The Christmas Cowboy: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 1) Page 4

  “With you.” Leaning his head back, he turned the full voltage of his brilliant gaze her direction. Desperate to kiss her, he fought down the urge although the look on Kenzie’s face made it incredibly difficult.

  He couldn’t believe his good fortune in having the same itinerary as her for the entire trip. What were the odds they would be traveling to the same city?

  “With me? You’re going to Santa Fe?” Kenzie asked, looking pleasantly surprised. “Are you riding there?”

  “Yep. Tomorrow. If you want to watch, I’ll get you a ticket.” All of a sudden, he wanted more than anything for Kenzie to watch him ride.

  Kenzie shook her head. “As much fun as that would be, I have a dinner meeting tomorrow and even if I could go, I don’t have any clothes appropriate for attending a rodeo. Thanks for the offer, though.”

  “If you change your mind, I’d be happy to have you as my guest.” He pondered if he could say or do anything to change Kenzie’s mind. Instinctively, he knew pushing her to do something would have the opposite effect and drive her in the other direction.

  They chatted about any number of topics, sidestepping the suggestion of her attending the rodeo.

  In Denver, they ate a quick lunch before boarding the flight to Santa Fe. He somehow managed to sit beside her again and Kenzie was thrilled at his companionship despite her repeated mental warnings to stay far away from Tate Morgan.

  She had never experienced such an all-encompassing attraction to a man, and that included her two-timing former fiancé. It was more than attraction, though. It was like some piece of their hearts connected, some place in their minds aligned. They fit together so perfectly, as if they’d always known each other.

  The welcome familiarity she felt with him was why she had to be on guard. It would be too easy for her to fall for him and she knew if she lost her heart to Tate, it would be forever lost and forever broken when he behaved like she was convinced he eventually would.

  Cowboys weren’t a faithful lot. After a while, he’d find a new skirt to chase then she’d be left alone and devastated.

  Gathering her thoughts along with her things as the plane landed, she renewed her resolve to guard her heart around him.

  Tate discovered Kenzie’s hotel wasn’t far from his as they exited the airport. As they shared a taxi, some quick talking convinced Kenzie to have dinner with him since she didn’t have any meetings until the next morning.

  Smug with his success, Tate checked into his hotel room, called his friend Cort to go over details for the following day then pumped the hotel concierge for some ideas on where to go for a romantic dinner.

  With a nervous feeling completely out of character for him, Tate dug through his clothes trying to find something to wear to a nice restaurant. He really needed a dinner jacket and made another call to the concierge who arranged to have one rented and delivered to Tate’s room.

  He jumped into the shower and shaved for the second time that day. Tate took extra care combing his hair, slapping on his aftershave, and making sure his boots were polished.

  Mindful of the time, he caught a taxi and found Kenzie waiting in her hotel lobby wearing a little black dress that accented every succulent curve of her figure. The dress was a pleasant surprise, since he’d never seen her in anything except business suits.

  Tate kissed her cheek as he took her elbow in his hand and escorted her out the door to the waiting cab.

  “You look amazing, Kenzie,” he said as he helped her in the car. He would have paid big money to see her hair down, although the softened updo she wore was still very appealing. A few curls danced around her face and gave her an utterly feminine appearance.

  Inhaling her summery scent, Tate took her hand in his and rested their clasped fingers on his thigh.

  “You look pretty good yourself.” The dark gray dinner jacket Tate wore accentuated the breadth of his shoulders. A black button-down shirt with the collar open, a newer pair of pressed Wranglers, and a polished pair of boots completed his look. His hair, carefully combed into submission, begged her to run her fingers through it and tousle it in the way she was used to seeing him.

  The smell of his aftershave mingled with Tate’s unique scent, making her knees weak while the feel of his hard thigh beneath their hands caused heat to flood up her neck and into her cheeks.

  Inwardly groaning, she realized she should have refused to have dinner with him. The struggle to keep her growing interest in the hunky cowboy under control was hard enough when she randomly saw him in the airport.

