The Cougar and the Cowboy

Dani was quiet for several miles, then asked, “Have you forgiven her, Jace?”

He thought maybe he didn’t hear her correctly. Then he realized he did and didn’t know what to answer. Was he trapped in this truck for two days with a Bible-thumping woman? Surely if there was a God, he wouldn’t do that to him.

CHAPTER 14

CAMILLE OPENED ONE eye and realized she had slept way past her usual ‘wake-up’ time. The sun shining in the window was almost blinding or maybe she was still asleep and dreaming or maybe she died and this was the ‘light’ people talked about seeing in near-death experiences. She closed her eyes and tried again. Nope, it was still shining in the window and making splashes of light across the bed and she was fairly certain she wasn’t dead. Where was she? Sunlight wasn’t this brilliant nor did it shine in her bedroom windows in her townhouse.

She laid her head back on the pillow and focused. Suddenly it all came back to her. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and went to the window. The scene splayed out before her was breathtaking. The sun reflecting off the mountains and the trees was a scene most people could only see in movies.

‘Well, Camille, you’re not in Kansas anymore. Or rather, Emily, you’re not in Missouri any longer.’

After drinking in as much natural beauty as she could stand, she made her way to the kitchen. Rummaging around in the cupboards, she found an unopened and apparently recently purchased, container of coffee. She had not taken the time yesterday when she arrived to find a grocery, so this could only mean Collier had stocked her cupboards with a few essentials before she got there.

‘Hmmm, handyman, landscaper, grocery shopper…I wonder how old he is and what else he’s good at accomplishing,’ she mused. ‘I also wonder if he’s on a dating site and if so, which one? Maybe he could be my first encounter to write about. That’s an intriguing thought.’ She stopped that train before it left the station. ‘Camille, slow down. He might be married and have six kids for all you know…although he wasn’t wearing a wedding band.’

At that precise moment, the doorbell chimed, once again causing her to jump. That caused spilled coffee down the front of her nightshirt. ‘Damn! What time do people come calling in this town for heaven’s sake? And who even knows there’s someone at this house?’

She’d parked her car in the garage last night hoping to gain a bit of time before anyone knew her mother’s house had an inhabitant. Right now, she walked to the door and opened it just a crack. She was surprised a house this size didn’t have a peephole in the front door. The smiling face on the other side was of course, Collier’s. She proceeded to open the door all the way so he and the bag he was carrying could make it inside.

“Hey. Sorry to bother you again, but I thought maybe you’d want a few groceries since you didn’t leave to get any last night. It’s not much…some fruit and veggies and tea, in case you weren’t a coffee drinker.” His smile was even more dazzling than it had been yesterday, if that was even possible.

‘What was it about this man that made her lose her ability to articulate any complete sentences? Good grief!’

“Thank you. I do appreciate it. Fruit and veggies sound wonderful, actually. And the can of coffee was a nice gesture. I needed it this morning.”

He laughed and said, “You’re going to need another cup. Looks like you’re wearing half of that one.” His eyes were on the wet spot that was causing her night shirt to cling to her breast in a most conspicuous manner.

She felt the color rise in her cheeks and nodded. “Yes, I am and it’s your fault for ringing the doorbell before a person has time to get dressed. Would you like a cup?”

“I really should get to my first job this morning but what the heck…sure, I’ll join you.”

“Unless you brought milk or creamer with you, I hope you like it black.”

“I wouldn’t be able to drink it any other way but there is a small carton of milk in that bag,” he said as he jerked his thumb toward the bag on the counter. “And a half dozen eggs. I was trying to cover all the bases,” he laughed.

“Are you always this attentive to newcomers?”

“Truthfully? No. But Barbara is a good customer and asked me to make sure you were comfortable and had everything you needed.”

Camille’s face must have registered her shock at that statement. “Really? I find that a bit hard to believe.”

“Why? I’ve only met her a few times when she first bought the place. Then she left for Paris and I’ve never seen her again, with the exception of a few weeks at Christmas a year or two ago. She faithfully sends a check every month just to make sure everything is taken care of here. Seems like a nice enough person to me.”

Camille shrugged her shoulders. “Okay…it’s not the Barbara I know but I’m glad she has you to take care of things.” She felt as though she needed to add an explanation of some sort so she continued, “My mother and I have not had a good relationship or really any kind of relationship since I crossed her and didn’t do what she wanted when I was in my early twenties.”

“That’s a long time to not speak to a parent, isn’t it? Never mind,” he quickly added. “It’s none of my business. I’m happy you’re here and the house has some life in it again. It makes me sad when I come in to check on things and it seems so lonesome here. It’s not good for a property to set empty. I asked her once why she didn’t sell it but she was evasive so I knew she had her reasons, obviously.”

Collier drained his coffee cup and took it to the sink. “I have to go and I’m sure you have things to do, also, Camille.”

She retrieved her purse from the chair she hung it on last night and opened her billfold. “How much do I owe you for the groceries?” she asked.

“Not a thing,” he told her, waving it off. “Consider it my welcoming gift.”

As he climbed into his truck, he wondered who Emily Hasbro was. Camille’s driver’s license, which he couldn’t help but see when she opened her billfold, had the name Emily Hasbro on it and not Camille Desmond. He couldn’t see the picture, but he was sure that was the name he saw.

CHAPTER 15

THE MILES SLIPPED by as the two travelers sped down the interstate, stopping only for