AdriannasCowboy (5 page)

Suddenly guilt flooded her veins. She hadn’t even called
Lindsay to let her know what had happened to her father. Everything had
happened so quickly, calling her friend had been the last thing on her mind.
Adrianna plugged her phone into the charger then turned it on.
Ten new
voicemails.
The message blinked on her screen. Damn!

As she listened to the first message, her stomach dropped. “
You
don’t know me but my name is Randall and I work with Lindsay. She’s been in a
car accident. You’re the person listed as her emergency contact…”
The
message was dated yesterday.

She quickly flew through the rest of the messages. One was
from her jerk ex-boss, one was some guy she’d gone on a date with eons ago but
the rest were from the hospital and Lindsay’s coworkers. Shit! Her heart beat a
rapid tattoo against her chest.

She slipped on her boots, grabbed a small bag and repacked
some of the clothes she’d just unpacked. Next she grabbed all her toiletries
and haphazardly threw them in the bag.

As she zipped up her bag, she grabbed her purse and
unplugged her phone. She had a charger in her car so she’d call Sam from there.
Just in case he didn’t get her message, she scrawled a note telling him she’d
gone home but would be available on her cell.

* * * * *

Adrianna eased open the door to Lindsay’s hospital room with
her hip as she balanced coffee and candy bars in both hands.

“You’re a goddess! The freaking nurses are worse than the
Gestapo.” Lindsay shifted against the sheets as Adrianna held out her offering
of chocolate and caffeine.

She chuckled. “And I’m sure you’re not giving them a hard
time at all.”

“I seriously owe you, Adrianna. I still can’t believe you
drove all this way just because I broke my leg, especially since… God, I’m so
sorry about your dad.”

“Stop it. Besides, from the messages Randall left me I
thought you were in ICU or something.”

Lindsay’s cheeks reddened at the sound of his name. “What do
you think of him anyway?”

Lindsay’s coworker had stepped out to make a call. “He’s
cute
and
it’s obvious he’s into you.”

“You think?” Lindsay chewed on her bottom lip.

“Uh, he’s been by your bedside for the past day and a half
and you guys only work together? Yeah, I’d say so.” Adrianna took a sip of her
coffee and repressed a grin. Anytime Lindsay moved, her coworker jumped like a
jack-in-the-box, ready to serve her every need.

“Listen, I know you drove all this way but I swear I’m fine.
Don’t feel like you have to come back tomorrow morning.”

Adrianna rolled her eyes as she stood. Visiting hours had
been up for half an hour so she knew it was time to clear out, especially since
she guessed that Randall wanted some alone time with Lindsay before he left.
“Whatever, girl. You’d better believe I’ll be here bright and early. If you’re
lucky, I’ll bring pastries. The chocolate kind.”

When she heard the door open, she glanced over her shoulder
to find Randall hovering. She turned and winked at Lindsay whose face only
turned a brighter shade of red. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Adrianna. Thanks again.”

“Bye, hon.” She gave her friend a light peck on the cheek
and said a quick goodbye to Lindsay’s other “friend” who barely glanced in her
direction as she left.

For the past four hours she’d been hanging out at the
hospital with Lindsay but now that she knew her friend was okay, she didn’t
feel too bad that she’d missed the call. A broken leg sucked but according to
her doctors, it could have been a lot worse.

Exiting the hospital, she turned on her phone as she walked
through the parking lot. She frowned when she checked her messages. No new
voicemail. It was getting dark so she assumed Sam would have called by now.
She’d written a note and left a message so there was no reason for him not to
have contacted her.

She bit back her disappointment then immediately chastised
herself. It had only been a day and she was missing his voice.
Pathetic.

The drive to her place was short but she was looking forward
to taking the time to go over her options and figure out what her next move
was. As she unlocked her front door she began her mental pro-con list of why
she should move to the ranch and why she shouldn’t.

Sighing, she dropped her bag on the foyer floor and sagged
against the door. Her brain was threatening to overload. After slipping off her
boots, she tossed them by her bag and headed toward her kitchen. Maybe wine
would help clear her muddled brain. She shook her head and chuckled at the
thought of alcohol clearing anything up.

“Something funny?” A deep male voice from the direction of
her living room caused her to spin to her left.

A scream died on her lips when she spotted Sam laying on one
of her microfiber couches, cowboy hat pulled low on his head. “Are you trying
to give me a heart attack? How the hell did you get in here? And what are you
even doing here?” Out of sheer nervousness, questions flew from her lips like machine-gun
fire. Her heart beat wildly against her rib cage as she tried to catch her
breath.

Sam pushed up from his lounging position. His legs unfurled
and when he stalked toward her, she suddenly felt like he was the hunter and
she was his prey. “I used your father’s key and I’m here to collect what’s
mine,” he growled.

“Didn’t you get my message?”

As he came to stand toe-to-toe with her, she resisted the
urge to step back. What was the matter with him? Why was he acting so edgy?

He held up a crumpled piece of paper. “What the hell is
this?
‘I’ve gone home but I’ll be available on my cell’?”
He repeated
her letter to her as if she were a child.

Adrianna frowned at his heated tone, trying to understand
why he was so upset. “Did you check your voicemail?”

His intense expression faltered. “What?”

“Your voicemail?” Now it was her turn to speak slowly.

“No.”

“So you drove all this way because…”

“I told you. I’m collecting what’s mine.”

He still hadn’t touched her but they were so close she could
feel his body heat emanating off him. “And that would be…”

His jaw clenched as he reached for her, clamping his hands
around her hips so that their bodies were flush against each other. “You.”

She shifted against his erection and smiled. “You thought I
left, like for good?”

When he didn’t answer she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“If you’d checked your voicemail you would have known that my friend was in an
accident. That’s why I left.”

He frowned as if he didn’t quite believe her. “All your
stuff from the bathroom is gone.”

“You mean like my makeup and other stuff I use
every day
?”
She inwardly smiled. She couldn’t believe he’d driven all this way.

“Your clothes were gone too.” Now his voice was accusing.

She glanced toward the door where her small bag lay, then
back at him as she tried to bite back a smile. “Most of my stuff is still back
at the ranch. My suitcase is under my bed.”

“When I saw the note and your stuff gone, I thought you’d
left.” The words were strangled and hoarse.

Suddenly she saw a side to Sam she’d never imagined
possible. No longer was he the confident man she’d fallen for long ago. Real
fear was visible in his eyes as he bared his soul to her. Her stomach clenched
as reality hit her. “I wouldn’t leave for good without telling you in person.”

“So you’re coming back?”

“For a while anyway. There’s a lot of stuff I need to take
care of at the ranch and—”

“No. Not for a while, forever.” It wasn’t a question.

“Oh really?” She sucked in a breath at the heated look he
raked over her face.

“I was serious when I said you were mine.”

She bit her bottom lip as she stared at him, unsure how to
voice her next question.

He took the words right out of her mouth. “I meant what I
said last night. I love you, Adrianna. I have for longer than I care to admit.”
He leaned forward so their foreheads touched.

“Me too,” she whispered.

“Say it.”

“I love you, Sam.”

He let out a growl as reached under her sweater and bra and
squeezed a breast.

She let out a yelp as he started pulling her clothes off.
“What are you doing?”

Without breaking stride, he answered, “We’re christening
every room in this place, darlin’. Starting right here.”

About the Author

Savannah Stuart has been reading romance for as long as she
can remember. When she discovered erotic romance, she knew she’d found her
niche. Most of her stories have a touch of intrigue or suspense, but the one
thing she always includes is a Happily Ever After. In addition to writing (and
reading, of course!), she loves traveling with her husband.

The author welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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