Her Summer Cowboy (6 page)

“You’re staring.”

She blushed but hoped he couldn’t see. “Just looking at the horse. Is that the one I need to ride?”

“No ma’am. Missy is bedded down for the night. You want to try a little lesson when we stop tomorrow?”

Did she? No. But she knew she had to do her part. Also tonight she realized how much she really didn’t like singing
Lonesome Range
. Though the narrative was about a cowboy, she knew that it had been a metaphor for her dad who’d always spent more time on the road with his bottle than with his family. Just like that cowboy in the song who preferred the range to the ranch house.

She’d much prefer to be riding a horse and worrying about falling off than thinking while Gramps sang. “I think so.”

“Come on over here,” he said. “I’ll introduce you to Duke and you’ll see that he’s not that scary.”

She wasn’t too sure about that but she realized that Hudson made her feel safe. There was something about that big, muscly guy. The one she’d wanted to have a summer affair with and then sort of backed away from. Because wanting something and having it were two entirely different things.

Her flip-flops made a loud smacking noise with each step but that didn’t spook the horse as Hudson held him and talk quietly to him. When she was close to Hudson’s side he reached over and took her hand in his.

“The thing about horses is that they are big and powerful but also if you treat them right, they’ll do the same to you.”

He handed her a piece of carrot.

“Open yourß hand flat and hold it out. Once you give this old boy a treat he’ll be putty in your hands.”

She did as Hudson instructed. The horse’s tongue tickled as it brushed against her palm. He got the carrot and happily munched on it. She petted his nose and looked over at Hudson who was watching her.

She felt a wild cocktail of emotions; some of it was joy, some fear and most of it was longing. “If I give you a treat, will I win you over?”

*

Hudson glanced down
at her, the way she stared up at him. There was an aura of danger about her tonight. Like she was on edge and about to do something crazy. Hell, that might be some wishful thinking on his part because he knew that after midnight was when most people let their inhibitions down.

He’d been thinking about that conversation they’d had three days ago in Nashville. Hell, it had been all he’d thought about as he’d driven in his truck with his cousin RJ following the tour bus. And when he’d climbed in there to sleep and saw little signs of Emma all over the interior. His sleep had been restless, tormented with images of her in his arms. That curvy body pressed up against his and his hands on her thighs. He wanted her.

He wanted her with every breath he took. As she stood there in front of him it was almost unbearable to keep his hands to himself. But he wanted to make sure she was seeing the man and not a distraction.

More than anyone else he recognized how hard this night had been on her. Saw her pale and nervy standing next to Alan before she’d gone on stage. He’d been distracted a little from watching the back door at the venue because he’d wanted to make sure she was okay once she got up there.

And she had been. He’d heard her pretty soprano voice hitting the high notes in the background while Alan had sung about good times, sad times and family. When the show was over he’d wanted to go and find her, but he realized he had no rights.

He was just a guy she’d flirted with.

Hudson was her grandfather’s bodyguard and a man who was essentially a stranger. A part of him wanted to change that. But another part realized that Emma seemed to see more of him than most others did. He had no idea why.

“What kind of treat did you have in mind?” he asked. Hell. He was going to be nice and send her on her way. But he knew that was the last thing he wanted. Who cared if she was using him as long as it got him a little closer to her?

“I’m not sure. Do I have anything you want?” she asked.

A loaded question for sure. He skimmed his gaze over her body. She wore a pair of skintight faded jeans and a large t-shirt with her dad’s face on it. Her long auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her eyes watched him steadily.

She was definitely looking for some outlet to the emotions roiling through her tonight. He reached toward her, she tipped her head to the side and he put his hand on her shoulder.

She was so tiny under his hand. He squeezed her shoulder and slowly drew his hand down her arm. He stopped when he got to the part where the sleeve of her tee ended. Her skin was soft and he stroked his thumb over her inner arm and felt her breath catch in her throat as he came close to touching the side of her breast.

He swallowed hard against a lump in his throat as he realized he might be playing a game he couldn’t win. He wanted her. But in a parking lot with roadies loading up the stage equipment and his horse standing nearby, he didn’t think so. He didn’t know about that.

He slowly pulled his hand down her arm to her wrist and drew her closer to him. She tipped her head to the side studying him in the pale light offered by the moon. He wondered what she saw. Was she as confused about all this as he was? Did she want him—Hudson Scott or would any warm body do?

He let go of her, felt the water bottle in her hand and took that from her. He unscrewed the cap while she watched him and took a long swallow of the water. But it didn’t anything to cool him down. He was on fire and the one thing he wanted was this woman. Emma Jean Wells.

A woman who was still barely more than a stranger but whom he felt could be more. He’d never been good with women. He knew his weakness was falling for those who needed something from him. Needed to be shown their own strength. He’d done it more than once. If he’d ever talked to anyone but his horse, Duke, he guessed someone would say—hell, he had no idea what they’d say.

He handed her back the water and she took it. Wrapping one arm around her waist she tipped her head to the side and studied him. He thought he’d done the right thing but there was something in her eyes that warned him he might have just screwed up.

