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
