Taking Her Chance
Copyright © 2012 by Sorcha Mowbray
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons,reviews.
Taking Her Chance (One Night With a Cowboy)
Sorcha Mowbray
Chapter One
Beth Torrence sat back in the aerodynamic Herman Miller task chair. It was one a.m. and her screen looked fuzzy around the edges. Guess I should call it a night, she thought. She reached up to switch her screen off, but an email notification popped up. It was from Soul Mates Dating service. Beth’s gut clenched. Damn, she had just turned her paperwork in the day before.
Her hand shook, but she opened the email and read.
Dear Ms. Torrence,
I am delighted to tell you that your date has been arranged for two days from now. You will arrive at the Golden Mustang Dude Ranch midmorning, settle in, and maybe go for a horseback ride if you so desire. Your date will join you in your room at sunset. Room service will be at your disposal or, if you prefer, you may go to the dining room to eat. Enjoy and remember to make the most of this chance.
Selena Markam
President and CEO
Soul Mates Dating
“Deep breaths. I can do this.” Beth shut her computer down and headed home to try and get some sleep. She set the alarm code for the office and walked out of Torrence Advertising. After busting her ass for six years building her business from nothing, she deserved this treat for herself. Soul Mates Dating was the most exclusive dating service around. If Beth hadn’t had a client recommend it she would have ended up signing up for one of those cheesy dating sites online. Granted, she had filled in the paperwork at the urging of Sarah, her best friend, after they were halfway through the second bottle of wine on an epic girl’s night; but deep down, she wanted this. It was time to see if she could date a man without comparing him to the one she had walked away from.
Chance Rogers could have been the best thing that ever happened to her, but she’d been too focused on her dream of becoming an advertising executive. The sparks that had flared between them and the sex that followed had scared the crap out of her because, for a brief moment, she could see herself settling down and forgetting her lifelong dream. She could see herself becoming her mother, who had given up everything only to be betrayed by a man who supposedly loved her.
History would not repeat itself, not with her.
Beth pulled into her parking spot and collected her things from the backseat. She’d brought some work home because she seriously doubted that she would be getting any sleep tonight. Between nerves about her date on Saturday and memories of Chance it was going to be a long night.
***
Chance pulled his truck into the long dirt drive of the dude ranch where he would meet his date. The email from Selena Markam, containing details of his date, had been a surprise after hearing nothing for nearly six months. Could his ideal date have been that hard to find? He wanted a woman who would be independent, sassy, but had room in her life and her heart for a broken-down old cowboy. His leg didn’t hurt as bad as it had right after that last accident in the ring—I mean, who enjoyed being stepped on by 2 Tons of Fun? The upside had been that the bull only actually weighed a little over a ton—not two.
Tightening his sweaty palms on the steering wheel, he stopped at the main lobby and checked in. He was a bit early, but they had a room ready for him. He settled in and decided to take a shower to wash the grime of the road off. As usual, he couldn’t help but think about the woman he would meet. Elizabeth was all he was given as a name. He wondered if she looked like the girl he requested. The memory of long dark hair and big blue eyes flashed across his mind. It still baffled him how one night of mind-blowing sex could stay with a man for almost ten years. How it could haunt him to the point that all other women came up short, including the jezebel he’d married.
Showered, shaved, and freshly dressed, he checked the printout of the email for the millionth time. It gave strict instructions that he should be at her door at sunset. She had one of the little cabins on the outer edges of the property, so it would take him a few minutes to walk over. Tamping down his nerves, which he was mildly distressed to realize were way worse than when he was about to pop out of the chute on 2,700 pounds of bull, he sauntered out of his room and headed toward his chance at a future. One, he hoped, without impossible expectations of some woman whom he had started to believe never existed.
The sun sat low in the sky, casting a deep orange glow over the dusty ranch. This was his favorite time of day back home. The day’s work completed, what lay ahead included a good meal, a cold beer, and the satisfaction of another job well done. He found her door and knocked.
“Come on in,” a muffled but feminine voice called through the door.
He took a deep breath and opened the door. Her back was to him, but instantly he could see she was everything he had asked for. Long dark hair hung loose around her shoulders and covered what appeared to be a red sleeveless shirt. A trim waist flared out to a curvaceous ass, which her denim skirt barely covered, that begged to have his hands on it. Her long legs seemed to go on forever despite the red cowgirl boots she wore. His breath rushed out as his cock leapt to attention. Mentally he begged her to turn around. If she had blue eyes he might leap on her straight away and skip the preliminaries.
“Hi there,” was all he could come up with to say since every drop of blood in his body had departed his thinking head.
She turned around and it was like a physical blow to his solar plexus. He could only liken it to being stomped on by a bull. Elizabeth was Beth. The Beth of his dreams, the woman who got away.
“Chance?” She looked as stunned as he was by the unexpected turn of events.
Chapter Two
Someone had sucked all the air out of the room because Beth was hallucinating. No way could Chance Rogers be standing in her cabin. “What are you doing here?”
