Take Me Home, Cowboy Read online

  “Okay, okay. I suppose we could go to my apartment. I have a headache, and I’m hungry, and I don’t know where else to go for privacy.” She eyed him. “Promise you’ll behave?”

  “Oh, yes ma’am, I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  Matt held the door while she collected her things and left her office past her stunned and speechless secretary.

  I’ll call you, she mouthed to her friend.

  She glanced around, but Daniel was nowhere in sight. Probably knew what was good for him.

  By the time they got outside, night had fallen. Where had the day gone? She followed him to his pickup, and when he opened the door, she climbed in. No worries about her own car. They could come back for it later.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ten minutes later, Matt drove through the streets of New York. The silence in the cab of his truck was driving him insane. Weren’t women natural born talkers? He couldn’t tell it by the one sitting next to him. She’d never shut up back on the ranch. He couldn’t take anymore and found an abandoned lot to whip into and park.

  “What are we doing here?” She suddenly looked as uncomfortable as he felt.

  “Say something, even if it’s to yell at me and tell me you hate my guts and never wanna see me again.”

  Her pause gave him more concern. Had she lost all her fight? She hadn’t been that way on the ranch either. He’d complained more than once to Jesse about her being a spitfire, always ready to fight back, but she seemed the complete opposite of the woman he remembered.

  Disappointment loomed over him. He shook his head. “I never should have come to find you, should have left well enough—”

  “Would you shut up long enough for me to form a thought? I can’t think straight with all the jabbering you’re doing.”

  Relief gave way to a smirk. “I knew you were in there somewhere, princess.”

  “Very funny. I don’t hate you. I’m a little confused, not sure why you’re here, and I’m less sure how I feel about it.”

  “Whaddaya mean by that?”

  “What are you doing here, Matt?”

  He simply shrugged. “I came for you.”

  “I left two weeks ago. You’re just now coming to find me, why?”

  “Because, okay? Because it’s been the worst two weeks of my life, and I can’t stand it anymore. I miss you. And I owe you an explanation.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You miss me?”

  “Yes, big surprise, I know. I knew from the first time I talked to you, you would be a challenge. I didn’t realize then how much I would enjoy the ride. When we were in the hospital, I was mad and feeling sorry for myself because it brought back a lot of bad memories. I mouthed off when I shouldn’t have, and then you left.”

  “I didn’t think you wanted me there.”

  “Most days I’m not sure what I want, but once you weren’t there at all, I figured it out pretty quick. I had a bad experience with my last relationship and didn’t want another one. I didn’t realize I’d fallen in love with you ’til it was too late.” He sat silent on the driver’s side of his truck for a minute or two rubbing his hands together and twisting his fingers absently in thought.

  He let out a deep sigh. “You were right about my past, too. I wasn’t being honest.”

  Ally’s heart seemed to be beating out of her chest, and she could hardly catch her breath to form words. “You love me?” How did I miss that? “I knew I loved you the moment you walked out of Daddy’s hospital room, but I figured you didn’t feel the same. So I didn’t want to torture myself by sticking around anymore. It didn’t make much difference anyway. The last two weeks have been the worst of my life. I cried myself to sleep for a week straight. Can’t we just forget everything and start over?”

  He grinned and touched her hand. “I’m damn happy to hear you say that, and I would like nothing more. But didn’t you hear me say I wasn’t being honest with you? I lied to you, and what I did in my past you won’t be able to forgive.”

  She shook her head profusely. “Matt, your past is your business. I understand, finally. I didn’t know you then, so it wouldn’t be fair of me to judge you now. Daddy was right. I don’t need to know what happened. Maybe we can start fresh?”

  “I still need to tell you.” He frowned. ”When you know, you won’t feel the same.”

  She moved a bit closer to him, grasping his hand for comfort. “I think you’re wrong, but you can tell me anyway.”

  “I was married before.” He’d known she would freak, but he needed to finish before she jumped out of the truck and ran back to her office.

