Her Texas Cowboy Protector (The Winchester Cowboys #3)

Chapter One

Landon Winchester glanced below him at the beautiful, dark-haired young woman climbing the nearly vertical pink rock face. He loved free climbing at Enchanted Rock and had conquered this particular climb many times.

Her face intense with effort, she hadn’t noticed his glance as she swung one-handed to the right and grabbed an almost invisible outcrop with her fingers. Tendons stood out on her hands as she found purchase with the toes of her climbing shoes.

He nodded. She was good. Free climbing was tough. All a person had to climb with were their fingers and toes. Enchanted Rock was a Texas state park and didn’t allow climbers to use pitons or anything that would deface the rock.

A blonde climbing directly below the brunette called out, “You’re too fast for me, Natalie. Give a girl a break!”

So her name was Natalie. Landon smiled and reached higher, deciding to show off a little. In minutes, he’d made it to the top. He looked down and caught Natalie looking up at him. He waved.

She grinned and yelled, “You make it look easy.”

He laughed and called down to her, “I’ve done it a time or two.”

She yelled back, “Wait for me.”

She redoubled her efforts, easily outdistancing the blonde.

A red-headed guy who had climbed up beside the blonde yelled, “Show-off. You owe us a beer, Natalie.”

She turned to look down at them and laughed. “Spoilsports!”

Landon grinned. The three of them must be climbing buddies. He took off his pack and pulled out a bottle of water. After a few long swallows, he put the cap back on.

He always climbed alone. He’d learned to climb in his college days. Back then, he and several of his buddies had gone out together. Climbing with them had been a blast. But over the years, his friends had all taken on other responsibilities and had quit. He could understand that.

He hadn’t been climbing in months. It just wasn’t as fun going out by himself anymore. He’d climbed everything in the state so many times, it was almost boring. If he was going to continue, he’d have to start going farther afield. Make it more challenging.

He checked on Natalie’s progress and grinned.

She was nearing the top and met his gaze with a jaunty smile. “Hey there, buster. Want some company?”

He laughed. “Get on up here. The view’s great.”

Enchanted Rock was a beautiful place with its large outcroppings of smooth, rounded pink stone. It was no wonder it was a sacred site for Native Americans. He always felt awed when he took in the view from the top.

Natalie climbed up over the edge and brushed off her clothes. “Man, that was a climb, for sure.”

She was even prettier than he’d realized. She wore blue climbing pants and a yellow tank top—nothing to write home about. On her, however, the clothes looked sexy as hell.

He said, “It’s steep, all right. That’s why I love it. I live less than an hour from here, so I come often. I’m going to stay over in one of the primitive camp sites tonight.” He offered her his hand. “Landon Winchester.”

“No kidding? We are too! Let’s get together after dinner.” She shook his hand with a firm grip. “Too bad we can’t have fires at our camps.” Then she said, “Oh, I’m Natalie Walker, by the way.”

“I have a battery lantern. That’ll do instead of a fire for light,” he said.

He smiled as she called down to her friends, “Hey, we’re going to have company this evening. That great climber’s name is Landon.”

She sat down on the smooth pink rock, despite it being heated by the sun. “Man, I wish there was some shade up here.”

“Right? The sun really beats down on you.” He took his ball cap out of his backpack and handed it to her.

“Thanks!”

She looked cute in it, and he smiled as he peered over the edge to check the progress of her friends. The red-headed guy was looking up, and he grinned at him. Landon waved encouragingly. They should be at the top in a few minutes. He took out his water bottle again and drank a few more swallows.

Natalie did the same with a bottle from her pack and then sighed in satisfaction. “Dang, that’s good.”

He glanced at her again. She had a great tan—or maybe her skin was naturally a bit darker than his. Her nearly black eyes sparkled with interest every time she looked at him. Full, naturally dark-pink lips smiled at the least provocation, and her cheekbones made slight shadows on her smooth face. Her exotic beauty took his breath away, and he had to force himself not to stare.

“Where are you from?” he asked to take his mind off his train of thought.

“Austin. My parents live there, too. But most of my family lives in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I’m half Cherokee, and that’s where the offices of the Cherokee Nation are. My grandparents are really involved in Cherokee politics. And so is my dad.”

“That’s interesting. So, what nationality is your mother? You said that you’re half Cherokee.”

“Oh, she’s white. She has a brother in Austin, but otherwise she doesn’t have much family left on her side. Her mother died when she was young, and she’s not really in contact with her father.”

He loved how open Natalie was about her family. He couldn’t remember when he’d been so interested in someone. “I’m sorry to hear that. Are you close to your dad’s parents?”

She took several more swallows of water. “Oh, very. I go to see them every few months. They like me to dress traditionally for get-togethers when I’m there.” She rolled her eyes. “And, believe me, there’re always get-togethers.”

