Cougar in Texas (Rugged and Risque 3)

“No, actually. She passed away. When I was twenty. She and my father were both in a freak accident in New York. One of those bizarre ferry crashes you hear about from time to time.”

He glanced over at her. “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. I had a hard time grasping how it could’ve happened, but it eventually sank in. They were very adventuresome, so I told myself they would’ve rather died in a boating accident while on vacation than old and immobile in beds at hospice care.”An extreme example, but it’d helped to ease her mind.

“I can relate to that. I was once thrown from the surliest horse you could possibly imagine—which, of course, was the reason I’d wanted to ride him—and I broke ten bones when I tumbled down the side of a cliff. The first thing I asked my dad when he got to the hospital was whether they’d found the horse and if he was okay. I swore to my mom I’d never ride again. By that evening, though, I was already itching to get out of bed and get home to the stables because I never went to sleep without saying goodnight to the horses.”

“How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

She whistled under her breath. “Wow. I’m not sure I could have gotten back in the saddle after that.”

“You’ve proved you’re capable,” he said with a wink.

Her stomach fluttered. “Maybe.”

He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’re not exactly running and hiding, Reese.”

“The little voice inside my head tells me I’d be stupid to. But,” she added, needing to be honest with him, “I’m very concerned about Tommy being in town. Not that he’s a huge menace to society, but the other night… I’ve seen him like that before. He lost a few jobs when we were married—if you can even call it losing them, because he never put enough effort into keeping any one for more than a month or two. Any sort of rejection sends him over the edge. He’ll drink and get defensive. Belligerent, even. He always needs someone else to blame.”

“Are you thinking he’s going to put his current troubles on the two of us?”

“It’s crossed my mind. Repeatedly.”

Caleb was silent beside her. He turned onto a winding gravel road that led to a very lovely setup—the Painted Horse Ranch. Pulling up in front of the house, he shifted into park and then cut the engine.

Twisting slightly in his seat, he said, “I’ve got you trapped with that belt again.”

She laughed.

“So you have to hear what I’m going to say.”

“Okay.” She swallowed down a lump of emotion. His diatribe could go either way. He could tell her he didn’t need the complication of her and her crazy ex-husband while he was trying to build his business and save horses. Or he could say he didn’t give a rip about Tommy and was more than willing to weather the storm until it blew over.

She held her breath as he collected his thoughts. When he spoke, she felt as though she’d already known the conclusion he’d drawn.

“I’d like to play the macho cowboy who takes care of your problem without you even knowing about it, but threats from me aren’t going to stop him if he wants to pursue you. You’re the one who’s going to have to hammer it into his head that it’s over. Figuratively speaking, of course.”

She smiled. “Point taken.”

“You were right the other night—you do have to stand up to him. But I intend to stand right beside you while you do.”

Her eyes misted but she kept the actual tears at bay. He didn’t like her crying any more than she did. “If they gave out medals for kissing and chivalry, you’d be a world champion.”

“I’d prefer a kiss from you to a medal, darlin’.”

“I’d gladly give you one. But I’m stuck, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.”

He worked his magic on the latch. She stretched across the small space between them and laid a kiss on him she hoped he’d not soon forget.

When she pulled away, he let out a low, sexy grunt. “That’s enough to inspire some very wicked thoughts.”

“Again?” Her laugh was an enthusiastic one.

“Any time, darlin’. You get me all hot and bothered.”