  “Before you say anything, it’s not what you think. I dated a girl for a while, but I wasn’t feeling anything, so I broke it off. I lived in a small loft apartment in New York City close to the firehouse where I worked. One night when I got off work, she was waiting outside my door. She—”

  “Hold on just a minute.” Her brows lifted in surprise. “You lived in New York City? Were you a firefighter?” She nodded her head in realization as she processed what he was saying. “That would definitely explain how you took charge when my daddy got hurt.”

  “Well, yes and no. I am from Wyoming, born there actually. But after my mom died, Dad completely lost it, sold our place, and moved us to New York where some of his family lived. I stayed with him because I was afraid not to and wasn’t sure how well my little brother would handle our dad. Got into school to become an EMT then got myself appointed to a firehouse on the other side of the city from where we lived. By then, my dad was doing a lot better, so I felt safe getting my own place, I met Wendy at a bar a couple blocks away where she was a waitress.”

  “Was she pretty?” She hadn’t meant to interject, but the mention of another woman’s name brought out the green-eyed monster, rearing its head.

  “Are you jealous, princess?”

  “No. Well…maybe. I don’t like to think of you with someone else. Sorry I interrupted.” I never should have said anything. He is so frustrating. “You can go on and don’t laugh at me. It’s not funny.”

  “I’m not laughing, I’m sorry. Anyway, so we weren’t dating anymore, and I hadn’t seen her in a couple months when she showed up at my place. I could tell she’d been crying, and I really wasn’t in the mood to hear what sob story she had to tell me until she blurted it out.”

  “Don’t stop there, what did she blurt out?

  “She told me she was pregnant. Honestly, I don’t know if she ever told me it was mine, but I was in such shock that I assumed it was. I definitely didn’t love her, heck, I’m not sure I really even liked her, but it was a kid, and I wanted to do what was right. She moved into my place the next day, and we got hitched at the courthouse.” He paused, eyeing her. “Nothing to say?”

  “No, Matt.” What was she supposed to say? She was having trouble picturing him married. “Is there more?”

  “Oh, there’s more all right. I worked a lot, mainly because I didn’t want to be home. I was really questioning what I ever saw in her in the first place, and being at work was a lot less stressful than being at the apartment arguing over stupid shit. I did go home sometimes, and one night in particular because I was expecting my brother to stop by. She got a call from some guy the same night. She made excuses about it, but then he showed up at the apartment a few days later, claiming he was the baby’s father.” He sat up a little straighter, gripping the steering wheel with both hands, and focused out the windshield.

  “It got me to thinking, and I did some calculations. Turned out, there was no way it coulda been mine, I told her so and she took off with the guy. I filed for divorce the next day. I was pulling a double shift when she got served the papers, and good thing ’cause she was pissed. She waited at the apartment until I got off work, and we had a huge fight. The other guy didn’t want to support her so she wanted to stay married to me, but I flat out refused. She left angry, and I got a call a few hours later from my chief. She’d been in a car accident. My unit was
on the scene. She died before I got there.” He squeezed his eyes closed. “It was my fault.”

  “Oh my God, are you serious, Matt?”

  “I told you, I knew you wouldn’t be able to forgive me.”

  “That is so not what I’m talking about.” She immediately leaned closer, reaching for him, her heart breaking for the pain he’d gone through. “How in the world could you think her death was your fault? You had nothing to do with it.”

  “I had everything to do with it, we fought at my apartment. I’d played the fool once and it wouldn’t happen again. I told her I didn’t love her and didn’t want to be married to her. I forced her to leave.”

  “My sweet cowboy, you are seeing this all wrong. It was not your fault. I’m really sorry she and her baby lost their lives, but if she left with the other guy in the first place, she was admitting to the baby not being yours. She left you. You didn’t leave her. You married her, for God’s sake, no questions asked. What were you supposed to do? Just continue to support her while she was off with the real daddy? You did the right thing.”

