A Cowboy's Charm

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “Nah. This is all about me. You don’t have to do much except lie there.”

  “After what you did, I feel compelled to contribute.” She grasped his hips, and on the next down-stroke, she did a sly little rotation. His involuntary gasp must have tickled her because she smiled. “Like that?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Then maybe I’ll just do it some more.”

  In no time at all, he’d lost control of the situation. Her hip rotation had him struggling to keep from coming and his whole plan had been to give her one more climax. He’d figured that if he played it cool, the next one would sneak up on her.

  Instead he was ready to boil over at any minute and she was calm and collected. Or maybe not. That gleam in her eyes…and the extra pressure of her fingertips digging into his shoulders…

  Yep, there was that telltale squeeze on his cock. “Tapped out?”

  She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Maybe not.”

  “I definitely think not.”

  “Just don’t expect—” She clutched his shoulders and arched off the bed. “Hallelujah! Here I go again!”

  As she gasped and swore, he pounded into her and followed her over the brink. Damn this was good!

  No wonder his favorite place was W-I-T-H-K-M. He could get even more specific than that. His favorite place was right here, between her satin thighs, his cock buried deep. Given that, he might want to decline a turn with the Ouija board next time someone brought it out.

  * * *

  Quinn wasn’t surprised that Kendra liked to cuddle after vigorous sex. If this had been a test to see whether they were sexually compatible, they’d passed with flying colors. By mutual agreement, they curled up together for a little catnap.

  He didn’t plan to sleep long and he was good at setting an internal alarm. Although she hadn’t said anything, he doubted she’d want him to stay until morning in case one of her boys spotted him coming out of the ranch house. Long before dawn he’d be back in his cabin and nobody would be the wiser.

  When he woke up and saw the pale light of dawn filtering through the pine branches outside her bedroom window, he cussed softly to himself. His internal alarm had failed for the first time in years.

  She was still zonked. What now? He hated waking her, but they needed to discuss this. He wasn’t about to sneak out, hoping for the best, without asking how she wanted to handle it. Her kids, her decision.

  Combing her hair back from her cheek, he dropped a kiss on her warm skin. Too bad he couldn’t make that a prelude to an intimate caress. His cock would happily go along with that program. He hadn’t experienced morning wood in a while. Inconvenient, but kind of nice that she inspired that in him.

  She mumbled something and slept on. He put his mouth close to her ear. “Kendra, wake up.”

  She sat up very fast. If he hadn’t reacted, she would have bashed him in the face. “What?” Confusion clouded her eyes. “What are you…” Her gaze sharpened and pink tinged her cheeks. “Oh.” Then she glanced over at the window. “Oh!”

  “My fault. I intended to sleep for an hour or so and head back to the cabin. But—”

  “Cody’s probably down at the barn. Maybe Zane, too. Normally I’m there by now.”

  “I’m really sorry.”

  “Not your responsibility. I should have set an alarm.”

  “How do you want to handle this?”

  She ran her hands through her hair. “I’m thinking.”

  “I could just get dressed and walk to the cabin. They might be in the barn. It could be a non-issue.”

  “It might be a non-issue even if they saw you.”

  “I suppose, but they still might be startled if I come strolling out of your house.”

  “Or not. Deidre got me aside in the kitchen last night. While we fetched the pencils, they came up with a plan to calm my boys’ fears. And maybe convince them they don’t need to go into protective mode.”

  “How would they do that?”

  “Faith would talk with Cody, Mandy would talk with Zane, Nicole would talk with Bryce and so on.”

  “Huh.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and encountered the stiff bristle of his beard. “What were they planning to say?”

  “That you weren’t a threat to the status quo. We’re just…having fun. You have your life and I have mine. Stuff like that. Mostly what you and I discussed last night.”

  “It’s a good idea. I should talk to Roxanne, too. She moved here partly to be out on her own. She needs to know that dear old dad won’t suddenly be living here.”

