The Cowboy's Return Read online

  Bo raced to meet them, making happy sounds, his tail wagging. Mitch felt the same. He walked to Annie’s side of the truck. She didn’t open the door until he reached it, then he took a step back.

  “You cut your hair.”

  She tossed her head a little. “What do you think?”

  He was no fool. Even if he’d hated it, he wouldn’t have said so. As it was, he liked it. A lot. “It looks great. Why’d you decide to do that?”

  “Mrs. Mazur convinced her,” Austin said, bounding around the truck to hug Mitch hello. “She did a makeover on Mom.”

  Mitch noticed Annie had on some makeup, too. Or at least eye shadow and lipstick.

  Austin ran across the yard, letting Bo chase him. Annie seemed to be waiting for Mitch to say something.

  “I didn’t realize you’d become such close friends, after all,” he said.

  Annie laid a hand on his arm. “We’re not, although I know she’d like to be. You don’t need to worry. I don’t talk to her about you. Honestly, I don’t want to know. That’s between you and her. Anyway, from the few things she’s said, I gather she’s the villain.”

  That word struck Mitch hard. Was she a villain? She’d been young, they both were. “One person can’t cause all the problems in a marriage. It takes two.”

  “You’re right about that. So,” she said in a tone that indicated she was changing the subject, “I sold out again. And Brenna James wants to have a meeting with me soon about a business opportunity. She expects me to wait to hear exactly what that opportunity is! How am I going to pass the time while I’m sitting on pins and needles?”

  He leaned close. “I can help you think of other things next week.”

  “I never thought the day would come when I would be happy to have my son gone for a week.” She added in a whisper, “I think you’d better pick up another box of condoms.”

  “You dream big.”

  She smiled, sure and sexy. “I got up close and personal once. My dreams are realistic.”

  “It’s gonna be a long six days, Annie.”

  “But think of the reward at the end of it.”

  “I think about little else.” He walked around to the back of the truck, needing to stop the tense discussion, and lowered her tailgate. “Your barn roof is fixed.”

  She spun around, taking a look. “Show me.”

  He walked with her into the barn. The sun was still up high enough that if there’d been holes or gaps, light would’ve shone through. She pressed her hands to her cheeks as she stared.

  “Thank you so much, Mitch. How did you manage it?”

  “I called in the cavalry. In this case, a couple of my brothers. I paid them with a barbecue. They’re easy.” He grinned. “Just so you know, I’m going to help them with the haying. That’ll be the week Austin comes back. I’ll be here at night, though.”

  “You’ve made contact with your family, which is what you’ve been resisting. Seems to me you’re ready to go home.”

  “If you’re looking at just the facts, that would seem to be true. But this isn’t a black-and-white situation.”

  Mitch didn’t want to get into this discussion now. He wanted his week with her, and he knew she wanted the same. Why create a possible disruption to something they both wanted so much? It would be better to leave things unsaid at this point.

  “A day at a time, Annie,” Mitch said.

  After a moment she smiled. “That’s what I always say, too.”

  “Okay. Let’s get you unloaded. I promised Austin we’d have a video tournament using the game of his choice tonight. Gotta go warm up my thumb.”

  “And your reaction speed.”

  “Hey! I’m not doddering yet.”

  “Tell me that in about an hour.” She sashayed to the truck, looking over her shoulder once and smiling as if she knew everything there was to know in the world.

  All he knew for sure was that he never got tired of looking at her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Annie was glad Mitch volunteered to stay in the truck at the Medford Airport. It was hard enough letting Austin fly off, but she had to face Rick for the first time since their divorce was final. She had permission to go to the gates because Austin was a minor, so Austin waited impatiently at the window where Rick’s flight was supposed to arrive. Annie sat nearby.

  Most people thought Austin looked like her, but she’d always seen Rick in him. He moved like his father, especially when he walked. His mouth was all Rick. His ears stuck out the same.

  She remembered back to when they’d met. She’d just graduated from high school. Her parents had given her the gift of staying in one place for the last two years she was in high school before taking off, leaving her to fend for herself. She’d had a thousand dollars, a waitressing job at a local diner and found an apartment to rent with three other girls. It’d been chaos, not only with her roommates, but their boyfriends, everyone coming and going at all times of the night.

  She’d met Rick when he came into the diner, and after a month of dating, he swept off her to Reno and married her. They settled down in Fresno, where they’d both been living. The peacefulness of sharing an apartment with only one person was wonderful, but it wasn’t too long before he found another job and they moved to Bakersfield. Then Sacramento, then Oakland, then finally back to Reno, where they’d been for three years before moving to The Barn Yard. Austin adapted well with each move. She’d stopped being able to.

  Rick had been in San Diego for close to two years, so she figured he would be ready to move on soon.

  “It’s here! The plane’s here!” Austin’s happy voice took Annie out of her memories.

  She joined him at the gate, waited for Rick to emerge. She’d just about decided he’d missed the flight when she spotted him.

