9781631052323ForeverKindofCowboySullivan (2 page)

“I
think you’d be a bit shocked if I did, so how about this? Will you go out to
dinner and a movie with me on Friday?” he asked,
smirking
a little as he glanced back at Lydia.

Lydia
jammed her hands on her hips as she glared. “You’re a bastard, Jeremiah. No
wonder no woman will have you for long,” she yelled before she stormed
out
 
of
the
diner.

Jeremiah
turned his attention back to Callie. “So what do you say?”

“To?”

“Going
out with me on Friday?”

“You
weren’t serious, were you?”

“Of
course, I am. So what do you say?”

“Uh,
okay.”

“I’ll
pick you up at your dad’s house at six?”

“Sounds
fine to me.”

“Great.”
He tipped his hat and said, “I’d invite you to have lunch with me, but I need
to get on back to the ranch. I’ll see you Friday.” He slipped his aunt a ten
dollar bill for the hassle before he stepped out into the sunshine of the day,
whistling softly as he headed for his truck.

The
drive back to the home place went by rather quickly as he let his thoughts
wander to Callie. He’d wanted to ask her out for some time, but for some reason
he’d never found the opportunity. Well, that wasn’t really true. He stopped
into the gas station at least once a week whether he needed gas or not, just to
see her.

She was
a total enigma to him. Real, not made up to be something she wasn’t. Liked the
same things he liked, fishing, hunting, cars, four-wheeling, and beer, which
made her even more fascinating.

Every
Friday night, she met with a few of her friends at The Dusty Boot, got a little
drunk and then went home. She didn’t go home with anyone from what he’d seen of
her escapades. Maybe she went to San Antonio for her fun.
Hell, maybe she’s a virgin.
The thought brought a frown to his
lips. He didn’t do virgins. Things got messy with a woman who didn’t like sex
the way he did. Not that he was weird about sex. Well, maybe a little. He did
like variety.

The
ranch came into view a few minutes later as he pulled up the gravel drive to
the gate. Once he punched in the numbers, the wrought iron gate slowly opened,
allowing him entrance onto the property.

Longhorn
cattle grazed in the distance to his left when he drove up the long, winding
drive to approach the main lodge. The multi-story building was half stone, half
wood with three big dormer windows in the front looking out over the yard. A
huge porch graced the area with several rockers and benches for guests to sit
and enjoy the sunset if they wish.

Jeremiah
did a double-take as he noticed the old cowboy sitting in one of the rockers
for a second before he disappeared into thin air. The ghosts around the
property gave him the shivers sometimes when they made noise or appeared out of
nowhere, but most of the time he tried to ignore them.

As he
approached the front of the lodge and pushed open the door, he was met by one
of the kitchen workers coming out to ring the lunch bell. The guests on the
ranch were summoned to meals by the ringing of the steel bell hanging on the
hook outside the door.

“Oh
hey, Jeremiah,” Mandy said as she reached up to grab the rope hanging from the
end of the bell.

“Hi,
Mandy.”

Mandy
had been a friend of Paige and Peyton’s who now worked on the ranch serving the
meals three times a day. She also helped Paige with the twins who were born
almost a year ago. Wow, time sure did fly these days. Getting old sucked.

“I
thought you were in town?” She clanged the bell three times.

Several
people came out of their little cabins and headed toward them. Meals were a
very social event at the ranch, one he enjoyed a lot. The different people who
came to stay there always made for interesting conversations. Many times, he
would sit at a table with some of tourists so he could talk with them. He liked
learning about different places. It gave him a mental list of the sights he’d
like to see someday. “I was, but I’m home now.”

“Are
you going to be working this afternoon?”

“Yeah.
I guess. I hadn’t planned on it,
but since my day is messed up, I might as well. Why?”

“Do you
think you could help me? I’ve got some college algebra to do and I just don’t
get it.”

“Sure.
Come by my office between the meals when you have some time and I’ll help you.”

“Thanks.
You’re a doll.”

He
leaned in to hug her quickly before the crowd made it to the steps. “Don’t tell
the ladies. I won’t be able to beat them off with a stick I keep behind the
door.”

“You
are too much.”

He
grinned as he stepped back to allow the guests to enter the lodge for the noon
meal. “When are you going to wrangle one of my brothers into
marryin
’ you?”

She
laughed as she punched him in the arm. “I’m
workin
’
on it.”

He
liked Mandy, not the way one would like a girl they were interested in, but
like a sister. She’d been an instrumental part of Peyton getting away from her
crazy ex and finding her way to being in love with his brother, Jason. He liked
that his brothers were pairing up with some really great gals. Maybe it was
time for him to settle down too after all.

