The Comeback Cowboy Read online

  Building custom-made saddles the quality of Charlie Kingston’s was a fine occupation, but Adele couldn’t help thinking Ty was better suited to doing something that got him out and about, rather than being stuck in a workroom all day.

  Well, she doubted he’d be building saddles full-time for a while. Not until he retired from rodeoing, which, now that he’d discovered the previously missing connection with Hamm, wouldn’t be for several years at least.

  Adele went around collecting trash and depositing it in a plastic garbage bag. Some of their neighbors had already packed up their trailers and RVs and departed, leaving open spaces in the makeshift gypsy camp. Most were like her and Pop, planning to start out for home at the crack of dawn.

  Pop, in his element, stole the spotlight from Ty and regaled the students with stories from back in the day when he’d competed. Everyone, including Ty, listened raptly.

  Despite having had an emotional day with highs, lows and moments of downright confusion, Adele felt a sense of satisfaction. This pleasant gathering of friends, guests and people she cared about was the kind she’d envisioned when she and her grandfather first started Cowboy College.

  Not that there weren’t sacrifices. She had few opportunities to travel and see the country as she longed to, given all the responsibilities she shouldered.

  Yet another reason she and Ty were a poor match. He would settle down eventually. In the meantime, however, he’d be going wherever his rodeo career took him, and that would be miles and miles away from Markton, Wyoming.

  “Need help with that?” Sandy asked. Their potluck dinner had consisted mostly of leftovers, topped off with ice cream and peach pies someone had purchased earlier at the market down the road.

  “I’m fine,” Adele said. “You go sit yourself back down.”

  Sandy paused, her arms crossed, and stared at the group. “I’m going to miss all this.”

  “We’ll miss you, too.”

  “Tomorrow when we check out, Mike and I are going to make reservations for next summer.”

  “That’s great. We’d love to have you back.”

  “We want to come at the same time Ty does.”

  Adele paused in the middle of securing the garbage bag with a twist tie. “I…don’t think he’s coming back,” she said carefully.

  “No?” Sandy appeared puzzled. “He said he was.”

  “When?”

  “Just a little bit ago.”

  “He did?”

  Adele must have given herself away, for Sandy laughed richly. “I thought that might make you happy.”

  “Of course it does. It’s our goal for all our guests to return.”

  “But Ty in particular.”

  No, what she really wanted was for Ty to stay and not leave.

  But he would. Especially after winning the gold buckle today. That was the whole reason he’d come to Cowboy College. To figure out what he’d been doing wrong, fix it, return to the circuit as soon as possible and resume his promising career. “You and Mike in particular,” Adele emphasized, trying to cover her slip.

  “Hey, we all think it’s great that you and Ty hooked up.”

  We all? As in the entire guest roster? Adele waited for mortification to overcome her—only it didn’t. To her shock, she realized she wasn’t upset that guests, and no doubt staff, too, knew she and Ty had “hooked up,” as Sandy put it.

  “We will see you before we leave, won’t we?”

  Sandy’s question roused Adele from her reverie. “Of course. We’ll have a goodbye party at lunch.”

  “What’s that about a party?” Mike asked, coming up and giving his wife’s waist a squeeze.

  “Adele said we’re having one at lunch tomorrow.”

  “Can I come, too?”

  At the sound of Ty’s voice behind her, Adele went still.

  “Of course.” Conscious of her audience, she set the bag of trash by the truck door for disposal later. “Everyone’s invited.”

  “Sandy and I were thinking of going to the country and western bar up the road for something stronger than this.” Mike held out his plastic bottle of iced tea. “Some of the folks were saying the band’s not half-bad. You two want to go?”

  “It’s not a far walk,” Sandy prompted.

  “I don’t know.” Ty sent Adele a questioning look.

  Technically, they had a date tonight, payment for him winning his event. If he wanted to go to the bar, she’d gladly accompany him.

