This Cowboy's Heart Read online

  Evernight Publishing

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2013 Vanessa Devereux

  ISBN: 978-1-77130-250-0

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: Jillian Baker

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  For my writing buddies.

  THIS COWBOY’S HEART

  Romance on the Go

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  Sometimes all it takes to change your life is one phone call.

  Two months before I received it, I’d mutually agreed to call off my engagement to a man who I’d initially thought was perfect husband material. .

  At first I was grateful that I’d not gone ahead with something that probably wouldn’t have lasted more than a few years. But as the weeks went on I realized that at thirty-two, I could end up a single woman for the rest of my life.

  I never thought the person to get me out of the funk would be my twenty-five year old sister phoning me with the biggest news of her life. It was that call that changed everything for me.

  “Gemma, if you’re doing something on April 24thyou’re going to have to cancel it because I need you to travel to Wyoming.”

  It was my sister, Kate, on the other end of the phone. She was the least likely person I knew to get worked up about anything, but I heard excitement in her voice. I imagined her jumping up on and down as she spoke. I glanced at the calendar that sat beside my desk at work. Had she said April 24? That was only five days away?

  “What’s so important about that day?” I asked.

  “I’m getting married.”

  I’d almost dropped my cell phone. As far as I knew she wasn’t even seeing anyone.

  “Married, to who?”

  “It’s a long story. My car broke down on the way back to the airport, but this cowboy stopped to help me. Well, we connected straight away and he proposed earlier this morning, so I guess you’d call it a whirlwind romance. I know you probably don’t want to think about weddings right now, and I’m sorry this had to come at such a shitty time for you.”

  Whirlwind was an understatement. She’d only headed to Jackson Hole to do some late season skiing two days ago.

  “Are you sure about this? I mean do you know anything about him?”

  “All I need to. He’s kind, hard working, has a ranch, and he’s great in bed.”

  I took a deep breath. I could do with a guy like that myself. I tapped my pencil on the desk suddenly feeling jealous. I also felt guilty because I should have been happy that she’d fallen head over heels.

  “You have to be my maid of honor. I have a dress picked out for you already. Oh, and Bill’s friend is arriving on Saturday night so he’ll be the best man. We’ve planned dinner for Friday evening so could you be there for that?”

  I circled the 23rd on my calendar. The college did owe me a few days off and after all, our parents were both dead so Kate and I really only had each other. Now she’d have Bill and…’

  “Katie, does this mean you’ll be living in Wyoming?”

  “Yes, on Bill’s ranch.”

  My heart sank. What would I do without our lunches and girlie night outs?

  “I know what you’re thinking and yes, I’m going to miss you like crazy but it’s not that far,” said Katie.

  She was right. Denver wasn’t more a stone’s throw away really.

  ****

  When I arrived at Casper airport on Friday around noon I was met by a glowing Katie, and my soon to be brother-in-law, Bill, who looked to be at least fifteen years older than her.

  “Your sister’s been talking non-stop about you. She’s over the moon you were able to get here and be part of our wedding,” he told me while Katie used the bathroom before we headed home to his ranch.

  “It was a surprise to me…I mean the wedding.”

  “Bit of a shock to me too. I’m forty and have had my heart set on being a bachelor all my life, but then I see this goddess standing by a car in the middle of the road. I thought if she’s not spoken for, I’ll make her my wife.”

  The way he told it, it sounded like a fairy tale. I suddenly felt envious that my sister had run into this guy and that fate had brought them together.

  ****

  I rode in the back of the SUV while Bill and my sister sat up front and held hands all the way home to his place. I wondered if I’d made a mistake calling off my wedding but then realized I was just being stupid. I’d done the right thing and I do would find a guy to rescue me when I got stranded on the highway. Every girl eventually did.

  The ranch wasn’t big, but the house was cozy and Bill seemed nice so I grew more at ease about her marrying this stranger and spending her life with him miles away from me.

  “We have a table booked at the GreyWolfInn. Hopefully my best man will arrive in time so we can all ride there together,’ said Bill carrying my case up to the guest room. “He’s going to be staying here too. And be forewarned, he snores like the devil.”

  I hadn’t been sleeping well lately. I probably wouldn’t fall asleep for long, so I doubted he’d wake me up,.I decided to take a nap, but voices outside the house woke me up twenty minutes later. I walked to the window to see Bill slapping a younger guy on the back before they hugged and headed into the house.

  I guessed the best man, AKA, the infamous snorer, had arrived. I showered, washed my hair, and got ready for dinner. When I headed downstairs, I saw the young guy I’d seen with Bill sitting on the couch with his legs apart, jeans tight and stretching across on his thighs while his hands cradled a beer bottle right in front of his crotch.

  “There she is,” said Kate.

  “Cade, this is my sister, Gemma, also our maid of honor. Gemma, this is Cade Slattery, Bill’s buddy and our best man.”

