Cowboy Take Me Away

Chapter 17


What happened next was a blur to Shannon. She and Luke got out of the truck, but the moment they crossed in front of it and came back together, he pressed her up against the hood, cradling the back of her neck in his hand and kissing her long and hard. There was nothing gentle about it, but that wasn’t what she wanted right now. She wanted to feel how much he wanted her, to bring out that wild streak she knew was still inside him, to look into those dark, captivating eyes and see him looking back with desire.

He backed away for a moment, breathing hard, his lips still hovering over hers. “I can’t stay. You know I can’t stay in this town. So if you need to say no, say it now. Say it now before—”

She took him by his shirt collar and yanked him forward, slamming her mouth against his. She knew the warning was because he cared about her, but she didn’t need it. She knew who they both were, what they wanted, and how this had to end. She didn’t care about later. All she wanted was right now.

But hadn’t she warned herself about this? Over and over, until she was sick of hearing her own voice inside her head? The closer you get to him, the more you’ll regret it later.

Then he’d taken her to his secret overlook tonight. Talked to her so tenderly. Held her while she cried like a fool. And suddenly she couldn’t let one more night pass without being with him.

“No,” she said breathlessly. “I’ve wanted this for a long time. Such a long time.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before Luke grabbed her hand and they hurried up the porch steps. When they reached the door, he looked over his shoulder and spit out a curse.

“Keys—shit. Give me yours.”

Shannon fished through her purse. She’d barely located her keys before Luke yanked them out of her hand and unlocked the door. He pushed it open and pulled her inside.

“Wait,” she said. “Yours are still in your truck. Somebody could drive off with—”

“Don’t care.”

He barely took time to click the lock before dragging her toward his apartment. As she ran along behind him, she dropped her purse and it hit the tile floor. She heard a clink and a clatter. Looking over her shoulder, she saw half its contents spilled out beside it, but she couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop. He pulled her into his apartment and spun her around, kissing her at the same time he backed her against the door and it slammed shut.

Yes, she thought. Yes! More, more, more…

He pulled the elastic out of her ponytail, and her hair cascaded to her shoulders. He slid his hand into it and closed his fist, holding her steady and kissing her with the kind of self-assurance she’d never felt from any other man. That voice inside her head—the one that always told her to slow down, to stop, to think, to consider—began to fade away in the heat of passion, until it finally fell silent altogether.

Then suddenly he pulled away. She reached for him, only to realize the only reason he’d stopped was to rip off his T-shirt and fling it aside. Her gaze went directly to that gorgeous chest, but her view was cut short when he reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it off over her head. He unclasped her bra, swept the cups aside, and took her breasts in his hands. He lifted and squeezed them as he kissed her again, strumming her nipples with his thumbs. With her arms looped around his neck, she closed her eyes and dropped her head back against the door. When her knees buckled, he caught her, swept her into his arms, and lay her on the bed.

Soon they had shed their clothes, and Luke was beside her on the bed, his hand gliding across the bare skin over her hips, her belly, her ribs. Then he lifted one breast and closed his mouth over her nipple, swirling his tongue around it. He moved to her other breast and gave it the same treatment, and the feeling was so powerful she almost couldn’t stand it.

Still teasing her breasts with his tongue, he moved his hand between her legs and began to stroke her there. First gently, then harder. Then he backed away for a moment, waiting until she arched her hips up to meet his touch, begging for more. She’d never been with a man who was so in tune with her smallest movement, her slightest moan. Luke listened and reacted, kissing her here, touching her there, pressing his fingers between her legs, stroking her relentlessly.

“Luke,” she said, barely able to find her voice. “Please. Now.”

But now he didn’t seem to be listening at all. He just kept teasing and tormenting her until she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t breathe. Good God. She was going to die, right here, right now.

Finally he moved between her legs. In one hard stroke, he slid deep inside her, and the pleasure was so great she almost cried out with relief. He moved with swift, powerful strokes, pushing her higher and higher, right to the edge, until her breath came in quick, sharp gasps. She came closer…closer…so close…

And then she fell.

All at once it was as if floodgates opened and her body was awash in sensation. She dug her fingers into Luke’s shoulders, lifting her hips to meet every stroke, begging for everything he had to give her. He’d lived in her memory for so many years that she couldn’t believe the flesh-and-blood man was here right now, making love to her like this.

