Protect Me, Cowboy (78th Copper Mountain Rodeo Book 2)

by Shelli Stevens

  “Oh, I know exactly what’s sexy.” It was this. Her. So completely uninhibited and trusting as she snuggled up to him, letting him wrap an arm around her.

  She smelled like toothpaste and something kind of sweet and nutty.

  “What perfume is that?”

  “I’m not wearing perfume.” She paused. “It might be my almond body lotion.”

  “Yup. That’s it.”

  She lifted her head and wrinkled her nose at him. “Too strong? I love the smell of almonds in soap and lotions. I know it’s a little weird when most women go for that flowery stuff.”

  “It’s not weird. I really like it actually.” It was so perfectly her. Nontraditional and sweet.

  She smoothed her palm over his chest. “You need to sleep, Wyatt. You shouldn’t even be here with the rodeo tomorrow.”

  “I’ll sleep.” Right now he just wanted to hold her like this for a while longer.

  He rolled onto his side so he could pull her more fully into his arms.

  At first she stiffened just a bit, but he noticed. Then he heard the quivering breath she took before she relaxed against him.

  She fit against him damn near perfectly.

  He kissed the top of her head, his lips brushing soft curls as the faint scent of her shampoo teased his nostrils.

  Something had been bugging him the entire drive home, and though he wanted to let it go, wanted to just enjoy this moment, he couldn’t.

  “I gotta ask you something, honey?”

  She seemed to hold her breath, before a soft, “Okay.”

  “Why didn’t you just fess up about who you were when our paths initially crossed again? Why the lies?”

  There was a long pause. Too long, where she seemed to be wrestling with her demons.

  “I really don’t trust easily, Wyatt. I never have.” Her words were defensive, but the next ones were so vulnerable. Broken. “I’ve just been so damn afraid, always looking over my shoulder.”

  He swore under his breath. “Damn, but I want five minutes alone with this guy.”

  She smiled. “No, you don’t.”

  He smoothed his hand down her back. “You asked what I wanted tonight, and I said to kiss you. But I should’ve answered I want you to be safe.”

  “You can want both. And I am safe.” She hesitated. “Or I’m hoping I am. I disappeared off the face of the earth in Alfredo’s world. He never had my real name, and I changed the plates on my car to be safe. And he hasn’t found me yet, so it’s looking pretty good. Though I’m pretty sure he’s not that motivated to come after me. Who gets that crazy over someone they just want to sleep with?”

  “You’d be surprised the lengths a stalker will go to.”

  “I don’t know if he was an actual stalker.”

  “He thought he owned you, Claire. He controlled your every move and had your phone monitored. That’s pretty stalkerish. I don’t see how he’d just let you go that easily.”

  “He doesn’t have a choice.” Her words were stronger now. “I’m gone, and he’ll never find me. I’m keeping a low profile. It’s not like Bourbon and Boots is huge. We perform at rodeos and maybe festivals in small towns.”

  “You shouldn’t have to give up singing.”

  “It’s all I know how to do.”

  “You could do anything you put your mind to, honey.”

  “I know, but it’s in my blood. If I’m not singing, I’m going a little crazy. And singing in the shower doesn’t help.”

  He laughed. “A voice like yours shouldn’t be limited to the shower.” Though the image of her in the shower suddenly filled his head and the blood in his veins heated.

  Not tonight, buddy. Change the subject.

  If he didn’t, he was going to lose all willpower and things would get hot in here fast.

  Chapter Nine

  He’d gone quiet again. He seemed to be speaking with his hands. Tracing them up and down her back in a way that made her all tingly and warm inside.

  Claire wanted to roll over and pull Wyatt on top of her. Drag his head down to hers and make him kiss the hell out of her—

  “So this singing in the band thing, it pays your bills?” His strained question interrupted her sexy vision. “It supports you?”

  “No.” She laughed in genuine amusement. “The gig money is pocket change, really. I also work for a small bakery in Bozeman, but it doesn’t pay much. Just enough to keep me in the tiny room in a basement that I rent out of an older lady’s house.”

