Travis was still chortling as he came around the corner of the feed store. If there was one thing Desi Louvian was famous for, besides providing an excellent argument, it was her infamous stubbornness to never concede defeat. There was no doubt in his mind, she would hike up one of those miniskirts she was famous for and jump in a saddle if it meant she could prove him wrong. Just picturing the gothic menace on a horse was enough to send him into another round of deep belly laughter.
"Dayum boss, I think you need to keep that gal if she has this kind of an effect on you." Brady walked up and slapped him on the back. "I take it everything is okay with Miss Stewart?"
Travis snorted. "Harley's fine. She, Desi and Becca are scheming away as we speak."
Brady's eyes popped wide. "That doesn't bode well for whoever they are scheming against."
"Not who...what." Travis chuckled. "They were coming up with a plan to get Harley into the Rancher's Rodeo."
His hand gave him a confused look. Probably the same look he sported when he first heard about it. "She doesn't have a ranch," Brady said, taking his hat off and scratching his head.
"I said the same thing, but...," he shrugged. "Apparently, Desi and Becca are going to be her hands." He cocked an eyebrow at Brady.
"Desi?" Brady barked before both cowboys started laughing. "Oh God. I'm getting a front row seat for that," he said between gasps for breath
"I think all of Wolf Springs will come out to see that spectacle." Travis grinned.
"And you said Becca was part of this plan?"
"Yup."
"I didn't know she could ride," Brady muttered in surprise.
"Well...you'd probably would know a little bit more about her if you'd stop dragging your feet and ask the girl out already." Travis snorted.
"Look who's talking." Brady snipped. "Up until Harley came into town, you were about as social as Attilla the Hun."
Travis chuckled. "True, but you're supposed to learn from my mistakes...not make the same damn ones."
Brady grinned, lowering the brim of his hat to hide his blush. "You know what they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
Travis pitched him the bird. "Imitate that, dickhead."
"No thanks, boss. I've got two of my own," Brady drawled, shooting both middle fingers at him. "Can you hang here for a minute? I need to make a quick run over to the post office? I told Addie this morning I would pick her up some stamps and with all the excitement this afternoon, I almost forgot." At Travis's nod, he loped off around the corner and down the street.
Travis leaned against the side of the truck and glanced back in the direction he had just come from. He had to fight the urge to go look around the corner to see if she was still there. Brady wasn't kidding about the effect that little filly had on him.
Ever since he had run into her, she'd taken over his thoughts. He found himself thinking about her at random times throughout the day, not to mention how often his mind wandered to thoughts of her at night. And not just for typical male lusty reasons. Although, he had certainly entertained a vast array of sensual fantasies which starred her "Dangerously Delicious" body.
As much as he enjoyed those moments, he also spent a great deal of time wondering what she was doing, if she was safe and if she was happy or if she was lonely out on the ranch all by herself. Most importantly, he thought about when he would see her again. What really shocked the shit out of him was that he actually craved her attention almost as much as he desired her body.
So much so, he actually found himself wishing to spend more time with her...alone...just so they could talk. Seemed every time he had the opportunity to have her to himself, somebody always walked in and shot it all to hell. She was deep under his skin and surprisingly, he like it. A lot.
Her soft drawl melted him inside, making him search for things to say to keep her talking. Which, honestly, wasn't difficult because you couldn't help but be drawn to her enthusiasm for things. Even when it stunned the hell out of him at what came out of her mouth. Travis stared down at his boots and grinned. Her spunk and wit definitely kept him on his toes.
A conversation with Harley would never be considered a tedious chore or a drag. Something he'd always dreaded before when it came to women. Usually, he put up with the endless prattle, listening with half an ear to appease them so he could obtain his main goal which was to get them to bed, ease his itch and then go about his merry way.
He was fully aware his way of thinking made him an asshole, but most men felt the exact same way. He was just brave enough to admit it. Travis chuckled softly, toeing a loose bit of gravel with the toe of his boot. He thought hell would freeze over before there would come a day he would actually look forward to hearing what a woman had to say. Let alone crave it.
Harley was different. She fit the bill perfectly for what he had been searching for all these years and just about gave up finding. He didn't need a pretty but worthless, clinging woman who would never understand the life a rancher leads. He needed a woman who would love the land just as much as he did, not be jealous or petty about the amount of time it took to run a ranch the size of the DR. Most women appreciated the money side of things, but bitched a blue streak when it came to what it cost to be successful.
He needed a woman he could have children with and who would be a full partner in life. He wanted their children to grow up beside him like he had with his father and his father before him. These were all things he knew he craved in a woman for his life to be complete. And he could see those qualities in Harley. For just those reasons alone, she held more beauty for him in the tip of her little finger than all those other women he dated combined. But he hit the jackpot when he stumbled on to her, because she was also more than he had hoped for.
He could happily spend the rest of his lifetime just looking at her. The little spitfire was beautiful. The best thing...she didn't know it. She was unconventional, impulsive, caring, warm, giving...all the things he wasn't, but wanted to be for her. Travis would do anything for one of those mischievous smiles which made his heart jack up a few notches and he wanted to conjure up all sorts of ways to keep it there on her lovely face.
Those brilliant eyes of hers were something else. He wanted to lose himself in their fiery, colorful depths. The touch of innocence that surrounded them had him wanting to keep her protected in his arms forever. Fuck, he even enjoyed them when they were spitting daggers and narrowed in disapproval.
