Page 20 of Cowboy Wolf's Secret Baby

“The steakhouse is open for another hour.” He grinned. “Or we can do the Waffle House.”

“Either one. I’m not picky.”

“Let’s do the steakhouse. Do you want to drive yourself or do you want me to follow you to your house and we can drive together?”

“I’ll drive myself. It’ll be quicker.”

They were seated immediately. The waitress was clearly new and nervous. Beth was very kind to her and joked around with her, putting the girl at ease.

“What’s it like being a rodeo man?” Beth asked.

“Just like anything, there are the good and bad points. I get to see a huge part of the country. I mostly stick to a few states, but once in a while, I go somewhere new on a whim. But it can get lonely sometimes, too.”

“Ugh,” Beth said. “I can just see Taryn doing that.”

“Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowgirls,” Conner sang, off-key.

“Willie and Waylon didn’t include instructions on how to prevent that,” Beth said.

“True enough. I’m all grown up and I know it still drives my mama crazy. She always complains that she never gets to see me.”

“How often do you go home?”

“Special occasions,” Conner admitted.

Beth shook her head. “I think it’s too late for Taryn. She’s hooked on competing.”

“Maybe she’ll grow out of it,” Conner said.

“Doubt it. She’s just as stubborn as her father,” Beth said. “He’s not in the picture, but she is a lot like him.”

The waitress came with their food, and they spent the rest of the evening laughing and talking about her life as a wholistic healer and herbologist and some of the antics he’d witnessed in the rodeo.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun hanging out with a woman, he thought.

Conner walked her out to her car. The moon shone down on them, and her eyes reflected the dancing stars. He put his hands on her face and lowered his head.

Pressing his lips to hers, gently at first, he felt a fire ignite inside of him. With a low moan in the back of his throat, the kiss intensified. His heart thundered as their breaths mingled in the cool night air.

When the kiss gently broke off, he looked into her flushed face.

“I’ve got to go,” she stammered. “Thanks for a great night.”

She rushed into her car and quickly drove away, leaving him standing in the parking lot, watching her tail lights fade.

A sense of deja vu slammed into his chest.

7

Beth

“How in the world did I get here?” Beth asked when she pulled into her driveway. She had absolutely no memory of the drive between the restaurant and her house.

Beth reached up and touched her lips. The kiss had been electrifying and had melted her insides.

Moving automatically, she grabbed her purse, locked her car, and went inside the house. She dropped her purse off on the counter and slumped down on the couch.

Her heart clenched tightly as her body shook. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Over the years, she had held in her feelings, moving through each day focused on Taryn and her clients.

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