How to Rope a Loyal Cowboy by Anya Summers

6

On Saturday, Morgan woke just before dawn. Staring around her room, she couldn’t help but think that this was one of the most comfortable beds she had ever had the good fortune to sleep in. She loved Noah’s house. As she cooked and cleaned, she pretended that this was her house. But even though it didn’t belong to her, she did get to live here as long as she was Wade and Zack’s nanny. She figured forever would be good.

Although, perhaps what she felt was relief, since she was no longer worried that the roof over her head was being taken away.

It was hard to believe that she had been here a full week already.

Each night, she had tumbled into bed as soon as the boys were asleep. Who knew that kids were this exhausting? The fact that Noah had been doing this all by himself while being the Horse Master at Silver Springs Ranch amazed her. He was in charge of hundreds of horses. When did the man have time to sleep?

It was no wonder he was single.

It was odd how quickly the four of them settled into an easy routine. Morgan woke before the rest of the household. It gave her a few minutes to collect herself and have that first cup of coffee. During that time, she would prep breakfast. Her boys were particular eaters. They loved French toast and pancakes but weren’t fans of waffles. They ate meat by the bucketload.

Boy, did they love any type of breakfast meat. She would need to pick up double next week at the grocery store. Bacon, sausage, and even Canadian bacon—they scarfed down as if their lives depended on it.

Plus, they seemed to like her cooking. Thank goodness.

She didn’t consider herself a great cook, but appreciated their enthusiasm for the meals she made. It certainly made that part of her job easier.

As for keeping Wade and Zack from getting into trouble, it was a full-time job and then some. It wasn’t that they tried to get into trouble. That wasn’t their daily objective, from what she had gleaned this week. It was more that they were curious about everything, tended to egg each other on, and had very little fear in the face of danger.

It was why she kept an eye on them as she prepped for their hike in the woods today.

The busier she kept them, never lingering too long over one activity, the less chance they had to get bored, and look for entertainment that mostly would lead to shenanigans. On Thursday it had rained, and by the time they were in bed that night, they weren’t the only ones climbing the walls.

Into her backpack, she added water and snacks, a first aid kit, bear mace, an air horn, and a change of clothes for both boys. These stinkers loved getting dirty, and they had a horseback riding lesson in a few hours.

“Wade, Zack, each of you needs to use the bathroom, and we can head out for our exploratory walk.”

“But I don’t have to go,” Zack whined. He was decked out in blue today. Blue shirt, blue shorts, even his tennis shoes were blue.

She shouldered the pack onto her back and eyed him. “Zack, I know you. The moment we get on the trail, you’ll need to go.”

“There’s lots of trees. Our daddy just has us go on the trees,” Wade said, like that was the best thing for them.

Of course, why didn’t she think of that? Perhaps because she didn’t pee standing up. She rolled her eyes heavenward, praying for strength today. “I want you both to try and go now. No arguing with me, or there will be no dessert after dinner tonight.”

Their blue eyes grew wide. They looked at each other. They seemed to have this silent communication between them. It must be a twin thing. They finally nodded. It was Wade who said, “Okay, we’ll go. But you gotta promise to make us dessert.”

She took her finger and made the cross symbol over her heart. “I promise. And have I ever broken a promise to you guys?”

“No,” they replied almost in unison.

“That’s right, and I won’t. So let’s hit the bathroom, and then we can go explore the wilderness.”

At that, they both ran helter-skelter toward the bathroom. It took them another fifteen minutes and one attempt at leaving before they actually made it out the door. They both went to the bathroom. Then, right before they walked out the door the first time, Wade announced that he had to poop. And then Zack said that he did too.

It was such a process just getting them out the door. But once they were outside and hiking along the trail, Morgan relaxed some. Getting these boys physical activity each day kept them out of trouble.

On the hike, she pointed out different birds and gave them the task of searching for wildlife to identify.

Wade and Zack were shoving and pushing each other as their little party rounded the bend in the wooded trail.

“Stop it,” Zack stated.