  “Dad!” Austin raced to the tall, thin man and threw himself at him, hugging him hard.

  Rick made eye contact with Annie and smiled. He looked more civilized than she could remember. He wasn’t wearing a suit, but he was dressed better than he used to, and his hair was styled, but with lots of gray in it. He looked...successful.

  He gave Annie a quick, one-armed hug. “You’re looking good, doll. You cut your hair.”

  “I could say the same of you. How was the flight?”

  “Long. Dull. It’ll be different on the way home.” He rubbed Austin’s head. “You’ve grown a few inches.”

  Annie was glad to see their easy rapport. She was afraid the time that had elapsed, as well as Rick’s resentment of having to fly to get Austin, would make things strained, but Rick seemed fine, and Austin was obviously over-the-moon ecstatic.

  “Our flight’s not for an hour. Want to get some coffee?” Rick asked.

  “Mitch is waiting,” Austin said, then seemed to realize maybe he shouldn’t have.

  “Mitch?” Rick repeated.

  “A handyman who helps out at the farm,” Annie said calmly. “We need some building materials, so he came with us. We’ll shop after you leave. He knew what time the flight was. I’m sure he expects me to stay until it’s taken off. Which is a long way of saying yes, coffee would be fine.”

  They spent a surprisingly pleasant half hour together before they gathered at the gate for takeoff. Rick didn’t reveal anything about his life. Not what kind of work he was doing, or whether he was dating. Nothing. Annie realized she didn’t care. As long as he kept in touch with Austin and made him feel loved, it didn’t matter how Rick lived his life.

  She teared up when Austin hugged her goodbye, then they locked pinky fingers and whispered their mantra. “Have a great time, honey. Call when you get there, please.”

  “I will. Bye.” He was antsy, wanted to get going on his adventure.

  She said goodbye to Rick, then moved to the window and
stood there until the plane pulled away from the gate and taxied off. It wasn’t long before the plane took to the air. Only then did she make her way to the parking lot.

  Mitch was sitting on the tailgate in the shade. He hopped down, and she walked straight into his arms. He didn’t say a word, no platitudes, no trying to coax her into smiling. He just held her until she finally stepped back and swiped at her tears.

  He took her face in his hands and brushed her cheeks with his thumbs, then he kissed her, the gentlest kiss anyone had ever given her. It made her want to cry all over again, but she screwed up her courage and said she was ready to go.

  They did have errands—chicken feed and dog food to pick up, groceries to buy. She noticed he looked around all the time, as if he might see someone he knew, but no one said hello.

  “Ready to go home?” he asked.

  Neither of them had said much, which settled a different layer of tension over them, adding to the sexual tension that had built for weeks.

  “I am so ready.”

  He reached across the seat to grab her hand. “How long until Austin calls?”

  “Their flight stops in San Francisco first. They won’t get to San Diego for hours. I’m guessing we’ll have five hours from when they took off until he’s settled at Rick’s.” They’d spent some time shopping, and the drive took a little more than hour. They could be leisurely, take their time, enjoy every second.

  It didn’t matter that they had a whole week of pleasure ahead of them. This would be their first time, and it needed to be memorable.

  In the end, however, she couldn’t wait for—and didn’t need—any foreplay. She was ready to just do it then take it slower the second time. As they reached her driveway, she said those very words out loud.

  Mitch had different ideas. He’d been thinking about this for a long time, and knew exactly how he wanted to proceed. She wasn’t the boss in this situation.

  He smiled at her and shook his head. “It matters to me that this is done right,” he said. “Doesn’t it matter to you?”

  “In my head, yes. The rest of me is arguing like crazy.”

  He laughed, low and soft, as he pulled into the yard, grateful no one was there, waiting. People seemed to be surprising her with visits these days. He hoped this wouldn’t be one of those days. He took her by the hand and walked her into the house, letting Bo out and shutting the door behind him. He’d be their alarm should a visitor arrive.

  The day was warm, but not exceptionally so for August. They went directly into her bedroom. He shut the door and opened the window. A breeze fluttered the curtains. Together, they pulled the top sheet off the bed, leaving an inviting expanse. Bo whimpered outside the window.

  “He’s wondering where his boy went,” Annie said as Mitch cupped her head. He lowered his mouth to hers and was immediately swept away. She tasted good. He’d noticed earlier that she wore perfume, only the second time he could remember her doing that, and as he nudged her ear with his nose, the scent rose to meet him. Her skin was hot and damp. He craved her.

  His brain was imprinted with the time in her kitchen when he’d seen her breasts, touched them, tasted them. This time there would be no clothing between them, nothing to hide behind, no need to stay partially dressed in case someone came in. He could feel her struggle to breathe as he unbuttoned her blouse and peeled it off her. Reaching behind her, he unhooked her bra. She shrugged it down her arms, letting it fall to the floor.

  Her nipples were a dusky rose against her pale skin. He cupped her breasts, felt their solid weight in his hands. “Beautiful,” he said.

