“Oh, really?” She walked over and grabbed the washcloth from his grasp. “So, you all just go WWE when someone says something out of hand?”
Trav stared at her as she raised the cloth to his split lip. “Yeah, you know us cowboys, we tend to get outta hand,” he drawled as he winced.
Maggie turned and rinsed the cloth out. “I heard the last of it. It was about me.” She wrung out the cloth and turned around.
He chuckled. “Ok, Harvard girl, if you knew already why are you asking?”
“Tisk, I went to Boston University, smartass. I want you to tell me what happened last night.” She raised the cloth up to his nose as she stood chest to chest with him.
Trav stood stiffly with his arms at his sides while his face looked tense. “I told you already. You showed me your wares and offered to—”
At the reminder of her supposed slutty behavior, Maggie huffed and swiped his nose a bit roughly.
“Oww!” he let out.
Maggie flinched and whispered, “Sorry about that.” She wiped more gently. “Not that part. The part about the drink.”
Trav rolled his eyes. “I didn’t get the answers I was looking for because you came in like Wonder Woman to save me.” His lips curled up into a smile. His expression changing as his eyes darkened. “I am picturing you in that outfit too. God dammit that would be hot!”
Maggie halted her swiping. Locking eyes with him as her whole body grew warm. This cowboy is super dangerous and even Wonder Woman would have her hands full. “Not gonna happen.” She fought a smile. “But I know I would need a lasso and a whip to deal with you.”
He fought his smile as he stuck his tongue out to test the cut on his lower lip.
Maggie watched his tongue action as her throat closed up. Oh yeah, dangerous and Wonder Woman’s whip wouldn’t even protect me. Change of subject! “You need to tell me what all happened and not the double D part either! Question one: How did I get so loaded?”
Trav grinned at her and tugged her close to his wide chest. “You were born loaded,” he snickered.
Maggie pursed her lips and stomped on his boot.
He flinched a tiny bit but held onto her.
“Stop with the one liners you use on the floozies and local skanks, Mr. Kincade!”
This time, he did let go and took a step back as his expression turned solemn. “Dammit! You’re right.”
Maggie blinked her eyes at him. “What?”
Trav sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. “I swore to myself that I wouldn’t be that guy anymore.”
“What guy?’
“The one you told off at the barbeque, the one who came onto you the minute he met you at the stud ranch.”
His answer stunned her speechless for a second, because this was the last thing she thought he would say. “Well, if that is the guy you really are?”
Looking a little lost, which again, must be foreign to his nature, he shook his head and gazed around at the cottage. “It’s the guy I don’t wanna be anymore.”
Maggie remained silent, she had no idea what he was thinking or why he was telling her this. “Okay, well at least, tell me how we ended up here last night?”
He gazed over at her. “That’s the same subject.”
Maggie wrinkled her brow. “Did we just go full circle here?”
Trav laughed a little. “I was aiming to show you where you would be staying and just talk, but nothing else. Just get to know Maggie Monroe while not hitting on her.”
Okay! I am in way over my head here with this cowboy and getting to a very dangerous place. “Then, how did it happen that you—we ended up in the proverbial sack together then?”
At her question, Trav seemed to halt and look pensive, as he didn’t answer immediately.
“Well?” she urged. “It is the million-dollar question here at the Triple K, Trav. Everyone wants to know the answer, including me. I mean what was all that about this morning?” She sighed and walked over to the table to sit down.
Trav followed and sat across from her. “Okay…For the first time in my life, I wanted to do the decent thing. I wanted to do everything right. Then, it all backfired.” He shook his head with a smile. “Seems like the more I wanted to change, the more I appeared to stay the same.”