  It was nearly impossible on a date with him. Tate’s appearance and his courteous behavior made it perfectly clear this wasn’t just two friends getting together for dinner. A wild and fiery attraction blazed between them. One even Kenzie couldn’t ignore.

  “I took the liberty of making a reservation,” Tate said as the taxi stopped in front of a busy restaurant. The adobe exterior gave a definite Southwestern vibe to the building.

  Kenzie admired the architecture as Tate escorted her inside and provided his name to the host. After checking the reservation, the host smiled at him then motioned for someone to see them to their table.

  Seated in a private corner, any lingering doubts Kenzie had that this was just a casual dinner between friends disappeared before they even opened the menu. The looks Tate continued shooting at her with his hot blue gaze had her gulping ice water and wishing for a fan.

  The man was completely disconcerting. And distracting.

  “Have you eaten here before?” Kenzie asked as she looked through the menu without really seeing the words printed on the page in front of her.

  “Nope. Usually, I hang out with the guys and grab a burger or a sandwich. If we’re feeling extravagant, we might order a steak.” Tate contemplated what he wanted to order.

  “I hope you aren’t missing out on something by being here with me,” she said, sincerely concerned about disrupting his routine. “You really didn’t have to do this, Tate.”

  “I know I didn’t have to invite you to dinner, Kenzie. I wanted to. Very much.” His voice was deep and husky. “I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to ask you on a date since the first time I saw you in the airport months ago. I sure wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity when it practically landed in my lap today. This will be the first real meal we’ve eaten together because airport food absolutely doesn’t count.”

  Kenzie laughed and the warm sound cut through the tension and helped them both relax. “Well, when you put it like that…”

  After the waitress took their orders and brought them drinks, Tate raised his glass to hers. “A toast to new friends, new adventures, and new opportunities. I’m really, really glad we met, Dewdrop.”

  “Me, too.” Her voice was soft while her eyes shimmered with emotion.

  If Tate didn’t know better, he’d think Kenzie was just as attracted to him as he was to her. The sight of her dressed in something other than a suit did funny things to his head and heart.

  He wanted, so very badly, to get her alone and pull the pins out of her hair. He wondered if the dark, silky locks were as long as he envisioned. His fingers itched to find out.

  Tate looked around the restaurant and pointed out some of the art pieces to Kenzie, sparking a discussion about their varied tastes. Despite the unmistakable yearning dancing between them, threatening to throw them both off-kilter, they managed to keep up a lively conversation through dinner.

  Not in a hurry to end their evening, Tate asked Kenzie if she’d like to go for a walk since the restaurant was located in an area with an array of interesting shops.

  Strolling hand in hand, they looked in store windows, watched people, and meandered down the sidewalk unwilling to think about the time when they’d have to say good night.

  As the sun sank and the evening shadows grew long, Kenzie glanced at her watch and sighed.

  “If I don’t get some sleep, I’ll be useless tomorrow for my meetings. As much as I’ve enjoyed this ev
ening with you, Tate, I really do need to return to my room.” She wished she had hours more to spend with the handsome cowboy.

  He’d been well mannered, thoughtful, and kind. She was beginning to think that maybe she shouldn’t generalize all cowboys based on the bad experiences that haunted her past. Maybe she should give Tate a chance.

  On that thought, she moved closer to him as they waited for a taxi.

  Tate dropped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her against his side, surprised when she didn’t pull away.

  Delighted, he hoped he was starting to wear down her resistance. Up until that evening, she’d done her best to keep him at arm’s length no matter how hard he worked to breach her defenses.

  When they arrived at her hotel, he walked her to the elevator then decided she needed an escort to her room. “You never know what kind of riffraff you might run into in the hallway,” Tate said, trying to sound serious.

  “I’m pretty sure the most dangerous person I’m going to encounter is already holding my hand,” Kenzie teased as they stepped off the elevator and walked down the hallway to her room. Hesitant to open the door, she didn’t want Tate to get the wrong idea.

  She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for a lovely evening. I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed myself quite so much.”