“You started it,” Wade said petulantly.

“Did not,” Zack protested.

“Did too,” Wade sneered.

“Boys, cut it out. I—” Morgan stopped dead in her tracks and felt her heart drop into her toes. With a furious snap, she said, “Wade. Zack. Stop, immediately. I need you to do everything I say, no questions.”

The boys spotted the black bear with her two cubs approaching them on the dirt trail. The moment the mama bear detected them, she halted. Menace rippled off her. She tossed her big head up in agitation, and she stared at Wade and Zack like they were a potential meal.

The boys responded to the serious tone in Morgan’s voice. Thank god!

“Very slowly, I want you both to get behind me,” she ordered in a calm yet loud voice as she worked to remember everything her pops had taught her about bears in the area, and what to do if she came across one. Or, in this instance, three, as the cubs stayed by their mama for protection.

The mama bear tossed her head in confrontation, making it known that she didn’t appreciate the three of them interrupting their late morning stroll.

Morgan prayed to whatever deity would listen that they would get out of this alive. Everyone knew you didn’t piss off or approach a mama with her cubs. Wade and Zack started crying, loudly.

Shit.

“Boys. Stop that. It’s going to be fine. Get behind me, now,” Morgan demanded as she reached into the pack for the mace, glad she had thought to pick some up this week and stuff it in her bag.

When her fingers closed around it, she kept herself from getting overly excited by the small victory. They still had one pissed-off mama bear, who seemed to be getting angrier by the second.

“Boys, I want you to slowly start to walk backward. No fast movements, do you understand?”

“Yes,” they whimpered, the fear palpable in their voices.

With the mace ready in one hand just in case, Morgan spread her arms out. She kept her gaze trained on the black bear while she and the boys began to retreat.

“Go away,” she said to the bear. “We’re not going to harm you, or your babies.”

She tried recalling everything the survival guides and her pops had mentioned about aggressive mama bears.

She heard more than saw Zack fall and scream. It was all the bear needed to decide to attack.

With her heart beating like a runaway freight train, Morgan removed the safety on the bear mace. She held her arm out, forcing herself to keep it steady, otherwise she and the boys were dead. When the bear was close enough for the mace to reach, she pressed the button. The canister shot a potent stream of mace right into the mama bear’s face.

The mama bear reared back at the pain, roaring so loudly, Morgan thought she would go deaf from the sound. The big bear swiped at her eyes and nose then fell to the ground, rolling in agony.

It was the break Morgan needed. She dropped the empty canister. She would come back for it later. Right now, she had more pressing concerns. With the bear incapacitated, she grabbed Wade and Zack, tucking each one under an arm like they were a football, and made a run for it.

She ran over the dirt trail, pushing her legs and lungs until they burned from the exertion. She ran until they left the trail, and the driveway for the house was in sight. She ran until she reached the front door.

Only then did she lower the boys to the ground. With shaking hands, she unlocked the front door and ushered them inside.

“That was amazing!” Zack exclaimed the moment they were all in safety.

“You beat a bear. I can’t believe it. Even Daddy has never beat a bear,” Wade said in awe, looking at her like he wondered if she was a secret superhero in disguise.

“It was my first time. How about we head into the kitchen and have a snack before we head to the stables for your riding lesson?” She needed to sit before her legs gave out.

The terror of what she had done finally hit home. She had taken on an angry mama bear and won. She hated the pain she had caused the bear. But the effects of the mace would wear off in an hour or so.

Still, she had kept the three of them from being mauled to death by the angry mama.

In the kitchen, she washed all traces of the mace from her hands before getting the boys some squeezable applesauce pouches and yogurt-covered raisins. Then she finally gave herself a moment at the table, watching them eat, and let the tremors finally come.

By the time she’d rounded them up in new clothes for their riding lesson and got them in her truck, she had gotten herself centered, and the trembling had finally ceased.

But she worried her bottom lip over what Noah was going to say about the experience.

