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She could dream of a goodbye kiss from the stranger. Or she could give him one herself. It was risky, but she was warming to the idea. Executing it would be a different—
A car came to a screeching halt, right in front of them on the street. Then a loud yelp rang out and something hit the pavement with a thud. And a dog began to whimper. The sound of his pained cries curled her stomach and she glanced at Dan. He didn’t waste a second. He grabbed her hand and took off running toward the downed animal. The car sped off, the driver not even giving the poor animal a glance. Dan was at the dog’s side immediately, kneeling beside him, cradling his head. “You’ll be alright, boy,” he said, whispering confidently near the dog’s face as he began a thorough scan over his body. His big hands were gentle as he probed. He found a few gashes on the dog’s backside where blood was beginning to pool. “You need some patching up, is all.”
“Are you a vet?” she asked, noting the care he took with the animal.
“No, but he needs one. He’s scared, probably in shock. That A-hole just drove off after hitting him.”
Erin couldn’t believe it, either. It was heartless and cold. She wished she could’ve gotten a look at the license plate.
The dog looked to be a mix of collie and German shepherd with big round brown eyes. He watched Dan carefully, giving him blind trust. “Will you stay with him?” Dan asked, sparing her a brief glance. “I have a blanket in my car.”
“Sure, of course.”
Dan rose and Erin took over his position. “You’re gonna be just fine, pretty boy,” she said, carefully stroking the dog just above the eyes. She made massage circles and the dog’s whimpers stopped as his eyes drifted closed. He wore no collar and there was no way to contact his owner, if he even had one. Why had he been wandering out so late at night?
“That’s it, boy. Rest. We’re going to get you all fixed up.”
Dan was back in an instant, and immediately tucked the blanket under the dog, careful not to cause him injury. The blanket was thick enough to absorb the little bit of blood at the wound site. “Bleeding isn’t too bad.”
“That’s good, right?”
He nodded.
“What can I do to help?”
“You mind watching him in the backseat of my SUV? My vet is gonna meet me at my house. It’s closer than his office.”
“Sure,” she said, stroking the dog’s golden coat gently. “Of course I will.”
And once Dan got her situated in the backseat of his car, the big blanketed dog scooted next to her and planted his sweet mug on her lap. Thatta boy. She smiled and continued to massage the dog’s head, just over the eyes and occasionally stroking over his ears.
Dan didn’t say much as he drove, but he kept glancing in the rearview mirror to see how the dog was doing. She was touched by his concern, the kindness in his eyes.
“Pretty nice vet to come out in the middle of the night for this sweet guy,” she said.
Dan nodded, and she didn’t think he’d say anything but seconds later, he admitted, “I do business with him at my ranch. He’s a neighbor.”
So Dan really was a cowboy. “Is it far?”
“Five more minutes.”
And a short time later, Dan pulled into one of the garages of a beautifully appointed two-story estate. It was dark; she couldn’t see more than what the ground lights surrounding the property gave away, but her instincts told her this ranch was massive and successful.
“I’ll set up a bed in the kitchen and then come get him,” Dan said.
Lights flicked on in the garage as he entered his home and Erin waited patiently. The dog was breathing heavily, but other than that, his whimpers from earlier were all gone. Thank goodness. Erin had never owned a dog, but back in her college days she used to walk dogs to pick up extra spending cash, and she’d grown fond of the species, even as she was also picking up their poop. She was sure this big guy would’ve stolen her heart too. He had those kind of eyes that seemed to touch her deep inside.
Once Dan came back, he removed the dog from the backseat, lifting him with as much care as he’d lifted her from the mat after her mechanical bull fiasco. Erin followed him inside to a kitchen a chef would envy. Despite the ivory cabinets, black granite countertops trailing with gold vein, contemporary appliances and stone fireplace, the room looked cozy and lived-in.
Dan set the dog down and stroked him lovingly a few times. Then he grabbed a towel he’d soaked with warm water and began dabbing at the animal’s wounds.
“You came up with that bed really fast,” she said, kneeling beside Dan, curious about this man. “I’m impressed.”