  His fingers stilled and she could practically see the disbelief on his face, even if she wasn’t looking at him.

  “And how do you think this is all working out for you?”

  A hopeless grunt escaped. “It’s a bit like being seventeen again. Scary at first, barely having enough money to get by, and having pretty much zero friends.”

  He cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry, but that sounds awful.”

  She laughed at the disgust he couldn’t hide.

  “It is awful. But it’ll get better, and at least I get the day old baked goods at half-price.”

  He grunted. “You should get that stuff for free.”

  “Probably. It just gets tossed anyway if it doesn’t sell by the second day. I get so mad, telling her she should donate it to a food bank or shelter. But she’s a total Grinch.” She shifted in his arms so she could lay more fully on her back. She stared at the ceiling, envisioning the stars they’d stared at earlier. “At least I’m doing it all in a beautiful place. You can’t beat the scenery in Montana.”

  “No, you can’t. Marietta is much prettier than Bozeman though.”

  She couldn’t really argue. “It is. You live in an amazing town.”

  “I do,” he muttered. “You should’ve picked Marietta.”

  “I didn’t know about it.” Amusement slid through her. “Marietta is barely on the map.”

  “Maybe, but we like it that way. And it’s not too late for you to relocate.”

  Her humor abated. She really had no response to that.

  Marietta wasn’t her town. It was his. It was Katie’s. It was all the kind people she’d met so far. She was just a stranger passing through.

  Her job and the band were both in Bozeman. She needed the money and the small sense of security.

  When she didn’t reply he must’ve figured he’d gone too far, because he cleared his throat and added, “Either way, I’m glad you came to Montana.”

  “Me, too.” That she could agree to.

  “And I’m glad you finally trusted me enough to tell me the truth.”

  The truth about her mess of a life? It was heavy stuff. She scooted closer to rest her head on his chest again.

  Maybe she could forget about it for these next two days—could enjoy being a woman who just wanted to have fun with a man she had a crush on.

  And that was all this was. A big, fat, crush. Nothing less, and definitely nothing more. She refused to let it be more.

  “Get some sleep, honey. We’ve got a lot of carbs waiting for us in the morning.”

  Her brows furrowed. “Carbs?”

  “Pancake breakfast.”

  “That sounds amazing.” Her stomach growled as if to punctuate that statement.

  His chest bounced with laughter under her cheek. “You hungry?”

  “I haven’t eaten since lunch, and never got a chance to grab some of that steak dinner.”

  “Ah, hell.” He started to shift. “Let me grab you something from the house—”

  “Don’t you dare move.” She pressed him back down to the bed. “I’ll be fine until morning. Besides, I don’t want to eat this late. I’m just a little bummed I didn’t get to try the amazing Marietta steak dinner everyone talked about.”

  “I’ll make you a steak dinner.” His tone turned smug. “And mine is even better than what they do in town.”

  “You keep talking a big talk about your steak. It’d better be good,” she teased.

  “You’ll eat those wo
rds.”

  “Mmm and your steak.”

  “Is that a euphemism?”

  She slapped his chest lightly in reprimand and he laughed and covered her hand with his.

  “Go to bed, cowboy.”

  “You first.”

  She made a small harrumph and closed her eyes. Ever since fleeing Vegas she’d had a hard time falling asleep. Letting her guard down. But in the truck she’d fallen asleep like her guardian angel himself had been sitting next to her.

  Now, resting in Wyatt’s arms, fingers of drowsiness were pulling at her again.

  They didn’t speak anymore, but lay curved together in the bed. Him lightly rubbing her back, and her listening to the soft thump of his heart beneath her ear.

  Slowly and without fear, she let her eyes close to surrender to sleep.

  *

  Unfortunately, the fear found her in her dreams.

  Claire woke up with a start, her heart pounding frantically. Another damn nightmare about Alfredo. She’d dreamt he’d found her, had dragged her off into his tinted window SUV while promising to hurt her.

