A Cowboy Comes Home

A few beats went by in silence.

“Are you sure you want the details?” Mandy asked, a warning tone in her voice.

“Yeah.”

Mandy screwed up her courage. “Everywhere.”

Abigail blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, he kissed me everywhere. ”

Abigail’s eyes went round. “We’re not talking geography, are we?”

Mandy shook her head, a secretive grin growing on her face.

“When?”

“Two days ago.”

“At the ranch?”

“His ranch.”

“You didn’t?”

“We did.”

Abby plunked back in her chair, her expression a study in shock.

“Then I didn’t hear from him afterward.” Mandy found the words rushing out of her. “And I thought, okay, that’s it, he’s from the big city, and it was a one-night stand, and I can handle it. But then we got here-”

“And he made that stupid excuse to take you down to his room.”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And it was like no time had gone by. He grabbed me, kissed me, talked about going crazy for not seeing me.” For Mandy, it had been both gratifying and confusing. Her emotions had done a complete one-eighty in the space of about ten seconds.

“So, why didn’t he call you?”

“Out on the range. Out of cell service. Apparently Travis was keeping him busy, and he didn’t have a chance to see me. He said he tried.”

“And while you were dancing tonight?” asked Abigail. “Did he proposition you again?”

Mandy nodded. That appeared to be the thing about a heat-seeking missile. They didn’t leave you guessing.

Abigail’s brows went up. “And you’re sitting here with me, because…?”

The answer to that was pretty obvious. “Because two of my brothers and my sister are in the same hotel, and I don’t want to upset anyone.”

“You think I’ll be upset because you spend the night with Caleb?”

“I think you’ll be… I don’t know.” Mandy tried to put it into words. “Disappointed?”

“You’re twenty-three years old. Besides, you already did it once. You think my delicate sensibilities can’t stand being five rooms away while you have a sex life?”

“And there’s Travis.”

“What’s Travis got to do with this?”

“He warned Caleb to keep his hands off me.”

Abigail sputtered out a laugh. “Grow up, Travis. It’s none of his damn business.”

“I know that. And you know that. And believe me, that’s Caleb’s opinion. But I don’t want to upset Travis.”

Abigail sat forward again. “Mandy, honey, this family’s emotional health is not your responsibility. I’m not suggesting you sleep with Caleb or you don’t sleep with Caleb. What I am suggesting, is that you make up your own mind. You’re allowed to do that.”

It wasn’t as simple as Abigail made it out to be. In families, people had a responsibility to the group, they couldn’t just selfishly think of themselves alone.

“You think that when I date a guy, I’m worrying about your opinion?” Abigail asked.

“Well, I’d never-”

“I don’t. And neither does Travis when he’s dating a woman. And you shouldn’t, either. Now.” Abigail brought her palms firmly down on her lap. “If the rest of us weren’t here, what would you do?”

Mandy pondered her sister’s question. If she had it to decide all on her own, remembering their lovemaking from last time, thinking about his words and her feelings on the dance floor, taking into account that Caleb was here only temporarily?

Mandy bit down on her lower lip.

Abigail waited.

“I’d already be down the hall in his room,” she admitted. “I’d be with Caleb.”

Abigail’s grin was a mile wide.

Three minutes later, standing barefoot outside Caleb’s hotel-room door, Mandy was forced to tamp down a swell of butterflies battering her stomach. She was pretty sure he’d be glad to see her, but there was no way to be positive. Other than to knock on his door.

Right.

She brushed her palms against the skirt of her red dress, took a deep breath, glanced both ways down the corridor and knocked.

After only a few seconds, Caleb opened the door. His expression registering surprise, but the surprise was followed quickly by a broad smile that lit the depths of his blue eyes.

He reached for her hand, tugging her quickly inside the room.

“Hey, Mandy,” he whispered gruffly.

As the door swung shut behind her, his lips came down on hers in a long, tender kiss.

He pulled back, grin still firmly in place as he smoothed back her hair. “You’re here.”

She couldn’t hold back her answering smile. “I am.”

“Can you stay?”

She nodded, and he drew her into a warm, enveloping hug, wrapping his body possessively around her.

For some reason, she suddenly felt trapped. “Uh, Caleb?”

“Hmm?” he asked between kisses.

“I know you probably want to jump straight into bed.”

He immediately pulled back again, his hands gently, loosely cupping her bare shoulders. “Hey, no.”

There was genuine regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. That was presumptuous and disrespectful. You being here, in my room, doesn’t mean anything you don’t want it to mean.” His words sped up. “Seriously, Mandy. No pressure.”

Her heart squeezed with tenderness. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t go to bed at all. I just thought, maybe first-”

“You want a glass of wine?” He took her hand and led her to the big sitting area at the far end of the huge, rectangular room. A big, bay window overlooked the river and the moon hung high above the mountains. It was a clear night, with layers of stars twinkling deep into space.

“Wine sounds good.” She perched on one end of the couch.

“We can talk,” he said as he moved to the wet bar, stopping to turn on some soft music, before returning with two glasses of red wine. “Merlot okay? I can order something else if you’d like.”

She accepted the glass. “This’ll be fine.”

He sat down at the opposite end of the couch, leaving a wide space between them.

She leaned back, and their gazes locked for a long, breath-robbing minute. The air seemed to sizzle, and her skin broke out in goose bumps while her heart sped up, throbbing deep in her chest.