Page 16 of Rogue Cowboy (Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys #3)

C ole rose early. Hard to sleep in even if he’d wanted.

Life on a ranch or as a soldier didn’t permit lounging.

He’d slept in the bed of his truck so the sounds of other cowboys and cowgirls waking before full light to care for their animals had him up and alert.

There were rows of porta-potties and one row for outdoor showers, and he debated—shower now or later.

Hearing Riley’s trailer door open decided him. He jumped up, folded his bedding, and stored it in his truck.

“Good morning,” Riley greeted. She held two to-go cups of coffee. Her smile was tentative. She looked tired. His fault? He hadn’t slept well, replaying their day together and contemplating next steps.

“It’s better with you in it.”

Her eyes widened, and she searched his face. His tendency since childhood had been to keep his expression neutral and words brief—not wanting his family to worry about him or ask too many questions. But Riley would need more. Words and warmth.

“I thought you might want coffee,” she said, handing him a cup. “And if you’d like—” she dangled a key chain with a bejeweled horse and several keys attached “—to use the bathroom in my trailer to shower, change or whatever. There are facilities here, but it gets gross pretty quickly.”

“Thank you,” Cole said, surprised by the offer and trust.

“I thought to help you with the horses this morning.”

“Then you better hurry.” She dropped the keys in his palm and strode off.

Cole delayed a moment so he could watch and enjoy the view before ducking into the trailer for the speediest of morning ablutions.

*

“What are you doing?” she muttered to herself. And how could he look so…so… There was no other word except hot. Unfair as he hadn’t even washed his face or brushed his teeth, yet all she could think about was how his lips had felt against her neck last night.

She’d been too upset by the attack years ago to even think about dating any local men; besides Cole was…

Total package.

Not that she wanted such a masculine and attractive, quiet alpha man.

She had no idea what to do with him and feared that she’d disappoint him.

Just thinking about kissing him, touching him, letting his hands on her skin under her blouse made her flush with heat and fear, but also excitement that she didn’t trust. Cole was a man who’d probably had lots of women, and she had no idea what she was doing.

Or if she could do it.

She was his wife in name. But she had no business even pretending she could build a future with him.

“Head in the game, Riley,” she muttered, hoping to push away all sexual thoughts.

It was Friday morning, and she needed to keep her focus on the horses, Petal and Arlo’s exhibition later, working with the barrel racers taking practice runs on the horses they boarded, and helping Boone and Rohan with the stock.

This was the first year she was taking lead, and she wanted her mom to be proud.

Riley didn’t have time to fantasize about a Texas cowboy who’d soon be heading home, duty done, papers signed, no matter what he said.

Cole was too chivalrous. But maybe if she did kiss him, she’d prove her point, and he’d pack up and drive south at top speed. Just the thought of kissing Cole made her body do an involuntary shimmy. What, was she still a goofy, inexperienced teenager?

“Don’t answer that,” she muttered darkly.

“That some new weird dance move, sis?” Her brother Boone stepped out of the shadows of the stable doors that were open enough for one person to slide in and out but not wide enough for an escaped horse to bolt through.

The new rule had been established after a prized buckin’ bronc had been released by a cowboy with bad intentions.

The horse had bolted and kicked and run amok through the campground with cowboys trying to soothe it.

Boone had lassoed the horse, and while he’d been tossed around, he’d managed to hold on long enough for its owner, Tucker Wilder, to calm the horse before it was injured or had hurt anyone else.

Though Riley had trained some with Tucker, that day had cemented Tucker’s legend status for Riley.

Tucker wouldn’t run away from something awful.

She would have fought back. Not turned to a chivalrous white-hat cowboy for help.

“Morning, Boone,” Riley slid through the door and saw Rohan leaning against Cinnamon’s stall, his arms crossed and his mouth a thin line. Great. Double-teamed.

Brothers.

They’d always sheltered her. Maybe that was why she’d been so dumb and lost out on her own in the great big world of LA. Still, she couldn’t hide forever. Cole’s arrival had proved that.

She didn’t meet Rohan’s assessing stare and fought her need to shove open the massive door farther so that the early morning light could spill into the aisle of the large livestock area.

“You haven’t danced in years,” Rohan said.

“I have a dance partner now and a date,” she said flippantly.

“That so.” Rohan’s voice was midnight dark and old road-kill flat.

