How to Rope a Loyal Cowboy by Anya Summers

8

On Wednesday afternoon, it finally cooled off enough from the scorching temperatures they had experienced all week long to have some outdoor playtime. Wade and Zack were still little scamps who liked to pull pranks whenever they got an idea for one. But there wasn’t a mean bone in their bodies.

Morgan saving them from the bears was still something they liked to talk about and recall—which meant she had made a big impression in a good way. Since then, they had been better behaved, for the most part. It had given her a chance to really see their personalities shine through.

Wade was the instigator. He was the one who came up with all their crazy ideas and charged ahead to carry them out. Zack followed along with everything his brother did. It didn’t matter how dangerous or silly it was, if Wade dreamed it up, Zack would do it.

They were extremely bright, resourceful, and creative. And there was little they loved more than pounding on each other—with the exception of using their dad like a jungle gym.

She squinted in the bright sunlight as they raced around the yard, their laughter echoing, and wiped her sweaty forehead with her forearm. While the boys played, she was working on Noah’s overgrown garden. It was really a shame that they let it get this bad. But she also understood that Noah was overworked, and hadn’t had the time for it.

When she had commented about it the other day, he did that manly shrug of his and told her to knock herself out if she wanted, and if there were any supplies she wanted or needed, to pick them up, and he would reimburse her for them.

He was still apologizing for kissing her. It killed her that he was filled with so much shame over it. It had only been a kiss… with some light groping—albeit, it had been one of the best kisses of her life. She wanted to repeat it again and again, until her lips were swollen.

Morgan wished she was more well-versed in the male species and how to seduce one. Her pops, God love him, had made sure every male in town knew she was off limits. And her father had been a big bear of a man who wasn’t afraid to use his shotgun—which had effectively shrunk her ability to date growing up.

Only the very brave or the very stupid had been willing to risk her father’s wrath.

But because of her lack of experience on the matter, she was uncertain how she should even broach the topic with Noah. She wanted him, more than she had any man before. Every time he was close, her body melted to the consistency of molasses.

She pondered the next steps to take, considering the man had an indomitable willpower. Even though she spied lust-infused hunger in his eyes, he never acted on it. Not since Sunday night. And she had no clue how to scale the wall he had erected between them.

The garden was so overgrown, she was having to use one of those long, upright, pole hoes to get rid of the overgrowth. In fact, the whole thing might just need to be redone.

“Morgan!” Wade and Zack screamed bloody murder. Their high-pitched screams pierced the stillness of the simple afternoon.

She didn’t even drop the hoe as she ran to them. They were on their jungle gym, perched at the top of the slide, holding each other and looking down.

“What’s wrong, guys?” Their fear was a palpable entity. She wanted to comfort them; protect them.

“Snake!” Wade sobbed.

That’s when she heard it: the distinct, hissing, dry rattle.

Sweet Jesus! There was a rattlesnake.

It had likely decided that the cool day was perfect to sun itself. On alert, searching the ground beneath the slide and swing set, Morgan cautiously moved around the base.

And then her heart dropped into her toes. The fear tasted metallic in her mouth.

At the bottom of the slide, a rattlesnake was coiled, sunning itself on the yellow plastic. But currently, it was livid, and warning the boys away. The damn thing’s tail was up, making that rattling hiss.

“Don’t move unless I say, boys,” she ordered, keeping her gaze trained on the snake. It hadn’t spotted her—or, if it had, it perceived Wade and Zack as more of a threat.

Morgan raised the hoe as the snake began to uncoil and slither up the slide toward the boys. Going on pure instinct, she slammed the steel hoe down with as much force as she could muster, praying her aim was true.

She decapitated the snake.

Shaking, she tossed the hoe down on the ground and ran around the side to the boys. She held her arms out for them. “Come here, guys.”

She didn’t have to tell them twice. All at once, her arms were full of crying boys. With their small heads buried on either side of her neck, their tears coating her shoulders, she headed inside the house. She would deal with the mess on the slide later. Right now, she had two scared little boys. That was the thing about living in the country, there were so many dangers from animals. It was why her dad had taught her about all the wildlife in the area, and what to do if some of the more dangerous elements came near.

With her arms full, she took the twins in, and sat on the couch in the living room. Wade and Zack both cuddled against her sides.

“Hey guys, it’s okay. You’re safe. I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” she soothed in a crooning voice. “Maybe in a little bit, we could watch some cartoons together. I think Paw Patrol is going to be on in a bit.” And if not, she would find something else to help them move past their fright.

“You killed the snake,” Wade said, hiccupping, with tears streaming down his face.

“I know I did. It was going to hurt you and your brother. I love you guys. And don’t want anything bad happening to you.”

“You love us like Daddy does?” Zack asked, rather amazed, his big blue eyes wide.

“Yeah, I do,” Morgan said, because she did. She had fallen for these two little pranksters, with their worm-infused coffee and propensity for getting brand new clothes dirty in under a minute.

They seemed to cuddle even closer at her confession, like they knew by her admission that she would slay fantastic creatures of any variety to keep them safe. She placed a kiss on each of their foreheads.

And that was when the front door opened, and Noah strode in.

The moment Wade and Zack spied their daddy, they scooted from their spots beside Morgan and raced over to him.

“Daddy!” they cried, their tears welling up again.

Noah shot Morgan a concerned stare as he knelt and put an arm around each boy. “What’s wrong, guys?”

“A snake on the slide tried to get us.” Wade whimpered.

“But Morgan killed it,” Zack said, his bottom lip quivering.

