Cowboy After Dark Read online

  “No, really.” Hope started to get up from the stool where she’d been sitting while Edie worked on her hair. “Don’t mess with your bouquets.”

  “Sit down and let me do this.” Edie pushed gently on her shoulders. “It’s a work of art, and flowers will be the finishing touch.”

  “It’s pointless to argue,” Phil said. “She made me hold perfectly still for this, and I’m a fidgeter.” She pointed to her hair. Although it was shorter than Hope’s, Edie had managed to weave white satin ribbons through it in an intricate design. “But it was worth every tortuous minute. She really is an artist.”

  “You’d better believe it.” Edie chuckled. “Which means I get to be temperamental.”

  “Okay.” Hope sat down and let Edie tuck flowers into her hair. “But I don’t hear any singing from either my hair or the flowers.”

  “Then allow me,” Phil said.

  “No, wait! I didn’t—” Too late. As Phil entertained Whitney and Aria with the flower-stealing story and song, Hope realized how she’d craved the company of funny, loving women whose gentle teasing let her know they cared. Tom had robbed her of that, too.

  By the time Rosie returned with the news that the men were in the living room drinking beer and trading insults, the women had decided on the order for their entrances. Aria and Whitney drew straws to see who went first, and Aria got the lead position. Chelsea would be third, followed by Hope, Lexi, Rosie, Edie and Phil.

  “Herb will start the music when I text him,” Rosie said, “but he doesn’t know what we’re up to. It’s turned up pretty loud, and I made sure Damon has a good view of the hallway.” She glanced around. “Ready?”

  Phil nodded. “Let’s do it.”

  Rosie texted Herb, and a moment later, Faith Hill began to sing. Aria went out, and the rest of them crowded into the doorway to see what she’d do.

  “Nice,” Lexi said as Aria danced her way down the hall. “Okay, Whitney. Go.”

  Whistles and cheers greeted Aria as Whitney followed a short distance behind.

  “That girl has moves,” Edie said with an approving nod. “We have talent in this group. You’re up, Chelsea.”

  “Don’t expect talent from me.” But Chelsea put a sexy wiggle and a shimmy into her routine that made the fringe on her dress vibrate seductively.

  “Your turn, Hope.” Lexi gave her arm a squeeze. “Go get ’em, tiger.”

  Hope didn’t think of herself as a terrific dancer, either, but they’d formed a team, and she couldn’t let them down. The cheers and applause that Chelsea had received were still going on as she began dancing down the hallway in her green sleeveless dress with a revealing slit up one side of the skirt. If no one noticed that slit, the dress was fairly conservative. If they did, then wowza.

  She had seconds to decide which way to go. She thought of the effort Edie had put into her hair. She thought of the subtle challenge Chelsea had thrown out with her knowing wink. She thought of fun-loving Phil, who was ready to go for it despite her lack of skill.

  She thought of Liam, but he definitely wasn’t the reason she would put her heart and soul into this hallway dance. She’d do it to demonstrate solidarity with the rowdy women who had committed to boogying their way into the living room. That was more than enough to make her hips move in time to the rapid beat.

  The response from the men standing in the living room was gratifying, and she couldn’t help noticing Liam’s delighted grin. But Chelsea, Aria and Whitney went nuts, stomping and yelling out a whole chorus of woo-hoos. They quickly exchanged hugs and high fives before turning to give Lexi the same reception.

  The five of them formed a cheering section for Rosie, who performed the cutest little dance step ever. Then Rosie joined the group. She yelled, “You go, girl!” when Edie pranced out with moves nobody had expected, except maybe her husband, Karl.

  Then Phil appeared, and the throng of women outdid the guys with their shouts and whistles. Phil gyrated down the hall with enthusiasm and the wild hand movements of a nondancer. She hadn’t improved a lick since high school. At the entrance to the living room she paused, spread her arms, looked straight at Damon and belted out, “This is as good as it gets, cowboy!”

