Her Midnight Cowboy Read Online Free PDF

about you.” Her hand grasped his as it fell from her hair. “I was drawn to you that day, and have been ever since. I can’t take a breath without thinking about you.”
    Her fingers trembled against his palm, and he tightened his hold. “Angel—”
    “Don’t, Rowdy.” She shook her head. “Don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m saying, because I do.”
    Something inside him snapped. Pulling her forward, he dipped his face, catching her slightly parted lips with his. This time, their kiss was slow and easy, yet more powerful than the one in the barn. His heart was in it this time; it had cracked open and was spreading tenderness throughout his body.
    Her arms slid around his waist. He eased his lips from hers and kissed her cheek and temple before tucking her head beneath his chin. Securing her in place, he murmured. “Aw, Angel girl, what am I going to do with you?”
    “Love me?” she whispered against his chest.
    Kissing the top of her head, he tightened his grasp, knowing he held more right now than he’d ever dreamed of. “You deserve more than I can offer, Angel. Much more.”
    She pulled back, staring up at him with a deep frown.
    The thunder of hoofbeats sounded outside, signaling the return of the ranch hands,. Rowdy gave her a little shove. “Go write your invitations. I’ll take them to town.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t want company, Rowdy.”
    “I do,” he said.
    A tiny frown furrowed her brow. “Why?”
    He kissed the tip of her nose. “Because it’s not safe for us to be alone.” He tenderly pushed her toward the doorway. “Go write them.”
    She opened her mouth, but closed it when he shook his head.
    Rowdy followed her out of the room, then walked to the front door while she went down the hall to Ellis’s office. It was his own fault. The thought of Angel tagging along with Hank to Cottonwood on Saturday night had made Rowdy snort like a bull, so his second choice, taking a couple invitations to town, seemed like a good idea. Now it sounded even better. Maybe one of her friends could hang around for a few days. The barrier would help.
    He nodded to the ranch hands as they dismounted. He and Angel weren’t alone at the ranch, but there wasn’t a man among the group of cowboys who’d be able to stand in his way when his final ounce of control snapped. It was when—not if. He was too close to giving in and accepting all Angel offered. Ellis would be back in six weeks and then… Rowdy glanced about. Maybe Liza was right. He should head to Texas.
    His gaze went to the far side of the compound, where the original log cabin sat, the one Ellis and his first wife had built when they’d claimed the property. It was solid and still in good shape. Ellis had said it wouldn’t take much to clean it up, if Rowdy was interested in living there instead of the bunkhouse.
    Angel arrived at his side, and without a word, Rowdy took the envelopes and walked down the veranda stairs. The invitations were a good plan. He could spend the evening reading about longhorns in the bunkhouse while she and her friends quilted and gossiped in the parlor.
     
    A few hours later, he realized in this, too, he was wrong. Tanna’s squeal when she’d opened the envelope from Angel had been heard from one end of Cottonwood to the other. By the time he bought himself a bath and some new clothes, half the town had gathered at the Browns’ house, waiting for him to escort them to the ranch.
    He felt as if he led a posse, the way the crowd behind him sped across the plains. The sun was streaking the sky pink, yellow and orange by the time he and the wagons full of people reached the ranch yard.
    Angel walked across the veranda while he brought his horse to a halt near the hitching post. When she paused near the top step, Rowdy wondered if he’d been punched in the gut. The shinny gold dress she wore not only fitted her like a glove, but made his eyes want to play peekaboo with the full mounds of her breasts