Have you read Resisting Pressure (#5, Rhinestone Cowgirls)...?
CHAPTER ONE
“It’s stuck in the hole!”
“Wait! Stop squirming! I’ll pull it out,” Keefer Lane mumbled.
Violet Stone eyed him. “Can you manage?”
“Would be easier if the hole wasn’t dry. Hold on…it’s coming now.” He tugged and pop!
She almost lost her balance as her heel came free from the dirt. He caught her by the elbow, his touch scorching her skin. Jerking away, she refused to make eye contact with him. His eyes—blue, mesmerizing pools—would only make her heart pound faster. “You’re unbelievable!” Violet slid off her heels, eyeing the damage to one stiletto. “It’s a hundred degrees out here and you’re making this hell.”
He pushed his white cowboy hat back on his forehead, looked up into the sky, squinting. “Could be worse.”
“And how could it get any worse?” She forced the words through pinched lips.
He brought his chin down, his dimpled smile making her inner thighs tingle. “Could be storming. Could be a zombie apocalypse. Could be a lot of things.”
Was he serious? “And we could be back in San Antonio, having a nice dinner, maybe a glass of wine. Not stranded in the middle of nowhere.”
“I hadn’t planned on running out of gas or hoofing it a mile on this dirt road either, but shit happens.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she counted to ten, then met his gaze—couldn’t help herself. “Hmm…shit happens? It was your truck and your idea to go on this road trip clear across the state of Texas to see the stars from a different view! We could have seen the stars just fine back in the city. In fact, I have a whole ranch with front row seats to the sky!”
His gaze narrowed. “So this is all my fault? I didn’t force you to get into the truck.”
“No, but it doesn’t take a genius to read the gas gauge. E stands for empty!”
“I’ve told you, the gauge isn’t working properly. It gets stuck sometimes.”
“Are you really going to use that as an excuse? Do you think it’s your responsibility to monitor how many miles you’ve driven on a tank of gas?” She tugged a long tendril of hair behind her ear before nailing him with what she hoped was an annoyed glare. She was hot, tired, and her feet were killing her after walking on the gravel road. She wasn’t normally this pissed and wasn’t even sure why she was so angry with him, but she couldn’t seem to control any part of her body around him. From a fast beating heart to dizziness to clammy hands, she was having symptoms of something horrible—an attraction to an infuriating cowboy.
Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything but a granola bar since that morning. The emergency department had been pounded with patients and by the time she ended her shift, she’d been in a rush to make her date with Keefer. .
She couldn’t believe she’d chosen the stilettos for tonight. They were sexy, but nothing about the heels were made for walking except across the room looking sexy. Very seldom did she get all dressed up and had been looking forward to wearing something different than her scrubs and tennis shoes. Nothing had gone as planned this evening. Especially pulling off sexy for her date, the first she’d had in over six months. She was certain her hair that she’d curled over top of the staff bathroom sink was now hanging straight. The makeup she’d applied was worn off and the expensive red dress she’d bought specifically for tonight clung to her body, and not in a good way. She’d even had a Brazilian wax because a girl should always be prepared. Those parts of her body were now sweating. ‘Sexy’ was the last thing she felt like at this moment.
She smoothed her gaze over the cowboy and hated that not one part of him appeared unraveled. In fact, he looked so good she could eat him on a cracker. Her stomach growled and every nerve ending sparked alive—at least the junction of her thighs still worked. No surprise. He was easy on the eyes and his hypnotic grin could make a woman feel special. Remind her of things she was missing, and oh brother, did Violet miss the things this cowboy, no doubt, could do well. She’d bank on it.
A week ago she’d met him after he’d won a date with her at a charity auction and she’d anticipated the moment when she’d see him again. It was pretty obvious the only action she’d be getting tonight was a long foot-soak and sinking into bed alone. That was whenever she finally made it home. She grabbed her cell from her handbag and checked the screen. Still dead. What was she expecting? Dropping the phone back into her purse, she continued beside Keefer along the narrow road.