“About that,” Boone began in a far more ‘see, I’m the reasonable younger brother’ tone. “Piper was picking up takeout at Rosita’s last night and saw you with a cowboy. Said things looked intense. You’re not really dating that Texan, Riles, are you? He was just blowing smoke up our asses, right?”

“Cole’s just trying to make nice with the locals to get a foothold into our business,” Rohan said, shocking Riley with that statement. He and Cole were friends, weren’t they? Where was all this suspicion coming from? Cole had barely mentioned business with her.

Probably because you kept freaking out, idiot.

“Riley doesn’t date, and she doesn’t have a dance partner for the barbecue or the steak dinner,” Rohan said in a ‘dad laying down the law’ voice he had no right to pull out with her.

She glared at him. He was her older brother. Not her boss and definitely not her social director. Even her dad didn’t talk to her like that.

“Who I spend time with is not your call,” she stated, hands on hips.

“The hell it’s not.”

“Ro, dial it back a notch,” Boone, always easygoing, urged. “Don’t need you to be sporting a black eye when she clocks you.”

Riley squirmed self-consciously. She’d looked at herself in the mirror. The bruising along her jaw was not as bad as she’d feared, and by wearing her hair down, she could hide some of it.

“I heard the words ‘steak,’ ‘dinner’ and ‘date,’” Cole said and entered the stable. “Yes, to all three.” Cole angled his body between her and Rohan, blocking her from returning her brother’s glare.

“Like hell,” Rohan said stepping toward Cole. “We knew each other in the Rangers, but you can’t just show up with a fat Texas family pocketbook and ask questions about our business and the northwest stock contracting and then announce you’re courting our sister. Riley’s not on offer.”

“This is so dumb.” Riley flipped her hair back. “You pulled the big-brother act yesterday. Too little too late,” she said rashly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rohan demanded.

Cole’s body tensed.

“No, no, no, we are not doing this again.” Riley dodged around Cole, but Boone picked her up from behind.

“Not this time, Riles.”

It was insulting how easily Boone carried her even though she squirmed and kicked to get her freedom. “Horses,” Boone said, not even having the respect to sound upset or out of breath. “Take the male posturing outside,” Boone advised his brother.

“Good idea.” Rohan jerked his head toward the opening. He walked out all smooth, coordinated limbs and coiled energy. Cole, body relaxed, followed, and Riley wanted to call him back.

Rohan was highly trained, but she supposed Cole was too.

“Why are you encouraging them?” Riley demanded. “This is a dang, dumb repeat of yesterday, and Rohan has no say over who I date. And you both are married and fathers. You haven’t settled anything with a fistfight since high school.”

“I was always the peace broker,” Boone said serenely. “I break up fights, never start them.”

“Then break up this one. I don’t want to be the center of gossip,” Riley ordered.

“You can’t expect me and Rohan to hang out on the sidelines while some stranger starts wining and dining you.”

“I definitely can and I do. Men.” She rolled her eyes and marched outside, Boone on her heels.

Rohan and Cole faced off. Rohan looked furious, tense and was spitting words out like bullets from a Glock with a silencer.

“Keep Riley out of this,” Rohan ordered Boone, not taking his eyes off Cole.

“I’m in it.” Riley was totally exasperated with everyone. “What century are you all living in? Stop acting like schoolyard bullies with brains the size of peas.”

She kicked Cole hard in the back of his leg with the toe of her boot because he was the closest, pleased when his knee buckled.

“There will be no fighting.”

A crowd started to gather.

“Did you kick me, sweetheart?” Cole looked proud of her, and she had to force her silly heart to calm.

“Yep, and I’ll kick you again in a more important to you place if you don’t stop taking my idiot brother up on his idiotic challenges.

You too.” She aimed her wrath at Rohan, who looked stunned that she was calling him out.

“I’ll kick your ass if you keep this up.

You are friends. Act like it. Or don’t. I don’t care.

But this is not the Wild West. I’ll date who I want, if I want, when I want. ”

Her words came as fast as her heartbeat, and it felt rather glorious to let loose and see the avid and amused attention her family’s little dawn drama was capturing. “You, beloved brother, and you too—” she pointed at Boone, who took a step back “—have zero say in my love life.”

Oops, she hadn’t meant to use the L word.

She rallied. “And no more flexing and acting like…like…men.” She waved her hands wide in an awkward jazz hands movement that reminded her of a bad high school musical.