there in the mudroom. I’ll leave a towel there for you. Let’s put our clothes outside to dry so we can knock off most of the dirt before I put them in the washer.”

  “You got it.”

  Annie was aware of his gaze following her as she walked to the house. They were alone. She could invite him to shower with her.

  No. That was too bold, and so unlike her. He needed to make the moves...except, would he? She was the boss, and he seemed to have been raised properly. Maybe it came down to how well they withstood the sexual tension that had not just existed but overwhelmed from the first time they’d laid eyes on each other.

  Annie left her clothes on the mudroom floor and walked naked to the bathroom, something she never did since she was always up, dressed and ready to work when Austin was home.

  The force of the shower struck heightened nerve endings as she soaped up. Fantasies started, stopped, restarted and swirled in her mind. She toweled off, not bothering to wrap her towel around her as she went to her bedroom to dress, wishing she owned some sexy lingerie, just in case. Before she put anything on, she called out her window to him that the shower was his.

  She dabbed a little perfume behind her ears and on her wrists before pulling on clean clothes, her skin sensitive to the drag of fabric. Without thought she left one extra button undone, showing a little cleavage in invitation as she made her decision.

  She would sleep with him, because what if he left tomorrow? She didn’t want him to go away without making love with him, without knowing what it felt like to be skin to skin, to feel his lips on hers, then on her body. To cherish his body in return. What were the chances of Austin being away from the house again anytime soon?

  Now or never, she decided.

  She went into the mudroom intending to hang their clothes outside, but he’d already done it. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch, she thought. Something quick and light, but filling. They could flirt over lunch, leave the dirty dishes on the table, lock themselves in her room until they were sated—or until four o’clock or so.

  When the sandwiches and soup were on the table, she heard him coming down the hall—heard his boots, that is. Boots? Maybe they didn’t have the same idea about how to spend their afternoon. She wriggled her toes inside her socks. Maybe he didn’t want to seem presumptuous, so he’d gotten fully dressed.

  “Smells good,” he said, taking a seat.

  Bo whined outside the front door.

  “I hosed down the dog, by the way,” Mitch said, picking up the first of two sandwiches. “Figured I’d do it before I cleaned up. That’s why he’s outside—and unhappy.”

  “Plus his boy is gone.”

  Mitch nodded. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes on her face. The V in her shirt went a little deeper than usual, deep enough that he could see smooth, creamy skin above her bra. He also didn’t miss the floral scent of perfume, either. To drive him crazy, he figured.

  Which was a ploy that worked. He was crazy in lust for her. She’d been wearing an old T-shirt while they’d worked in the mud, and sometimes her nipples would get hard, and it was all he could do to keep his hands off her. Visions of stripping away her shirt, tugging down her bra and settling his mouth on her never drifted from his thoughts as they’d worked. And every time she’d bent over, he ached to cup his hands over that tight, round rear.

  The gap in her blouse was clearly an invitation.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good ol’ grilled cheese sandwich,” he said after a long silence where they both just ate steadily. “Comfort food.”

  She nodded, then broke saltines into her soup. It was something his grandfather had done, too. “What was the food like in Argentina?” she asked.

  “At the ranch it was lots of beef and beans, only rarely fresh vegetables. When we went into town once a month or so, I ordered local fare, especially empanadas not made with beef. Soups and stews are popular. They don’t have a particularly spicy cuisine, which I missed.”

  “Where’d you live?”

  “In a bunkhouse. Just one of the guys.”

  “Why’d you stay there so long?” She put her fingers to her mouth. “I’m sorry. If I’m being too nosy, just say so.”

  He took a sip of iced tea. “My grandfather’s death had hit me hard. He’d worked as a gaucho when he was in his early twenties and always talked about what a great experience it had been. I decided to go. Staying so long just sort of happened. It was physically demanding, and I was exhausted, so I didn’t have time to mourn.”

  “I was never close to anyone like that,” Annie said thoughtfully. “I saw my grandparents a couple of times in my life, and I’ve seen my parents infrequently since I became an adult. I won’t let that happen with Austin. I know we’ll be close forever. He’ll know I love him and care about him.”

