Cowgirl Up and Ride (Rough Riders #3)(96)

“I appreciate that. And I know that Macie and Carter are looking forward to being around here more often. Exciting news about the baby, huh?”


“Very. Can you believe I’m gonna be a grandma again? Times three? I love my little Ky, but I’m beside myself about Channing and now Macie. Lord. Doesn’t seem that long ago I was sittin’ in a chair like that one, about to pledge my life to a wild McKay.” A wistful look crossed her face.


“Lots of people told me not to bother trying to love a man like Carson McKay. I knew he was gruff from the get-go. He holds a grudge. He’s set in his ways. Carson is a cowboy rancher to his very core. Not big on public displays of affection. But I never listened to what any of them said. In my heart I knew what kind of man he was and still is. It isn’t the public displays that matter. The important affection in a relationship is given in private anyway.”


Was that a hint that Carolyn knew the type of affection her son Cord was giving her in private?


“Good Lord that’s not very private, is it?”


AJ’s head swiveled to see what Carolyn was gawking at. Oh man. The stripper spread his legs wide and was doing the bump and grind—in Liza’s face. His butt was completely exposed and seemed to be covered in a sheen of oil. To discourage women from grabbing onto him?


“Hang in there, sweetie, it’s worth it in the long run,” Carolyn said, the penises on her head bobbed merrily as she returned to her seat up near the action.


Was that a warning her son was a chip off the old block? Or an encouragement AJ


should follow her instincts as far as Cord was concerned?


Problem was, AJ didn’t trust her instincts anymore. She’d started the quest to win Cord’s love weeks ago. Now she wasn’t sure what she’d do with it if she ever got it.


Not that Cord gave off any signals he was falling in love with her. In lust?


Definitely. They’d curl up to watch a movie or eat a meal together and rush to get naked together. Not that she was complaining—hello, world’s hottest cowboy rancher had it bad for her—where was the downside in as much nasty, raunchy sex as she could take?


Near, as she could figure, no downside. Except she still loved him. Not with the hero worship of a five-year-old girl, but with the eyes of a woman who knew a good man.


With the eyes of a woman who knew she’d need years to capture the heart of Cord McKay…and she had two weeks.


Tonight was the third night in a row she hadn’t been with him. Not to be churlish or to punish him. She spent her day fulfilling the needs of one person, only to race over to Cord’s place to fulfill his needs. What about her needs? The ones that didn’t have a blasted thing to do with family love or sexual gratification?


To cement the idea her personal needs and goals mattered, she’d driven by the Sandstone building in Sundance a couple of times. It was the perfect size for a start-up massage studio. Too bad she didn’t have the capital to remodel—not even after the sale of seven horses. With her young age and no land ties to the community, she’d have a devil of a time convincing the local banker to give her a loan.


Now that she thought about it, she and Keely hadn’t gone beyond the “wouldn’t it be great to run a massage parlor in Sundance” pipe dream. No planning. Which allowed her to figure out a plan to make her dream happen on her own.


She needed a patron. Maybe the economic development department for the state of Wyoming had business incentives to keep natives in the area. It’d be worth looking into.