Page 4 of My Cowboy Boss (Lucky River Cowboys #2)

Arizona

Flint’s parents are smiling at me warmly and though I try a handful of different excuses and even some bargaining that I can come in early tomorrow to discuss the ranch, they won’t budge. I almost let it slip about my sister but thankfully I caught myself and didn’t spill that.

“I’ll um…just go wash up, then.” I smile, uncomfortably aware of Flint’s scrutiny as I hurry to the guest bathroom.

After I shut the door and lock it, I hurriedly call Aspen since she’s expecting me back.

“They’re pushing for me to stay for dinner,” I say. “And I’ll be late so—”

“It’s fine. Donna’s here.”

Donna is our elderly neighbor, and she’s got such a cutting wit that my sister and I laugh ourselves to tears when she visits. “Stay and enjoy yourself.”

“Okay, then I’ll call you when I’m on the way.” Aspen likes me to let her know because of the questionable dependency of the car. I disconnect, wash my hands and take a deep breath before I head to the dining room.

For a few seconds, I observe the older couple moving around the kitchen in sync.

My parents used to share the chore of preparing dinner. I remember the laughter and occasionally the griping that someone didn’t put an item back where it belonged.

“There you are. Come sit.” Frances puts a hand on my arm and guides me to the long, farmhouse style table.

I’m seated at the end while Flint is on one side of me and Wilder on the other. If I were writing a story about this, I’d call it the hot cowboy and his brother. My brain begins to create a fantasy starring Flint cooking with me in the kitchen wearing only his hat and boots.

Sooo….hot… I have to end that thought or I’m going to drool into the casserole.

Across the table, the rest of the brothers are seated along with his brother Leo’s wife, Amanda. She’s bubbly and friendly and I can’t help but like her though I do feel a pang of envy at the love shining from his eyes when Leo smiles at her. It’s clear he treasures her.

The glances between them are like they’re in their own little world.

“Sickening, isn’t it?” Wilder says with a good-natured grin.

It’s not sickening at all seeing how much they love each other.

“He worked as a bodyguard but gave that up and came back home when the ranch needed him,” Flint says.

Leo gets wind of the conversation and adds, “And it turned out to be fate for me to come home because I found the person I was searching for all those years.” He smiles down at his wife.

Flint shakes his head when Amanda kisses Leo on the cheek and calls him her hero.

He gets Wilder’s attention. “We have to talk about tomorrow’s chore list. Someone needs to head out early to be in town when the supply store opens.”

“I’m not going to be the first one outside if River doesn’t put up that damn cock of his,” Jonas says.

I nearly choke on a bite and have to wash it down with a gulp of water. My face must be three shades of red.

“He likes to be free,” River says, completely unperturbed.

“It’s a rooster that River rescued,” Flint explains. “In case you’re thinking he likes to run around outside naked.”

“I wasn’t…wasn’t thinking about you naked,” I protest. At least not outside.

Flint frowns like he does so often around me. “I never said me.”

Aack! Leaning forward, I smile brightly at his mom. “These cinnamon rolls are the best I’ve ever tasted.”

“They should taste good. She didn’t make them.” Her husband nudges her. “We bought it from Dough Corner, Marigold’s bakery in town on the way home. You know the place. It’s over there by Bear’s Diner.”

I shake my head. “I don’t live in Lucky River. I live across the line in Clover County.”

“Oh dear.” Frances puts her hand to the bottom of her throat. “I hear that place is not safe at all now.”

“It’s okay.” It’s not, but my sister and I plan to get out of there as soon as we can afford it. And keeping this job will go a long way toward making that happen. If all ends well with this and she can take over, then my goal is to work two jobs to get us where we need to be.

Flint studies me in a way I can only classify as suspicious. He pushes back his plate and folds his arms over his chest. “You drive a decent clip to get here. There was nothing closer that you wanted to do?”

I shake my head.

“I can imagine she wants to be in Lucky River anyway,” Wilder says. “It’s a better town.”

“Filled with single cowboys too,” Frances says, studying me too with a smile.

I don’t know what to say to that, so I pass it off with a laugh and cram another piece of the cinnamon roll in my mouth.

“She’s here to work, not find a man.” Flint sounds like he’s suddenly mad as hell. I could have told him he doesn’t have to worry about me leaving the job behind to find a man. I’m clear about what my goal is.

“Down, Boss. You sound a little worked up,” Jonas and Wilder share a grin.

“I’m…eat your dessert,” Flint snaps.

Frances angles her body and narrows her eyes at her husband. “Wait a second. You said it should taste good because I didn’t make it?”

“Honey, you know what I mean.”

“What he means, Mom, is that you can’t cook, and you know it,” Jonas says.

“That’s true.” A couple of the brothers join the teasing.

Gavin puts his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “It’s just that you’re so good at everything else it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of us if you were good at cooking too.”

Frances winks at me. “That’s true.”

The family banters back and forth.

“Flint tried to make cinnamon rolls for me once,” Frances tells me.

Flint groans and his brothers laugh.