“I need
to get back to work before your mom fires my ass.”

Jeremiah
chuckled. “Like that’s going to happen. You’re good for this place.”

“Well
thank you, kind sir. I love my job and hanging out with you all. It’s like a
home away from home.” She walked with him toward the serving tables. “I’ll talk
to you after the meal is served and we get the dishes done.”

“Okay.
Find me in my office.” The family table had to be divided into two tables with
the addition of all the women in the house.

He
noticed an empty spot on the end where Joshua normally sat. He glanced around
to find his brother sitting with a pretty, blonde woman at one of the other
tables. Maybe the lone, unattached triplet was finding one of his own? He hoped
so.

Jeremiah
took the empty chair, turning it backward and straddling it with his thighs
much to the chagrin of his mother, who frowned from across the table.

“We sit
like adults at this table, Jeremiah.”

He
stood up to turn the chair the right way before he eased his large frame into
the seat. Leave it his mother to make him feel like an eight-year-old again. He
loved her to pieces, but sometimes she drove him nuts.
“Sorry,
Mom.”
His cell phone beeped again. After he removed it from the holster
at his hip, he checked the message to see the final stock report for the day.
He smiled. Things were looking up.

“No
phone at the table, Jeremiah.”

“Yes,
Mom.
Sorry.
I had to check on my stock report.”

“You
know the rules.”

“I’ll
go put it in my office. Be right back.”
Damn
.
Chastised by his mother at the table, but Nina Young ruled the house with an
iron fist and her sons knew it. He should have ignored the urge to immediately
answer the beep. Most of the time he could get away with leaving his phone in
the holster, but checking it at the table was a no-no.

He
opened his office door and flipped on the computer screen for a second as he
laid his phone on the desk. The stock report came up immediately when the
monitor turned on. A grin spread across his face as his portfolio just took a
huge jump with the purchase of the climbing stocks. If he sold in the next
couple of days, he would be able to retire on his gains. He pumped his fist
into the air a couple of times.

“
You coming
back to the table?” Jeff asked as he walked by
the door.

“Yeah.
Be right there.”

“You’re
in a good mood.”

“Yep.
Financial stability will do that
for you.”

“That’s
awesome, Jeremiah. Now if you’d find a good woman to settle down with, you’d be
all set.”

“Don’t
put the cart before the horse there, brother.” He slapped Jeff on the back as
they walked back out toward the dining room together. “We all can’t be as happy
as you are. How’s Terri feeling?”

“A lot
better with this pregnancy than the last, although I wish we hadn’t added to
the family so soon.”

“It’ll
be okay. James is two.”

“I
know. I just hope it’s a girl this time.”

“Having
boy problems?”

“Ben is
getting very mouthy lately. He starts school this fall and I’m afraid the
teachers are going to have lots of problems with his back talking.”

“He’ll
be fine. He’s his daddy’s son.”

“That’s
what I’m afraid of.

Chapter Two

Friday
evening rolled around, bringing with it tension and apprehension for Callie.
Her shoulders bunched with anxiety, her hands were sweating, her heart raced
around her chest like a horse running the Kentucky Derby, and her whole body
shuddered with nerves. What the hell was she thinking agreeing to a date with
Jeremiah?

“Easy,
girl.”
Her
stomach flipped. Yeah, she’d been on dates before, but not with the man she’d
lusted after for several years.
Lusted after.
That was
one way to put it.
She wouldn’t agree with her heart when the stubborn
organ whispered she was in love with him. She couldn’t be. He hardly knew she
existed. Besides, she definitely wasn’t his type. He went out with skinny,
model-thin women, not the rather rounded, plump-figured girls like her. Her
boobs were too small, her waist too thick, her legs too rounded and her butt?
Wow, don’t get her started on her butt. So why did he ask her out? “Just to
piss off Lydia, I’m sure.”

Like
Lydia would care.

Callie
glanced at the clock before looking down at the slinky red number she wore. It
hugged her curves to perfection, showing off her hourglass figure. This would
show off everything she owned. She didn’t even know where they were going or
what they were going to do, but she felt the need to knock his socks off with
her dress. If tart was what he wanted, tart would be what he got. She smoothed
her hands over the skirt, looking down at the red high heels on her feet. Her
toes looked hideous peeking out of the ends of the shoes, but at least she’d
done the girlie thing painting them a bright red to go with her dress. Maybe
she should have had a pedicure done. She snorted as she covered her mouth with
her hand. Yeah, right. She
had
put on
a little makeup and curled her hair. The main attraction was the dress though.
She planned to knock him dead with this outfit.

