Samantha’s Cowboy (7 page)

“The man’s dumber ’n a doorknob,” the old woman said as soon as Sam sat on a patch of dirt next to the rocking chair. “Told ’im to let the others dig the well, but he—”

“Said he didn’t need help,” Sam finished.

Millicent spit a stream of tobacco juice at the dirt. “Stubborn as a mule.”

Wade wasn’t the only obstinate person in the bunch. When Sam had visited the Peterson homestead with her Realtor they’d both been surprised to discover Millicent living in a cabin on the property. The Realtor had suggested Sam contact the sheriff’s department and have Millicent forcibly removed, but Sam hadn’t had the heart. If she intended to provide a sanctuary for unwanted horses she couldn’t turn her back on a lonely old woman with nowhere to go.

Sam had returned to the property a few days later without the Realtor and visited with Millicent. The old woman had explained that the Dust Bowl years and the Depression had forced the Petersons to sell off large parcels of land and turn the farm into a small cattle ranch. Millicent’s father had helped with the herd while her mother had done the laundry, cooking and cleaning.

When Millicent turned seventeen she’d met an army soldier at a local dance and, shortly after, they’d married and moved in with his family in Arkansas. World War II broke out and Millicent’s husband had been shipped overseas. Millicent gave birth to a baby boy a week
before she’d received the news that her young husband had died in action. So she’d gathered her belongings and the baby and had returned to the Petersons.

Millicent never remarried. She’d spent her days taking care of her aging parents and helping Mrs. Peterson with household chores. Time passed and Millicent’s son had dropped out of school and left for California. He’d returned twice through the years to visit his mother, but Millicent confessed she hadn’t heard from him in two decades. Odds were her son wasn’t alive anymore. Eventually Millicent’s parents and the Petersons had passed away, leaving Millicent alone on the property.

When Sam had assured Millicent she’d always have a home on the ranch, the old woman had teared up and offered to clean and cook for Sam once she built a new house on the property. Sam understood the need to feel useful only too well, so she’d agreed to Millicent’s offer.

“He ain’t half-bad ta look at,” the old woman said.

“No, he’s not.” Wade was definitely an attractive man—in a studious kind of way. She switched her attention to the cowboys heckling each other as they wrestled with the fence posts. Rodeo cowboys were full of muscle, bravado, bragging and mischief. They lived and breathed danger. Risked their lives on the backs of rank broncs or raging bulls. For years Sam had believed a rodeo cowboy was exactly the kind of man she wanted. Admired. Desired.

But she no longer envisioned herself spending the rest of her life with a rough-’n-ready cowboy. She needed a man who calmed and soothed her anxious spirit. A patient man who didn’t mind repeating things.
A man who tolerated her memory lapses. A man who loved her despite her shortcomings.

And a man who didn’t have or want children.

Wade emerged from the hole with another bucket of dirt. Her heart sighed. He was the furthest thing from a real cowboy she’d ever met, yet he risked making a fool of himself to save a wealthy woman money. If only he wasn’t a father already, Sam would be tempted to test the relationship waters again with Wade.

Uh, oh.

Connor stopped at the well and spoke to Wade.

Sam was too far away to catch the discussion, but Wade’s frown told her he took exception to whatever the cowboy had said. Right then a group of wranglers joined Connor, brushing Wade aside. In a frenzy of activity, the men constructed a pulley system to lower and raise the bucket of dirt. Wade was pushed farther and farther from the group as the cowboys shouted bets on who could dig faster.

Sam got to her feet, intending to intervene when Wade whipped off his shirt and shoved his way back into the fray. The look of determination on his face snatched Sam’s breath. Even the cowboys understood Wade wouldn’t be deterred from helping. Pride swelled in her chest. Her financial adviser didn’t need anyone to fight his battles for him.

“Suppose we gotta fix some vittles fer the men,” Millicent said.

“Don’t bother. They’re all heading to the Lazy River for a barbecue. Juanita’s been cooking since yesterday. Care to join us?” Millicent hadn’t socialized with people in years and Sam doubted she’d begin today.

“Well, now that would be nice but I gotta mess of things needin’ my attention. Best I get to ’em.” Millicent pushed herself out of the chair and wobbled toward her cabin.