  “Right.”

  “I’ll also have a discussion with my boys at some point.”

  “Would you need to? Aren’t all your kids used to you dating?”

  “Uh, yeah, but—” How to explain the difference? “I think it was obvious I wasn’t…strongly attached.”

  She studied him. “You were just having fun?”

  “Not this much fun.” Maybe he shouldn’t have said that, but it had popped out. The discussion was getting tricky.

  “Hm.”

  “It’s late.” He climbed out of bed. “We’d better come up with our game plan, whatever it’s going to be.”

  Her gaze traveled over him. “You’re a hell of a handsome guy, Quinn.”

  “You’re a hell of a beautiful woman, Kendra. I would love to spend the rest of the day in bed with you, but that’s not in the cards.”

  “Have you ever spent a whole day in bed with someone?”

  “No, ma’am. Have you?”

  “No. Never even thought of it. But I’m thinking about it, now.”

  “We don’t live that kind of life. Neither of us has the luxury of an entire day to do nothing but amuse each other.”

  “I guess not.” She smiled. “Maybe we wouldn’t make it through a whole day. Maybe we’d get bored.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “No.”

  “Me, either.”

  She took a deep breath, making her breasts quiver invitingly. “Here’s what I think we should do.”

  “Say to hell with everything and fly to Tahiti?”

  She gave him a long look as if she might be imagining it.

  He was, and he’d never had that kind of fantasy in his life. But to be alone with her, somewhere warm, without responsibilities…to have the freedom to eat, sleep and make love any time of the day or night…yeah, he could go for that.

  “Let’s take a quick shower, get dressed, and walk down to the barn together. We’ll talk to them about this. Get it out in the open.”

  He nodded. “Good plan.”

  “If Faith and Mandy have laid the groundwork, it should be fairly easy. If they haven’t, it’s even more important that we not sneak around as if we’ve done something wrong.”

  “Which we haven’t.” He glanced at the rumpled bed and the lovely woman he’d shared it with. “Just the opposite. This feels more right than anything I’ve done in a long, long time.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kendra sent Quinn down the hall to the bathroom her boys used when they’d lived at home. He chose to make the trip naked while carrying his bundle of clothes under his arm.

  She leaned in the doorway and shamelessly watched his progress. What a great butt. “There’s a package of disposable razors in the cabinet under the sink,” she called after him.

  “Thanks.” He turned and walked backwards as he kept talking. “I need to get kiss-worthy again.” Clearly he didn’t give a damn that he was giving her a full-frontal show.

  “Sounds good to me.” Everything about him sounded good to her. His nonchalance about being naked was catching. They were alone in the house, so why not stand in her bedroom doorway wearing nothing?

  “Are you sure we can’t shower together?” He grinned at her. “Saves water.”

  “No, it won’t because we’ll fool around in there. This will save time and water.”

  “Assuming you go jump in the shower instead o
f standing there ogling me.”

  “I’m just making sure you know where you’re going, which you clearly don’t. You just passed up the bathroom.”

  “Because I’m ogling you.”

  “Okay, okay. Meet you in the living room in ten minutes.” She turned and dashed into the master bath. Yikes. Her hair was sticking out in all directions but she sure looked happy.

  She took the fastest shower in history, singing Girls Just Want to Have Fun at the top of her lungs. Dressing in record time, she quickly damp-dried her hair and made it into the living room in nine minutes, flat.

  Quinn was waiting for her, his hair still wet and a tiny piece of toilet paper stuck to his jaw where he’d shaved too quickly and nicked himself. He’d put on the denim jacket he’d left hanging on the coat tree but left it unbuttoned. He held his hat in one hand.

  His smile was a mile wide when she walked in. “Damn, lady. How do you do that?”

  “What?”

  “Look wholesome and sexy at the same time.”

  “I do?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He gestured toward her. “Jacket, blouse, jeans, boots, no makeup. You’re even wearing a baseball cap, for crying out loud. Can’t get more wholesome than that. And I’m developing a woody.”