Maggie studied him. “You lost me again, cowboy. Is this where you are going to start into philosophy with, ‘Don't look where you fall, but where you slipped.’ Or, ‘make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.’ ”
Trav smiled as he shook his head at her. “Now see that? You aren’t anything like the women I know. Saying stuff like that.” He reached out and placed both hands over hers. “But I can use the ones I know to get through to you…Like, ‘I’ve been running all over hell’s half acre, being about as useful as a steering wheel on a mule.’ ”
Maggie laughed. “I never heard that one before.”
“But the point is, Maggie…I don’t want to be like that anymore.”
Her hands felt like they were burning just from the heat coming from his.
“But, this whole scandal turned out better than I planned in the end.” He grinned hugely.
Maggie gulped at that brilliant panty-dropping smile. Oh yes, she could see where the expression came from all right. This man could smile at you, your hands would instinctually move to your panties, ready to roll them down, and…Maggie shook the thought away. “How in the hell could this be the best thing? You announced us being engaged Trav! This is SO not dating. I mean this is the real deal, not a date at the drive in with popcorn in your teeth! This will be a bunch of rice throwing and the freakin’ wedding march, cowboy! You do know that they are all gonna take this and run with it right?”
He nodded his expression serious again. “I am counting on it.”
Maggie batted her eyes at him. “Counting on it…WHAT?”
Looking calm and cool, he patted her hands and leaned closer. “Last night…I decided I’d met my match finally.”
Maggie kept shaking her head. “I am lost again—no, more than lost. I’m going to need a GPS of crazy to find my way back!”
Smiling at her ranting, he licked at his injured lip and sat back. “Are you saying that you wouldn’t want to be married to me?”
Maggie stood up abruptly as she wrung her hands. “I’m not saying that, nothing near that! I am saying what the hell is really going on here?”
His gaze rose slowly up as his eyes darkened. “See? You getting all worked up like this. Makes me harder than a brick. I wanna…” He rose up and plucked her from where she stood. “No woman has ever affected me like this. They all would want me and I just went along. This is different and it’s never happened to me before. You have filled my mind right up to where I think about you constantly, my heart pounds when I see you…it makes me want to beg just for a touch from you.” After his speech, he smothered her mouth with his and pushed his tongue past her lips.
Maggie’s body jolted from the heat of his lips and his body. Her breath was stole clean away from her, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back while her knees threatened to buckle.
Trav groaned and held her tighter to him.
Maggie felt that tilt awhirl feeling again. Why am I kissing him again, after I swore I needed to stay clear of him? His hot tongue swirled around hers as her toes even curled and her panties went moist. Oh…yeah. That would be why.
He pulled away almost breathless as he gazed into her eyes. “You gotta believe me when I say. I fully intend to marry you and have a life with you.”
Maggie slowly came out of her haze at his steadfast declaration. “What?”
Trav nodded his expression completely tender and sincere. “Being caught here with you like that? It was the best mistake I EVER made.”
Maggie stumbled back as she raised a hand to her chest. “You mean you really meant the engagement thing?”
He nodded.
“You are for serious here?” Her voice rose w
ith a panicked edge.
“I sure am. But, I know it wasn’t romantic or came along slowly like it should’ve and I promise I am going to make up for that.”
Maggie shook her head swiftly back and forth like someone would when their mind was to overwhelmed with astonishment. “Trav, you just met me a few days ago. It doesn’t make sense. I mean I know that you just said that this morning, because they backed you into a corner—”
“No, it didn’t happen like that!” Trav cut her off as he stepped close to her. “I know it looks like it did, but I felt it was fate or some shit like that.”
“Fate?” she repeated dumbly.
“It felt so right. In fact, I never felt happier by something I fucked up!”
Maggie stared at him for a full sixty seconds or more and then she finally got it. The only explanation that fit and made sense, because none of what he just said could be for real! She laughed. She laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. “Oh, I get it now. I knew you were joking. Of course, I did. I mean you’re just pranking me, to get back for the Heifer’s Kiss Fest I put you through. I mean you said so yourself a couple of days ago.”
Trav stepped back and for the first time during this conversation, he glared at her. “That’s what you think?”
