Cowboy Defender

by Carla Cassidy

  “Yes, I do.” He definitely needed to get out of the house and into the fresh air where he wouldn’t smell her sweet fragrance. He needed to do something physical that would hopefully use up some of the adrenaline that filled him. He desperately needed to focus on something other than his simmering desire for her. That’s why he had called Flint at the crack of dawn to set up the day of outside work.

  “It’s not that big of a job,” he continued. “Somebody is eventually going to get hurt on those stairs and it might be one of the kids, and I know you don’t want that.”

  “Of course I don’t want that. Still, it’s not your job to do. I intended to eventually hire somebody.”

  “It needs to be done and I’m here and ready.” The doorbell rang and he stood. “And now Flint is here, so please, no more protests.” He went to the door and opened it for the tall, lanky, blond-haired cowboy.

  “Hey, Flint,” Clay greeted his friend and led him into the kitchen. “This is Miranda. Miranda, this is Flint.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Flint said and swept his black hat off his head.

  “It’s nice to meet you, too. I told Clay this wasn’t necessary,” she said.

  “No offense, ma’am, but I just walked up those porch steps. I’d say a little work on them is definitely necessary,” Flint replied.

  “And I definitely intend to pay you both for materials and labor,” she told him.

  “You can figure that out with Clay,” Flint responded.

  “And we can talk about that later,” Clay said. “Now, let’s get to it.” Even now, just standing close to Miranda, he wanted her. He just hoped doing this physical work would allow him to release some of the taut tension inside him. “We’ll see you later,” he said to Miranda, and then he and Flint left the house.

  “I think I’ve got everything we need for the repair job.” Flint eyed the stairs and railings.

  Clay looked beyond Flint to the truck in the driveway that held new lumber and tools. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate the help.”

  “No problem,” Flint replied. “And you know I don’t want any money for this. I like the idea of you owing me. That way, anytime I want I can force you to muck out the stables on the days it’s my job.”

  “We’ll have to figure out how many days of mucking this job is worth,” Clay said as the two men walked to the truck to unload the lumber.

  “I figure at least a dozen,” Flint replied.

  “Ha, and I figure you’re nuts.” Clay laughed.

  It was another bright and beautiful day and although the temperature was mild, it didn’t take long for Clay to work up a sweat.

  As the two worked on ripping out the old steps and railings, Flint caught him up on everything going on back at the ranch.

  “Cassie hired a new guy. His name is Alex Scott and he’s from Texas.”

  “What brings him to Bitterroot?” Clay asked curiously.

  “Abe Breckinridge is his great uncle.” Flint used a hammer to pound out a rotten rail spindle.

  “So, why isn’t he working for Abe?” Clay asked. Abe Breckinridge owned a cattle spread almost as big as the Holiday Ranch. The old man and Cass had been good friends before Cass’s death.

  “He said he didn’t like mixing family and business,” Flint replied.

  “What do you think of him?”

  “He seems all right. He’s a good worker, but seems a bit private,” Flint said and then went on to talk about other things that had happened at the ranch since Clay had been gone.

  “What have you heard from Forest?” Flint asked.

  Forest Stevens had been one of the boys brought to the ranch, and he had also been Clay’s closest friend. When Adam Benson’s murder victims’ skeletons had been dug up beneath an old shed after the tornado, Dillon had called in Dr. Patience Forbes, a forensic anthropologist, to help with the case. The feisty red-head had captured Forest’s heart, and when she’d gone back to Oklahoma City, Forest had gone with her.

  “I talked to him last week and the big news is Patience is pregnant.”

  “That’s great,” Flint replied. “I’m sure he’s over the moon about it.”

  They stopped talking and got busy. The two men worked well together. They had often worked together in the past to repair a variety of outbuildings on the Holiday Ranch.

  It was just after noon when Miranda appeared in the front door. “Why don’t you two knock off for a few minutes and come inside and eat some lunch. I just made some ham and cheese sandwiches and I’ve got tall glasses of iced tea.”

  “You sure don’t have to ask me twice,” Flint said and set down the hammer he’d been using.

  “I’m right behind you,” Clay replied.

  Miranda had the table set with big sandwiches, a bag of chips and the cold drinks. They washed up at the kitchen sink and then sat to eat.

  “This is really nice of you,” Flint said as he grabbed a handful of chips to add to his plate.

  “Goodness, it’s the least I can do considering what you are doing for me. I’m just happy to get the stairs and railings fixed.”

  “Aren’t you going to join us?” Clay asked.

  “No, I’m fine. I just want to see that the two of you are fed and watered well.” She stood next to the sink and the sunshine drifting through the window danced in her hair. Geez, even eating a ham and cheese sandwich, he wanted her.

  “Clay told me about everything that’s happened to you,” Flint said. “I hope you’re doing okay.”

  “I’m doing much better, although I don’t know what I would have done without Clay here. He’s been great with my kids and has been taking good care of all of us.” She smiled at him.

  “It’s been my pleasure,” he replied and then focused on his sandwich. Since the night when they had started something that had been stopped by Robby, Clay had had trouble thinking about anything else.