  He stood and extended his hand to me. I took it while checking him out. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had sexy green eyes. And yes, I was ashamed to admit but I also checked out his crotch. I blamed the buckle on his jeans with the rearing horse in its center for directing me there like a flashing beacon.

  “Pleased to meet you,” he said.

  “Me too.”

  Bill came into the room and put his arm around Kate. “Why don’t we head out to the GreyWolfInn now so we can have some pre-dinner drinks and Gemma and Cade can get to know one another.”

  I glanced at him, and he looked back at me. I had to admit, he was a nice looking guy who I wouldn’t mind getting to know.

  “You want me to drive?” asked Cade.

  “If that’s okay with you,” said Bill

  “No problem. That’s what the best man is for.”

  The love birds wanted to sit together in the back so I jumped in the front of the SUV next to Cade. I tried not to but I couldn’t take my eyes off his thighs and the tight fit of his jeans and the way they pulled across his crotch.

  He caught me looking more than once and each time I noticed a grin on his face, which made me blush. On the rest of the journey there all I could think about was whether or not he had a girlfriend. But then I guessed if that was the case he would have brought her along.

  When we got to the inn, he held the door for the three of us, and then put his hand in the small of my back and guided me toward the bar where we
found a table and sat down.

  “First round is on me. What will it be, Gemma?” asked Cade.

  “White wine.”

  Kate slapped my knee, taking me by surprise. I jumped. “What?” .

  “You’re a cowgirl for the next few days. I think you should have a beer and drink it out of the bottle. That’s what Bill’s taught me to do.”

  It was her event, so I didn’t argue. Cade watched me as I put the bottle to my lips and swallowed the ice cold brew. I even had a second one before we headed to the restaurant. We tucked into the biggest steaks and baked potatoes I’d ever seen. I could only finish half of mine so Cade reached across and took it from my plate without asking. He winked at me as he lifted the slice of beef to his mouth.

  “Gemma, we’ll have to fatten you up so you’re not so thin,” said Bill..

  “She looks pretty good to me as she is,’ said Cade.

  I guessed I’d blushed again because I felt the heat rise from my neck upwards. On the drive home things had heated up. We’d both reached for the knob to up the temperature at the very same time when the bride and groom had complained it was getting cold. We’d looked at one another and merely smiled. Then he’d caught me glancing at him, and vice-versa.By the time we got to Bill’s house I wanted Cade to fuck me so bad that I almost screamed with frustration.

  The bride and groom retired to their room within minutes of Bill opening the front door.

  “I guess I’ll be heading upstairs too. The drive here this afternoon sort of knocked me out,” said Cade, taking off his cowboy hat.

  I’d hoped he hang out with me for awhile where we’d maybe get drunk and do something we’d both regret, but it didn’t look like it was going to happen.

  “Sure, I’m tired too so I’ll see you in the morning.”

  ****

  If he was a snorer, I didn’t hear him. However, what did keep me awake until the early hours of the morning was Bill and my sister. They’d obviously decided to have their honeymoon before the wedding. Their bed was no doubtagainst the wall adjoining my room because it slammed into it constantly and was punctuated by Kate asking to be fucked harder and then her groaning as the bedsprings screamed out. I guessed she’d been right about him being good between the sheets.

  I turned onto my back and put one of the pillows over my face. I was frustrated and not because I’d been woken up. I wanted to be the girl making those groans. I wanted an orgasm. I wanted to know what Cade was like in bed and that thought made me even more irritable.

  Hearing the bed head slap against the wall yet again I threw off the bedclothes, got up, and walked to the window. The moon was full with not a cloud in the sky. Unlike the city you could actually see and count stars out here. I looked across the way and spotted the stables. I’d been meaning to check out the horses earlier so I thought as I was wide awake I might as well take a midnight stroll over there.

  I slipped on my t-shirt and jeans, walked carefully past Cade’s room so I didn’t wake him, crept down the stairs and went outside. The temperature had dropped since we’d been out to dinner, so I hurried across the pathway and went inside the stables.I stopped in my tracks. I guess I shouldn’t have worried about waking Cade because he was in there and looked straight at me.

  “You following me?” he asked.

  He was wearing his jeans and a cowboy shirt which was unbuttoned all the way; its sides hanging lose over his hips. Even in the dim light of the stables I could see the outline of his chest muscles and the smooth tanned skin on his belly.

  I didn’t answer because I was tongue-tied. He took a few steps toward me and ran his hand down the side of my face.

  “Did the bride and groom wake you too?” he asked.

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Sounds like they were having lots of fun.”

  “Honeymoon started early I guess.”

  Cade laughed. “Are you as noisy as your sister when you come?”

  I smiled “There’s one way you could find out?”

  “Is that an invitation?”

  He wrapped his arms around me. His erection pushed into my belly. “You were checking out my dick all night weren’t you?”Why lie and deny it.

  “Was I that obvious?”

