Authors: Cat Johnson
Midnight Wrangler (12 page)
He sounded so mature and authoritative that she had to smile. The boys followed his order, albeit with a smirk and a few chuckles.
Rohn watched them file into the kitchen and called after them. “Two of those sandwiches are for me and Bonnie so don't be hogs and eat 'em all.”
“A'ight. And it's
Miss
Bonnie,” Tyler called back.
Miss
Bonnie,” Tyler called back.
Rohn shook his head and mumbled, “Smart-ass.”
“Bet he gets away with it, though.”
“Yup. And if you tell me how
cute
you think he is, I might have to never talk to you again.”
cute
you think he is, I might have to never talk to you again.”
“Oh, he is cute, but I think I prefer men with a few more years of experience under their belt.”
He raised a brow. “Oh, do you now? Good to know. And FYI, I got a whole lot of years under my belt.” Rohn winked and she had to laugh.
“I'll remember that.”
Joking. Laughing. Flirting. What had happened to her?
Bonnie was feeling lighter than she had in years. Maybe the change came from having people in this house. Rohn and his three hired hands chased away the dark, somber aura and brought in the light.
“Come on. Best get in there before they forget their manners and eat everything.”
“Okay.”
Rohn waited by the doorway so she could enter the room first. Gentleman to the end. Though not always quite such a gentleman. She recalled that well from twenty-five years ago.
Cheeks burning at the memories she went into the kitchen, which was overflowing with men and life and laughter, and realized she was hungry.
Chapter Twelve
“I like your
friend.
” Tyler's stressing the last word had Rohn rolling his eyes.
friend.
” Tyler's stressing the last word had Rohn rolling his eyes.
Here it came. The mocking. Rohn did his best not to feed into Tyler's prodding with his response. “That's nice.”
“She's real pretty.” Tyler, never one to be satisfied with a simple answer, kept pushing.
“Yup.” Rohn nodded and continued on the path to the ranch house. After a day of working with the boys at Bonnie's house, he was dirty and needed a shower.
Tyler should have headed to the pasture with the two other boys to throw the afternoon hay to the horses. Instead, he was badgering Rohn.
“You should ask her out.”
Annoyance and the desire to put Tyler in his place and shut down this conversation had Rohn saying, “How do you know I haven't?”
“You have?” Tyler's eyes widened. “Did she say yes?”
Crap. Rohn hadn't expected a follow-up question. “Yes . . . if she's still in town.”
Tyler shot Rohn a look. “What do you mean
if
she's still in town? When the hell did you ask her out for? Next New Year's Eve?”
if
she's still in town? When the hell did you ask her out for? Next New Year's Eve?”
Perhaps opening up that can of worms had been a bad idea. “No. For our high school reunion in a couple of weeks.”
“Why don't you ask her to dinner tonight? She's got no food in that place of hers and she's gotta eat. That's a guaranteed yes in my opinion.”
“I don't know about that.” A yes wasn't guaranteed in Rohn's opinion. “And how do you know she's got no food?”
“Because I opened the fridge today looking for a bottle of water.”
There went Rohn's whole lecture to Bonnie about how the boys were happy drinking out of a hose. Kids nowadays. Soft and spoiled, every last one of them. And without the manners their mammas taught them, apparentlyârummaging through someone's fridge without asking first. “Well, if you won't stay out of her fridge, then you definitely should stay out of her business and mine.”
“Seriously, though, Rohn. Just ask her out. I bet she's lonely over there in that mess of a house all by herself.” Tyler, obviously ignoring Rohn's remonstration, plowed right ahead and gave his opinion where it wasn't wanted or needed.
Rohn sighed. “It's not as simple as all that.”
They had a complicated past, he and Bonnie. A history Tyler knew nothing about, and one Rohn had no intention of sharing.
“Why isn't it? It's just a date, Rohn. Ain't nothing complicated 'bout that. I'm not telling you to marry her. I'm saying ask her over for a damn dinner so the woman doesn't faint from hunger. I don't wanna find her unconscious and buried under a pile of stuff next time we go over there. Do you?”