He shrugged. “I sorta rescue animals.”
“You do?”
“Not deliberately.”
“How does that work?”
“If strays come by, they end up staying. One I found stranded by the side of the road, another was left behind after the family moved out of Texas. The cats are all freeloaders. They kept coming around searching for food and I fed them.”
“How many pets do you have?”
“Four dogs, three cats, a string of horses.”
“Is this a horse farm?”
He shook his head. “Cattle ranch.”
“Lots and lots of cattle, I assume.”
His lips quirked up a bit. “Something like that.”
Erin could easily imagine Dan surrounded by animals. He was one of those men that appeared tough on the outside, but she didn’t doubt he was a total softie on the inside. When the dog was hit, Dan went into action mode, seeing to the injured animal’s needs immediately.
Sort of like how he’d come to her rescue with the bull.
A few minutes later, Dan’s neighbor, a man he introduced as Doug Bristol, walked into the kitchen armed with his medical bag. He quickly went to work on the dog, giving him a thorough visual examination along with poking and prodding him gently in a few places. “He’s lucky,” he said after his exam. “He got pretty banged up, but nothing seems broken.”
They watched the vet administer pain meds to the dog and then bandage his wounds. When he’d done all he could for him, Dr. Bristol told Dan to bring him by his office in the morning. “I want to examine him again. What’s his name?”
Dan shrugged, then said, “How about we call him Lucky?”
Dan gave his neighbor a nod. “Lucky.”
“Okay, I’ll see Lucky, then, tomorrow. Nice to meet you, Erin.”
“Thanks for stopping by, Doc,” Dan said, and the two men shook hands.
After seeing his neighbor to the door, Dan walked back into the kitchen and there was stony silence. Now that the dog was sleeping and seemed fine, there was no reason for her stay any longer. Awkward moments passed as both of them stared at each other. “I should go,” she whispered. “You managed two rescues in one night. You must be tired.”
“Not tired, are you?”
She shook her head. She couldn’t believe how easily she’d done that, knowing full well if she’d said she was tired, Dan would’ve driven her back to the Dark Horse to pick up her car. “No, I’m not tired. Kinda keyed up after what happened tonight.”
Perhaps admitting that to Dan was the riskiest thing she’d done all night.
“Yeah, me too. Cup of coffee? Something stronger?”
No more alcohol for her tonight. She wasn’t quite sure if it was the mechanical bull or the two Cadillac margaritas she’d had earlier that landed her flat on her ass at the saloon. “Coffee sounds perfect.”
And the man of few words set about making coffee.
* * *
Erin sipped Dan’s coffee and nibbled on a warm giant chocolate-chip cookie oozing with melted chocolate. Warming the cookies before gobbling them down was her mother’s trick, and tonight Erin put it to the test. A few seconds in the microwave made even a stale cookie speak to the senses.
“Aren’t they good warm?” Erin asked Dan.
He nodded. “Good.”
Instead of Gorgeous Beast, maybe she should call him Caveman. The man seemed to have perfected the art of grunting, nodding and giving one-word answers. But his eyes spoke volumes and right now she was the object of his intense smolder. Not that she was complaining. He was almost as delicious as the cookie that was coating the interior of her mouth with chocolate goodness.
“So how long have you lived here?”
“In Texas? All my life,” he said.
“I’m from Seattle.”
He sipped coffee. “So you said.”
“I did? When?”
“After the bull tossed you off.”
“Oh yeah. That bull thing was a dumb idea.”
He nodded, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “Kinda courageous.”
“Really?” She perked up. Had he just complimented her?
“But not real smart.” He tossed the last of his cookie in his mouth.
She rolled her eyes and he laughed, a big hearty he-man sound that did things to her sanity. “I really should go. Would you mind calling me a cab?”
He stood. “I’ll drive you.”
“But you shouldn’t leave Lucky alone.”
Dan gave the sleeping dog a glance. “He’s getting the rest he needs. I doubt he’ll wake up before morning.”