“Hey, by the way, I’m sorry about this,” he said.
“An apology? We’re getting somewhere.” She kept her gaze steady on the road in front of them. The sun glinted off the gravel appearing as though they were walking off the edge of the earth. The weather forecast warned people to stay hydrated today and her body agreed. What she wouldn’t give for a sip of water.
“I’ll take full credit for not being the most responsible, but I was preoccupied.” He slid his gaze over her, spending a good second on her breasts. She hated that her knees weakened and the apex of her thighs throbbed with an urgency for a cowboy—and not just any cowboy would do.
“Are you saying that because I—well—‘preoccupied’ you, that I’m at fault for our situation?”
“Were you thinking clearly yourself?”
She shook her head in disbelief. “I wasn’t the one behind the wheel.”
“You were tucked up real nice and tight at my side, your fingers tugging at my belt buckle and I sort of lost touch with reality.” He shifted in his dusty boots, then kicked up a rock with his toe.
“Oh, in that case, you’re completely forgiven.”
“Am I?”
“No, not in the slightest! However, I do appreciate that you can be honest. It’s no secret that a man can’t think with his brain when he has a—” she slipped her gaze to his zipper, rolling her tongue along her bottom lip, “problem.”
“I wasn’t the only one with a 'problem', sweetheart.” His deliberate grin drove through her like a pitchfork.
How could she argue? She’d wanted him in a very bad, but also a very good way. “Believe what you wish.” She sniffed loudly and walked ahead of him, knowing he watched her closely. She put an extra amount of shake in her sashay just for show.
“Face the facts, Violet. You nearly jumped my bones back at the restaurant. Good thing I got us the hell out of there or we'd be sitting in a jail cell for indecent exposure.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Keefer. It makes you look very ugly.” Liar! As angry as she was, she still thought he was the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. Her attention automatically drifted to his calloused hands that could offer lots of pleasure for her sensitive flesh. Even with the ego that stretched for miles, he could still make her libido hum a melody. Maybe it had something to do with his bad-ass quality. The deep, white scar on his left cheek made him look dangerous. A good girl always liked a challenge, however, she was far from being a 'good' girl.
“And like your snooty attitude makes you look any better.” He snorted. "I do believe the witch forgot her broomstick."
She stopped and jabbed her finger into the middle of his chest. “I might be a witch, but I have good reason. You try walking a mile on gravel in these heels and then we'll see how you feel! Until then, stick your opinion where the sun doesn't sh—”
He pressed his finger against her lips. "Let's not make things worse. Okay, darlin'? The sexual attraction is already off the charts and your anger only gets me hotter." She swallowed loudly. Holy mother of all that is real. “I know this isn’t the most romantic date, but we could make the best of what we’ve been dealt. It’s a nice evening and no threat of rain.” His pale blue eyes seemed to nuke her bloodstream like a powerful narcotic.
“These aren’t walking shoes.” She dangled her heels from her finger, giving them a quick shake. “I know that you probably want to come back with some poke about women wearing heels, but please save your breath. I’m tired and I have to be back at the hospital tomorrow for a double shift. So forgive me if it’s hard to find the rainbow on this road tucked in the middle of nothing.”
Keefer pulled out his cell from his pocket, held it up high and moved it through the air. “Damn network!” he growled.
“It didn’t work the last five times so what makes you think it’ll be any different now?”
“Maybe your phone would have had service, but, oh yeah, that’s right, you forgot to charge it.” The sarcasm in his voice made her spine stiffen. She left him standing.
“Okay, I’ll take the blame for my phone going dead and the fact that I should have never agreed to a second date with you.”
He stopped dead in his tracks. “Wait! What?”
Violet turned to look at him. “You heard me. I shouldn’t have agreed to the second date.”
He chuckled. “This should be interesting. Why not?”