Time passed slowly as Sam watched Wade—more specifically his chest. For a guy who wore a suit to work he had nicely defined pecs and biceps. Not the bulging muscles the cowboys flaunted but the lean, hard muscles of a swimmer or a runner. Sam studied the intriguing patch of dark hair in the middle of his chest, before following the line of fuzz down his stomach, where it disappeared beneath the waistband of his Wranglers. When her eyes reversed direction, she discovered Wade staring at her.

Their gazes clashed and Wade’s brown eyes smoldered with invitation.

Oh, boy. She was in trouble.

Big trouble.

A caravan of pickup trucks departed from the ranch, leaving a cloud of dust hanging in the air. Sam peeked at Wade and the intensity of his brown-eyed stare sent a jolt through her. Suddenly she didn’t want to say goodbye. “You’re coming to the Lazy River for barbecue, aren’t you?”

“I’ve got Luke this weekend.”

At the risk of sounding eager for his attention, she suggested, “Could Luke’s mom drop him off later in the evening?”

Wade’s gaze slipped to her mouth. “Maybe.”

Maybe what? Maybe he’d come to the barbecue? Or maybe he’d kiss her? Feeling short of breath she said, “I’ll wait in my truck.” As soon as she got inside the cab she watched Wade in the rearview mirror, wondering how friendly he and his ex-wife were.

Questions like…Whose idea had the divorce been—the ex’s or Wade’s? Did Wade still love the woman? Had infidelity played a role in their breakup? Wade didn’t act like the cheating kind. Then again, where men were concerned, Sam’s judgment had failed her before.

Sam had believed Bo would forgive her for accidentally putting his daughter in danger. Never in Sam’s wildest dreams had she expected he’d quit their relationship out of fear for Emily’s safety.

Wade’s expression remained neutral while talking on the phone, then he turned away and Sam worried the conversation had taken a nosedive. She prepared herself for disappointment as he drew near and leaned his head inside the truck window. “Carmen agreed to bring Luke by my place tomorrow morning.”

The scent of his faded cologne filled the cab and for a split second Sam lost her train of thought. “Great.” His mouth was so close if she leaned a little to the left…Wade stepped back and cleared his throat.
Oh, God.
Had she almost kissed him? What was she thinking? “Follow me.” She raised the window and flipped the air conditioner to high while Wade got into his car.

Okay, she was attracted to Wade and she wanted to kiss him. There. She admitted it. Now what?

Nothing.
She shifted into Drive and headed to the county road, Wade’s Beamer eating her dust. There could be no future for her and Wade because of Luke, and a sixth sense insisted Wade didn’t do flings. Shoot, she didn’t do flings.

Once the truck tires hit pavement Sam increased her speed. She glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed the Beamer growing smaller. She checked the speedometer, then yanked her foot from the gas pedal. Eighty was a bit too fast even for a rural road.

There was nothing left for her and Wade but friendship, which stunk. The more she saw of Wade Dawson the more of him she wanted. He was different from the
men in her past—less intimidating. His quiet stares and calm demeanor tempted her to believe she could trust him not to use her weaknesses against her. And she admitted that she was developing a soft spot for those goofy glasses he wore. Not to mention she found Wade flat-out sexy.

Sam’s pulse jumped as her mind conjured up an image of Wade’s toned chest. Unlike the other cowboys who tripped over their muscles, Wade’s body moved in a smooth, stealthy manner and she suspected his talent in bed was skillful and practiced.

Four years after her accident Sam had succumbed to the flowery speech of a cowboy and had ended up sharing his saddle blanket—big mistake. Her memory had failed her the following morning when she’d awoken in a panic next to the naked man. Not until Bo had come along a few years later had Sam been ready to test the waters again. This time she’d been honest with Bo from the onset and had explained her accident and its lingering effects on her memory.

Bo had been supportive and understanding and hadn’t pressured her into a physical relationship. Eventually their friendship advanced to the bedroom, but sex had been awkward. Bo had acted tense and uncertain—as if he’d expected Sam to suffer a nervous breakdown in his arms. Before they’d had a chance to work out the kinks in their lovemaking, she’d botched things with Emily and Bo had ended the relationship.

Making love with Wade would be different. Better.

Whoa! Aren’t you jumping the gun? He hasn’t even kissed you.

Sam responded to Wade in a way she hadn’t with
other men. He tempted her to let down her guard—maybe because she’d witnessed a vulnerability in him that matched her own. Regardless of why she was drawn to him she believed their lovemaking would be an experience she’d remember forever.

Forever? You can’t recall one day from the next.

