Sweet Talking Cowboy Read online

  Jeffery had fumed and pouted about her going to shows where Slade might be, but she ignored his tantrums. He was away at school and she wasn’t going to give up having a social life or stop showing horses before or after she got married so he’d just have to get over it. The only thing that bothered him was that she was moving in the same circles as Slade. Jeffery had always been jealous of Slade and there wasn’t much chance of that ever changing, especially with his mother adding fuel to the fire with her resentment.

  It caused discomfort when she had lunch with Tanya in town one day. She found herself defending Slade and refused to accept that he was the sneaky, manipulator that his step mother made him out to be.

  Slade brought two horses of his own back from Texas. One of them was a sturdy young dun stallion with a world of potential in the show pen, and a feminine sorrel filly with the conformation of a halter horse. He’d started showing both of them in Texas and once home in Florida, he continued his quest for AQHA Championships for them.

  It was inevitable that he and Briann compete at the same shows. She was glad to see him but dreaded the day they might end up in the same class. Slade had mastered training in the method that had made Cooper Harding a world famous trainer and his horses were always tops in their classes. Their attention to their handler was complete and their manners impeccable and judges loved seeing that in the ring. Not to mention that his horses were as near perfect in conformation as they could be.

  If their class schedules allowed it, they helped one another and there were times she was sure they were back to the easy, unencumbered relationship they had shared during her childhood. In spite of that, there were times when their hands might touch in the exchange of brushes, tack or something else and she would feel an unexpected tingle that she found disturbing. She didn’t want to think about what that might mean any more than she wanted to think about the way her heart skittered when she caught Slade looking at her with that dark hooded look that caused him to look quickly away.

  She was at a show in west Georgia one weekend and had traveled there alone. She had seen Slade briefly that morning, but not having any help with her horses, she’d stayed too busy to visit with him and after settling her horses for the night, after her last class, she’d dropped her trailer at the show grounds and drove her truck back to the motel. She had picked up something from a fast food place and was looking forward to getting to bed early.

  She’d just closed the door to her room and was startled by the ringing of her cell phone. She’d already talked to Uncle Mike and filled him in on the day’s events, and had taken a call from Jeffery so she wasn’t expecting any more calls. She flipped it open and said, “Hello?”

  She could hear loud music and loud talking and was about to hang it up when a man’s voice asked if she knew a cowboy named Slade.

  “Yes,” she admitted quickly. “Is he alright?”

  “Well,” the man said, “I’m the bartender at the Ramada Inn and he’s in here, but he’s pretty drunk. Our front desk says he’s not registered here, and he was getting ready to leave, so I’ve taken his keys. He’s way too drunk to drive. When I asked if there was someone who could come get him, he finally gave me your number.”

  She had never known Slade to be much of a drinker, but he’d been in Texas a long time. She couldn’t let him drive himself anywhere. “It’ll take me about ten minutes to get there, but I’m on my way.”

  Briann felt strange walking into a bar at a hotel. It wasn’t something she’d ever done before. It was dark, and she paused just inside the door to let her eyes adjust, then she weaved her way through some couples dancing and made her way to the bar. She spotted Slade almost immediately. He was leaning over a glass, rocking slightly to the beat of the music, his grey felt hat sitting slightly crooked on his head. The bartender approached and she explained who she was, then made her way to Slade’s side.

  “Hey, Cowboy, do you need a ride?”

  He swung his head around at the sound of her voice and a grin split his lips. “What I need is a dancin’ partner.” His drawl was barely slurred as he leaned toward her.

  She laughed. “What you need is a good night of sleep. Come on, I’ll dance you to the door.”

  The bartender passed her the confiscated keys as Slade slipped off the stool and wrapped his arms around her, shuffling his feet as if dancing. She slipped her arms around his waist and moved with him, leading him an unsteady step at a time to the door. He continued to dance as she led him across the parking lot to the passenger door of her truck. Unlocking it was easy; getting him into the seat was not. Then she discovered she didn’t know where he was staying. He still wanted to dance and while pushing him back into the vehicle she tried to find out if he’d already taken a room for the night. He couldn’t tell her, so using her cell phone while she drove, she got him a room at the Hampton Inn where she was staying.

  Once there, she left him sitting in the truck while she made quick work of signing the papers and getting the key to his room. It was on the back of the building and she was thankful that she wouldn’t have to help him through the lobby. She was blaming his state of drunkenness for the way he kept pulling her against him and the way his hands seemed to find their way to places they shouldn’t go. They were able to drive to the back and his room was just inside the back door.

  Briann wasn’t prepared for his weight as he came out the door of the truck, and they almost toppled to the ground. She punched his shoulder soundly. “Hey! You’ve got to help me a little bit. I can’t carry you!” Her scolding roused him somewhat, and they were able to open the back door of the hotel and then she succeeded in unlocking the door of his room.

  She was dropping him into a sitting position on the bed when he tightened his hold on her shoulder and stayed on his feet. Her arms were around him and when she looked up at him, she was surprised to see how close his face was to her own.

  “You are so sweet,” he breathed softly.

