Barbara Dunlop - In Bed With The Wrangler

Hargrove glanced at Katie. “Can you give us some privacy.”

“No.” She stood her ground.

“This isn’t about you.”

“The hell it isn’t.”

“ I’m going to give you two some privacy,” said Amber.

Hargrove quickly reached for her arm. “Amber-”

“It’s over, Hargrove.” She backed out of his reach. “I’m truly sorry about the press and the campaign, but I can’t marry you.”

“Amber!” He looked genuinely fearful. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re doing to yourself. Talk to Katie.”

“This isn’t about Katie.”

“It should be.” Amber backed up a few more steps. “Don’t screw this up, Hargrove,” she warned.

Then she turned away, scanning the yard and finding Royce in a round pen, doing groundwork with a black horse.

Heart still pounding, stomach still cramped, she made her way to the rail and leaned over to watch.

Royce shifted his arms, and the horse sped up. Then he slowed it down, turned it and had it trotting in the opposite direction. It was near poetry, and the tension leached out of her body.

Several minutes later, he approached the animal. He stroked its neck, clipping a lead rope to its bridle then tying it to a rail. He walked through the soft dirt toward Amber.

He braced his hands on the opposite side of the fence. “You here to say goodbye?”

She drew back in surprise. “No.”

He nodded toward Hargrove. “He came a long way.”

“I told you, I’m not marrying him.”

“Why not?”

Amber peered at Royce in confusion. “What do you mean why not?” She leaned forward. “I’ve just spent the last week with you.”

He shrugged. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

She opened her mouth, struggling to form words.

“I’m new, Amber.” He stripped off a pair of leather gloves. “I seem interesting and exciting. You’re on vacation, having a fling.”

Amber’s fingertips went to her temple. “A fling?”

He calmly tucked the gloves under his arm and adjusted his Stetson. “Hargrove is willing to take you back. You should seriously consider his offer.”

Her frustration was turning to anger. “You said anybody who told me that was short-sighted and stupid.”

“Guess I was wrong.”

She shook her head, but he stayed stubbornly silent.

She clenched her jaw, then enunciated her words slowly and carefully. “I do not love Hargrove.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“I absolutely know that for sure. Because I love you , Royce.”

The words went unanswered. But she wasn’t sorry. This was no fling. He was falling for her, too. She’d bet her life on it.

No one had ever treated her the way Royce did. He was compassionate, attentive and so very sexy. And she was positive he didn’t open up with many other people the way he’d opened up with her. He’d flat out told her nobody else knew about his father. And their lovemaking was off the charts.

He scoffed out a laugh. “You don’t love me.”

She smacked her hand on the rail in frustration. “What is the matter with you? Are you afraid of Hargrove?”

Royce’s eyes glittered. “I’m not afraid of anybody.”

“Well, I know you feel it, too.”

He whipped off his hat, banging it on his thigh to release the dust. “If by it , you mean lust, then you’re right.”

“I don’t mean lust.”

“People don’t fall in love in a week.”

“People can fall in love in an hour.”

“Not so it lasts.” It was his turn to lean in. “It’s lust, Amber. It’s a fling. What you have with Hargrove is real, and you need to go back to him.”

“Hargrove loves Katie.”

Royce smacked his hat back on his head. “Then why’s he here looking for you?”

“He doesn’t know it yet.” She realized that sounded lame, but it was completely true. Amber had very high hopes that Hargrove would wake up to the truth about Katie.

“Now you’re grasping at straws. Go back to reality, Amber. Get married in that big cathedral and have beautiful babies for the campaign trail.”

“Are you listening to yourself?” She gripped the rail. “You’re willing to throw away everything that’s between us?”

A part of her couldn’t believe it. A part of her expected to wake up any second. But another brusque, insidious part of her realized she’d made a horrible mistake.

She might have fallen for Royce. But Royce hadn’t fallen for her.

“You’ve spun a nice fantasy, here,” he said. Then he nodded toward Hargrove’s car. “But your reality is over there.”

Her throat closed over, and she swallowed hard. “You’re asking me to leave?”

His expression was unreadable. “I’m asking you to leave.”

She gave a stiff nod, unable to speak. Royce didn’t love her. He didn’t want her. And she’d made a complete and total fool of herself.

Two days later, Amber alternated between misery and mortification. Royce might not have loved her, but her heart had fallen hard and fast for him.

It was easy to see what made him such a great pick-up artist. He must make every woman feel loved and cherished-at least temporarily. She wondered about the string of broken hearts he’d left behind.

Then she wondered who he’d be with next. But that thought hurt so much she banished it, blinking back the familiar sting in her eyes as she focused on her mother far across her family’s great room.

The replacement-for-the-shower party was in full swing. But Amber didn’t feel remotely like celebrating.

Maybe if Royce had simply sweet-talked her into bed, if they’d had fantastic sex, if he’d put her in a cab in the morning, maybe then she could have handled it. But he hadn’t simply made love to her. He’d joked and laughed with her, shared his secrets with her, made her feel valuable, important, a part of his world.

“Amber?” Her mother, Reena, approached, concern in her expression.

Amber tried to smile at her mother. Her family had been told that she was the one to break it off with Hargrove. But nobody but Katie knew anything about Royce. Amber planned to keep it that way.

Reena’s floor-length chiffon dress rustled to a halt. “Why aren’t you visiting, sweetheart?”

“I’m a little tired.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?”

“I’m sure.” She mustered up a smile.

“That’s the best you can do? You look like you’re headed for the gallows.”

Amber signed. “I’m really not in the mood for a party, Mom.”

Reena moved in closer. “But I thought this was what you wanted.”

“I didn’t want a party.”

“Well, you didn’t want a shower, either. And the guests were already on their way.”

Amber drew a shuddering breath, fighting the tears that were never far from the surface. Emotions alone shouldn’t hurt this much. Still, a single teardrop escaped, trailing coolly down her cheek.

“Sweetheart,” her mother entreated, drawing Amber close to her side. “Do you miss him so much?”

Amber startled in surprise. How had her mother guessed?

Reena cupped Amber’s chin with gentle fingertips, peering deeply into her eyes. “Shall I give Hargrove a call for you? We might be able to talk him into-”

“She’s not missing Hargrove,” came Katie’s voice as she swooped in to join them.

“Of course she is,” said Reena. “Just look at her.”

“I’m not missing Hargrove,” Amber confirmed.

Katie gave Amber a level, challenging look. “She’s missing Royce Ryder.”

Amber sucked in a gasp.

“Who?” asked her mother, glancing from Amber to Katie and back again.