The Cowboy's Spring Romance Read online

  Trent thought he would explode from the heat and sensations rocketing through him. There was no ranch, no hay or cattle, no other thing in existence except Lindsay. She filled his senses completely. Her lips were as velvety and soft as he imagined they would be, only more so, and he wanted to taste every drop of the intoxicating nectar that was uniquely her. He had no idea, even in his wildest dreams, kissing her would be this exciting, this passionate, this perfect.

  Lindsay was surprised at the intensity of Trent’s lips on hers. If they hadn’t already been on the ground, he would have needed to scoop her off it because her entire being trembled with the fire passing between them. She didn’t want this kiss to end, ever. In Trent’s arms, his strong, gentle arms, was the only place she wanted to be. Sliding her hands up his shoulders, she laced them around his neck, and sighed in pleasure.

  Giving in to the longings that had plagued them both, Lindsay surrendered her lips to him without reserve. Trent groaned and pulled her even closer.

  The sound of an approaching four-wheeler brought them back to reality and Trent scrambled to his feet, pulling Lindsay up with him. Spinning her around, he brushed the hay from her coat and hair before swiping at his own.

  Other than her blushing face and just kissed lips, no one would know they had been utterly lost in each other, consumed by their first earth-shaking kiss.

  Trey drove up to them and took a long look, accessing the situation. Newly married and loopy in love, he understood much more than he let on. He’d save his teasing for later, when he could harass Trent without embarrassing Lindsay.

  “My beautiful bride wanted to know if you would like to stay for lunch, Lindsay,” Trey said, grinning at Trent in a way that made him want to squirm.

  “Thanks, Trey, but my brother came to visit for the weekend and I’ve been gone long enough. I really should get back home,” Lindsay said, walking back toward the house where she parked her car, her hand held in Trent’s while Trey rode the four-wheeler.

  When she came roaring up the driveway, so angry she could feel the blood pounding in her head, she put on her best poker face and asked Cady if she knew where she could find Trent. Cady pointed toward the hay shed and told her he was apparently working off some steam. Lindsay could understand that since she was already past the point of boiling. Now she felt like she was boiling for a completely different reason. Trent had melted her, completely melted her, with that mind-frying kiss.

  “If you can’t stay for lunch, why don’t you bring your brother and come for dinner. We’d love to meet him,” Trey said, looking at Trent for confirmation. Trent nodded his head. He hated to face Lindsay’s brother after the accusations he hurled at him earlier, but at least if Lindsay and Lonnie came for dinner, he’d still get to see her this evening.

  “If you’re sure it won’t be an imposition,” Lindsay said, stopping next to her car.

  “It won’t be at all and I know Cady will be thrilled to have you,” Trey said with a broad smile. “Why don’t you come about five-thirty and you and my girls can visit while we give Lonnie a quick tour of the ranch.”

  “It’s a date,” Lindsay said with a smile and wave as Trey walked up the steps to the mudroom and disappeared inside.

  Ignoring whoever might be watching, Trent pulled Lindsay into his arms and gave her a soft kiss on her still puffy lips. Bending close to her ear, she could feel his warm breath on her neck and it made her tingle.

  “That was the best first-kiss in the history of first-kisses, Princess. Way better than my dreams,” Trent growled in her ear.

  Lindsay felt a shiver race down her spine. “It was better than mine, too.”

  “I’m truly sorry for losing my temper and being so rude to Lonnie. Should I come with you now to apologize?” Trent asked, feeling quite repentant.

  “No, you can talk to him when we come for dinner. I’m glad we’ll be able to see each other later.”

  “I’m glad you both are coming. Please tell Lonnie I am terribly sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to create such a bad first impression with your family.”

  Lindsay laughed. “Don’t worry about it too much. Lonnie sort of sided with you about how it must have looked.”

  Trent smiled and kissed her again with a soft brush of his lips to hers. “I’ll miss you.”

