Crazy For the Cowboy (24 page)

“Good?”

“Oh, yeah. More of that.”

“You bet.” He drove in faster. “Torture.” His chuckle was strained. “Yeah, right. This is . . . pure torture.”

She moaned again, louder this time, as the tension built. This would be no gentle climax like the ones she'd just had. Oh, no. This one would come stampeding through her like a herd of wild horses.

Vince was right with her. She could tell by the sound of his breathing and the fire in his eyes that he wouldn't be slowing down this time. He pounded into her with enough force to shake the bed.

“Georgie . . . I'm . . .”

“Me, too.” She gasped as the first tremor hit. “Me, too.” And she came, and came hard, which meant she yelled pretty loud.

Vince, however, was louder. His big body shook and his deep groan seemed to fill the tiny room. “God, Georgie.” His eyes were glazed and he struggled to breathe as he stared down at her.

She stared right back. She'd just had the most incredible sexual experience of her life and now she'd have to walk away. Judging from his shell-shocked expression, he was in the same shape, and he planned to let her go. She didn't get it, but she wasn't going to say one more word on the subject.

He, however, looked as if he might want to say something. What he wanted to say was there in his eyes. She waited, heart trembling, to see if he'd own up to what was hovering in the air between them.

But instead he gave his head a little shake. The moment was gone. He started to lean down as if to give her a tender kiss.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.”

He paused. “Because you might bite me?”

“It's a distinct possibility.”

CHAPTER 24

A
fter Vince let Georgie leave without telling her he loved her, he waited until she'd had time to get all the way home. Then he quickly dressed, put on his hat, grabbed his key for the front door of the hotel, and went for a walk. He would have preferred to go for a ride, but it was two in the morning and he couldn't get to his horse without potentially alarming Ed and his wife.

The fresh air helped, and he liked not having a jacket on. Being cold suited his mood, as did the dark and deserted street. He could no more have stayed in that room with its memories of Georgie than fly to the moon on gossamer wings.

Telling her he loved her—which he did, damn it—would have been selfish. What was she supposed to do with that information? She might interpret it to mean he wanted to stay and live happily ever after. In reality, he loved her enough to get the hell out of town before things became any more complicated.

Striding rapidly down the street away from her house, he quickly was out of street to stride down. This place really was small. He didn't feel like walking out in the middle of nowhere, so he turned around and went the other way. He'd stop before he got close to her house.

Although he hadn't figured this out before, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep that same room now. Tomorrow he'd give the excuse that it should be available for the trail riders, since a front room had to be a premium spot. Myra and Steve might believe him.

They also might know exactly why he wanted to switch rooms. He and Georgie might kid themselves that they'd pulled the wool over everyone's eyes, but Vince wasn't so sure. He'd been getting some assessing looks from his poker buddies recently.

So long as Georgie seemed happy with the situation, they'd likely pretend not to know what was going on. In their shoes he would have done the same. But let Georgie show any signs of distress, and they'd be all over him like stink on shit. He wouldn't blame them.

She would probably begin showing signs of distress soon, so he hoped to hell the trail rides took off like a rocket. He'd call Mac and Travis in the morning and put them on standby. They might enjoy the security of their jobs, but this would be a hell of a lot more fun, provided it could keep them afloat financially.

Vince figured the rich dude was the one to impress, and he planned to do his best in that regard. He hoped Charmaine wouldn't be a pain in the butt and hang all over the guy. If she did, Vince was prepared to step in, whether Georgie's stepmother liked it or not.

He'd already decided he didn't like the woman, but he'd kept his mouth shut. He wouldn't be sticking around and therefore wasn't in a position to voice an opinion. Still, when he realized the power she held over Georgie's life, he got pretty steamed.

And here he was, right in front of her house. He'd been thinking so hard that he hadn't paid attention to how close he'd come. He turned around.

“Vince?”

He glanced over his shoulder and discovered Georgie coming down the steps of her front porch. She must have been sitting on the old porch swing all this time, which meant she'd seen him approaching. Maybe she thought he'd had second thoughts. This was going to be awkward.

“Hey, Georgie.”

“Why are you walking around at two thirty in the morning?”

He chose to play offense instead of defense. “Why aren't you inside?”

“I asked you first.”

