One Hot Cowboy

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Deciding she’d had enough of his company, Maggie surged to her feet. Jake vaulted up after her and then invaded her space until they were standing toe-to-toe. “Look, I tried to be straight with you,” he said, as if that excused everything.

  Maggie tossed her head. “Straight or just cold to the bone?” she retorted, able to tell immediately by the look on his face that she’d hit a nerve.

  His jaw tightened obstinately. He braced his hands loosely on his waist, then towered over her, his voice dropping another intimate notch. “I don’t deny that last night we may have tumbled into something neither of us was really ready for.”

  Maggie laughed bitterly. How like him to excuse his behavior as something beyond his control, when he’d known exactly what he was doing last night and so had she.

  “Speak for yourself, Jake,” she ordered tightly, moving on to the next rosebush.

  Still dogging her every step, he watched her add several white roses to her basket. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Maggie sighed. As long as she was in for a penny, she might as well be in for a pound. She straightened reluctantly, swiveled to face him. “If you want my opinion—”

  “I asked, didn’t I?” Jake interrupted bearishly.

  Maggie’s glance narrowed warningly at his tone. “I think you’re just plain scared of allowing yourself to love again,” she said, and when he didn’t respond, she stepped nearer and tried again. “If you want my opinion, I think you’re still so busy being faithful to your wife that you have no time for any woman in the present, including me.”

  She expected him to be upset by her assertion; to her astonishment, he wasn’t, not at all. “I don’t deny I will always feel married to my wife in my heart,” Jake said matter-of-factly. At the hurt on her face, he paused. “Look, I didn’t lie to you when I said I wasn’t the marrying kind. I was married once. Happily. I’m not getting married again.”

  “So you’ve said.” She started to step past.

  He curved a delaying hand on her shoulder. “Let me finish,” he said gruffly, searching her upturned face before he continued. “But I do believe in hot affairs, passion and fleeting happiness. That we could have, Maggie, in abundance, for as long as you want it,” he said softly, increasing his hold on her ever so slightly, before letting go of her altogether, stepping back. “But that’s all we could have.”

  Bitterness rose in Maggie’s throat. “How generous of you.”

  “Hey, you knew what you were getting into last night when you slept with me and you let yourself make love with me anyway.”

  Yes, Maggie thought, she had. Because that was what it had been to her, making love. But that didn’t mean she had to further her mistake.

  “What are you thinking?” Jake asked.

  Maggie sighed and shook her head. “That if I was smart, I’d kick you out of my life as far and fast as possible. And resurrect my wish list, pronto.” And this time, Maggie vowed sternly, she’d look for a man who not only loved kids but could control them, a man who actually wanted to marry, who did not put business above all.

  “What else?” Jake asked.

  That I love you, she thought, desperately.

  Otherwise, she never would have given herself to him.

  “Maggie?”

  “I know you want me to give up on the idea of us,” she admitted finally.

  He nodded, his expression relieved. “In any permanent sense, yes, I do.”

  Maggie tilted her head up to his. “But I can’t, Jake.” She bit her lip. “Maybe I’m a fool, but I just can’t.”

  The sound of running footsteps sounded on the patio. It was followed by the sound of a throat clearing. Maggie and Jake turned in unison to see Harry and the twins grinning at them.

  “The boys and I would like to see a movie and have dinner out, if it is all right with the two of you,” Harry said.

  “Yeah, Harry thinks it’ll help Unka Jake stop being so cranky if he spends time with you, Maggie,” Rusty reported gleefully, causing Wyatt to giggle madly.

  “Shh!” Harry admonished them both, while Jake and Maggie both flushed with embarrassment “Well?” Harry asked, patiently awaiting their decision.

  There was no time like the present to lasso that cowboy she had always wanted. “Sounds great, Harry,” Maggie said impulsively, giving her stamp of approval to the plan. “Thank you.”

  Beside her, Jake hesitated visibly. At his lack of enthusiasm the boys’ faces fell. Evidently, goaded by conscience, Jake relented and gave in with forced cheerfulness. “That sounds good, Harry,” he said. “We’ll grab something here.”