  Everyone laughed except Damon, who walked toward her, cupped her face in both hands and murmured, “Nope. It gets better every damn day.” As he kissed her, the response from everyone watching was deafening. It nearly drowned out the crack of thunder, but everyone noticed when the lights went out. Good thing Rosie had plenty of candles on hand.

  As the guys came over to offer their congratulations to the ladies, Liam approached, still grinning. “That was amazing.”

  “Yeah,” Hope said, “amazing I didn’t fall down. It’s been a while since I danced, let alone in heels.”

  “Ready to take a seat while I bring you a drink?”

  She glanced around. Seating was in short supply. “I can stand.”

  “We brought in some kitchen chairs. Maybe... Ah, there’s an empty one. I’ll snag it for you.”

  “Okay.” She’d worn the sexy sandals, and they weren’t the most comfortable shoes in the world. She settled onto the chair with a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Giving in to temptation, she unbuckled her shoes and slipped them off. Much better. She wiggled her toes and wondered how the trek to the meadow would go.

  Herb whistled for attention. “I’m sure you’re all listening to the rain and thinking about mud.”

  Bingo.

  “I’ve been talking with a few of the guys, and we’ve decided that when the time comes, we’ll drive everyone to the meadow. Having everyone stroll down there was a nice idea until the storm came along.”

  “Thank you!” Hope called out.

  “The bride especially thanks you,” Phil added. “I may be wearing boots, but they’re wimpy ones.”

  Liam came back holding a steaming mug in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other.

  “Did you hear that?” Hope asked. “About driving to the meadow?”

  “Much better.” He glanced down at her bare feet. “Although mud can be fun if you’re not wearing shoes.”

  “I will be wearing shoes. This was for temporary relief.” She took the mug he handed her. “Thank you.”

  “Rosie brewed the restaurant-sized pot, but without electricity it’ll be cooling off fast.” He settled on the floor at her feet. “I’m pretty good at giving foot massages.”

  “But then you can’t drink your beer.”

  “I can drink beer anytime.”

  She gazed into his mesmerizing blue eyes, wondering if that was a subtle reference to the temporary nature of their relationship. She wouldn’t put it past him.

  Setting down his beer, he took her right foot into his lap and began to knead her instep. She moaned softly.

  “Better not do that,” he murmured. “It reminds me of when I recently heard that sound.”

  “Sorry. It feels really good, though.”

  “That’s the idea.” He nodded toward the mug she clutched in both hands. “Drink up. It could be a long night.”

  She sipped the coffee and tasted Baileys. “You spiked my coffee.”

  “I thought you’d want me to.”

  “I did. Thank you.” He was doing a good job of anticipating her wishes. Drinking coffee laced with Baileys while getting a foot rub from a handsome cowboy didn’t suck. “Does the power go out often?”

  “It does, actually.”

  “Do they have a generator?” She put great effort into keeping her eyes open when she really wanted to relax against the chair and give herself up to Liam’s foot massage.

  “They do, but they save it for emergencies, like when it’s forty below. This isn’t one of those times.”

&n
bsp; “Sure isn’t.”

  “If we need to, we can gather up the battery-operated lanterns from the barn and the cabins.”

  “You could have used a couple of those last night.”

  “I considered it.” He circled her heel with the pad of his thumb.

  In her relaxed state, she immediately thought about where his thumb had been during last night’s sexual adventures. Then she wasn’t quite so relaxed. “I like candlelight better.”

  “I figured you for a candlelight kind of woman.” He worked on the ball of her foot and slid his fingers through the spaces in her toes. “And a Winnie-the-Pooh fan.”

  “I’ve had that bathrobe a long time. Since high school. I must have looked fetching in my Pooh bathrobe with my hair half-done.”

  “Yes, ma’am, you did.”

  Outside the storm raged, and inside the party grew livelier, but in this cozy corner she and Liam seemed set apart from everything and everybody. Smiling, she glanced down at him. “I love cowboy manners. Thanks for that little white lie.”

