Page 32 of Rogue Cowboy (Montana’s Rodeo Cowboys #3)

R iley lay beside Cole, sweaty, stunned and so…so…sated she could barely move. Heck, she couldn’t even breathe right yet.

This was what all the fuss was about. And Cole had been so very right. It was like nothing that had happened that horrible winter.

“I feel like I died and went to heaven,” she whispered.

“Best way to go,” he said turning on his side and curving his body around her.

“Is it supposed to feel like this?”

“With us, yes.”

“I’m all sweaty.” She stated the obvious, lifting her hair off her nape, cringing a little thinking about how messy it would be.

“I’ll lick you clean,” Cole offered. “You taste delicious.”

“No, that’s you,” she said sleepily.

Cole ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her neck and then his way down her spine.

She felt him stir against her bare bottom—she wasn’t sure how she’d lost her dress.

His hand cupped her breast, and she shivered as he stroked her nipple and lightly pinched before stroking again and cupping her breast in his hand.

“You’re so beautiful, Riley. Inside and out.”

She closed her eyes happy, but pretty certain he was more than a little delusional.

He kissed his way down her spine, and even though she was exhausted, she felt desire stir as if it had been so long denied and shut down and locked away, it was truly ready to burst out into the world.

“Do you want to talk about making love?”

She turned and stared at him over her shoulder. When she’d heard other women talk about their men, they often complained that after sex, they rolled over and fell asleep. How did she find a man who rarely spoke until after sex?

“No,” Riley decided. She was riding a buzz, and she didn’t want to risk it. “I’m so tired of analyzing everything,” she admitted. “I just want to…savor the moment.”

He pulled her closer, one arm draped around her while she was curled into his body.

This must be spooning. Who knew her soldier cowboy would be a spooner?

If she didn’t feel so monumentally undone yet utterly fantastically transformed, she would have laughed.

Instead, even as Cole was speaking—asking her if she was all right or needed anything—she fell asleep.

*

Cole worked hard to leash his mounting frustration throughout the final day of rodeo competition, but since he’d slipped out of bed before dawn after receiving a text from his cousin and then uncle with questions about the rodeo and stock-contracting meetings, questions about when he’d get on the road to tour the property outside of Bozeman and then head over to Wyoming, he hadn’t had a chance to talk to Riley.

When he’d returned to the trailer, Riley had already dressed and was in the stock barn. He’d had calls to make and deets to research, and an early morning meeting with Kane and Luke Wilder.

After he’d brought Riley a latte from the coffee shop she favored—the Java Café—but still they hadn’t had a moment to talk.

She’d been preparing Arlo and Petal for their last exhibition.

And then she had some last-minute tips for two of the barrel racers who’d finaled and had nerves.

And a buckin’ bronc she’d wanted to have the vet on call check.

All normal parts of ranching and the rodeo, and he wouldn’t have worried if they hadn’t finally consummated their relationship last night.

He’d expected to feel settled; instead, Riley felt maddeningly out of reach, like water from a stream slipping through his fingers while he felt he was dying of thirst.

He’d missed her at the pancake breakfast, but Boone and his wife, Piper, had called out his name and asked him to join them. They’d acted normal so he suspected Riley hadn’t seemed upset about his early morning family escape, but then Riley had spent years hiding her feelings.

And in another week or two, Texas would be calling.

He didn’t want to go without her.

Didn’t think he could.

But she hadn’t told him she loved him or indicated she wanted their marriage to be real and lasting.

Again, he felt like he was on the outside looking in at his own life playing out. But it was arrogant to think that one night of sex would magically sweep away Riley’s trauma and make her fall in love with him.

He wanted to give her his mother’s ring. Make it official. Finally belong.

But Riley was busy, a smile touching her lips, her shiny hair in a low ponytail playfully bouncing in time with her quick steps as she went through the day.

“Riley.” He finally caught her by the shoulders, keeping his touch gentle. She looked up at him a little dazed. “Can you just stop for a minute?”

She blinked at him.

“What’s up?” she asked warily.

“You’ve been avoiding me all day.”

“I haven’t,” she said. “Not exactly.” Her shoulders slumped and he hated himself for that, but he needed to know where he stood.

“Two of the riders in the final round of barrel racing stable their horses and train with us,” she said. “They needed me. I can’t just walk off whenever I want like a dreamy, sex-starved idiot.”