  “Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Harry interrupted, giving Jake a look that reminded Jake to be a gentleman. “Maggie has already arranged for you two to have dinner out.”

  “I made reservations at Brenner’s in Houston. My treat,” Maggie said quickly, lest he think she was out to take advantage of him in any way, including monetarily. “Harry told me they’ve got the best steaks in Houston, if not the world.” She forced a smile. “So I thought we’d try it.”

  “C’mon boys, let’s go get cleaned up while Maggie and Jake work out the details of their evening together,” Harry said.

  Jake waited until Harry and the boys had departed. As soon as he and Maggie were alone again, his mask of politeness dropped. “You think you’ve got everything figured out, don’t you?” he said. He looked angry, Maggie noted nervously. Maybe this plan she and Harry had cooked up while baking cookies together was not so foolproof after all. She shifted the basket of cut flowers from one arm to the other. “I—we— just thought—maybe a change of pace?” she stammered finally.

  “And a chance to get me alone might work miracles,” Jake guessed grimly.

  That, too, Maggie thought. And why not, it had before, she reminded herself, her confidence returning. Darn it all, she knew she could get Jake to stop living out the heartache of his past on a daily basis if she kept working at it. And once he had allowed himself to get over the past, perhaps he’d begin thinking about his future. Their future.

  “A little sweet talk never hurt,” Maggie said with a shrug. “Our dinner reservations are at eight, by the way.”

  Jake studied her momentarily, his expression impassive, then glanced at his watch. “Looks like I’ve got just enough time to take care of things, too, then,” he murmured mysteriously and walked off.

  Time, Maggie thought, stunned. Time to take care of what?

  Chapter Eleven

  “Great, Kirk is already here,” Jake noted, as they waited for the friendly wait-staff to seat them in the woodsy dining room at Brenner’s. He lifted a hand in a friendly wave to a handsome man across the room. Blond, blue-eyed and athletic in looks, Kirk looked to be in his midthirties. He was dressed in jeans, boots, a Western shirt and suede vest. He had a confident, successful air about him that might have intrigued Maggie, at least on a surface level, had she not already been head over heels in love with Jake.

  “I thought we were going to be dining alone,” Maggie murmured, surprised and hurt.

  Jake chuckled jauntily. “Wrong again, huh, Maggie?”

  She turned to face Jake, a smile frozen on her face, her stomach clenching with a mixture of apprehension and disappointment. She couldn’t believe he was doing this to her, after she had arranged for them to have some rare time alone, away from Harry and the boys, and their first real evening out together. If he had meant to hurt her, he had.

  “Don’t look so glum,” Jake said, clamping a reassuring hand on her slender shoulder. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Kirk Sutherland should be the perfect man for you. He’s a true cowboy, who owns his own ranch and even rides rodeo on the weekends when he has time. He also meets every qualification on that wish list you are always talking about.”

  Maggie looked into Jake’s eyes. She searched his face for any sign of remorse but saw none. Whatever closeness they had shared seemed to be gone. With a stab of disappointment she realized all
his emotional barriers were up. He was still married to his late wife, at least in his heart. She realized sadly that might not ever change. If it didn’t, there was no hope for the two of them.

  Hand pressed lightly to her spine, Jake steered her toward the table where Kirk Sutherland was seated. Briefly, he made introductions and held out Maggie’s chair for her.

  Hoping the evening would somehow get better, if she just acted as if nothing were wrong, too, Maggie slid into the chair Jake held out for her, only to have Jake step away. He gave them both a brief, officious smile that acted like a splash of cold water on Maggie’s already ravaged nerves. “I’ll see you-all later, then,” he said. Without a backward glance, he sauntered out of the restaurant.

  “I can’t believe it.” Kirk beamed at Maggie the second they were alone. He poured Maggie a glass of Lone Star beer and continued, still shaking his handsome blond head in awe, “When Jake told me he’d gotten me a blind date with the Maggie Porter of Sports Illustrated fame, I thought he was pulling my leg.” Kirk sighed happily. “Guess not.”

