Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(87)

“What about Allie? What if she needed help?” Toby asked.

“I’d take care of her, too, but Fiona is down there in south Texas where she has no family so she came to mind,” Lizzy answered.

He heard a tinkling piano playing “Amazing Grace” and cocked his head to one side. Even if they were playing that at the church, there was no way the sound could carry a whole mile. Lizzy looked up at him quizzically, her head cocked to one side and her eyebrows drawn together.

“It’s no one on my list.” He shrugged and shook his head.

“Dammit! I’d forgotten. That is the ring tone for Mitch.” It had stopped by the time she fished the thing out of her purse but the phone buzzed in her hand.

“Text message?” Toby asked.

“He wants to know what I said to Myra. I don’t have to answer it.” She turned the phone off, deleted his number, and blocked any texts from him. “His drama is not part of my world. Neither is Myra’s from this point on. Or those hussy twins we met in Granny’s new place or the waitress who fawned over you. We are in a bubble where only you and I are allowed. No past can come inside with us.”

“Well, I damn sure like that idea.” Toby chuckled. “Now tell me who bought Deke’s ranch.”

“That’s tomorrow’s business. No future can come inside our bubble, either.”

“I can live with that.”

“Do you think someone from the gossip squad is watching or are they all at the festival gathering even juicier rumors to spread?” She giggled.

“Who cares? Have I told you that I like you all wet and naked?” He grinned.

“I like naked cowboys.” Lizzy nipped at his earlobe.

“Your mouth anywhere on my body drives me crazy,” Toby gasped.

“Then prepare for an afternoon of pure insanity.” Lizzy laughed.

“Confession, Lizzy. I saw you talking to Mitch and I was scared out of my wits that you were going to give him a second chance.” Toby picked her up and set her in his lap.

“Every time that phone of yours buzzes and it’s a text from one of your past women, I get that same feeling,” she said.

“I’ll get a new number next week.”

“Not necessary, Toby. I trust you.”

“And I love you, Lizzy Logan,” Toby said as his lips found hers in a long, hard kiss.



Dusk was settling over the countryside around Dry Creek when the fireworks display started. With the red blanket from his truck wrapped around their naked bodies, they watched the brilliant colors lighting up the sky a mile away. He was not sure when he would ask her, but he made up his mind when a bright array of bright red sparkled in the sky that he was going to marry Lizzy Logan. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, produce that yard full of kids that she’d talked about, and when they were old and gray, he wanted to look back on their lives with lots of stories and no regrets.





Chapter Twenty-Five



It was time.

Plain and simple. No skirting the issue any longer. No teasing or squirming her way out of the truth. Lizzy’s hands grew clammy and her heart slipped in an extra beat. A hot summer breeze ruffled the willow tree’s green leaves, but that wasn’t what caused her hands to sweat.

Ahead of her, Dry Creek still had water running in it on Sunday afternoon, the second day of July, which was a miracle. To her right was Deke’s old house, cleaned out and empty, waiting for her to move into it, which was another miracle. Pretty red roses tangled themselves in the barbed wire fence to her left and the whole pasture was filled with white daisies and purple wild flowers, making a third miracle because usually the blooms had dried up because of the summer heat by now.

That was three. Could she hope for a fourth? Hope that Toby would understand why she bought the ranch, that he wouldn’t have his pride all shattered because she now owned the land he so desperately coveted.

“Don’t go away,” he drawled beside her.

Instantly he was on his feet and in a few long strides he reached the fence. She rolled onto one side on their red blanket and watched him choose several of the prettiest blooms. When he returned he kneeled before her and laced them into her hair, creating a halo.

Sitting with their knees together, he took her hands in his. Now was the time to tell him, but the moment was so special and so electrified with sparks dancing around them even brighter than the ones from the night in this very same spot that she could not spoil it with words.

“I’m scared to death to say these words, Lizzy Logan.” He paused.

Dear lord, was he going to break up with her? Had he found out about the ranch and thought she was being underhanded? Or maybe since the festival was over, he’d figured out that he really wanted to be free to chase the bar bimbos like those twins who’d showed up at Granny’s residence.

He inhaled deeply and cupped her chin in his hand.

He was going to kiss her good-bye. Lizzy’s heart cracked and tears formed on the back side of her eyes. She wouldn’t let him see her weep and she wouldn’t try to hold him if he wanted to go.

“I was afraid to start a real relationship, but I’ve fallen in love with you, Lizzy. I cannot imagine life without you and…” Another pause.

“Me, too,” she mumbled.