All Night with the Cowboy Read online

  “I thought we’d start by reviewing your latest scans together,” she said, clearing her throat and reluctantly releasing her hands.

  “I’m all ears,” he replied, leaning back into the sofa. She didn’t miss the grimace as he lifted his foot to rest it on the table.

  “When do you get your cast off?” she asked softly.

  “Seven days and counting.”

  “Where is it hurting? The ankle still or elsewhere?”

  Tanner’s gaze met hers this time, warmer than before. “My thigh and my hip now. It’s like there’s no part of me that’s been spared.”

  She smiled. “That’s what happens when you lose a fight with a bull, huh?”

  He laughed, but it sounded like more of a grunt. “Yeah, something like that.”

  “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything that we’re working with here that I can’t help you with,” she told him, relaxing more now that she was in work mode. If she stayed focused on her job, she’d be fine—working was what she did best. “You’re sore because you’ve got a cast on that’s making you move in an abnormal way to protect your ankle. That’s putting pressure on other areas, and let’s not forget that there are plenty of other parts of your body that were hurt during that accident.”

  “Sounds like you’re on the right track, doc,” Tanner muttered.

  “Tanner, I know things are, well, awkward between us,” she said, needing to get it out in the open, not wanting to leave it unsaid, “but I’m good at what I do. I love what I do and I love healing bodies and getting athletes back to work. With you, I’ve got time to heal you properly, but for that I need you to trust me.”

  He considered her, his eyes never leaving hers. She gulped, hating the feeling of being so thoroughly under inspection.

  “Trust is something that’s earned,” he said slowly. “It’s not something you can demand.”

  Lauren gulped. She got it. She’d been the one person he’d trusted outside of his family, and she’d ended their relationship with no warning and never looked back. Or at least that’s what it would have felt like to him. At the time she’d broken her own heart as badly as she’d obviously ripped out his, but that was all in the past. There was no point in trying to make him understand why she’d done what she’d done. She had a job to do, and right now she needed him to trust that she was capable and prepared to do whatever she needed to get him back on a bull.

  “I need you to trust me professionally, Tanner,” she said, keeping her voice low and steady. “I can give you references and case studies so you can believe in my work, but I don’t expect this to be anything more than a professional transaction, okay?”

  He nodded. “Fine. Professional it is.”

  She let out a low, quiet breath. “So we’re still leaving in a week?”

  “Yup.”

  They sat awkwardly, Lauren looking at her boots and then back up at Tanner, wondering how the hell they were going to spend weeks together if they couldn’t even get through a fifteen-minute conversation without struggling.

  “Tanner, I know it’s been a long time, but I don’t have a problem keeping things strictly professional between us,” she said. “There’s no reason we can’t work together, and we can both relax while we’re away, too. It’ll be an amazing place for you to recover, and I’ve been looking forward to this vacation for a long time. Like a seriously long time.”

  The look on his face surprised her. It was like a combination of hate and pain twisted into one for the briefest second, before a tight smile crossed his lips. “You’re right. I need therapy and from what Mia keeps telling me, you’re the best in the business.”

  Lauren hesitated, but curiosity got the better of her. “Can I just ask you one thing? Did Mia tell you before she contacted me?”

  Tanner’s laugh was deep and low. “You think you’d be sitting here right now if she had?”

  The burn that spread up Lauren’s neck and across her cheeks must have made her skin flare bright red. Of course. Tanner had had nothing to do with all this, it had all been Mia. She should have guessed.

  “Well, if you change your mind about the trip, please let me know,” she said, standing up and brushing her hands down her jeans for no good reason at all. But it gave her something to do and it meant she could avoid looking at Tanner for a short moment. “I’ll let myself out.”

  He had one crutch extended like he was about to get up, but then he set it down and watched her, his mouth set in a grim line now. She wasn’t sure if it was pain, discomfort, or just displeasure about the whole situation they were in.

  “You don’t want to examine me?” he asked.

  Lauren shook her head. “We’ve got plenty of time for that in Fiji once you’re out of your cast.” She didn’t want to get that close to him, not today. She didn’t want to touch him or smell him or look up into eyes that she’d once imagined spending a lifetime looking into. “See you next week.”

  “Yeah, next week,” Tanner replied.

  Lauren walked quickly away, through the door to the living room, down the hall, and out the front to her car. When she got there, shoes crunching over the gravel, she leaned against the car and took a deep breath. It caught in her lungs, catching as she tried to exhale, and she pressed her palms to the metal.

  Tanner Ford. She wanted to scream, to slam her hands against the car, to march back in there and tell him to man the hell up and stop living in the past. But the trouble was, the past had just rushed back at her as fast as an oncoming freight train, and she was suddenly a head-over-heels eighteen-year-old again, walking away from the boy she loved.

  * * *

  Tanner stood in the kitchen, leaning on the counter and staring outside. Being inside and not doing something on the ranch felt like torture. He was a sun-on-his-face, hands-dirty, hard-work kind of guy. He glanced down at his fingernails and cracked up laughing at how clean they were—they looked like they belonged to another man. A city slicker. This must be what his brother’s hands look like.