  Maggie forced a smile as she took the glass Kirk handed her. There was no use encouraging Kirk, because he hadn’t a chance in the world with her. “Did he also tell you that I want to marry a rich man?” she asked her date calmly, for once hoping Jake had made her sound as cold-blooded and opportunistic as possible, because if that didn’t turn off Kirk, she thought with a beleaguered inner sigh, nothing would.

  “Actually, he mentioned it,” Kirk replied matter-of-factly, looking not the least bit put off by the revelation. “But that’s okay with me. ‘Cause I’ve always wanted to marry an exceptionally beautiful woman and you are that, Maggie Porter.”

  She narrowed her glance at Kirk, wondering if he was as much a victim of Jake’s not-so-nice matchmaking as she was. And if that was the case, as she guessed it was, given his attitude, what other laudable qualities did the easygoing Kirk have?

  “Then you are wealthy?” she asked. Amazing as it seemed, this potential husband Jake had picked out for her really did seem to be on the level.

  “Yes I am very wealthy as it happens.” Kirk grinned happily, clinking the rim of his glass against the rim of hers in a silent toast. “Now, what say you and I order some dinner and get better acquainted…”

  “I DARE SAY Maggie can let herself in when she returns from her date,” Harry remarked conversationally, shortly after 1:00 a.m. “There’s really no reason for you to wait up for her, Jake.”

  The hell there wasn’t, Jake scowled, his mouth thinning into a belligerent line. If things had gone as poorly as usual, Maggie would have been home hours before now.

  Damn it all, why hadn’t things gone as poorly as usual? No matter how right Kirk looked statistically or otherwise, Jake knew Kirk was no more right for Maggie than any of the other potential husbands he had set her up with.

  Aware Harry was still watching him with a faintly judgmental attitude, Jake motioned to the portfolio of stock information on his lap. “I’m not waiting up for Maggie,” he said defensively. “I’m trying to make a decision on how much to invest in these technology stocks.”

  “Right.” Harry sent Jake a disbelieving look and stifled a yawn. “Well, give Maggie my regards when she does get in, if she does get in. Meantime, I’m going to bed. Rusty and Wyatt will be up early, expecting breakfast.”

  “Sleep well,” Jake said distractedly.

  He waited until Harry had exited the living room then surged to his feet and stalked to the front windows. Damn it all, where was she? he thought irritably, searching the dark Texas night and long ranch house driveway for any signs of her return. Her date should not have taken this long. None of the others had.

  But Maggie wasn’t home at one in the morning. Or two, or three. By 4:00 a.m., Jake was half out of his mind with worry, imagining her dead on the side of the road somewhere, the victim of an auto accident, or carjacking or God only knew what. And that was when he heard the low purr of Kirk’s Cadillac in the drive.

  His heart thudding heavily in his chest, Jake surged to the window once again.

  The sound of Maggie’s soft low laughter and even sexier, softer voice made his gut tighten with jealousy. Jake looked past the edge of the drape. Kirk had an arm draped casually across her shoulders, his Stetson tipped back on his head. He was laughing softly, too, as he sauntered up the sidewalk. Kirk and Maggie paused, ten feet or so from the front door, their bodies illuminated in the soft glow of the porch light.

  To Jake’s irritation, he could not make out any of what was being said as they whispered to one another with delighted expressions on their faces. But there was no way he could have missed the light, affectionate kiss Kirk pressed to Maggie’s brow, or the warm hug he gave her in parting.

  “I’ll call you then,” he promised Maggie audibly, before heading down the walk, toward his car.

  Maggie smiled and waved. “I’ll look forward to it,” she said, waving back. Still smiling, she headed for the front porch. His every muscle tensing, Jake stepped away from the window, just as she walked in.

  “Spying on me?” Maggie asked casually, dropping her key into her purse.

  Caught in the act, so to speak, Jake saw no reason to deny it. He shrugged and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I was curious as to how the date went, since I fixed it up.”