  “It wasn’t a lie. You looked cute and huggable.”

  “Nice of you to say so.”

  “But now that your hair’s done, you don’t look cute anymore.”

  “You don’t like it?” She felt the twinge of a familiar pain.

  “I love it. You look hot.”

  The pain receded. “That’s Edie’s doing. I don’t usually wear it up.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s extra trouble and it looks better down.” She heard an echo of Tom’s voice.

  “Depends on what you’re going for. When it’s down it’s more touchable, but sweeping it up off your neck like that creates a different kind of sexy, like you’re royalty or something, and I’ll have to work harder to get you into bed.”

  “Is that so?” Her body tingled. “Liam Magee, you really are a silver-tongued devil.”

  “I’m not.”

  “My BS meter just flipped over to the red zone.”

  He shrugged. “So don’t believe me. But when your hair’s up and all that soft skin is exposed, I have the urge to nibble on you until you surrender to my charms.”

  “I see.” If he was trying to arouse her enough to make her squirm, he was succeeding beautifully.

  “You were really something, dancing down that hallway.”

  That made her laugh, which relieved some of the tension. “Oh, I was something, all right. Something you’ll never see on So You Think You Can Dance?”

  “Make fun if you want, but you were sexy as hell.”

  “All the credit goes to the slit in the skirt.”

  “That was nice, but you have a certain way of rotating your hips. I almost swallowed my tongue.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His blue eyes gleamed with lust. Holding her gaze, he reached for her other foot. “Thanks for taking off your shoes so I could have a good excuse to touch you. If I thought I could get away with it, I’d probably have my hand under your skirt by now.”

  “Liam.” Cheeks hot, she glanced around to gauge whether anyone might have heard him.

  “They’re not listening to us. The storm is making everyone shout to be heard.”

  “But you’re not shouting.”

  “I don’t have to. You’re reading my lips, same as I’m reading yours.”

  He was right. She hadn’t even known she was doing it. Watching his mouth move was such a pleasure, anyway. That little scar was an irritant because it reminded her that he’d had great sex with someone else. But it was also a turn-on, a tangible sign that he could make a woman lose her mind enough to draw blood.

  Searching for a different focus, she dropped her gaze to where he was using his strong fingers to bring intense pleasure to her feet. She’d experienced the joy of his talented hands on other parts of her body, parts that were warming up at an alarming rate.

  She took a sip, but the warm drink and the hot cowboy were a lethal combination. “You should probably stop doing that.”

  He glanced up at her and kept stroking her instep. “Is there a problem?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can I do anything to help?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  His beautiful mouth curved in a seductive smile. “Later, then?”

  “Later.” She took a shaky breath. “Definitely later.”

  18

  IN THE PAST, Liam hadn’t been particularly concerned about whether a woman craved his body or not. If she did and the feeling was mutual, then great, they’d enjoy the fun while it lasted. If he lusted after someone and she didn’t feel the same, he walked away.

  But now, for the first time in his life, he was prepared to use everything at his disposal to convince Hope she couldn’t give up their sexual pleasure at the end of the week. A week wasn’t long enough to create the kind of bond he longed for. Two weeks probably wouldn’t do it, either, but if he could get her to extend the deadline once, she might extend it again.

  He’d figured out that she didn’t know what she wanted long-term. But he was afraid if she shoved him out of her life after a mere seven days, he’d lose her forever. She might not realize they were meant for each other, but he was presumptuous enough to believe they were. Maybe he shouldn’t put so much emphasis on her Winnie-the-Pooh bathrobe, but he couldn’t seem to help it.

  His mother had read those stories to him and Grady when they were little, and he’d never forgotten the characters. He’d identified with Owl, who always seemed to know what to do, but he’d also identified with Christopher Robin, who looked after all of them. He knew he wasn’t Pooh, but he’d always loved that bear—trusting, joyful and naturally creative.

