When the rodeo was over, Wayne scooped up Milo. “How about you and I get out of here, little man?”
“There’s room with us,” Natalie said.
Chloe wrapped her arm around Natalie’s. “But our night isn’t over.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope. There’s another fund-raiser for the shelter at the music hall.”
Though Natalie was tired, she actually liked the idea of going somewhere crowded. The less time she had to spend alone with the Brodys, the better. In fact, it was high time she found another way to get home. Maybe she could get one of her coworkers to fly down to Texas and drive back with her, though she didn’t relish eating the cost of a last-minute plane ticket or hours alone in the car with someone she normally saw only at work.
Natalie changed her mind about spending time at the music hall, however, when they arrived and she saw that the event planned was a bachelor auction. The last thing she needed to think about was the only bachelor in the place whom she had the slightest interest in.
“This is going to be fun,” Chloe said as she stepped up beside Natalie.
She eyed Chloe and Linnea, then their friends Keri, Elissa and India. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t all of you married already?”
“Yes, but you’re not.” Chloe waggled her eyebrows.
“I remember Owen being the mischievous one in the family.”
Chloe shrugged. “What can I say? He and Wyatt have rubbed off on me.”
The next thing she knew, Natalie was being ushered toward a table at the side of the room adjacent to the dance floor. Several couples twirled and boot-scooted around to the sound of a Big & Rich song.
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
Natalie turned at the sound of Garrett’s voice. He stood on the other side of the table talking to Chloe and Linnea.
“Hush, it’s for a good cause,” Chloe said. “And it’s one date.”
“Yeah, what could go wrong?” The sarcasm dripped off his words like thick syrup.
Natalie was pretty sure her heart had missed a few beats at the realization that one of the bachelors up for auction was the man she’d kissed and very much wanted to kiss again. Were it not for the secret she still harbored, she’d be hard-pressed not to empty her bank account bidding on him. And yes, she realized that was at least partially because she hated the idea of someone else buying a date with him, someone else he might kiss since she’d pulled away and done her best to avoid him since.
Ugh. She resisted the need to bang her head on the table.
“Welcome, everyone!”
Natalie shifted her gaze to the stage, where a woman she’d seen earlier at the pet-adoption area of the fairgrounds had stepped up to the microphone.
“We’re glad to have you all here tonight to help us raise some much-needed funds to keep doing the work we do at the animal shelter. Thanks for coming out to the rodeo and to our first-ever bachelor auction!”
That drew a round of whistles and applause from the ladies in the crowd.
“Now, if you aren’t in the market for a date with a hunky bachelor, we’ve also got some tables set up in the back with several silent auction items.”
If Natalie could walk without crutches, she’d head straight for the silent auction. No, she’d hoof it to where her car was still parked at the Country Vista Inn and race toward the interstate as if the devil himself was chasing her. She did not trust herself to hide her feelings whenever someone in the crowd made the winning bid for Garrett.
“You ready?” Chloe asked as she sank into the chair next to Natalie.
“Should be amusing, I guess.”
“Lots of good choices.”
Natalie met Chloe’s gaze. “I’m not bidding. There’s no sense in going out with someone here when I’ll be going home soon.” And probably never stepping foot in Blue Falls again.
“As I told Garrett, it’s just one date. What could it hurt?”
Oh, it could hurt. It could hurt a lot.
With that lovely thought, Natalie shifted her attention to the stage, where a handsome guy named Pablo was first up. He looked as uncomfortable as Natalie imagined she’d be in the same situation.
Natalie tried her best not to look at where Garrett now stood in line on the opposite side of the stage, but it was impossible. She might glance at the middle-aged banker or the young sheriff’s deputy, but her gaze refused to stay on the stage. Only when Greg Bozeman hopped up on stage and started working the crowd did she relax a little and laugh along with everyone else.
“He hasn’t changed a bit since we were kids,” she said.
“Nope. Remind me to tell you the mooning-on-the-water-tower story.”
“That should be good.”
After Greg urged up the bidding on his date and the winner squealed in delight, Natalie squirmed in her seat. Garrett was up next, and she couldn’t pull her eyes away from him as his long legs brought him up onto the stage.
“Ladies, next up is Garrett Brody. At the rate the Brody siblings are getting married lately, this might be your only chance.”
More laughter filled the room, but this time Natalie didn’t join in. At the moment, she’d give anything to be anywhere else.
“Can I get an opening bid?”
Someone across the room yelled out, “Fifty!”
Natalie tried to keep her gaze from drifting to the stage, but again it was impossible. When she realized Garrett was looking at her, it was like a shock wave traveling along her veins.
“Four hundred!”
Natalie jerked her attention to Chloe. “Did you just bid on your brother?”
“I’m what you’d call a designated bidder.”
A glance back at the stage showed that Garrett was every bit as confused as her.
Also looking surprised, the lady from the shelter said, “Hey, if you’re willing to bid to keep your brother from going on a date, we’ll still take your money.”
More laughter echoed through the room, but unease began to build in the pit of Natalie’s stomach.
“Anybody want to top four hundred dollars?”
When nobody responded and the bidding ended, cheering erupted from every other woman at Natalie’s table. Chloe leaned her shoulder against Natalie’s.
“You can thank me later.”
“What?” The truth of what Chloe, Linnea and their friends had done, what the whispered conversation had been about earlier, hit Natalie. “You didn’t.”
“We did.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because it’s obvious you two like each other.”
“God, Chloe, this was a really bad idea.” Panic welled inside Natalie like the storm surge coming off a hurricane.
Chloe grabbed Natalie’s hand and squeezed. “Just go and have some fun.”
“I don’t even live here.” Why couldn’t anyone understand that?
Because from their point of view, she’d made no move to leave.
Because deep down, a part of her did want to live here with these people, with Garrett.
“So, care to tell me what’s going on?” Garrett asked as he walked up in front of his sister.
“You’re going on a date with Natalie.”
Up on the stage, the auction came to an end and the band began to play, drawing people back to the dance floor—including everyone at Natalie’s table but her.
Left with Garrett looming over her, she slowly lifted her gaze to his. “I swear I didn’t know what they were up to.”
He lowered himself to the chair Chloe had vacated. “I know my sister well enough to believe you.”
“You don’t have to go through with it.”
“It’s no problem.”
Not exactly bowled over by his enthusiasm, she thought maybe she could leave town before the date that had been foisted upon them.
“How about a trip to the drive-in tomorrow night? They just opened one up this summer between here and Fredericksburg.”
She frantically searched for a plausible excuse but came up empty.
“Um, sure.” So much for avoidance.
Chapter Eleven
As Garrett pulled into the drive-in the next night, he feared this date was going to end up as bad as some of his others. Natalie had been quiet during the entire ride, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was because she was nervous or just wishing the whole thing was over. Maybe she simply knew that it didn’t make any sense, just as their kiss hadn’t. After all, she’d said herself the night before that she’d be gone soon. Of course he’d known that when he kissed her, but in that moment he’d not been able to keep himself from capturing her lips, from finding out if they tasted as sweet as they looked.
They had.
And despite the fact that they hadn’t had a repeat or even spoken the first word about it, he couldn’t help the building attraction he felt toward her. Seeing her face light up as she played with Milo was just about the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. Some gut instinct told him that she hadn’t had a lot to smile about lately, so if he got her to smile once tonight he was going to call the date a success.
After paying for their tickets, he drove up to the back row and parked. “Want some popcorn?”
“Sure. That sounds nice.”
She barely made eye contact, as if she was afraid to hold his gaze for too long.
He made his way to the concession stand for the popcorn and drinks, but then an idea popped into his head, something that might put a smile on Natalie’s face and ease the tension between them.
When he returned to the truck and opened the door, Natalie glanced over at him and her eyes widened.
“Did we pick up a basketball team on the way that I missed?”
“I didn’t know what all you liked, so I just got a little of everything.”
He set the tray of junk food between their seats.
“We are going to get sick from all this,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Oh well, we’ll just both moan with bellyaches. Everyone nearby will think we’re having a great time.”
Her eyes widened even more as she looked up at him, and then she burst out laughing.
Yeah, the money he’d just dropped on everything from hot dogs to nachos to candy bars was worth every penny.
They munched away as the movie started. He glanced across the truck at her a few times and was happy the movie playing was a comedy that made her laugh.
About halfway through, she reached for another Milk Dud then dropped the nearly empty box back onto the cardboard tray. “Ugh, none of this even looks good now. I feel the need to immediately go join a gym. Or start a cross-country run like Forrest Gump.”
Feeling the same way, Garrett grabbed the remains of their snack-a-thon and stepped out of the truck. After dumping everything into the nearest trash can, he came back to find Natalie watching him.
“Thanks for this,” she said. “You didn’t have to go through with the blindsided date, but it’s been fun.”
“Yeah.” He reached over and ran his thumb across her cheek. “Got to say this is one of the nicer things that’s caught me by surprise.”
He saw hesitation in her eyes.
“Garrett—”
“Let’s just enjoy the night.” He could have kissed her then, but something told him to wait even though he was afraid she’d pull away again. He’d swear he could see a war going on behind her gaze. When she leaned into his touch on her cheek, his heart hammered in his chest and he captured her mouth with his.
His entire body wanted to touch her, so he pulled her close and deepened the kiss. After some initial hesitance, Natalie relaxed and met him halfway. His heart thundered in his ears, and his arousal strained against the inside of his jeans. He hadn’t wanted a woman so much in a long time. Ever.
