Cougar in Texas (Rugged and Risque 3)

Ginger said, “I suppose you’ll be needing a wardrobe update.”

Reese knew she wasn’t talking about anything other than new lingerie. But she said, “Unfortunately I have drawers full of items I never bothered to waste on Tommy after I found out about him and Amy. Most of the stuff still has the tags on.”

“So now you have a reason to put them to good use.” Jess raised her glass and the others followed suit, including Liza, who’d briefly joined them. “Here’s to Reese’s steamy new romance. Too hell with what anyone has to say about it.”

She thought of her ex as they clinked glasses and added, “I think he’s getting his comeuppance, as the reverend so astutely pointed out this morning.”

“What he deserves,” Liza said, “is a solid knee to the balls.”

Reese nearly spewed champagne. Sputtering and her eyes watering, she managed to say, “Agreed. But my cutting the ties and moving on ought to be equally effective—and even more pleasurable for me.”What with Caleb keeping her company and all…

Damn that flush that crept up her! But she couldn’t deny she liked having her “steamy” new romance.

Following brunch, the women stopped into the fabric store to pick up the bolts of tulle and silver satin ribbon delivered for Ginger. Then they gathered at her house and spent the rest of the day, and the better part of the evening, working on the oversized fluffy mass of tulle that would eventually be accented with blooming dendrobium branches and white hydrangeas tucked into the wide ribbon in front of the tall sweep of white netted fabric. A thin silver ribbon in the back, looping from left to right and lightly glued to the material, offered a hanger for the various places Ginger had selected for the decoration.

Reese suspected Ginger would cover every square foot of the Elks Lodge in tulle if she could get away with it, to help detract from the dingy gray paneling on the walls. And Reese wouldn’t be surprised if she opted to do that in the long run. Unfortunately, Wilder offered no larger facility for big weddings, so one had to make do with what was available, particularly given everyone knew everyone, so small ceremonies were always out of the question.

When the women’s fingers were practically numb from the first phase of wedding preparations, Reese returned home. She still didn’t feel like sleeping in her own bed, so she curled up on the sofa again with her sci-fi book.

* * * * *

Caleb wrapped up with the various contractors after sunset and had dinner and a couple of beers in town with his new construction project manager, Lance Bauer. The two had hit it off immediately and Caleb was anxious to get the work underway.

He returned to the B&B after ten. The porch light was on, along with one in the kitchen. Thinking Reese might still be awake, he entered the house through the main door.

“Just me,” he said, so as to not startle her, lest she think it was her ex barging in.

She popped her head up from the sofa. “Hey.”

He crossed to where she’d settled in with a pillow and a thick comforter. She’d been reading and placed the book on the end table.

With a furrowed brow, he asked, “You planning on sleeping here?”

“Yes. I’ve decided this house is mocking me.” With a sigh, she sat up. “Every room, including my own. I heard all over town Tommy and Amy did it in every bed in this B&B and now that he’s back, I’m constantly reminded of his screwing around. Taunted by it, really.”

Caleb sank into the cushion next to her. “Darlin’, he’s not worth all this angst.”

“I know that. And I’m not letting him get to me. I’m just…having trouble looking at this house objectively at the moment. Particularly the bedrooms.”

“He was the fool for cheating on you. I’m not saying it’s easy to get over. I’m saying it’s not worth stressing yourself out. I guarantee you, in a year or so you’ll be madder than you are now that you let him consume so much of your time and energy.”

Her lips twisted in contemplation.

He continued. “I know what I’m talking about. I’ve known plenty of women who were mostly interested in my money. They didn’t give a damn about the stuff that mattered to me—like volunteering or following a dream. When I lived in Dallas, dating me always came with benefits. Invitations to the premier social events, dinner with my parents at the most expensive restaurants and country clubs. You get the picture. They jumped on those things. But try to get just one of them to an equestrian event or on a horse? Forget it.”

She stared at him with a hint of pain her eyes. “Plain and simple, that’s bullshit.”

He laughed heartily at her use of his phrase. He’d said it about her ex’s cheating when he’d first met her, and it certainly applied to his situation too. “Yes it is. But it happens all the time. That is, it did happen. Right around the time I turned twenty-three, I decided nothing was going to change unless I stepped out of that environment completely and walked my own path. That’s when I started researching how to build this horse shelter.”

She sighed. “You are so admirable. I wish I had a calling. A purpose. It’s not the B&B, I know that now. I struggled to keep the house because it was my money that bought it, but maybe the reason I haven’t pushed for more marketing or tried to get more people to stay here recently is because the whole concept is tainted. From the moment I learned Tommy was screwing around—here in this house—I stopped caring about the business. That’s not right. You should be passionate about what you do.”

A change of scenery might do her some good, so he asked, “Would you come out to the Painted Horse tomorrow?”

“Of course,” she said without hesitation. “I’d love to hear what you have planned for the ranch.”

Her tawny irises glowed enthusiastically and she had a sweet smile for him. A genuine smile. He didn’t have to second-guess her intentions or motivations. He’d dealt with enough false women from way back in his youth to know an earnest one when he met her. Reese Middleton was the real deal. And, hands down, he was completely taken by her.

He leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek. “You are damn special.” Mist instantly covered her eyes. She looked away but he gently turned her head back