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

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

E vidently good sex won out over anxiety. Lani slept until her alarm went off and woke up feeling terrific. She’d love to have Rance lying next to her. Then she could roll over and… yikes, not the thoughts she should be having if she intended to pull up the gangplank.

She would do that, right? She’d told him no and she’d stick with that. But she couldn’t wait to see him again.

Glancing at her phone, she hopped out of bed. She had just enough time to shower, dress in something cute and grab a quick breakfast before he arrived at nine.

Her shower went fast but choosing an outfit took longer. Yeah, she wanted to look good for Rance. That had been true since she’d met the guy back in February. She just hadn’t admitted it.

The clingy gold sweater she chose emphasized her breasts and the gold flecks in her eyes. Although she’d tried to think of ways he could mute his sexiness, he hadn’t asked the same of her.

That said, a woman determined to hold the line had no business wearing this sweater. Turned out the woman gazing back at her as she put on her makeup was seriously considering his latest tantalizing scheme.

No matter how hard she’d worked to keep him at arm’s length he’d managed to sneak past her defenses. His book had severely weakened them and last night had finished the job.

If his prediction that he’d be a letdown in the sack compared to Dooley had been true, she might have saved herself. Saved him, too, because she wasn’t the only one facing heartbreak.

But his lovemaking hadn’t been a letdown. Far from it. He’d been… she paused, her mascara wand halfway to her flushed face, her body tingling and her breath wonky. He’d been so damn….

She gulped as a wave of lust left her shaking. Better stop thinking about it before she stabbed herself in the eye with the wand. Besides, she had to get some breakfast and announce her plans to her folks without alerting them to… anything.

She’d hoped they might be out of the kitchen by the time she walked in, but no such luck. Instead they were lingering over a second cup of coffee and evidently feeling chatty.

And curious, at least in her mom’s case. She asked what Granny had served for dinner. Oh, no. They’d forgotten the pound cake. Shoot.

She briefly described the meal and apologized for not bringing a couple of slices back with her. “Everything was delicious.” She hoped she’d said that with the right amount of enthusiasm — not too little and not too much.

“I’m sure it was.” Her sweet dad didn’t suspect a thing. He never did. “Granny’s a hoot. Fits in like she was born here.”

“She does. Well, I gotta run. Rance and I are heading over to the ranch house in a few minutes.” She washed down her peanut butter toast with a few swallows of coffee. “He’s picking me up.”

Her mother’s brows arched. “Another sleigh ride?”

“No, something else. Christmas secrets.”

“Say no more, sweetheart.” Her dad grinned. “This Christmas will be one for the record books. I still can’t believe we cut down our own tree. Or that we’ll ride down Main Street in a sleigh and the next day have almost thirty for Christmas dinner at Desiree’s.”

“Maybe more. When you start with ten—” Thunder’s distinctive rumble wiped out all thoughts but one. “That’ll be Rance.” Heart racing, she left the table and carried her dishes to the sink.

Her dad stood. “I’ll get the door.”

“Thanks, Dad. Tell him I’ll be right there.” She put her mug and plate in the dishwasher.

“I take it you had a nice time last night.”

She kept her expression neutral as she turned to face her mom. “I did.”

“I wondered how it would go, since you two don’t always get along. But since you’re taking off with him this morning you must have ironed out your differences.”

“We have.” She did her best to keep a straight face. That meant ignoring the sound of Rance’s voice in the entryway, which gave her goosebumps. She chose her words carefully. “Since we’ll be seeing each other a few times a year, we might as well be friends.”

“I hope that’s possible. You probably know he has a crush on you.”

What the hell could she say to that? “Well, I?—”

“Hey, guess what?” Her dad strode into the kitchen carrying a glass container with a snap-on lid. “We have pound cake, after all!”

Rance followed him, all smiles. “Good morning, ladies! I realized after I brought Lani home last night that this hadn’t made the trip.” He gestured toward the container. “It spent the night in my truck so I wouldn’t forget a second time.”

“Thanks, Rance.” Her mom beamed at him. “Very considerate of you.”

“The credit goes to Granny. She put in the work. I’m just the unreliable delivery boy. You were supposed to have it with your breakfast. My apologies.”

“No worries, son.” Her dad clapped him on the shoulder. “I noticed the snow’s picked up. I see a cozy fire and a mid-morning snack in my future.”

“It’s snowing?” Lani glanced toward the window above the sink where she’d been standing moments ago. She’d been so focused on navigating the interior landscape she’d been blind to the flakes swirling outside.

“Yes, ma’am.” Rance’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “You’d best bundle up.”

Although there was nothing inherently suggestive in any of that, her heart stuttered and her cheeks grew warm. Not good. “I left my scarf in my room. I’ll be back in a sec.” She hurried past him. Had her folks heard his soft, sexy chuckle? She sure hoped not.

Since she didn’t plan to be out in the snow, she didn’t need the scarf but she’d wanted a chance to brush her teeth and put on lipstick. On the way back to the kitchen, she detoured past the entry, grabbed her coat and slipped it on.

In her absence, Rance had taken a seat at the kitchen table. Coat unbuttoned and hat on his lap, he looked right at home as her folks shared their tree-chopping adventure.

