Guardian Cowboy

by Carla Cassidy

  He nodded. “As a pancake, and I don’t have a spare. I loaned it to Flint and I haven’t gotten it back from him yet. I need to call Larry Wright to see if he can hook me up with a tire.”

  Janis knew Larry Wright owned the only car lot in town and that his business also did repairs.

  At that moment, Gary pulled into the parking space next to them and peered out his window. “Uh, oh. Somebody has a problem.” Gary was with his eldest daughter, Kayla.

  “Yeah. I don’t have a spare, so I’m about to call Larry to see if he can hook me up,” Sawyer replied.

  “Kayla and I are here to have a little father-daughter bonding time over dessert, but, Janis, if you need a ride home, we can take you there,” Gary replied.

  “Oh, no, I’ll just wait for Sawyer,” she said.

  “No, you won’t,” Sawyer said firmly and opened her truck door. “I have no idea how long I’ll be.” He turned back to look at Gary. “I really appreciate it, Gary. There’s no sense in her sitting here cooling her heels for what might take hours.”

  “No problem,” Gary replied. “Come on, Janis. It will just take a few minutes and then Kayla and I can come back and get our dessert.”

  Minutes later, Janis was in the seat behind Kayla in the van. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Kayla. How’s life treating you?” Janis had known both of Gary’s girls for years.

  The pretty, dark-haired girl turned in the seat to smile at Janis. “Not too bad. Did you hear I got my veterinarian license and I’m now working with Dan Richards?” Dan Richards had been Bitterroot’s only vet for years.

  “I did hear that,” Janis replied. “Your daddy has been crowing with pride at your success.”

  Gary crowed like a rooster, making the two women laugh. They pulled up behind the bar and Janis retrieved her key from her purse.

  “Thanks for the ride, Gary. I really appreciate it,” she said as she stepped out of the van. “Enjoy the father-daughter time.”

  “We always do,” Gary replied.

  He waited to pull away until she’d unlocked the door and stepped inside. She then waved to them and closed and relocked the door.

  She flopped down on the bed and released a deep sigh, disappointed by how the night had ended. She enjoyed Sawyer’s company so much. Not only did he excite her but she also felt completely comfortable in his presence.

  She wasn’t fool enough to believe they were in love. In fact, Janis had never been in love. Although the one man she’d had a fairly serious relationship with in the past had professed to be in love with her, she’d ultimately broken up with him.

  She pulled herself up off the bed and changed from her clothes into a light blue cotton nightshirt that had a cute, snoozing unicorn on the front.

  The sexy nightgown she’d worn for the night with Sawyer had been bought long ago for show and not for a comfortable night’s sleep. She much preferred cotton to silk when it came to nightwear.

  Although it was relatively early, she got into bed and grabbed a notebook from the nightstand drawer. On the front was a label that read My House.

  It was her dream book and sometimes on her day off she spent hours thumbing through magazines and cutting out pictures of furniture and floor plans, of bedspreads and curtains and lawn decorations.

  The vision of her owning a home had been created in the year she had been virtually homeless. On those nights when she found herself sleeping in her car, or on a sofa in a friend’s place, she longed for a place to call her very own, a place where nobody could kick her out or grow tired of her.

  It was strange... In all her dreams of her future and having a house of her own, she’d never imagined a man there. She’d dreamed about sitting at her kitchen table to enjoy a morning cup of coffee, of planting a small garden in the backyard, and of sitting on a back deck to watch the sun go down. But in all those dreams, she was always alone.

  Although she liked Sawyer, it was a little too early to adjust her dreams to include him.

  She scarcely paid attention to the noise coming from the bar. Long ago she’d gotten used to the music and laughter that filled her room whenever the bar was open and she was off work.

  She had no idea how much time had passed with her lost in dreams about what kind of home she’d hopefully own one day when a knock fell on her door.

  Suddenly thinking about her secret admirer, a chill washed over her. She got out of bed and padded to the door, wondering if she should open it or not.

  Another knock sounded. “Janis, are you there? It’s me.”

  Relief, along with a little surprise, winged through her at the sound of Sawyer’s deep voice.

  She opened the door and motioned him inside. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “A gentleman always sees that his date gets home safely,” he replied.

  Warmth swept into her heart. “I’m assuming your truck is now sporting a new tire?”

  “Yeah. I’m taking it in tomorrow to get another new one on the other side. But I don’t want to talk about that. It’s obvious you’re ready for bed and I don’t want to keep you. I just thought we needed to end the date on a more appropriate note.”

  “An appropriate note?”

  He reached out and pulled her into his arms. He lowered his mouth to hers. His lips plied hers with a heat that usurped any chill she might have felt when he had first knocked on the door.

  His tongue touched hers, as if tentatively requesting entry. She opened her mouth wider to allow the deeper kiss. Oh, and what a kiss it was.

  Their tongues swirled together and she leaned closer into him. His arms tightened around her and he pulled her closer...closer still, until she was flush against him, breast against chest and hips against hips.

  His heart beat fast against hers...or was it her own that banged so quickly? A thrill fluttered through her as she realized he was aroused.

