Cowboy's Special Woman

“You have enough food from your friends to last the rest of the week,” Jake said.

“They’ve all been nice.”

“Yeah. It’s great. What would you like me to do in the morning?”

“I guess you can take over Dad’s chores. Because of the drought, he’s having to feed the cattle and horses. He checks on their water. We have a stallion, Red Rogue—Dad just calls him Rogue. He’s wild so be careful of him. He’s penned up by himself in the northeast pasture. Dad is trying to sell him, we have an ad running, but so far, no buyers.” She raised her head. “I can smell the burned land.”

“Yep, but it won’t last long and several of the men said in the seven-day forecast, rain is predicted. First thing you know, it’ll all green up again.”

“Thank goodness the fire didn’t cross the lane and we have our house and trees left in the yard.”

While fireflies flitted over the fenced yard, Maggie and Jake sat in an easy silence, and she was amazed he wanted to just sit and enjoy the evening. He was only a few feet from her, and she was very conscious of him.

“You want to have a bed-and-breakfast and you want your little girl to grow up here. What else do you want from life?”

“That’s about all. I’m happy here with my dad and Katy. This is a good life.” She glanced around. Jake leaned back on his elbows, almost reclining on the steps with his legs in front of him. He watched her, but she could no longer see the expression in his eyes.

“What do you want, Jake?”

“I want to see parts of the world I haven’t already seen. I want to save my money and travel around the world.”

“Your life is hard for me to imagine,” she said. “I’ve never been out of Oklahoma.”

“No kidding!” She saw a flash of his white teeth. “Maybe one day you should let your sister keep Katy and get on my bike with me and let me take you across the state line to Texas.”

She smiled. “Maybe someday I’ll go somewhere. Tonight I’m going to bed. I’m exhausted.” She stood. “If you’d like, you can sleep upstairs. I’m sorry I wasn’t hospitable.

He stood and faced her, shaking his head. “Forget it. That hammock looks inviting, and I like it out here under the stars. I haven’t slept outside in a long time. I’ll come in and shower in the morning.”

“Come get a pillow. You won’t need a blanket.”

He held the door and they went inside. She left him in the kitchen while she went upstairs and got a sheet and a pillow and brought them back to him. His hands brushed hers as he took the items from her.

“See you in the morning,” he drawled. The words should have been a brief parting that she barely noticed, but they weren’t. In his husky, soft voice, they were like a caress of his fingers. His eyes held hers extra heartbeats while the silence between them stretched, and she was lost in his gaze.

“Sure,” she whispered.

He turned and crossed the room to the door where he paused and glanced over his shoulder at her. “You can lock up. I won’t need to come back inside until morning.”

She shrugged, embarrassed she had made it so clear that she didn’t trust him and didn’t want him in her home. “That’s all right. We don’t always lock up anyway.”