She shrugged. “Because you and I…well…we don’t have a lot in common.” She tried her best to keep the tone of her voice indifferent. He didn’t need to know that she’d counted down the seconds before he’d pulled into Stone Hedge Ranch to pick her up. At the restaurant, his dashing blue eyes and beguiling smile had made her giddy. His strapping, line-backer shoulders and the spectacular way his Wranglers fit his tight, bull-riding ass made her full of desire. He’d made reservations at a five-star restaurant and they’d walked in together, her arm tucked in his elbow. He’d surprised her when he’d asked her to dance before they’d even ordered and things heated up like the fourth of July. There was no denying that she’d wanted to explore him, inch-by-tough-man-inch. So when he’d asked if she wanted to get out of the restaurant, she’d eagerly said, “Yes.”
And that’s what landed them thirty miles out of the city on some godforsaken country road where the only speck of life was a frog that had hopped by some twenty minutes ago. What man takes a woman in the country and gets her stuck? Hell, what sort of woman gets into a truck with a practical stranger and lets him take her on that so-called country drive?
What had come over her? Her sisters Ruby, Sapphire and Crystal would shake her by the tail feather if they knew what she’d done. They were always telling her to be careful, think ahead, and the biggest, keep her phone charged. For goodness sakes, she’d failed on all counts. She groaned. She was capable of handling herself. She wasn’t a child, no matter how much they treated her like one. Even being out on a secluded road with a cowboy who looked like he could carry the world on his shoulders she knew she’d be okay. Working as an emergency room nurse, she’d gotten pretty good at warding off drunken brutes and hostile patients. However, Keefer wasn’t neither of those. In fact, he’d been a perfect gentleman since he picked her up for the date. And he hadn’t been wrong about her touching him once they’d left the restaurant. The cowboy could kiss, and boy did he have a body. She should have never danced three songs with him—slow, romantic songs—because suddenly she’d grown sticky fingers and couldn’t keep her hands off him. What was it about the singer John Vesely’s voice that could make a woman melt into a man’s arms? Warm, muscular arms. She dared a peek at Keefer. His shirtsleeves were rolled up high.
“So when did you figure this out? That we shouldn’t have gone out on a second date. During the dance when you whispered that you wanted me? Or when you practically pushed your hand down my pants?”
Her mouth fell open and she quickly snapped it shut. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, did I not speak English?” He brushed past her.
She had to hurry to catch up with him. “Is that really how you see things? First, I didn’t whisper that I wanted you! I said that I wanted to leave after you suggested that we should!”
He laughed. “And that’s not the same thing?”
Violet opened her mouth to argue, but what could she say? At that heated moment on the dance floor, she’d wanted to leave so they could—she shook the thought right from her head. “I didn’t have my hand down your pants!”
“That’s why I said ‘practically’. If it wasn’t for my jeans, we’d found out just what connection we have between us.” He snorted. “And how the hell do you know if we have anything in common. The first night we went out we talked until the waitress kicked us out. What was that?”
She was beside him now. “Fine, I’ll tell you why I shouldn’t have said yes. You are on a one way track into danger every time you walk into the arena to ride a bull. I help heal people. I can’t stand to see people live dangerously, regardless how precious life is.” Lifting one shoulder, she let it slump. “Well, I could never be with an adrenaline junkie.”
“You’re not fooling anyone, sweetheart.” He gave her a quick glance. “You’re a nurse because you like the adrenaline rush. Can you deny it?”
Wow…he was right. “But I’m not putting my life on the line. What can you offer long-term?”
“I asked for a dinner date, not marriage.”
She moistened her lips and placed her hands on her hips. Her shoes banged against one thigh “And I couldn’t be with a cowboy. I grew up around them and they’re just not—”
“Rich enough? Refined enough?” His jaw hardened.
“That’s not what I was going to say.” He flicked up a thick brow in accusation. “I meant, available. Work is their number one priority.”
“And how many cowboys have you dated?”
“None.”
“Then how can you lump us all together?”