He sighed, took off his hat, and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he repositioned the hat. Wouldn't want to get moonlight in his eyes. “I didn't want to stay in that room.”

“Neither did I.” She kept the little garden gate closed, which was probably a good thing.

“I noticed. You took off out of there like your tail was on fire.”

She was mostly in shadows, so he couldn't tell if she'd smiled at that. “Interesting description. But you haven't answered my question about why you're standing in front of my house.”

He liked that she called it
her
house even though technically she didn't own it. But it was hers in any way that counted, at least in his opinion. “I decided to take a walk and ended up here by accident.”

“I've heard people say there are no accidents.”

“That's not true, because when I started this walk I specifically told myself that I wouldn't come this far. Then I got to thinking and ended up here.”

“I think you're here because we're not done with our conversation and we couldn't have it in a room with a bed.”

“That's not logical, Georgie.” He hated not being able to see her face and read her expression. “I had no idea you'd be sitting on the porch.”

“You might have if you thought about it. I'm as upset as you, so I wouldn't want to go back to my room, either. I needed to sit out here and think. And unlike you, I have a jacket to keep me warm.”

So now he felt sort of stupid for going out in only his shirtsleeves, although it had made sense at the time. She had on a jacket, though. After that first night, she'd agreed that a warmer outfit was required, so she'd worn her usual clothes except that she always left off her bra.

Knowing she was standing on the other side of the gate without her bra on got him hot. He didn't like admitting he was so susceptible, but with her, he was. “The cold air felt good.” That was especially true now, when a breeze brought the scent of her perfume and sex.

She gripped the top of the gate but didn't make a move to open it. “Do you have anything you'd like to say to me, now that we're not surrounded by memories of hot sex?”

“Speak for yourself. All I have to do is be within a few feet of you and I'm surrounded by memories of hot sex.”

“Let me rephrase that. Now that we're not in a position to actually
have
hot sex.”

“That's not true, either. The porch steps would work, or the porch floor. The swing is dicey because—”

“Vince, for God's sake.”

He noticed a quiver in her voice. She was thinking about it. That put them on a more level playing field. “Do you have anything to say to me, Georgie? I have a feeling you might, since you think our conversation isn't finished.”

“Yes, I do have something to say, now that you mention it.”

He prepared himself. She was about to rip him a new one, and he probably deserved it. Well, that was okay. Let her get it out of her system.

“I love you.”

He gasped. He needed something to hold on to, but she'd already claimed the garden gate so he was left sort of standing there shaking, torn between wanting to shout for joy and swear in frustration.

“I know you weren't expecting that.”

“No.” His voice was a feeble whisper.

“But I doubt I'll get another chance to tell you. I've been sitting on the porch swing thinking that I should have said it while I was in your room, even if you weren't man enough to.”

His throat closed up, but he managed to choke out one word.
“What?”

“You heard me. I've seen the look in your eyes, especially when we're having sex. You love me at least as much as I love you, but you don't have the cojones to admit it. That doesn't mean I shouldn't, so I just have. I love you. I know that makes no difference to anything, but it feels good to get it off my chest.”

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He tried again. Nada. He was very afraid he was giving a great imitation of a fish out of water.

“Don't feel obligated to follow my lead. I don't need you to say the words to know they're true. Nobody displays that much tenderness during sex unless they're in love. You'd probably rather not be, but we can't always control these things.” Her face continued to be in shadow, but she obviously was looking at him. “Good night, Vince.” She turned and started back down the walk.

“Wait.”

She kept walking.

He could have tried to figure out the gate, but he didn't want to take the time. Putting a hand on the post, he vaulted it, caught up with her, and grabbed her arm.

She turned back to him, and in this light, he could see the soft smile. “That was heroic.”

“Damn the heroics, Georgie. Yes, I love you! I've tried hard not to because we're not right for each other. I had everything under control, sort of, and then you showed up at my door.”

“Don't tell me you regret that.”

“Hell, no. It's been the best ten days of my life. But it ended up with us being in love with each other, and that's bad.”

She reached up and touched his cheek. “When I left your room tonight I thought so, too. I was feeling sorry for myself and angry that you wouldn't say what was in your heart. But you have your reasons.”

“I did. I do.” He captured her hand and held it against his cheek. So soft. “You don't need a guy like me being in love with you.”

