Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(65)

“For what?” she panted.

“That didn’t last nearly long enough.”

“If it had lasted one more second there wouldn’t be anything left of this trailer but ashes and dead bodies.” She inched over close enough to cup his face in her hands and kiss him hard and lingering on the lips. “Besides who says it’s the only time we’ll play tonight. But before round two I will need food.”

“And beer.” He grinned.





Chapter Seventeen



Lizzy opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see the sun coming up through her bedroom window. Sunday meant no alarm clock and she got to sleep in until at least eight o’clock. But that morning, not a foot in front of her, were two big round eyes peeking up over the edge of the bed.

Where was she? How did a dog get in her bedroom?

Then reality washed away the questions. She was in bed with Toby in his trailer, and Blue had every right to be there. It was his home, not hers. Holy blazes! She had never spent the night with a man in her life. There had been the night in the back of Toby’s pickup, but that didn’t count. It wasn’t want-to but necessity, and no sex had been involved.

“Good mornin’, beautiful,” Toby said.

She turned away from Blue’s eyes and perky ears to find Toby propped on an elbow. His blue eyes fluttered shut and he brushed a soft kiss across her lips.

“I fell asleep,” she mumbled.

“I like waking up next to you. Has anyone ever told you that you are downright cute with droopy bedroom eyes and your hair all messy?” He pushed a few strands back away from her face and planted another kiss on her nose.

“I’m not sure I like waking up to Blue’s eyes staring at me. Gave me a bit of a startle,” she said.

“Where?” He peered over her body and chuckled. “I thought I had his door locked. Guess I didn’t. Good morning, Blue. Do you think she’s as beautiful as I do?”

“He says the tall blondes that he wakes up with those big eyes are more to his liking,” Lizzy teased.

Toby’s body went stiff and he swung his legs off the bed, sat up, and reached for his jeans. “For your information, there’s never been a woman in this bed with me.”

The tone in his voice left no doubt that she’d hit a sore spot. “It’s too early for someone to have pissed in your coffee this morning, so what’s the matter? Regretting that you didn’t wake me up and send me home last night?”

He jerked his jeans up over a fine, firm-looking butt. “No, it’s not that. I want a fresh start at something new and real with you, Lizzy. I don’t want to talk about the past.”

“The past is part of who we both are, Toby.” She pulled the sheet up over her naked breasts when she sat up. “You can’t erase all those women any more than I can hit a button and delete Mitch.”

“But we don’t have to talk about either of them, do we?” He pulled a T-shirt over his head. “I’ve got chores to do. Will you be here when I get back?”

“Do you want me to be here?” she asked. “Before you answer that, you should know something about me. I let Mitch lead me about with an imaginary chain around my neck for more than a year. He told me how to dress, what to eat, and how to spend my time. I won’t do that again, Toby. I will speak my mind and be myself. I expect you to be the same. This is new territory for us both, but we won’t conquer it by walking on eggshells.”

He shut the door to the tiny bathroom without saying a word. She heard water running and the toilet flushing as she found her scattered clothing and dressed. She was facing the bed, back to the bathroom, when he stepped out and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I’m glad you are here, Lizzy, and you are right. I’ve been in there fighting with myself. Can we start the morning all over again?”

She whipped around and smiled up at him. “Good morning, you sexy cowboy. I think Blue is hungry. He’s sitting in front of the kitchen sink staring at it, waiting for you to open up a can of food for him.”

Looking at her in the mirror above the built-in dresser, he smiled back. “He can wait a few minutes while I hug my lovely girlfriend. Last night was amazing. I never realized that there’s more to sex than sex until you came along.”

“I never realized that there was a difference in sex and making love.” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “If you’ll get the morning chores done, I’ll walk across the pasture to my house. Come on over there when you are finished and we can have breakfast together before church.”

“Church?” He frowned.

“Yes, darlin’.” She kissed him on the chin. “We need to go pray for a crop failure.”

The frown deepened.

“We’ve sown our wild oats on Saturday night.” She wiggled out of his embrace. “And now it’s time to do some praying that the seed didn’t take.”

“I thought you were on birth control,” he said.

Lizzy stomped her feet down in her boots and headed for the door. “God works in mysterious ways, and I’m not taking any chances. I’ll see you by nine, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll bring a healthy appetite and have my boots shined up and ready to sit on our regular pew in church. Wouldn’t want our crops to take root.”