One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas #3)(39)

“Can I have a rain check? I don’t expect that the Red River would be a good place to partake in such an adventure, but I know where there is a wonderful waterfall less than two hours north of us that would be perfect for a midnight swim in the nude,” she said.

“Really?” He sounded surprised.

“Eve came out to play. We could ride up there late one evening on the cycle, spend some time at the falls, and be back by morning. Or if it’s a Saturday night, we could rent a cabin close by.”

“It could be your divorce celebration,” he said. “Are you smiling? I could swear I heard a smile.”

“How can you tell when I’m smiling?” she asked.

“When you’re happy, your voice has a lilt to it. Remember, I told you that the first time we talked on the phone? When you’re sad, it’s deeper and you talk slower.”

“You figured all that out in such a short time?”

“Darlin’, I figured all that out in the first few minutes.”

A smile spread across her face. “Next you’ll be tellin’ me you can read my mind.”

“I’m not that good yet.” His laughter had a twang to it that sent shivers down her backbone. “Leah, all kiddin’ aside, I can’t make decisions for you, but I can listen anytime you want to talk.”

“That means a lot,” she said.

A man who listened? Had she found the eighth wonder of the world?

“Got to get back inside or Sawyer will send Jill outside to get me. I’m not afraid of Sawyer, but Jill is a different matter. She might stop making cakes and pies.” He laughed. “Good night, love. Sleep tight and call me tomorrow. We’ve got church tomorrow, but I’ll be doing chores before that, and afterwards, Dammit and I are going to the river to see if the fish are biting. Think about me if you don’t call.”

“I will. Good night, Rhett.”

He’d called her love. Yes, he’d definitely called her love—not darlin’, not sweetheart, not even honey, but love. A man who listened and wasn’t afraid to let that word slip out of his mouth was truly a treasure. She flipped through the dozens of pictures she’d snapped of him in secret. She imagined the two of them standing behind a waterfall, tangled up in each other’s arms with the water flowing down over their naked bodies. A slow heat started in the pit of her gut and traveled with the speed of light through her body.

She wanted Rhett O’Donnell to make love to her. Slow, sweet love. Wild, passionate love. It didn’t matter as long as she was in his arms.

To have that, she’d have to give up River Bend. To talk to her mother, she had to give up River Bend. She sighed as she shut her laptop and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger to ward off the threatening headache.

She’d barely shut her eyes when someone knocked on the door. Supposing that either Honey or Kinsey had forgotten their key or they were too drunk to figure out which way to slide the key down the slot, she slung it open without even looking through the peephole.

“Are you Leah Brennan?” a man, holding a long, skinny box tied with a bright red ribbon, asked.

“I am,” she said.

“This came to the front desk for you. We don’t give out room numbers, so I told the fellow I would bring them up.” He handed them off to her. “You have a nice evening.”

She closed the door, set the box on the coffee table, and opened the card to find nothing but a phone number. Icy chills chased down her spine when she realized that it wasn’t Rhett’s phone number.

“Stop letting Tanner get under your skin. This is probably the number to the bar,” she said aloud. “But if it’s Tanner and I call with my cell phone, he’ll have my number.”

She finally decided to call on the room phone. It rang several times before a man answered. “Hello, Leah. So you got the roses. They are to let you know I’m serious about seeing you.”

“Where are you?” she asked bluntly.

“I’m in Burnt Boot, but I can be in New York by dawn. Just say the word,” Tanner said.

“This is beginning to feel like stalking,” she said.

“Darlin’, there’s no such thing when two people have been in love as long as we have,” he told her.

When Rhett said “love,” she wanted to run into his arms. When Tanner said the same word, she wanted to run away from him. Yes, sir, there was definitely one cowboy too many in her life right then, and she had no idea what to do about it.

“Are you there?” Tanner asked.

“I am, but please, Tanner, let this go. I should have never told you that I had a crush on you when we were teenagers.”

“But you did, and now I’m ready to tell the whole world about it,” he said. “I miss seeing you at the bar. I can’t wait for you to come home. Just call, and I’ll be there in person as soon as I can get a flight out of Dallas.”

She was sitting on the sofa with a beer in her hands when Honey and Kinsey came in together. The roses were on the table, still in the box, and Kinsey homed in on them like a hound dog after a coyote.

“From Rhett? I swear, girl, you are going to be in big trouble,” she said.

“From Tanner Gallagher,” Leah said. “And what are y’all doin’ home this early?”