A Cowboy in Paradise

by Shana Gray

  “Would it really?” Jimi asked herself. How would she ever know if she didn’t at least entertain the idea. “Only thing is, I have no man in my life I’d even consider marrying.” Except maybe one.

  Then her vision blurred as she watched Diana and Matt walk away, only to refocus seeing herself and Dallas as the bride and groom.

  “What?” Jimi mumbled, and blinked. Obviously her eyes and brain were playing tricks on her. But the image of the two of them walking down the aisle as husband and wife, gazing adoringly at each other, was seared into her brain.

  “Mr. and Mrs., um...yeah...that’s a positive sign. I don’t even know his last name.”

  * * *

  “DAMN!” DALLAS SWORE. He hated being late for anything. Slowing the truck in the parking lot of the Four Seasons, he grimaced when the tires squealed a bit as he swung the half ton into a spot under a banyan tree. The last few days had certainly been a challenge, right from the start of Matt and Diana’s glamping disaster to almost losing the foal earlier today.

  It had been a sixty-mile drive on a two-lane road that made for slow going from the ranch. He’d missed the wedding ceremony and was coming in well after the dinner and speeches. Likely people would be leaving the party about now, but at least he could put in an appearance, however short it might be. Plus, he hoped he’d see Jimi.

  Everything had gone on hold when his phone rang with Larson’s panicked voice on the other end. It had been a grueling day and, thankfully, the foal and the mare were just fine. He’d taken a risk shipping her to Kentucky and having her bred to American Prince, then returned home here for the birth. Dallas hated to see the sad side of ranching. Baby deaths.

  He ran his hand through his still-damp hair. Showering and dressing at the barn facilities after the veterinarian had left helped shave off some time. Which reminded him—he’d forgotten his shaving kit. Running a hand over the stubble on his jaw, he hoped it wasn’t too noticeable.

  He jogged through the parking lot, looking for signs for the Moana Terrace. He knew that was near the beach, but this was a big resort—and a gorgeous one at that. Especially at night with the torches illuminating the paths and twinkling lights everywhere. He headed toward the lobby, knowing he’d be directed properly from there.

  This was the first time he’d ever been at this resort and he was impressed with how nice it was. Not a glaring monstrosity but graciously built into the land around it, enhancing the natural beauty. He nodded as he walked along the torch-lit path, liking what he saw. Soon he was closer to the sea and the entrance to the Moana Terrace. It sounded like they were having a rollicking good time inside. He climbed the steps to the second floor.

  “Dallas!” Diana spied him as he entered and rushed to envelop him in a big hug. “I’m so glad you were able to make it. Is the baby okay?”

  He’d sent them a text earlier telling them he might be late and why.

  “Yes. We have a little colt, and, hopefully, he’ll be just like his daddy once he grows up.”

  Diana clapped her hands. “I’m so happy for you. It’s a big step to get into Thoroughbred racing.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  Matt made his way over to them after extricating himself from the guests on the dance floor doing the Time Warp.

  “So, twinkle toes,” Dallas teased him, “having a great day?”

  “You bet. The best,” Matt replied, and clapped Dallas on the back. “So glad you made it. There’s going to be food later, so you can chow down if you’re hungry.”

  “Great. I’m starved.”

  “Hey, I’m sure I can get you something else. You don’t have to wait until later,” Diana said, and was off before he could tell her not to worry about it.

  He glanced around, looking at all the guests. He wondered if Jimi had come. He sought out her wild mane of blond curls, figuring he’d be able to spot her in the crowd without any trouble at all. He didn’t see her and was disappointed.

  “Looks like Diana has rustled up some food for you,” Matt informed him as his bride returned, carefully balancing a plate and a cocktail.

  “Here, sit down and enjoy. It’s time for us to take care of you, after all you did for us during the storm.” She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  Dallas actually felt his cheeks heat up with a touch of embarrassment. “All in a day’s work. I’m just glad everything came off without too much of a hitch.” He gazed around.