“Shannon,” he groaned, his voice deep and raspy. “Sweetheart…oh, God…”

He threw his head back as he came, then buried it in the hollow of her neck as tremors of pleasure washed over both of them. It seemed to go on forever, the heat, the pulsing, the amazing feeling of finally letting go.

Luke rolled to his back, and after a moment, he pulled her toward him. She turned and fell against him, and he enveloped her in his arms. Their breathing became slower, more measured, the heat of passion melting into the warmth of togetherness.

“If you don’t mind,” she said quietly, “I’m going to stay a while this time.”

He tightened his arms around her. “I hope you’ll be back.”

She smiled drowsily. “You couldn’t keep me away.”



On Monday morning, Russell sat at his desk in his office, having a cup of coffee and trying not to obsess over what had happened at Shannon’s apartment on Saturday night. He was getting pretty damned tired of being so understanding. No problem! Run off with Luke Dawson. I’ll just wait over here like a good little boy until you finally get him out of your system.

Russell fingered his letter opener, wishing he could stab it into something. Luke Dawson was the embodiment of every guy in his life who’d ever one-upped him, the guy who won the game, secured the promotion, got the girl. Handsome, sexy, with the kind of confidence that drew women to him without him even trying.

Russell tossed the letter opener aside and glared at the calendar on his desk. He’d even been stupid enough to think Shannon had invited him to dinner because it was his birthday. But no. She hadn’t said a single word about it.

Just then his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, surprised to see the name on the caller ID. He hit the Talk button. “Mom? Hi. How are you?”

“I was returning your call,” his mother said.

“Returning my call?”

“Yes. You left me a message several days ago. What did you want, dear?”

Several days ago? Try a week and a half. “Oh. That. I just wanted to ask you…”

“Yes?”

“I thought maybe you and Dad would like to come here for a visit. Just for a few days.”

Silence on the line. The kind of silence that, even after all these years, he still struggled not to fill.

“Come there?” she said finally. “To Rainbow Valley?”

“Well, yeah. If you can get away. They have an inn here. It’s a little rustic, but it’s nice. I wouldn’t say it’s a five-star hotel, but…”

His voice trailed off, mostly because he didn’t know what else to say.

“It’s at least three hours from Dallas,” his mother said.

“You could take a Southwest flight into Austin.”

“Southwest? Isn’t that the airline where you can’t reserve seats?”

“Or you can fly American. And then rent a car. It’s only about an hour from Austin.”

“Then we might as well drive,” his mother said. “Sounds as if the access is abysmal.”

“That’s what makes it nice,” Russell said without a lot of conviction. “It’s secluded. Off the beaten path. A nice place to get away.”

But even as he said that, he knew his mother’s idea of “getting away” was renting a luxury villa in the Cayman Islands.

“I don’t know, dear,” she said finally. “We’re very busy. I have three deals I’m closing this month, and your father…well, you know. His schedule is brutal.”

Yes. Russell was all too familiar with his father’s schedule. “Actually, I was hoping you could meet Shannon.”

“Shannon?”

“My girlfriend. I told you about her last time we talked. She’s great. I think you’ll really like her.”

Long pause. “Oh. The woman with the animals.”

“Yes. She used to be a CPA. Now she’s the director of the animal shelter. That’s a big deal here in Rainbow Valley.”

“She left a job as a CPA to work for a nonprofit?”

“Yes. Remember I told you that? But she’s really smart. And she comes from a good family here. Her father was an attorney. Retired now. Her mother—”

Just then Russell heard that familiar click that told him his mother had another call coming in. He’d heard that click about a thousand times in his life, and it never failed to make him just a little bit sick to his stomach.

“Russell, dear. Hold just a moment. I have another call.”

Of course you do.

He pressed the phone to his ear and waited a painfully long time, imagining her talking about escrows and interest rates and inspections and appraisals and all those other things that made up his mother’s world, leaving little room for anything else.

Finally the line clicked again. “Russell, are you still there?”

“Yeah, Mom. I’m here.”

“About visiting. Of course we’d love to. I just don’t know when it will be possible. Your father and I will have to coordinate our schedules and get back to you. This month is out for me, and your father has a conference next month in addition to his surgery schedule. And why he agreed to teach this semester, I’ll never know.”