The stables at Silver Spring Ranch were a sight to behold. Morgan helped the boys out of her truck, took a little hand in each of hers, and waltzed into the barn. It was a large building with a burnished red exterior and an ivory roof. The stables were well maintained. The scent of horse, hay, and manure perfumed the wind. Wade and Zack couldn’t contain their excitement as they headed inside. Morgan supposed, from their point of view, the encounter with the bear had all been rather thrilling instead of mind-numbingly terrifying like it had been for her.

The barn was clean, with more stalls than she remembered there being. Horses that weren’t out in the pasture grazing, poked their heads out over the wooden doors. Fans and air-conditioning ran, trying to keep this place cool on a hot day like today.

They didn’t have to search very far for Noah after they entered the stables. In deference to the scorching heat, he had already stripped off his short-sleeved plaid. All he wore was a white tank, already sweat stained, and blue jeans that fit him like sin, cupping all his cuppable parts. Flutters of need erupted in Morgan’s abdomen as she spied the power of his build and determined stride. The smile on his face conjured up some prehistoric, biological imperative to make babies with him—lots and lots of babies—so much so that her girly bits were making kissing noises at him.

“Hey guys. Did you have a good morning? Ready for your ride?” Noah grinned at his sons.

“We almost died!” Wade declared dramatically.

“But Morgan saved us,” Zack stated with thrilled glee, insinuating that it had all been good fun.

Noah’s dark brows disappeared beneath the lip of his dark brown Stetson. “Boys, why don’t you go with Nathan, and he’ll get you saddled up for your lesson.”

He ushered them off with the cowboy who seemed to be about her age. Nathan was good looking but not nearly as physically adept as Noah.

As soon as they were out of earshot, he asked her with a piercing stare, “What happened?”

Pasting a smile she didn’t feel on her face, she explained, “On our hike this morning, we came across a mama black bear with her two teenage cubs. She charged us. And I had to use bear mace on her. In fact, I need to go back to the trail and pick up the can. I dropped it the moment it started working on her so I could get Wade and Zack out of there and away from the imminent danger as fast as possible.”

One moment she was standing there, wondering if she was going to have a job tomorrow and would need to look for new housing, and the next, she was enveloped in Noah’s strong arms. The scent of man, leather, and horse surrounded her. Noah held her so tight, it was almost hard for her to breathe. But she didn’t mind. Of their own accord, her arms slid around his waist. It was like being hugged by a powerful beast, one who was barely tamed and could go feral at any moment.

“Thank you,” he murmured gruffly by her ear.

Morgan was melting—and not from the heat, but from being in his arms. His big muscular torso pressed against hers. His stubble grazed the skin along her neck, and she shivered. Pings of electricity erupted as her system went into overload at being held by Noah Reed.

She wanted to turn to him. If she shifted her head slightly, their lips would be touching. And the thought of kissing him churned her up inside.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and lifted his face to stare down at her, searching her face for any signs of distress.

It had been so long since anyone had cared about her wellbeing, it both stunned and filled her with inexplicable pleasure. She smiled tremulously up at him. “Yeah, I’m okay. She didn’t hurt me or the boys, thank goodness. As soon as the mace took her down, I picked them up and ran.”

He seemed reluctant to let her go. And honestly, she had never felt so protected and cared for as she stood in the circle of his arms.

Noah relaxed and smiled. “Good. Why don’t you go take a break while they’re on their lesson? I can bring them home when they’re done.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying.” It was what he was paying her rather handsomely to do. She didn’t mind doing it, especially if it meant he kept holding her this way.

“Yeah. They’ll be fine. I could use a lunch break, anyhow.”

“Hey boss, where do you want—oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Startled by the intrusion, Morgan glanced over. Kate Crenshaw stared at her with embarrassment and a flicker of jealousy filling her eyes. What could Kate possibly be jealous of her for? She looked like she should be featured on the cover of cowgirl magazines. The woman was gorgeous, and rode as well as any of the cowboys—or so Morgan had heard. But then Kate’s gaze flickered to Noah and how his arms were wrapped around Morgan. It was then she realized why Kate was jealous. Because Noah hadn’t released her yet.