  “Are you looking for someone?”

  “Just seeing if all the faces are familiar.” He wasn’t about to tell her he was looking for Jimi. He wasn’t ready for the storm of questions that would set off.

  “I see.” Diana’s voice held a humorous tone. Dallas swung his gaze to look at her. He tipped his head sideways, knowing she was dying to ask him something. “But I don’t believe you.”

  “You don’t?” he drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why not?”

  “I saw you two up there. Even though you guys were trying to hide it, I felt your connection, but I wasn’t really sure how far it had gone.” She regarded him as if waiting for him to spill his guts. Not likely. “Hmm, if only you’d arrived a few minutes earlier.”

  Yes, indeed. If only... His heart tumbled in his chest when he saw a woman on the other side of the dance floor. Moving his head to see through the sea of people, he couldn’t tell if it was Jimi or not. Blond head with hair sleeked back, graceful, but no curly hair and way too tall. Through the heads bopping up and down and arms waving to the song “YMCA,” it was hard to see her features. She had a glass of wine in her hand and was leaving the terrace. Definitely taller than Jimi, and rather than a wild riot of curls, her hair was straight as a die and pulled back into a tight bun. She appeared far too different from Jimi’s earthy, wild-child appeal. Dallas sighed and finished the beer. Time to go.

  11

  “RENT A BIKE,” they’d said. “You’ll like it,” they’d said. “It’s not hard,” they’d said. “You’ll get to see the beauty of the island,” they’d said. “It’s good exercise,” they’d said.

  Well, they were full of shit, in her opinion. The bike she’d rented from the hotel was a good one, but it had been years since she’d pedaled anywhere. Least of all along this long road with hills and valleys and heat and wind. Maybe this had been a mistake. Even though the bike lane was fairly wide, the cars flew by with a gust of wind that almost knocked her off the bike. As much as she wanted to stop and rest and grab a drink of water, she was afraid to.

  One thing Jimi had to admit, though, was the fantastic view. She was breathless, not only by the effort of riding but by the spectacular scenery she was riding through. The land was very rugged and raw, hardly any plants growing. Almost like a tropical desert. The wind whipped off the ocean, as well, buffeting her along with the blow-by of the cars. She hung on to the handlebars until her knuckles turned white.

  I’m going to do this thing!

  Getting more active after spending such a rugged time camping had been her new resolution. Even though New Year’s was only a couple of months behind her, there was no reason she couldn’t make a new vow today.

  The crystal blue of the sea to her left was absolutely stunning. So brilliant under a matching blue sky. Jimi coasted down a shallow grade, glad there were no cars flying by her. She could take a moment to relax, and she sat a little taller on the bike seat.

  “Oh! Whales!” she shouted, her words getting swept away by the wind. She’d always wanted to go whale watching. And here she was riding a bike along a highway on the Big Island of Hawaii with these magnificent creatures putting on a show for her. Jimi watched them more than she watched the road. If she were to die now it couldn’t have happened in a more spectacular place.

  She was going at a fairly quick pace down the hill, with still no cars for the t
ime being. So she watched the whales and when one breached, crashing back down into the water and sending a spray of sea foam into the air, Jimi gasped and held her breath at the wonder of it. Even though they were quite a distance from her, she could see them clearly.

  The front wheel of her bicycle made a sudden jolt. She let out a cry and held on to the handlebars, trying to control the wheel, but the vibration coming up through the wheel into the handlebars threw her off balance. Jimi pulled on the brakes, trying to control the bicycle as it skidded out of the bike lane and onto the gravel shoulder. The loose stones grabbed the tires and spun the bike around. Trying to keep from falling onto the sharp stones, Jimi braced her feet to take the impact as the bike flipped out of her control. She did her best to vault away from the bike to keep from tumbling with it. She scampered to keep her balance, and her feet slid out from under her and she landed on one knee. This time she let out a proper scream at the pain of her flesh being torn on the knifelike rocks. She stopped for a second, blinked and caught her breath, then looked around to see if anybody had seen her fall. Thankfully, there were no cars bearing down on her. It took a moment to gather her wits about her, and she stood up, brushing herself off.