  “You really believe what you just said?”

  “Yes, Matt Gentry, you are so stubborn. I do believe it, and I’m assuming my daddy believes it, too. Before I left the hospital, he said he knew what happened with you and it wasn’t your fault.”

  “I kinda figured Jesse knew. Every so often he’d drop a comment and leave me wondering. Amazing man that dad of yours.”

  She gently touched his cheek affectionately then dropped her hand to his shoulder. “It’s time for you to forgive yourself because you weren’t to blame. In your line of work, you had to know you couldn’t save everyone no matter how hard you tried.”

  “I suppose I’ll work on it. So, princess, since you’ve probably lost your job, what’ll you do?”

  “Hmm, I hadn’t really thought about it yet.”

  “Maybe you could get an editor job where you can work from home. The ranch has Internet.” Matt scooted closer to her in the cab of the truck and slid an arm behind her.

  Heat coursed through her at the familiar feel of his body touching hers. “What are you tryin’ to say?”

  “What I’m sayin’, ma’am, is I want you back on the ranch. I miss you, and I know your father does, too. You can work from there, or you could marry me and work on the ranch. Either way I think Freewill is the—”

  “Did you just ask me to marry you?” Her eyes popped out as big as saucers and she had trouble keeping a smile from forming.

  “Oh, you caught that part, huh?” He grinned. “Well, if you lived there, too, we could sure get to know each other better, but I already know all I need to.”

  “You’re pretty slick, Mr. Foreman.” She slid closer to the man who had gotten under her skin and apparently planned to stay there for a while.

  “Gotta be to keep up with the likes of you.” His smile warmed her heart.

  “Well then,” Ally whispered close to his lips, “why don’t you just take me home, cowboy?”

  ~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

  Born and raised in Northern Indiana, Krista now resides in Northern Lower Michigan. She is married to a very supportive man, Chip, who allows her to follow her true passion of writing and never complains when she is pirated away on her computer for hours. He even helps with proof-reading and is her “in-house” editor and her idea sounding board. She is also a mother of 4 ornery children who keep her plenty busy. With an addition of 2 beautiful chocolate lab sisters and 2 playful cats, there is never a dull or spare moment in her household.

  Krista has always loved to read and would often sit up for hours into the night not able to put down a book until she was finished. She still reads when she can but her main focus is creating her own stories to share with the world.

  She loves to communicate with her readers so please feel free to drop a line anytime at [email protected] or visit her at www.kristaames.com or www.apassionforromance.blogspot.com

  Diamond Heart by Ann Mayburn

  After catching her no good cheat'n rat bastard ex-fiancé in bed with her best friend, Rowan Belmont leaves the mills and factories of the Midwest to move nearer her sister in San Francisco. After being robbed in Kansas City, she loses the money to complete her journey and she tries to pawn her engagement ring, only to find out that it‘s fake. Alone, broke, and on the edge of giving up, Rowan hopes for a miracle.

  Marcel Champlain can't get the beautiful woman he met at the Kansas City hotel out of his mind. When she turns up at his family’s jewelry store he knows that God has brought them together. He makes Rowan a job offer: Go with him to Freewill, Wyoming to open a new jewelry store and pose as his wife.

  With only three months to convince Rowan that she should become his wife in truth, Marcel intends to show Rowan that no other man on earth will ever love her as much as he does. Their time together may be cut short by when it seems like fate will take Marcel from Rowan all too soon and leave her once again alone in the world.

  Misbegotten Gaines by Camryn Rhys

  Kyle Harris lands a job as the new chef at the Misbegotten Gaines Ranch just in time for the launch of their new Singles' Trail Ride. When his new boss, the alluring Jamie Gaines, mistakenly believes him to be married, he goes along with the ruse to keep his job. But things start to heat up between them and Kyle has to choose between losing his job and letting Jamie get away.

  Contents

  Title page

  ~DEDICATION~

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  ~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~