  Before she could really process that fact, he dropped his arms to his sides and stepped back from her. “Oh, woman,” he murmured and then raked a hand through his hair. His eyes torched a glazed heat as he stared at her.

  At that moment, if he’d wanted to take her to bed, she would have gone willingly. Instead he broke eye contact and opened the door, as if needing the night air to cool the unexpected fire that had flamed to life with their kiss.

  When he gazed at her again, the fire in his eyes was gone but the smile he offered her was a sensual, intimate gesture that warmed her from the top of her head to the very tip of her toes.

  “If this nice weather holds, how would you like to come out to the ranch on Sunday for a little fishing and a picnic?”

  “That sounds heavenly,” she replied.

  He backed out the door. “Then why don’t we plan for me to pick you up around one?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Good-nights were said and then he was gone.

  Minutes later Janis sat on the side of her bed, her head filled with thoughts of him. She touched her lips thoughtfully, the memory of his still burning hers with heat. There was no question that they shared a wild, physical chemistry. She was just happy that apparently he felt it as strongly as she did.

  She shivered with remembered pleasure as she replayed their kiss in her mind. She had a feeling she would never get tired of his kisses.

  In two days she would spend time alone with him again. She couldn’t wait. It had been a long time since she’d felt this sweet anticipation, this wild yearning to be with a man. She prayed that the weather remained good for Sunday.

  She was ready to get into bed when an eeriness struck her. It was the kind of eeriness that raised the hairs on the nape of her neck and shot goose bumps up and down her arms.

  Was somebody watching her right now? Standing just outside her window and peeking in through the crack in the curtains? A new chill suffused her body.

&nb
sp; That was what it felt like...like somebody was watching her. She stared at the nearby window but remained frozen in place for several long moments.

  Just look out the window, a small voice niggled in her mind. There was no way she’d go to sleep unless she checked it out. She had to see if somebody was there. She drew in a deep, shuddery breath, raced to the window and threw open the curtains.

  Nobody.

  She whooshed out a breath of relief. Not only was there nobody around her window, there wasn’t a vehicle parked anywhere nearby except her own.

  Her imagination had to be working overtime. She pulled the curtains tightly closed and then got into bed. Still, it was a very long time before she finally fell asleep.

  * * *

  When Sawyer got back to the ranch, instead of going into his room, he rounded the building and entered the dining and rec area. He was pleased to find several of the other cowboys still up.

  Mac McBride sat in one of the recliners, his guitar next to him. Flint McCay and Jerod Steen shared one of the sofas and Clay sat in another recliner.

  They all greeted him as he sank down on one end of another sofa. “You just missed Mac’s music,” Clay said. “He’s been strumming and singing for us for the last half an hour.”

  “I’m just glad to find some of you still awake,” Sawyer replied.

  “What’s up?” Flint asked. “You look a bit troubled.”

  “I am a little bit troubled,” Sawyer confessed. “I took Janis out to dinner tonight and when we came out of the café to head home, I had a flat tire.”

  “Uh, oh,” Flint said with a wince. “I just remembered I owe you a tire.”

  “I’m not worried about that. What does have me a little worried is that the tire was intentionally flattened. It had a deep slash in it that could have only happened with a big, sharp knife.”

  He told them about the note he’d found, but didn’t mention the spray painting. He kept that to himself out of respect for Janis. He hadn’t told Janis that the tire had been intentionally flattened because he hadn’t wanted to worry her.

  “And you don’t have any idea who might be responsible?” Clay asked.

  Sawyer shook his head. “Not a clue. And the only thing I can think of is that somebody wants to make it as hard as possible on me to date Janis.”

  “Have you considered not dating her anymore?” Mac asked.

  “No, that’s not going to happen,” he replied. He liked the way her smiles warmed his heart. He enjoyed their conversations and kissing her had set him on fire. No, there was no way he intended to stop seeing her. She might or might not be the woman he’d been waiting for. She could be the woman he wanted to marry and build a family with, but he’d never know if she was that woman if he stopped seeing her now.

  “So, what do you need from us?” Clay asked.

  “Watch my back?”

  “You know it,” Flint replied.

  “I’m not too worried at the moment,” Sawyer continued. “An anonymous note and a flat tire doesn’t exactly have me shivering in my boots.”

  “Still, you’re smart to watch your back,” Mac replied. “And on that note, I’m headed off to bed.” He grabbed his guitar and stood.

  Flint got up, as well. “Me, too. Sunrise is coming earlier and earlier these days.”

  Jerod joined them and minutes later Sawyer and Clay were left alone. “Janis doesn’t know who this creep might be?” Clay asked.

  “She says she can’t imagine who it might be.”

  “It’s got to be somebody who hangs out at the bar.”

  Sawyer nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I plan to hang out at the bar after work each day to see if I can figure out who he might be. You ever been through something like this?”

  “No, nothing like this.”

  “I just figured with all the women you bed, you might have run across some jealous man who wanted to beat your hide.”

  Clay laughed. “Let me let you in on a little secret, my friend. I’m not, and I haven’t been, sleeping with most of the women I date. My reputation is definitely way overblown.” His smile faded. “I’m just looking for that right one. You know, the woman I want to wake up with every morning for the rest of my life. I’m looking for my life partner. Unfortunately, I haven’t found her yet.”