  Jimi bent down to look at her knee. It needed a good cleaning and a bandage.

  “Well, this is brilliant.” She put her hands on her hips. “How typical. Cars breezing past me the whole way, and when I actually need somebody to be driving by, there’s not a soul.”

  She looked around for the bike. After walking over to it, she grabbed the handlebars and hefted it upright. The front tire was flat. Of all frigging things to happen.

  “Now, how can we get out of this one?” She’d been riding for almost an hour. Which meant the hike back to the hotel would be at least double that. She looked up at the sky. “Well, it’s going to be a long, hot hike back.”

  She wasn’t really surprised that no one stopped to see if she needed help as she walked the bike back in the direction of the hotel. She wasn’t angry, either. She was just going to take it in stride. What else could she do? A small roadway led off to what appeared like a scenic lookout below. She hadn’t noticed that when she’d first passed by. If circumstances had been different, she would have liked to go for a look. Likely there wasn’t any phone down there, either. Why she hadn’t thought to bring her cell phone was beyond her. And very stupid, especially under the circumstances.

  She turned around when she heard tires crunching on stones as a vehicle pulled up behind her. So there were Good Samaritans in Hawaii after all. A big pickup truck stopped just shy of her and the driver’s door opened.

  “Jimi?”

  She peered into the glaring sun as a tall man stepped from the truck. Her belly did a flip-flop.

  No way—what are the odds of him driving by out here?

  “Dallas? What are you doing out here?” Jimi dropped the bike and walked over to him. “What are you, like a knight in shining armor that materializes out of nowhere when needed?”

  You can be my knight in shining armor anytime.

  He threw back his head and laughed. “Well, here I am. What happened to you and why are you out here all by yourself?”

  “Well, I decided I was going to get a bit of exercise, and people were telling me I should go cycling.” She turned and waved her hand at the bike. “Looks like it was a good idea, huh?”

  “What the hell happened? Are you okay?” The look of concern on his face warmed her, and she liked that feeling.

  “I have no idea. The tires suddenly burst and I went flying off onto the shoulder. I scraped my knee, but I’ll be fine.” She cocked her head to the side and smiled at him. “No, really, though, why are you here? It just seems so crazy that we bump into each other out here in the middle of nowhere.”

  Dallas walked over to the bike and picked it up as if it were as light as a matchstick. He tossed it into the back of the truck. “It’s common for flats along here, you know. They should have told you that. Anyway, I was in Hawi with my brother—he has a business there—and I decided that I was going to come and find you at the resort. I guess my timing was pretty good.”

  “Couldn’t be better. Where’s Hawi?”

  He thumbed behind him. “About thirty miles that way. How far were you planning to ride this bike anyway?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really given it much thought other than just going thataway.” She pointed in the same direction that Dallas had come from.

  “Well, you have any plans right now? Other than taking care of that knee.”

  Dallas took her elbow, and a tingle rushed up her arm, igniting all of her nerve endings. He led her around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door. She turned to face him, and stared up at him. Even through the dull ache in her knee, his presence had her body remembering every touch and kiss they’d shared in the days before. She wanted it again. Craved it. Craved him.

  “Well, the Hawaiian gods must be shining down on me right now. Because I’m so glad you were driving by.” She chewed her lip, trying to decide if she should say what she so desperately wanted to tell him.

  But she didn’t have time because he grasped her shoulders and pulled her toward him until their bodies were a hairbreadth apart. She swore the air between them crackled with an electric charge. Jimi was breathless as he lowered his face to hers. Was he going to kiss her? If he didn’t, she’d bloody well make it happen herself.