After another quick squeeze, Noah finally released her. “Nah, don’t worry about it. The boys and I will see you back at the house in a bit.”

Morgan nodded. “Okay. I’ll have lunch ready then.”

Kate was all teeth with her smile as she waved Morgan away. But the smile didn’t reach her eyes when she glanced at Morgan. She wasn’t the only one who had a thing for the boss, apparently.

* * *

Later that night,once the boys were both asleep, Noah finally arrived home for the second time that day. Lunch had been a grand affair of BLT sandwiches and chips, with Wade and Zack regaling their dad with tales of Morgan’s heroics.

Noah waltzed into the kitchen looking frazzled. “Sorry, I’m so late. We’ve got a sick mare.”

“Oh no. Is the mare all right?” Morgan asked, rising from her spot at the table where she had been putting together menus for the upcoming week and making lists of what she needed to buy at the grocery store.

“We’ll see. Darren is sitting with her overnight. If he calls me, I have to go. It will mean she has taken a turn for the worse and I will need to call the vet,” Noah explained, rather dejected.

She pulled two beers out of the fridge and handed him one. “I’m sorry. That can’t be easy. Have you eaten dinner?”

“No. I can heat something up. It’s no bother,” Noah said with a shake of his head.

“I’ve got it. We ordered pizza tonight. I figured, after the day the three of us had, we deserved some pizza. There’s salad, too, if you’re interested.”

“You are a godsend. I just want to go check in on Wade and Zack.”

“Okay, I will heat it up and leave it here for you on the table. I was going to watch a movie in the living room tonight.” She wanted to do something to take her mind off the fact that she was having extremely erotic fantasies involving herself and Noah.

“You don’t need permission to watch the television. This is your home,” Noah stated, and gave her a look that she couldn’t decipher. But then he strode out of the room, and she listened to his footsteps carry him down the hall.

While he was checking on his kids, she heated up the pizza for Noah in the oven, and even put some salad on his plate. Setting a bottle of dressing by the plate, she served the pizza once it was warmed. When she felt like she had taken care of all her guys for the day, she headed into the living room to watch something on the big flatscreen.

She curled up on the couch and put a comedy on that she had seen many times before but still found hilarious. After the scare today, funny was what she needed.

But Noah surprised her and joined her, with his dinner in one hand and a beer in the other. “Don’t mind if I join you, do you?”

“No. Not at all.”

“I never pegged you for slap-stick comedy,” he said, studying her after he took a bite of pizza.

“It always depends on the mood I’m in. But I love screwball comedy. Ludicrous speed, now. And keep firing, assholes. Things like that,” she said with a shrug, trying to keep it light.

Noah chuckled. “It’s the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, the one thing that could never hurt us.”

Her jaw dropped as he quoted from one of her favorite movies. “You know your comedy.”

“Honey, both those films are from my generation. I grew up on them.” Noah took a swig of beer. “But it does leave me wondering how you got into them.”

“My pops. It’s the stuff I grew up watching, too. After my mom left, it ended up being a tradition for the two of us, whenever he wasn’t working late, and I didn’t have school the next day. We would make popcorn and watch Caddy Shack and Ghostbusters and Monty Python.”

“I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I was about your dad. He was a good man. Everyone liked him. And we’re all sorry to see the gas station go.”

“You didn’t hear, then? One of the big corporate gas companies snatched it up. It will be open before the end of the month, under their management,” she explained.

“Can I ask, what are you doing with the house? Do you need help selling it?” Noah asked as he finished off his pizza.

She shook her head. “I appreciate the offer.”

“Morgan, I want to help you in whatever manner I can. Mainly because I don’t want to lose you. I think you’re great for us.”

“No, you don’t understand. My pops was in debt up to his eyeballs. The numbers he gave me from the station didn’t include the gambling debts he had amassed, and the third mortgage he had taken out on both the house and station to pay them off.”

Noah stilled, and stared like she had grown three heads. “Morgan. Are you serious?”