  The gleam in his dark eyes, coal-black in the lantern light, indicated he was thinking of something more than a few close dances and a searing kiss or two under a star-filled sky.

  Was she ready for that and all the complications that went with it?

  If not, she had better tell him no right now.

  “Be back in a while, Pop,” she called out, without looking away from Ty.

  “Stay out of trouble, you two,” he hollered back, an unmistakable smile in his voice.

  Define trouble, Adele thought as Ty fell into step beside her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sandy’s mile-a-minute chatter hid the fact that Ty and Adele contributed very little to the conversation. Adele couldn’t speak for him, but in her case, an acute case of nerves had frozen her vocal cords. Instinct told her whatever happened tonight between them would be entirely up to her. He would respect and honor any decision she made.

  If only she was certain what her decision would be.

  Correction.

  If only she was certain she wouldn’t end up being hurt.

  Sandy’s prattling continued as they reached the outskirts of the makeshift gypsy camp.

  “Hold on.” Ty stopped in midstep and patted his jeans pocket. “I forgot my wallet in my trailer.”

  “We’ll walk back with you,” Mike offered.

  “I hate to hold you up.”

  “You sure?” Sandy asked, her oval face lit by the parking lot lights.

  “Go on ahead and find us a table.”

  They started out, then stopped again. “You coming?” Mike asked Adele.

  Her vocal cords had yet to thaw.

  “Come on.” Sandy linked arms with her husband. “They’ll be along in a minute.” Dragging him with her, she glanced over her shoulder and chimed, “Take your time, you two.”

  “My trailer’s this way.” Ty inclined his head in the direction they’d come.

  Adele nodded, swallowed and took a step.

  He reached for her hand. When it was clasped firmly in his, walking wasn’t nearly so difficult.

  “I didn’t plan this,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I really did forget my wallet.”

  She believed him. Cowboys didn’t usually carry their wallets when they competed, and Ty hadn’t returned to his trailer since winning his event.

  They saw many familiar faces as they navigated among the campsites. If their joined hands solicited any attention, Adele didn’t care. As Sandy had pointed out, everyone at Cowboy College knew about her and Ty’s attraction. So what if the rest of the world found out, too?

  Suddenly, Adele wasn’t indecisive anymore. Her heart, which had been whispering to her softly for weeks, now spoke loud and clear, urging her to seize the moment.

  “I’m parked over there.”

  She followed his gaze. Ty’s trailer stood alone, his neighbors having left already. Hamm, along with the other horses, was bedded down in the event stables.

  Going straight to the rear wheel well, Ty located a hidden key and unlocked the side door, careful not to let it bang against the wall. At this time of night, the noise would carry half a mile.

  “I won’t be long,” he said, and reached through the open door.

  A dim light came on, illuminating the postage-stamp-size living quarters. Placing an old footstool on the ground, he grabbed the side-mounted handhold and easily hefted himself up and inside the trailer.

  Adele heard the scrape of a sliding drawer. The scuffle of boots on linoleum flooring. The jin
gle of keys being dropped on the counter. She also heard the sound of her own boots on the footstool as she copied Ty and clasped the handhold.

  He turned, his expression unreadable as he took in the sight of her standing in the trailer doorway. “The place is a little small, but I’d be happy to show you around.”

  Was he keeping his emotions in check? Making a joke in case he’d misinterpreted the reason she’d so boldly entered his private space? A space that could be even more private if the door was shut. Reaching behind her, she swung it closed. The clicking latch echoed loudly in the suddenly quiet interior.

  So did the beating of her soaring heart.

  “Adele?”

  She hadn’t spoken since leaving Pop’s campsite, and didn’t now.

  Crossing the small distance separating them, she reached up and circled his neck with her arms. His eyes, which had tracked her progress, instantly went from unreadable to blazing hot.

  “You know this is dangerous,” he said in a roughened voice, pulling her close until their bodies were flush and their hips aligned.