He laughed. “What is traditional Cherokee dress?”

“Well, for women it’s a Cherokee tear dress. They’re beautiful and can be any solid color, but they’re all made similarly.” She got her phone out of her backpack and, after a moment’s scrolling, handed it to him. “That’s what they look like.”

They were beautiful, but he’d expected that they’d be made out of leather. The dresses were ankle-length with long sleeves gathered at the wrist. Broad, patterned bands adorned the elbows, and a much wider patterned band ran across the skirt just below the knees. He handed the phone back. “They’re gorgeous. What do men wear?”

“Ribbon shirts. They come in all colors, too.” She grinned. “The more colorful, the better, as long as we use solid colors. And some people sew ribbon along the seams of their dresses.”

He imagined what a group of traditionally dressed people would look like and smiled. What an amazing sight it would be.

Just then, Natalie’s friends clambered over the lip of the rock face. The blonde rolled to her back with an explosive sigh. “Damn, that was hard!”

“Amen!” the redhead said as he plopped onto his back.

Landon and Natalie walked over as the other two struggled out of their packs. They both gulped down water, their eyes squeezed shut against the sun as they enjoyed the liquid flowing down their throats.

The blonde opened her eyes first. “I’ve had it. I need to rest before we head to camp.”

Natalie grinned. “Rachel Cornell, meet Landon Winchester.” Then she said, “Jordan, open your dang eyes. You’re not dead yet.”

The redhead squinted up at Landon. “Hey, Jordan Blackwater here. Great to meet you, Landon.” Then he shut his eyes again and sighed loudly. “I’m bushed.”

Landon chuckled, liking the two already. He turned to Natalie. “Do you know which campsite you have?”

“I think we’re at thirteen.”

“Nice. I’m at sixteen, so we’re not far apart. I like being farther in for the peace and quiet.” He went over and picked up his pack. “I’ll eat first and then come find you all.” He turned to leave and said over his shoulder. “I’m going to go set up my camp.”

“Bye, buster. See you about six?”

He stuck his arm in the air and waved agreement.

Natalie finished the last of the peanut-butter-and-honey sandwich she’d brought for dinner. It had been a little the worse for wear but still delicious. As she opened her bag of dried apples, she glanced toward the path again, wondering when Landon would appear. It was almost six.

Her small tent was set up under a big cedar tree whose lower limbs had been trimmed. Unpacking hadn’t taken her long, and she’d explored the surrounding area afterward. Enchanted Rock was such a beautiful place. It was rugged and arid, but there was still something about it that had made her sigh happily.

Landon must feel the same way, since he’d said he came here often. Lord, he was handsome. He must be at least six feet four inches tall, and, with those broad shoulders, he made her feel small. He was muscular in a way that hinted at his strength. She could sense it in the way he moved, see it in the way his T-shirt stretched at his biceps when he climbed. His legs had been rock-hard in his climbing pants as he’d ascended, yet they hadn’t bulged with muscle. His light brown hair was crisply cut, and his dark eyes easily filled with laughter. She’d been immediately drawn to him.

Movement caught her eye, and she spied Landon swinging easily up the path. His balanced, coordinated motion made her think of ballet, somehow. She smiled and waved.

He waved back and lifted the lantern he carried.

She called, “Landon’s here, you all.”

“I just finished eating,” Rachel said from inside her tent. “I’m changing clothes.”

Natalie shook her head and grinned. Her friend probably had her eye on Landon too.

Jordan came back carrying his folding shovel. He’d obviously needed some privacy. He waved at Landon and called, “Welcome to camp.”

Landon waved back. “Glad to be here. This is a nice spot.”

Natalie rose and walked toward him. “I love how shady it is. I’ll be coming back here again, and I’ll request this spot, for sure.” She walked with him back to camp.

Jordan thrust out his hand. “Good to see you. It’s nice to have a new climbing buddy.”

“I was thinking the same thing a few minutes ago, Jordan,” Landon said as he shook his hand.

Rachel crawled out of her tent in a pair of short white shorts, and Natalie hid her smile behind her hand. She’d paired them with a bright green tank top. “Hey, Landon. I’m glad you’re finally here,” she said in a flirty voice.

“Thanks.” He turned to Natalie. “Where do you work?”

“I’m the manager of one of the H-E-B Central Market stores in Austin.”

He whistled. “That’s quite the responsibility.”

“It is. It keeps me busy, although I try to make time for myself too. Rachel’s my best friend, and we get together regularly.”

With a bland look, he asked, “Is there a boyfriend in the picture?”

She smiled, loving it that he’d asked. “No, not at all. I haven’t dated in a while. Thanks to my parents, I’m pretty picky.”

His brows rose as he turned and headed to the center of the camp. “Tell me about that.”

