Saving the Cowboy’s Christmas (Rowdy Ranch #12)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

“ I s there anything I can do to fix this?” Rance looked destroyed, poor guy.

Well, he should feel guilty. He’d created a mess. “I doubt it.” Although Lani appreciated his sincere offer and his willingness to take the blame, he couldn’t do anything to douse the fire licking through her veins. Or could he? “Maybe there is something.”

“Name it.”

“Chewing tobacco.”

He grimaced.

“That would desexify you in no time.”

“That’s not a word.”

“It is now. Keep a chaw stuck under your lip and carry around a can so you can spit tobacco juice from time to time. Instant desexification.”

“Also not a word.” He hesitated. “How about bubblegum? If I’m popping bubbles all the time, wouldn’t that be desexifying?”

“Nah, I’d just laugh. Besides, I like the taste of bubblegum.”

“Jalapeno peppers?”

“Yum.”

“Chewing tobacco it is, then. I’ll buy some tomorrow.”

“You’d do it?”

“To desexify myself so you’re not in distress? Yes, ma’am, I would cheerfully take up that disgusting habit.”

“And there it is.”

“There what is?”

“The way you’re reacting is just like Dooley. You’re accepting responsibility and you want to help. On top of it you’re sexy as hell. How am I supposed to resist you?”

“That was the idea. I didn’t want you to. But now I need to reverse the process, so if keeping a chaw under my lip does the trick, then I’ll?—”

“Guess what? It won’t. Not when I know you’re suffering for my sake. Besides, Granny would have a fit. So would the rest of your family. It’s a terrible idea. I just wish I could block out those sexy scenes in your book.”

“Hey, that’s the answer.”

“You have a technique to erase a memory? That’s disturbing.”

“Not erase. Reframe. You don’t want me, you want Dooley, and he doesn’t exist. Compared to him, I’m lousy in the sack. You’d be in for a big letdown.”

“I don’t believe you.” Neither did the parts of her that began to tingle.

“Come on. It’s way easier to write good sex than to deliver in person. Logic will tell you that.”

The warmth gathering in her core had kicked logic to the curb. “More likely I’d be a disappointment to you. Sophia’s so responsive and I?—”

His eyes glittered. “You just spent four months with a dud. Whatever went on with him doesn’t count.”

A surge of lust took her breath away. “You’re not helping.”

“You were about to put yourself down. I’ve kissed you, and there’s nothing unresponsive about?—”

“Listen, insisting you won’t measure up to Dooley isn’t helping.” It made her desperate to find out. Heat radiated to every part of her body.

“But he’s a figment of my imagination.”

She gulped for air. “Exactly! Which indicates you’d be imaginative in?—”

“Not when all the blood flows south!”

“You turn into a mindless sex machine?” That worked, too. She wanted that. She wanted it now.

“Sometimes, damn it!” His chest heaved. “I mean, not always, but?—”

“We should change the subject.”

“Right.” He faced forward and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.

“It’s pointless to sit here talking about whether we’ll have good sex or bad sex.”

“I didn’t say it would be bad.”

“Granny must wonder what’s keeping us.”

He dragged in a breath. “She will.” Buckling up, he put the truck in gear.

Silence. But not complete silence. His unsteady breathing told her that he was thinking about exactly what she was thinking about.

She cleared her throat. “What are we having for dinner?”

“Shepherd’s pie. You’ll love it.”

“If it’s the one with mashed potatoes on top, I know I will.”

“It is.”

“Is Granny spoiling you?”

“Me and everyone she can get her hands on.” His breathing began to even out. “My kitchen has never been this busy.”

“Did you add Dooley’s granny before or after she arrived here?”

“A little of both. Dooley already had a grandmother, but once I saw a picture of Kieran’s granny, I gave the one in my book a makeover.”

“I’ll bet she changed even more after Granny moved in.”

“You have no idea. I had to be careful or she would’ve taken over the story.”

Tension still rippled between them, but it was manageable. “Have you started the next one?”

“Last night.”

“That’s what you were doing when I called?”

“It was the only thing that kept me from going crazy waiting to hear from you.”

That was sobering. “I guess we’re both walking an emotional tightrope.”

“I’ll never admit to that.”

“You just did.” She glanced over at him.

His cheek dented. “No, ma’am, I did not. You’ll never catch me on a tightrope. Those dudes wear spangled tights.”

“They’re ripped dudes in spangled tights.”

“But the outfit’s the problem. Cowboys don’t do spangled tights.”

“How about saying you’ve got barbed wire tangled around your Wranglers?”

He chuckled. “I could say that.”

And he could melt her heart in the process. “You really expected this to work out, didn’t you?”

He sighed. “Yep.”

“Looking at it from your vantage point, I can see why. All the signs pointed to me deciding to move out here. But I’m still blown away that you hatched this plan in February. Did you really set your sights on me months ago?”

“Uh-huh.”

His answer sent squiggles through her stomach. “But you flirted with both me and Sara.”

“I did at first. Then you two sat me down and said I had to choose. For the first time in my life I paid close attention to my gut as well as my cock. I can trust my gut a lot more.”

“Mm.” And they were back on dangerous ground. Not his fault. She’d asked.

“You’re both beautiful, both sexy, but you… you stir something deeper in me. You inspired me to get off my butt and begin writing this series.”

“If I did, I’m glad. But I’m pretty sure I haven’t flirted back.”

“You have not. I’d given you no reason to, but that’s because I’d never let you see who I am.”

Her chest tightened. “Seems like you’ve kept that from everyone.”

“Not quite true. Lucky knows me. He’s not going to be shocked that I’ve been writing. Mom won’t be, either. It’s possible nobody in my family will be completely surprised. I think they know I’ve been up to something and it’s somehow connected to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure they’ve noticed I haven’t dated since February, which isn’t like me. They probably assume it’s because I’ve made a choice.”

He hadn’t been seeing other women? She didn’t want to hear that. “I can see why you didn’t date. This book must have taken all your free time.”

“Not all of it. I still went dancing at the Buffalo now and then. I’ve been known to take a woman home after a night of dancing but I quit doing that in February. Getting horizontal with anyone other than you didn’t appeal to me.”

He'd saved himself for her. “How can you be so committed to someone you barely know?”

“I’m a writer. We soak up info like a sponge. I made good use of that week you and your family stayed here after Angie got married. When your folks came in May, I learned more about you. August was the best, though, when we took that ride.”

“But we had a fight!”

“Do you remember what it was about?”

“Yes! It was about… oh, my God. It was about whether a man is capable of writing sex as well as a woman can.”

“Great discussion. If you enjoyed the scenes I wrote, you can thank yourself. I should probably mention you in the acknowledgments.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“I’m kidding. I wouldn’t do that. Our fight was private and special. That’s when I knew for sure you’re the one.”

“Oh, Rance, no I’m not.”

“I’m afraid you are. That doesn’t mean it’ll work out. I’ve faced the fact it’s up in the air for now. But my gut and my cock agree. I know you don’t want to hear it, Lani-lou, but you’re the one.”