  Was it? Adele had been thinking it was exciting and daring and incredibly intoxicating. Not dangerous.

  She sought his mouth, moaning softly at the first touch of his lips. Moaning again when the kiss became possessive. Heat arrowed though her, igniting every nerve in its path. This, she thought numbly, was only the beginning. There could—and would—be so much more.

  Ty pushed away from her, catching her off guard, his chest heaving. “We’d better slow it down some.”

  Adele made a sound of protest.

  “I can’t take much more of this and stay sane.”

  They’d have to risk his sanity, she thought, a smile pulling at her lips. She liked the hard ridge of his erection pressing firmly into the junction of her legs—liked it too much to stop.

  Nestling closer, she rubbed her calf along his and twirled her fingers in the soft curls at the back of his neck.

  As if in surrender, he leaned against the closet door behind him. “Adele, sweetheart. Please.”

  Please what? Leave him alone or give in to the desire that had been building practically since the day he arrived at Cowboy College?

  She laid her palms flat on his chest. Beneath the fabric of his shirt, his heart beat fast and erratically. How much of it, she wondered, had he given to her? Enough that it would be torture for him to leave her in a few days?

  Yes. She didn’t require a declaration made on bended knee to know she’d come to mean something special to him. Something he wouldn’t find anywhere else, regardless of where his travels took him.

  She brought her hands together over the top button of his shirt and quickly unfastened it.

  Before she got to the second button, he grasped her wrist, staying her motions. “Are you sure?”

  Nodding, she gazed at him, hoping he saw the depths of her feelings for him reflected in her face.

  “Say something, Adele. Please.”

  She put him out of his misery. “Make love to me, Ty.”

  She expected him to respond with another kiss, one designed to rob her of her ability to think coherently. He didn’t. Instead, he tucked her head snugly against his chest and brushed his lips across her hair.

  “I want you to know this won’t be a casual fling.”

  Could it be anything else? He was leaving soon.

  “I’ll be back for you. Count on it.”

  His earnestness touched her.

  “I’ll be waiting,” she said.

  He kissed her then, sweetly, tenderly and with a gentleness she wouldn’t have expected from a rugged, brawny cowboy like him.

  Quickly, however, the kiss turned scorching. His mouth, unsatisfied with teasing and tormenting just her lips, sought out other sensitive places on her body. Her neck. The delicate skin of her earlobe. The soft hollow at the base of her throat.

  Adele’s limbs went weak as a needy moan escaped.

  All at once Ty was tugging at her shirttail, releasing it from the waistband of her jeans. Then he reached up under the fabric and grasped her waist.

  Opening his shirt, she ran her hands down his white cotton T-shirt, enjoying the sensation of downy fabric over the taut planes of his chest. All during their sensual interplay, his lips continued exploring her sensitive regions. That stopped when her fingers brushed against his belt buckle. With a deep groan, he claimed her mouth again, stripping her shirt from her as he did.

  The lighting was dim, but Ty still had a clear view of her baby-blue bra. He traced a fingertip along the lacy trim, murmuring, “Nice.”

  And it was. Adele might be all cowgirl on the outside, but she had an appreciation for delicate underthings.

  “You told me to wear something sexy.”

  Emboldened by his hungry gaze, she peeled his shirt from his shoulders. He took over, shrugging it off and removing his T-shirt. She’d expected him to have a well-honed body, considering how hard he worked at roping, and she wasn’t disappointed.

  All at once she saw it, a lasso tattoo circling his upper right arm. It fit Ty’s personality and brought a smile to her lips. “Nice,” she murmured, echoing his earlier remark.

  “You don’t mind tattoos?”

  “I have one, too.”

  His eyes lit up. “Where?”

  She lowered the strap of her bra, revealing a tiny horse’s head with flowing mane above her left breast. The same one used in the Cowboy College logo.

