My Cocky Cowboy(A Steamy Older Man Romance)(19)
“Don't worry,” I tell her.
“I guess you must know a lot of women in town,” she says as we slide into the booths.
“Maybe they want to know me but I'm a loner. If I’m gonna be with a woman, she'll have to be a special kind of girl.”
“What makes a woman special for you, Shea?” Dallyce murmurs, like it's the most important question she ever asked.
“Can't rightly put my finger on it, although whenever I touch you that comes fucking close to heaven.”
Rose drops the milkshake and root beer I ordered and stomps away. I reach across and take both of Dallyce's little hands under mine.
“And whenever I'm with you, just hanging out like this, or riding Cinders together, it seems like the most natural thing in the world. All the tension of the day falls away and I'm just glad to have you by me. I can't imagine you not being there always. And that's about the longest conversation I've ever had so I'll shut up now before I make a fool out of myself.”
Chapter FOURTEEN
Dallyce
Riding in the pick up and getting a shake at Shelley's Diner are the most natural things in the world when I do them with Shea. There could never be a man more perfect in my estimation. He's as gorgeous as sin and tough as the nails we just purchased.
When we leave and I glance back through the window at Rose and my eyes light on a 'Help Wanted' sign. It's really faded and I don’t know whether that's from the sun or because it's old. But I get a crazy idea to get a job here in town and stick around to be with Shea. It's about time I left home and started a life and I know that Shea would take care of me even if things didn't work out between us.
“You okay, Angel?” he asks once he's turned the truck around and can take my hand in his, the other on the wheel. “'Cos you look like you got a lot on your mind. I'm a good listener.”
He gives my hand a squeeze and I know I can tell my tough cowboy anything. Except I should maybe wait until the end of the weekend just to be sure.
“I'm great,” I say. “So happy when I'm with you.”
“Ditto,” he says, giving me another squeeze.
When we turn off the road onto the long sand drive leading to the ranch house, I figure I should hop back under the blanket out of sight.
“You stay right where you are,” Shea tells me in his masculine tone. “No girl of mine has to skulk around and hide.”
“But Nissa -”
“Anyone's got something to say, they can take it up with me,” he insists.
“I already got into trouble with her,” I say. “She thinks I'm too lippy.”
“You tell her it's one of the things I love about you.”
I can't reply to that because I'm quivering though every nerve ending. Did he just say he loves me in a round about kind of way?
Sure enough Nissa's on the warpath as soon as we pull into the yard and I open the door to leap down from the truck.
“Where have you been?” she demands.
“Out,” I tell her with a knife edge to my tone, suddenly having enough of being spoken to like a kid.
She goes on for a while before finishing up with a dismissive, “You need to get ready for the opening tonight.”
“I'm a fake princess, not a real one,” I snarl. “There's no need to take this quite so seriously.”
I stride toward the ranch house, feeling strong because Shea stood on his side of the truck throughout the conversation. He let me handle myself but made sure to be close by me, ready to defend me should I need it. It's the most amazing feeling and one I've never known until now.
I can't imagine feeling the same way with a guy my own age. Shea's so confident and manly in his years and I've never seen a hotter freaking cowboy, which is saying something seeing as I must have met every one in existence in recent weeks.
Getting dressed up and putting the tiara in my hair seems silly now. I'm almost embarrassed by what Shea's going to say when he sees me putting on princessy airs for a crowd.
“Where were you?” Modesty whispers when she zips me up. “Nissa was almost spewing.”
“I rode into town with Shea.”
“The guy that spanked your bottom?” she squeaks, her eyes wide and more than a little impressed.
“You saw that?”
“I did but I didn't say anything. Not even to Rafe. It must have been so exciting.”
I smile the biggest grin at the memory.
“Yeah, it was.”
“The cowboys on this ranch are the hottest on the planet,” she says.
“You've changed your tune in just a few days.”
“I had to grow out of my childish terrors sometime, right?”
Nissa's bustling about at the door, calling for us, so I give Modesty a hug for good luck and because I'm pleased to see her growing up and finding herself. This tour has been good for something after all. Aside from the best benefit of meeting my cocky cowboy.