One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas #3)(14)

One glance in the bathroom mirror said she was every bit as red as she felt. Her lips tingled and her hands trembled. She still couldn’t believe that he’d kissed her or how one simple little kiss could stir such emotion.

“God Almighty, Leah Brennan, it was an impulsive thing out there on the riverbank. It probably didn’t mean a thing to him, and it shouldn’t mean anything to you, and what if someone saw him kissing you?” She fussed at her reflection.

She groaned when she checked the small clock on the bathroom vanity. She had exactly fifteen minutes to take a shower, wash the sweat from her hair, and get to the dining room for supper.

She made it on time, but supper was tense, with her grandmother glaring at her through most of it. Her father had left to go to Dallas for a tractor part of some kind.

Fine excuse, she thought as she chewed food that tasted like sawdust. If she’d thought ahead, she could have told her grandmother that she was going to Kinsey and Quaid’s to play dominoes or watch a movie. But she’d been so bogged down trying to sort out her feelings for Rhett that she’d let the opportunity get past her. Now she was having supper with only her grandmother at the table. Declan had even begged off with some reason or other, leaving her to face the dragon alone.

“I meant what I said,” Mavis finally said.

“I don’t doubt it for a minute, but like I said, I’m old enough to make my own decisions,” Leah said.

Supper seemed like it lasted an hour, when in reality it was barely thirty minutes. When Leah had swallowed her last bite of chocolate cake, she excused herself and went straight to her room. Throwing herself back on her bed, she stared at the ceiling. Things had sure gotten to be a tangled mess in a few short days.

Her phone rang at eight thirty. She figured it was Honey or Kinsey calling to quarrel with her for sitting on the riverbank with Rhett. As fast as rumors traveled, it surprised her that Mavis didn’t mention it at the supper table.

“Hello, and if you called to fuss at me, then you can hang up now.”

“Trust me. I’m not going to fight with you.” Rhett chuckled.

His deep drawl sent a shiver down her spine. “Hello, Rhett.”

“Hi, Leah. Want to go for a midnight ride on my cycle?”

Her breath caught in her chest. “Not tonight. Can I have a rain check?”

“Sure you can. Did you save my phone number?”

She nodded.

“Anytime you want to change your mind and go for a ride, you call me and I’ll come and get you,” he said.

“Where’s Dammit?”

“Right here, but you don’t get to talk to him tonight. This is my time. Where are you right now?”

“In my bedroom.”

“Can you see the moon out the window?”

“Yes, I can.”

“So we’re lookin’ at the moon and stars together?”

“I guess we are,” she said.

“Tell me about your students,” he said.

“They’re fourth graders, which means that all bodily functions are funny to the boys, and the girls are at that age where there’s lots of giggling and whining but not much in between. They aren’t babies anymore, but they aren’t to the puberty stage, so they’re a lot of fun.”

“Kind of like they’re old enough to give up that teddy bear at night but not old enough to want to really put it in the closet?” he drawled.

“Exactly,” she said.

“I like it when you smile.”

“What makes you think I’m smiling?”

“Your voice changes when you smile, and I like that,” he answered.

“Oh really?” she asked.

“And now you’re really smiling big,” he said.

“Is that one of your pickup lines?”

“No, ma’am. Just an observation.”

“Tell me the story about those horns on your motorcycle,” she said.

“That’s a third-date story, but I will tell you about the time I decided to go from Comfort, Texas, up to the Palo Duro Canyon for a long weekend ride.”

She settled back against the pillows on her bed. “I’d love to hear that story.”

“It was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and the weather was supposed to be cold but clear. A blizzard blew in about the time I dropped down into the canyon, and the trip down and out that should have taken two hours took about nine hours, and they were closing the roads behind me when I finally made it into Claude, Texas. There was one motel with one room left, and believe me, darlin’, I didn’t care how many stars it had as long as it had hot water and warm blankets.”

Goose bumps popped up on her arms as she imagined how cold he must have been. “Holy smoke, Rhett! It’s a wonder you didn’t get frostbite. Was that two winters ago? I remember that storm. It was horrible. We got in on the tail end of it.”

“I was pretty damned cold. I shed my clothes at the door, stood under a warm shower until I could feel my hands and feet again, and then dived under the covers on the bed and slept for twelve straight hours. I spent four days in that hotel and would have stayed longer, but Sawyer came to rescue me. We put my cycle in the bed of his truck and he drove me home. I haven’t done a lot of winter travel on the cycle since them.” He laughed.