Page 8 of What the Cowboy Wants (The Westons of Montana #3)

T he first thing Cooper noticed as he stepped into the dining room of Hayden’s house on Thursday evening for dinner, was Molly, the dog that had been staying with Rose.

While Charlie and Prince joined the other dogs, Molly cautiously approached Cooper, her tail between her legs.

Smiling, he crouched down and stroke Molly’s head. “It’s okay, I’m not angry with you,” he soothed her. “Is she okay?” he asked with his eyes. She needs another dog, Molly communicated before she licked his hand and trotted away to play with the other dogs.

The rest of his family and Hunter were already at the table.

“When did you fetch Molly?” Cooper asked Laura.

He wasn’t very hungry, he was too damn tired, but having their meals together was a tradition his mother had started while she’d still been living on the ranch.

They kept to it, because they all enjoyed relaxing after work and it also gave them time to discuss all things ranching while eating.

“Rose asked me to stop by this afternoon,” Laura said. “She says she’s fine now and I should take Molly back. You didn’t tell us she was hurt in the accident or that her car is in for repairs.”

“Is it serious?” Ellie called out. “Is she okay?”

“She’d bumped her head,” Laura said. “It was bleeding, but apparently Cooper did something and it was healed.”

Ignoring the conversation, Cooper got himself some food. Rose shouldn’t be alone yet. She was still hurting.

“Rumor has it you’ve been visiting Rose, Coop,” Becket grinned. “Anything you want to tell us?”

Cooper focused on the food in front of him. “As you know by now, she had an accident on the ranch yesterday. I took her home. I left after a few minutes.”

“Really?” Laura smiled. “That’s not what your mother says.”

“What the hell do you want to know?” Cooper asked as he shoved his plate away and got up. “That I kissed her? That I worry about her? That I have to walk away because I can’t carry anyone else’s emotions?” Sighing, he rubbed his face. “I’m tired. I’m going home.”

As he left, it was quiet enough behind him to hear a pin drop. Even the dogs had stopped playing. He shouldn’t have told them, but it was all he’d been thinking about, no wonder it had slipped out.

Prince and Charlie were right behind him as he opened the door of his truck. Charlie looked much better tonight.

As he climbed into his truck, Charlie got onto his lap and locked eyes with him. For long moments Charlie’s eyes relayed messages.

Finally, Charlie barked excitedly.

Cooper sighed. “I know she needs another dog, but she says she doesn’t want one.”

Charlie barked again and this time Prince also chimed in.

Smiling, Cooper started his truck. “I agree. Hopefully, we’ll find her someone she can’t say no to.”

But Charlie still wasn’t happy.

As Cooper drove away from the big house, he shook his head. “You’re right, I should go and see if she’s okay.”

Charlie was finally satisfied and settled in his usually place.

*

By nine Thursday evening, Rose was in her pajamas. She’d untied her hair and spent long minutes combing it. Since she’d been a little girl, the rhythmic stroke of the brush calmed her.

It was probably time to find a hairdresser.

For the past few years, her looks, the way she dressed, her hairstyle, the shoes she wore, even the perfume she’d used had been a daily priority.

She’d spent lots of dollars and many hours making sure she was always camera ready.

It had been exhausting, something she’d only recognized since arriving in Marietta.

She hadn’t slept much the previous night. Between thoughts of how she was going to tell her story to her friends and Cooper’s kiss, her mind kept racing around and around.

Since Ellie and Becket had gotten married in July, Rose had been working in Ellie’s yarn shop on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. At the time, Ellie was looking for help, and Rose had desperately needed something to keep her busy.

The yarn shop had literally been her sanctuary when she’d stumbled into town all those months ago, and since she’d been working there, she’d met more and more of the local women in town.

Hearing about other people’s lives and problems had forced her to take a good, hard look at the life she’d had.

For so long, her only concern had been what to do next to gain more followers and to make sure she kept the ones she had.

In the process, she’d forgotten all about the real world where people had real problems.

She’d enjoyed the respite the shop had given her, but it was time to move forward.

If she wanted to reestablish herself as an interior decorator, she’d have to start doing it full-time.

Everything could be done from home, she wouldn’t even have to find a place to do what she loved.

Hopefully she could help Ellie to find a replacement who could help her in the yarn shop.

With a copy of Jane Austen’s Emma under her arm, she switched off the kitchen light. This was the book they’d been reading and discussing in their book club on Tuesday nights.

Reading Emma has opened her eyes to really understand how appallingly she’d behaved.

Like Emma, the heroine in the story, she also needed a “diminishment of herself in the social sphere,” as one critic described Emma.

She’d been so wrapped up in the adulation of her followers, bragging about her accomplishments, she’d seriously needed some sort of awakening to remember who she really was.

Maybe it need not have been quite so brutal, but on the other hand, she probably wouldn’t have changed if what had happened, hadn’t happened.

She’d made a couple of quiches for tomorrow afternoon. It was a relief to see she could still bake; she hadn’t really cooked or baked since her arrival.

“Hopefully they’ll like it.” Only after she’d spoken out loud, did she realize Molly wasn’t there to answer with a bark. It was so strange and quiet without her constant companion.

Maybe she could look online and find a rescue dog she could adopt. Chuckling softly, she moved toward her room. Not something she’d ever even contemplated in her previous life.

The front doorbell rang. Frowning, she put the book down on a nearby table before she hurried to the door. It was probably Arlene. She was the only person who would appear on her doorstep this time of night.

