A Cowgirl's Secret(55)

“Oooh.” His grin fluttered her pulse. “Why didn’t you say so?”

“I thought I had.” Unbuttoning her jumpsuit, she wriggled her shoulders free.

“Damn,” he whispered, “you’re stunning.”

“You’re not too bad yourself.” Skimming her hands along his chest and over his shoulders, she explored him anew, as if he were a beloved, tranquil glade where she’d always found the freedom to escape her everyday life.

“You and our son,” Luke said, voice thick with emotion, “mean the world to me.”

“We feel the same about you.”

Taking their time, they made a game of shedding each other’s clothes. Luke’s pants. Daisy’s bra. Layer by layer, they stripped not only the physical items keeping them apart, but any last emotional holds.

As they laughed and caressed and tickled each other onto the soft rug in front of the fire, their kissing lost its playful edge, taking on the urgency of two people who had been apart too long.

When Luke entered her, Daisy sucked in her breath. It had been so long. A moment’s pain eased into budding pleasure until she lost the ability to think. Every nerve in her body became attuned to his. Arching up, she pressed her fingers into his smooth back, willing him deeper.

“I love you,” she said at the crest of her pleasure.

He tensed, driving into her one last shuddering time.

Had he even heard her? Or did he not feel the same? How was she supposed to know?

“Lord, I’ve missed you,” he said, rolling aside only to cradle her close. He skimmed his fingers over her hair, kissed her closed eyelids and the tip of her nose. When she began crying, he kissed away her tears. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Everything! She’d told him she loved him and he hadn’t so much as acknowledged her words. Hardly an expert on relationships, she didn’t know whether to call him on it, or let it be.

“Then why the tears? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Not in the way you think. “No. It was beautiful. But it’s late, and I should probably get back to Kolt.”

“Are you sure?” In the fire’s glow, he searched her expression. No doubt seeking clues as to what had brought on her change in mood. But she wasn’t giving any. When it came to putting her heart on the line, she’d gone as far as she was willing to go. No matter what, she knew she’d always love him, but she deserved for him to love her, too.

Wearing nothing but unfastened jeans, Luke walked her to his Jeep, wincing when the gravel bit his bare feet. “Guess I might’ve wanted to put more clothes, on, huh?”

“At least shoes,” she snapped.

“All right,” he said, pinning her to the vehicle’s grill by bracing his hands on either side of her. “Out with it. What did I do to tick you off?”

“I told you I love you and you ignored me. I have a right to be upset.”

He rocked back to ease his fingers into his hair. “I heard you. I wanted to tell you I love you, but I still—hell, what you put me through isn’t easy to let go. Give me time, all right?” Cradling her tearstained cheek, he said, “I can’t make promises, but for once in a long time, we’re on the right track.”

“Great,” she said with a sniffle. “Just what every girl longs to hear.”

“You’re not a girl,” he reminded, “but a full-grown woman who damn near emotionally killed me. How do I know you won’t do it again?”



“TRICK OR TREAT!” Kolt and Jonah shouted at the door of a white bungalow in one of the town’s oldest neighborhoods.

Daisy stood with Luke at the end of the driveway, shivering despite their many layers of clothing. Forecasters predicted one of the earliest snows they’d seen in years. Teeth chattering, she said, “Welcome to Oklahoma, huh? One month you’re so hot you feel like you’re melting and the next, you think your hair’s frozen.”

If only the night they’d made love had ended differently, tonight could have been romantic and silly and fun. As it was, Daisy was suffering through it merely for the sake of their son.

In a perfect world, she’d have warded off another fit of shivers by slipping her arms around Luke’s waist. Instead, she hugged herself.

By the time they’d followed Kolt and Jonah five more homes down the block, snow was falling. Big, gumball-size flakes that melted on the road, but stuck to lawns, tree limbs and cars.