  She closed her eyes, her body softening. Obviously, she needed words, not just actions. Hadn’t she been told how beautiful she was? How sexy? How perfect?

  She laid her hands over his. “They used to be perkier. Having a baby, nursing—”

  “Shh.” He bent low, moved her hands to her sides and held them there, then he pulled a nipple into his mouth, savoring her. “You are perfection.”

  She made a long, low sound, more of a moan than a sigh, and he continued with what he was doing until she grabbed at his shirt, tugging it free of his jeans. He unsnapped it in one motion, yanked it off and came skin to skin with her.

  “You have a perfect chest,” she said, dragging her tongue over it, circling his nipples, biting them as she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans.

  They managed to get their boots off without laughing too much, then their jeans were commingling on the floor, their underwear landing on top.

  “You need to get the condoms,” she said suddenly.

  “I put them under your pillow this morning.”

  “Well, darn. I wanted to see you walk away. And then walk back. You are a sight to see.”

  He accommodated her, saw the admiration in her eyes as he walked back, and was more turned on than he could ever remember being.

  Still, he wanted to take his time.

  “How can you hold back?” she asked as they lay side by side, facing each other on the bed.

  He didn’t tell her the truth—that he was thinking about what if this was the only time they got? What if someone who knew him interrupted them today and the dangerous game he’d been playing and she’d been going along with was over? He wanted the best memory possible—for her and himself.

  “When something’s important, you find a way to do the right thing, the right way. Just don’t touch me,” he added with a smile, lifting her hair from her face with his fingers. “Then all bets would be off. And so would I.”

  “Then we would seem to be at an impasse, neither of us able to touch.”

  “Who said I wasn’t going to touch?” To prove his point, he dragged her leg over his then moved his hand between her legs. She arched back, dug her fingers into his shoulders and groaned. He took his hand away, watched her grit her teeth, wallowed in the pleasure he knew he was giving her.

  “I can’t take any more,” she said, barely getting the words out. “I really can’t.”

  She moved her hand blindly under a pillow then tossed the strip of condoms at him. “Put one of these on right now or I’ll do it.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  She laughed, a shaky, lust-filled sound. Then she propped herself on her elbows and watched him make quick work of the protection. “You’re way too efficient at that.”

  “If you only knew how many times as a teenager I practiced that move to get good at it.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  He flattened her on her back, poised himself above her, felt her legs wrap around him and pull him down to her, guiding him to her at the same time. They climaxed together starting the moment he was inside her, kissing frantically, gripping each other hard. He arched and pushed as it went on and on, for both of them.

  Oh, yeah, if this was the only time...this was perfect.

  Finally he collapsed on her. After a few seconds, he rolled with her so that she could be on top. She snuggled against him, her legs nestled between his, her arms wrapped around him. He dragged his hands down to grip her rear, holding on.

  “That was good,” he said, in the biggest understatement of his life. “Really good.”

  “I have to agree with you.”

  “Give me a little time and we’ll do it again.” He almost growled the words, already mentally wanting her again, if not physically capable.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  He laughed, stroking her body everywhere he could reach, enjoying every inch of her. Radiant heat flowed from him, not from below his waist, but from the middle of his chest, thawing the ice that had been wrapped around his heart for so long.

  “I’m starving,” she said, folding her arms on his chest and resting her chin on them, looking at him. “For food. Are you?”

  Her hair was mussed. M
ascara darkened the skin under her eyes here and there. She looked beautiful.

  “I could eat,” he said.

  “We should probably put on some clothes, in case someone drops in.”

  “If we must.”

  She smiled first, then she pulled herself up his body far enough to kiss him. He wrapped her tight and rolled over, still kissing. She made the best cushion....

  “Wanna play hooky and go fishing?” he asked.

  “I’d like to be home when Austin calls. How about if we go tomorrow?”

  “Okay. We could skinny-dip.”

  She laughed and shook her head as she climbed out of bed and grabbed her clothes, tossing him his.

  “Is that a no?” he asked. “I’ve never seen a soul there.”

  “There’s a swing rope. People go there.” She stood still as he stopped dressing himself to hook her bra. Again she wished she had some pretty lingerie, but was resigned to the fact she couldn’t afford to splurge on any.

  “You could get into the water then take off your suit.”

  She shook her head again, but gave him points for not giving up easily. They finished dressing. She headed to her bedroom door, then found herself flattened against the wall next to it and being thoroughly and delightfully kissed.

  “What do you wear to bed?” he asked against her mouth.

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “Because I’ve been wondering about it since the first morning when you came into the kitchen wearing your robe. Every so often I could see a bare leg. I was curious.”

  “Short summer pajamas. How about you?”

  “Here? Underwear. In my own place alone? Nothing.”

  “I’ve never slept in the nude.”

  He pulled back, surprised. “Never?”

  She toyed with his shirt collar. “What would happen if I go naked tonight?”

  “At the least you’ll find me wrapped around you, skin to skin. I don’t care how warm it is.”

  “And at the most?”