“Yeah. The bank took everything but the truck. I think my pops figured he would have time to pay it all back and get it set to rights. But his heart gave out on him before he could do it.” She fought against the sob lodged in her throat. She was still so raw with grief and fury.

Before she knew it, Noah’s arms were around her, holding her against him, and she was cradled on his lap. His big, rough calloused hands stroked over her back. He said, “I’m so sorry. You’ve always got a place here. Even if you decide my boys are too much.”

Morgan lifted her face at his generosity. “I like your boys, and you. I don’t plan on going anywhere, even if I had a place to go.”

And she realized just how close their faces were, mere inches away. She could feel his warm breath on her face. Her gaze dropped to his lips, shrouded with shadow beard scruff. The air grew thick between them. She licked her lips and lifted her gaze.

Morgan sucked in a breath. Noah’s eyes were infused with lust. She curled her fingers into his muscled chest. She couldn’t deny that she wanted him. That being held on his lap, surrounded by his strength, left her sex pulsing with need.

Maybe it was the beer. Perhaps it was the near death experience with the bear. Or maybe it was the fact that she was so tired of always doing the right thing, even if it wasn’t what she wanted.

She erased the distance and pressed her lips against his firm mouth. His lips were soft and as smooth as satin. His scruff teased her upper lip and chin. Noah sat stock still for all of two seconds before he took over. His huge hands cupped her face as he delved deep, plunging his tongue inside her mouth with greedy determination.

Morgan wasn’t necessarily the most experienced when it came to boys. Her pops had kept an eagle eye on her. Not to mention, plenty of guys hadn’t wanted to cross Ed Davies by making a pass at his little girl. But she wasn’t a little girl any longer. She hadn’t been for years.

Still, this was no boy kissing her. It was the first time in her life a man had kissed her, and with such passionate dominance.

Kissing Noah was like being with a tiger—barely tame, and liable to eat her alive without warning. It stirred a hunger inside her, to touch and be touched in return, to experience his delicious, erotic lovemaking until they had gorged on one another. She knew kissing him was wrong. He was older, more experienced—and her boss, to boot.

But none of that mattered. Not when he kissed her with a passion that eclipsed the sun in its brilliance and heat. Morgan melted against him as he dominated the exchange. He called forth a woman inside her that she hadn’t realized existed. One who didn’t shy away from pleasure but embraced it, reveled in it, and didn’t run away from the darker tastes that had always lain under the surface. She had this dark lake inside her with needs she didn’t quite understand, and which she had been too petrified to explore.

But Noah called forth every one of those wicked desires.

She wanted him to take her to his bed.

Hell, she wanted to straddle him here on the couch and ride him like one of his prized stallions, even with the specter of the boys hearing them and interrupting. The danger of it only added to the incendiary flames flowing through her.

Clutching at his chest, she moaned into his mouth.

The sound she emitted acted like a bucket of ice water tossed over Noah’s head. He froze. Tore his mouth from hers. And then set her on the couch beside him, and rose. Breathing heavily, they stared at one another.

“That should not have happened.” Guilt and shame filled his features.

“And what if I wanted it to?” She ached to feel his mouth on hers again.

“Morgan, I’m sorry but it can’t happen.” With a shake of his head, he strode away.

Stunned, aroused beyond measure, Morgan watched him retreat as he left the room. He had been into it—into her. The chemistry and passion hadn’t been one sided. But something had spooked him.

His mouth at the end had said no, but the bulge in his jeans and the way he had stared hungrily at her lips, like he would expire without tasting her again, said otherwise. Except, she had no idea what she could do about it. She wasn’t skilled when it came to flirting or trying to cast a lure for a guy. Never had been.

What would it take to have a guy like Noah toss aside whatever rules he thought should be in place, and give in to the illicit chemistry that had fried her system like a lightning strike? Because she wanted his mouth back on her. Wanted to feel those big, calloused hands on more than just her face.

A smile spread over her face. She had time. They were going to be in each other’s hair daily. Eventually, she could make him cave.