In the face of Tyler's direct questioning, it was hard for Rohn to come up with a good reason not to ask Bonnie out for dinner. Or even over to his house. He'd noticed the dark shadows beneath her eyes. She wasn't sleeping well at her place.
That could be because she'd slept on the sofa, or it could be because that empty house was just thatâas empty of people as it was crammed full of shit.
Maybe if he could get her over to his place, she'd agree that his guest room was a perfectly good option for her to stay in for a few nights, or the whole time she was in town.
Tyler was right. There was no good reason not to call her right this minute and ask her to come over for a home-cooked mealâexcept that she could say no.
Of course, she could also say yes, and then break his heart again when he got attached to her and she eventually went back to Arizona.
Who was he kidding? He was already getting attached to her.
Just like it had been in high school, a few minutes in Bonnie's presence was all it had taken.
From the day he'd hired on to help her daddy at the farm, and he'd gotten to know her better, she'd eclipsed all else in his universe.
Rohn wrestled his mind off those memories and to his wayward hired help. “Get out of here and go help Justin and Colt.”
“You gonna call her and suggest dinner?” Tyler asked, his brows high with expectation.
“Yes. Now get.” Rohn widened his eyes in warning.
Grinning, Tyler did as told for once, while Rohn shook his head. He thought he'd learned his lesson not to take love advice from kids. On the other hand, that kid was very happy. He had himself a smart, beautiful woman who also happened to own a damn nice house and piece of land to go with it, so who was Rohn to question Tyler's advice?
He watched and waited to make sure Tyler had gotten all the way to where Justin and Colton were loading hay into the back of the truck to drive out to the horses before he went into the house.
In his office, he sat down and took out his phone to call Bonnie for the second time that day. She was already becoming a big part of his daily life and damn, he was going to miss that when she left. Maybe if they could get her house and the field looking good enough, he could convince her to stay in Oklahoma.
With that pipe dream in place, he dialed her house number, pressed the cell to his ear, and listened to the ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Bonnie Blue.”
“Hi, Rohn.”
He heard the smile in her voice and smiled himself. “So my nosy farmhand tells me you have no food in the fridge and he's concerned we'll find you passed out from malnutrition, so I figured I'd relieve his worry and, you know, feed you.”
“You already fed me breakfast, and ice cream last night.”
“And you fed me and the guys pizza for lunch, so I figure it's my turn again. Come over to my place for dinner tonight.” He didn't give her a chance to say yes or no and plowed ahead. “Six o'clock okay?”
She hesitated for a second before finally drawing in a breath. “Yeah, that's fine.”
“My spread is just outside of town. Remember the old Jackson place?” He was sure she would know where he was talking about. When they'd been dating, they'd go parking along the river not far from where he lived now.
“Yeah, I know it.”
“That's it. That's where I live.”
“You bought the Jackson ranch?” Her tone rose.
He laughed at her surprise. “I did.”
“Wow.”
Rohn shook his head, glad he'd impressed her with something because his cooking sure wouldn't do it. “So I was thinking to make hamburgers on the grill. Maybe some corn on the cob. Three bean salad. That good with you?”
“Sounds wonderful. Thank you.”
“Don't thank me until you've had my cooking.”
She laughed. “All right. See you later.”
“See you later.” Rohn couldn't erase the smile from his face all the way outside. He had nearly reached the truck when the three stooges who were his ranch hands intercepted him.
“Rohn, you wanted them left out for the night, right?” Justin hooked a thumb toward the horse paddock. “It's not supposed to rain tonight and it's too hot to put 'em back in the stalls.”
“Then you answered your own question. Leave the horses out, but make sure they have fresh water. You were gone all day so those tubs never got scrubbed and refilled.”
“A'ight. We're on it. I'll get the hose.” Colton turned to go take care of the task.
Justin followed, saying, “I'll grab the brush from the barn.”
Tyler wasn't lazy, but he also was never one to jump to work too quickly. He waited for the other two to be out of earshot before he turned to Rohn.
“So, where are you off to?” Tyler's amused smirk had Rohn not wanting to answer the question.
He did anyway. “The grocery store.”
“To buy something to cook for dinner tonight?” Tyler asked.
