The Courting Cowboy

by Tara Janzen

  “Great.” Corey grinned from ear to ear. “That’s just great.”

  Eleven

  Ty turned to Victoria, a small grin teasing his mouth. “He’ll be thirteen next month. I guess at that age, watching a movie together is about as official and romantic as a date can get.” He moved closer with every word, setting aside the bowl of popcorn and letting the newspaper slide to the floor, until they were both on her side of the couch, taking up hardly any room at all. “I’ve got the rest of the Star Wars trilogy, a few Star Trek movies, and all of the Indiana Jones stuff. Corey tried to stick with either science fiction movies or movies about scientists. What do you think?”

  She thought Ty Garrett was wonderful. She thought she’d never seen eyes so purely gray, or known anyone so incredibly, physically sensual. He fascinated her. The feelings he aroused and sated were mesmerizingly seductive. She wanted more of them. She wanted more of him. She thought she was in love.

  “More of the star ones, I believe,” she said. “The first star ones.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Let me know when you see stars.” He lowered his head and kissed her slowly and sweetly.

  She did see stars, and she heard bells, and felt fireworks go off in explosions of sensation inside her body as well as out. When he lifted his head, she was dreamy with anticipation.

  “The chaperoning isn’t working out too well, is it?” she said.

  “It’s working out perfectly,” he assured her between more kisses. “Corey will be asleep in half an hour, and Lacey won’t be here until seven o’clock tomorrow morning.”

  “Perfect,” she murmured in agreement.

  He kissed her once more quickly, then stood up and walked over to the VCR to put in the new movie. On his way back to the couch, he pulled his shirt free of his jeans and snapped it open. Victoria’s temperature rose.

  “I don’t want things to get out of hand or anything,” he said, “but I don’t want to waste half an hour of the weekend either, not when we’ve gotten off to such a good start. Not when we could spend it in some good old-fashioned necking.” He settled down next to her and drew her into his lap.

  “Necking?” She knew what he was talking about, but it was something she’d never done. Goodness knows, though, she’d never done what they’d done in the barn either, and that had worked out amazingly well. It was astounding, really, how well it had all worked out.

  “Yeah,” he drawled, pulling her down closer. “That’s where we kiss a lot, and touch a lot, but only in designated areas. Some places are off-limits, depending on whether we’re at first base, or second base, or third base.”

  She’d been wrong. She had no idea what he was talking about.

  “That’s how we keep things from getting out of hand,” he continued. “That and you keeping your clothes buttoned and zipped. If your clothes start coming off, nothing’s going to keep me from coming on to you. Then we lose.”

  “Lose?”

  “Or win.” He grinned. “I guess it’s all how you look at it.”

  “What are we talking about, exactly?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t being too forward.

  “Well, in those books you read, they probably didn’t call it necking.”

  “I don’t remember the term from my research, although it is familiar. It’s something teenagers do in cars, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, and when adults do it in the privacy of their own homes, it’s more technically referred to as foreplay. But since like those kids in the cars we’re not supposed to go too far until Corey goes to sleep, I thought necking was the more quantitative word.”

  She laughed, finally understanding. “You’ve been reading too many science reports.”

  “Only the teacher’s comments,” he replied, his grin broadening.

  She snuggled closer and traced his grin with her fingertips. The smile faded from his lips, and his eyes grew dark and serious.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman to touch, and love, and make love with, and I’ve never had anybody do to me what you did to me in the barn.”

  “Did I do something wrong?” she asked, suddenly unsure. She pulled back, but he didn’t let her get very far.

  “No, honey. You did everything right. More right than I’ve ever had it before. Maybe that’s a little scarier than I thought it would be.”

  Victoria knew what he meant. What had happened had been wonderful, more than wonderful, and if he was the expert and he was worried, she probably should be too. She’d sworn never to let another man rule her life, no matter how benign the rules and the ruler. But Ty had something she wanted, something she hadn’t known existed until they’d made love. She wanted that magical, thrilling closeness they’d shared and the sweet aftermath. She wanted it with him, and she wanted it more than was wise or prudent.