  “Yes, but there’s nothing wrong with it. Just one sided. I mean I couldn’t see the outline of your pussy through your dress.”

  I looked up at him. “Remember I haven’t actually seen your cock yet.”

  “Then I think we should remedy that. There’s a loft up there, really private with soft hay, and we can do some exploring.”

  Exploring, so that’s what they called it in these parts.

  He took my hand and walked me over to the ladder and held it as I stepped on the first step and headed up to the second level.

  Cade was right about it being cozy. It had two windows that opened out andbothwere slightly ajar. I could see the moon and stars through one of them. He joined me and we lay down on the straw before he pulled out two bottles of beer from a mini-fridge that was wedged between two stacks of hay and I realized the place even had electricity

  “Bill keeps a supply here for when he’s cleaning out the horses’ stalls.”

  He popped the top off one and handed it to me. “Is he a good guy? I mean I’m worried about my sister marrying him so suddenly.”

  “Bill, sure, he’s one of the best. I’ve known him most of my life. He went to school with my older brother and then I worked on a ranch near Laramie with him for about five years. I thought he’d die a bachelor like most of us around these parts, but I guess when you see a pretty girl that can change in an instant.”

  I glanced at him over the rim of the beer bottle. He hooked his middle finger under the the front of my t-shirt and pulled me close to his lips.

  We kissed and I tasted beer and smelled something like fresh scented soap and spicy aftershave. I hadn’t noticed it during dinner so I guessed that he’d showered before he’d headed to the stables. Whatever it was, I liked it.

  We pulled away, both putting our bottles down on the straw. He eased me on top of him as he laid flat on his back.

  We kissed again, this time our tongues dueling before they found a home inside each other’s mouths. His erection jabbedat my belly.

  I’d never had sex on straw before. Well, that was assuming we were going to. Cade grabbed my ass with both his hands and ground my body harder against his.

  “You ever fuck a cowboy before?” he whispered in my ear.

  “Nope, but I hope I’m about to find out what it’s like.”

  “You’ll never be the same.”

  “I’ll wait till after you’ve fucked me to tell you if that’s true or not.”

  I sat up and took my t-shirt off, forgetting I hadn’t bothered to put a bra on.

  Cade immediately put his hands on my breasts.

  “Would you look at that, a perfect fit”

  He pulled on my nipples causing both of them to harden in seconds. He then flicked them and they suddenly felt heavy and in need of more of his attention.

  I pushed his white shirt off his shoulders before leaning over and running my tongue over his nipples and down the center of his belly.I popped open the button on the top of his jeans, eased down the fly, and pushed the dark blue denim apart. I couldn’t resist sliding my hand inside his boxers and feeling if he was actually big, or the bulge I’d had my eye on all night was deceptive.

  “Like what you feel?”

  More than liked it. His dick was smooth, hot, pulsating, and I felt my own jeans growing damp just thinking about having it inside me.

  “You check out all the guys like this?”

  “What, you don’t like it?”

  “I do but, honey, you don’t know cowboys. When it comes to fucking, we have to be the boss. We call the shots.”

  Without any warning, he got hold of me and flipped me onto my back. A swirl of dust rose from the straw. He had my jeans open without me even realizing it and his hand was ins
ide moving across my mound within seconds.

  “You forget your undies?”

  “Couldn’t be bothered to put them on,” I said, feeling the calloused skin on his hands brush over me.

  “Or did you just anticipate having sex with me?”

  “Maybe.”

  Yeah, in my dreams.

  “Lift your butt.

  I raised my hips and Cade dragged the jeans down my legs and tossed them to the side, sending another puff of dust up into the air. The light was low but I could see the outline of his cock straining against his boxers

  He spread my legs and ran his finger from my clit down to my anus and then back up again.

  “You’re pretty all over,” he said tracing each of my folds with his finger. “You know cowboys like to tease don’t you?”

  I sat up and looked at him.

  “What sort of teasing?” I hoped he hadn’t got me all worked up and then was going to put his pants back on and announce he was tired.

  “Guess you’ll find out. And don’t worry because the payoff will be worth it.”

  Now I was intrigued.

  He rubbed my clit with his thumb. It was rough like the rest of his hands, but it actually felt so much better than my former fiancé and the other guys I’d been with who did office jobs and never got their hands dirty.

  He pressed harder and I moved my butt to get into a better position so it would set up more friction but he stopped, picked up his beer and drank some.

  “Well, thank you,” I was more than pissed that he stopped just like that.

  “Part of the teasing…you want more, right?”

  I lifted my leg and dragged my toe down the middle of his chest and belly.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked, grabbing my calves and pushing my legs wide apart.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off my pussy. He didn’t say anything but grabbed a piece of straw and used it to tickle my clit.

  I pushed my head back, chin jutting up in the air. Shit, it felt a little rough, even sharp, but so good. I arched my back as he played the straw around the circumference of my nub and it throbbed.