He stared at her. The words were so not what he’d been thinking.

“I’m not trying to take you away from your duties.”

Was he being unreasonable?

“It’s just that after last night…”

He waited.

“I woke up alone—” she lowered her voice “—and I don’t know what I did wrong, and I don’t want to know. So don’t act like I’ve been pulling a disappearing act when you snuck out in the middle of the night and didn’t come back.”

“I didn’t want to wake you. And then I didn’t want to cause gossip as you’ve been so keen to avoid it until after the rodeo.”

Her look of scorn was full of fire.

“That’s considerate. You got what you wanted finally and then didn’t want it so beat feet out the door. It’s fine, Cole, I didn’t ask you here. You came. I’m not holding you to anything.”

He felt like he was spun around and turned inside out.

“I don’t need you. Last night was fun—more than any dreams I ever had, but I’m not holding you to anything. I never was.” Her eyes looked hot and dry, and she vibrated with hurt and anger.

How had he made a mess of everything so quickly?

He felt like they were back at stage one, again, and was trying to find his footing or a handhold, but there were so many people around this was the last place they should have a serious conversation, but with the finals today, the animals, her brother Boone in the finals and some Ballantyne Bash tonight, he had no idea when they could have the conversation—dinner with her folks tomorrow?

Yeah, that would be prime time to dig out their laundry.

“I intend to be held to our vows. I don’t want a divorce.” He practically spit the words out like his mouth was a nail gun. “No one in my family has divorced. No one.”

Well, his cousin Elijah had finally given up the ghost of his disastrous marriage, but then his ex had hightailed it again, and it was hard to serve papers to someone off the grid, so technically he was married.

“I even brought a ring with me,” he said, knowing this was totally the wrong time but helpless to stop himself from pushing back hard against Riley’s unexpected resistance.

“It was my mother’s.” He dragged the green velvet box out of his coat pocket.

“Cole, no.” Riley paled and placed her hand on his arm, stilling him. “It was your mother’s,” she whispered. “It’s precious. A family heirloom.”

“Exactly.” How could she not see it? “You are my family.”

“But you live in Texas,” she said like it was Mars.

“Riley.” Sarah Telford appeared at the end of the row. “Got a minute?”

“Yeah,” she said, swallowing hard. “Of course, Mom.” Then to him she announced, “I’m not running away. I’m calling time out.”

She even held her hands up in the universal signal.

“So figure out what you want, Cole. And I’ll make my list.”

“A list sounds official.”

“You’re the one spouting all the big ideals—vows, forever, heirloom ring, and not one word about love.”

She spun around, but not before he caught the sheen of tears, and she strode toward her mother like she had an escaped foal to corral.

*

Riley drooped with exhaustion instead of the usual elation she felt after a successful rodeo.

Their bulls and broncs had scored well. Boone was still a champion bulldogger, Petal and Arlo’s trick riding had been a hit, and she already had a list of potential clients who’d reached out and wanted to schedule a meeting next week.

She should be happy.

But she was miserable.

She’d laid down the law with Cole. She’d tried to channel her inner Tucker because he’d hurt her. But then her mom had interrupted them, and she hadn’t seen him since.

“Why would he?” she groused at herself. He’d been right. She had been running. She’d always been a slow processor, and last night had given her so much to think about, and she had more questions than answers.

She walked Cinnamon toward the trailer, planning to load up the horses, get them settled back home and attend the bash, and then she and Cole could talk about the future if there was one for them.

A future she wanted. But did she want Texas? Riley couldn’t imagine leaving her family, but Cole probably couldn’t imagine leaving his, and for his grandparents and aunts and uncles to lose the last tie to his lost parents and siblings. Her heart felt squished by the conflict.

Where did that leave them?

She pulled up short about ten feet from her trailer.

Cole’s truck was gone.

Gone.

She stared at the empty space as if the black tricked-out Ford F-150 would pop back into view.

He hadn’t left. Not when he’d gone on and on all weekend about courting her. But she had thrown up roadblock after roadblock after they’d finally shared an amazing and sensuous night together.

Talk about role reversal.

“Get over it,” she coached herself. She had horses to take care of. Cole had probably driven out to the ranch. Or maybe to see the Wilders’ spread. She knew he was doing research for his grandfather. He’d get in touch. A man didn’t text her for more than five years and then ghost her after sex.

Did he?