  Ty’s breath caught. Lowering his mouth, he pressed his lips to the tattoo.

  Even if Adele had wanted to guard her emotions, she couldn’t any longer. Not after this. Not with Ty.

  She gasped when he unexpectedly tugged down the front of her bra and cupped her freed breast. Gasped again when he circled the nipple with his tongue.

  In a hurry, she grabbed at her own belt.

  Ty raised his head. “No rush, sweetheart. We’ve got all night. Unless you still want to go to the bar with Mike and Sandy.”

  “Not on your life.” She finished unbuckling her belt, then attacked the snap on her jeans.

  “Wait.” Ty covered her hands with his.

  “What?”

  Before her insecurities could get the better of her, he said, “I…have protection.” He fumbled for the wallet on the counter, opened it and withdrew a condom.

  “That’s good.” Stupid her. She’d been so caught up in making love with Ty, she’d forgotten about being responsible.

  “I want you to know…” Again he hesitated. “This has been in my wallet awhile.” He tried to grin. “In case you thought otherwise.”

  There were cowboys on the rodeo circuit notorious for sleeping around. And they had plenty of obliging women at their disposal. Adele believed Ty, however, and not just because he had a reputation for being one of the honorable guys. She believed him because of the genuine worry in his expression.

  “I didn’t think otherwise,” she said. “And for the record, it’s been a long while for me, too.”

  “Glad that’s settled,” he said, and kissed her again.

  With all doubts erased and all barriers eradicated, they were able to revel in the feel of each other’s body and the wildly erotic sensations generated by their intimate explorations. The tiny living quarters didn’t allow much space for maneuvering. And without stopping to convert the dining table into a sleeping bunk, they had nowhere to lie down.

  Ty showed himself to be good at improvising.

  Removing the remainder of Adele’s clothing, he lifted her onto the table. When she reached for him, he grabbed a pillow from the seat, placed it behind her and lowered her backward.

  Starting at the horse’s head tattoo, he traveled the length of her body to the V of her legs, leaving moist kisses in his wake. The skill of his mouth was matched only by the skill of his fingers. Both tantalized her unmercifully, and within minutes, she was perched on the pinnacle of release.

  He didn’t, however, take her over the edge, and she almost crie
d out in frustration when he straightened. All was forgiven when he unbuckled his jeans and stepped out of them.

  She raised up on her elbows, to better see Ty in his slim fitting boxer briefs. Without the least bit of modesty, he removed them, opened the condom package and sheathed himself. Pulse soaring, she sat upright, every nerve alight with anticipation.

  Except he didn’t move.

  “Ty? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” His dark eyes studied her from head to toe. “I just like looking at you.”

  He certainly knew how to prolong the agony. Or was that pleasure? Definitely pleasure. Her entire body hummed with it.

  Unable to wait any longer, she arched her spine and smiled temptingly.

  That did it. With an agonized groan, he grasped her legs and anchored her to him.

  Adele gasped in surprise, then delight, when he entered her. Wrapping her legs around his middle, she clung to him, wanting an emotional connection with him more than she did a physical one.

  Ty held back, she could tell. And as much as she wanted to tumble over the edge, she also wanted their lovemaking to last.

  Murmuring sweet, sexy endearments, he bent her backward until she once again lay on the table. Covering her with his body, he kissed her deeply, his hands cupping her breasts.

  Adele could wait no longer and climaxed, Ty’s name on her lips. He found his own shattering release seconds later.

  She clung tightly to him, savoring the aftermath of their shared storm almost as much as she had the storm itself.

  Slowly, their breathing returned to normal. What could have been an awkward moment was made comfortable and easy when Ty lifted her off the table and enveloped her in a warm embrace.

  “That was amazing,” he said, caressing her back with strong strokes. “You’re amazing.”

  Adele turned her face into the side of his neck. She hardly considered herself an accomplished lover. Yet it had been amazing with Ty. More than that, it had felt…perfect.