Page 34 of Cowboy’s Last Stand (His to Protect #1)

The mattress was the most difficult item to buy.

He couldn’t even look at frames or other bedroom furnishings.

He had slept indoors since he’d been injured, of course.

He’d slept in a hospital bed with a cast on his leg and bandages around his head.

He’d slept in his former bedroom at his father’s house, drugged to the gills.

But he hadn’t been able to stomach confinement after his body healed, and he’d stopped taking the medication.

It had felt suffocating to stay inside for any length of time.

He paid a little extra to have the furniture delivered.

Then he returned to Natalie’s house and contemplated the antiques she’d salvaged.

There was a small dinette set, a bookshelf, and a floor lamp with a fringed shade.

All of it was good quality; she had excellent taste.

He dusted off the items and carried the items upstairs.

The floor lamp needed a fresh bulb and new wiring.

His mind flashed back to days spent dismantling explosives as he accomplished the task, but his hands were ever-steady.

When he was finished, he pulled the chain to turn on the light. The lamp’s warm glow lit up the room.

He was pleased with the decor. The round table and two chairs had a minimalist, retro vibe.

With the original hardwood floors and brick fireplace, the place looked cozy and quaint.

He would put the sofa in the center of the room.

He imagined Natalie by the fire, curled up with a book on a rainy day.

Could he rest easily in this space? No.

Could he endure it long enough to seduce Natalie? Yes.

Should he do that with so much at stake? No.

Would he do it anyway? Yes.

He lumbered down the steps, frowning. Natalie stood at the base of the stairs. She was watching Marcus practice tai chi moves in the driveway. The boy moved with his usual energy, arms and legs flying.

“Someone’s feeling better,” Jason said to Natalie.

She nodded. “He goes from zero to sixty.”

“I threw up three times,” Marcus said proudly.

Jason ruffled his hair. “I’m glad you survived.”

“Can I play with my slingshot?” Marcus asked.

Jason glanced at Natalie, who shrugged. She was dressed in jeans and sneakers now, along with the same sweatshirt she’d been wearing before. Jason collected the slingshot from the garage and handed it to Marcus. “Don’t aim at windows.”

“OK.” Marcus ran off to gather gravel ammo from the driveway. Jason hoped he wouldn’t cause any damage.

“You bought a loveseat,” Natalie commented.

The mattress and sofa had been delivered while he was upstairs.

He admired the sofa in the afternoon sunlight.

It had plush cushions in a nubby green fabric that reminded him of a forest. Although the style was more modern than vintage, he thought it would look nice in the space.

She might not agree, however. He knew she didn’t want him spending his own money on her renovations.

“I can return it if you don’t like it.”

She smoothed her palm over the back of the loveseat. “I like it.”

They both fell silent for a moment, watching Marcus take aim at the roof of the garage. He wasn’t adept with the weapon. The rocks sailed high and harmless.

“Thanks for the takeout,” she said.

“My pleasure.”

Her gaze was curious. “Did you eat anything?”

“Not yet.”

“Are you feeling OK?”

He patted his stomach. “Actually, I’m starving. Do you mind?”

She waved him on. He entered her kitchen, washed his hands, and grabbed the bag from the fridge.

Then he settled into the porch swing and proceeded to demolish his lunch.

After he finished up, he went to join her.

She was still petting the loveseat absently, her slender fingers tracing the textured fabric.

He imagined her stroking his back, skimming the taut muscles of his arms as he braced himself over her.

The fantasy was so arousing he had to look elsewhere.

He was in a bad way if the sight of a woman’s hand could turn him hard as stone.

“Do you need help getting it up?”

He did a double-take. “What?”

“The stairs.” She pointed.

“Oh. Right.”

“Is it heavy?”

“I think we can manage,” he said.

Clearing his throat, he went upstairs and propped open the door.

Then he returned to her side. They carried the mattress up first. Jason could have lifted it on his own, but Natalie wanted to help.

After they came through the door, Jason took over.

He placed the mattress against the wall near the window.

Then they returned to the driveway for the sofa, which had a bulky shape.

He lifted one end of the couch, and she grabbed the other end.

They tilted it sideways before starting the climb.

“You go up first,” he said.

She backed up the steps while he shouldered most of the weight. The tricky part was pivoting at the landing in order to fit through the door. When they reached the threshold, Jason paused to readjust his grip.

“Wait a sec,” he said, grasping the middle of the couch. He had to lift the back end over the top of the railing. It was doable but not easy. Jason was glad he’d fixed the handrail because he braced against it as he heaved.

Marcus chose that moment to dart up the steps. “Let me help!”

“Not right now,” Natalie said, but her voice was muffled by the couch, and the boy was already there.

His elbow jabbed into Jason’s stomach and knocked him off-balance.

Jason almost dropped his end of the couch.

Worse, he nearly tumbled backward over the handrail.

He stayed on his feet, but it was a near thing.

“Stop!” Jason barked. “Get out of the way.”

“But I want to help,” Marcus argued.

“Marcus—” Natalie warned.

“No!” Jason said shortly.

The boy stomped down the steps while Jason and Natalie maneuvered the loveseat through the doorway.

“Over there,” Jason said. “By the fireplace.”

They placed it on the floor with a final heave.

Then Natalie collapsed on the loveseat and buried her head in her hands, giggling hysterically.

Jason leaned over the side of the couch and laughed with her.

The tension between them had reached its breaking point.

The physical exertion, paired with a close call, had made them both giddy.

“I told you he’d be the death of me,” she choked.

“You didn’t say he’d be the death of me ,” he replied, shaking his head. “What did he ask you last night? If you had a tummy ache?”

The memory of the interruption brought fresh gales of laughter from her. Jason hadn’t laughed then because he’d been too sexually frustrated, but he laughed now. Jesus. The kid’s timing was unbelievable.