Noah’s brows rose, but it was the only indication he gave the boys of his surprised terror. “Have you guys thanked Morgan for saving you? It seems to be a theme going on here lately.”

“She loves us like you do, Daddy,” Wade said, and laid his head on Noah’s shoulder.

Noah shot her a glance. “Is that right?”

Morgan’s tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, which was suddenly dryer than the Sahara. Of course, they would tell Noah that juicy little tidbit, and not that she’d promised to always protect them. All she could do was nod. This was dicey territory. How would Noah react to her declaration?

“That’s nice,” Noah said, his tone calm, but when he looked her way, his eyes blazed fury.

Mad. That’s how he was reacting? He was mad that she loved his kids? At least he was reacting, though. It was the most emotion he had shown since Sunday night, so that was something.

“If you want to stay here with them, I left the snake on the slide and need to clean it up before it draws other animals.”

“Why don’t you stay here with the boys, and I will take care of it.” There was an inherent command in his tone that she responded to.

“Okay. Wade, Zack, why don’t you come into the kitchen with me and help me get dinner started?” She held out her hands for them to take.

“Go on with Morgan, guys, I’ll be back inside in a bit.” Noah released them, and rose. He shot her another glare, and strode toward the back door.

“Come on. You can help me get our taco fixings ready.”

That seemed to cheer them up. Oh, to be four, and have everything be so black and white without all the shades of gray in there. She didn’t understand why Noah would be angry. But she would find out once the boys were asleep that night.

They helped her grate the cheese, while eating bits of it along the way. But that was part of the fun of cooking.

When Noah came back in, as the meat sizzled on the stove and Morgan had the boys at the table watching a show on her tablet, he seemed calmer than he had before. Perhaps it was seeing how close the rattler had gotten to his kids. It had shaken her up, and she was just their nanny.

She remained quiet throughout dinner and the boys’ bath time rituals. Noah took over bedtime, wanting to spend that extra time with them. She was fine with that. The boys had made a mess of the kitchen with the tacos, and it needed a good cleaning.

Morgan had just finished putting away the last of the dishes when Noah stalked into the kitchen. The expression on his face was sternly determined, and laser focused on her. Without thinking, she backed up until she hit the counter. Noah boxed her in.

He didn’t say a word, just gripped her nape, and slanted his mouth over hers.

Oh my god!

She grabbed his shirt, fisting the soft material in her hands as she held on. He was like a thunderstorm, strong and unpredictable, capable of fury and devastation, liable to obliterate the landscape, changing it until it was something different. That’s precisely what his kiss, his potent, dark and dangerous kiss, was doing to her. Altering her, molding her into a new woman.

And the fury in him was potent and punishing as he kissed her.

One of his large hands trailed down her side and around to the front waistband of her jean shorts. His fingers toyed with the clasp. His mouth moved along her jaw. Beside her ear, he murmured, “Stop me.”

She shook her head. Instead, she whimpered, “Touch me.”

With a flick of his fingers, he undid her shorts and slid his palm beneath the fabric while nibbling on her ear. At finding her wet, he groaned softly. It was the sexiest sound she had ever heard, and only added to the need pumping through her.

His digit dipped between her folds, stroking, exploring, learning her. She gasped, and her head fell back.

Noah pressed a finger inside, gliding deeper as he thrust. Her moans grew louder.

“Hush,” he commanded, and took her lips.

She clutched at his broad shoulders. His tongue thrust inside her mouth in time with the finger in her pussy. She ground against his hand, desperate for the friction and the release as her body tightened like a bowstring.

She moaned into Noah’s sinful mouth as he added a second finger, thrusting them quickly inside her, driving her body up a crystalline ledge of ecstasy.

The taut bowstring snapped at the next deep thrust. Quaking against his body as she came on his fingers, she wailed into his mouth. He thrust his fingers until the last aftershocks subsided.

She lifted her eyelids as he broke the kiss. Lust filled his features. He removed his hand from her sex, lifted the digits coated with her cream to his lips, and sucked them into his mouth. If anything, his carnal look deepened as he tasted her.

It was the most base, wicked thing she had ever witnessed.

“Noah,” she breathed, unsteady and unsure what he was doing and planning. All of a sudden he’d gone from avoiding her to giving her the best orgasm of her life. Why?

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him, to suggest they move into another room. She trailed one of her hands down and covered the bulge in his pants—the very large, firm bulge that made her wonder if he would even fit.

But from the hall, the sound of small feet racing over the floor stopped her, had her yanking her hand away from his crotch, and staring at Noah, unsure of what to do next.

“Daddy. We had a nightmare. Can we come sleep with you?” Wade asked.

“Sure. Why don’t we head into my room now and let Morgan get some rest,” Noah said, retreating.

Morgan stood plastered against the counter, her pants undone, and watched Noah pick his kids up, carrying them down the hall and out of sight. When she was finally alone, she headed to her bedroom on unsteady knees.

Shutting and locking the door once she was inside, she made it as far as the comfy chair before her legs would no longer hold her up.

What the hell had just happened? Since Sunday night, Noah had been abjectly avoiding her. Until tonight. Until she had saved Wade and Zack from the snake, and told them she loved them.

Was that it? The key to Noah? Love?

She rubbed the heel of her palm against her chest. That wouldn’t be a problem, because she was already halfway there with him. Would they have stopped if they hadn’t been interrupted? Or would he have carried her off to his bed instead, and even now be tearing up the sheets with her?

What did she need to do to make that happen? Because if nothing else, she wanted Noah with a fierceness she didn’t understand. He walked into a room, and eclipsed everything else.