by Roni Adams
“I said, I dare you.”
Sara scooted to the edge of the couch but he was smart enough to step back so she couldn’t touch him. In one fluid movement she came off the couch and walked towards him.
“Are you going to be the first one of us to back down from a challenge?”
Without wobbling or swaying, she moved steadily towards him. Buck retreated until his back hit the wall next to his bedroom. The way Sara moved purposely after him, he’d swear she was stone cold sober—except for the stupid stuff coming out of her mouth.
“This isn’t like that. This is nothing like that.”
“Yes it is. I want to do something with you and you’re letting me down.”
Buck wet his lips. His head spun. What the hell was she trying to pull? Did Charli put her up to this? She would never have thought to do this on her own. “What did you and Charli talk about tonight?”
She shrugged. “This and that, nothing important.”
Her hands fell to his waist, her fingers sliding along the top of his jeans. The open snap made them loose and he bit back a moan when her fingers flittered to his zipper and drew it downward. He pushed her hand away.
She shook her hair back and stared into his eyes. “Look, Buck. We are going to do this, tonight. So, we can do it the easy way or the hard way.”
Buck laughed. She was something else. “What are you talking about? You can’t make me?
Sara nodded. “Oh, but I can.”
Kudos for Beauty and the Geek
This is a story that’s been told often, but not always as well as this version is told. Beauty and the Geek is amusing, heartwarming and entertaining. Well done, Ms. Adams! ~5 Angels from Fallen Angel Reviews! www.fallenangelreviews.com
I really enjoy a good geeky hero, and Beauty and the Geek delivers a very likeable hero and a story that’s full of exquisite sexual tension. Roni Adams has an engaging style that draws you in and keeps you interested until the very end. ~Four Lips from Two Lips Reviews! www.twolipsreview.com
The writing is superb with twists that drive the plot and a few surprises. It's a story with heart. I teared up a few times. I was miserable when they were miserable. It's also HOT. The sexual tension between the characters was perfect. It's going to be hard to review anything after this. ~5 Books from The Long and Short of It Reviews! www.longandshortreviews
To Tame a Cowgirl
By Roni Adams
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
To Tame A Cowgirl
COPYRIGHT © 2008 by Rhonda Penders
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by Angela Anderson
The Wild Rose Press
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Yellow Rose Edition, 2008
Print ISBN 1-60154-331-X
Published in the United States of America
Chapter One
“Finally.”
Exasperated, Sara Sampson jammed her battered pick-up truck into park and wrenched the door. The rust caught and she grimaced, shoving harder until it popped open. She kicked it closed with her boot and headed towards the neon sign that flashed ‘LoneStar Bar and Grill’. Swinging the big oak doors open, the throbbing beat of the country rock band, mingled with the sounds of laughter, coursed through her body. She made a direct route towards the bar without stopping to chat with anyone who nodded hello to her. She’d already wasted two hours of her Saturday night and she didn’t intend to lose another minute on small talk.
Bill Rhodes, owner and bartender of the LoneStar and a long time friend, smiled as she drew closer. She put her finger to her lips and shook her head before he could greet her. With his back to the room, Sara had the complete advantage over the man seated on the barstool in front of her. He was busy shelling peanuts and popping them in his mouth, his attention focused on the football game. The next peanut he tossed up, she snatched out of the air.
Buck spun around so fast he almost came off the stool. There wasn’t a man in Texas who wouldn’t have stepped back from the six-foot-five, two hundred and eighty pound cowboy whose green eyes flashed with fury.
Sara simply grinned.
With a grunt, he settled back in his seat, but a smile lifted the edges of his mouth when she slipped onto the stool next to him. She picked up the beer Bill had poured for her, drained half in one swallow and then set it down with a satisfied thunk.
“Where’s your shadow?” Buck’s glance went beyond her shoulder to the doorway.
Sara took off her Stetson and set it on the empty stool next to her. She shook out her hair, brushing the long loose strands out of her face. “Doc’s sick. Cole decided to stay with him.”
Buck nodded. “I heard that. What’s he got?” He peeled another peanut and set the shells neatly in a pile in front of him.
Sara shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask.” She grabbed a handful of peanuts, shelled them, and popped several in her mouth.
He lifted one eyebrow and shook his head. “You’re compassionate to the core aren’t you?”
As the peanut shells fell to the front of her white T-shirt, she absently brushed them away and took another swig of her beer. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She tossed a peanut up, but Buck snapped it out of the air before she could eat it. “Hey!” She punched him in the arm.
“Didn’t you think that maybe you should offer to stay home with your boyfriend when his father’s sick? Watch a little TV or something?”
Sara twisted her mouth. “Cole’s not my boyfriend.” She paused her beer at her lips and added, “Besides, why should I waste my Saturday night? Doc’s not my father.”
Buck snorted and swung his gaze back to the game. “As I said, compassionate to the core.”