Maggie kept chuckling. “Why wouldn’t I? I mean look at you! God damn, you’re a walking dream of a man, ninety-nine percent of the women of all ages in this county would drop their thongs, panties and girdles just because you smiled at them. Sexy, tall, charming, built like an oak…” Her voice fell away a little. “…Why would you want someone like me? Of course, it’s a joke.”
Trav looked like she just punched him in the gut. “Well, you ain’t getting out of it.”
Maggie’s smile dropped. “What?”
“Prepare yourself Miss Maggie Monroe. This is going to be a whirlwind courtship. You will be my wife…” He stepped closer with each word till his hard chest met with her soft double Ds. “I intend to rock your world, make you feel like you are the magnificent woman I see. You will forget we ever had those differences. Just like I have forgotten every woman I met before you.” He picked her up, strode through to the living room and sat down on the couch with her in his lap.
Okay…Maggie sucked in her breath…That did not go like I thought.
Trav, smiled at her while he eased a hand over one breast and just squeezed it gently, as his other hand reached under and pressed gently on one of her butt cheeks.
Maggie’s throat dried right up as her breathing went shallow.
He simply massaged her in both places through her clothes. Not trying to undress her or push it beyond that. Then he leaned in and planted kisses along her neck.
Maggie’s heart began to pound and she even heard it in her ears. He planted sweet, soft kisses all over her collarbone, neck, cheeks, forehead and lips. By the time he made the rounds, her body felt like it had turned to molten liquid and would ooze right off the couch to the floor in a pool of pitiful jelly.
“Every day, I’m going to sit you down here and show you how I feel about you, until you say two words.”
Maggie was panting and she tried to sit up. “Two—words?”
Trav nodded his head and switched his hands to her other breast and butt cheek. Then continued with the hot blazing trail of kisses along her upper body.
It was a triple threat to her already knocked for a loop senses. “Have Mercy?” she weakly whispered the guess.
Chuckling, he laid her back on the couch. “Nope.” He then grabbed her feet and rubbed them.
It was all so sweet and not overbearingly sinful sexy like this man could easily do with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back. But holy, hot hades! He was seducing her nonetheless!
Moving his hands from there to her calves, he gave them the same massaging. Then up to her knees as he squeezed the bend of her legs.
Maggie let out a spontaneous giggle.
His brows shot up. “Ticklish there?”
“I suppose. No one ever touched me there.”
“Now, you are gonna have to forgive this, but I can’t help but give another line to that…I aim to touch you everywhere eventually.”
Maggie was gasping for breath. His eyes went dark again and his lips looked so delectable. She sat up and grabbed his cheeks, kissing him madly. It surprised even her, but she was only a human woman after all, not Wonder Woman as he’d called her.
Trav went stiff for a second as though he were surprised too, then he wrapped his warm arms around her and held her tight as he kissed her back.
BOOM!
The front door slammed open, startling them both.
Marge stood there looking upset.
Trav pulled his lips away from hers and turned to glare at her. “Ma! Have you ever heard of knocking?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “I’m here to give you warning, boy!”
He rolled his eyes at his mother’s usual dramatics. “Warning about…?”
A large man stepped in around the panicked looking Marge. “About me,” he seethed.
“Daddy!” Maggie shouted with surprise.
Trav paled by two full shades of gray.
Rand Monroe strode over, grabbed Trav by the shirtfront and hefted him up clear off his feet. Not an easy feat, seeing that Trav was 6 foot 2.
“No!” Maggie shouted.
Rand swung him around like Trav was nothing but a little kid caught stealing and pushed him forward. “Don’t worry little girl, we are just going to talk.”
“Oh, yeah?” Maggie yelled. “The Aussie way?”
Her dad shook his head. “Texas way, Aussie way, what’s the difference?”
“Stay out of it Maggie.” Trav seemed to have found his voice. “This was meant to happen.”