She quickly opened the door. Standing on her porch, big and sexy, his hat in his hand, was Cooper. “Cooper? What are you doing here?”

His eyes never left her face, but she was instantly aware she was in her pajamas and wasn’t wearing anything else underneath. She crossed her arms in an effort to hide her braless state.

“Tonight at dinner, I saw that you’ve given Molly back to Laura. I… well, Charlie and I want to know if you’re okay.”

“I miss her, she’s been my constant companion for the past few months, but I’ll be fine.”

“I can try and find you another dog.”

“I don’t want another dog.”

Those deep blue eyes locked with hers. Shivers skidded down her spine.

“Why?”

“Because it hurts when they leave.” Damn it , and the lump was back in her throat. She swallowed and swallowed, but it wouldn’t budge.

With a groan, Cooper stepped forward and cupped her face with his one hand. “I’ll find you one you won’t have to return to again. Please let me do this for you?”

With a sigh, she nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Another thing. I might have let slip during dinner that I kissed you.”

Stunned and upset, she stared at him. “Might have? Why would you do that?”

“Because it’s all I’ve been thinking about since yesterday.” He turned around before she could say anything. “I’m leaving before I kiss you again. The image of you without anything on under your pajamas, is going to keep me awake for another long night.” With that, he left and walked away.

Her breath was stuck somewhere in her throat. The before I kiss you again hung motionless in the air around her. Of course he’d noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra; he didn’t miss a thing. Her whole body was tingling, her heart was beating at an alarming rate, and her breasts felt strangely heavy.

Aargh! She closed the door, picked up the book she’d left on the table and walked back to her bedroom.

Snuggled against her pillow a few minutes later, she tried to focus on the words in the book in front of her. She’d hoped Jane Austen’s subtle humor would keep her mind occupied, but her thoughts kept straying back to Cooper.

With a groan, she dropped the book and kicked off the covers. The mere sight of Cooper Weston had her all hot and bothered. It was so not something she should be thinking about right now, lying in bed, her whole body still tingling just because he’d been here, touched her.

*

Only when Cooper stopped in front of his house half an hour later, did the fist of desire that had his insides in knots since he’d seen Rose in those flannel pajamas, her red hair cascading down her back, lessen.

Damn, the woman was killing him. She was trying so hard to move forward, but she was still carrying a lot of pain with her.

He should remember that and stop thinking about her.

As he got out of his truck, he heard the dogs, whom he’d dropped home before going by Rose’s, barking. Strange. They only barked when something was bothering them. As Cooper walked toward the front door, a movement to the right caught his attention.

In the soft light he’d left on, it was at first difficult to decide what it was, so he moved closer until his eyes had adjusted to the light. Only then he saw a small dog, huddled against the wall, shivering and doing its best to disappear into the concrete behind him.

Sighing, Cooper crouched down. It didn’t surprise him any more to find stray animals on his doorstep.

Since he’d moved out of the big house to live on his own, numerous animals had found their way to his doorstep over the years—horses, dogs, cats, birds, even one or two donkeys had showed up, all hurt, bewildered, and looking for a safe place.

He didn’t know how they found him, he just knew he could help them.

Crouching down, he sat quietly for a few moments. “Hi, buddy. You don’t look so good. Would you mind if I take a look at you?” From inside his house, Prince’s barks turned to a soft whimpering.

It took more coaching and encouraging words before the small body moved hesitatingly toward him, its eyes never leaving Cooper’s. If he had to guess, it was probably a Maltese, but at the moment it was so dirty, it was difficult to be certain.

Cooper put his hand out slowly and waited for the dog to sniff him. After another few minutes only, it moved closer still. Carefully, Cooper stroke its head with his one hand. “Let’s go and clean you up, okay? I think I may have the perfect house for you, but we’ll see.”

Gently he picked up the dog. A sharp yelp told him it was hurt somewhere. Cuddling the dirty body close to him, he opened the front door. Prince and Charlie were waiting and jumped up when they saw the dog in Cooper’s arms.

“You can meet him in a little while, but I think he”—he lifted the dog in the air—“or rather she , urgently needs a bath. What shall we call her, Prince?”

Barking, they followed Cooper to the bathroom.

The distraction was good, otherwise he would’ve had a certain redhead in flannel pajamas on his mind all night.

It took a while to clean the little dog. By the time the first white curls appeared he could also see why she’d cried out when he’d picked her up. He bit back a cuss word. Why the hell did people have pets if they couldn’t love them. She’d been badly abused.

“I’m so sorry you were hurt,” he whispered as he closed his eyes. Slowly he ran his hands over her, focusing on healing her wounds. Healing her spirit was going to take much more time, though. By the time he’d brushed out the white curls, the little dog was still shivering.

“You’re probably also hungry. Let’s get some food in you.”

He found Prince and Charlie in the living room in front of the television which meant they wanted to watch their favorite movie, Lady and the Tramp .

With the small dog still in his arms, he switched on the television and found their favorite program.

As soon as the title appeared on the screen, Charlie barked excitedly turning to Cooper, his tail wagging.

Cooper smiled. “Ah, I see. Good idea, we’ll call her Lady.”

Prince also barked in agreement. Jumping on the couch, the two settled down to watch the movie.

“Okay, Lady, let me tell you about a certain redheaded lady I think you’ll like.”