  Something you don’t know yourself? Mitch asked silently. He might have issues with his father, but he knew he was loved. He couldn’t imagine what it was like not to have support during the bad times.

  Their plates were empty. He couldn’t stall any longer, needed to tell her what he’d come to realize. And yet he did stall. He stacked the plates and bowls and carried them into the kitchen. He heard her walking behind him. As he set the dishes in the sink, she reached around him to add their empty glasses, her hand resting on his back. She wasn’t so blatant as to press her breasts against him, but all he had to do was move his arm about half an inch.

  Her perfume scented the air, subtle but provocative at the same time. He faced her, met her serious gaze. She seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move. “Annie—”

  “This may be our only chance,” she said quietly, intently.

  He knew that. It was also why he couldn’t go through with it. “It’s not that I’m not interested,” he began.

  Panic filled her eyes for a moment, then she slid both arms around his neck and went up on tiptoe.

  A dragon hiding deep inside him breathed fire that roared through his entire body. She was a glorious handful, as he’d anticipated. But he couldn’t take her to bed, not while he was keeping secrets from her. She would be more furious because of that than denying her—them—the chance to make love.

  She would feel used. After all she’d been through, he couldn’t do that to her.

  “You’re holding back,” she said, dropping her heels to the floor but leaving both hands resting on his chest. Frowning, she studied his face.

  “It’s not that I don’t want you. I do. More than I can say. But this isn’t the right time.”

  “Are you involved with someone else?”

  “No.” He wrapped his hands around her arms and moved her back. “You don’t know me.”

  “So, tell me about you.”

  He was stuck. If he told her, would she believe he hadn’t been sent by his father to woo her into selling her property? If he didn’t explain, he was only dragging out the inevitable disappointment, maybe worse, that she would feel.

  “Not yet,” he said.

  “It’s not because you don’t want me. You’re still aroused.”

  Her directness forced him to continue a conversation he wanted to end.

  “I’m with a beautiful, sexy woman.” It went beyond that, and he knew it. He was already falling for her, breaking all his personal rules about relationships with women. “But it wouldn’t be fair to you.”

  “We want each other,” she said reasonably. “Today that’s all that matters.”

  “No.” He softened his tone. “It’s not personal, Annie.”

  She laughed, a hollow sound. “Oh, of course not.” Then she walked away, leaving him feeling like a jerk.

 
; But better a jerk than a user.

  Chapter Six

  Later that afternoon, Annie warily approached Marissa’s car, prepared for questions about Mitch, having no idea what her answers would be.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Marissa said. “Ben was close to beating the machine’s previous high scorer, and you know we couldn’t leave then.”

  “Of course not,” Annie said as Austin hopped out of the car and raced around to hug her.

  “Did you have fun?” she asked.

  “Mega.”

  “Thanks again, Marissa.” Still edgy, she waited for Marissa to say something.

  But she only said, “He’s a pleasure. See you soon!” She waved and was gone, no questions asked. Annie noticed that Austin didn’t ask for Mitch to come meet his friends, either.

  Austin shoved his hands into his pockets and gave Mitch a serious look when he approached a few seconds later. “I didn’t tell Ben or his mom about you.”

  Mitch hid his reaction well behind a single word. “Okay.”

  “You’re kinda hiding out here, aren’t you?”

  Mitch barely hesitated. “In a way. I don’t want you to worry. You and your mom aren’t in any danger, and I’m not in any trouble. I just need a few days without certain people knowing where I am. I’m sorry I can’t explain it more than that.”

  “A few days? That’s all?” He frowned at Annie.

  “You’ve known that all along, honey. We can’t afford anyone for longer than that.”

  He raced off to the house, Bo at his heels. The screen door slammed behind him.

  “I’m sorry,” Mitch said.

  “It’s not your fault. And don’t stop being his friend and mentor just because he’s angry that you’re not staying forever. He’s learning from you. Please continue that gift to him.”

  “I’ll talk to him.”

  “If he brings it up. Otherwise, I think it’s better to leave it alone.”

  He conceded with a nod. “You’d know best.”

  They finally made eye contact. After a few seconds, she sighed. “I apologize for pushing you this afternoon. You seem like a man who keeps his word, and I tried to make you go back on it.”