  They hadn’t discussed it and she acted like it had never happened, which made him believe she regretted it. That night they had definitely moved out of the friend zone. And now they were back firmly in that zone. The only thing he regretted was that Robby had brought a halt to it long before Clay had wanted it to end.

  He was grateful when lunch was over and the two men got back to work. He needed to keep himself busy. Surely by the end of the day he’d have better control of the longing that swept through him over and over again while he was in her presence.

  “You know she’s crazy about you,” Flint said once they were back outside.

  Clay laughed, despite the quick flutter of his heart. “I don’t think so.”

  “I know what I saw. Man, I’m telling you, the way she looks at you when you aren’t looking at her tells me she’s head over heels for you.”

  Flint’s words played and replayed through Clay’s mind as the two continued to work. Was it possible she was really ready to take their relationship into something deeper?

  Certainly it seemed that way on Thursday night when she’d kissed him with so much passion. Of course, he knew a man and a woman could share a wealth of physical desire that had nothing to do with love. And there was also the very real possibility that Flint was wrong. Flint’s words had only managed to confuse Clay and it was a confusion that wasn’t going to be resolved until Miranda made a move.

  As the afternoon wore on and the heat of the day peaked, Clay took off his shirt and Flint did the same. “I didn’t think it was supposed to get so hot today,” Clay said.

  “Yeah, and we have the possibility of some strong storms blowing through after sunset,” Flint replied.

  “Ah, spring,” Clay replied. There was always a possibility of strong storms in Oklahoma at this time of the year and tornados seemed to love the state. Hopefully they wouldn’t experience that tonight.

  It was almost dinner time when the work was all finished and th
e men loaded Flint’s truck with the old lumber and cleaned up their tools. Dark clouds had begun to gather in the southwest, promising, at the very least, a good rain shower.

  Miranda stepped out and gazed at the new stairs and the sturdy railings and got teary-eyed as she looked at them.

  “I don’t know how to thank you both,” she said.

  “No need to thank me. The work got me away from the ranch for a day to work with this guy.” Flint playfully wrapped an arm around Clay’s neck.

  Clay extricated himself from Flint’s grip and grinned at Miranda. “At least now if somebody trips on the stairs you’ll know it’s because of their own clumsiness.”

  Flint said his goodbyes and minutes later Clay and Miranda were in the kitchen where she had cooked a meatloaf with mashed potatoes for dinner.

  “I definitely need a shower before I sit down,” he said.

  “You also definitely need to tell me what I owe you for the materials and your and Flint’s time,” she replied.

  “Okay, after I shower and eat dinner you owe me a kiss. That’s the payment I demand.”

  Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “Clay, I’m being serious.”

  He grinned. “And so am I. Give me a kiss later and we’ll call it even.”

  “Go take your shower,” she said and tried to flip him with the hand towel she held.

  He laughed and was still laughing as he got beneath a hot spray of water. It was so good to see the sparkle back in her eyes and to know she was feeling better. He also loved that she now felt comfortable enough to tease him.

  The kids were gone for the night at Hank’s and that meant he and Miranda would be completely alone. She hadn’t told him no about the kiss and he definitely intended to collect from her.

  By the time he got out of the shower he was starving. He wasn’t hungry for meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but he did have a huge appetite for Miranda.

  * * *

  As she waited for Clay to get out of the shower and come back downstairs for dinner, Miranda tried to keep her mind off the night to come.

  There would be a lot of alone time with Clay, and despite the fact he had been outside for most of the day he had stirred a longing inside her.

  She’d spent way too much time peeking out the window and watching him work. She’d admired the bronzed beauty of his bare back and the way the muscles moved as he wielded a hammer or used a saw.

  His sweat had only made his exposed muscles more prominent as it gleamed on his skin. She wanted to be in those arms again. She realized her longing for him had nothing to do with her gratitude for everything he had done for her and her children. Aside from everything else she felt about him, she wanted to have the experience of making love with him.

  It shocked her. She hadn’t felt as if he was consciously seducing her, but she definitely felt completely seduced. She’d sworn she wouldn’t be another notch on his bedpost, but that had been before she really knew him.

  He was so different from everything she had thought him to be. There was nothing vacuous about him, and the scars he bore only made him more attractive to her.

  It had been so very long since she’d felt this kind of desire, this kind of longing for a man. Clay stirred feelings she’d thought she’d never feel again.

  He now walked into the kitchen with damp hair and smelling of minty soap and shaving cream. “Hmm, that felt good,” he said as he sat at the table. “Nothing like a nice hot shower to put things right in the world.”

  “I much prefer a bath,” she responded. “With lots of bubbles.”

  She fixed him a plate and set it before him. “I hope you’re hungry.”

  His blue eyes gazed at her with an intensity that made her breath catch in the back of her throat. “Trust me, I’m starving,” he replied.

  She held his gaze for a moment longer. “You have to stop looking at me that way,” she said, appalled that her voice sounded all breathy.

  Those eyes of his seemed to smile at her before his lips moved upward. “What way?”