Today she’d noticed that she hadn’t worried over her forgetfulness. Hadn’t feared repeating herself or asking the same question more than once. Miraculously she hadn’t felt the need to hide her shortcomings. The thought was both joyous and sad. Why did the one man she could see herself taking a chance on have to be a father?

She hated admitting she was jealous of her brothers, Duke and Matt. Both had found their own happy-ever-after with the woman of their dreams. And both were fathers. Sam wanted at least half that dream—a man of her own to love and grow old with. She ached to be a mother, to experience the special bond between mother and child but the risks were too great. She’d have to settle for enjoying the time she had with Wade.

Forty minutes had passed when Sam parked in front of the main house on the Lazy River Ranch. Wade pulled alongside her truck. Neither spoke as they climbed the porch steps at the side of the house.

“I’d like to wash up,” he said when they stepped into the kitchen.

“Sure.” The raucous laughter of cowboys splashing in the pool filtered through the screen door that led outside to the patio.

“Juanita,” Sam said when the housekeeper entered the room. “Meet Wade Dawson. He’s helping me with
the Peterson homestead.” She’d sworn Juanita to secrecy about the horse sanctuary. If she didn’t confess her whereabouts every day the housekeeper would send the state patrol searching for Sam.

“Pleasure meeting you, Juanita. I hear your barbecue is famous.”

“There’s plenty,
señor.
”

“Bathroom’s down the hallway on the right.” Sam pointed to the doorway.

As soon as Wade disappeared, Juanita elbowed Sam in the side. “He’s handsome, no?”

“He’s also nice.” Sam washed up at the kitchen sink. “I like him a lot.”

“Be yourself,
mi pequeña querida.
” Juanita wrapped an arm around Sam’s waist.

Wade returned to the kitchen—hair slicked back with water, the wet strands transforming the geek into a bad boy. “The house looks the same as I remembered,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Had Wade visited the ranch before? Oh, God, Sam couldn’t remember. Her breath burning in her lungs, she glanced at Juanita. Where was all her newfound confidence now?

“Ah, I remember you,
señor.
” Juanita clasped Sam’s hand. “You were the young man who fell from the tree and broke your arm years ago.”

The air in Sam’s lungs escaped in a loud whoosh. Wade had mentioned the tree-climbing incident when they’d first met at Dawson Investments and again at the Peterson property. Why did she keep forgetting?

“I’m afraid I didn’t make much of an impression on Samantha.” Wade grinned. “She doesn’t recall that day.”

Juanita waved her hand. “Sam cares only about horses. Horses this, horses that.”

Grateful for the housekeeper’s support, Sam joked, “Horses are smarter than men.”

Wade chuckled, his eyes shifting nervously about the room. That he was uneasy calmed Sam’s nerves. “I’m starving. Let’s sample the barbecue.” She led the way to the outdoor patio. The cowboys shouted greetings and a few called Wade by name. Pleased that her brother’s friends had made Wade feel welcome, she said, “Drinks are this way.” They stopped in front of a wheelbarrow filled with ice and cold beverages. Sam chose a diet soda and Wade selected a beer.

“For a greenhorn you did a good job today.” Connor helped himself to a beer. The cowboy was one of a handful of Matt’s friends who knew how severe Sam’s head injury had been. She appreciated his big-brother concern but suspected he’d hover over her until he was convinced Wade meant no harm.

“If you’ll excuse me for a minute.” Sam walked off to thank the others for their help, leaving Wade at the mercy of Connor. If the cowboy’s interrogation didn’t send him running, then that would add more proof that Wade was as special as she believed.

Wade resisted the urge to call Samantha back to his side as he faced off with the cowboy.

“Sam’s never mentioned you before.” Connor rubbed the perspiring longneck against his forehead.

“She’s never mentioned you, either.” Why the hell had Wade gone and said that? He acted as if he was staking a claim on Samantha.
Aren’t you?

“Are you and Samantha a couple?”

Yes.
“No.”
Maybe.
Wade guzzled his beer. The alcohol fed his courage. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Are you and Samantha…”

Connor’s laughter drew stares, including Samantha’s from the other side of the pool. “Hardly. I’m her adopted big brother.”

A sudden spell of light-headedness hit Wade and he blamed the feeling on the beer and not the relief he felt at the cowboy’s declaration.

“Matt and I traveled the circuit together,” Connor continued. “Matt was considered one of the top ten tie-down ropers the past few years. I bust broncs.”