  “I don’t know if Janis is the woman I want to be with for the rest of my life, but I’ll be damned if I let some anonymous creep try to keep me away from her,” Sawyer said firmly.

  “You’d better just hope that creep doesn’t find you on a Saturday night when the rest of us aren’t around,” Clay said. “He could beat the hell out of you and you wouldn’t be the wiser until you sobered up.”

  “I’m not drinking anymore.”

  Clay looked at him in surprise. “For real?”

  “For real. I’ve decided I’m way too old to need babysitters after having a few beers. Besides, I’ve never really enjoyed drinking.”

  “Does this mean you won’t be coming to the Watering Hole with us on Saturday nights anymore?” Clay asked.

  “I’ll still go out with you all, I just won’t be drinking anything alcoholic anymore. Besides, as long as I’m seeing Janis, I imagine I’ll be spending a lot more time at the Watering Hole. Just think, if I do go out with you all, you won’t have to carry me home and put me to bed. And I won’t have to worry about waking up in the mornings with strange things in my bed. I think I’ll enjoy my Saturday nights and Sunday mornings even more if I’m sober.”

  Clay grinned. “You know you will be taking away some of our fun. We worked hard at being creative when it came to putting things in your bed.”

  “So now you’ll have to find another outlet for your creativity.”

  “Sounds good to me, brother. And on that note, I’m heading to bed,” Clay said as he stood. “You’ll let us know if anything else happens that you see as a threat.”

  “Trust me, you all will be the first to know.” Sawyer pulled himself out of the chair and together the two men left the rec room and headed to the front of the building. “Good night, Clay,” Sawyer said as he stopped at his bunk room door.

  “’Night, Sawyer. See you in the morning.”

  * * *

  The next evening Sawyer ate dinner with the rest of the men in the cowboy dining room and then showered and headed into town.

  Clay was probably right. Whoever Janis’s secret admirer might be probably spent a lot of time in the bar. Did he sit in a corner and watch her? Dreaming about the two of them being together?

  The idea made Sawyer sick. If the man was so into Janis then why hadn’t he asked her out? Why was he hiding in the shadows with his desire for her?

  And certainly he must entertain some sort of desire for her, otherwise what was the purpose of the note? Why slash his tire if not in an attempt to somehow complicate things and make Sawyer stay away from her?

  These were the dark thoughts swirling around in his head as he walked into the Watering Hole. However the darkness lifted momentarily when he saw Janis.

  She was working behind the bar tonight. As she saw him, her features lit up and the smile she shot him warmed him. It was funny, before the night they’d spent together, he’d found her smiles attractive, but they hadn’t quickened his heartbeat as they did now.

  He swept his hat off his head, ambled over to the bar and sat on one of the empty stools.

  Immediately she was standing in front of him. “Hi, cowboy,” she said, her beautiful eyes sparkling brightly. “What can I get a man to parch his thirst after riding the range all day?”

  “The usual,” he replied. “But with an extra twist of lime.”

  “Coming right up.” She moved down the length of the bar and, as she did, he turned on the stool to check out who was there on a Friday night.

  It was still relatively early in the e
vening for the usual crowd to be in the bar. But before the night was over, the place would be rocking with people and noise.

  Nobody at the tables or booths appeared to be paying any special attention to the bar or specifically to Janis. Yet he was convinced that the person who harbored a secret thing for her was a regular patron.

  “Here we are.” Janis’s voice turned him back around on the stool.

  “Thank you, ma’am.” He grinned at her. “And might I add that you’re the prettiest thing in this entire place.” He was surprised to see her face color with a charming blush.

  “Thank you, and might I add that you’re the most handsome cowboy I’ve seen all night.”

  Once again he smiled at her. “Okay, enough of that. How are you doing?”

  “Good. I’m praying that this great weather holds so we can go fishing on Sunday.”

  “Are you a good fisherman or one of those women who squeals at the sight of a wiggling worm?”

  She laughed. “I don’t know whether I’ll catch any fish or not, but I can bait my own hook without squealing. It’s been years since I’ve fished. My dad used to take me before he died.”

  “I have a feeling we’re going to have a great day,” he replied. He was with her now, but he already couldn’t wait until the next time he saw her. It had been a very long time since he’d felt this way about a woman.

  “I absolutely, positively, know we’re going to have a great day,” she replied.

  “Hey, Janis,” Myles Hennessy called from the other end of the bar. “Darlin’, I need another one.” He held up an empty glass.

  “Duty calls,” she said and then hurried down the length of the bar to serve Myles.

  Sawyer leaned against the back of the stool and took a sip of the lime-flavored soda. Would he walk out of here tonight and discover another flat tire? Or maybe a shattered window? How he wished he knew who was behind it.

  Once again he swiveled around to check out the growing crowd of people. He frowned as a group of Humes’s men walked in, including Zeke. Thank goodness Janis was working behind the bar and wouldn’t have to deal with any of them tonight.

  Again, he didn’t see anyone who appeared to be watching Janis. He turned around once again and swept his gaze across the people seated on the stools.