“Water? That’s all you want from me?” she asked.

He wanted so much more. “Tonight. I don’t think you want more from me. I think any guy who can distract you from whatever is going through your head would be a welcome. And I need you to want me not just any guy.”

She bit her lower lip and started to turn away. She glanced back at him over her shoulder. “You’re right. I’m not sure how you figured it out before I did, but that is exactly what I’m looking for. Some kind of fight or anything to force me out of my head.”

He nodded.

“But that doesn’t for a minute mean that I didn’t know I was talking to you. You’re the only man I have on my mind tonight, Hudson.”

S
he had been
hoping that maybe she’d be able to find herself tonight. It was funny to her because for years she’d hidden that part of her soul away and forgotten about the pain and the love. But tonight she wanted more. She had wanted to forget again.

She’d wanted to feel young and in love. Not like this messed-up-inside woman that she was. But she’d played a game. She’d been afraid to ask for what she wanted and it had backfired on her. Hudson couldn’t be blamed for pushing back at her.

If she’d been honest and said she needed some company tonight maybe that would have been better. She walked away from him and the horse, wondering why she hadn’t just been honest.

Was this her dad’s legacy to her?

Fear and doubt.

“Wait up.”

She paused as Hudson caught up with her and then fell into step beside him. He was a big guy but it was more his inner presence that reassured her. There was something inside of him that made her feel safe. And that was silly because she hadn’t been in danger ever.

“Sorry about that. I just wanted to see you. The last few days have been busy and I didn’t mean—”

“I’m sorry. Listen. I can be a dumb redneck when it comes to women. There have been times when I let myself get in over my head and then regretted it. I’m not saying that could happen with you but I just…I like you, Emma. I like how feisty you are when it comes to protecting Alan. Your grit when you dig in and push through your own fears to make sure you don’t disappoint him.

“But I need to be sure that I’m not pretending this is anything but what you said. A summer affair.”

She got it. She was going back to her life when the tour ended and that meant teaching school in Georgia and visiting Gramps on the holidays. She didn’t see a place in that life for a Montana man determined to get back home?

“Fair enough.”

He grabbed her hand and twined his fingers with hers. She looked down and then up at him. She wasn’t sure what he wanted or needed from her now. “Tell me about performing tonight.”

She took a deep breath and the word friend echoed through her brain. She started talking about the songs and how once the spotlight was on Gramps it had become like second nature to just sing. She talked about the show but all of her focus was their joined hands. And how she wished she’d been a little more direct when she’d seen him and his horse.

She wished she were the brave woman that Gramps saw her as. But she never had been. Why couldn’t she be?

Tonight with the breeze blowing softly around them she felt like she could be someone else. Someone who didn’t have her history and her chains to weigh them down. Wasn’t that what everyone was looking for? Even Hudson.

“How’d you like riding on stage?” she asked. She had stepped outside to get out of her own head.

“It was okay. I’m not going to get addicted to doing that,” he said with a grin. As he smiled over at her she noticed one of his front teeth was just a little crooked. A tiny little imperfection in a man who seemed to have no flaws.

“What do you see yourself doing?” she asked. “You’re heading home to do what?”

He shrugged those big shoulders and dropped her hand. He kept walking next to her but she sensed he’d gone someplace far away in his head. “I’m not entirely sure.”

“I highly doubt that. You told me you’d been rambling, but had decided to go home there has to be a reason.”

They’d gotten to the end of the parking lot and there was a path but it led away from the buses. She wasn’t sure how much farther they should go.

“Truth?”

“Of course.”

“I’m going home to ranch and make peace with my Pops. To cowboy and live off the land like dad and my brothers do. I’m going home now because my next younger brother—there’s five of us, Lane, is there. He got injured in the Middle East and for a few long hours I’d thought he’d died. I prayed a lot. And he came home, bruised, battered and a little worse for the wear but he’s home and I think it’s time I was too.”

She looked over at him and her understanding of him grew a little bit more. He wouldn’t go home for himself but for his brother he would. The Hudson she was coming to know was a man who would do anything for a friend. “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

She was thinking of how they’d been brought together on this trip. That she was on a journey of endings and he was on a journey to a beginning. A return to the life he could have had if he’d been a different man. It was interesting.

“He sure does. Like why’d he send a feisty little redheaded gal to me when I don’t need the distraction,” Hudson said.

“I distract you? Or my water distracts you?”

He threw his head back and laughed and she felt something strong and hot pierce through her body. She stood there for a minute and then starting laughing herself.

“Come here,” he said.

Since she was done playing games she stepped closer. He pulled her into his arms and lowered his head to kiss her. There was passion there. Arching between the two of them and setting fire to her senses. But there was also, she though, the first tenuous bond of friendship. And that warmed her all the way to her broken soul.

*

“Hudson, are you
down here?” one of the roadies called.

He pulled back from Emma, cursing inwardly as he walked over toward the man, Jason, who was looking for him. Emma followed a few steps behind him.