  “How long until we can go to bed?” she asked.

  He checked his watch. “Twenty minutes, give or take a few. Corey has had a big day, and excitement will usually wear kids out quicker than anything, even at his age.”

  “What about at your age?” A teasing glow lit her eyes, and his body quickened.

  “At my age it’s just the opposite. At my age it’s the excitement that keeps you up all night.”

  “Good.” She ran her hand up his chest. “Now, where are all these bases you were talking about?”

  * * *

  Thanksgiving dawned overcast and snowing, but by midday the sun had broken through the clouds and sent streamers of light into the Garrett kitchen. They glanced off pots and pans, shone on mounds of vegetables and spices, and glistened over the tops of freshly baked pumpkin and cherry pies.

  Victoria had never taken part in so much organized chaos. Lacey had put her to work chopping, peeling, and reading recipes aloud over the din created by Corey as he set not only the fancy dinner table, but the kitchen table for breakfast, then did the cleanup after the first meal of the day.

  Ty was noticeably absent between meals, but after lunch he coaxed her out of the house for another horseback ride, assuring her Corey and Lacey were old hands at putting together the Thanksgiving feast.

  “We’ll have to do all the dishes afterward, but at least this year I’ll have help,” he told her, holding her hand as they crossed the yard to the barn.

  Victoria loved the feel of his large, leather-gloved hand encompassing her much smaller one. “From the looks of everything Lacey had going in the kitchen, we could be up all night cleaning up the mess.” She laughed when she said it, but she also thought it was the truth. Lacey cooked with every spoon in the house.

  He held her hand tighter and gave her a teasing grin. “That’s okay. Staying up all night with you is getting to be my favorite pastime.”

  She colored slightly, but she didn’t pull her hand away. His grin widened, and after a moment’s embarrassed silence a smile of her own teased the corners of her lips. He was right, and he knew it. After only one night, staying up all night with him had already become her favorite pastime.

  He had awakened her in the hour before dawn to make love to her one more time before he left for his own bed. The words he’d whispered of love and passion, of needs and pleasure, had been seared upon her heart. She’d lain in bed after he’d gone, wondering about what she’d done and where it could or would lead. She’d wondered about what kind of future they could have together, and she’d wondered if she’d completely lost her senses.

  She glanced at the tall man walking by her side. For all her wondering, though, she’d come up with surprisingly few answers. Only that she was there with him, and if he kissed her, she would gladly surrender her senses again, time after time.

  Ty needed no more invitation than the look in her eyes to lower his head and softly plunder her mouth. He would never get enough. Lord knows, he’d tried in the night. He’d held back at first, not wanting to offend her with something he might do. But as they had gotten to know each other’s bodies, he’d pushed a little further into the realm of his sexual fanta
sies and found her open and willing, surprised sometimes, but eager to learn.

  Then she’d whispered in his ear, and in one fell swoop he had gained a new appreciation of library research. She may never have actually done anything beyond the “basic moves,” but she had truly studied sex in a very scientific and comprehensive manner. It had all been amazing. He still couldn’t believe his luck—going from years of near-perfect celibacy to finding a woman he was falling in love with who knew how to do things he’d never dreamed of.

  He finished the kiss and ran his hands through the wild curls falling past her shoulders. She had the most delicious skin, and she’d left her hair free to frame her delicate face and wide brown eyes. Sunlight shot through it, bringing out the red highlights.

  “You’re beautiful, Victoria.”

  “So are you,” she whispered shyly, looking up at him through her dark lashes, her glasses perched on her nose.

