The Cowboy Next Door--Includes a bonus novella

by R. C. Ryan

  Seeing Sam watching and listening, she blushed clear to her toes before turning away to begin clearing the table.

  Otis picked up the tub and tossed ice and water aside before setting it on the picnic table. “Just put all those dishes in here, Miss Penny, and I’ll haul them inside.”

  “Oh, thank you, Otis.” With a warm smile she filled the tub to the brim.

  The old man lifted it and turned away.

  Before he could start up the steps of the porch, Sam was there, taking the heavy burden from his hands. “You’ve done enough, Otis. I’ve got this.”

  Penny, trailing behind, watched as the old man gratefully relinquished his grip on the heavy tub.

  She followed Sam up the steps and into the kitchen, where he carried the tub as easily as if it weighed nothing at all.

  He set it on the counter beside the sink.

  Instead of walking away, he turned on the taps and filled the sink with hot, soapy water.

  “Sam, what are you doing?”

  He glanced over. “I’ll wash. You dry.”

  She was shaking her head. “You’ve been in the saddle for hours and…”

  He put a finger to her lips. “It’s the rule in Mackenzie Monroe’s house. All members share the work equally.”

  “But all I did was cook. You’ve just spent a week in the hills in snow and cold, chasing after…”

  She may as well have been talking to the air. Sam simply ignored her protest and began washing the dishes.

  Penny pulled a clean towel from a drawer and began drying.

  When the dishes were put away and the kitchen tidied, Sam drained the water and took the towel from Penny’s hand, drying his hands before giving it back.

  He leaned close and put a finger under her chin, tipping up her face.

  For a moment she forgot to breathe as she clutched the towel to her chest. But instead of the expected kiss, he merely gave her one of those heart-stopping smiles. “I almost forgot. I smell like a trail bum.”

  She wrinkled her nose in mock horror. “It’s a good thing there’s still plenty of hot water.”

  He stepped back and headed toward the living room. “That’s my cue to head upstairs to take the longest bath of my life.” He paused to look back. “Want to scrub my back, Money?”

  In reply she tossed the wet towel at him.

  It landed with a thud at his feet.

  “You’re got a lousy aim, Money. Better work on that.”

  Laughing, he sauntered away.

  Chapter Fifteen

  With the wranglers gone, Otis and Roscoe were eager to retire to the bunkhouse to catch up on the gin rummy games they’d missed for the past week.

  Finn and Zachariah had rolled up after dark and spent a few minutes bringing Mac up to date on what had transpired so far in the trial, before huddling in Zachariah’s rooms to go over strategy for the next few days.

  Mac had gone upstairs for a much-needed shower, only to find Sam nearly asleep in the tub. He’d sent Sam off to his room and had claimed the bathroom for himself.

  Penny made herself a mug of hot chocolate and turned off the kitchen light. As she passed through the parlor, she was surprised to see Mac, freshly shaved and showered, sitting in the dark, his gaze fixed on the fire, which had burned low.

  He looked up. “Is that coffee?”

  She shook her head. “Hot chocolate. Would you like some?”

  “I’d love some.”

  She handed him her cup and retreated to the kitchen for another. Minutes later she returned with a second steaming mug.

  He indicated the rocking chair beside his. “Care to sit a minute, Penny? Or are you in a hurry to get to bed?”

  “I’m too wired to sleep.” She sat and sipped her chocolate. “This was my first glimpse of a roundup, and it was really something to see.”

  “Yeah.” He sipped. “I’ve seen a lifetime of them. But every one is new.”

  “You have good neighbors.”

  “I do. I couldn’t do all this without them.” He looked over. “And without your help, too. If it hadn’t been for your fine meals, we’d have been in trouble, Penny.”

  “I’m sure Otis could have come up with something.”

  Mac shook his head. “Don’t minimize what you did. This roundup wouldn’t have been nearly so successful without your outstanding meals.”

  “I’m glad I could help.” She took a swallow of the sweet chocolate. “And I’m so grateful for this job. You don’t know what it means to me.”

