Daisy leaned away from him, and her eyes shone with tears. “We’re quite the pair.”
Her lips quivered in an attempt at a smile, and Trey realized she suffered a different kind of pain. Maybe personal tragedy had brought her here. He brushed his thumb against the corner of her mouth. “Want to tell me what happened to you?”
She could blink away her tears but not the regret he saw in her eyes. Meeting his gaze she said, “I had a bad fall, too, in a way. It shattered my psychological spine. I lost my nerve.” Daisy let out the longest sigh he’d ever heard. Pain, humiliation, and relief all seemed to ride out on that breath. “My partner got shot and killed several months ago, and it was my fault. We responded to what we thought was a simple case of shoplifting at a corner market, and weren’t expecting serious trouble. When the suspect pulled a gun, I flinched instead of shouting a warning. The man shot my partner and ran off. While I stayed with my partner and waited for help, I let the shooter get away.”
She rubbed a hand over her forehead. “After my partner died, Internal Affairs cleared me of wrongdoing, but his family and some of my coworkers weren’t as forgiving. I lost the respect of my peers and much of my community. The press crucified me. I’ve only been able to live with myself because I helped track down the killer and put him in jail.”
She looked away as more tears appeared. “I love law enforcement. I love being a cop. I just need a fresh start. Which means this job in Houston.”
Trey pulled her to him and held her for what seemed like a long time. Neither of them spoke as they propped each other up, building strength inside their mutual embrace. Finally Trey said, “I’m sorry about your partner. I won’t offer you platitudes about grief and needless guilt; you’ve probably heard enough of them.”
She felt warm and soft in his arms, and he couldn’t resist brushing her temple with a kiss. When she trembled, he whispered, “I can promise you one thing. If you get up on that horse, you’ll feel like the most powerful woman in the world. Riding Big Blue will be a great start to rebuilding your confidence.”
Daisy tilted her head back and sniffled. “You’re not just saying that because I’m your student?”
Trey smoothed a hand down a length of her hair. He let the wisps around her shoulders drag through his fingers, and the fiery tendrils felt soft and silky to the touch. He resisted the urge to continue, to stroke the crown of her head and let his fingers get lost in the strands. “I’m saying it because it’s true. And because it’s important that you know it. You’ve become much more to me than a student.”
He felt the breath inside her lungs catch and then slowly release. She pressed closer. The warmth of her body against his caused a groan to form low in his throat, and Daisy laid her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. She answered him in hushed tones.
“I think about you when we’re not together.”
Gladness filled him at her words, and fire lit his veins as her breath whispered over the skin on his neck. He’d long forgotten how it felt to be happy. He closed his eyes to savor the emotion.
“Me too,” he whispered.
Trey kissed her then and got lost in tumbleweeds of sensation. Arousal. Comfort. Connection. Joy. He pulled Daisy tighter against his chest and touched his tongue to hers. She responded in kind, dragging her tongue over his bottom lip before nipping it with her small, white teeth. And that’s when Trey heard the unmistakable snort and whinny of another horse being led to the corral from the meadow.
He gently let Daisy go, indicating they were no longer alone. She smoothed back her hair and ran a palm down the front of her shirt, and by the time the ranch hand looked over and saw them, they looked like they’d only been talking. If Juan got closer he might notice her kiss-swollen lips and whisker-grazed cheeks, but he simply nodded hello.
Trey tried to keep his facial expression neutral when he nodded back, not wanting his coworker to feel awkward about the interruption. He quickly held out a hand to Daisy and said, “How about tomorrow we give Big Blue another try?”
Riding Big Blue wouldn’t be half as dangerous as the emotions they were giving rein.
Chapter Five
“Never walk behind a horse!” Trey warned. “Remember I said that horses kick?”
Big Blue shook his head as if to say, Who me? The horse’s dark mane fluttered and he let out a grunt.
Daisy pursed her lips with chagrin. “Sorry. I lost focus.” Of course, the last time that happened, her partner died. She curled her hands into fists. “It won’t happen again.”
She’d determined to make a go of this, even buying herself new boots. Now Daisy stepped toward the saddle, took a determined hold of the horn, hooked her foot into the stirrup and pulled herself astride the horse. By the look of approval on Trey’s face, she knew she’d finally done well after her half dozen tries.
“Perfect,” Trey said. “You made it look like you’ve been riding your whole life.”
Bolstered by success, her optimism grew. His praise pleased her. She took the reins and Big Blue shifted, waiting for instructions, while Daisy looked past the corral to the meadow and trees beyond. She breathed in the scents of wild grasses and flowers, saddle soap and leather, and sighed with satisfaction. From her elevated view, the world looked more inviting than ever. “Thanks for saying so.”
“I don’t give compliments that aren’t earned.”
Trey next gave her a refresher on how to post, then led the stallion around the corral. “You’re really starting to catch on. Most important, you’re not acting skittish. Your control will keep your animal calm. You’re going to be ready for everything you have to do.”
Relief flooded her, and her confidence rebounded. What Trey said was true. She did feel more relaxed and controlled. Mounted Patrol equestrian training started in a few weeks, and she’d be ready for the advanced lessons. She truly believed that now.
“Let me take Big Blue around the ring by myself,” she blurted.
Trey let go and stepped back, clearly trusting her, and she had the sudden urge to gallop into the wind. Instead, she walked the horse twice around the ring and finished with a sensible trot. She’d learn to gallop soon enough.