“I grew up with them around all of my life. My sisters and I were out on the land more than we were in the house and many of the hands became like brothers. I also saw all of the arguments they got into with their spouses over time management and priorities. My mom and dad even had a few of those spats.”
“You can’t use that as a gauge unless it happened to you specifically,” he huffed. “Any other reasons in that stubborn head of yours why we shouldn’t date?”
“I do have the right to my own opinion, you know.”
“Or you just don’t have a valid answer so you’ll change the subject.” He shrugged. “No worries. I wouldn’t have asked for a third date even if things had gone great, so you’re safe with that crazy opinion of yours.”
She thought he was joking, but his expression remained serious. “Well, it sure seems like you’re trying to talk me into a third date.”
“We probably are too different to be a match.”
“You’re just saying that because that’s what I proposed.”
“No, I made my mind up the second you almost fell on your ass a half mile back and then called me a jerk,” he said.
“I said that under my breath.”
“And that makes it less offensive?”
The man never ceased to irk her. “That was when I thought that maybe you brought me all the way out here to take advantage of me.”
“So you think I’d go to the trouble of driving over an hour from home with some sappy story of stars and a clear night sky just to go to bed with you?” He laughed hard his face turned red as he smacked his hand against his thigh. She didn’t find any of this humorous. “I’ve heard it all now.” He dragged off his hat and ran his hand through his thick, black hair.
He was making fun of her and she didn’t like it, not one bit. “You’ve never lied or came up with some clever ruse to get a woman into bed?”
He scrubbed his jaw, not looking so confident now. He mashed his hat back on his head. “I’ve never had to lie, darlin’.”
“Yeah…right.”
“Don’t start believing for a second that I’d have gone out of my way with a trick to get you, lady. Fact is, I wouldn’t have to come up with a trick.”
“Are you insinuating something?”
“I’m saying that you were all but squirming with need, wanting things to go to the next level. I could nearly smell the desire. Thankfully, I brought us out here, otherwise I think you’d be singing an entirely different tune right now—maybe screaming my name. One of us needed to keep things in perspective and manage the heat.”
Now she laughed. “Seriously? You’re trying to tell me you didn’t have one intention of sleeping with me tonight?”
“Yes, I can’t deny I wanted to sleep with you, but I wanted to come out here to—”
“To what?”
He shrugged. “See the stars, sweetheart.”
Her chest tightened. Why did secret parts of her throb? She hated the way her body succumbed to him. “How romantic it’s turned out to be. Take me on a trip just to screw me in your truck. Your rodeo bunnies might like that treatment, but I do not!” She marched down the road, hearing his boots pounding the road and kicking up pebbles.
“You’re a real treat, Violet. You were so hot at the restaurant that I thought you’d set the place on fire, and now you’re making out like I had some secret goal to take advantage of you? Either you don’t get out much or you think way too highly of yourself. I’m leaning toward both at this point.”
“I get out plenty, thank you!” she snapped.
His smirk jumped right through her skin. “If you say so.”
“I do say so.” She stomped faster on the road, not caring that the small rocks poked at her bare feet. “I think we should just stop talking. Agree to disagree. Otherwise we’re going to be out on this road until morning.”
“Yes, ma’am. Because you think we should stop talking then by all means, let’s stay quiet. Whatever the princess wants.”
“I’m not going to let you get a rise out of me.”
“Too bad I can’t say the same.” The latent meaning to his words and the twinkle in his eye did magical things to her nerve endings.
Violet continued ahead until a sharp pain radiated through her foot. “Ouch!” She stopped, immediately realizing she’d stepped on something, more than a pebble.
“Wow…so you don’t like to be called princess, huh?”
“It’s not that, you oaf! I have something in my foot.” She favored her wounded foot, keeping it from touching the ground and balancing on her toes.
“Who had the bright idea to take her shoes off?”
She hopped to the side of the road and into a patch of thick grass, afraid to sit down because who knew what crawled through the weeds. If she made it through the night she’d be one lucky lady. “Yeah, because it would have been better if I’d broken an ankle. Explain how I’d get around at work, taking care of others when I can’t walk?”