  “Then we’ve helped each other. And that’s a good thing.”

  She saw the way he continued staring into the embers. “Have you heard from Mary Pat?”

  “Not a word.”

  She tried to think of something uplifting to say, but her mind drew a blank. This weather, always so unpredictable, could prove to be a blessing or a curse. A man like Mackenzie Monroe, born here in Montana, would know all too well the pitfalls of driving through the wilderness in a fierce snowstorm.

  Mac broke the silence. “Tell me about your home in Dennison.”

  She smiled. “We lived just outside of town on a little bit of land my mother’s father left her. We weren’t ranchers and we weren’t townies. We were just…” She shrugged. “Getting by in the middle of nowhere. The house was tiny. My dad built it when he and my mom first married. The original house was just a bedroom, a bathroom, and a big kitchen. Then, as babies started coming, Dad added a second bedroom and bathroom for me, and finally a big dorm room upstairs for my three brothers.”

  “That’s a lot of mouths to feed.”

  She sighed. “Dad did his best. He started out wanting to be a carpenter. But with a family, he had to take whatever work he could get. Mostly he worked for ranchers, doing whatever was needed. Sometimes he was gone for weeks at a time. But it paid the bills. When my mom died, he…” She struggled for words. “He was sad a lot. Some days he just wouldn’t get out of bed.” She set aside her unfinished chocolate. “At first, after my dad died, I was angry. Angry that he died, leaving us alone. Angry that I had three little brothers who needed me, whether I was up to the job or not. Angry that it all fell on my shoulders.”

  “That’s a lot of responsibility for someone in her teens.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without my great-aunt. She left the comfort of a retirement home to live with us so the state wouldn’t break up the family and send us into foster care. She knew we would be separated without an adult present in the home.”

  “Having a frail woman had to require a lot of extra work for you.”

  She shrugged. “Some. In no time she was in a wheelchair. But she sacrificed her comfort for us. And that’s what I had to come to terms with. Yes, I was sixteen and caring for three brothers and an elderly woman. But my brothers and I were healthy. My dad left us with debt, but the house had no mortgage, so all I had to worry about was staying current with taxes and insurance, and paying off the debt. Eventually I had to let the insurance lapse, and I just concentrated on saving enough to pay the taxes. And while my brothers were in school, and Aunt Lucy was sleeping, I was free to study online. So, despite the challenges, it was all good.”

  Mac gave her a gentle smile. “Do you always look for the silver lining?”

  She chuckled. “How else can I have hope?”

  He sat back. “You remind me a lot of Mary Pat. She’s the most positive woman I know.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Penny glanced at the photo on the mantel of a teenaged girl and a little boy. “Is that boy you?”

  He nodded. “And the girl is my sister, Ellen.”

  “Where does she live?”

  “She’s dead.” Mac stared down at the cup in his hands. “When Ellen was sixteen, she ran off with Shepherd Strump, a cowboy my father had hired as a wrangler.”

  “So young. How did your parents react?”

  “My mother was shocked and heartbroken. To say my father was furious would be an understatement. He
was breathing fire and brimstone when he first heard the news.”

  “Did they try to find her?”

  “Not at first. I think they both believed she’d realize her mistake and come home. When she didn’t, it caused a rift between my parents, and my father disowned Ellen. When he died, my mother wrote a new will and decreed that, upon her death, the southern portion of our land would be set aside for Ellen or her heirs.”

  “Did any come forward?”

  He frowned. “Not long after my mother died, an official document arrived from the county seat, declaring that southern portion adjoining my ranch were now claimed by Shepherd Strump, the surviving husband of the late Ellen.”

  “He never notified her family of her death before that?”

  Mac gave a shake of his head. “That’s what hurt the most. That he couldn’t even bother to let us know, but was quick to claim what was hers.”

  “Couldn’t you contest it in court?”

  He shrugged. “Why would I want to go against my mother’s wishes?”