“Yes, I do.” She slipped her other arm around his neck. “Even if you won't stay, I need to know that you've loved me, that this wasn't some interlude that you'll forget as soon as you leave town.”

He pulled her close. How he ached for her, even now, when he was trying to do the noble thing. “I'll never forget you, Georgie.”

She gazed up at him, starlight in her eyes. “That's good enough for me. Now let me go inside. I have a long day ahead of me. Charmaine's arriving, and that's always a big deal.”

“Georgie.” He had to kiss her one more time. He poured his heart into that kiss and felt her give hers to him, too. When she eased out of his arms, he let her go.

She walked away without saying anything more. There was nothing more to say. They loved each other, but their lives were headed in different directions. He hoped she didn't hurt as much as he did, but he was afraid she might.

If he knew for certain that he wouldn't make her miserable, he'd consider taking a shot at staying and see how it worked out. But the road was all he knew and he could so easily fail at being a steady guy. He wasn't sure either of them would survive if he tried and failed. Better not to take that chance.

But God, the ache was almost more than he could bear.

*   *   *

Georgie climbed into bed with a clear conscience and slept like the dead until well past nine. She quickly showered, dressed, and walked down to open the store. Every step of the way she battled her sadness at not seeing Vince tonight. It was better this way, though. He needed to rest up before taking the group out on Saturday. And she had to deal with Charmaine.

Anastasia was picking her up at Amarillo International that afternoon. Georgie was supposed to give her a riding lesson on Prince after closing the store at three. After that, Charmaine had asked to go down to Sadie's for dinner.

It should be an interesting evening. Anastasia had agreed to bring her oil paints and touch up Sadie's nipple. Apparently it had become a topic of conversation among the poker buddies and Steve had contacted Anastasia about handling that little artistic chore tonight.

And Vince would be there. Whether he wanted to see her or not, he had to eat and Sadie's was the only game in town. She would have been more nervous about running into Vince if they hadn't had their last conversation.

But now they'd left nothing unsaid. There were no land mines that would explode in their faces. They might have secrets from the rest of the town, but she doubted even that was true. In a place the size of Bickford, no secret lasted long. People were simply being polite and choosing not to mention what they suspected.

That meant eventually everyone would figure out that the hot love affair had cooled. When that happened, Georgie was determined to protect Vince from censure. He was the outsider. Although he didn't deserve any blame, if people started choosing sides, no one would choose Vince.

At three she locked up the store and started home. But the view of Main Street brought her to an abrupt halt. For the first time in four years, her town looked almost normal. The changes had been happening for days, but until now the street had continued to look like a work in progress.

Not anymore. All the painting was finished and windows sparkled in the midafternoon sunshine. The posters Anastasia had made were mounted in vacant store windows, making them look less empty.

But the crafts store display windows were tastefully arranged with quilts, wood carvings, garden ornaments, and sun-catchers. The new sign was up. The Bickford Boutique was ready for customers, and if Georgie hadn't promised to give Charmaine a riding lesson, she'd have stopped in.

She walked past the movie theater and although it wouldn't be opening anytime soon, the poker buddies had spruced up the exterior. They'd also put up
WATCH
THIS
SPACE
!
signs where the old movie posters used to be.

Next door to the theater, the Double Dip ice-cream shop looked nearly ready, too. Georgie saw Clyde and Inez behind the counter in deep discussion. Clyde glanced up and waved. Georgie smiled and waved back.

It was really happening. Her chest tightened with anticipation and anxiety. People had their hopes up again and Georgie desperately wanted those hopes to be realized. Wild Horse Canyon Adventures simply had to succeed. Failure was not an option.

Taking a deep breath and thinking positive thoughts, she walked on. Anastasia's little hybrid sedan was parked in the driveway beside the house, so that meant Charmaine was in residence. Georgie hadn't seen her stepsister since a brief visit at Christmas. Funny how with Charmaine she always thought in terms of
stepsister
, but Anastasia was her sister with no qualifier.

She hadn't stopped to think about that until now, but it was no mystery. Charmaine had challenged her from day one, whereas Anastasia had tried to fit into this new family and make friends. Georgie had found it easy to resent Charmaine because she was so haughty, but resenting Anastasia had been impossible. She'd always been sweet and accommodating.