He couldn't get enough of her stunning eyes and was sorry she had been wearing sunglasses today. Travis frowned for a moment. Seemed she wore those glasses a lot. A habit he was looking forward to breaking. He never wanted her to hide from him. He wanted to see when she was happy, when she was sad and he especially wanted to be able to see when they were lost in rapture by his hands and writhing beneath his body.
Smiling, he remembered how she felt in his arms. He did that a lot lately. Around her or just thinking about her...would cause a smile to break out on his face every damn time. He bent down and picked up his shirt, giving it a little sniff. Yup, jasmine still lingered and he hardened a little at the scent.
He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy every second of Harley's luscious body pressed against his this afternoon. Even though she trembled against him for the wrong reasons...one he planned to protect her from in the future...he still couldn't help the incredible way it felt just holding her in his arms.
When his name had been whispered from her lips, his cock about punched a hole through his jeans in response. It was the first time she used his name. A warm rush filled his body at the memory. He like the way it sounded coming from her sweet lips. He liked being there for her. Standing up and protecting the woman who you loved gave a man a feeling of power like no other.
Whoa! Loved? Travis's relaxed body which had been lounging against the truck, suddenly jerked upright like the thing had bit him in the ass. Could it be possible he was already a little in love with her? Searching deep inside, he plowed through all his self-doubts, misgivings, deep seeded trust issues, general male genetic commitment paranoia and came up with a big...DUH dumbass!
Oh shit! For one smooth cowboy who swore he would never be caught unaware, he sure was doing a mighty fine impression of being totally hooked. Hook, line and happily sunk. A dopy grin spread across Travis's face as he absorbed the pure warmth coursing through his body like he had just taken a shot of aged whiskey.
Only this was better than the booze could do. It made him feel right, if not a little light headed. Travis barked a laugh. For one miserable SOB who's only claim to fame was his ability to be a total asshole, he had sure fallen hard and fast for one sweet little tidbit. By all rights, she should have run for the hills upon meeting his grouchy ass, but instead, she had challenged him and wrapped herself completely into his heart in a very short amount of time.
Travis sobered up as his mind chewed on the thought. It had only been a few weeks. Could he really be certain this was love? He tried to put things into perspective, playing devil's advocate with himself. How could he be certain this just wasn't a bad case of infatuation? Lust was one thing, but what he was feeling towards her went above and beyond wanting a warm body for the night. Hell, he snorted, he was old enough to be able to distinguish the difference between infatuation and something deeper.
Damn...eleven year older. Would Harley accept him? Trying to imagine himself walking away from her caused pain to explode in his chest. The mere thought of never holding her, never seeing her delicate face or hearing her tinkling laugher...had him almost to his knees begging for mercy. Now he had discovered his sunshine, he couldn't imagine a bleaker or lonelier existence without her. Travis dragged in a ragged breath and rubbed a fist against the pain behind his sternum. There was no way he would be able to walk away. It was clearly too painful and depressing to think about.
This was also more than your ordinary run of the mill sexual hunger, although he had that by the boat load as well. Fuck, he got hard just by the smell of her for Christ sakes, but this went much further. He wanted to be there in the morning when she opened her sleepy eyes. Taking in her sleep rumpled hair and then hold her at night as she drifted off to sleep in his arms. He wanted to come home into her welcoming embrace and hear everything about her day. No matter how small.
Just contemplating the endless possibilities of having her in his life made him feel as if he had been hit by a...Travis paused and a grin moseyed its way across his face. It made him feel as if he had been hit by a Buick.
"I'll be damned," he mumbled out loud as he finally discovered the truth.
His little sunshine was the one. She just didn't know it yet, but he was absolutely positive about her and his feelings. It's never felt so real or so right to him as it did right at this moment. Now, all he had to do was convince Harley she was his and his alone without messing things up.
Travis wanted her on his team in more ways than one. He was bound and determined to be the man she needed regardless of age. He wanted to be the man she couldn't live without. He wanted to make her his and he relished the thought, accepting it completely. After all, it hurt too much to even think about letting her go now.
"I wouldn't say you were damned, but then again the devil might have a private waiting room in the making for you," Brady joked as he strode up to his boss. "You ready to blow this pop stand?" He tossed the keys to Travis. "Although, we might want to make one more stop before we do."
"And were is that?"
"Well, since we are heading over to Harley's place anyway to deliver her feed, I thought we might as well stop at that nursery outside of town and pick up a few geraniums." Brady beamed. "Nothing says sorry I was such an asshole like flowers."
Travis chuckled. "You got that right, except one thing." He jumped up into the cab of the pickup and waited for Brady to join him. "There is no we in this equation, buddy. You being the foreman and all, have a ranch to run. So...I will be dropping your ass at home to deal with the unloading and whatever else needs doing." He laughed at Brady's disgruntled look and headed out grinning so wide...his face hurt.
I wanted to take this time to thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this installment of When Roses Collide, and that you'll consider giving it a vote. I can't tell you how much your support means to me and how much it motivates me to keep going.
If you find any errors along the way, don't be afraid to point them out and I enjoy any recommendations or critiques you may have. As always, I will try and update once a week, but if you don't see an update here, check out my other story Bending Steele and FANGED. Thanks again!