“Yup. A man's gotta eat.” Rohn wasn't about to give Tyler the satisfaction of providing any more information than the basics, though he was sure the kid was doing plenty of guessing on his own.
“You might want to pick up a pint of vanilla ice cream while you're there.”
“Vanilla ice cream? And why is that?” Rohn asked.
“I just talked to Janie. She's baking today and she made an extra cobbler for you two for dessert tonight.” While Rohn was busy being appalled that his private plans had already gotten passed on to his neighbor, Tyler continued, “Though actually, whipped cream goes with cobbler, too. And you know, whipped cream could come in mighty handy for other things later on. . . .”
Good Lord, this kid thought of nothing but sex. And now, thanks to that comment, Rohn couldn't get it off his mind, either. “Tylerâ”
“I'll bring the cobbler over right after work and be gone long before she gets here, so don't look so worried.”
“I'm not worried. And I'm not buying whipped cream.” Rohn added that last part as an afterthought.
Tyler shrugged. “Suit yourself. You're too old for that kinda stuff anyway, I guess.”
Rohn saw Tyler smirking and decided there was no winning this conversation.
“Go check on the new bull, Tyler.” When all else failed, Rohn could always assign this pain in the ass something to do.
“A'ight.” Still looking much too pleased with himself, Tyler headed for the far field, and Rohn turned toward his truck.
He had a lot to do and not a whole lot of time to do it in. Shopping. Cooking. Cleaning. All because of Tyler and his crazy idea.
Summer, 1990
The spot they were headed was private and beautiful. A secluded place along the river, accessible only by a dirt road, but that was no concern. They would have no problem getting there in Rohn's truck.
Any other time there might be a chance one of his friends could be parked there with a girl, but not now. Tonight, he knew exactly where they'd all be. At Brian's party. He and Bonnie would have the spot all to themselves.
He knew it was plenty private there. It had to be, considering some of the shit his buddies claimed they did with their girls by the river. That considerationâ being all alone with Bonnie where no one could see themâhad Rohn's gut twisting.
That wasn't why he was taking her there. He just didn't know where else they could be alone. But damn, the possibilitiesâif she was ready for them to take things a little bit furtherâwere enough to have him rushing to park.
Even if all she wanted to do was look at the stars, he could get into that. No problem. Their time together was so limited, just being together was good enough for him. Though being together with a nice make-out session thrown in would be pretty damn good, too.
Rohn reached over and covered her hand. She turned her palm up and laced her fingers through his and he squeezed a bit harder. He knew if he put his arm around her shoulders, she'd snuggle right up to him, but that would have to wait until later because it was almost time to make the turn and he might need both hands on the steering wheel, depending on how rough the dirt road was.
This was his first time actually driving all the way down to the river in the dark, so he flipped on the truck's high beams and slowed to a crawl. She didn't question the fact that they were obviously driving way off the beaten path. Bonnie wasn't the type. She trusted him and knew he'd never take advantage of her.
At least, he hoped she knew that. He'd make damn sure she did. Yes, he'd made the first move kissing her in the back of the movie theater, but he'd already decided that tonight Bonnie would be calling the shots.
Her breath caught as the river came into view with the moon rising over it. “It's beautiful.”
He had to agree with her. Soon, when he turned off the headlights, the moon and stars would be the only light. He wouldn't mind the darkness one bit, but he was glad she got to see the view in the last moments of daylight.
After releasing his hold on her hand, he spun the truck in a tight circle and then threw it in reverse. He backed as close to the edge of the bank as he could safely before putting it in park and cutting the engine.
“I figured we could lower the tailgate and sit back there. There'll be more of a breeze than cooped up in here with just the windows open.”
“Okay.” Now Bonnie looked genuinely enthusiastic, unlike before when she'd tried to pretend she was all right with going to the party.
She reached for the door handle and was out of the truck before he could get the keys out of the ignition. He thought about it and turned the key to accessory. He rolled the windows down and then turned the volume on the radio a bit louder.
No reason why they shouldn't enjoy a little music while they took in the view. They were so far from any houses, the sound wouldn't attract any attention.
Bonnie was already standing behind the truck gazing at the river, so engrossed she didn't even seem to hear him walk up to her. Rohn smiled. This was how he liked to see her. Relaxed. Totally at ease.