“Wait.” He strolled to her, bending at his knees, looking up at her. “Hold on to my shoulder so you don’t fall.” She did as requested while he examined her foot closer. “You’re bleeding.”
“What?”
The creases around his eyes deepened. Was he actually concerned? “The blood is dripping.”
“That means there’s something still in the cut.” She wiggled her foot, attempting to see the damage for herself.
“Have a seat. I’ll take a closer look.”
“I-I’m afraid to sit. I do have a skirt on.” It only took him a second to understand. He stood up, holding her arm, and started unbuttoning his shirt with one hand. Her breath caught. “What are you doing? Nothing has changed between us.”
“Again, that ego is growing a devil’s head.” Once the last button was undone, he dragged the cotton material from his shoulders, letting go of her long enough to slide it off his arm, and shook it out like a matador to a bull. She automatically skimmed his broad shoulders, wide chest, and the trail of dark crisp hair from his navel disappearing into the low waist of his jeans. Breathing became very difficult and her heart took on a faster pace. Why did he have to look so good without a shirt? She’d never seen a better set of abs or obliques. Or biceps. And the scars that were proof he’d been thrown a few times in the arena.
A breeze swept across them and she got an overwhelming whiff of man—spice, leather and sweat. She imagined that was how he’d smell if they were stripped and going at it like—
“Don’t fall. I’m letting go.” He brushed around her, spreading his shirt in the patch of grass. “There you are, princess.”
Biting off a four letter name that wasn’t jerk this time, his kindness taking off some of the edge, she eased down onto the make-shift blanket. She clutched the soft material, a desire to lift it to her nose swarming her insides, and she immediately scorned her misbehaving thoughts. His warm gaze settled on her legs and she swallowed hard as her skirt shimmied up her thighs. She tugged at the stubborn hem, jerking it down as far as the cotton/spandex would allow. One corner of his lips curled into a mischievous smile. Being hurt didn’t mean she could ignore modesty.
A low sound came from him. A groan maybe?
She closed her eyes, gaining her internal balance, but only to have her axis tilted again when his calloused touch came at her ankle. She jerked open her eyes, a squeal falling off her lips. He smiled bigger—in a way that she knew he realized what he did to her. The cowboy didn’t need his giant ego boosted. He probably had every available, and some not, female this side of Texas lining up to get his autograph, and anything else he was giving away. She knew his type all too well. “Be careful.” The words slipped out before she could reel them in.
“No, worries, sweetheart. I’ll be very gentle.”
He misunderstood, thankfully.
She almost choked on her saliva. Yeah, she’d bet her eyeteeth that he’d be anything but gentle and that only made her inner thighs tremble like a shack in an earthquake. Her last lover liked the missionary position, nothing but, and his endurance in running marathons didn’t show up in bed. She ached for a man who wasn’t afraid to show her what he liked, to heat up the sheets, and tell her what he needed. She wasn’t talking kink—just a man who wasn’t bashful when it came to matters of lust. In turn, she wanted to trust. The familiar ache in her throat returned. That T word always seemed to spoil things.
Although she had baggage, she was still a woman who craved a man’s touch, but a relationship, not so much.
A man who could ride seventeen-hundred pounds of bull would have no problem riding her one-hundred twenty pounds. Realizing she was smiling, she met Keefer’s gaze. Nope. Not going to happen no matter how much her body disagreed. “Let’s just get this over with,” she muttered.
His fingers moved across her sensitive flesh effortlessly, igniting sensations underneath her skin with his long, wide fingers and rough palms. She watched his hands move, gliding, striking up her nerve endings. His skin tone made her look pale. Examining his fingernails, she’d expected them to be dirty and ragged, but surprisingly, they were a nice square shape and not a speck of dirt under any of them. An image of those fingers touching her in secret places made her panties wet and her clit pulsate in urgency. Yeah, this was dangerous. Six months without sex made her a raging libido.