She hadn’t been around for it since they’d decided to do the deed before she arrived and surprise her. Sara had texted her about the incident, starting out with The good news is Mom was not killed by a Christmas tree.

“I’ve never seen Vanessa move that fast.” Her dad shook his head. “I don’t know how we miscalculated the angle, but she was smack-dab in the path of it. And she leaped out of the way like an elite athlete. Impressive.”

“Until I lost my balance and fell in a snowbank.”

“Better than having a seventy-pound tree land on you.” Her dad glanced up as she walked in. “Next year we’ll wait for you to get here, sweetheart. Chopping your own tree sure does jumpstart the Christmas spirit.”

“Yeah.” Her mom laughed. “Not to mention the adrenaline rush when you’re almost KO’d as it comes crashing down.”

“I admire your grit,” Rance said, “but just remember I’m available if you ever want some help.”

“Appreciate it,” her dad said with a grin, “but we enjoy screwing up these things on our own.”

“Alrighty, then. I totally understand.” He looked over at her. “We’d better get going.”

“Yep. Before the snow gets any worse.”

“We’ll be fine.” He picked up his hat by its crown and stood. “Thunder can handle it.” In a move that was all cowboy, he put on the hat and tugged down the brim.

A simple thing, but she found it mesmerizing. Always had. Cowboys. Who knew?

“We’re off.” He gestured for her to go ahead of him.

“Thanks for the pound cake,” her mom called after them.

“You’re welcome,” he called back. On the way through the living room he glanced at the sizeable tree in the corner. “I’m glad your mom is nimble.”

“So am I. Evidently they had many offers of help, but they were determined to do it by themselves.”

“I’m all for folks doing for themselves. More power to ’em.” He ushered her out the front door and quickly closed it behind them.

Thunder was parked horizontally right by the steps with the passenger door facing her. Good thing her folks hadn’t put in a walkway yet.

“You do know you just contradicted yourself by opening the door for me when I was perfectly capable of doing it myself.”

He sighed. “Are you still having trouble with cowboy manners, Lani-lou?”

“No.” She turned and flashed him a smile. “I just said that to get a rise out of you.”

“Doesn’t take much.” Slinging an arm around her shoulders, he hustled her down the steps as snow whipped around them. “That gold sweater does the trick. And you’re flirting with me.” Opening the door, he gave her a hand up. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re sending me a signal.”

“Against my better judgment.”

“I like the sound of that.” He closed the door and jogged around to the driver’s side. Once in, he started the motor before fastening his seat belt. Thunder beeped at him. “Yeah, yeah. Gotta keep the lady warm, buddy.”

She ducked her head to hide a smile. Rance talked to his truck. One more adorable trait added to a growing list.

He buckled up, switched on the wipers and put Thunder in gear.

“Did you remember the two manuscripts?”

“Damn, I knew there was something I was supposed to bring.”

“Don’t tell me you forgot the most important part of?—”

He grinned. “They’re in a box behind my seat.”

“Are they mine and Granny’s?”

“I got up early and printed out another one so Granny can keep hers. Now let’s hear what’s going on in that top-notch brain of yours.”

“I think you fried it. I can’t stop thinking about last night.”

“Join the club. It’s a wonder I remembered to bring those manuscripts considering I forgot to put water in the coffee pot this morning.”

“Oh, no!”

“It was okay after it cooled off. But then I burned the eggs I was making for Granny and me, and I never burn eggs. When the toaster began smoking, she sent me out of the kitchen and took over making breakfast.”

“Wow. Are you safe to drive?”

He grinned. “I guess we’ll see.”

“You’re in worse shape than me. Pull over. I’ll drive.”

“Much as I’d love to watch you take the wheel, a snowstorm isn’t the best time for your first experience.”

“I know, but?—”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get there just fine. It’s not far and Thunder knows the way.”

“Sure he does.” She peered out the windshield as the wipers swished rapidly back and forth. “It’s really coming down. Could we get stuck at your mom’s place?”

“Not for long. We have plows. We even have one I can hook up to Thunder if I need to.”

“I don’t suppose you have it with you.”

“No, but Sky could use it with his truck if he had to. It won’t be necessary, though.”

“When are you scheduled to work?”

“Eleven to five again, but if it keeps snowing like this, that might change. Enough about the weather.” He paused. Took a deep breath. “Do we have a date tonight?”

“Oh!” She began to quiver. “Well, um…” Her voice shook, too. She wasn’t prepared to make that decision. She’d thought they’d discuss their options later in the day with a few kisses thrown in. Nope.

She wanted to be with him again. But a second rendezvous, especially so soon, would deepen their connection.

“It’s yes or no time. I need to let Granny know about dinner, because if you won’t be there, she’ll set up another afternoon tea with Marybeth.”

“Are we messing up Granny’s social life?”

“I asked. We’re her number one priority.”

“I assume she knows I won’t be relocating.”

“She does.”

“What does she say to that?”

“She thinks you’d be crazy to let me get away.”

“Ah.”

“This is our last chance for a while. Tomorrow night’s the caroling thing. The next night’s Christmas Eve.”

She gulped. “I see your point.”

“And?”

She knew this sensation. It was like standing at the edge of the high-dive board gathering her courage to jump. “Yes. My answer is yes.”

“Hot damn.”