At the unexpected statement, Rand halted his pushing.
Trav turned and faced her dad while staring him in the eyes. “I’m ready to take the beating.”
Marge gasped from just inside the door. “You are?”
Maggie felt like the world just tilted as she stared at a bloody smack-down disaster about to happen.
“Is that right?” Rand questioned with a sarcastic tone.
Trav nodded as he squared his shoulders and turned away, heading out the door.
“Now, just wait a minute here!” Maggie shouted.
Rand ignored his flustered daughter and followed him out.
Maggie jumped up off the couch and headed to the door.
Marge stepped in front of her. “Leave it alone, Maggie”
“Leave it alone? Dad will bust him up. I’ve seen what he can do! One time, these men all jumped him, he then took three of them on all at once and 2 of them ended up in traction!”
Marge winced at the description. “We can’t interfere, this is between them.”
“Over me!”
Marge nodded.
“No! I can’t let—”
Marge shut the door with a firm slam. “We can watch from the window, but you can’t be going out there. You gotta leave a man some pride, ya know?”
Maggie gulped. “Pride? My dad won’t leave nothing but a bloody corpse!” She sighed and followed Marge to the kitchen window.
The two men stood face to face in the grass yard, next to the stone lined path in front of the cottage.
Rand said something to the cowboy.
Trav raised his chin and nodded.
Her father swung and punched him square in the jaw.
Maggie gasped and jolted where she stood.
Marge took ahold of her arm to stay her as they both kept their eyes on the two men on the lawn.
Trav fell to the grass flat on his back and laid there for a few seconds. Then, he stood back up, shook his head for a second and faced Rand again. Blood trickled down from the double cut he now wore on his lip.
“Is he nuts?” Maggie whispered with dismay. “Why the hell doesn’t he at least defend himself?”
Marge remained silent, though her
expression showed the pain it gave her to watch this whole face off. “I’m beginning to wonder what happened to the Travis I used to know.”
Maggie paused at the odd statement, then fixed her eyes on her dad and Trav.
Rand seemed to ask Trav something and Trav answered as he slowly nodded his head.
Maggie felt a glimmer of hope. “Okay, now maybe Daddy has calmed down, since he is asking quest—”
POW!
Rand punched Trav in the gut this time and Trav, although a large man himself was affected by the big man’s jab and he went down like a fallen tree—again.
“Oh! Holy stars!” Maggie tugged at Marge’s hold. “Let me go!” she yelled.
“Nope, take it from me. You gotta let a man do what he feels is right.”
“To hell with that! I don’t gotta stand here while a man gets beat to a pulp over me!” Maggie shouted back.
Trav slowly got up on his knees, then stood up. He wobbled a bit on his feet as he held his stomach and then straightened up his large frame with a visible pain filled wincing. He took a deliberate step forward and faced the music that was Maggie’s father, YET again.
“Oh, hell to the no! What in the world could he be thinking? My dad has hams for fists, he’s gonna—”
Just then, a whirlwind of a person came rushing up across the lawn, wearing nothing but a long T-shirt. Her battle call could even be heard inside the cottage kitchen through the thick window glass. All long black hair a flyin’ as she took a running leap and lunged up onto Rand Monroe’s back, pummeling the hell out of his face with her fists.
“God dammit all!” Marge yelled as she let go of Maggie’s arm and they both raced to the door.
SIX
The Beat Down
Lawn on the path to the Cook’s Cottage…
Kanda saw the fight…if you could call it that while she was standing at her window. She fully intended to stay right where she was. Trav was always pissing somebody, somewhere off and she’d seen him beat most of the aggressors down before they even got in the first swing. She studied the man who was talking to him. A twinge ran up along her spine. This man looked huge and somehow familiar. She shrugged. Probably a father of some girl Trav messed around with. Same old, bad boy story.
Triple: A Western Romance (Red Velvet Series Book 5) Page 5