Trey watched her with a grin on his handsome face. A breeze lifted the strands of his hair, dazzling her as the gold streaks caught the sun, and she grinned at him in return, thinking this smile might become a permanent fixture. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this good. And it was all Trey.
She brought Big Blue back to the starting point, dismounted and handed the reins to Trey, who tied them to the corral post. “Officer Phillips reporting for duty, sir.” Daisy saluted, and they both laughed.
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. The look in Trey’s eyes was wholly different. Was it because she’d ridden Big Blue? Admiration shone there, and pride, as if her accomplishment was also his. And there was something else as well. Something he’d mentioned the other day. Something she felt too.
She reached out and took his hand to let him know she understood. She gave it a squeeze. “Meeting you has changed my life.”
Suddenly, the words weren’t enough. The prospect of a real future in Texas took her straight into Trey’s arms. She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck to just hold him close.
A moan escaped his lips, and Trey’s hands glided down her sides to caress the swell of her hips. At his touch, the muscles in her stomach and abdomen rose and fell like gently rippling waters. She leaned into him, seeking more friction as he returned her kiss. Behind them, Big Blue chomped his teeth and sneezed.
Trey broke away and smirked. “I hope that’s not an editorial on my lovemaking skills.”
Daisy ran her fingers over his jaw, laughing. “No, I think he approves. I know I do.”
She looked back at the horse, and an idea struck. Turning again to Trey she asked, “Is your schedule open for the next hour or so?”
Trey nodded.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Daisy untied the stallion and stepped into a stirrup—like she’d been born to it. She mounted Big Blue in one fluid motion and shifted all the way back on the saddle, patting the tight space in front of her. This could work. She was sure it could work.
“You could sit here and lean against me,” she said. “I’ll support your spine.”
***
Trey had figured he’d know when the time was right to ride again. Now, staring up at Daisy on his coal black stallion, with her flaming red hair, he knew that time had come.
He stroked Big Blue’s neck while his heart thumped. “Is it all right with you, boy, if we double up? We won’t stay on long.”
Daisy dismounted to make room for him, and Trey noted the ease of her movements. He’d always known she could do this. She patted the saddle and offered an encouraging smile. Trey nodded.
When she stepped away, he mounted Big Blue with a grunt, sweat breaking over his brow with the effort. Daisy followed, using his forearm in place of the saddle horn. She slid in behind him, and he leaned back against her chest. With her slim body pressed against his for leverage, his pain eased.
Trey shifted a little and the saddle creaked. He found his center of gravity and the throb in his spine disappeared.
Dang. This just might work.
Big Blue chuffed and shook his impressive head but held steady while Daisy wrapped her arms around Trey’s midsection. Trey shivered at the intimacy of the contact. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of her body against his. He’d almost forgotten how much comfort a woman could bring. It had been a long time.
He took the reins and guided Big Blue from the corral to the open field. The world had never looked brighter. From his vantage point looking out over the meadow, with the most beautiful woman he’d ever met at his back and the greatest horse that ever lived beneath him, his entire life was opening before him. All was well.
Daisy pressed her cheek against the base of his neck. “If this works, maybe this means you’re healing. Maybe soon we can ride together side by side. Would you like that?”
Trey nodded. “Can’t think of anything I’d like better.”
Daisy slid a hand up his chest. “I can think of something. See that stand of trees to the east? Get Big Blue to take us there. We’ll continue the kissing we started…and maybe more. I know you’ve been holding off because I’m your client, but… I think things have changed. You’re not just my teacher but my cowboy.”
Trey heard the smile in her voice and headed eastward with anticipation, letting Big Blue have more rein than he’d done in months. A breeze rippled over the fields to run through his hair like soothing fingers. Sunlight touched his face like an old friend. A smile parted his lips, and Trey exhaled with contentment. Big Blue kept still, as if sensing Trey’s need to hold the moment close.
He relaxed in the saddle and leaned into Daisy, savoring the feel of her breasts against his spine. He clasped the hand she’d cupped over his heart and said, “My house isn’t far beyond that stand of trees. Would you like to see it?”
Daisy nodded against his shoulder. She slid her hand from his chest and brushed his hair away from his neck to lay kisses there, and Trey sucked in a breath as she pressed one behind his ear and nibbled his earlobe. Her warm mouth and the heat of her tongue trailed over his flesh to mark him like a brand, making him hers.
Daisy might not know it yet, but he intended to make her his, too. Both his broken back and Daisy’s broken spirit would heal and grow stronger over time. Their needs to start fresh had brought them together, and their growing love would see them through. He’d find a way to finish the porch on his house and make it ready for a wife. That wife would be Daisy. Together, they’d build a new life and a home.
Trey clicked his tongue and gave the stallion the giddy-up.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adele Downs writes contemporary romance inside the office of her rural Pennsylvania home. She is a former journalist, published in newspapers and magazines inside the USA, UK, and Caribbean.
Adele is an active member of Romance Writers of America and her local RWA chapter where she serves as a past president. She has written several articles for RWR magazine (Romance Writers Report), the trade journal of Romance Writers of America, and has presented workshops at conferences.
When Adele isn’t working on her current project, she can be found riding in her convertible or reading a book on the nearest beach. Visit her website at http://adeledowns.wordpress.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Author Bio
Kissing Her Cowboy Page 3
