Page 5 of Taken, Not Spurred (Lone Star Burn 1)
A machine picked up after the fifth ring. “Hi, Lucy. It’s Sarah. I had a little trouble finding your place, so I am at—I’m at a friend’s house. Anyway, when you get this message please call me.” She left Tony’s number and hung up the phone.
He wanted me.
I know he did.
Or I’m desperate enough to see only what I want to see . . . like a cattle ranch where there are only horses.
Chapter Three
The cooler evening air helped clear Tony’s head as he leaned against the gate of Scooter’s paddock. That woman has to go. He wasn’t celibate, but the women he’d been with had no illusions about why they were together. He didn’t have to make excuses or pretend to want to stay with them until morning.
None of them had ever looked up at him with the open innocence of his little blonde intruder. He’d bet money on two things: she was a virgin and she wanted him. Her interest had been obvious, but in an entirely different way than the bold women he was used to.
A woman like Sarah would think sex came with a commitment. She’d be hurt when I asked her to leave. Exploring that tight little body of hers wouldn’t be worth the aggravation that would likely follow. He went instantly, painfully hard as he remembered how she’d looked, mostly naked, in his shower. During his celebrity years, he’d encountered many beautiful women. Women who were taller than Sarah, thinner, more polished. He didn’t remember any of them taking his breath away or scattering his thoughts with a simple smile. Dinner had made the situation worse rather than better and triggered an uncomfortable realization: One night wouldn’t be enough.
He sensed Sarah’s approach even before he heard her soft footsteps, but he didn’t turn to look at her. Her image was already too vivid in his mind, and all he would see was a woman who had to leave. Now rather than later.
She stepped onto the bottom wooden panel of the paddock fence next to him and leaned forward to call her horse, which met her caressing hand eagerly.
Lucky horse.
“I put my luggage back in my SUV. All that’s left is to load Scooter and I’ll be on my way.”
Don’t ask. It’s better not to know. “Did you finally reach your friends?” And don’t look. He did and lost himself for a moment in those large brown eyes of hers.
“No, but they know I’m coming. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll find a gas station on the way and buy a map.” The forced optimism in her voice didn’t fool him.
Don’t get involved. “No.”
A wrinkle of confusion creased her flawless forehead. “I’m sorry?”
“You’re not leaving tonight.”
Delicious pink lips pursed in displeasure. “I don’t remember asking if I could.” She seemed to consider her own statement and said, “If you’re worried about me, I can call you when I get there so you’ll know that I made it okay.”
A reasonable solution. So why was everything in him rejecting the idea? “I’ll call Melanie and have her prepare the guest room for you.”
With a hand on one hip, his little blonde angel said, “I’m perfectly capable of finding Lucy’s place. I made it here on my own.” When he opened his mouth to reply, she cut him off and said, “By here, I mean Texas.” She raised one hand between them to silence him. “Don’t say it. I appreciate your offer of a room, but I can’t stay here.”
Walk away. She’s not your problem. Nod, shake her hand, and head back into the house. The impatience he felt toward himself echoed in his curt tone as he said, “You’re tired. Your horse is tired. It’s almost a day’s trip. It doesn’t make sense to leave tonight.”
Arms resting on the fence, Sarah chewed her bottom lip and studied her horse. “Is there a hotel nearby? I’d have to leave Scooter here for the night, but I could pay you.”
“I don’t want your money, and town is an hour away.” God help him, he didn’t want to be paid—he wanted her.
He leaned down, close enough so that when she turned her head he could almost taste her lips beneath his. The soft scent of her filled him with a desire to lay her down and claim her right then and there. She licked her bottom lip. The tip of her tongue left a wet trail that he eagerly wanted to follow.
She whispered. “I don’t know you.”
We can remedy that.
She was innocently wanton. Did she have any idea what her pose was doing to him? With one high-heeled foot hitched up on the lower plank, and leaning forward as she was, she was offering a temptation any man would have trouble resisting.
Didn’t I just decide she was off limits? Nothing has changed. The best thing I can do is agree and let her go. Even if, more than anything, I want her to stay. Tony straightened and took a step back; his next words were a concession to the inner battle he was losing. “I want you to stay.”
She looked over her shoulder at him, the crease returned to her forehead. “Do you always get what you want?”