  “How you doing there, son?”

  Tanner turned and found his father standing a few paces away. He smiled and shrugged. “Honestly? I’m going stir crazy. I hate being stuck inside.”

  “Then go outside,” his dad said. “Get one of the guys to bring up a quad bike and find a way to get out of the house.”

  He was right. He was miserable and driving himself crazy, but if he wanted to get out, he could be. “Yeah, you’re right. I just hate being a burden on anyone, you know? I don’t like asking for help.”

  “How’d it go with the physical therapist?” Walter asked, opening the fridge and pulling out a sandwich that had been prepared and left for him. He unwrapped it and put the plate on the counter dividing the kitchen, gesturing to Tanner to share it with him. “She sure left here in one hell of a hurry. Looked like she’d seen a ghost when she stood out there at her car. I thought she was going to burst into tears, but she just jumped in and off she went.”

  Tanner stifled a groan and reached for half the sandwich to avoid having to answer.

  “I know you’re pissed with the world right now, but there’s no reason to treat a lady—”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Tanner said, mouth full as he quickly chewed and swallowed. “We have history, that’s all. Unpleasant history.”

  “Ah, I see.” His father settled onto one of the kitchen stools, but Tanner stayed on the other side, propped up by his elbow as he leaned forward to take the weight off his foot. “Anything you want to talk about, son?”

  Tanner grinned. “Nope.” He could have told his dad that he was probably the only person on the planet who didn’t know about his history with Lauren—he’d never been that interested in his kids’ social lives back then—but he kept his mouth shut.

  “Well, how about we finish this sandwich and then figure out a way to get you the hell out of this house,” Walter said, chuckling as he spoke. “You’re like a wild animal caged in here. The sooner we break you out, t
he better.”

  Tanner nodded. “Sounds like a plan. And I’ll be out of your hair soon, I promise.” It had been strange living at home again—he often stayed when he came to visit because his place was a couple hours’ drive away, but being back for an extended period had been weird. Although it hadn’t exactly been hard having the ground-floor bedroom and adjoining bathroom in his family home, with a housekeeper preparing his meals and a nurse coming by every couple of days to check on him.

  “You know, it’s nice having you home. It’s a strange thing having grown-up kids.”

  Tanner grinned. “You love not having us around you mean,” he joked.

  His father shook his head. “It gets lonely rattling around in a house like this alone, trust me. I keep telling your sister that and she teases me about all the traveling I do and how often I eat out, but when you get older, the last thing you want to do is end up sitting alone, wearing slippers and watching television every night.”

  Tanner leaned over and slapped his father on the shoulder, meeting his gaze. “Well, how about we have a drink tonight and play cards, like old days,” he suggested. “You might be able to teach me a thing or two.”

  Walter winked at Tanner. “You’re on, son.”

  Tanner was about to open his mouth again, to tell his dad he was looking forward to it, when Walter stood up and took the plate to the sink. “While we’re at it, you can tell me all about your plans for after this accident. You know I could do with you working on land acquisitions with me now that you’re ready to give up bull riding and get a real job. What do you say?”

  Tanner froze. Anger spread whip-fast up his body and he clenched his fists and stood upright. Why the hell did his family think they could goddamn tell him what to do? What was it about earning millions as one of the best professional bull riders since Ryder King had reigned supreme were they not getting? It wasn’t some pathetic childhood hobby he’d plugged away at without succeeding in his own right.

  “I’m not giving up my career, Dad,” he said through gritted teeth. He was open to retirement one day, to looking forward, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to think about it now. Or be pushed into it.

  “We’ll see,” Walter replied, not even bothering to turn around. “We’ll see, son. One day you’re going to have to step up, and that day is coming sooner than we’d both like to admit, I can feel it.”

  Tanner stood still as a statue, trying to calm the hell down. If he opened his mouth, he’d only say something he’d live to regret. Was his father trying to tell him something, or had he just meant that he wasn’t getting any younger? Either way, he had no intention of giving up his dreams and doing what he was told. Not until he was good and ready, and on his own terms at that.

  * * *

  “Surprise!”

  What the hell? Lauren got such a fright, she felt her heart leap into her throat. Hannah was standing there, in her freaking living room, with her best friend from college beside her and a bottle of champagne in her hand.

  “What … I mean…” Lauren stammered as Hannah came toward her and took her car keys from her hand. Her sister threw an arm around her.

  “Happy birthday little sis,” Hannah said with a laugh, smacking a kiss to Lauren’s cheek.

  “Happy birthday!” Casey grinned as she closed the distance between them, giving her a big hug and a squeeze.

  “I don’t even know what to say. My birthday isn’t until next week!” Lauren could hardly get her words together. She was stammering away like she didn’t have half a brain.

  “Well, it just so happens you’re away then, and we didn’t want you to miss out,” Hannah said, holding the champagne bottle away from her and popping the cork. It flew skyward, hitting the ceiling. “Got any glasses?”