He lifted her leg higher and another yelp slipped from her. The temperature picked up by ten degrees and her skin became slick under his touch. They could have a quickie, right here alongside the quiet road, and no one would know. It’d only take a tug of his buckle, a slide of her skirt and—
“What are you smiling about?” The corners of his eyes crinkled.
“I’m smiling?” Now her facial expressions were out of control.
“Yeah, you are.” He reached into his pocket, retrieved his phone and clicked on the light, using it to inspect the wound. "Looks like a piece of glass. Hard to tell how big with all of the blood.”
Dragging her brain onto something other than his tight, solid muscles and deft hands, she remembered she had makeup removers in her purse. “Here. I have something.” She reached inside, took out the mini packet of cloths and handed one to him. “These should help to clean the area. Hold the cloth against the cut firmly for a minute and the bleeding should stop.”
“Won’t it hurt?”
“Probably a little. You’re not a wienie when it comes to blood, are you?”
“My own, no.” He did as she asked. A pain shot through her heel and she involuntarily jerked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It can’t be helped. I guess my nerves are hypersensitive,” she admitted.
He removed the bloody cloth. “Grab me another.” She did. He carefully wiped the remaining dirt and blood from her foot. “Definitely a shard of glass. You wouldn’t happen to have a pair of tweezers in that bag would you?”
She smiled. “I do.” She reached in and brought out the grooming set, removing the tool from the plastic case.
“I was only teasing, but looks like you’re definitely prepared for anything.”
“I spend a lot of time at the hospital so I make sure I have everything I need.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have a gas can in there too?” She gave her head a shake. “Didn’t think so.” He positioned the tweezers by her foot and she jerked again.
“Wait.” She touched his shoulder, delighting in the feel of his warm skin under her fingers.
“For what? Until it starts bleeding again?”
“No..”
He chuckled. “Now who’s the wienie?”
“You’re freaking me out because you’re nervous and pale. You’re not going to pass out, are you?”
“Hell no,” he scoffed.
“If you’re sure.”
“I get it. You’re a nurse who likes helping others, but doesn’t know how to accept help in return. No one can help as well as you.” His expression softened and his smile relaxed her—some.
“I’m not used to having someone take care of me outside of my sisters.” Especially a gorgeous cowboy.
“You could close your eyes if that’ll make it better.”
“No. I have to see everything” Miss a chance of seeing his muscles tense and coil? No way. This was the highlight of her week. The thought exhilarated and saddened her at the same time.
“Suit yourself.” He sat down on his bottom, extending his longs legs beside her. She noticed how the crotch of his jeans stretched across the bulge behind his zipper. Was he hard? From touching her? Sweat beaded between her breasts. “One of your sisters is the one my buddy, Jobe, was at dinner with after the auction, right?”
She threaded her fingers through her hair, pulling it away from her cheeks and laid back to rest on her elbows. Anything to keep from staring at him like an enchanted puppy. “That’s Ruby. I have two other sisters as well. Crystal and Sapphire.”
He blinked. “What’s up with the pattern of names? All gemstones.”
This wasn’t the first time she’d been asked that question. “I guess it wasn’t enough that our last name was Stone. We had to be named after gems too. I have cousins who are named Jewels, Pearl and Emerald Stone.”
He smiled and it actually reached his eyes. “Emerald? I bet that was a doozy to learn to spell for a wee one.”
“Wee One? I like that endearment. My mom used to call us girls her ‘wee ones’.”
“You and your sisters still live at home?”
“Yes. Please don’t tell me you’re going to say something rude about the chicks needing to fly the nest.”
“No I wouldn’t dare.” He winked. “I have a feeling there’s quite a history between Jobe and Ruby. He was hell bent on winning a date with her.”
