Page 13 of Her Cadillac Cowboy
“Mmm hmm.”
Of their own volition, his hands traveled up her back and grasped her neck where his fingers began to stroke and rub. Within seconds Sara’s head dropped forward. Her body swayed back and met his. Soft against hard. His blood sizzled with heat. Blazing coals would be cool by comparison. He didn’t want to move.
He halted his massage and shifted his hands to her shoulders. Sara just stood, leaning against him, relaxed.
“Hello, Sara.”
Her shoulders stiffened, and she stepped aside to face him. “McKinley. I’ve been expecting you.”
He smiled. She knew who he was simply by touch. He liked that too much. “Yeah, it’s me.”
Dressed in a red power suit, an older version of his teenage crush glowered at him.
“Shall we get down to business?”
Like yesterday, her tone was hard, completely at odds with the smiling, gentle Sara he remembered. As a teen, despite her father’s warnings, she’d filled the angry void that denied his mother’s death. But he wasn’t that kid anymore, and she wasn’t the starry-eyed teen who liked and respected him enough to make him finally feel safe. This woman wasn’t about to brave her father’s displeasure. And Josh wasn’t about to let memories of sweet, gentle Sara ruin his chance to make other kids feel safe. Nor his chance to prove he was more than a rodeo jock from a Detroit slum.
He lifted his head and watched for any sign of emotion. The glower was gone and her expression remained carefully set. Harder to read than a professional gambler.
“Well?” Impatience flashed in her eyes.
Finally, some emotion other than stony indifference. Could he prompt more than impatience from her? The urge was irresistible. “At your service, Miss Carson.” He grinned and swept in for a quick kiss.
For an instant her mouth softened beneath his, just before she stepped back and slapped him.
“Ow.” He put a hand to his burning cheek and ran the other through his hair. “I suppose I deserved that.”
“Ya think.”
He nodded despite knowing the question was rhetorical.
She stared at his forehead. Her hand lifted, then dropped back. “What...what happened to you?”
Had she been about to touch him?
“I grew up.” He put a hand into his pocket and grabbed the key to the warehouse.
“But you’re only two years older than I am.”
He unlocked the door. “Not everyone matures at the same rate, Pipsqueak.”
“Please, don’t call me that,” she murmured weakly.
He would stop for now, but she’d always be Pipsqueak in his mind. The name called back a time when she had towered a good two inches over every other girl in school. She’d had a tremendous ego, and he’d teased her to show he wasn’t intimidated by her.
“Your hair?” She reached out again, and this time stroked the blaze of white.
“Hair color tends to darken as you get older.”
“No, this.” Her fingertips grazed his cheek as she pulled her hand back.
“Oh, that.” He opened the door and ushered her into the dim interior of the concrete warehouse. “I fell off a bull, and his horn got me before I could get away.”
That had caused the second epic change in his life. He’d seen his uncle rarely during the six years of bull riding. But Sampson was at his side the minute the old coot learned his nephew was laid up. Uncle Sampson had offered tuition help again, and Josh had refused again. This time, he didn’t need Sampson’s money. He’d won quite a chunk of prize money and could afford college now. He’d admitted going back to bull riding was the last thing he wanted to do.
“So, what do you want, son?”
He’d looked Sampson straight in the eye and said, “I want to do for other kids what you did for me.”
Sampson had actually blushed, but he didn’t deny or minimize Josh’s feelings. “Then I want you to promise me you’ll do that.”
“I promise.” No hesitations, no regrets, no ifs, ands, or buts. The next five years had been filled with classwork and caring for his uncle when Sampson could no longer care for himself. Then Josh had spent the last year of his education taking every extra class he could squeeze into his schedule. He wanted to be so busy that he wouldn’t cry himself to sleep at night because, for the second time, the one person he loved most in the world had died. He was alone again. But he held tight to that promise he gave his uncle. No one, least of all Sara Carson, was going get in his way.