When they were calm again, Natalie studied him with smiling eyes. “People don’t understand what it’s like to be a parent because it’s made of moments like this. You have to experience it firsthand.”

Jason felt a strange sensation inside his chest as if a fist had squeezed his heart.

He didn’t know how to be a parent or a partner.

He just wanted to be there for her and Marcus, and she was letting him.

She was taking him into her confidence, sharing her world with him. He found it humbling and endearing.

She rose to study the space. She touched the retro dining table and the fringed lampshade. “These are my grandparents’ antiques.”

“Yes.”

She moved toward the mattress, toeing it with her shoe. “You’re going to sleep here, by the window.”

He didn’t say anything. The arrangement spoke for itself.

“Some real sheets and blankets would help.”

Jason agreed, from an aesthetic standpoint.

He’d planned to bring in his sleeping bag, which probably smelled like wood smoke and dirty socks.

Although he liked the idea of pretending to be outdoors, near an open window and a blazing fire, the camp gear didn’t inspire romantic thoughts.

Nor did it offer hints of stability. “Do you have extra sheets?”

She nodded. “I’ll bring them up.”

While she disappeared into the house, Jason pulled Marcus aside. “Your mom wanted me to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“She thinks you heard me say I wanted to hurt someone.”

“I did hear you,” Marcus confirmed. “I’m going to help you kill the firecracker man, but we have to keep it a secret.”

Jason wanted to smile because the kid was so goddamned adorable. He realized that he hadn’t just fallen for Natalie. He was all the way gone for Marcus too.

“Mom doesn’t like killing because she’s a girl.”

“Killing people is illegal. Do you know what that means?”

“It means we’ll go to jail if we get caught.”

“Right.”

“So we can’t get caught.”

Jason cleared his throat. “I have a better idea.”

“What?”

“It’s Deputy Wade’s job to catch bad guys, so we have to let him do that part, but we can make our own security team. We can guard the house and protect your mom.”

Marcus mulled that over. He lifted his slingshot. “Can I shoot the firecracker man in the eye if he comes?”

“How will you know it’s him?”

“He’ll have firecrackers.”

Jason couldn’t fault his logic. He showed Marcus how to get more speed and power by drawing back steadily on the rubber sling.

Marcus screwed up his face in concentration as he mimicked Jason’s motions.

The boy took aim at a tree branch and let a rock fly.

A squirrel scurried down the trunk, disturbed by the motion.

While Marcus honed his aim, Natalie made several trips upstairs, her arms full.

She had towels and sheets, pillows and blankets.

They exchanged a weighted glance as she ascended the steps.

She was making things cozy for him and perhaps for herself.

The apartment was the perfect location for a private rendezvous.

“I need your help to secure the house,” Jason said to Marcus. “Come on.”

Jason put the slingshot on the shelf and retrieved the security system he’d bought. It was a combination of motion lights and mini cameras. With Marcus on standby, holding a handful of screws, Jason affixed one camera above the front door, another to the side of the house.

The security lights were triggered by motion and designed to scare away intruders while the camera recorded footage in a constant loop.

Natalie could access the footage on her cell phone at any time.

When he was finished, he gave her the instructions.

Jason noticed her cracked screen as she navigated the app and activated the system.

He wasn’t the only one who denied himself life’s luxuries.

In the final hours of the day, storm clouds started to gather in the distance.

Jason had spotted a stack of dry firewood behind the garage, along with a metal carrying rack.

He filled up the rack and set it near the fireplace.

Tonight, he would brave the great indoors.

Natalie had covered the mattress with flannel sheets and wool blankets in soothing earth tones.

Although he had mixed feelings about sleeping inside, it looked comfortable.

They shared a quiet dinner of homemade soup and bread. Jason had never had albondigas soup before. The Mexican spices and savory meatballs made for a warm, satisfying meal. He scraped his bowl twice before declaring himself full.

Marcus requested a Disney movie after dinner, which Natalie agreed to easily.

“Sit by me,” Marcus demanded of Jason.

Jason glanced at Natalie, who shrugged, leaving it up to him. Jason took the space Marcus had indicated while she settled on the opposite side. Maybe it was better to have Marcus as a buffer between them. Jason could focus on the movie and not get distracted by Natalie’s close proximity.

Marcus narrated the plot points as if they were hard to follow. Jason listened with half an ear to the boy’s excited chatter, though no response was required. When Marcus reached out to hold his hand, Jason let him.

“Why does your hand feel like that?” Marcus asked.

“Like what?”

Marcus’s face screwed up. “Like a turtle shell.”

Jason smiled at the description. “I have calluses.”

“Why?”

“I work with my hands a lot.”

Marcus turned Jason’s hand over to inspect the surface. Then he pulled Jason’s palm toward Natalie so she could share in his discovery. “Feel it, Mom.”

With reluctance, Natalie reached out and touched his palm.

Jason held still as she skimmed her fingertips over his skin.

Her gaze lifted to his, and heat flared between them.

She wasn’t put off by his work-roughened hands.

She liked them. She’d added “nice hands” to her list of his positive attributes.

Maybe she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

He told himself it wasn’t personal, that she just hadn’t been with a man in a long time. But he couldn’t quite believe it because his own abstinence hadn’t turned him into a sex maniac. She had. He wasn’t wild for any woman; he was wild for her.

“I like my mom’s hands better,” Marcus said.

“So do I,” Jason admitted.

Natalie broke the contact, seeming flustered.

They continued watching the movie, but Jason’s attention wandered, even with Marcus’s helpful recitation of events.

The long day and restless night caught up with him.

Rain started to patter against the living room window, adding to the cozy ambiance.

Jason closed his eyes. He felt a contentment he’d never known before and one he suspected could not last.