  Lindsay smiled back at him. “You won’t have time. If you finish loading all that hay by hand, it will take you the rest of the afternoon and then some.”

  “I think I’ll finish it up with the tractor,” Trent said, holding her door while she got in the car. “See you in a little while, Princess.”

  Lindsay laid her hand on his cheek and gave it a pat before starting her car. Trent shut her door and waved as she drove home.

  She sighed dreamily. Never, even in her most fanciful dreams, had she imagined Trent’s kiss would shake her to the very core of her being. It was more than worth the agonized waiting. She just hoped it wouldn’t take him another month to repeat the experience.

  Chapter Twelve

  The word 'romance,' according to the dictionary, means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime.

  Billy Graham

  Looking up at the bright blue sky, Trent was glad for a day of warmer temperatures and good weather. He was going to Tygh Valley today to pick up a new bull and he had dreaded the thought of making the trip over the mountain on bad roads.

  With the sun shining like a golden orb overhead, he was now looking forward to the trip. He and Trey brought home a bull last week. With the one he was picking up today, they would be moving right along in their plans to enhance the bloodlines of their herd.

  Making sure he had some hay in the stock trailer, Trent was just opening the pickup door when his cell phone rang. He smiled when he looked at the caller ID.

  “Hey, Princess,” he said, warmly. “What’s up? Are the rugrats out at recess?”

  “No, we had early release today,” Lindsay said. He could hear her shoes clicking down the hallway at school. “I completely forgot I have an afternoon to myself.”

  “And what do you plan to do with this unexpected open afternoon?” Trent asked, hoping she’d want to spend it with him.

  “I don’t know. There are so many options around here like scraping mud gumbo off my tires or watching the cars go by while sitting at Viv’s, or staying home and staring at the ceiling.”

  “My, my, sounds like you’ve got a full schedule. Too bad you’re so busy or you could come with me.”

  “And where are you going, cowboy?” Lindsay didn’t know if it was the sunshine, the thought of Trent’s kisses or the freedom of an afternoon off, but she was feeling flirty and in the mood for some fun. She entirely liked the idea of some time alone with Trent and a little romancing.

  “To get a bull,” Trent said. “Want to go along?”

  “I’m not sure. That sounds like work. Maybe I better stick with the mud gumbo.” Getting a bull was about as far from romance as she could possibly get.

  “Suit yourself,” Trent said, trying to figure out if she was teasing or serious.

  “If you tried a little harder, you might be able to talk me into going,” Lindsay prompted, hoping he’d put in a little effort at coaxing her.

  “I can’t talk you into anything, Princess, but I can promise you a beautiful drive, some stimulating company and maybe a kiss or two.”

  “Now you’re talking. Who else is going?”

  “Just me. Why?”

  “Well, you said stimulating company so I assumed Travis or Cass would be accompanying you.”

  “After that insult, I think I’ll just go by myself. Too bad you’ll miss sitting next to me in my truck and holding hands. If you behaved yourself, I’d slide you across the seat and maybe take a little taste of your sweet lips before I… well, I guess you don’t really want to know. You did indicate you aren’t that interested in going along,” Trent said, wanting more than anything at that moment to hold and kiss her.r />
  Done playing games, Lindsay ran out to her car, wanting to find out what Trent would do after tasting her lips. She could practically feel his pressed to hers as she put the car in reverse. “I can be ready to go in twenty-five minutes. Do you want me to come there or pick me up at my house?”

  “Why don’t you come here?” Trent said with a chuckle, recognizing the change in her tone of voice. “The stock trailer would be a little tricky to maneuver around your driveway in the mud. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Trent went in the house and visited with Cady until Lindsay arrived. She made record time with three minutes to spare.

  Running outside to greet her, he gave her a big hug that lifted her feet off the ground before spinning her around.