  He had no idea what a man said to a comment like that, but it struck him like a bolt of lightning that he ought to ask her to be his wife while they were standing right there in front of the barn. His next thought was that he’d better slow down. He was sure of what he wanted, but he didn’t want to scare her off. She had told him once how she felt about marriage. It was out of the question, she’d said. Of course, she’d said the same thing about kissing and sex, and they had certainly gotten well into the finer points of both those off-limit subjects.

  Marriage was different, though. Marriage was a lifetime commitment, and she’d be committing to a rancher and a father. A man already committed to the land, a whole bunch of cows, and one special child. Any way you looked at it, it was a lot of commitment, a lot to ask of any woman.

  Inside the barn he saddled their horses, his own bay gelding and a sorrel mare for Victoria. All the while he stole glances at her, watching her face come alive as she talked about the fun she’d had in the kitchen with his friend and his son. He watched her quick smiles come and go, and the seriously thoughtful look that came over her whenever she mentioned her work. She was beautiful, and he was in love, head over heels.

  So watch your step, Ty, he told himself. No rushing her fences. He’d take his time, play it easy, and absolutely not ask her to marry him until Saturday night at the earliest. That gave him two more days to get her around to his way of thinking, two more days and two more nights.

  With his arm around her shoulders he led the horses outside. “I thought we’d ride over to Lacey’s. She’s got a few things over at her place you might find interesting.” He boosted her up onto the mare, then checked her stirrups and handed her the reins.

  “The puppies?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “Lacey always has a batch of puppies or kittens either here or on the way. But she’s also got buffalo, about fifty of them.” He swung himself up into the saddle.

  “Lacey has a buffalo herd?” Victoria knew she shouldn’t be so surprised. A woman who made dim sum wearing spurs could probably do anything.

  “I don’t know if fifty animals constitutes a herd of buffalo, but it’s a passel of them. She and her partner supply meat to a few fancy restaurants in Denver and Boulder.”

  “The woman is amazing.” Victoria gave her horse a kick to keep up with Ty.

  “She is that,” he agreed. “She sure helped us out when my folks died, taking care of Corey and all.”

  “How long ago was that?” she asked, concern softening her voice.

  “About five years ago last spring. They were headed into Denver for something, got in a wreck on the highway. Killed both of them outright.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He nodded in acknowledgment of her sympathy. “It was tough on Corey and me, but it was probably easier on the two of them to go together like that. Lacey and my mom were good friends, so she just kind of took over for a while, until Corey and I could get our bearings.”

  They rode quietly for the next few minutes. The sunlight slowly faded, hidden by a low bank of gray clouds rolling in across the sky.

  “It’s been hard out here,” he said, breaking the silence but keeping his gaze firmly on the western horizon. “Damn hard, trying to keep the ranch going. At first I didn’t have much time or inclination for women. Then when I got the inclination, I still didn’t have the time, until you showed up and I started making time any way I could.”

  Victoria turned in her saddle, fascinated by what he was saying. It sounded amazingly like a declaration.

  He continued doggedly onward. “There’s something about you, something really special. I knew it that night I first picked you up for the dance, and I guess I just wanted you to know that you’re the first woman I’ve had out to stay with me and Corey. You’re the first woman I ever made love to in my own house. Hell.” He laughed self-consciously. “You’re the first woman I’ve made love to in so long, I’m surprised I got it right.”

  It was all a bit after the fact, but Victoria didn’t mind in the least.

  “I think we got it quite right,” she was surprised to hear herself say.

  “We sure did.” He looked over at her and grinned, then pulled his hat down lower on his forehead. He was the perfect American cowboy, a man of the West, riding easy in the saddle, his shoulders broad, his face youthfully handsome.

  She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to that part, his youthfulness. She knew he was a few years older than herself, but anyone under fifty qualified as young in her book. Under forty was practically adolescent.

  She loved looking at him, the same way she loved touching him. He had been a treasure to explore in the night. His body had been sensitive to her every caress. In his lean, hardened state, his responses had been easy to feel, and sense, and see.

  Whether she dared or not, she had fallen in love.