  His voice was low, like hot honey slipping around her. “I’ve not been able to get you out of my head.”

  She gasped and slid her hands around his waist. “Me, neither. When I didn’t hear from you, I figured that was it. And you weren’t at the wedding yesterday, a-and—”

  “I was at the wedding. You weren’t there. I never saw you.” His fingers gripped her arm tightly and she welcomed the bite of pain. He made her feel alive, making her realize how she’d been just sleepwalking through her days for so long. “I didn’t get there till late, though, and everybody was dancing by that time.”

  Jimi was puzzled. “I left just as the dancing was really ramping up. I was hoping to see you there, too, and when I didn’t... I went back to my room.”

  Jimi took the bicycle helmet off. Dallas reached up and fingered the ponytail. “Your hair is straight.”

  “What an odd thing to say. I straightened it yesterday for the wedding.”

  “I’ve only ever seen you with curly hair.”

  “I don’t understand. Why are you talking about my hair?”

  Dallas smiled, and it was infectious. Jimi couldn’t help returning it.

  “It was you I saw last night.” Gently he pulled the tie from her hair so that it cascaded around her shoulders and blew in the wind off the sea. “You had it pulled back into a bun last night, right?”

  “Yes. But why—”

  “I didn’t recognize you. You look so completely different all dressed up, not at all like I’m used to. You must’ve had on some killer high heels, because you were way taller than everybody else.”

  “I did. It’s funny you say you didn’t recognize me, because another couple from up at the camp didn’t, either.” Jimi shook her head, coming to an even greater realization. “You know, my whole adult life revolves around makeup and fashion and hair. But being here, looking like this...” She looked down at herself in the shorts and tank top and waved her hand up and down her body. “Makes you wonder what it’s all for.”

  “While I didn’t say you didn’t look good last night—just that I didn’t recognize you—I will tell you this... You look mighty fine right now, and good enough to eat.”

  Jimi laughed out loud, delighted with this turn of events. Her laughter was quickly silenced by Dallas’s lips. She breathed him in, closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the magic of his kiss. Hi
s hands slid up her back and into her hair, lightly pressing against her skull as if he’d never let her go.

  She clung to him, the burning in her knee forgotten as a new fire started up deep inside her. She thrust her hips forward, and he pushed into her, his erection hard and insistent next to her belly.

  Jimi tugged his shirt from the waistband of his jeans. She needed to feel him. Wanted to crawl inside him and have him wrap his strength around her. She pushed her hands underneath his shirt, loving the feel of his muscles, like the strongest steel. Safe. Powerful. Protecting.

  His tongue found hers, and tangled as he deepened the kiss. Their bodies remembered each other, even after only spending a few days together. She craved him like a starved woman. Standing here under the hot Hawaiian sun as cars sped by them in Dallas’s arms was the only place on earth she wanted to be.

  Jimi was losing control. She wanted this man in the worst way, and if he tossed her in the back of the truck right now and ripped her clothes off her, she wouldn’t stop him. He groaned into her mouth before lifting his head from her. Cupping her cheeks in his powerful hands, he stared into her eyes. Jimi looked back at him, so aroused she was barely able to draw a breath. Her breasts ached, nipples hard and needing attention from him so badly. Her thighs trembled and she leaned against him for support. Her body was oh so ready for him.

  “D-Dallas.” She whispered his name. “T-take me...”

  “Exactly what I was thinking, too.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Hop in the truck. Oh, and the first-aid kit is in the glove box. Do your knee.”

  “Oh yes, I’d almost forgotten.” Jimi found the kit, and while she was fixing her knee up, she asked, “Where can we go?”

  “Anywhere you want, hemahema.”

  She smiled when he said the Hawaiian word for clumsy. The word he’d called her the day they first met.

  “I don’t care where you take me. But wherever it is, it better have a comfortable bed. I don’t want to see another cot for the rest of my life.”