  “I had a good time, too, Dewdrop.” While he leaned one arm against the doorframe, he brushed his fingers across Kenzie’s smooth cheek. “Thank you for going to dinner with me.”

  “You’re welcome,” she whispered, her eyes glued to Tate’s lips. She watched the corners of his mouth tip up in a smile.

  “Do I still get a kiss for good luck?” Tate asked, slowly running one callused hand down her bare arm to her wrist. The jolt of something fierce and unknown rocked through him from his head clear to his toes.

  “Sure.” Completely rattled by Tate’s touch and heated look, she pressed her mouth lightly to his. Before she could pull away, his hands encircled her waist, holding her against him as he deepened the kiss.

  Fiery bursts of light exploded behind her eyes. She looped her hands around Tate’s neck for support since her wobbly knees threatened to give out on her as the kiss intensified.

  Finally drawing back, Tate took a deep breath. He brushed his thumb across her just-kissed lips and flashed his dimples, further muddling her already distracted thoughts.

  “If you change your mind, the rodeo starts at seven. I’ll save you a seat.” Tate turned and walked down the hallway. He waited until he was on the elevator to pump his fist in the air. Walking into the lobby, he realized he probably looked a little deranged with the goofy smile plastered on his face.

  After that bone-dissolving kiss with Kenzie, he felt helpless to do anything but grin.

  Chapter Four

  “Do you think she’ll come?” Cort asked Tate as he stretched behind the chutes at the rodeo.

  Determined to center his focus on the upcoming ride, Tate struggled to block out thoughts of Kenzie.

  If he hadn’t been in love with her before last night, he certainly was now.

  He kept picturing how tempting she looked in the candlelight at the restaurant, how her skin felt so soft beneath his fingers, how much that one amazing kiss had him wanting hundreds more.

  “Probably not.” Tate stretched his legs, making sure the adjustment on his stirrups was just right.

  “You sent a ticket to her at the hotel, didn’t you?” Cort leaned against the fence and chewed on a toothpick.

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be here,” Tate said, annoyed and out of sorts for reasons he couldn’t explain and didn’t want to examine.

  More than anything, he wanted Kenzie to watch him ride tonight. He knew she had a meeting, but from what details he gathered, it should be over at seven. If she really wanted to see him ride, she’d have time to get to the rodeo.

  His current state of irritability derived from the thought that she honestly wasn’t interested in him.

  Cort’s chuckles caused him to look up with a cool glare.

  “What’s so funny, man?” Tate asked, looking around for the source of his friend’s amusement. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, all he could see was a bunch of other cowboys getting ready to compete.

  “You.” Cort shook his head as he waggled a finger at Tate. “I’ve never seen you so worked up about a girl before and I’ve seen you with a lot of girls.”

  “Yeah, well most of them weren’t of my choosing, you know. I can’t help who is in the recent circle of biggest fans or stalkers,” Tate said, continuing to stretch his muscles as he brushed aside a niggling concern over one fan that wouldn’t leave him alone. He was convinced the woman was certifiably insane.

  “Whatever.” Cort waved a dismissive hand at Tate. “Admit it, man. She’s under your skin.”

  “I’m not admitting anything,” Tate said, knowing Cort was right. Kenzie was under his skin, wrapped up in his thoughts, with an ever-tightening hold on his heart.

  If he wanted to win the event, let alone stay on the horse he’d drawn, he was going to have to concentrate on the ride ahead and quit speculating about Kenzie and her feelings for him, or the apparent lack of them.

  Later, they sat on a fence watching the grand entry of the rodeo. Cort nudged Tate so hard he almost fell backward off the top rail.

  “Is that her?” Cort motioned to the bleachers as Tate regained his balance. Although he hadn’t met Kenzie, his friend shared several photos he took of her with his phone.

  Tate’s gaze followed Cort’s pointing finger and his eyes widened in surprise. Kenzie maneuvered her way to her seat dressed in a navy suit and heels.