  “Because of what we’ve been doing.”

  “Nope. You’ve affected me like this from day one. It’s worse, now, or better, whichever way I choose to look at it. But I’ve wanted you from the get-go.”

  Her body tightened. “Same here.”

  “So even though my face is as smooth as a baby’s butt, I’m not going to kiss you. That was my plan, but I can’t take a chance I’ll get carried away.”

  “That we’ll get carried away. I’m in the same fix as you, buddy. That trip to Tahiti sounds really good right now.”

  “We’d freak out our kids.”

  “I know. We’re not doing it, but it’s fun to think about.” She took a deep breath. “Ready?”

  “Ready if you are.” He walked over and opened the front door. “After you.”

  She stepped out on the porch. A breeze cooled her cheeks as she checked out the activity down by the barn. Zane’s truck was there and the barn door was open. Then Zane came out and gazed up at the house.

  She waved and he lifted his arm as if to wave back. Then he paused and lowered his arm.

  Quinn’s hand gripped her shoulder. “He just saw me come up behind you,” he murmured. “He’s waiting for us. Let’s go.”

  This moment had been easier in her head. Zane nudged back his hat and stood in front of the open barn door, feet braced apart, thumbs hooked in his belt loops. Ian used to take that stance when he had something weighty to think about.

  She didn’t want to cause Zane, or any of her sons, anxiety. She didn’t want to be a problem they had to work out. By accepting Quinn into her life—into her bed, to be more specific—she might have done that.

  Cody’s voice drifted from inside the barn. Zane turned and said something back before facing the house again. Then Cody came out and took a position next to Zane, copying his stance.

  She was too nervous to smile at that, but it was cute, all the same. High noon. Except they weren’t gunning for her. They loved her and she loved them. Change was hard.

  When she and Quinn were about ten yards away, she called out good morning and smiled. Zane and Cody responded in kind but neither of them returned her smile. Ah, my sweet boys. It will be okay.

  Eventually she was close enough to pause and say something. “This may be a little awkward for both of you.”

  Zane nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “But Faith talked to me about it last night,” Cody said, “and I’m okay with it. I shouldn’t speak for Zane.”

  “I’m—” Zane stopped to clear his throat. “I’m okay with it, too. It’s just…different.”

  “I understand. But I want you to know this doesn’t change anything.”

  “Sure it does, Mom.” Zane regarded her steadily. “You’ve never had a guy in your life before. This is a change. There’s no getting around that.” He glanced at Quinn. “Nothing against you, but—”

  “What your mother means is that I don’t plan to disrupt anything. I have my ranch in Spokane and running that takes up the bulk of my time. Kendra and I will see each other when we can, but it’s not like I’ll be hanging out here on a regular basis.”

  “That’s what Faith said, too.” Cody frowned. “And I don’t get it. Seems like if you enjoy being with someone you’d want to be around them a lot.”

  “Exactly.” Zane adjusted the fit of his hat. “This whole deal makes no sense to me, either.”

  She wasn’t surprised. “Quinn and I are coming at our relationship from a different place than we would have if we’d met when we were younger. He’s built his life in Spokane and I’ve built mine in Eagles Nest, so—”

  “You can’t ever be together?” Cody gazed at them in confusion. “How is that a good thing?”

  “It’s our compromise.” She didn’t expect him to understand. “Bottom line, I’m never leaving Wild Creek Ranch.”

  “Good.” He heaved a sigh. “That’s good.”

  “Like Quinn said, we’ll see each other when we can.”

  “How often?” Cody still looked confused on that point.

  She glanced at Quinn. “We haven’t talked about that. But it’s a long trip, so—”

  “Maybe every couple of months,” Quinn said. “We have to see how things go.”

  “Every couple of months? Won’t you miss each other?”

  Zane gave his brother a warning glance. “That’s not our business. Or our problem.”