“Matt’s the brother who recently married?”

“Yep. Went and tied the matrimonial noose around his neck.”

Wade grinned. “You’ve never been married.”

“Nope. And I’m not looking to walk down the aisle anytime soon.”

“I’m divorced,” Wade said. “I have an eight-year-old son.”

“Can’t remember Sam ever dating a married man.”

“I’m not married.” Was the guy hard of hearing? “And Samantha and I aren’t dating. We’re…” he hesitated “…friends.”

“Sam said you were her accountant.”

“Financial adviser.” Accountants were dweebs. Wade wasn’t a dweeb.

“Then you’re aware she’s worth a fortune.”

A fortune Wade had worked tirelessly to expand over the past few years. “Her trust fund is in good hands.” He hoped his expression didn’t expose the lie.

“Glad to hear that.” One of the men in the pool hollered for Connor to join their water basketball game. “If you hurt her—” the cowboy invaded Wade’s space “—I’ll stomp you flatter than a bull’s hoof. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.”

Connor set his beer on a table, whipped off his shirt, then did a canonball into the pool next to Wade, drenching him.

Asshole.
Wade removed his eyeglasses and used the backside of his shirt to dry the lenses.

Ignoring the Neanderthals in the pool, he joined Samantha and an elderly Hispanic man. Her eyes widened at his soaked clothes. He offered his hand to the older gentleman. “I’m Wade Dawson, Samantha’s financial investor.”

“Armando Garcia.”

“Armando is Juanita’s husband. He takes care of the pool and the grounds,” Samantha added.

“I’ve heard your wife’s barbecue pork is the best this side of the Red River.”

Armando grinned.
“Sí, señor.”

“Hungry, Samantha?” Wade wanted to whisk her away from the buffoons at the party.

“Starved.” They headed to the buffet table, where they loaded their plates with meat, beans and potato salad.

“Why don’t we eat on the front porch,” Wade suggested, having remembered seeing a hanging swing when they’d arrived. They strolled to the front of the house, then climbed the porch steps and sat on the swing. After his first bite he moaned. “This is unbelievable.”

“Told you so.” Samantha winked. A cute, sassy blink of the eye that stole Wade’s breath.

He ate another bite of pork and chewed slowly until his heart rate slowed to normal. “How long has Juanita worked for your family?”

“Since my mother ran away.”

“Didn’t your mother die in a car accident a few years ago?” His uncle and aunt had attended the funeral.

“That was Laura. My stepmother. Duke’s mom.”

“I’m sorry.” All this time Wade had believed Matt and Duke were Samantha’s biological brothers.

“My real mother took off when Matt and I were toddlers. I don’t remember her at all.” Samantha stared into space, her food forgotten.

Time to change the subject even if his admission bordered on unprofessional, considering Sam was his client. “You were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.”

Startled, she gaped. At least his declaration had erased the desolate look in her eyes. “The afternoon I visited the ranch with my uncle you wore your hair loose, the strands falling down your back like a silky waterfall…And then you opened your mouth and cursed me.”

Samantha’s face flushed.

“I suppose you don’t remember that, either.” He chuckled. “I should have confessed that I’d never climbed a tree before, but I refused to be shown up by a girl.”

“I won’t believe you if you tell me you didn’t have a tree to play in when you were a kid.” Samantha quirked an eyebrow.

Wade rarely spoke about his childhood—not even Carmen had been interested in Wade’s life before his uncle had taken him in. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m in no hurry.” The honesty in her gaze assured him that she wouldn’t judge his mother harshly.

The Samantha sitting next to him on the swing was such a contrast to the young woman he’d met years ago. The old Samantha wouldn’t have cared about anyone but herself.

“My mother was Uncle Charles’s younger sister and she was a rebel. She fell in love with a guy who rode into town on a Harley. He took off at the end of the summer, leaving my mother behind. When she discovered she was pregnant with me she left town in search of my father.”

“Did she ever find him?”

“Nope. We were on the move, living in motel rooms, apartments and city shelters until I turned five.” He had few memories of those years—probably a good thing. We stopped looking for my father when I entered kindergarten.” The school district had forced Wade’s mother to take him to a medical clinic for vaccinations before allowing him to attend school. His arms had been sore for a week afterward.

“Did your mother ever marry?”

“No.” Wade believed his mother had loved his father even as she took her last breath. “She died of cancer when I was ten.”