“Hey, I’m compassionate.” She brushed the shells from her shirt again and pushed the bowl of peanuts away. “What about last month, when you drank all that tequila and I held your head up from the toilet, then helped you to bed. That’s compassion, my friend.”
Buck turned to stare, amusement lighting his eyes. “That’s a beautiful story.”
Sara grinned. “I know. I told you, I’m downright warm and fuzzy.”
He leaned closer. “Except it’s not true. I held your head while you puked your guts out. Then I carried your dead weight body to your room, removed your boots and put you to bed.”
She tipped her head. His green eyes filled with amusement and she struggled to keep a straight face. “Hmm, are you sure about that?”
“Oh, I’m sure.” He dropped his gaze pointedly to her jeans. “In fact, I’m wondering right now if you’re wearing those cute little panties with the cowboy hats on them.”
Heat rushed to her face. He was never going to let that go, was he? Pretending she didn’t care that he caught her in the goofy underwear, she shrugged. “You like them so much, I could get you some for Christmas.”
Buck snorted and, once again, stared at the TV. “No thanks.”
Sara drained her beer and rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks. The noise from the bar, sitting here next to Buck, all of it was relaxing and she finally felt herself unwind. This was what she waited all week for—Saturday night at the
LoneStar with Buck. No way would she have sat home with Cole watching TV when she could be here instead. Although she worked side by side all week long with Buck, this was different. This was where they kicked back and hung out. It wasn’t just the LoneStar though, it was being with the man next to her. Her buddy. The Tonto to her Kimosabe. There’d never been a time when it hadn’t been the two of them; her father used to call them “double trouble.”
As always, the minute she thought of her father a lump clogged her throat.
Pushing her sadness away, she reached over and messed up Buck’s neat little pile of peanut shells. “I promise next time you get sick, I’ll take your pants off for you. That’s what friends are for.”
Buck choked on his beer, spewing liquid down the front of his black T-shirt. He scowled. “Damn it, Sara, you can’t say—”
The band hit the first note to her latest favorite song and she jumped off the bar stool. “Come on, dance with me.” She wrapped her hand around his thick bicep and tugged.
“Nah.”
She ignored him and headed to the dance floor. He’d follow her anyway, she wasn’t worried. Seconds later, as if on cue, she smiled when he reached her side and she easily turned into his arms without waiting for an invitation.”
“Don’t you ever listen?” he growled.
“To what?” She rested her hands on his solid shoulders as his settled at her hips. Smooth as water flowing downhill, they slipped into a two-step. The music flowed through her and she hummed along.
The familiar pressure of his muscular thighs brushed against her own as they slid across the hardwood. Dancing with Buck was like breathing, completely natural, requiring no thought or effort on her part. Not like with Cole, who always held her too close or missed a step. Buck never missed a step. He was her rock on the dance floor—and in life. She could count on him no matter what.
The dance floor quickly filled and they were forced closer together. Suddenly, Buck jerked his body away, putting more space between them. The muscles under her hands tensed and she frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“You assume I’m going to dance when you want to dance like I’m a freakin’ pet monkey or something. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood.”
Sara lifted one eyebrow at his tone. Was he kidding? Was he really annoyed? He didn’t usually mind dancing. Or was it that he didn’t want to dance with her? Maybe there was someone else he was going to dance with? Was that it? It never mattered in the past, but maybe something had changed. He’d teased her about Cole being her boyfriend even when he knew there was nothing between them. Not that it mattered, even if Cole was here, she always danced with Buck.
Watching him speculatively, she tried to remember the last time he’d been out on a date? It’d been a while. Was that what was eating at him? Was he lonely? Not that he didn’t have her, but maybe he was lonely for the other kind of female companionship.
Her gut ached whenever she thought Buck had found someone. He’d dated in the past, of course, but no one serious. Lately, though, he’d been talking more about how they were both getting older, and maybe the time had come to start settling down. Frankly, she thought the idea of settling down was a bit weird for her, in fact she hated the idea. She couldn’t imagine, for example, sitting home with Cole tonight instead of being here having a good time. Did Buck really want that instead?
She glanced up. Another woman certainly wouldn’t understand about their friendship. She hated the idea of another girl telling him he couldn’t spend time with her. Still, she was his friend, and, as such, her responsibility to help a buddy out. Resigned, she attempted to look past his shoulders to the rest of the crowd. There had to be someone out there that Buck might be interested in.
“What are you doing?” he muttered, shifting his feet.
“Checking out the scenery.”
Using his shoulder for leverage, she lifted to her tiptoes to see past him. She pressed into him and he groaned, his hands on her hips shifting. A hardness settled against her and she frowned. What did he have in his pocket? Oh...oh! Realization finally dawned—this was way worse than she suspected. If dancing with her was turning him on, he really was in need of some female companionship and quick.