“They always told me to only date a man who appreciated me for me. The me on the inside.” She looked into his eyes and smiled.

“When you’re pretty, there are always lots of guys who want to date you just for your looks,” Rachel said.

Natalie nodded. “Guys who see me for me are kind of rare. I watch for those—and then, if we hit it off, and if they ask me out, I accept.”

As he sat down next to her, he said, “Your parents are smart people. They steered you straight.” He looked down at his hands. “Believe it or not, I get some of that unwanted attention too. It wears on a person unless you’re the type who takes advantage of it, which I’m not.”

“Oh, I believe it. You’re handsome, Landon, and I can see women falling all over you,” Rachel said in a flirty voice.

The corner of his mouth lifted, and he looked away, seeming uncomfortable.

“You haven’t told me anything about you, so fire away,” Natalie said to change the subject.

Jordan and Rachel had just sat down, and she said, “Yeah, tell us all about you, Landon. I can’t wait to hear.”

He glanced at her and then back at Natalie. “I grew up on a cattle ranch, and that’s where I still live. It’s been in my family since the early 1900s. We raise Black Angus cattle, and I work it with my dad and my brother. I rodeoed when I was younger, and then I went to college and got my bachelor’s degree in agribusiness so I could help improve the way we run our cattle business.”

“Wow! You’re a cowboy. I wondered why your forehead was so white. It’s because you wear a Western hat all the time, huh?” Rachel said.

He smiled. “Either that or a cap. But usually a hat. It protects me better from the sun, and my mom’s always on my case about skin cancer.”

“Because you’re outside roping cattle and riding horses all the time, right?” Rachel said.

He chuckled. “Well, not exactly. I do that, yeah, but mostly I’m driving around in my truck feeding or in the ATV fixing fence. I rope something occasionally if we need to doctor it. We also drive cattle to the pens to work them. Like when it’s time to inoculate them or to castrate the bull calves.”

Natalie was thrilled at hearing this. He was a real live cowboy, someone she’d always dreamed of meeting. She’d always loved horses but had never had much chance to be around them. How lucky Landon was. She leaned toward him. “That’s all so amazing. Even the fixing fence part.”

He laughed. “I don’t think you’d feel that way if you spent the day doing it.”

“What made you want to start rock climbing?” Jordan asked.

He shrugged. “I kind of got into it by accident. My roommate in college liked to do it and asked me to come along with him. I fell in love with it from the start. He showed me the ropes, was really patient with me, and I went with him and his friends from then on out. My mom always said I was her adventurous son.”

He glanced around the group. “It’s kind of weird, because I’m the quiet one in my family too.”

He slapped his hand on his knee. “Enough about me. Jordan, tell me about you.”

As Jordan talked about being a lawyer and working at a large firm in Austin, Natalie leaned against Landon and whispered, “I’m glad you’re here.”

He smiled down at her and mouthed, “Me too.”

“And Rachel works there, too, as an admin. That’s where we met. She decided to try rock climbing after she found out that I do it,” Jordan said.

Natalie said, “She already knew that I climbed, so she called me and said, ‘Hey, this guy I work with climbs too. Can we all go together? I’d like to learn how.’ She reached over and squeezed Rachel’s hand. “That’s how the three of us became climbing buddies.”

“You’re lucky to have each other. I’ve come to realize lately that climbing alone isn’t so much fun anymore.”

Rachel clapped. “You just have to start coming with us! We go climbing a lot, and we’d love to have you along. Wouldn’t we, guys?”

“We sure would,” Jordan said.

“Of course we would.” Natalie smiled at him.

“I’d love to. Natalie, let me give you my number. You can call me next time you all decide to go climbing.”

She took out her phone and entered his contact information. Then she said, “Let me give you mine. I’ll just call you. That way, if you decide you want to go before you hear from me, you can let us know too.”

He smiled. “Thanks.” She called him, and he quickly created a contact for her. She noticed a special warmth in his eyes when he put his phone back into his pocket.

They continued to chat as sunset colored the sky in shades of orange and red. When darkness fell, Landon turned on his lantern.

She felt completely relaxed and happy. The more she learned about Landon, the more she liked him. He was even nice to Rachel, although she flirted outrageously with him, and he obviously didn’t return her interest. Now Natalie knew exactly what he’d meant when he’d said that he had to put up with women giving him unwanted attention.

Finally, he said, “I’m going to head back to camp. It was good getting to know you all.”

She leaned against him and whispered, “It was great getting to learn more about you, buster.”

He clasped her hand. “You’re pretty interesting yourself.” His smile was warm and inviting.

He rose to his feet and looked into her eyes for a long moment.

She rose to her tiptoes and drew him down to her, kissing him on the cheek. She whispered, “Call me.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “I will.”