Page 23 of Love Me, Cowboy
“Horses and dogs are more my thing, and I’m not home often enough to keep a dog out here.”
“Then we’re good.” Though Claire prepared herself to step inside a filthy bachelor pad, she exhaled with a smile. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
Silently girding her loins, she let Tyler open the door, then preceded him in, happy he wouldn’t be able to see her first reaction. And then her mouth fell open.
The place was spotless.
“You’re a real funny guy, Mr. Holly.” Claire moved into the cabin. “If you ever come to my place, I’m going to need several days’ warning so I can clean.”
“Is that an invitation?” he asked, closing the door behind them, then carrying the beers over to a counter that ran between the living room and kitchen.
Talk about a weighted question. Claire would be more than happy if Tyler became a frequent visitor at her place, but she needed to reach more solid ground before admitting so.
“How long have you been out here?” she asked, ignoring his question. For now.
“Four years.” Tyler popped the tops off two beers and passed one her way. “After college I knew I’d come back to the ranch but living up in the house with Dad and Marilyn would have made me nuts.”
“I’m guessing Marilyn was more of a problem than your dad.”
Tyler nodded. “You guess right.” He leaned on the edge of the counter and crossed his ankles as he smiled at her. The smile sent a herd of wild horses galloping through Claire’s midsection, making her wish she had the courage to do what Georgia would do.
To saunter up to the counter, press herself against the cowboy watching her, and show him exactly what she wanted. But Claire had been born without the brazen gene.
After removing his hat and flipping it over to rest top down on the Formica, Tyler ran a hand through his short, sandy hair. “So what got you so riled up tonight? You downed that wine like a woman on a mission to drown a problem.”
The quickness with which Claire thought how nice it would be to drown her mother was probably an indication she should slow down on the drinking. Looking to the couch, Claire said, “Is it okay if I sit down?”
Tyler nearly choked on his sip of beer. “Of course,” he said, his face turning red. “I should have offered already.”
Claire had never thought much about a cowboy wearing a blush but found it incredibly sexy. Settling onto brown leather, she set her bottle on the coffee table and waited for Tyler to join her. Instead of sitting on the sofa, he took the chair to her left.
She sighed, her confidence faltering. “The wine guzzling was brought on by a run-in with my mother. Which reminds me, I’m sorry about venting about her the other night. You shouldn’t have to listen to my problems.”
“I don’t mind,” Tyler said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I don’t mind at all.”
The intensity in his green eyes put a damper on her doubts. Mustering all the courage she could find, Claire asked, “Did you mean all that stuff you said at the diner?”
Swallowing hard, sending his Adam’s apple bobbing, Tyler nodded. “Every word.”
A warmth started in the vicinity of Claire’s heart and spread through her extremities. Her eyes dropped to her hands, where her fingers toyed with the hem of her dress. “Then I have some things to say to you, too.”
“You don’t have to—” Tyler started, but Claire interrupted him.
“Yes, I do. I think it’s about time we talk about this.”
Tyler rubbed his palms along his thighs and nodded but held his tongue.
Closing her eyes, Claire blurted, “I feel the exact same way.”
She waited for him to say something, but silence loomed like a suffocating fog in the air. Opening one eye, she glanced to the left to see his reaction. Her breath whooshed out at the sight of his grin. But she had to be sure. “Do you understand what I mean?”
“I hope so,” Tyler continued to grin. “But maybe you should explain a bit, so I’m sure.”
Claire dropped the dress hem and crossed her arms over her thighs. “I’ve never regretted the night we spent together. In fact, that was the most special night of my life.”
“But you left,” Tyler said, his voice barely above a whisper. “No note. No nothing.”
Shaking her head, Claire said, “I thought you only had sex with me because you’d been drinking. Pity sex for your sister’s chubby best friend. The idea of you looking at me with regret that next morning, trying to figure out how to get rid of me, was more than I could stand.” She shrugged. “So I left, sparing us both the embarrassment.”