He flinched at the harshness of her question. “I’m your date.” A cautious, lopsided smile curved one side of his kissable lips as he plucked the Stetson from his head and dropped it on a nearby table.
“That can’t be right.” Confusion swirled through her, making her dizzy. “My date’s name is Aaron.” She walked, staggered really, over to her purse and pulled out a sheet of paper. “Yep. Right here it says Aaron will arrive at sunset.”
“I’m Aaron.” He walked toward her in slow, measured steps. The thud of his boots sounded loud in the quiet of the room. “I used my middle name because I didn’t want anyone recognizing me.”
“Who would recognize you?” Blown away by the fact that Chance stood before her, she couldn’t really follow his train of thought.
“Fans, buckle bunnies, the media. This night was meant to be a private thing for me. Only my brother knows where I am.” He shrugged and stepped into her personal space, crowding her and making it impossible to think.
“So, you’re famous. For what?” A quick step backward gave her some breathing space.
“Bull riding. I hit it big on the PBR tour and picked up a ton of endorsement deals. I retired six months ago, but folks just don’t seem to understand that I am not going to ride bulls again.”
“Oh. I had no clue. Isn’t that dangerous?” Fear gripped her gut at the notion he had put himself in danger.
“Yeah, but only when I wasn’t on the bull.” He flashed a megawatt smile that made her toes curl and her body overheat.
“Wow. So this is real. You’re my date?” Her voice squeaked on the last word.
“It looks that way. Is that gonna be okay with you, or are you
gonna cut and run again?” His hands fisted at his sides as he waited for her response.
For a moment, she really wasn’t sure what her answer would be. Part of her wanted to flee in embarrassment for what had happened almost ten years earlier. The other part screamed for her to wrap her arms around him and never let him go. She drew a deep breath and allowed her gaze to meet with his. “I’m not going anywhere, cowboy.”
His hands relaxed and he stepped in to her. Strong arms circled her waist and pulled her against his chest. The feel of Chance’s lips on hers was a sensation she had long fantasized about, but reality far outstripped her memories. His firm, masculine lips settled over hers and pressed lightly at first. Soon his tongue dragged along the seam, seeking entrance to her mouth. She opened to him, growing dizzy from the lack of oxygen accompanied by a rush of warmth as he swept into her mouth to taste and caress. A low moan escaped from her and her knees turned to jelly. If his strong arms had not been supporting her, she would have puddled at his feet.
He groaned as he deepened the kiss, bending her near in half. Her hands settled on his wide shoulders, gripping him with a fierce intensity that mirrored their kiss. Hot flashes skipped across her skin as darts of pleasure zipped down to her pussy. Dear God, she wanted this man with an intensity to rival the sun. He pulled away from her, ending the kiss.
“Baby, I’ve been wanting to do that for damn near ten years.” His eyes blazed desire as his gaze roved over her face and down her upper body. Their hips remained fused together, letting her feel the hard ridge of his cock.
“You aren’t the only one that suffered all that time.” She tried to give him a sultry smile, but regret washed through her with such a powerful force that she stepped away from him and broke their embrace.
“Why did you cut and run, Beth? I woke up alone and thought maybe I had imagined having the best sex of my life with the most amazing woman I’d ever met.” The hurt in his voice only added fuel to the bonfire of her regrets.
Heat suffused her face, so she glanced at her watch to stall. “Maybe we should go have some dinner…”
Her sexy cowboy watched her carefully and apparently decided to cut her a little slack. “Okay. Dinner and talking first.” He nodded and turned toward the door. Picking up his hat to plop it on his head, he glanced back over his shoulder. “You coming?”
She let out the breath she was holding and snatched up her purse. Pulling up alongside Chance, she smiled again and attempted to casually stroll out. Turned out it was more of a run. He closed the door behind them and reached out to grab her hand. “There’s no race to win baby, let’s walk slow and easy. Maybe watch the sun finish setting.”
“Sorry.” Her heart pounded in her chest.
They strolled at a leisurely pace toward the main building, neither saying a word. Beth continued to worry about all the things that plagued her before. Could she trust him? Would he expect her to cook and clean for him? She really wasn’t the domestic type. What about her business? Could he live with a successful woman? Silently, she chewed her lip and worried all the way to dinner.
***
The maître d’ sat them in a quiet corner of the restaurant that lent itself to cozy, intimate conversation. Seated, they looked over the menus. After a few minutes the waiter approached and took their order, which included a bottle of the merlot that Chance preferred when drinking wine.
Beth looked awful nervous sitting across the table. Once the wine was uncorked, tasted, and approved, the sommelier poured for the lady and then him. Alone again, he sipped the buttery red wine and watched the woman he’d dreamed of nervously guzzle hers. He leaned over and refilled her empty glass. Their salads came and after few more minutes of strained silence punctuated by chewing, he asked, “What have you been doing since college?”
She cleared her throat. “Working.” She paused to glance around the room as though the answers were hidden in a corner. “I work in advertising. Started out as an account executive and now I run my own agency. It’s taken six years, but Torrence Advertising is finally operating in the black and we’re winning top clients from some of the bigger New York City firms.”