The
doorbell rang precisely on time for Jeremiah’s arrival.

“I’ll get
it,” her father called from the living room.
“Hi, Jeremiah.
How are you tonight?”

Voices
carried through her partially closed bedroom door. She was ready, but she felt
the need to gather her courage a bit before she went into the front room. Not
having a mother past her third birthday didn’t bode well for being all that
feminine, but her aunt had tried raising her up right with all the girly
things. Callie didn’t care much for it growing up though. She liked working
with her dad, going fishing, going hunting, riding dirt bikes, and four-wheelers.
All the things girls weren’t supposed to enjoy. Tonight she would be the woman
Jeremiah went tongue-tied over.

“She’ll
be out in a minute, son. Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

The
rumble of Jeremiah’s voice sent shivers racing across her arms.
“No, sir.
I’m fine. Thank you.”

“How
are things at your parent’s place?”

“Keeping
us hopping, although the season is coming to an end.”

“True,
true.
How is
the cattle business treating you all?”

“We
manage to stay afloat. The guest ranch keeps things moving. We are booked solid
through most of the winter even though the weather doesn’t give them much to do
on a ranch. They still come for the good old-fashioned hospitality,
home-cooking, and southern charm.”

“I hear
you are making yourself a name on the stock market with your trading.”

“That
right?”

“Yep.”

“Do you
trade?”

“I dabble.
Nothing like you, I’m afraid.”

“It’s
all in the numbers.”

“I’m
sure. You’ll have to let me in on a few you’ve got going. I’d love to be able
to make sure Callie doesn’t have to work at the station for the rest of her
life to have a home.”

“Sure,
Mr. Lewis.
We can talk more about it tomorrow if you’d like to meet me for lunch?”

“Certainly,
Jeremiah.
Thanks.”

Callie took
it as her cue to come out of her room even though she really didn’t want to.
She was afraid to meet Jeremiah’s gaze as she rounded the end of the couch and
came into his view, but she shouldn’t have been. The appreciation shining in
his gaze, as he got to his feet, warmed her soul.

His jaw
dropped as she wobbled slightly on the four-inch heels. “Well?”

“Wow.
You look fabulous.”

“Thanks.”
She smoothed the tight skirt a little around her thighs. “It’s nothing special,
but I wasn’t sure where we were going, so I didn’t know how to dress.”

“It’s
perfect.” He took her hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss the back of her
fingers.

Holy hell, I’m in trouble.

“You
two kids have fun. Be home before midnight.”

“Dad!”

Her
father laughed as her face flushed red.

“I’m
kidding.”

“Let me
grab my bag.
Oh, and my phone.”

“Sure.”

She
rushed back into her bedroom to grab a few things. In a hurried thought, she
grabbed two condoms from her nightstand drawer, shoving them into the zippered
pocket of her purse before she headed back out to meet Jeremiah in the living
room.
I can hope, can’t I?

Jeremiah
slid her hand into his as they walked toward the door of her dad’s house and
then out to his truck. Again, she was struck by how the vehicle didn’t suit him
although he was a cowboy to the bone with his Wranglers, western shirt, boots, and
cowboy hat, she thought there had to be more to him than met the eye.

“What?”
he asked as he opened the door for her.

“I
always thought you would be more comfortable in a sports car than a truck like
your brothers.”

He shut
the door on her side before walking around the front to get into the driver’s
side. “You know, one of my dreams is to own a foreign sports car.”

She
laughed as she turned in the seat to face him. “Why
am I
not surprised at all. Let me guess.
Ferrari.”

“That’s
one of them, yep.”

“I can
just see you zipping around the back roads of Bandera in your car.”

He cranked
the engine of his truck over with a twist of the key. The diesel rumbled to
life, sending a little thrill through her body. She had a thing for engines in
general, but a diesel always
ramped
her up. Over the
years, her dad had taught her to work on all kinds of cars at the garage. There
wasn’t an engine he couldn’t fix, although with the newer cars, it had become
more and more difficult for him to make any money at the garage. She hoped
things got better soon. Otherwise, they might lose the station.

“Where
are we going?”

“I
thought we’d get some Tex-Mex at the River Walk in San Antonio and then hit a
nice little club I know.”

“Okay.”

“You do
like Mexican food, right?”

“Love it.
One of my favorites.”

“Good.”
He glanced across the cab of the truck as they pulled onto the highway headed
for the city. “Did I tell you how gorgeous you look tonight?”

“Sort
of, but thank you.”

“I’ve
never seen you in a dress like that, I think. You usually are more conservative
like what you were wearing last Sunday.”

