it, and throwing back his head with a low cry of ecstasy.
Legs braced, he somehow managed to stay upright and hold on to her as their tremors gradually subsided. Slowly, he brought his head forward again and met her gaze. She seemed as dazed as he was. Exciting as this had been, they both needed a bed in which to recover, but he didn’t have one. He had a tablecloth and a couple of saddle blankets.
It would have to do. “Can you stand here for just a little while?”
Her smile was lopsided. “Maybe.”
He gently lowered her feet to the ground and reached for his shirt. Draping it around her shoulders, he gave her a quick kiss. “Wait here. I won’t take long.”
Picking up his jeans, he disposed of the condom by wrapping it in his handkerchief. After that he approached the two saddled horses. Although he knew next to nothing about saddles, the cinch seemed no more complicated than a belt.
And he was a man on a mission, determined to provide for his lover. In a relatively short time he’d pulled off both saddles and placed the blankets on the ground with the side that had touched the horses on the bottom.
Then he pulled the red-and-white-checker tablecloth out of the saddlebag containing the snacks. He thought they needed rest more than food right now. The makeshift bed finished, he returned for Caro and led her to the tree-shaded bower he’d prepared.
She didn’t question or protest as he drew her down with him. After some maneuvering, they were settled on the nubby blankets, Caro lying with her back to him and her knees drawn up, Logan curled protectively around her.
Last of all he spread the tablecloth over both of them, stretched out his arm and urged her to use it as a pillow. Shemust have been too exhausted to argue, because she cuddled against him and fell fast asleep. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he held Caro close.
As he drifted off to sleep, Logan realized he’d never been happier in his life.
9
C ARO WOKE UP TO THE SOUND of birds chirping in the branches over her head. For a moment she was totally disoriented and couldn’t imagine where she was. Then she felt Logan’s arm around her and his warm body pressed against her back.
Oh, yes. She’d ridden out here with this hunky, conflicted man and they’d been so desperate for sex that they’d done it up against a pine tree. She’d never been that wild and crazy with a guy, but Logan seemed to bring out all her hidden fantasies. No wonder. The arm draped around her was beautifully sculpted, and the rest of his body was the same.
But her reaction to him was about more than his physical attributes. He needed her. Through example, Grandma Bonnie had taught her the joy and satisfaction of being there for a person in need.
Logan was going through a dark period in his life, and he needed someone to help him deal with his demons. She could help. She’d never lost a career, but she’d lost her mother at the tender age of twelve.
She didn’t kid herself that this was a lasting attraction. He’d figure out his next steps and be on his way. She would have served her purpose, that of being a bridge over troubled waters. She was okay with that.
Or mostly okay. The longer she was with him, the moreshe began to dream. But he wasn’t for her, and she knew it. He’d find a career that would put him in the limelight again, and he wouldn’t find that career in Shoshone, Wyoming.
He nuzzled the back of her neck. “You awake?”
“Uh-huh.”
“That was the last condom, I hate to say. I couldn’t come up with a way to get more without causing a stir in the community. Something tells me that if I drove into town and bought a box, the word would be out before I was halfway back to the Last Chance turnoff.”
“You’re probably right. The only secretive way to get them is in the men’s room at the Spirits and Spurs, and we know that machine is completely unreliable.”
“Do you have the three-to-eleven shift tomorrow
Legs braced, he somehow managed to stay upright and hold on to her as their tremors gradually subsided. Slowly, he brought his head forward again and met her gaze. She seemed as dazed as he was. Exciting as this had been, they both needed a bed in which to recover, but he didn’t have one. He had a tablecloth and a couple of saddle blankets.
It would have to do. “Can you stand here for just a little while?”
Her smile was lopsided. “Maybe.”
He gently lowered her feet to the ground and reached for his shirt. Draping it around her shoulders, he gave her a quick kiss. “Wait here. I won’t take long.”
Picking up his jeans, he disposed of the condom by wrapping it in his handkerchief. After that he approached the two saddled horses. Although he knew next to nothing about saddles, the cinch seemed no more complicated than a belt.
And he was a man on a mission, determined to provide for his lover. In a relatively short time he’d pulled off both saddles and placed the blankets on the ground with the side that had touched the horses on the bottom.
Then he pulled the red-and-white-checker tablecloth out of the saddlebag containing the snacks. He thought they needed rest more than food right now. The makeshift bed finished, he returned for Caro and led her to the tree-shaded bower he’d prepared.
She didn’t question or protest as he drew her down with him. After some maneuvering, they were settled on the nubby blankets, Caro lying with her back to him and her knees drawn up, Logan curled protectively around her.
Last of all he spread the tablecloth over both of them, stretched out his arm and urged her to use it as a pillow. Shemust have been too exhausted to argue, because she cuddled against him and fell fast asleep. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he held Caro close.
As he drifted off to sleep, Logan realized he’d never been happier in his life.
9
C ARO WOKE UP TO THE SOUND of birds chirping in the branches over her head. For a moment she was totally disoriented and couldn’t imagine where she was. Then she felt Logan’s arm around her and his warm body pressed against her back.
Oh, yes. She’d ridden out here with this hunky, conflicted man and they’d been so desperate for sex that they’d done it up against a pine tree. She’d never been that wild and crazy with a guy, but Logan seemed to bring out all her hidden fantasies. No wonder. The arm draped around her was beautifully sculpted, and the rest of his body was the same.
But her reaction to him was about more than his physical attributes. He needed her. Through example, Grandma Bonnie had taught her the joy and satisfaction of being there for a person in need.
Logan was going through a dark period in his life, and he needed someone to help him deal with his demons. She could help. She’d never lost a career, but she’d lost her mother at the tender age of twelve.
She didn’t kid herself that this was a lasting attraction. He’d figure out his next steps and be on his way. She would have served her purpose, that of being a bridge over troubled waters. She was okay with that.
Or mostly okay. The longer she was with him, the moreshe began to dream. But he wasn’t for her, and she knew it. He’d find a career that would put him in the limelight again, and he wouldn’t find that career in Shoshone, Wyoming.
He nuzzled the back of her neck. “You awake?”
“Uh-huh.”
“That was the last condom, I hate to say. I couldn’t come up with a way to get more without causing a stir in the community. Something tells me that if I drove into town and bought a box, the word would be out before I was halfway back to the Last Chance turnoff.”
“You’re probably right. The only secretive way to get them is in the men’s room at the Spirits and Spurs, and we know that machine is completely unreliable.”
“Do you have the three-to-eleven shift tomorrow
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