He turned away, adjusted his hat, and rested his forearms on the top of the fence a foot away from hers. In a tired voice he said, “Never.”
Oh, now that’s just not fair.
I already want to throw all decorum to the wind and jump him—do you have to make me like him, too?
All that manly talk and now a hint of save-me sadness? Where do I sign up for this ride?
I should write that down.
Save-me sadness.
Which doesn’t mean I can stay here tonight.
I can’t because . . .
Wait, I don’t have a boyfriend, a job, or, apparently, even reliable friends. If I leave now, it’s a slap in the face of fate. Opportunities like this don’t just happen. They’re a gift.
Sarah used her peripheral vision to give the man next to her another once-over.
And what a gift.
So what if the last ten women who accepted his offer to stay are buried in the back field? Note to self: check back field for mounds. This is what I asked for, dreamed of, came out here determined not to leave without: an adventure.
Schooling her features, she hoped she didn’t appear psychotically excited by her decision. “One night.” She held her breath and waited for his response to her surrender. Their eyes met and held for a moment, charging the space between them. She leaned toward him, her eyes half closed in anticipation of his kiss.
“You should go answer that,” Tony said abruptly.
Sarah’s eyes shot open. Still in a bit of a daze, she asked, “Answer what?”
“The phone,” Tony said, a glint of humor lighting his eyes. “I don’t get many calls. It’s probably your friend.”
“Oh,” she said. Damn. “Thanks.” She tried but failed to sound happy about it.
If that’s Lucy now, she has the world’s worst timing.
Thanks for nothing, Lucy.
You never really get the apology you imagine you’re owed.
Sarah listened to Lucy’s long explanation about why she’d been away from home and had turned her cell phone off: last-minute errands; her brother needed her help with something. The whole story sounded a bit contrived, and Lucy’s contriteness was sadly lacking. You don’t let a friend drive for three days, then play hide-and-seek with them on the day they arrive.
Lucy said, “Things have just been crazy here these last few days. I should have called you and told you now isn’t a good time to come, but I didn’t know how to say it.”
Well, this is awkward.
She continued, “Of course, I can’t wait to see you. You could probably stay through the weekend, but after that, I don’t know. My brother changed his mind about having someone here for the summer.”
Because why not driv
e cross-country with your horse for a weekend?
Sarah opened her mouth to tell her friend just what she thought of her when a thought struck her. Things happen for a reason, and a woman could find herself stranded in worse places. “I’m settled in here for the night, Lucy. I’m fine.”
Lucy said, “I didn’t realize you had other friends in the area.”
“I didn’t know it myself until today.”
“Then this all worked out for the best, I guess. How long do you think you’ll stay there?” Lucy asked, her relief obvious.
Until Mr. Sexy Cowboy has me physically removed from his property or I wake up, realize how insane this all is, and leave while I still have some dignity.
“I’m not sure,” Sarah said vaguely.
“Hopefully, we can get together before you leave.”
Still irritated with Lucy, Sarah thought, A few hours ago, I would have jumped at the chance to see you, but I’ve kind of moved on. “Sure.”
After replacing the handset in its cradle, Sarah smiled all the way to her SUV. Something inside her clicked into place and she felt inspired. She dug through her oversized purse for her notebook. She’d gone from having nothing to write about to not knowing how to start recording everything she didn’t want to forget about this trip. A story was already forming in her mind, tickling her imagination. A contemporary romance—a sexy one. She jotted in her notebook: Strong heroine who is willing to take risks. She yearns for something or someone she can’t have.
Yearns. Sarah underlined the word twice. That’s a good place to start.
“Was that your friend on the phone?” Tony asked from beside her. Sarah let out a yelp of surprise and dropped her notebook at his feet. He reached for it, but she snatched it up from the ground, closing it quickly and clasping it to her chest while hoping he hadn’t seen the first page.
Because nothing says “I’m normal” like a question regarding men’s grooming practices on their genitalia.
“Yes,” Sarah said, the word catching in her throat.
Tony scowled down at her and nodded at her notebook. “You jotting down the directions before you forget them?”
Looks like this conversation is going to happen at the corner of Awkward and Embarrassing. “Not exactly.” She cleared her throat. “My friend changed her mind about wanting me to visit.”