He stood close behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as he kissed the back of her head. “You're right. This is nicer than a loud, crowded party.”
She turned in his arms to face him. “Mmm, it is. I love you.” Her eyes widened immediately after she said the word
you
. Her mouth opened and then closed, making it obvious that the confession had slipped out. “I meant
it
. I love it.”
you
. Her mouth opened and then closed, making it obvious that the confession had slipped out. “I meant
it
. I love it.”
Her confession knocked the air right out of Rohn's lungs so that he sounded a bit breathless as he said, “I love you, too.”
“You do?” Bonnie bit her lip and looked close to tears.
“Yeah. I do.”
It was crazy. He'd barely been aware of her existence a month ago. He'd never noticed her until the prom, but that one meeting had been enough to hook his interest.
Throw in a handful of dates and countless hours thinking about her while they were apart and looking for her while he was at the farm, and that was it. His heart didn't stand a chance. He didn't want it to. He was ready and willing to fall for Bonnie. Thank God, she was too.
The relief that she felt the same had a smile bowing his lips. That smile didn't go away even as he pressed his mouth to hers.
Her arms around him, Bonnie squeezed him tighter, pressing as close as two fully clothed people could get while standing.
He could kiss Bonnie forever, but it would be easier on both of them if she was sitting on the tailgate and closer to his height. As it was, with her a head shorter than him, he had to bend way down to reach her.
Rohn pulled back from her lips. He smiled again when he saw her beautiful face lit by moonlight. It was all he could do to take his arms from around her so he could turn and open the tailgate. Quick enough, he spun back to her and lifted her easily so she was sitting on the tailgate and eye level with him.
Stepping between her legs, he rested his hands on her waist, more than ready to get back to kissing her. She must have had the same idea. She fisted the fabric of his T-shirt and pulled him closer as her mouth crashed against his. She thrust her tongue between his lips and kissed him deeper.
The initial surprise that his little Bonnie Blue had let her inner hellcat loose soon gave way to sheer enjoyment as her tongue wrestled with his.
He was already breathless and getting hard from the intensity of the kiss even before she reached between them and he felt her hands on his buckle. She leaned back and their gazes met before she looked down to focus on her hands on his belt. His stomach rose and fell with his breath as he watched her open his buckle, then the button on his jeans, and then his zipper.
He was shaking by the time she reached her hand inside his underwear and he felt her gentle touch on him.
Her hand never leaving him, she brought her eyes up to meet his. “Rohn.”
“Yeah?” His voice shook as hard as his body.
“Can you climb up here with me?”
Hell, yeah. As long as she kept touching him, he'd do naked summersaults, if it would make her happy. “Okay.”
With his jeans hanging open and his underwear exposed, he hopped onto the tailgate. Sitting next to Bonnie, he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her while taking them both down until they were horizontal in the bed of the pickup.
She moved over him. He watched as she straddled his legs.
Bonnie above him was an amazing sight. Bonnie unbuttoning her jean shorts while over him was enough to make him fear he might pass out.
“You know, we, uh, can take our time if you want.” He made the offer even as he got so hard he could feel his pulse throbbing all the way through his erection.
“I know.” She wiggled out of her shorts, pulling them off each foot over her flip-flops, before she tossed them to the side.
He drew in a shaky breath as Bonnie, in nothing but a tank top and underwear, decided to pull that underwear off. He somehow forced his eyes to stay focused on her face, which was a pretty amazing feat since she was naked from the waist down.
She reached for him and pulled his length out of his underwear. The warmth of her hand in contrast to the cool breeze blowing had him shivering.
So did the knowledge of what they were about to do as Bonnie lowered her body over him.
He reached up and held her back with a hand on each of her shoulders. “You sure?”
“Yes. I've never been more sure about anything in my life. I love you and I want this.”
He wanted thisâwith herâmore than she could possibly know. “I love you, too.”
His words brought a tiny smile to her lips before she leaned low and pressed a kiss to his. He didn't question her again. There was nothing more to say, and when he felt the warmth of her body surround his, he wouldn't have been able to form a coherent thought to speak, anyway.
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