  “Trent, you’ll make me dizzy,” she said breathlessly. Although she’d seen him two days ago at church, Trent acted as if they hadn’t seen each other for weeks with the way he was carrying on. She certainly wasn’t going to complain.

  “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Trent said, kissing her neck and working his way around to her lips. “I missed you.”

  “How could you miss me? You just saw me a couple days ago and you’ve called me a dozen times since then.”

  “I have not,” Trent said, helping her into the pickup. “It was only eleven times.”

  “My mistake,” Lindsay said with a grin as they headed down the driveway. The ringing of her phone these days sent her heart into a pounding rhythm and made her palms moist. If it wasn’t Trent on the other end of the call, she was sorely disappointed. Lonnie commented just yesterday that she could try to sound a little more enthused when she discovered the caller wasn’t Trent.

  Turning onto a paved road Lindsay had seen on the edge of town, they headed south then west out of Grass Valley.

  Trent was correct. The scenery was breathtaking. Or maybe it was the lack of guardrails on the narrow road and switchback after switchback that left her breathless.

  Clutching the door with one hand and her seat belt with the other, Lindsay kept up a steady stream of prayer that they would make it off the mountain in one piece. She would never willingly drive this road in her car let alone make the trip in a big pickup pulling a trailer.

  “Have you lost your mind?” she finally ground out, shooting Trent a hostile glare. He could have warned her that the road was narrow, winding and terrorizing.

  “What’s wrong?” Trent asked, surprised at both her question and the tone in which it was delivered.

  “This road is what’s wrong. What kind of crazy person drives on it in the winter pulling a trailer? For that matter, what kind of crazy person drives on it ever?”

  Trent laughed. “Princess, the road’s bare and I’ve been driving it since I was old enough to do so legally. No big deal.”

  “No big deal,” Lindsay repeated under her breath. She made the mistake of looking out the side window and seeing a drop straight down for what appeared to be miles. Sucking in a gulp of air, she closed her eyes and leaned toward Trent.

  “Lindsay, are you okay? You look a little pale,” Trent said, stretching a hand over to her forehead. His hand felt cool on her clammy skin. “You’re head feels warm. Are you getting sick?”

  “I was fine before we started this journey on the road to perdition.”

  Trent pried her fingers loose from the seatbelt and held her hand in his. He started tracing circles in her palm, which helped her relax a little. She let her white-knuckled grip on the door go and leaned her head back against the headrest. If she kept her eyes closed, she thought she would be able to survive the trip.

  Feeling them go around a really tight curve, Lindsay opened one eye to see a fantastic view of the Deschutes River. Trent slowed the truck and pulled over on the side of the road in an area meant for vehicles to park.

  “Why’d you stop?” she asked, looking at the water.

  “I thought you could maybe use a breather,” Trent said before getting out and walking around to her door.

  Walking across the road to the water’s edge, they could feel the spray from the roiling water hit their faces. It was bitingly cold, but Lindsay found it refreshing. Now that they were mostly down the mountain and still in one piece, she was feeling better about the remainder of the trip.

  “This view of the river is awesome,” Lindsay said, gazing over the water.

  “If you like white water rafting, they put in at Maupin. We could do it this summer if you want to give it a try.”

  “Maybe,” Lindsay said. She had never gone white water rafting, but she liked the water and an adventure with Trent sounded appealing. She also liked the fact that he was planning things for them to do months from now. It spoke to her of commitment and longevity.

  With her fingers linked in his they walked along the graveled edge of the road until they both were chilled, then hurried back to the pickup.

  Trent held the door while she climbed in. Before he shut it, he rested a hand on her knee and looked intently at her face. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, mustering a smile. “Thank you for stopping. The fresh air helped a lot.”

  “I hope you know I wouldn’t knowingly endanger you or put you in a position you could get hurt,” Trent said.

