Cowboy, Stay with Me

Chapter Twelve: Old Flame Rekindled

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise, then fluttered closed with a moan of sweet relief.

Finally...

His lips caressing hers, his stubble grazing her cheeks and turning her insides to goo in a heartbeat.

"Sean." She moaned into his mouth as he swallowed up all her air.

Suddenly he pulled away and she groaned in disappointment, opening her eyes.

Her lips felt swollen and tingly, but in the most wonderful way. Her insides were another matter entirely.

"Wha-why-?" She said dazedly.

He smiled down at her and it was a fairly smug smile, as he traced the curve of her cheek with his fingertips.

Her eyes began to narrow at him.

"I knew you still felt the same way. I knew you didn't really want Jake, that joker. You were just trying to make me jealous, weren't you?"

She knew better than to rise to the bait, but she couldn't seem to help herself. "Me?! You were the one dancing with that-that little floozy, Nicole!"

Sean arched his eyebrows. "Is that what that was all about? Why you left with Jake? Oh my-Women!" He said in disgust, and he stepped back from her to prowl away.

Lucy was just about to give him a generous helping of a piece of her mind when he turned around and he was wearing a different expression entirely. "It was just a dance, okay? You can relax, Lucy. Don't you know I only have eyes for you?"

###

Lucy was so stunned by this declaration that for once in her life, she didn't know what to say.

She stared at him, mouth partially agape, as she tried to process what he'd just said.

Was this him admitting that he wanted to get back together?

If so, he was going to have to try a helluva lot harder than that.

He had shattered her heart to pieces the last time around and she wasn't about to trust him easily again, not with matters of the heart, at least.

She could always trust him with her physical safety; Sean would guard her with his life, she knew that. She also knew that he would never lift his hand to her, not ever, nor would he cheat on her.

But the man had commitment issues and a bad tendency to take off when things got complicated or if he felt pressured into anything. She'd learned that the hard way.

Sean cocked his head, studying her face and the varying, subtle expressions shifting across it. "Well, you gonna say anything?"

She lifted her shoulders helplessly. "What'd you want me to say?"

Sean stared down at her in hopeless silence. The truth was, he didn't even fully know what he wanted himself. All he knew was that he couldn't seem to stay away from her now that he'd seen her again.

"I don't know, Lucy." He admitted wearily. He ran a hand over his short black hair. "I should probably go before your family insists I stay for dinner, huh? I know how much you'd hate that."

She scoffed in what could only be translated as quiet agreement.

Sean stepped up to her, holding her by the shoulders again for a brief moment, and kissing her forehead. "I'm so glad that you're safe, Lucille." He told her.

Then he was gone.

He was good at that.

###

"For the last time, guys, I'll be fine! Go, go! Mary-Lou needs you more than I do right now. And besides, Amanda says that she and the kids can stay over tonight if I don't feel up to being alone."

Her grandparents gazed at her with equally worried pairs of eyes and she sighed wearily.

"You sure you'll be fine, dearie? I just hate to leave you right after what happened." Flora agonized.

"I'm a big girl, Grandma, believe it or not. Go. And give Mary-Lou my best, please." Lucy hugged her grandparents dutifully goodbye even though they were just going to be gone for one night.

Lucy stood in the driveway, waving goodbye to them as they drove away in their old Ford truck. Then she went back inside the house to make herself some lunch.

"Honestly." She muttered to herself.

She was seriously going to be fine on her own. But even she knew that she was just trying to convince herself of that.

She was in the process of making herself a hefty sandwich for lunch when Amanda pulled up out front in her minivan. Lucy exhaled in relief to see her big sister. She really hadn't been prepared to be alone yet, after all.

Lucy hastened to the door and hugged her sister tight. "Thanks for coming, Amanda." She murmured.

"Of course." Amanda said, hugging her back just as tight.

###

Lucy tried to keep herself busy throughout the day, taking on all of the chores that her grandparents usually did during the day even though she didn't really have to.

Only one stable hand was working and he had already gone home for the day after feeding the horses, checking their water, and lunging the particularly restless ones. Her father didn't come to Sunrose Creek on the weekends in favor of spending time with Paula; she had him playing tennis and all sorts of new things he didn't usually do.

A few of their long-term clients were riding their leased horses around their respective paddocks. Lucy was confident that these clients knew what they were doing, but she went to check in with each of them anyway, just to show her presence. It was the kind of thing her mother would have done.

###

Lucy was just collecting the delicates in off the laundry line when the infamous black Dodge appeared on the horizon.

"No freaking way!" Lucy blurted out a few choice swear words and Amanda, who'd been helping her with the laundry, clamped her hands over Kailee's little ears.

"Nice once, Lucille!" Amanda admonished.

"Sorry." Lucy grimaced down at her niece. "Don't repeat the bad words your silly Auntie Lucy says!"

Kailee only giggled, unconcerned.

Amanda finally noticed the truck driving up, as well, and closed her mouth as understanding dawned. "I think I'll just...go check on the boys. Come on, Kailee, sweetie." And she shuffled away, holding her daughter's little hand.

Lucy was left to face Sean alone.

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Thanks for reading!

HRH