Page 38 of Wrangling a Texas Hometown Hero

When she was gone, Hallie thumped him on the top of the head. “Are you going to put me down? Or are you going to try to kill me again?”

“Me? I wasn’t the one scaling fences. In a dress, no less.” The mention of her attire made him aware of what was wrapped around his neck.

Toned thighs covered in baby-soft skin and a tiny patch of lace . . . filled with heat that burned the back of his neck like an electric branding iron. All he wanted to do was shift her around and bury his face in that heat. Before he could get another boner, she swatted him on the head again.

“Let me down!”

He squatted and reached a hand back to help her off, ignoring the slide of lace and heat and soft thighs. What he couldn’t ignore was the huge rip in the front of her dress once she was standing in front of him. He didn’t know what surprised him more: The view of her sweet breasts spilling over the lacy bra or the fact that this hardworking cowgirl wore matching sexy lingerie.

She noticed where he was staring and jerked the pieces of her dress together. “Why didn’t you tell me Mrs. Stokes had blackmailed you into being the new football coach?”

He lifted his gaze and tried to forget all the delectable naked flesh his eyes had feasted on. “Because I’m still trying to deal with it. Besides, I thought we decided to stay away from each other.”

“Well, there’s no staying away from each other now. Not only because Wilder is the size of a postage stamp, but also because your cousin is married to my sister. If we stop showing up for family events, people will get suspicious.” She released the edges of her dress and threw up her hands. “And maybe we should just tell our families and be done with it. Then Mrs. Stokes will have nothing to blackmail you with and you can leave.” She hesitated, her green eyes intent. “That’s if you still want to.”

“I want to, but I’m not about to leave you with the fallout.”

She straightened her shoulders, drawing his attention to her soft, sweet breasts again. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

She was a big girl. A big girl he wanted to take a bite out of in a bad way. He lifted his gaze and tried to stay focused on the conversation. “It’s not just about you and me, Hallie. Nasty gossip could hurt our families. Decker and Sweetie have been through enough.”

She sighed. “You’re right. I guess we’re stuck with each other.”

The thought of being stuck to those breasts didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Down boy. That is a bad idea—a bad, bad idea.

He only wished his raging hormones would agree. He still had a semi-erection riding the front of his pants. If he didn’t want to do something stupid, he needed to get her out of there. And fast. Thankfully, she seemed to be of the same mind.

“We can still try to avoid each other as much as possible. I’ll see you around, Jace the Ace.”

He nodded, and once again his eyes traveled down to her tempting breasts. Tempting breasts he didn’t want anyone else being tempted by. “Hold on and I’ll get you a shirt. If you drive home like that, you’ll have half the cowboys in the county following you.” He turned to the guesthouse.

Mrs. Stokes’ guesthouse was one giant room with an adjoining bathroom. It had a kitchenette with a sink, fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. A king-sized bed with a great mattress, a picture window that looked out on the yard, and a flat-screen television in the sitting area.

Jelly Roll slept on the sofa in front of the television. Jace started to introduce him, but Hallie already knew the cat.

“Jelly Roll!” She headed over and scooped him up, holding the drowsy-looking fur ball against those sweet swelling breasts. Damn, if Jace wasn’t jealous as hell. He stopped feeling jealous when she turned her green eyes on him. Eyes that held a look that made him feel like he’d just thrown a fifty-yard touchdown pass. “You adopted him?”

He wanted to take all the credit, but he couldn’t when Melba had pretty much tricked him into it. “I didn’t have much choice.”

“Still, I’m glad you did.” She kissed Jelly Roll’s chewed-up ear and Jace’s heart felt like a puddle of melted ice cream. “You’ve always been good with animals.”

Why did that simple comment make him feel ten feet tall?

“It was no big deal. Jelly isn’t that much trouble . . . unless he sees another cat on the television. Then he starts yowling like his paw is stuck in a trap. I get the feeling he’s been in more than a few catfights.”

“Or maybe he thinks it’s a female and he’s trying to get her attention.” She glanced at the television with the paused football game on the screen. “Watching old game film and reliving your glory days, Jace the Ace?”

“Actually, I was watching recent Wildcat games and trying to figure out the team’s strengths and weaknesses.” He opened the second drawer of the dresser and pulled out the first shirt he touched. It happened to be a Wolverines jersey. He could have exchanged it for something less personal.

He didn’t.

Although he wished he had when Hallie was enveloped in a jersey with his number and name. Why was the sight of her in the oversized shirt even sexier than seeing her half naked?

“So what are our strengths and weaknesses?” She flopped down on the couch and cuddled Jelly Roll.

He looked at the paused screen where the quarterback had just been sacked. “From what I can tell, our weaknesses are that our quarterback is scared to release the ball. Our defensive linemen can’t break a block. Our receivers can’t catch a Nerf ball tossed by a two-year-old. And our kicker sucks.”

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