  She smiled. “So are you, now set down here and let me pull your boots off.”

  “Have you ever wanted to do something that you knew you shouldn’t do?” He asked.

  She assumed he was talking about getting drunk. “I suppose everyone does that once in a while.”

  “You too?” He asked.

  She nodded. “Sure. But drinking like this is not good for you.”

  His hands slipped down across her shoulders to pull her close. “Look at me, Bri.” His voice was a whisper and the slur was almost gone. The husky note in his voice as he shortened her name caught her attention. It wasn’t something she expected, nor was the heat in his pale eyes as he looked at her lips.

  Surprised by his actions when she looked up at him and the look in his eyes, her heart lurched crazily. His head dropped and very gently, his lips settled over hers. It was barely a touch, like a butterfly’s wings, then he lifted his head slightly. “I’ve been wantin’ to do that for a very long time,” he whispered, before covering her lips with his again.

  Briann was shocked by his actions, but even more shocked by her own reaction. Her heart was racing out of control and she felt as if her breathe was caught in her throat. His lips lingered sweetly and then his head moved, and her lips separated under pressure from his. She felt his tongue trace gently across her upper lip and then he tenderly traced her bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth and stroking against it slowly. When his tongue slipped between her lips into her mouth, her heart hitched. Slowly, seductively he explored her mouth, finding her tongue he stroked it, teasing it into a shy reaction. The kiss deepened and without even knowing she was doing it, she slipped her arms behind his shoulders and let his body support hers and with his guidance, her tongue slipped between his lips. Slade groaned, savoring her tentative response.

  She had no idea how long they stood there, next to the bed, holding each other, letting the kiss go on and on. She had never had a kiss awaken the longing in her that Slade was causing. Her heart was racing and her breathing was just as
wild. Deep inside she felt an unfamiliar tingling, like the unfurling of a tightly curled ribbon. What was happening to her?

  His hands slipped behind her and slowly he turned, the bed was now behind her knees and as he held her, he carefully lowered her until she was lying back on the bed, his body half covering hers. In her mind, she knew she should stop this, but she wanted the fire he had brought to life within her. She was torn between shock and wonder and wanted more than anything to allow this miraculous feeling to grow. His hands wondered over her body, bringing it alive with fire. One slipped beneath her tee-shirt and trailed up across bare skin, flames blazing in its wake. Then he pushed her bra up and that calloused hand closed over her breast. Briann whimpered into his mouth, wanting so much more and not understanding exactly what that meant. Finally he lifted his head and looked down at her. “I want you, Bri. I’ve always wanted you.” His voice was a ragged whisper that took her breath away. His calloused hand on her breast was gentle and sent sweet, torturous tingles of pleasure down into the secret recesses of her body. He kissed her again, long and deep before he tore his lips from hers and trailed paths of fire across her cheek, down her neck and up to her ear.

  “I wonder what was in that last drink I had. I’ve never had hallucinations before.” He kissed her again, long and hard, rolling over onto his back, pulling her up and over onto him, his hands slipping down over the cheeks of her rounded bottom, pulling her against the hard ridge beneath the zipper of his Wranglers. Then his mouth slipped off hers, onto her neck and holding her there, his breathing deepened and in a few seconds, she realized he’d gone to sleep.

  She wriggled out of his grasp, and slowly sat up on the bed beside him straightening her clothes, shocked at the excitement his wondering hands and hard body had aroused and her eager response to his intimate caresses, her heart still pounding like crazy, her breathing erratic. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. If he hadn’t passed out…she would have…they would have… Sweet mercy! This was Slade! Her best friend! Her future brother-in-law! She wanted to jump up and run from the room, but her knees were shaking and she couldn’t run if her life depended on it. She sat there for several minutes, regaining her breath, allowing her heart to slow down, stunned by what had almost happened, but unable to stop thinking about the feel of his hands on her body, his mouth on hers.

  She looked down at him, and unable to restrain herself, she caressed his face tenderly. This was what he’d been talking about when he asked if she’d ever wanted to do something she knew she shouldn’t do. She slipped off the bed and placed his truck keys and the room key on the table beside the bed and using the motel note pad next to the phone, jotted him a quick note telling him where his truck was. She wouldn’t undress him but couldn’t help feeling tempted. She couldn’t deny her curiosity about that long hard body hidden under his clothes. Instead, she unfastened the large belt buckle resting in the vicinity of his belly button, loosened the waistband button on his pants, and pulled his boots off. Then just because she knew he was asleep and wouldn’t remember any of it, she leaned over him and kissed him again. Surprisingly, one of his hands rose up to hold onto the back of her head and briefly his lips moved in response, then he was asleep again. Briann eased out the door and down the hall to her own room, knowing she’d get very little rest tonight and wondering about this startling discovery. She’d never say it out loud and would never let it be known, but in that room, she’d wanted Slade Butler to make love to her. No man had ever made her feel like that before.

  Briann’s night was long and restless, but she was at the barn that housed her horses early the next morning, getting both of them ready for the long day that lay ahead.

