Cowboy Trouble (The McCord Brothers 1.5) by Delores Fossen Page A

the long, easy stride of a woman who had a mountain of confidence.
    A change for Natalie.
    She wasn’t exactly the mountain-of-confidence type. Or the type to wear sex-against-the-wall heels like that. His Natalie—when she had been his, that is—was more of a jeans-and-cowboy-boots kind of girl. Her daddy had often joked that cowboy boots and princess tiaras didn’t go well together.
    Neither had princesses and cowboys.
    But she was definitely more in the princess wheelhouse today. The muggy breeze flirted with her turquoise-colored skirt, fluttering it around the tops of her knees. Rico obviously wasn’t the only one to notice that, because Brandon mumbled something about being “in lust.”
    Rico understood completely.
    Even now, he felt the lust. He wanted to punch himself hard for feeling it, and he wanted to punch all four Wrangler butts for feeling it, too. Thank goodness that lust was tempered with a hefty dose of reality. It didn’t matter how good she looked, he definitely didn’t want to go another round with Natalie Landon.
    Now, the question was—did she want to go another round with him?
    If so, it’d be a shocker, considering she hadn’t even bothered to call him once since she’d walked out on him twelve years ago after their one-week marriage. No, it probably wasn’t for round two. After all, she’d been the one to leave.
    By the time she’d made it to the front of the barn, her deep violet-blue eyes slid in Rico’s direction. Their gazes met. And held.
    Natalie didn’t smile or offer him an acknowledging nod, even though her mouth did that little quivery thing where her bottom lip trembled just slightly. This time it was maybe from nerves, but it happened other times, as well. She probably didn’t know she did the same thing just seconds before reaching an orgasm. He knew. Because Rico had been on the giving end of those particular orgasms.
    And that was something else he really wished he hadn’t remembered.
    Rico stayed put but watched as she made her way past the line of butts. The barn was littered with hay, feed and equipment. The air was heavy not just with heat and humidity but with manure and dust. Hardly a fitting place for Natalie, not dressed like that anyway.
    Not smelling like that, either.
    She was wearing perfume that screamed “I’m expensive.” Ditto for the earrings. Diamonds, of course, that dripped down like raindrops on tiny gold threads. The only thing that didn’t mesh was the small silver heart that she’d pinned, well, over her heart.
    Natalie stopped right in front of him, and her attention went from his hair, which was still soaking wet, down to his unbuttoned shirt. Also drenched. Not just drenched from the water he’d poured over his head, either, but from an ample amount of sweat. If she’d been any other woman, Rico would have wished for a shower and a shave before facing her.
    But she wasn’t any other woman.
    There was no need to impress her.
    “Lost?” Rico asked, just so he could make sure his mouth was moving and not gaping. “Because you’re a long way from Austin.”
    “No, not lost. But believe me, it’d be better for both of us if that’s why I was here. Is there someplace we can talk? In private?” she added, sparing the hands a cool glance.
    Hell. This couldn’t be good. Rico wanted to refuse, but that would just make him look petty. Besides, he was curious, and since he wasn’t a cat, maybe that curiosity wouldn’t kill his ass.
    He led her through the barn. Through the crap and hay. No doubt messing up those girlie shoes. Rico took her to the bunkhouse and his office there. Such that it was. It was barely big enough for one, so Rico had to work hard to keep some personal space between them. He leaned his shoulder against the metal filing cabinet, folded his arms over his chest and generally tried to look surly. With the heat and her impromptu visit, it wasn’t a hard look to accomplish.
    He hoped.
    “Well, you don’t appear to