Page 14 of Riding Cowgirl
“Really, it’s not a thing. We should go say hi. Is she on the porch?”
Knight nods. I leave my coffee on the counter and make my way through the living room and out the front door. It’s now that I realize I’ve been washed and I’m wearing a fresh t-shirt. I don’t remember any of that. This one is void of Tex’s scent and instead smells like laundry detergent. I need to fix that, immediately.
“You’re up.” Tex stands and wraps me into his arms, and I’m immediately soothed. “Come inside. We need to feed you.”
“How long have I been out?”
“About sixteen hours.” He kisses my forehead. “What sounds good? I can figure anything out.” I bet he can. I bet he would.
I tip up onto my toes and kiss his lips, closing my eyes as his big, rough hands run over my skin. How can something so tough feel so good?
“Actually, I wanted to say hi to everyone.” I glance around the porch to see a man wearing a cross and the woman who sent Johnathan the letter. She’s a short brunette with cute curves and a pretty face with a mole just above her lips. If I were to guess by her features, I’d say she was Italian or Greek.
“You saved me.” I step toward her, holding out my arms for a hug. “If you hadn’t sent that letter, I’d have walked down the aisle, and who knows where I’d be right now.”
She brushes her long hair behind her shoulder and shakes her head. “I didn’t know he was engaged. He told me how lonely he was and how—”
“It’s okay.Really.He lied to all of us. I’m just glad you’re okay.” I hold Tex’s hand as I speak. Fuck, I love this man.
The woman tilts her head to the side. “I’m not sure I’m out of the woods yet. Knight is trying to help me figure things out, but my dad is just as insane as Johnathan. That’s probably why I felt so comfortable with him.” She laughs.
“We should go.” Knight lands his hand on the small of her back. “These two need some time alone.”
The man with the cross stands from the rocker on the porch and stretches before looking at me. “Tex said you like to paint. We’re looking for someone to put together a mural for the lodge. Something rustic that our guests will see as they walk into the dining area. We’re right next to the trout river and I was thinking something to mirror that would be nice… if you’re up for it.”
I glance toward Tex, then back again. “Yes! I’d love that, but are you sure you’d want me? I haven’t painted in months.”
“Tex showed me your work. Something tells me you’ll do fine.” The man hugs me, then follows Knight and the woman who’s name I never caught.
I glance up at Tex. “How did you show him my painting?”
He clears his throat and nods toward the fireplace where a painting I finished years ago hangs. It’s the field with the horses and the red barn. “That day was one of the best days of my life.”
“What?” My heart swells. “You kept it? I figured you’d thrown it away.”
“No way!” He tips his rough hand under my chin. “Do remember that day?”
I nod. “Yeah, like it was yesterday.”
He wraps me in his arms. “What do you remember?”
I stare up at the giant I’m so in love with. The giant I never stopped loving. The giant I want to spend eternity kissing. “It was the first day I met you. You were fishing out at the bass pond. I was there to paint. You wore jeans and a pair of old boots.” I place my hand on his chest. “You pretended to reel for hours, but I knew you were watching me. When I finished the painting, we sat on the gate of your truck and drank pink lemonade from the gas station while we talked about everything.”
He groans under his breath and tightens his grip on my hips. “You were wearing a little pink dress and my hand was on your thigh way before it should’ve been.” He grins. “You told me about your dreams to paint professionally and I told you how desperate I was to get away from the family ranch. No one had ever listened to me the way you did. I held you in my arms and I knew that very second you belonged to me. You have ever since, whether you were next to me or not. You’ve always been mine, mama.”
I stare toward him and the intensity that we felt from that very first moment comes back. “I dared you to chase me through the woods. You took my virginity that day.”
He clears his throat, and his cheeks turn pink. “I remember. I was probably too rough with you.”
“No. It was just right.” I stand on my toes and kiss the tip of his nose. “What if I ran again? Would you come after me?” My clit throbs and my nipples pebble hard against his chest.
He grins. “I had a hard time keeping up with you then. I’m not sure I could…”
Before he’s finished his sentence, I take off, looking back at him like an animal desperate to be caught.
Chapter Eight
Tex