  Quickly jumping off the fence, Tate jogged toward the stands. Kenzie looked around, getting her bearings, as he hustled up the steps and squatted down beside her.

  “Dewdrop, I didn’t think you’d be able to make it.” He took her hand in his and squeezed her fingers. The warmth in her eyes as she gazed at him made his heartbeat kick into overdrive. Maybe she cared about him more than she wanted to admit.

  The jubilant smile on his face made her glad she raced through her presentation, ran through the hotel as if the building was aflame, and pleaded with the taxi driver to put some hustle in it so she’d arrive at the rodeo on time.

  Kenzie smiled at Tate, savoring the feel of his big, rough hand against hers. A bright light twinkled in his blue eyes while the grin on his face was both charming and engaging.

  “My meeting wrapped up early so I decided to come. I realize, though, I am probably the only person here in a business suit, so don’t make fun of me,” Kenzie warned good-naturedly.

  “No, ma’am.” Tate kissed her cheek before taking a seat on the steps beside her. He’d reserved a seat for her on the end of a row with some of his friends in hopes if she did come, he could sneak in a few minutes with her. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too,” Kenzie said with a sincerity Tate could hear in her voice.

  “Is there anything you need me to explain to you?” Tate asked, as they watched the end of the grand entry.

  “This ain’t my first rodeo, cowboy.” The western twang she inflected into her voice made them both laugh.

  “Okay,” Tate said in surprise. He wondered what else he had to learn about the beautiful woman who just made everything right in his world by showing up to see him ride.

  When the bareback riding began, Tate whipped off his hat to hide their faces and gave Kenzie a kiss that made her wonder if her shoes would melt right off her feet.

  “For luck.” He stood and settled the hat on his head as those around them laughed or hollered.

  “Ride ‘em, cowboy.” Kenzie grinned at Tate with flushed cheeks. Thoroughly embarrassed, his attention also pleased her immensely. He’d just made it known to anyone watching that she was off limits and that was fine with her.

  Tate hurried down the steps and behind the chutes with Kenzie’s eyes glued to his jean-covered backsid
e.

  A little girl sitting beside her watched her observation of Tate.

  “Is he your boyfriend?” the little girl asked.

  Kenzie looked down at the blond hair in pigtails, red flowered T-shirt, and jeans tucked into bright red cowboy boots. The cherubic face staring up at her made her smile.

  “Not exactly,” Kenzie said, not wanting to discuss her feelings for Tate with a six-year-old.

  “Either he is or he isn’t,” the wise child said, staring at Kenzie with tiny arms crossed over her chest and an impatient look on her face. “Grammy says you’ve got to learn to make up your mind.”

  “Your Grammy sounds very smart.” Kenzie watched as Tate disappeared into the sea of cowboy hats barely visible behind the chutes from her seat.

  “Is Tate your boyfriend?” the cherub asked again. “He’s really nice, and all the girls think he’s cute.”

  “He is nice and very cute.” Although she replied to the child, her thoughts remained lost in the kiss Tate planted on her in front of everyone. Normally, she would be mortified at such behavior, but somehow, tonight, it seemed perfect.

  “If you let him kiss you like that, don’t you think he’s probably your boyfriend?”

  “Probably.” Kenzie held out her hand to the child, deciding an introduction was in order. “My name’s Kenzie.”

  “I’m Katie Jo Powell, but everyone calls me Katie,” the little girl said, enthusiastically shaking Kenzie’s hand. “That’s my mommy, Mara, and my brother, Hunter, and my sister, Breelin. We call her Bree. My daddy went to get us some snacks.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Katie,” Kenzie said, then smiled at the little girl’s mother who held a wiggling toddler on her lap while a little boy who looked to be about four bounced on his seat next to Katie.

  “How come you’re dressed like that?” Katie pointed to Kenzie’s suit.

  Kenzie didn’t have time to change even if she’d had something appropriate to wear. The clothes she packed for the trip consisted of business suits, blouses, and the black dress she’d worn last night to dinner. She refused to buy jeans and boots just so she wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb.