Cowboy Stole My Heart

by Soraya Lane

  “I’ll let myself out. Thanks for tonight.”

  He bent to kiss her one last time, and not for the first time he wondered if he was being stupid, if he needed to lighten up and let whatever happened, happen. Her mouth touched to his in a slow, warm kiss, and Sam eventually straightened.

  No. Staying over would be too easy, falling for her would be too easy. What they had was fun, and he needed it to stay that way.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

  Mia blew him another kiss. “Until tomorrow, cowboy.”

  Sam whistled and Blue jumped up and followed him. Tonight had been fun, but the only person he’d be sharing a bed with tonight was his dog. The one constant in his life who had never, ever let him down.

  Chapter 18

  MIA couldn’t believe it. A week after his first treatment, she watched as Tex moved around Sam, his movements extended, his body supple. It was like the horse knew that his trainer had been the one to help him, and when he was asked to stop, he tossed his head and turned in toward Sam, eyes bright, ears forward.

  “It’s like he’s a different horse,” Mia said, incredulous as she swapped glances with her father. He was standing by the railing, watching, and she hoped he realized that Sam had been worth every penny and then some. If he hadn’t figured out what was wrong, there wasn’t a person who would have supported her to save Tex’s life.

  “Impressive,” Walter called out. “Good work.”

  Mia crossed over to her dad, surprised by the genuine smile on his face as he watched Tex.

  “Sam’s worked wonders with him,” she told him. “Seems like he’s been in a lot of pain for a very long time, and once that was solved…”

  “He’s got that horse eating out of his hands now, hasn’t he?” Her father chuckled. “Seems he was worth the gold I had to pay him.”

  “I need to say thank you,” Mia said, reaching out to her dad and touching his arm. He looked surprised and she took it even further, giving him a long, warm hug. “If you hadn’t been so generous, he’d be dead by now. I don’t even know what to say other than thank you so, so much.”

  Tears filled her eyes when her dad held her at arm’s length. “You know, you’re my only child who’s never asked me for a penny, Mia. The others think they haven’t, but when they were younger there was always something they wanted. You were different.”

  “You know how I feel about making my own way,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. It wasn’t often she had moments like this with her father—he’d never been big on talking about their feelings.

  “When you came to me as good as begging for help with this horse, I knew it meant something to you. And it seems you were right.” He kissed her cheek. “You made a good decision here, Mia. I’m proud of you.”

  She felt like a little girl beaming back at her father after receiving praise. “Thanks, Daddy.”

  “Just don’t go asking me to pour money into any other horses. You hear me?” he asked, sounding gruff.

  He was probably as surprised as she was at their little heart to heart.

  She watched him go, smiling as she thought about what he’d just said. Maybe it was just because she was getting older, or maybe her father was slowly seeing how much she enjoyed what she did for a job, that she was good at working horses. Either way, it was nice to be getting along so well with him.

  Once he was gone, Mia ducked between the rails and went over to Sam. He was stroking the stallion’s neck now, his movements slow and deliberate. When she touched his back he turned.

  “That horse owes you his life,” she whispered, standing on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “Even my father agrees that you’ve been worth every exorbitant penny we’ve had to pay you.”

  “Hey, the horse had a bad few years,” Sam said simply. “And I’m not the one who’s been working magic on him. Although you’ve definitely been getting your money’s worth from me, huh?”

  She ignored his sexual innuendo. “You’re the one who figured out what was wrong, Sam, and that counts for everything,” she reminded him, letting him unclip the horse before slipping her arms around his waist.

  Sam chuckled and wound the rope around her, hauling her gently towards him until she bumped into his body. Mia tipped her head back, looked into eyes that seemed to be smiling at her, twinkling as he brought his face closer, the rope still loosely swayed around her.

  His lips were warm as they brushed hers, sending the familiar tingle through her body, the rush of excitement that touched all the way to her belly as she kissed him back. For a man who’d started out by driving her crazy for all the wrong reasons, he’d certainly redeemed himself.

  When she pulled back and gazed up at him, Mia knew she was playing a dangerous game. She’d agreed to something that was fully physical and non-emotional, but the way she felt about Sam, it wasn’t just about the sex and the fun for her. She felt something real for him; for the first time in her life she wanted more, she’d met someone who challenged her and thrilled her, someone who saw her for who she truly was.

  Mia swallowed, wondering what to say, wishing she knew the right way to tell Sam how she felt.

  “As much as I’d like to kiss you some more, I’m feeling like we’re being watched.”

  He nodded behind her and Mia turned, laughing at the way Tex was staring at them. Even though he was no longer attached to a rope he was still standing where they’d left him.

  “Don’t worry, I don’t think he minds,” she teased.

  “Hey, I’m the one he loves. I’m just worried that he might see you as a threat and take a chunk out of your shoulder with those big teeth of his.”

  Mia knew he was only being silly, but it wasn’t so long ago that Tex had tried to do exactly that to her. “Fine,” she replied, stealing one more kiss before pushing away from him as he laughed and unspun her from the rope. “I’ll see you back at the house.”

  Before she walked away, she turned back to him, holding her hand high to shield her face from the late afternoon sun. “Why don’t you stay tonight?” she asked, nervous as she asked the question. If he stayed, it would be the first time, and it felt strange asking him when he’d never said yes before. “We can open champagne and celebrate, and—”

  “Darlin’, I can’t,” he said, throwing her a smile even though he was saying no. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate.”

  She kept her smile fixed, didn’t want him to see through the façade to how disappointed she was. “No problem,” she said, ducking back through the fence and heading to the stables. She couldn’t lie to herself, but she wasn’t going to let Sam see how much he’d started to mean to her, if he didn’t even want to stay the night. She was a big girl, and she needed to put on her big girl panties and deal with the fact she was getting exactly what they’d agreed on. It wasn’t his fault if she suddenly wanted more.

  * * *

  Sam watched Mia as she sipped her champagne. She was tipsy but not drunk, and she was smiling as she set her glass down on the counter. When she looked up, seeing his eyes on her, she sauntered forward and made them both laugh.

  She was so beautiful she took his breath away sometimes. He opened his arms, smiling as she stepped in against him, her sigh against his lips as she claimed a kiss, making him grin. His lips kicked up before he kissed her back. She’s not yours. He folded her in his arms, her hair brushing against him as she tipped back a little and looked up at him.

  It was hard to hold back sometimes, to remind himself that what they had wasn’t for keeps. She was so easy to be around, and he was starting to like the way she called him out and stood up for herself. And when they were like this, just the two of them, it was tough to remember they only had another week before everything came to an end. He’d done his job with the stallion, but that was the only part of being at River Ranch that felt like it should be ending.

  “Want to go to bed?” Mia asked.

  He didn’t reply. Instead he bent and scooped her
up, carrying her to the bedroom without saying a word. Her head was against his chest, her arms slung around his neck, as he strode through the house.

  “Where’s Blue?” she suddenly asked.

  “Stalking your cat I’d guess,” Sam replied with a chuckle.

  “Do you think we should check on them?” Mia asked, twisting in his arms.

  He held her tighter, looked down at her and stood at the foot of the bed. “No,” he grumbled. “There’s only one thing we’re doing right now, and checking that the dog and cat have become friends isn’t it.”

  Sam set Mia down, hand on her arm, the other rising to stroke down her hair as she stood before him. They were only inches apart, but the air between them made it feel like more, and he stepped up into her, tucking a finger beneath her chin to tilt her face up. Mia’s lips were parted ever-so-slightly, her eyes wide and warm as she stared back at him, never breaking their gaze. He drank in the sight of her standing there, her long hair grazing her shoulders and falling down her back, before burying his fist in that long mane and tugging her head back a little.

  Mia gasped, her mouth opening more, and he crushed his lips to hers, kissing her with everything he had. If he weren’t so damn scared, if he could find it within himself to open up to her, then he would have, but for now this was all he had to give and he wanted her to know how much she meant to him.

  Still kissing her, pausing only to trace his lips down her neck when she tipped back further, exploring his way to the top of her breast before making his way back up to her mouth again, he started to unbutton her shirt. Mia’s hands started to work on his buttons as he finished hers and gently slipped the shirt from her shoulders, exposing bare skin that made his breath catch. It didn’t matter how many times he saw her naked, she always had the same effect on him.

  He dropped lower, kissing his way down, slowly unzipping her jeans and pulling them down. He ran his tongue over her panties, grinning when she groaned, and reached for her wrists to hold her in place. He pushed out a hot breath against her skin which made her squirm, kissed her lightly all around, tongue tracing against skin as soft as butter. When she fought against his hold on her and pushed her fingers through his hair, gripping on to it, he resumed taking her jeans off, slipping them all the way down and tugging them off when she lifted each foot in turn. Undressing her had become one of his favorite things to do.

  When he glanced back up to see her standing in only her underwear, he slowly stood and shrugged his own shirt off, then his jeans. Mia was looking at him expectantly, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. Sam pushed her, his hand to her chest, gently, listening to her laugh as she fell back onto the bed. Then he climbed on top of her, elbows on either side of her head as he kissed her. He was happy to go slow tonight, to let her decide how fast she wanted to go, and from what he could tell, she was enjoying the pace.

  Mia’s hands circled his shoulders, her nails digging in as she ran her fingers down his back, kissing him, tongue laced with his, their movements unhurried. When she pulled back and pressed a kiss to his jaw, and then his neck, Sam moaned, holding his weight above her still, not wanting to crush her as she wriggled beneath him. Her teeth grazed his neck and then her lips plucked at his collarbone, sucking, teasing him as she moved. It wasn’t until she went to tug at his boxers that he realized she’d already taken her own panties off.

  Sam helped her, using one hand to tug his down so he didn’t drop down onto her, and the moment he turned back she was pressing on the back of his head, pulling him down, forcing his mouth back to hers. So much for slow. Mia kissed him like she’d never been kissed before, urgent now, the unhurried, slow pace of moments earlier long gone now.

  “Sam,” she murmured against his mouth as fingers closed around him, feeling his erection, guiding him in.

  He was about to protest, to tell her he hadn’t had enough time to pleasure her first, to …

  Oh hell. Mia was already wet for him as he slid down into her, her fingers digging into his butt as she showed him exactly what she wanted, wriggling beneath him.

  “You’re wicked,” he whispered in her ear, giving her what she was asking for, pushing deeper inside of her.

  Mia clenched herself around him, moaning and arching her back, her breasts coming up to meet him, as he closed his mouth over one of her erect nipples, sucking hard and liking the way she bucked in response beneath him.

  It just so happened he was fine with wicked, especially when it came to Mia.

  * * *

  Mia draped herself over Sam, unable to get enough of him and trying to give him a reason not to go. She wanted him to herself, selfishly, all night. She wanted to wake up next to him and then snuggle back into him; have him make love to her on rumpled, warm sheets before she rose for the day. Every night they spent together left her satiated in one way, but when he left, all she felt was emptiness. How could she have been so sure she wasn’t going to want more from him, so certain that a few weeks of fun were going to be enough? She groaned inwardly; that had been before he’d shown his true self to her, when he’d been arrogant and so unlike the type of man she’d expected to ever fall for.

  Dammit, she wanted more!

  “Sam,” she whispered, kissing his chest and tucking tighter against him. He responded, lips to her hair, warm body pressing in to hers. She loved the way he reacted to her, the way he touched her. Mia took a big breath and slowly let it out. “Stay,” she said.

  His arm tightened around her and she wondered if he actually would this time. She hadn’t realized how much it annoyed her, but they only had a few days left and she wanted to make the most of it. Why was he so damn insistent that he couldn’t ever stay over? Would it be so bad to wake up beside her, to roll over, bodies warm, sheets rumpled, and have morning sex before eating breakfast together?

  Sam didn’t say anything. She wondered if he was asleep and listened to the steady rise and fall of his chest. His breathing was relaxed, deep and strong, but she glanced at his face and saw that he was looking at her now, his head propped up just enough by the pillow.

  Mia wriggled, tucked her chin to his chest and gazed at him. She couldn’t believe how much had changed between them. When she’d first met him, she’d been full of anticipation and he’d ended up coming across as a too-confident asshole, but now? She’d seen a different side to him, a warmer, more loving side. The same side that she guessed all of the animals he worked with got to experience.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, stroking her face, his fingers skimming her skin.

  Mia sighed, lost in his dark brown gaze, more content than she’d ever felt. “That I love you,” she said simply, before realizing the words had come out of her mouth.

  Sam stiffened and he pushed up, sitting up in bed now, eyes still locked on hers. She reached for the sheet, pulling it over her breasts and staring at him. Shit. Why had she said that? Why had those three little words spilled from her like they were the most natural thing in the world to say? But they were true, she knew in her heart they were probably the truest words she’d ever said, even if she was regretting ever letting them spill out now that she could see the horrified look on Sam’s face.

  “Mia,” Sam started, but she shook her head, refused to let him continue.

  “Is it that big of a deal?” she asked, knowing that it was because she’d never said it before to a man. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said it, but it’s how I feel.”

  “The problem is that we had a deal,” he said, voice so low it was more like a whisper. “Mia, this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “So?” she said, not seeing what the problem was, her face heating up, embarrassment rising. “We had a deal, but what we have, it’s so much more than that. Tell me I haven’t been imagining it? Tell me that you still feel the same about me as you did when we first slept together?”

  Sam pushed the covers off his legs and stood, looking at her like she was … she groaned. She didn’t even know what. He looked like
she’d just told him that she had a sexually transmitted infection, not that she loved him!

  “The problem is we’re not supposed to be doing this!” he said, running a hand through his hair, standing naked and staring at her. “This was supposed to be—”

  “Fuck you, Sam,” she swore, clutching the sheet tightly to herself. “I just said what I was feeling. I’m sorry you find my honesty so hard to accept.”

  He gave her a long look before grabbing his boxers and jeans and starting to get dressed. He didn’t look at her again, just methodically got dressed and located his things like he needed to escape in a hurry.

  “So you’re leaving, just like that?” she asked. “You’re walking out on me like I’m not good enough for you? This is what I get for opening up to the man I’ve been sharing my bed with?”

  He barely looked at her, a quick glance before staring at the wall behind her, and she felt the hot sting of tears piercing her eyes. She felt used and dirty and unloved, and now she knew why she was supposed to hold that part of herself back, why she should never have let herself fall so hard for Sam. He’d wanted her for a good time, not a long time, and she’d been so caught up in how she was feeling that she’d forgotten how damn clear he’d been about it.

  “Yeah, I think I need to go,” he said quickly. “It’d be better to make this a clean break.”

  “Why won’t you ever stay over? Is because I asked you again, or is it because I told you I loved you?” she asked, furious that he wouldn’t even make eye contact with her. She was on her knees on the bed, sheet still covering her, palm itching to slap into his cheek. “Tell me Sam! I deserve to know, goddamn it!”

  “What we had was just sex, Mia,” he said coldly, finally meeting her gaze. “If you thought it was more than something physical, then I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure we set out clear ground rules from the start, and it was never my intention to lead you on.”

  She gulped, wondering who the hell the stranger of a man before her even was. His voice was so flat, so unemotional, so unlike the man she’d just spent the past three weeks with. “Maybe I thought that was okay, at the start, but you can’t help the way you feel.” The words were hard to push out but she forced them, needing to hurt him, wanting to elicit some kind of response from him. “Is it so wrong that I was honest with you?”