He unfolds a piece of paper, slides it across the table, and lays a fountain pen neatly on top.
I focus on making coffee and not strangling the tool seated at my table.Indemnify yourself against that.“Get out, Jed. Coyote Falls isn’t yours, and it never will be.”
My thoughts jiggle something loose inside my head. I make a mental note for a specific phone call later in the day. It might break my promise to Lanie, but I also need to set things in order before the Invitational.
“I’ll leave this here for you, then. Because if you go into that rodeo without signing, Rand, I’ll personally ensure every business contract you have is ruined before you get off that bull.”
“Always a pleasure, Jed.” I raise a full mug, sipping the dark ambrosia I’ve begun to associate with Lanie. Collecting her cup, I watch Jed leave from the corner of my eye.
I’m halfway down the hall before I realize Jed saidget off the bull.
It’s still a surprise to me that anyone thinks I won’t fall off the damn critter.
I certainly do.
My girl stretches her lithe body beneath the sheet. Her curves are outlined in a way that drives a deep-seated need in me to rip the thing off the bed, cover her body with mine, and love her until she’s a hot, wet mess in my arms. But I can see in Lanie the tendency to run, and I really don’t want her to do that out of my bedroom. I can still see it in the quick flick of her dark lashes, the way herbody tightened last night when I hauled her across the room and into my bed.
Instead, I hand her the mug, letting the scene play out in my head regardless of what reservations my broken moral compass might have. After a distinct lack of regular values, as Lanie has pointed out, I plan to spend hours making up for the damage I’ve done to her.
“That’s amazing.” Lanie levers herself into a sitting position and takes a sip, her eyes fluttering shut on the sort of sigh that heats my blood. “Thank you.”
I take the time to study her, running my gaze over every inch of exposed skin. The sheet draws tight under one arm, showcasing the swell of her breasts, though not by design. This is a woman who needs more than a little TLC in her life. I promise myself I’ll give her that time afterward. If there is an afterward.
“I need to make a call this morning. Then head out to the site of the Invitational to show West where I want everything set up and meet with the emcee.” I answer her raised eyebrow.My damn list is never-ending.“Then, if you like, I’m yours. We can try to find your wolves, actually look for them this time. Or I’ll help you sort what you need if you feel you should leave. I’m not pushing you in either direction, Lanie.”
My heart squeezes with those last words, but I have to make the offer, no matter what I want.
She halts for a breath that threatens to steal my sanity. “I got an email about the research grant last night. And I—I answered it.”
Dammit. I should have offered to pay for her research trip.I inhale hard, cold air slapping my brain as I fight to keep my voice even. “What are your plans?”
“They still need supporting paperwork, but they’d like to take the project on again.” Pride and enthusiasm war in her face, locked away behind a tremor of—Is that fear?
I swallow hard at the thought of losing her so soon, on the edge of everything falling apart on me. But if this is what she wants, I’ll be damned if I won’t tell her even if it breaks me to say it. “I’mpleased for you, Lanie. Really. I’ll miss you like hell, though. How long is it for?” I aim for a casual tone.
Her bottomless gaze never wavers. “Eighteen months.”
I fall. Hard.
To be honest, I’ve been falling hard for weeks, ever since she arrived at my front door. Something drew me to her from the first moment; the way she’d stood firm in front of me when I know I’m intimidating as hell.
“That’s great.” My throat dries, and the words come out as little more than a croak. “When do you leave?”
She lifts those blue eyes to me that are filled with fragments of her soul. I swear they flicker with indecision that offer me a flicker of hope. “Sunday. The family who offered me accommodation before is happy to have me back. I wanted to wait until after your—the rodeo,” she corrects herself, the slip small, insignificant.
“So I have one more full day with you?”
“One day.” She nods, watching me over the lip of her mug.
“I have that call to make. Then I’ll take you to see those wolves?” West can set up on his damn own.
“I’d like that,” she whispers.
I lean forward to brush my lips over her cheek, inhaling her essence.Coffee, sweetness, and something a little sharper.Something that reminds me of the forest, scented in pine. It suits her perfectly.
This place suits her perfectly, and damn if I’m not on a campaign to make sure she never forgets us.
One more day before I lose her. My chest closes on itself until the meager air I swallow expires, the same as the minutes I’m not utilizing with her. It’s not enough. Nowhere near enough. A hell of a lot can happen in eighteen months. She could meet someone, or her research could take her to a different country. Assuming I’m not dead after the rodeo. Assuming I make the bell and Coyote Falls is still mine.