  Just a dream.

  Unfortunately, she had too many of them.

  She blinked; the cabin was filling with sunlight. Suddenly remembering last night, she reached out for the Wyatt, but the space next to her was empty.

  The bed was still warm though, and the creak of the boards in the cabin signaled she wasn’t alone.

  Claire rolled over to find him in the corner putting his cowboy hat on his head. Thoughts of the nightmare faded, replaced instead with a warm heat inside her.

  “You spent the night,” she said softly.

  “Guess I fell asleep longer than I figured.” He approached the bed and sat down on the edge. “It’s still pretty early. You should get a little more rest.”

  She yawned. “Where are you off to?”

  “Gonna go practice roping a bit, before I need to check on the heifers. Grass is getting a little sparse lately. Also hoping to fix up a fence on the perimeter of the property if I can.”

  “All before breakfast?”

  “I’ve got the ranch hands to help.”

  “It’s a real job,” She realized aloud, somewhat wondrously. “This cattle ranching stuff. I didn’t realize how much time it took up for you guys.”

  “Yeah, it’s a job.” His lips twitched and he shook his head. “Were you thinking I just went competing in rodeos for belt buckles and money?”

  “Somewhere in between both,” she admitted and sat up in bed to kiss him lightly on the lips. “Go do your thing. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  He caught the back of her head and held her still when she began to pull away.

  “How about a proper kiss good morning.” He used her phrase from last night, before his head dipped and he claimed her mouth in a slow, sweet, intoxicating kiss. When he lifted his head she was breathless. Dazed.

  “Much better. Meet you at the house in a while, Claire.”

  Her heart was still pounding after he shut the cabin door and disappeared.

  She fell back against the pillows and closed her eyes.

  Just a crush. Nothing more.

  *

  “Hey there, Wy, where are you off to?”

  Wyatt had just finished up with the fence and was stepping inside the main house, when Katie stopped him in the hall.

  He grimaced and turned around to where she was coming out of the dining room.

  “Morning, Katie. Gonna grab myself a shower before heading out to the pancake breakfast.”

  “Right, I was just about to leave for that, too.” She stepped closer, her gaze narrowed as she searched his face.

  Damn.

  “Thought I’d see if Claire was interested and wanted to ride with me.”

  “Uh, yeah she’s planning on going.” He scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “Actually, she’s gonna hitch a ride with me.”

  Katie’s eyes widened innocently. “Oh is she now? How convenient. You must’ve run into her or something this morning.”

  His sister wasn’t dumb. She was dancing around her suspicions.

  He sighed and shook his head. “Katie, leave it alone.”

  “I knew your butt didn’t come home last night.” She smacked his chest, her eyes dancing with curiosity now. “You stayed in her cabin? I mean, I sensed there was something between you guys, but I didn’t think you guys would sleep together this fast.”

  “Now you hold on just one second, Kaitlyn Marshall.” He took a step forward, glowering. “Whatever is going on between Claire and me is nobody’s business but our own. But no, we did not sleep together.”

  Yet.

  It hung in the air between them, unspoken.

  “This is happening a little fast, don’t you think?” Katie asked after a moment. “I mean you two just met.” She paused, frowning slightly. “Or did you?”

  Crap, how on earth did he explain this one? Briefly. That’s how.

  “Look, we’ve met before this weekend, and that’s all I’m saying.”

  Katie stepped back, clearly gobsmacked. “You knew who Claire was when I brought her here?”

  No. Yes. And this was why you should’ve kept your mouth shut.

  “That’s all I’m saying,” he repeated firmly, and turned away.

  “You can’t drop that kind of verbal bombshell and walk away,” she cried. “Wyatt. Wyatt!”

  His lips twitched in amusement as he strode in the opposite direction to the bathroom.

  “This is… is…”

  He knew she was so mad that she was struggling not to swear. One thing he could always count on with Katie was her clean mouth.

  “This is horse poop, Wyatt. Horse poop.”