Damn, he wished they were somewhere alone, where no one would interrupt them, where they had the whole night stretched out in front of them.
Gradually, the sound of engines starting dragged him out of his lust-drugged haze. He glanced out the windshield toward the field full of taillights then back to Natalie.
“Looks like the movie is over.”
“Oh?”
Did she sound as if she thought that was bad news?
“I don’t want the date to end now. Do you?”
She stared up at him so long that he was afraid of her answer. But then she shook her head, and he moved to start the truck’s engine. Natalie allowed him to hold her hand as he drove back toward Blue Falls, but before he got there he took a road that led to a spot overlooking the lake.
“Just past those trees has a nice view,” he said.
“Okay.”
He hopped out of the truck, grabbing a blanket for them to sit on before wrapping his arms around her shoulder and behind her knees then carrying her up the darkened path.
“Garrett, carrying me to the porch is one thing, but up a trail?”
“It’s not far.”
Still, when they reached their destination, his breath was coming a little heavier. Granted, some of that might be because he had Natalie pressed close to him. As he reluctantly set her on her feet, he kept a firm hold on her so she wouldn’t stumble.
“It’s so pretty,” she said as she looked out across the lake toward the lights of downtown Blue Falls.
The Lady Fleur paddle wheeler was out for an evening cruise as well, the string of white lights surrounding its deck reflecting off the water.
“Stay there,” he said as he spread out the blanket. “Don’t want you falling down the hillside and breaking your other leg.”
“Not high on my list, either.”
When he had the blanket spread on the ground, he helped her sit then sat close to her.
“This is nice, so peaceful,” she said, sounding like someone who’d been searching for peace for a long time.
He thought about asking her what had been bothering her, but honestly, he just wanted to hold her again, push reality and responsibility away for one night.
“So, any interest in kissing your date?”
She hesitated a moment before looking up at him. “Maybe.”
He grinned and framed her face with his hands.
* * *
NATALIE KNEW SHE should end what was happening between her and Garrett, shouldn’t have even gone on the date with him, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. How much willpower was she expected to have anyway when the guy she could so easily fall for wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her?
It was just one night. If she could guard her heart, guard the secret that might make him hate her, maybe she could allow herself this one night. The feel of his mouth on hers was more intoxicating than any drink could ever be. She’d have to go home soon or risk becoming addicted.
Garrett’s hands made their way underneath the back of her shirt and moved slowly up her spine until they encountered her bra clasp. On a quick intake of breath, he released it. With every caress, every kiss, every extra-fast heartbeat, a part of Natalie screamed at her to stop, to either tell Garrett the truth or leave him behind for good. But that part of her was overwhelmed by the delicious sensations he was sending through her body.
She ran her fingers through his close-cropped hair as his mouth traveled from hers down to her neck. As he eased her back onto the blanket with one of his hands behind her head to protect it, she realized just how much she wanted him.
Garrett held her gaze as he slowly shoved her shirt up and over her breasts, baring them to h
im. “Is this too much?”
She heard in his voice how much he hoped she didn’t stop him, and in that moment she knew she couldn’t despite all the reasons she should. She’d lost so much lately, and all those years ago, that she couldn’t deny herself or him.
“No.” But as he lowered his mouth to her breast and unzipped her shorts, she grabbed his shoulders and stopped him. “What if someone comes up here?”
“They won’t.”
And she believed him that he would protect this time they had together.
Though her cast made undressing a bit of an extra challenge, Garrett took his time with her and didn’t appear to become frustrated. She couldn’t believe she was doing this, stripping down to nothing underneath the stars. But with each movement, her desire for Garrett grew. She lifted her hands to his shirt and started unbuttoning it. When she spread the shirt wide, her breath caught. Even in the dim light cast by the stars and a sliver of moon, he was magnificent. Unable to stop herself, she ran her hands up and over his chest. Garrett’s sharp inhale revved her up even more, and she grabbed the open halves of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.
The moment his bare chest touched hers, she moaned into his mouth.
He lifted his head to look down at her, to run the pad of his finger across her wet lips. “I want to make love to you, Natalie. I have ever since that first kiss, probably before.”
Even with lust and quite possibly love rushing through her body, she still took a moment to look deeply into his eyes. This wasn’t just a man looking to get laid. More was going on here, and that should have scared her away. But it didn’t. It only made her want him more.
She couldn’t find the words to tell him how she felt. Instead, she lifted her head and kissed him deeply, giving him silent permission to keep going.
He rolled away to remove his clothes, and her heart beat at a frantic pace when he appeared above her and gently spread her legs.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
The Heart of a Cowboy Page 13