Violet nibbled at the corner of her mouth. She couldn’t tell Keefer that Ruby and Jobe were an item a few years back and she became pregnant with his baby, keeping it a secret. Violet had a feeling everyone would know the truth soon. Ruby was still madly in love with Jobe, obviously. “What about you, Keefer? Why did you bid for me at the charity auction?”
“Why did you agree to be auctioned off for a date with a stranger?”
“Answering a question with a question never works. As you know, I work at the hospital and all proceeds from the auction goes to the children’s ward. A co-worker did it last year and she said they raised over fifty thousand, so I thought I should do my part. Now your turn.” He wasn’t getting off easy.
He shrugged. “I was approached by someone from the fundraising committee, asking if I’d like to buy tickets to the charity function and I did. I wasn’t necessarily planning to bid, just watch, but I guess I wasn’t a watcher after all.” He wagged his brows. “Look where it landed us.”
“Yeah, in the middle of nowhere with a piece of glass stuck in my foot.” Realizing how negative her words sounded, she gave him a small smile. “What drove you to bid on me? There were lots of beautiful women volunteering. Lawyers. Doctors. Even a model who I heard was on a magazine cover last year.”
“You really don’t remember me do you?”
“Prior to the charity?”
“From the emergency department almost six months ago. I was brought in after a dirt bath from a bull. I hit my head and had fractured my elbow. Hell, if it’d been up to me, I’d gone to my trailer and taken a couple aspirin. Damn insurance with all their hoops, saying it’s too risky not to be checked out for a head injury.”
“Better safe than sorry. Can’t let your stubbornness be the death of you.” She searched her brain, through all of the patients she’d seen, but couldn’t place him…until… “Ah, you were brought in listed with head trauma and possible internal injuries. Neck in a brace, a bandage covering your forehead.”
“You do remember me, or at least the flat on my back in pain version.”
“But it wasn’t Keefer on the medical charts. It was Christopher Lane and I remember there was a lot of talk going around that we had a rodeo stud in our department.” She could have sworn his cheeks turned a pale pink but vanished before she could be sure. So maybe he did have a bashful bone in his body.
“Keefer is a nickname that had stuck with me since elementary school. My buddies could never pronounce Christopher right.”
“I like Christopher. You’re lucky to be alive. You took a pretty bad fall.”
He shrugged. “I’ve heard that a time or two.” He clicked off the light to his phone. “All done.” His didn’t make a move to let go of her foot.
“Done?” She actually felt a bit disappointed.
“Bleeding has stopped, glass is gone, and you’re all set. Looks like you’re not the only one with a healing touch.” His eyes dazzled, matching the brilliancy of the sky.
Clearing her throat, she pulled her foot out of his grip, instantly cold. “I guess you’re right.” He stood and helped her to her feet. She tested the weight on her wounded foot. “Thank you. It no longer hurts.”
“Well, you need a bandage, but for now, it’ll do.”
Smoothing her dress down her thighs, she looked up and down the quiet road and across the wheat field. The sun was setting along the edge of the tree line. Soon, it would be dark and she’d rather not be out here in the middle of nowhere that long. “Why is there no traffic on this road? I understand we’re out in the country, but not even one car has passed this entire time.”
“This is all private property. I know the person who owns all of it.” He waved a hand around the perimeter. “It’s a dead end road.”
“You have a friend that lives on this road? A house with a phone?”
“No, eventually he’ll build a house. He plans to start a ranch. When I came out here to check out the land I was taken back by the gorgeous views from the property. I can only imagine what it looks like at night.”
“And that’s why you wanted to bring me here?” As angry as she was at their dismal situation, she couldn’t deny she found his effort sweet and thoughtful.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” He rubbed his jaw. “I guess we have no other choice.”
“No other choice but what?”
He took two steps toward her, pausing in front of her and leaning in. Her mind swirled, her palms became clammy. He was going to kiss her! She closed her eyes in anticipation, waiting, but it didn’t come. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist. She flipped her eyes back open just as he lifted her up, supporting her in his muscular arms. “What are you doing?” she sputtered.