  The bay gelding did very well in his halter class, taking a second, but the sorrel filly seemed to be off her game, and just was not as responsive as she usually was to Briann’s cues. She seemed heavy in her movements and reactions and Briann put her away feeling disappointed with their performance. She had been excused from the arena without a ribbon and that was not acceptable. She could never be the trainer she wanted to be when the horse she was showing didn’t have enough sparkle to keep the judges looking.

  Taking herself away from the pressure for a little while, Briann sat on the bleachers and watched the stallion halter classes, allowing her mind to imagine what it would be like to have a top quality stallion to exhibit. She didn’t always agree with the judge’s decision but today’s judge had done a wonderful job, picking a young stallion that was equal to all the older horses, but still developing. He was already outstanding, but someday, he’d be competing on a national level.

  When the class ended, she walked back through the barn, looking at the horses in each stall, trying to locate any of the horses from the Butler Farm. She didn’t see even one. That was unusual. If Slade hadn’t brought any horses to show, why was he here?

  Eventually her steps brought her back to the two horses she had brought. She stopped in front of the filly’s stall, wondering again just what had taken her edge off. Yesterday, the animal had positively glowed but now she was standing in the corner of her stall quietly munching her hay, paying no attention to the activity in the barn. She just wasn’t right.

  Briann felt Slade’s eyes on her the minute he entered the barn and she turned to watch him approach. He’d cleaned up nicely, from this distance showing no signs of the hangover she’d expected. Just watching him walking toward her was enough to start her heart racing. A grin spread his lips as he drew close and when he stopped in front of her, she could see the tiny vessels in his pale eyes were swollen with blood. Not tremendously, but more than normal.

  “Hey. How’d you do this mornin’?” he asked, indicating the horses.

  “The bay took a second out of a class of twenty three, but the filly is off. How’re you feeling this morning?” She couldn’t help wondering just how much he might remember about last night. Probably nothing, she reminded her racing heart.

  His grin widened sheepishly, but his eyes held hers. “Actually I’m pretty fuzzy. Did I call you to come get me last night, or did I just imagine that?”

  She turned back to look at the sorrel horse, deciding that was safer than looking into those steady, blue eyes. “The bartender called me.”

  He nodded. “Thanks.”

  Now he was wondering if all his fuzzy memories were true or if he’d dreamed up part of them. He wasn’t sure how to ask. After a long moment he finally spoke. “What was I drinkin’?”

  She shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. Something kinda amber colored, in a short glass. Why?”

  He looked at the small furrows between her brows, knitted with concern. He grinned that same sheepish smile again. “I think I should buy a bottle and take it home with me. I had a real interestin’ dream.”

  Briann looked away quickly, but not before Slade saw the faint flush that tinted her face pink. Then he knew he hadn’t dreamed it.

  “Maybe I owe you an apology?” He said softly, still wondering if his alcohol induced memory had made him imagine the warmth of her response.

  She looked down at her hands, and then forced her eyes up to meet his.

  “You don’t owe me an apology, Slade,” she confessed her face burning under his intense scrutiny. Then she pulled her eyes away and focused on the filly in the stall.

  When she looked away, he worried about what he didn’t remember. Had it been more than a kiss? “Maybe you need to tell me exactly what happened?” His voice was soft, but she heard the concern in it.

  “It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t anything…much,” she managed. This was so embarrassing, she thought silently. She wondered how much he did remember.

  One of his hands shot out and gripped her arm. “Did I hurt you, Bri?” he demanded.

  Her heart was almost spazzing out of her chest, but she shook her head negatively. “No.”

  “Did I do more than kiss you?” If that much of the dream was real, perhaps the rest was real too.

  She h
esitated. How could she admit she’d let him get his hand under her shirt, on her bare breast, or how much she’d liked it.

  He swore softly. “Damn, Bri, I’m so sorry.”

  When she lifted her eyes and looked at him she saw the guilt in his expression. It broke her heart. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to do, Slade,” she confessed quickly.

  He searched her face. “Are you sure?”

  Briann nodded. “I was surprised.”

  “By the way I kissed you?” he probed.

  Again she nodded. “And the way it made me feel.”

  He hesitated before he continued, not sure he wanted to hear if she was repelled by his actions.

  Finally he asked. “How, Bri? How did it make you feel?”

  She shook her head negatively. “Just let it go, Slade. Just forget it happened. Let’s just be like we’ve always been.”

  His head moved slowly from side to side. “That can’t happen, sugar. I kissed you the way a man kisses a woman he wants. I remember that much. I think you kissed me back, but I need to know. Did you, Bri? Did you like my kiss enough to kiss me back?”

  Slowly she raised her eyes to meet his and then shyly, she nodded. “I’ve never…been kissed…like that. It made me….feel…things.” She dropped her head and turned away.

  Silence stretched between them until she opened the stall door and went inside. Bending over, she lifted the horse’s front foot and working a coin out of her pocket, used it to clean out the crevice around the V shaped ‘frog’ that protrudes from the center and back of the hoof and cushions the footfall to protect the delicate bones in the equine leg.