  “But that could be part of your legacy. Isn’t the land valuable?”

  “A lot more valuable than the portion of the land we’re on here. That southern parcel is some of the finest grazing land around. It’s considered prime cattle country.” He turned to stare into the fire. “And there it sits, vacant and unused, and claimed by a ghost nobody has ever seen.”

  “I’m sorry, Mac. I wish there was something you could do to change things.”

  “There’s nothing to be done about it.”

  Hearing the note of sadness in his voice, she got to her feet. “Can I get you anything before I go up to bed?”

  He seemed distracted. “Nothing, thanks. Good night, Penny.”

  “Good night.”

  As she made her way up the stairs, she heard his long, deep sigh of distress. Even after all these years, it seemed, the loss of his sister and the division in his family caused Mac unresolved pain.

  In her room upstairs, Penny slipped out of her jeans and shirt and pulled on an oversize T-shirt before making her way to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

  Minutes later, face scrubbed, teeth cleaned, her hair brushed, she returned to the bedroom and paused by the window. The pastures were dark with cattle. Snowflakes drifted past her line of vision.

  Winter had come early to this part of Montana.

  Though she ought to be tired, she felt a strange sense of exhilaration. She crossed her arms over her chest and thought about all she’d seen in the past week. Though the roundup was hard work for the wranglers, in her eyes it had been like a dream. That endless sea of cattle, and the men on horseback herding them across hills white with snow, had made such a pretty picture.

  And then there was Sam.

  He seemed to be everywhere at once. Chasing errant cows, coming to the aid of a fellow cowboy, racing headlong across a stream to keep the cattle moving. And always with that dangerous gleam in his eye and that endearing grin that did such strange things to her heart.

  She looked up at a light tap on her door. When she opened the door, the object of her thoughts was standing there, leaning a hip against the doorway, looking at her with a wolfish smile.

  “I saw your light and figured you were still awake.”

  He was naked to the waist, his jeans unfastened and riding low on his hips, as though hastily thrown on. His hair was mussed, his eyes heavy-lidded from sleep.

  “Your dad said he found you asleep in the tub.”

  He laughed. “Yeah. I must be losing my touch. There was a time when I could stay awake all night and not even give a thought to sleeping.”

  “You need to go to bed. You should listen to your body.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” He closed the door behind him and started toward her. “I do believe in listening to my body. It’s telling me I shouldn’t waste time on any more sleep tonight when there are better things to do.”

  She started to laugh until she caught sight of the fierce look on his face. “Sam…”

  “Shhh.” He gathered her close and covered her mouth with his.

  The purely sexual jolt that shot through them had them both sighing and taking the kiss deeper.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” He spoke the words against her mouth. “Oh, Money, I’ve been thinking about this for days.”

  He backed her up until she was pressed to the wall. Her arms were around his waist, her fingers tingling from contact with his bare, heated flesh.

  “Mmm, you taste even better than your cooking.” His voice was a growl of pure pleasure as he ran heated kisses over her upturned face. And all the while his hands moved along her back, drawing her ever closer, until she could feel the pounding of his heart inside her chest.

  “I like what you wear to bed.” His gaze strayed to the thin material covering her breasts.

  He dipped his head and ran nibbling kisses down her throat.

  Penny absorbed the shock waves all the way down her spine to her toes.

  Her breathing labored, her heart racing, she could barely speak. “Sam…”

  He was beyond hearing as he continued assaulting all her senses, his hands moving sensuously along her back, up her sides, while his mouth, that hot, clever mouth, drove her half-mad with need.

  “Come to bed with me, Penny.” The words were torn from his lips.

  “Sam, I don’t think…”

  “Don’t think. Just go with your feelings.” He took her hand and began leading her toward the bed.

  Penny struggled to get her bearings. He had her so hot, her mind so clouded with passion, it was impossible to think. She wanted what he wanted. But a voice in her head was warning her that it was the wrong time, the wrong place. She knew so little about this man. She was an employee, for heaven’s sake. And she was here at the invitation of his father.