“Okay,” Russell said. “Just let me know.”

“Of course, dear. I need to go now. Stay in touch.”

And then she was gone.

There had been a time when he’d believed his mother when she said it was just a timing thing and schedules were being compared and yes, of course they’d love to, even when he lived only fifteen miles away. Then weeks would pass, and months, and pretty soon it was time for the Morgensen family Christmas at their home in Highland Park. They’d sit around his parents’ professionally decorated Christmas tree, where Russell would collect the usual cashmere sweater and whatever bottle of vintage wine his father happened to pull from his wine cellar. Then for another year, they’d have unbearably stilted telephone conversations that went nowhere. Then Christmas would roll around again…

And then it dawned on him. His birthday. His mother hadn’t said a word about it.

“Dr. Morgensen?”

He looked up to find Cynthia at his office door.

“My mother,” he said as he stuffed his phone into his pocket. “She and my father are coming for a visit.”

“That’s nice,” Cynthia said. “When?”

“They have to check their schedules. My mother is the top Realtor in the Park Cities in Dallas. It keeps her really busy.”

“I bet it does. What does your father do?”

“My father?” Russell suddenly felt like the slacker his parents thought he was. “He’s a heart surgeon.”

Cynthia’s big brown eyes grew even wider. “Wow. I imagine that keeps him busy, too.”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” Cynthia said brightly, “I hope I get to meet them when they’re here. Will they come to the office?”

All at once, Russell realized just how wrong that would be. His mother would look at Cynthia’s Sea World pencil cup and her stuffed rabbit and the plants that were beginning to make his waiting room look like Little Shop of Horrors, and she wouldn’t be able to fathom any of it. And what if they tried talking to Velma? That would be an experience. Then his father would glance around his office and wonder where his son’s golf trophies and awards from professional associations were. Russell could take then to dinner at the club, but as nice as the Majestic was, it felt like a low-class bar and grill compared to their club in Dallas.

Suddenly he felt sick to his stomach all over again. What the hell had he been thinking when he moved there?

“Of course they’ll come to the office,” Russell said. No, they won’t. They’re never coming. I could live here for twenty years, and they’d never step foot in this town. Never.

“Good,” Cynthia said. “That’s good.” But there was something in her voice that didn’t sound like cheerful conversation.

It sounded like pity.

And then he knew. She must have overheard part of his conversation, and she had an inkling what was going on. But there was nothing pitiful about him. His practice was off to a great start. People looked up to him here. He was a thirty-two-year-old man who certainly didn’t need his parents to tell him he was doing well. He didn’t need anyone to tell him his decisions were right or wrong. He didn’t need anybody, period.

But his practice wasn’t in one of Dallas’s high-rent neighborhoods. He wasn’t in debt up to his eyeballs to have outrageously expensive state-of-the-art equipment. His patients didn’t include a bunch of big-city movers and shakers. He wasn’t going to be profiled in Dallas Monthly as one of the city’s top ten dental practitioners.

And dentistry wasn’t heart surgery.

“Did you need something?” Russell said.

“What?”

“What were you going to say?”

“Oh. It’s nothing.”

For the first time he realized she’d been holding a small white box, which she’d set on his desk when she came in. “It’s just a little something for you,” she said, sliding it toward him. “No big deal.”

Russell opened the box, surprised at what he saw. A single cupcake. On top was a swirl of frosting with multicolored sprinkles.

And a blue birthday candle.

“I know your birthday was on Saturday,” she said, “but we weren’t in the office then, so I thought…”

Russell continued to stare at the cupcake. She’d remembered his birthday?

“I know,” she said, shrugging weakly. “It’s dumb.”

“No!” Russell said. “It’s not dumb. It’s not dumb at all.”

“I have a match,” she said. “I can…you know. Light the candle. If you want me to.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

She pulled a book of matches from her pocket and struck one, leaning in close to light the candle. It flared. Burned.

“Make a wish,” she said.

That was easy. When I ask Shannon to marry me one of these days, she’ll say yes.

He blew out the candle.

“What did you wish for?” Cynthia asked.

“If I say it, it won’t come true.”

“Then keep it to yourself,” Cynthia said, smiling. “I hope you get your wish.”