“I’m carrying you.” He adjusted her higher on his chest and she could only relax against him. The hem of her skirt slid higher on her thigh and his fingers erupted tingles over her skin. She pressed her hands on his shoulders, attempting to keep her back straight, otherwise she’d sink against him and be a goner. Not only did he look good, but his scent should be bottled.
“Why?” she practically choked on the word.
“Because you can’t walk on that sore foot. We don’t want it to start bleeding again, do we?” He was already moving, but she was safely tucked against his body—a very good place to be—and a very dangerous one.
“I’m too heavy to carry.”
“You’re no heavier than a bale of hay.”
“A bit more, but I can’t ask you to do this.” A tickling sensation stuck in her throat. Her nipples pebbled and ached.
“You didn’t ask. Relax. Make it easier for me.” He winked.
How in the world could she be this close to him, with him looking this sexy, smelling so good, and she’d have to remain detached? What were her earlier thoughts on not dating a cowboy? It didn’t matter. She had no rules against have sex with a cowboy.
Then it flashed through her brain that he wouldn’t be asking for a third date and her spine automatically stiffened. Could he have just said that to irk her? Why wouldn’t he ask her out for another date? She should probably concentrate on getting through the current one because it wasn’t over yet.
Up ahead she could hear the low hum of a car passing. “How close are we to the main road?”
“Just a bit more.” He didn’t even show any signs of exhaustion from carrying her. Yes, this man would have the endurance in bed that she desired.
Once they reached the end of the narrow lane, he gently placed her on her feet and she took a short step away from him. “Instead of heading on the road toward the city, I say we head south. I do believe it’s closer to civilization. There’s a small town about a mile up,” he said.
“Are you sure?” She raised a brow.
“Pretty damn sure.”
He didn’t sound convincing. “Check your phone again. Maybe if we have some luck you’ll have service.” He grabbed it, stretched his arm into the air and the corners of his mouth dipped. “Nothing?”
“Nope. Not one bar.”
“Fine. Then we’ll move on to plan B.” She slipped back into her heels, glad her foot didn’t give her too much of a problem.
“Plan B? I didn’t even know we had one of those. Care to share the details considering I’m involved?”
“We’ll hitchhike.” She went to the edge of the gravel and peered down the road for cars.
“Hitchhike?”
“Yes. We know cars pass here because we’ve heard them.” Seeing his frown, she sighed. “Haven’t you ever done it before?” She watched several expressions flicker across his face.
“Yes, I’ve hitchhiked before, but not with a lady by my side wearing...”
She blinked. “Finish your sentence.”
“I’m only saying what you’re wearing is modest enough, for being out to dinner, but out here it sort of gives the wrong impression.”
She saw that he’d struggled with the explanation and her rational side could see his point. But she didn’t care. Screw logical thinking when her physical well-being was at stake. “There is no other choice. I know I’m not walking another few miles in these shoes or barefoot. At least my outfit should help us get a ride.”
“Do you know how many creepers there are out in this world?”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you scared? I promise I’ll protect you.” She bit back a smile. “Big, bad bull-rider Keefer Lane is afraid of grabbing a ride from a stranger…and blood. That’s two for the books.”
“Okay, that’ll be enough of that, princess. And I’m not scared, just wary. I don’t think we’re very far. We could hoof it. I told you I can carry you. It’ll be no problem.”
“And that’s less conspicuous than what I’m wearing? A man your size carrying a woman on the side of the road.” She turned, crossing her arms high on her chest. “If it’s only a few miles, then we won’t be in a stranger’s vehicle long.”
“You sound like you’ve done this a time or two.”
“I have. Hasn’t everyone?”
He smirked. “No, not everyone. If I was your father and knew you’d hitchhiked, I’d be swatting your fanny.”
“I’m sure if my father was still alive and I told him, he would indeed threaten to.”
His eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t. Now stand there and look real pretty. I hear a car coming. I’ve got this.” She stuck her thumb out.