While talking about her business she exuded a confidence that eradicated the nervousness. Her eyes sparkled and her voice grew strong with the conviction of what she was doing. Chance found it sexy as hell. “Advertising is a tough game. You must be fearsome in the boardroom.”
“Well, fearsome is a bit strong. I certainly don’t pull punches though. I play to win every time I pitch a new campaign. How about you? You said earlier that your rodeo days were over. Why?”
The waiter arrived with their meals, giving him a moment to prepare to answer her question. His accident wasn’t something he talked about a whole lot. She cut into her steak and looked up at him expectantly. “I got my leg stepped on by a bull nearly a year and a half ago. The break took three months to heal and then another three months for me to be able to walk right. From there I tried for six months to get back in the ring, but my leg just doesn’t feel the same. As much as I love bull riding, it just ain’t worth getting killed over. Besides, with all my endorsement money and some investments I made, I don’t actually need to rodeo anymore. Now I’m happy to work my ranch and manage my business interests.”
“Well, I’m glad you were smart enough to stop when your body called it quits. What kind of business interests do you have?” She ate her steak with gusto, all trace of her nerves gone.
“Let’s see, I have my clothing and riding tack lines along with a line of boots. I’ve also invested in some startup businesses that I’m waiting to see pan out.”
“Holy cow, Chance. You really did hit it big in the PBR. I’m impressed you did something with your good fortune besides piss it away on beer and… what did you call them? Buckle bunnies?” She laughed a deep sultry chuckle that warmed his insides and made his cock stand up and take notice. That, along with the tantalizing vee of her neckline, and he could have skipped the rest of dinner to get straight to dessert.
“My mama always said idle hands did the devil’s work. Besides, my body was my way of life for years before I hit it big. What good was wrecking that with booze, women, and late nights? I watched too many good cowboys wash out from playing hard in and out of the ring.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it aside. “So, Beth, are you going to explain to me why you ditched me that night? Because I’m not comfortable with this date going any further until I understand what happened.” He reached across the table and rested his hand on top of hers.
She flushed red again, hesitated. With a big sigh, she raised her gaze to meet his and nodded. “I guess you deserve an answer. Before I was born, my mamma was an up-and-coming model. She had a contract with a big New York modeling agency and was planning to move there in a few weeks. Then she met my daddy at a Houston honky-tonk. It was love at first sight, she said. Two weeks later she bailed on her contract, married my daddy, and settled down to take care of him. Nine months after that, I showed up and then in another two years came my little sister.” She took a sip of her wine, and when she looked back at him her eyes were filled with sadness.
“What happened, baby?” He squeezed the hand he still held captive.
“My mamma took us and we went to visit grandma, but we came home a day early. We walked in on my daddy chasing some naked twenty-year-old blonde around the house. Me just a toddler and my sister still in diapers, poor mamma took us and fled the house. She drove us around for hours before she could walk back in that house. When she did, he was gone. He left a note and said he’d made a mistake marrying her. A few weeks later the divorce papers came. It turned out he’d been cheating on her the entire time they were married. She was left destitute. No money. No job. No skills. She sold the house, moved home with her mamma, and worked as a waitress at a diner until I could afford to take care of her.
“Anyway, fast forward to the night we met. From my point of view, it could only be classified as magical. It was everythi
ng mamma said love could be, and it scared the ever-loving hell out of me. Pictures of us living in domestic bliss flashed through my head, but not one of those pictures included me putting on a suit and going to work at an advertising agency. The fear of making the same mistake my mamma did drove me out of your bed and kept me from returning your phone calls.”
“Oh, baby, I wasn’t looking for a wife back then. Nor have I ever wanted to keep a woman barefoot and pregnant in my kitchen. Your drive to succeed was, and still is, one of the most attractive things about you.” His heart ached for everything they’d missed out on because she hadn’t stuck around to talk about her fears.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t give you a chance. I just knew if you opened your mouth and tried to sweet-talk me into giving up everything I wouldn’t have been able to say no. I needed to experience success in my own right. I’ve paid the price for that choice every night and day since then.” She picked up their joined hands and rubbed her cheek against his knuckles.
He groaned, wanting desperately to be in her room, alone and naked.
“No man has measured up to my memory of you. It didn’t take me long to quit trying to date. Work became my sole focus and it paid off in that I have my own agency. But there’s still a big, huge gaping hole in my life.”
Chance felt his mouth go dry as the Chihuahuan Desert. He’d heard enough; it was time to pick up where they’d left off all those years ago. “Come on, baby. I think I’ve got just the thing to start filling that hole.” He stood up, pulled her chair out for her, and slung a possessive arm around her shoulders. She belonged to him and he wanted every man on the Golden Mustang Dude Ranch to know it. Hell, he wanted every man within a one-hundred-mile radius to know it.
Chapter Three
Beth opened the door to her cabin and gasped. On every available surface candles were strewn, casting a soft glow on the big open room.
Taking Her Chance Page 1