He looked up at her smile, a sweet, friendly smile that made him feel good in ways he’d never realized before. As single-minded as she could be, she still made things easy for him around there. Jessie had even started to warm up to him a little, but only because Cynthia brushed her and fed her and petted her and made her generally happy to be there. With that kind of attention, how could the cat possibly be anything but ecstatic all the time?

“Well, I’d better get back to work,” Cynthia said. “Happy birthday, Dr. Morgensen.”

She left his office and closed the door behind her. He looked at the cupcake, then at his calendar. He thought about his mother, then about Shannon…

He grabbed his phone. Call Shannon. Make another date. Get her back on the hook again.

Then he stopped himself. No. He wasn’t going to do that. That clingy stuff wasn’t going to work with her. He had to play just a little bit hard to get. And the more he thought about it, did Luke Dawson really matter, anyway? In a few weeks he’d be gone for good. Out of the way forever.

In the meantime, Russell decided he’d just lie low. Once Luke was gone, Shannon would realize he’d been nothing but temporary fun and games. And when she went looking for somebody she wanted to be with forever, who would be right under her nose?

He would. The man she was really destined to be with.

And neither one of them would ever mention Luke Dawson again.



The day before the festival began, Luke got a call from Myrna, asking him if he could help her out with a special surprise. He agreed instantly. After he hung up, he asked Freddie Jo for the necessary paperwork, and then he went to the kennel and told Barney his life was about to change big time.

Barney jumped into his truck with him, and fifteen minutes later they pulled up in front of Myrna’s house. Luke sat down beside Myrna in a wicker chair on the front porch. She filled out the paperwork Luke had brought, and then she poured them both a glass of sweet tea. Barney lay down on the front porch, acting as if he belonged there.

Smart dog.

At a little after four, the school bus pulled up to the corner of 12th Street and Llama Lane. Kids piled out. Pretty soon Todd came down the steps, dragging a lunch box and a handful of papers. He made it as far as the house next door before he noticed the guests on his front porch.

“Luke! Barney!”

He took off running across the lawn. Barney leaped to his feet and looked at Luke.

“Well, go on,” Luke said with a nod.

Barney shot off the porch and met Todd in the middle of the front yard. Todd dropped his lunch box and papers and gave Barney a big hug. The dog squirmed happily, his tail wagging like crazy. Then Todd came to the porch, Barney following close at his heels. Myrna took his lunch box and his papers from him.

“Hey, Luke! Did you bring a ball?”

Luke tossed the red ball to Todd.

“Can Barney stay for a while and play?”

“Luke didn’t bring Barney for a visit,” Myrna said. “He’s going to be staying with us.”

For a few seconds, Luke could tell Todd didn’t quite understand.

“He’s your dog now,” Luke said.

Todd just stood there, stunned. Then slowly his eyes filled with tears. He looked at Myrna. “I get to have a dog?”

“Uh-huh,” Myrna said. “Long as you take care of him.”

“I will!” Todd said. He squatted down and gave Barney another big hug, and for some reason, Luke’s own eyes filled with tears. Well, crap. He blinked rapidly, furtively swiping the shoulder of his shirt across his eyes.

“You and Barney go on inside, now,” she told Todd. “You need to get out of your school clothes before you play.”

“Okay. Come on, Barney. I’ll show you my room!”

As they went into the house, Myrna said, “Seems like a pretty good dog.”

“Yep. I think he and Todd are going to get along just fine.”

“Appreciate you bringing him over.”

“My pleasure.”

Myrna took another sip of her tea. “But you were a rotten kid, you know. No denying that.”

A tiny smile played across Luke’s lips. “Yes, ma’am. You’re absolutely right.”

“But that means I’ve got hope.”

“What do you mean?”

“That people can change.” She shrugged weakly. “Maybe someday my Belinda will come back.”

For all Myrna’s talk about how she’d said “good riddance” to her daughter and never looked back, Luke knew now that just the opposite was true.

“She’s probably just trying to figure some things out,” Luke said. “Sooner or later she’s going to miss you and Todd.”

“Maybe so.”

As they finished their tea, he could hear Todd inside the house chattering away to his new dog, and it occurred to Luke that lately, life had been good in Rainbow Valley.

Very, very good.