  “I know, but if it turns out they really miss each other and she decides to spend a lot of time in Spokane, then that’s our problem.”

  “I promise that won’t happen.”

  “I promise, too,” Quinn said. “I won’t take her away from here. I’ll make the trip down.”

  She blinked. “You will?”

  “Yes.”

  “But that doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Let him do that, Mom,” Cody said. “He’s got that cool motorcycle. I’m sure he enjoys riding it. Besides, Roxanne’s here, so he’s got another reason to come to town. You’d only have him up there, so logically he should—”

  Jim’s truck pulled in next to Zane’s and Zane lowered his voice. “Does Jim know about this?”

  “I’m sure Deidre filled him in,” Kendra said.

  Cody leaned toward her. “But he couldn’t know that Quinn spent—”

  “He doesn’t need to know that,” Zane said. Then he raised his voice. “Hi, Jim! Think it’ll rain?”

  “Weather report says not ‘till tonight.” Jim ambled toward them. “Howdy, Quinn. Deidre told me you took part in the Ouija board shenanigans last night. She was impressed.”

  Quinn laughed. “It was interesting.”

  “You stuffed birdseed bags and messed with the Ouija board?” Cody’s eyebrows almost disappeared under his hat.

  “Sure, why not?”

  “You wouldn’t catch me sitting down at that board. I don’t want anybody poking around in my subconscious.” He glanced at Zane. “Did you ever fool with that thing?”

  “Not me.” A shrill whinny issued from the depths of the barn. “That would be Winston. Unless we want him to organize a revolt, we’d better finish up in there.”

  “Quinn and I will take the new barn,” Kendra said.

  Zane met her gaze and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Then he turned his attention to Jim. “I’ve sorted the tack and put aside everything that needs repairing before the trail ride Saturday.”

  “Excellent. I’ll get right on it this morning.”

  The trail ride. How had she managed to forget that she was scheduled to go out with Zane tomorrow, not to mention making the lunches for the group of six who’d reserved a spot?

  Zane glanced at her. “Are you still available for Saturday or do you want Cody to
go?”

  “Of course I’m available.” She wanted to say something more to Zane and Cody, but with Jim there she couldn’t close out the conversation the way she would have liked. “Guess we’d better get a move on. See you all later.”

  Quinn walked beside her as they headed for the second barn. “I forgot that you do trail rides every weekend.”

  “You have no reason to remember. It’s a little scary that I forgot, though.”

  “You did? I couldn’t tell from your reaction.”

  “I hope Zane couldn’t tell, either. I think he was testing me by offering to put Cody in my spot.”

  “No reason to. It’s not like I expect you to spend the day with me. I need to track down a fuel tank for my bike.”

  “Any more leads?”

  “Maybe. I have a couple of phone messages I haven’t listened to yet.”

  “Gee, I wonder why.”

  “It’s a mystery named Kendra McGavin. But even assuming I score a fuel tank today, I won’t be leaving until tomorrow at the earliest. Is anything going on tonight?”

  “Like what?”

  “Family gatherings, bachelorette parties, sleepovers with your Whine and Cheese—”

  “Nothing’s going on.”

  “Then you and I could have the evening to ourselves?”

  The heat that she’d kept on low during the conversation with her sons ramped up several degrees. “As far as I know. What do you have in mind?”

  His chuckle was soft and intimate.

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “Yes, it is.” He glanced at her. “I’ll leave you to fill in the blanks.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Quinn shared breakfast with Kendra and Jim again. This morning he handled it better and so did she, evidently. She didn’t drop anything. The promise of spending an entire night in her bed kept his frustration level down, too. He couldn’t kiss her now, but he would kiss the hell out of her later.

  His phone messages yielded two more potential fuel tanks and he borrowed Kendra’s truck for the day to go check them out. He made the Bozeman appointment for mid-morning and the Billings one for mid-afternoon. That left him time to take his daughter to lunch.