  After seeing Hope in that bathrobe, everything had clicked into place. Once upon a time she’d functioned like Pooh. Then she’d met Tom, who’d sucked every bit of that optimistic joy out of her. Liam wanted to help her regain that joy because when she did, she’d find herself. She might also decide they were right for each other.

  But he couldn’t expect her to hear that explanation, agree with it and fall into his arms. So he was willing to use sex to give her a reason to hang around until the light dawned. The foot massage hadn’t been planned, but he’d grabbed the opportunity. As long as he could keep touching her and reminding her of the pleasure to be found with him, he might buy a little more time.

  She insisted they leave their private corner and mingle. He agreed that was a good idea considering how tight his jeans had become during that foot rub and sexy discussion. But thanks to that, they were both thinking about their rendezvous tonight, and this time they could play until dawn if they wanted to.

  The storm cleared as the sun began to set. While Rosie notified the other guests that they could head toward the ranch for the ceremony, Cade and Brant volunteered to feed the horses and check out the meadow. The resulting report made everyone groan.

  “The tent’s gone,” Cade said. “Probably over in Campbell County by now. The chairs are tossed around and muddy, and the decorations on the front of the cabin blew off. The artificial turf stayed put, I guess because we weighed it down with rocks on the corners. It’s wet, but it’s there.”

  Damon wrapped an arm around Phil’s waist. “It won’t be quite the ceremony we’d envisioned.” He gazed down at her. “I’m sorry.”

  Phil didn’t look devastated, though. “Let’s forget about the chairs and have everyone make a circle around us while we say our vows. We don’t need the tent, anyway. We’ll get married in the glow of the sunset.”

  “Instead of a circle,” Hope said, “how about a heart with you two and the minister at the point in the middle?”

  Liam’s own heart tightened. A woman with this much romance in her soul couldn’t possibly be happy with a string of te
mporary lovers. Not telling her that was going to take some restraint.

  “Oh.” Edie fanned her face and sniffed. “Now I’m ready to bawl again.”

  Rosie gave her a quick one-armed hug. “No time for that, lady. The guests are on their way. We need to move it.”

  Rides were arranged, and the guests wore the most practical footwear they had on hand. Rosie and Herb loaned out all the spare rain boots in the closet, and Liam was glad to see that Hope got a pair. Music turned out to be the easy part. Liam backed his truck into position near the meadow, and Aria’s brother, Josh, who would have had some trouble navigating the muddy terrain, anyway, offered to sit on the tailgate and keep the tunes coming.

  The other guests drove straight to the meadow, and all had worn boots. While Phil and her attendants waited in the SUV parked at the end of the artificial turf aisle, Hope organized the heart shape so that those who would have been sitting on the bride’s side formed the left curve and the groom’s guests formed the right curve. She created a gap for the maid and matrons of honor and a break at the bottom for Phil, her dad and her attendants to walk through.

  Liam watched in admiration and looked forward to finding a place beside her and holding her hand throughout the ceremony. But as the guests divided into two groups, he realized that she’d be on one side and he’d be on the other. They’d be separated. Or maybe not. She was moving to the end of the line on her side.

  He quickly switched places with the last person in line on his side. He managed it seconds before Josh started the music. Hope glanced at him with raised eyebrows, and he grinned at her before turning to face the procession coming toward them.

  Nobody tried to dance down the rain-slick turf, but from their expressions of joy, they would have if it hadn’t been dangerous. Liam had attended a few weddings, most recently one for the woman who’d given him the scar on his lip, but he’d never felt such tenderness toward the participants. Made sense that he’d be emotionally attached to this ceremony, though. These were his people in a way other friends never would be.

  Lexi walked toward them in her lacy dress that was so different from the jeans and T-shirts he remembered from years ago. She’d always been riding, working in the barn or teasing the guys, Cade most of all. She’d had an excuse to hang out at Thunder Mountain because her parents, who were standing on the groom’s side, were Rosie and Herb’s best friends. But she’d mostly been there because of Cade.