“The mixer wasn’t working so he thought he could mix it by taping a spoon to the electric screwdriver. It broke the spoon and flung dough onto the ceiling fan blades.”

“And it scared the cat who ran up the curtains and they fell,” Jonas says.

“It was chaos,” Flint admits.

“Beautiful chaos that I wouldn’t change a minute of,” Frances says, the love for her boys shining from her eyes.

Each of the brothers start talking about wild and crazy things they did growing up and I laugh until my sides ache. This is family . I’d forgotten what it was like, and I miss it so much.

Hours later, I glance at the clock on the microwave and gasp. “I didn’t realize it was so late. I need to get home.”

I go through a flurry of goodbyes and Frances hugs me tightly before I hurry out to my car. As soon as I shut the door, I call my sister to tell her I’m on my way, then I start the car.

Or I try to. It makes a sad little whining noise. I try again and get the same results.

I get out to pop the hood as Flint walks off the porch. I hadn’t noticed him there in the shadows in the corner.

“I’ll give you a ride.”

He’s offering to take me home, but my thoughts jumped on a different kind of ride.

Alone in the dark in a small space with my boss. Bad idea.

“Yes, please.”

Flint

I walk out of the house after her because I’m planning to follow her home. I want to know where she lives to see if she lied about that part. At my feet, my cat meows twice and it sounds like, liar, liar.

I give Warrior a pat on the head. “That’s all it is,” I argue. Warrior twitches his tail and walks off like he can’t stand the bullshit I’m saying out loud.

Arizona gets into her car and the engine makes a grinding noise, refusing to start.

She gets out, wobbles around on her heels and lifts the hood to scan beneath it.

I approach and call her name softly not wanting to startle her in the dark. “Give me the keys and I’ll take a look at it tomorrow but for now, I’ll give you a ride.”

“A…ride?”

“Home.”

“Ah…” Indecision flashes across her face. She’s obviously in a hurry to get home but reluctant for me to be the one to take her there.

Finally, she nods. “Okay. Thank you.”

The breeze carries a whiff of her, flowery and sweet, as she shuts the hood and I’m instantly hard. Gritting my teeth together, I say, “Let’s go,” probably a little rougher than I meant to but it’s a bitch trying to walk comfortably when your balls ache.

When we’re in my truck pulling out of the driveway, she sighs wistfully. “I had a lot of fun tonight. Your family is great and I can tell how much you all love each other.”

It hits me then that I can use this time to her place to build a rapport between us.

Maybe then she’ll let her guard down and something will slip to prove she can’t be trusted.

“I didn’t always know the kind of love my family gives me,” I say. “I was a foster kid.” Such a simple phrase, yet it contains a world of hurt. Maybe not for others, but it sure as hell was my case.

“You were?”

“I was and until I was adopted, I had a rough childhood.”

“That must have been hard on you.”

Her voice is soft, her tone full of empathy.

“What about your life?” I prod, seeking information.

“My life is fine.”

She said that pleasantly enough but in such a way that it shut the door on that line of conversation. I find it damning that she’s not offering anything more about herself.

Once we drive across the line into Clover County, the area takes a seedier turn. There are abandoned structures and an air of despondency like the town is struggling to survive and drawing in its last breaths.

Out of the blue, she mentions my family again and a thread of loneliness is wrapped around her words. Then abruptly she moves on to a song that’s playing softly in the background saying how much she loves that one.

She talks a lot but she’s not saying anything that lets me get to know her.

We finally arrive at the unkempt apartment building where she lives and I pull into the parking lot. I recognize the place because a friend of mine used to live here before he moved to Lucky River.

I engage the parking brake and shut off the engine. “I’ll walk you up.”

“No!” The word bursts from her.

I glance around the darkened lot, wondering why I didn’t think about this from the start.

Is there a boyfriend or husband waiting who might get the wrong idea?

My stomach ties into a pretzel. I hate the idea she might have either one and I want to give myself a hard punch.

What the hell should it matter to me if she does?

“Why not?” I ask.

“The security guard won’t let you in anyway since you’re not a resident.”

She lied. I know the landlord is too cheap to hire a guard. Disappointment fills me. I wanted to be wrong about her.

“Alright then,” I say. I’ll wait until she leaves my truck and then I’ll watch to make sure she gets inside safely.

“Thank you the ride and I’m sorry.”

Her clothes whisper as she moves, and I turn my head to ask her why she’s sorry.

Our lips brush.

She freezes.

I freeze.

She jerks back, her blue eyes open wide.

I cup the back of her neck and pull her toward me. My lips find hers and I’m immersed in the connection like we’re slow dancing on a summer lawn as the sun dips low. It’s a crash that was meant to occur. It’s beautiful. Fitting. Perfect.

Her lips are soft. Welcoming. She tastes like everything good. A promise waiting to be explored. A hope for the future.

Future? Heart racing, I pull back.

Her lips are swollen and she’s breathing as fast as I am. I don’t know what to say but feel like I should at least say something. “Arizona…I…”

She pulls on the door handle and bolts from the truck.