She jerked her head back to gander up at him but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. Still shocked by the fact that he was like that, she missed her footing and stumbled against him.
Not missing a step, Buck caught her and lifted her off her feet until she was steady.
“Would you quit it?” His teeth were clenched tight as if in pain. “What were you looking for anyway?”
“Someone to relieve that problem you have.” She spied a petite blonde to their left. “Ah yes, SueAnne Richardson. Now, she’d be an easy catch—that girl has been after you since the fifth grade.”
Buck swore bluntly and she laughed. She knew SueAnne drove him crazy. Just then, the blonde’s high pitched giggle drifted across the room. “Don’t you want to wake up to that sound tomorrow morning?” she teased.
“No way.”
“Hmm. Okay, well, there’s always the Quaker Twins?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I hear they go together if you know what I mean.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “No thanks.”
Sara tipped her head and studied him. “Why? I heard that’s every man’s fantasy, two women at once.”
“Not this man,” he said with conviction.
His hands spanned her ribcage, pulling her closer. Bodies pressed together, she could feel the tension in him. What’s wrong with him tonight? How much had he to drink before she arrived? “You wouldn’t want two willing women? It’s not like they’re butt ugly. And they don’t have that horrible giggle like SueAnne. I also heard that they—”
“I’m a one woman man,” he interrupted, gritting his teeth.
The look in his eyes was very strange. She dropped her gaze as her stomach fluttered and dipped. Weird. She really shouldn’t eat peanuts and drink beer on an empty stomach; it was doing a number on her insides. She shook off the odd sensation. “It wouldn’t matter who I picked out for you anyway, you’re too damned fussy.”
“I’m fussy? You should talk.” He gave her a pointed glared. “You’ve been stringing Cole along for years. Why don’t you either give him what he wants or let him go find someone who will?”
She snapped her head back. “I’m not holding a gun to his head. He’s free to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants.” She stared at his set jaw line, which was in need of a shave, tanned skin drawn tight as if annoyed. But what had him so worked up? What was with him and the whole Cole thing today? That had to be the fourth time he’d brought the subject up since breakfast this morning.
“You go out with him every Saturday night. You dance with him, you let him buy you beers...and I’m betting dollars to doughnuts, you leave him with nothing but a prayer when he drops you off at the door.”
“For the record, I buy beer too. He knows where we stand.” Why was Buck trying to make her feel like she was doing something wrong?
“You should either take it to the next level or let him go.”
“Take it to the next level? You mean sleep with him?” She barked a laugh. “That would be like sleeping with you.”
Buck missed his step and landed on her booted toe. Uh-oh, she’d been right about him having too many beers. What time had he gotten here? It was only a little past nine now. She searched his eyes but they appeared clear and alert—angry even.
“Is that such a horrible thought?” His voice was tight as if he was gagging.
She wrinkled her nose. “Is what a horrible thought? Sleeping with Cole? Maybe not horrible, but weird. He’s my friend. Mixing sex and friendship is like drinking whiskey with beer chasers. Seems like a good idea at the time, but the next morning you wonder what the hell you were thinking.”
“Says who?”
She couldn’t believe this conversation. How the heck had they gone from eating peanuts and watching the game to discussing sleepin
g with Cole? She didn’t have a lot of experience with the opposite sex in a well, sexual way, but knew a bad idea when she heard one. “Me. Once you sleep with someone it changes everything.”
The song changed and they melded into a slower dance.
His hands sprawled out on her back. “I would think having sex with someone who’s also your friend makes it more meaningful.”
Sara shifted and linked her arms behind his neck. Was he talking from experience? Which one of his friends was he sleeping with? Nah, she didn’t want to know. “You do what you want but I’m not mucking up a good friendship for a roll in the hay. What’s with the big concern about me and Cole lately anyway?”
His fingers kneaded the muscles in the small of her back then his hand splayed out and caressed her shoulders, up to the base of her skull. She couldn’t stop the moan of delight as her head fell forward to his chest. Buck had the most amazing fingers, and he magically eased the ache in her muscles. She usually had to beg him to rub her back. She wrapped her arms tighter around him, closed her eyes and reveled in the massage.
“I’m not concerned. I’m just being compassionate.” He emphasized the word as his hand kneaded the nape of her neck. “I hate to see the guy suffer. If you aren’t willing to warm his bed then let him go find someone who will.”
For a few more minutes, she kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the soft music, and the feel of his fingers on her knotted muscles. What were they talking about again? Oh yeah, Cole. He thought she should sleep with Cole. Why would he want that? Why would it matter to him if she did or didn’t? Suddenly light dawned on her and she snapped her head back. “I know what all this is about.”
His hands dropped back to her waist as she eyed him speculatively. “All what’s about?”
He looked like a deer in her headlights. For half a second she wondered what he was so afraid of, but pushed the thought away to let him know she understood. “All this concern about Cole and sex and friendship. I know what you’re doing.”