  Lauren burst out laughing and hurried into her kitchen to find three champagne glasses. She gave them a quick glance over and hoped they weren’t too dusty—they hadn’t been used in a very, very long time. In fact, she wasn’t entirely sure they’d been used at all since she’d moved into her house two years ago.

  “I can’t believe you’re both here,” she said, grinning ear to ear as she gave one glass to Casey and held the other two out for Hannah to fill. “Where are the kids? Why didn’t you tell me you were planning to visit?”

  Hannah filled up Casey’s glass then set the bottle down. “I have fourteen hours of being child free. I seriously need to make the most of this. And sweetheart, it’s not like you turn thirty every day, is it? And don’t forget that you’re the one who chose to disappear to Fiji for the big day.”

  Lauren gulped. Thirty. It was a scary number, the end of her twenties and the start of …

  “Happy thirtieth!” Casey said, clinking their glasses.

  “Happy birthday to the best little sister in the world,” Hannah added.

  Lauren happily touched her glass to theirs and took a sip. The bubbles tickled over her tongue and slid down her throat, and she took another sip before shaking her head at her sister.

  “I can’t believe you managed to keep this to yourself. It’s a great surprise.”

  “Come on, you can get ready while we drink and chat,” Hannah told her. “We have dinner reservations at eight, and I want to make the most of being able to sit in a bar and have a drink without worrying about getting home to a babysitter.”

  Lauren looked down at her jeans and T-shirt. She definitely needed to change. Her sister was wearing jeans with a pretty, floaty top underneath a jacket, and stilettos. Casey was in a dress and heels. Lauren was definitely the weak link, but then they’d dressed for going out and she’d just been with … Tanner. She pushed him out of her thoughts, refusing to think about the gorgeous cowboy and focus on her little party.

  Her sister was right, it wasn’t every day you got to celebrate turning thirty. It was one of the reasons she’d decided to splurge on a big vacation.

  “We took the liberty of looking through your wardrobe while we were waiting for you,” Hannah said. “You’ve got a lot of”—Lauren watched as her sister raised her eyebrows and exchanged glances with Casey—“comfortable-looking clothes.”

  Lauren burst out laughing. “I need to be comfortable for work!” she defended herself. “I don’t exactly get out a lot unless it’s work related.”

  Casey reached for the bottle and topped up their glasses, and Lauren was getting the feeling that it was going to be a very, very big night out.

  “Well, it turns out you’ve got a very sexy little silk camisole in your wardrobe. We’ve decided on that with your skinny jeans and the only pair of super high heels we could find.” They both laughed and Lauren felt her cheeks burn. “You seriously need to go shopping. It’s embarrassing just looking at what you wear.”

  Lauren took a big gulp of her drink. She knew the cami—she’d bought it to wear on a hot date when she’d been set up earlier in the year, but something had come up with work and she’d never gotten around to going. It was also silky with lace around it, more like something she imagined sexier girls than her probably wore to bed, which meant she’d probably have chickened out of wearing it even if her date hadn’t been cancelled.

  “I don’t know…” she started.

  “You’re wearing it,” Hannah said firmly. “And while you’re at it, we want all the details on Tanner Ford, don’t we, Case?”

  Casey and Hannah clinked glasses and laughed, and Lauren wished the carpet would open up and swallow her whole. She took a sip of champagne, then gulped down another.

  “So?” Casey asked. “This is the guy you broke up with just before college started, right? The one you dated all through high school?”

  She nodded. “Yup, that’s the one.” She’d met Casey at college, so she’d only heard about Tanner—she hadn’t been there through the whole drama.

  Lauren headed for her bedroom but they followed her, and she sighed when she saw the camisole, jeans, and heels on the bed, waiting for her. They’d clearly been busy while she was out. Her cheeks
ignited when she saw the lacy underwear on her bedside table, in a tiny, open black box.

  “We brought you a little birthday present,” Hannah said. “Just in case you get lucky tonight.”

  “Or with the sexy cowboy in Fiji,” Casey added with a giggle.

  Lauren reluctantly moved closer to the open box and picked up the lacy, barely there bra and then the panties. If they could even be called that. The scrap of black lace was a G-string, and it barely looked wearable.

  “Oh my god,” she whispered.

  “We’ll leave you to get ready,” Hannah said. “Then we want to know everything about Tanner McSexy Ford.”

  Chapter 3

  One Week Later

  LAUREN stared out the tinted windows of the car that had been sent to get her, as they drove slowly toward the private jet waiting on the tarmac. There was another car parked close to it, the brake lights on, indicating to her that it might have just pulled up. She’d been booked to fly coach on the long-haul flight, but as soon as Mia Ford had been in contact, her journey had been upgraded every step of the way.

  She gulped. Part of her had thought it would never really happen, that she would never end up on a private jet with Tanner heading to a tropical island. She’d expected him to cancel, which would mean she could legitimately say she’d behaved professionally and he hadn’t, and she’d simply go back to having the holiday she’d planned all along. Instead, his family’s private plane was all fueled up and waiting for its two passengers, and there was no getting out of what she’d agreed to now.