“Last
Sunday?”

“Yeah,
I usually see you with your dad going to Sunday brunch at the diner after
church.”

“You
do?”

“Yes.
You look real nice.”

She bit
the inside of her cheek so she wouldn’t ask why he noticed her on Sundays going
into the diner. Surely he wasn’t that interested in her, right?

“You
smell right nice too.”

Boy,
is he doling out the compliments tonight. What gives?
“
It’s
okay, Jeremiah. I know you only asked me out to piss off Lydia, so you might as
well take me back home right now rather than go through with this date thing.
I’m not the kind of woman you normally go out with and I’m sure taking me in
San Antonio is just so you don’t have to show up with me at the diner of
somewhere else where we might be seen. This is
ridic
—”

Jeremiah
slammed on the breaks, pulling the truck over to the side of the road. When he
jammed the gearshift on the truck into park, she pushed her back against the
door, a little afraid of what he might do. Fury and frustration made his face
look like granite. His eyebrows drew down, making them look slashed above angry
grey eyes. She’d never seen Jeremiah Young pissed off before. She wasn’t sure
she wanted to again.

“Enough.
I did not ask you out because I wanted to piss Lydia off. I don’t care what she
thinks. All I care about is what you think. Whether you believe me or not, I
wanted to take you out. I have for a long time. I just didn’t have the guts to
ask. You’re a very beautiful woman and I like you the way you are.”

“You
wanted to ask me out?”

“Yes.
We’ve known each other a long time, Callie. You aren’t the type of woman I
usually go out with. You’re more of a permanent relationship type girl. I’m not
sure I’m ready for that kind of thing. You aren’t the type to fuck and walk
away from. That scares the hell out of me, which is why I never asked you out
before.”

“I’m
not?” She shook her head. “I mean,
no I’m not,
but I
could be if that’s what you wanted.” Desperation riddled her subconscious. She
wanted him on any terms she could get him even if it was only for one night.

“You would
become something you aren’t for me?”

“Yes.”
She blew out a long breath. “I’ve wanted you for a long time, Jeremiah. I can
be whatever you want me to be for however long you want me. No hearts or
feelings will get into the mix. I promise.”

He
swallowed rather hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing a couple of times before he
spoke again. “Are you propositioning me for a one-
nighter
?”

“Yes.”

“And
the rules of this fling?”

“We
have one great night, no feelings get involved. We part as friends.”

He
tapped his fingers on the steering wheel for a minute before he pushed his hat
back on his head and turned to look at her.
“One night?”

The
grey of his eyes turned stormy in the fading light of the evening. Labor Day
would be on them soon. The summer would be coming to a close. Winter in Bandera
always seemed long and lonely to her. She wished for more than one night, but
if that’s all there was, then so be it. “Yes. I’m game for one night of hot sex
with you.”

“You
really want to do this?”

“Yep.
What do you say?”

A rough
exhale pierced the silence of the cab. “Let’s have dinner. We can decide for
sure at the end of the evening. Who knows, maybe we aren’t even compatible.”

Like hell. Judging from how I
react to your touch, if we aren’t compatible, I’ll eat my shoe.
“Sounds good
to me.”

He
nodded once, put the truck into gear and pulled out into traffic as Callie
contemplated what she’d just done. A deal with the devil, no doubt, and she was
sure she’d get burned in the process.
One night of
mind-blowing sex with Jeremiah Young.
What could go wrong?

* * *
*

Jeremiah
parked the truck along the narrow road near the San Antonio River Walk so they
could take a stroll down the sidewalk to the restaurant he wanted to take
Callie to. He wasn’t sure if she’d ever been to this particular restaurant, but
it was one of his favorites and they even had a mariachi band that played while
the diners ate.

The
evening breeze blew softly through the area, cooling things down from the heat
of the afternoon sun. Lights bathed each restaurant in a soft glow as they
approached the one he’d made reservations for.

“Young,
party of two.”

“Ah,
yes sir. One moment please and I’ll have your table ready.”

“Thank
you.”

They
stood side by side, not touching, but shifting from foot to foot as they waited
for the hostess to seat them. He hadn’t said anything more about her crazy
scheme on the ride into the city as he continued to roll it over in his mind.
It was the perfect scenario, but somehow he just knew things would go wrong in
the end. However, he’d never had trouble walking away from a woman before, so
he shouldn’t with Callie, right?
Of course not.
His
heart and his head hadn’t interfered in the past. They would have some great
sex and get the urge out of their systems, he hoped. Still being able to see other
people when things were said and done seemed like a great idea to him.