  Maggie flashed him one of her dazzling cover girl smiles. “Actually, it was great,” she replied with a soft contentment that rankled him even more than her air of happiness. Her eyes lasered on his with a look of determination he might have admired under other circumstances. “Kirk is a wonderful guy. I had a very nice time.”

  The knot in Jake’s gut that had been there ever since he’d left her with Kirk, twisted painfully. “Then you’re going to see him again?” Jake asked casually, telling himself it meant nothing at all to him if she did.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.” Maggie brushed past, her head tipped up regally.

  It was all Jake could do not to catch her arm and bring her back to his side. Instead, he turned, his hands still in his pockets, and said, even more casually, “Then you’re serious about him?”

  Maggie stopped dead in her tracks. She pivoted slowly to face him with a runway model’s grace and her own inherent style. Though she’d been out most of the night, to his dismay, she still looked as lovely as she had when he’d left her. Her short black cocktail dress, with its cap sleeves and swirly skirt, bore nary a wrinkle. Her golden hair curled gently about her shoulders, looking as soft and lustrous as the single strand of pearls around her neck.

  “Why?” Her chin took on that stubborn tilt he knew so well.

  Jake drew a breath and tried not to let on how restless and edgy he felt. “That’s not an answer,” he replied quietly.

  Her pink lips curved in a taunting half smile. Her fair brows lifted. “So?”

  “I think I have a right—” he began angrily.

  “You have no rights, Jake,” Maggie interrupted, an answering fury flashing in her vivid blue eyes. “Not where I’m concerned.”

  “I think I have every right,” Jake countered smoothly, stepping close to inhale the faint, floral fragrance of her perfume. “After all, I set the date up.” Even though it damn near killed me to do so.

  Maggie scoffed and moved past him, through the hallway, toward the kitchen. “You also did it without my knowledge or permission.”

  Jake defended himself just as hotly, as he followed her close on her heels. “You wanted me to fix you up in exchange for taking care of the boys. I did so.”

  “Yes.” Maggie opened the refrigerator door, retrieved a carton of orange juice, and slammed it on the counter. She stalked to the cabinet and withdrew a glass. “And for that, I’m grateful, because Kirk is a very nice guy and I had a great time with him tonight.”

  Jake watched her pour herself a glass of juice and down half of it in one long thirsty gulp. Watching her, something warm and soft turned over inside his chest. “W
hat’d you do after you left the restaurant?” he demanded, wondering how much longer he was going to be able to keep his hands off her. He’d stayed away from her all day, and most of the evening, even fixed her up with another man, yet all he could think about was burying himself in her soft, pliant body.

  Hell, it had gotten to the point he couldn’t even be in the same room with her without wanting to drag her in his arms and kiss her senseless, and that annoyed the heck out of him. It showed a lack of control, and he was a man who prided himself on his control. Or at least he had until Maggie Porter had waltzed into his life.

  Maggie flashed him a belligerent look and finished the rest of her juice. “Why do you care what Kirk and I did on our date?” she demanded with a look that dared him to answer honestly.

  “I just want to make sure he treated you right, is all,” he said gruffly.

  Blotting the moisture from the edges of her lips with the tips of her fingers, Maggie lifted her eyes to his and announced, with no small measure of irony, “Well, he did.”

  Jake picked up the glass she set down, filled it with juice. Putting his lips where hers had been, he drank deeply, too. “Did you sleep with him?”

  Maggie’s lips dropped open in a round O of surprise. For a long moment, she simply stared at him. Finally, she scoffed in derision, shook her head at him, and drawled pointedly, “Cowboy, you are way out of line.”

  Maybe so. Jake still had to know. “Did you?” he demanded again, even more urgently.

  Temper flashed in Maggie’s deep blue eyes as she attempted to stalk past. “If you want to know so badly, ask him!”

  Jake clamped a hand on her arm and hauled her around to face him. He’d done all this, knowing it would be only a matter of time before she went the way of the others and gave up on the idea of a future with him, too. But she hadn’t. And he didn’t know how much longer he could stay away from her. Not when she looked so damn beautiful. Not when she looked at him the way she did, like she wanted to personally and immediately heal every ache in his lonesome heart.