  * * *

  For all her talk, Victoria had never actually seen a buffalo, let alone fifty of them on the loose. They were much bigger than she had thought, hairier and burlier. They were more serious looking than cows too, with their huge heads, humped backs, and beady eyes.

  “You get a few thousand of them, or a few hundred thousand, thundering across the plains,” Ty said, “and they’ll cut a swath bigger than half the Sky Canyon. The white man had to work pretty darn hard to kill them all off.”

  “So he could subjugate the Native Americans.” Victoria quietly added her piece, watching the majestic beasts graze on the short prairie grass.

  Ty nodded in agreement. “It would be like going into Denver and cleaning out all the grocery stores, emptying the shelves and locking the doors, calling off all shipments. People would start starving, and once the children started dying and the old people suffering, why, you could go in there and pretty much get the rest of them to do whatever you wanted. That was the whole plan, right here in Colorado. Kill off the buffalo methodically, completely, and starve the Indians out.” They sat on their horses in silence, watching the buffalo slowly eat their way toward a different patch of ground. An old bull, shaggier than all the rest, snorted and shook his head, sending up a cloud of gray dust.

  “It would be amazing, wouldn’t it?” Victoria said. “To see thousands and thousands of them trailing north into Wyoming, protected and free.”

  “Trampling fences and edging out the cattle, which is what people really want to eat, despite Lacey’s fancy restaurant market.” Ty swung his bay around, calmly giving her his opinion.

  “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on the Buffalo Commons idea,” she said, fighting a smile. He’d spoken like a true rancher, like a man born and bred to the land and cattle.

  “I’m all for agreeing on things,” he said, a slow, easy smile spreading across his face. “Especially with you. Now, Lacey, she’s more on your side to begin with, but only if she gets to own all those wild and free buffalo and can talk people into eating them three times a day.”

  Victoria laughed and turned her horse to head back home with him. “Where did she ever learn how to make dim sum like that? We had
a Chinese cook once who couldn’t make a steamed dumpling as tender as Lacey’s.”

  “She and Walter traveled a lot before he died, and everywhere they went, they ate, and everything they ate, Lacey learned how to cook. She is the undisputed culinary queen of four counties. She’s probably the only person I know who might have been as many places as you have.”

  Victoria gave him a surprised look. “Why didn’t she mention any of her travels the other night? When we were running down the itinerary of my life?”

  Ty cleared his throat and rearranged his hat before answering. “Maybe she thought your travels were more interesting, or maybe she just thought you were more interesting.”

  “Well, that was terribly polite of her, but knowing we had something in common would have made me feel less like I was being interviewed to be your—” Victoria stopped herself in the nick of time, stunned by her own runaway mouth. She’d been about to say “your wife,” and wouldn’t that have been awful. “To be her employee or something.”

  Ty caught her hesitation, and he knew exactly which word she’d stumbled over. Wife. If she couldn’t even say it, he didn’t know how he’d get her to be one. Thankfully, he had time on his side. If Saturday felt like too soon, he could wait a week or even two. Then again, winter was getting ready to come on good, and he’d sure like to spend this one with Victoria at his side.

  Twelve

  Friday and Saturday were wonderful days filled with sunset-watching and sunrise loving, horseback rides and ranching chores, stolen kisses and generous helpings of affection, and turkey-eating. Lacey made turkey benedict, turkey crepes, turkey sandwiches, turkey a la king, and turkey tetrazzini. She did not, the truth finally came out, believe in freezing turkey meat.

  Despite the overdose of poultry, Victoria was having the time of her life. During her few quiet, private moments, she found herself wishing the holiday would never end. The Sky Canyon ranch and its people fit her like a family, with herself as the missing piece to make the picture whole. Corey needed a mother and Ty needed a wife. More important, she was beginning to realize that she needed them. Not all husbands were like Charles, who though he hadn’t been bad as husbands went, she supposed, had certainly given her no reason to miss the married state.