  Warmth filled her cheeks. “You know what way...like I’m a piece of cheesecake and you love that for dessert.”

  He laughed. “There is no way I’d look at you like you’re a piece of cake. When I look at you all I see is a beautiful, desirable woman who is strong and brave. And now, are you going to sit down and enjoy this meal with me?”

  She plated her food and joined him at the table. “The clouds are really starting to build up. Looks like it’s going to be a stormy night,” she said in an effort to get her mind off the wonderful words he had just spoken.

  “Are you afraid of storms?” he asked.

  “Not really, unless there’s a tornado threat. Sometimes I like a good bout of thunder and lightning and rain.”

  “What about the kids?”

  “Jenny is like me. Storms don’t bother her at all, but Henry gets scared by the thunder.” She frowned as she thought of her little boy.

  “I’m sure Lori and Hank will soothe him if he gets scared,” Clay said softly, as if he’d read her mind and knew her concerns.

  “I’m sure you’re right,” she agreed. Still, the idea of her little boy being frightened and her not being there to wrap him in her arms and make him feel safe brought up the thought that somebody had tried to take her away from her children forever. And that somebody was still out there with that intention in mind.

  When would the person try to come after her again? What would they do next? She’d survived two attacks relatively unscathed. Would she be so lucky when the third attempt happened?

  “What about you? How do you feel about storms?” she asked in an attempt to guide her mind away from such horrifying thoughts.

  He hesitated for a long moment. “I guess I’m a little bit ambivalent about them. On the one hand they really don’t bother me at all, but occasionally they bring back memories of my mother leaving. It was storming on the last night that she tucked me into bed, the last time I saw her.”

  She reached out and touched the back of his hand. “I’m sorry, Clay.”

  He shrugged. “It was just something that happened to me. It didn’t define who I am or what I have become.”

  “And you’ve become a wonderful man,” she replied.

  At the moment she couldn’t imagine him not being here with her. His presence allowed her to sleep well at night knowing that he was here to protect her.

  Other than Robby peeking in through her window, things had been quiet. But she couldn’t forget that she was still at risk. She looked out the window, her thoughts churning like the dark clouds of the approaching storm.

  Except for going to the ball game for Henry, she’d been housebound. But she couldn’t stay inside forever. And Clay couldn’t stay here forever.

  “Hey.” His voice pulled her to look back at him. “I don’t like the thoughts that are going around in your head right now.”

  “How do you know what thoughts I’m having?”

  “When you are having troubling thoughts a little telling frown appears right between your eyebrows.”

  She sighed and set down her fork. “I was just thinking about the attacks and you.”

  “Me?” He looked at her in surprise. “What about me?”

  “You can’t stay here forever, Clay. You have a life to get back to. And I can’t stay in hiding in this house forever. It’s not fair to my children who have all kinds of summer activities planned once school is out.”

  “Let’s just take things one day at a time for now,” he replied. He hesitated a moment and his eyes darkened slightly. “I don’t think it’s going to take forever for the person who wants to harm you to act again. I think another attack is going to happen fairly quickly.”

  “Are you trying to make me feel better?” she asked dryly.

  “No, I’m trying to be honest
with you. You were attacked on a Friday night and then again on the following Monday. I think whoever it is is impatient, and that means the person will attack sooner rather than later. And now I think we should find a more pleasant topic.”

  “I’m feeling much better, and that means I get to be the boss, and I’m not finished talking about it all yet,” she replied.

  He grinned at her. “What crazy fool told you that you get to be boss when you are feeling better?”

  “You’re the crazy fool, and don’t tease with me when I’m trying to be serious.”

  “Okay.” His smile fell away. “I’m sorry. I always want you to speak what’s on your mind.”

  “Trust me, I usually do.” She picked up her fork once again and drew the tines through the mashed potatoes on her plate as her thoughts took her back to dark places. “But what if the person after me does have patience? What if they have plenty of patience? What if nothing happens and then your vacation is over?”

  “Then I’ll go to work during the day and come back here each night. I’m fairly comfortable that nobody can get through your locks. As long as you don’t open the door to anyone while I’m gone then you should be fine.”

  “And if I need to go out during the day? Jenny and Henry don’t deserve to be housebound during the summer days.”

  He set his fork down and released a deep sigh. “Then we’ll figure something out. I still have a full week of vacation left and if I need more time off work I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “I’m sure you have things you’d rather be doing than staying here.”

  “Actually, that’s not true. What could be better than spending my time with a beautiful woman? As a bonus, I get to hang out with her incredible kids. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.”

  He looked so earnest that some of her fears faded away. He was right. She had to take things one day at a time right now, otherwise she’d make herself completely crazy.

  They finished eating dinner, cleaned up the kitchen and moved into the living room where a new tension built up between them.

  They sat on the sofa and made small talk, but all she could think about was that they were alone in the house, without the children. According to what he had said earlier, she owed him a kiss. She knew if he got that kiss it was very possible things would spiral out of control, and there was a part of her that wanted it, that yearned to lose control with him.