But she suspected it was more than that. Dan was the kind of Texan bred with incredible manners and he wasn’t about to send her off alone in the dead of night. He’d see her safely back to her car. “Only if you’re sure.”
“I’m not sure I want you to leave,” he said quite candidly. “But I am sure about driving you.”
Wow. Not only did he surprise her by speaking in full sentences, but he admitted he wanted her to stay longer. “Thank you. I’ll take you up on that ride.”
Dan nodded, appearing neither relieved nor disappointed.
She really wanted to stay, but her risk-taking skills were momentarily disabled. “You know, I don’t think I ever thanked you for saving my pride and my hide this evening. It was really kind of you.” She reached up and planted a kiss to his scruffy, super sexy cheek.
Just as she was backing away, a strong arm wrapped about her waist, drawing her against the wall of his chest. He was massive, in a very good sort of way, and an image of him shirtless muscled its way into her head.
“I need to thank you too,” he said.
“For?” Trapped against him, her breath hitched. This was different from before when he’d carried her out of the Dark Horse Saloon. This was more intimate. They were alone in Dan’s big ranch house. Two consenting adults.
“Helping with Lucky.” Using his thumb, he tilted her chin up until she met his striking blue eyes. Oh boy. He was going to kiss her and she gave him a nonverbal okay. He took his time, inching closer to her mouth. And he was taking forever. The anticipation was killing her.
Then his mouth came down on hers and her lids lowered. She fell into the delicious, fiery, heaven-help-her, hot, hot kiss. The taste of chocolate and coffee mixed with sheer raw passion. Having his lips on hers blew her away. It was like a force of nature, something powerful and inspiring. She roped her arms around his neck and he circled her waist, connecting them, freeing them to continue whatever this was.
Dan’s mouth became more demanding and little throaty sounds pressed from her lips as she indulged. Their tongues mated and Dan let out a grunt of approval that made her smile inside. Her hands threaded through his dark blond hair, the strands curling up at the collar of his shirt. She stood incredibly close to his rock hard body and it was difficult not to notice the state of his arousal. She found herself in the same situation—wanting.
Wanting to stay.
Wanting more time with him.
Wanting to take a risk with this tall Texan.
And just as those thoughts were cementing in her head, Dan ended the kiss and backed away. “Sorry.” He shrugged. “I got carried away.”
She smiled, missing his lips on her, missing his warmth and heat. “That’s my line. I got carried away. By you, back at the saloon.”
“I didn’t plan on bringing you here.”
“I know. It was just Lucky, I guess.” She giggled at her own joke and even the big man smiled.
“You think so?” He pulled her back into his arms. “’Cause I was feelin’ lucky just a minute ago.”
She stared at his mouth. “It’s been a long time since I felt this lucky,” she said softly. He furrowed his brows again, something he did often. She found that trait incredibly appealing.
“Same here, Erin. Will you stay the night?”
She nodded, murmuring a soft, “Yes.”
Then without another word, Dan took her shaky hand and led her out of the kitchen.
* * *
He liked Erin. If he was being honest, probably too damn much, and it had been a long while since he met a woman who sparked his interest. He’d spotted her at the Dark Horse, and almost instantly there was a connection. And also almost instantly, he knew she didn’t belong in the saloon. When she’d climbed up on that mechanical bull, he figured she was in for the ride of her life. For a few seconds, that is. But as soon as the bull tossed her off, he’d come running to her rescue, shielding her embarrassment, making eye contact with the crowd, daring anyone to laugh as he carried her off.
What was it about him? He rescued animals and damsels in distress, or so it seemed. Bringing her to his cattle ranch at Hunt Acres had never been his plan, but then the dog was hit by a car and all of a sudden, they were here together in the middle of the night and now she was on his bed, reaching for him.
It was damn hard to think straight or at all.
He lowered onto the bed, taking her into his arms and kissed her again, careful not to crush her small frame. She was sweet and sexy and willing. Was he the risk she’d decided to take tonight too? He had to make certain this was what she wanted, had to give her a way out. “Are you sure, Erin?”