  “I know. I just don’t do well with winding, curvy roads and no guard rails.” Laying a hand on his cheek, Lindsay thought again how much she was coming to love this good, solid man. Most guys she knew wouldn’t have really cared about her fear of the treacherous road. They would have laughed at her and kept driving. They certainly wouldn’t have stopped so she could get out, catch her breath, and take in the sight of the beautiful river.

  “I’ll make note of that for future reference, Princess.”

  They were soon traveling down the road and arrived in Tygh Valley without further incident. The place Trent was picking up the bull was right off the road.

  When they got out to give the bull a once over, Lindsay was impressed by his size. He looked like he meant all business. When he raised his head and blew out a breath of hot air her direction, she took a step back, directly into Trent. He placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, all the while keeping up his conversation with the rancher.

  Backing the trailer up to the loading chute, it didn’t take long for Trent to pay the man, load the bull and have them on their way.

  “Trent, I’ll do anything to not go home the way we came. Is there any way we can avoid another winding, twisty road?”

  Trent cocked an eyebrow and gave her a wicked grin as they sat at the stop sign waiting to pull back onto the main road. “Anything? Did I hear you say you’d do anything?”

  “Almost anything,” Lindsay corrected, feeling her cheeks warm. She didn’t know what he had in mind, but she was sure she’d like it more than she should. “If we have to go back on that road, let me out right now. I’ll walk home and I’m not kidding you.”

  “Don’t get carried away,” Trent said, thinking Lindsay probably would try to walk home if he insisted on retracing their route. From the look of fear on her face, he decided she was definitely serious. As frightened and upset as the trip down the mountain made her, he did not intend to repeat the experience. “We’ll go home through The Dalles. It will take a little longer, but at least I won’t have to watch you work yourself into a fit.”

  “I did not have a fit,” Lindsay huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. “It wasn’t a fit. An episode? Maybe. A fit? Certainly not.”

  “Well, whatever you call it, we don’t need a repeat performance. So just sit back and relax. If you want, you could ride in the back with Leroy.”

  “Leroy? Is that what you’re naming the bull?”

  “Nope. He came with that name. Maybe we should call him Duke or Lord Leroy. What name would your royal highness bestow on him?”

  Lindsay fought the urge to giggle. She appreciated Trent’s ability to be silly. It was one more thing she loved about him.

  “O
h, nothing so mundane, my good man. He should have a name like Sir Leroy the Conqueror, or the Bovine Duke of the Triple T Ranch.”

  Trent laughed. “I think we better stick with Leroy.”

  “I think maybe you’re right.”

  When they reached The Dalles, Trent pulled in at a favorite restaurant of locals and travelers alike. They could hear Leroy banging around in the back. Trent told him to be patient and escorted Lindsay inside the restaurant.

  They ordered dinner and were nearly finished eating when Trent’s phone rang.

  “Hey,” he answered. Lindsay assumed it was family or a good friend for his casual greeting.

  “We’re eating dinner. We’ll be home in about an hour and a half. I’ll tell you later. Bye.”

  “That was a brief conversation,” Lindsay said.

  “Travis isn’t as much fun to talk to on the phone as you.”

  Lindsay just smiled at him and finished her meal. She realized Trent would have been home by now if he hadn’t taken the detour for her benefit. Putting her hand on his arm, she waited for him to look up from the fries he was eating.

  “I’m really sorry about messing up your plans,” she said, sincerely. “You’d be home eating dinner with the family if I hadn’t insisted you come this way.”

  Trent placed his hand over hers and squeezed her fingers. “Princess, you can mess with my plans anytime. If I were in that big of a hurry, I wouldn’t have invited you along. However, if I’d known the road would make you carsick, we would have gone this direction to start with.”

  “Oh,” Lindsay said, surprised once again at Trent’s compassion and thoughtfulness.

  “Now ol’ Leroy might be telling a different story. I think he is anxious to get home and show the other bulls who’s going to be the boss on the Triple T.”

  Lindsay laughed. “Do you really think they discuss who is number one and assign each other a pecking order?”