  His father. Probably asleep by now, just down the hall.

  “Sam, wait. This isn’t right. I—”

  Her head came up at the sound of loud knocking on the door downstairs.

  Hearing it, Sam glanced toward her bedroom door, while keeping his hands at her shoulders.

  He turned back and drew her close, whispering against her mouth, “Let’s just ignore that.”

  She drew slightly away. “But it’s late. Everyone’s asleep. You need to go, Sam. It could be an emergency. Otis or Roscoe or…”

  He took in a long, deep breath and pressed his forehead to hers. “Money, I feel like the entire universe is against me. How else to explain this lousy timing?”

  Despite the heat of passion, she found herself laughing. “Whatever the reason, I’ve just been saved by the bell. Or should I say by the door?”

  “Saved? Woman, this little interruption has just robbed us both of paradise. Don’t move. I’ll be back.” He brushed a quick, hard kiss over her mouth before striding toward her door, just as another, louder knock sounded downstairs.

  When he was gone, Penny sat down weakly on the edge of her mattress, aware that her legs were trembling.

  Another minute and she would have been lost.

  She pressed her hands to her hot cheeks.

  Or maybe she would have been found. She no longer knew. No longer felt like fighting these feelings.

  It was impossible to listen to her brain when she was around Sam. Whenever he touched her, kissed her, she lost all common sense.

  She closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to give in to the feelings he aroused in her.

  He’d called it paradise. Her blood heated at the very thought of lying with him.

  Hearing voices coming up the stairs, she got to her feet and hurried across the room to peer out her door at their nighttime visitor.

  “Mary Pat.” The name came out in a rush of joy. “Oh, we’ve all been worried about you.”

  Just then Mac’s bedroom door was thrown open and he stepped out, barefoot, his jeans unsnapped, slipping his arms into a plaid shirt.

  He stopped and stared,
before a wide smile touched all his haggard features with light.

  Mary Pat paused to give Penny a warm embrace. “Oh, it’s so good to be back.”

  She glanced beyond Penny to the man who was watching in silence. “I heard I caused you all to worry. I’m sorry about that. I’m here now, all safe and sound.”

  When Mac remained perfectly still, she turned toward the empty guest room. “If I don’t get into that bed soon, I’ll fall asleep right here on the floor. I’ve been driving for hours just to make it back.”

  Mac found his voice and hurried forward. “I’ll get you some clean linens.”

  As the two of them walked past, Penny looked up to see Sam standing at the head of the stairs, watching her with a smoldering look.

  She took in a deep breath before calling softly, “It’s late. Good night, Sam. See you in the morning.”

  “Yeah.” He winked. “I guess I’ll take comfort in the fact that there’s always tomorrow.”

  Penny watched him make his way to his room at the other end of the hallway.

  She closed her door and crossed the room. Instead of slipping into bed, she paused at the window and drew her arms around herself. With her eyes closed, she could still taste him. Dark and dangerous and…and sexy enough to make her forget every rule she’d ever set for herself.

  As a novice teacher, she’d promised herself that she would adhere to higher standards than others.

  As a woman, she now realized this dangerous bad boy made all her promises seem silly and useless, in light of everything he offered.

  Chapter Sixteen

  With morning chores behind them, the family gathered around the kitchen table, eager to hear the details of Mary Pat’s latest adventure.

  Penny was aware of Sam, sleeves rolled above his elbows, his hair still damp, watching her. When he caught her eye, he winked. There it was again. That quick, unnerving tingle in the pit of her stomach.

  “So.” Mac tipped up his mug of coffee and drank. “How many ranches were you able to visit this time?”

  “Only half a dozen.” Mary Pat accepted a plate of eggs scrambled with grilled onions and peppers and topped with melted cheese, and gave a sigh of pleasure. “Penny, I can’t tell you how wonderful this is. The thought of your incredible cooking kept me going the last endless, snow-covered miles.”