  He didn’t even try to hold in his laughter. “Careful with that language of yours, little sis, or you just might offend someone.”

  With her sputtering away in frustration, he closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower.

  *

  “I’m not sure the last time I ate this many pancakes.”

  Wyatt glanced up from his plate, where he’d just stabbed another syrup-drenched bite, and grinned. Clearly Claire was a newbie to these things.

  Half the town of Marietta was sitting in Crawford Park enjoying the annual pancake breakfast. The wind was light and the sun overhead was just promising a beautiful, September morning.

  “Aw, it ain’t that bad,” he chided. “The sausage balances out the sugar, you see.”

  “I’m not so sure on that.” Claire groaned and slid her plate away, looking halfway to a sugar coma. “I can’t eat another bite.”

  “I’ll help you out with the protein.” He stabbed her lone sausage and devoured it.

  Claire glanced around the park, before tilting her head closer to his. “Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I think people are staring at us.”

  “You’re not paranoid. They are.” He grinned and reached for his coffee.

  “Oh.”

  He could see the pink filling her cheeks. “We’re hot gossip right now, Claire. You can bet good old Bingley over there is flapping her mouth.”

  “Bingley?”

  “Carol Bingley. The biggest gossip in town. Probably texting all her friends about us at this very minute.”

  “Hmm. I think your sister mentioned her, too, come to think of it.” She nursed her own coffee as she worried her lip with her teeth. “What do you think they’re saying?”

  He laughed, amused at how seriously she was taking this all.

  “Well now, honey, could be just about anything.” He shrugged. “Maybe how the oldest Marshall boy is flirting with the pretty singer from Bourbon and Boots.”

  “Yeah, I could see that one.”

  “Or they could be spinning it the other way.” He leaned his head down and murmured just above her ear, “They could be saying the pretty country singer has come to town and is fixing to seduce the naïve Wyatt Marshall.”

  She burst into laught
er, which drew more looks than they were already getting. Biting her lip to stop from laughing, she said, “Oh, it’s definitely the second one. I’m notorious for that.”

  “I just bet you are.” He finished the last few bites of pancake. Nothing like carb loading before the rodeo.

  Realizing Claire had been silent a little too long, he glanced at her. She looked a little disconcerted as she tugged on one of her blonde curls.

  “I was kidding,” he added, in case she didn’t realize it.

  “Yeah, I figured.” She gave an uneasy laugh. “The idea that I’d know much about seducing anyone is just a little comical.”

  Lord, but he wanted her to elaborate on that, but of course his younger brother chose that moment to drag over a folding chair next to them.

  “Morning.”

  Wyatt nodded and leaned back in his chair, putting a few more inches between him and Claire. “Morning, Cal. You been introduced to Claire yet?”

  Cal grinned and shook his head, sticking out his large paw. “Don’t figure I have officially, but I heard you sing last night and you’re damned impressive.”

  Delight flashed across Claire’s face. “Thank you. Glad you made it out to the show.”

  “I’m Calvin Marshall, this here clown’s brother.”

  Wyatt scowled. “Let me remind you that there’s only one of us here who’s ever actually put on the clown suit.”

  That really had Claire’s attention. She glanced from one to the other.

  “One of you needs to explain.”

  Cal leaned back in the chair and folded his arms behind his head. “All right, you got me. I’m the rodeo clown.”

  Claire made a noise of surprise. “As in the clown from the rodeo yesterday?”

  “One and the same.”

  “I see.” She gave a reassuring smile. “Well you’re really good at, um, clowning.”

  Wyatt harrumphed. “He used to be even better at saddle bronc riding, but had to give that up.”

  “Shoulder injury that just never healed right. Couldn’t risk another one.” He flicked the buckle at his waist. “I’ve got enough of these to keep my ego healthy though. Course it doesn’t compare to an NFR buckle, but they’re still pretty sweet.”

  “Well The Copper Mountain Rodeo has an excellent clown. You should be proud. The kids loved you.” Her brows drew together. “Come to think of it, so did a lot of the ladies.”