Second Chance Ranch (Curves And Cowboys Book 1) Read online

  It might all start with a simple dinner date at Sue’s, but I knew that come hell or high water, I was going to do whatever it took to get Cassie in my arms where she belonged. And to keep her there.

  Chapter Three

  Cassie

  Friday evening and all of Saturday had flown by as I waited anxiously for my first date with Holt. I’d been a bit worried about what Daddy would think, since I was there to help take care of him, after all.

  But it turns out he was happy for me. “Always been good to horses and his mama,” he’d said with a smile and a nod when I’d told him what had happened at Sue’s. That was Daddy’s highest level of praise, so I’d been thrilled.

  Before I knew it, the time had come for me to start getting ready to meet Holt. I made Daddy a home-cooked meal and made sure he had everything he needed.

  After showering and blowing my wavy chestnut hair dry, I stood in front of the closet and looked at the clothes I’d brought with me.

  I wanted to make the best impression I could, so I grabbed a pastel paisley sundress that had just enough of a plunge in the neckline to show the perfect amount of cleavage and that showed off my curves in all the best ways.

  Then I carefully applied my makeup until I was happy with the results. I may not have the figure of a supermodel but I sure felt like one when I stood in front of the mirror and admired my handiwork.

  “What do you think?” I asked Daddy when I went out into the living room to say goodbye.

  He twirled his finger to indicate I should spin around and when I circled back to face him, he was wearing a proud smile. “I think you look as pretty as a picture. Poor ol’ Holt won’t know what hit him.”

  I beamed and blew Daddy a kiss before heading out to my car and into town. My heart was hammering as I pulled into the parking lot of Sue’s Tavern and I was a little sick to my stomach from nervousness.

  But I’d also never been more excited in my life. It felt like I was about to walk out of my dull reality and into a vivid dream. In fact, I had to pinch myself just to make sure I was really about to meet Holt Sutton for a date.

  I felt like I was floating as I crossed to the front door and opened it. It was as crowded as I’d expected to be on a Saturday night but I didn’t have any trouble finding Holt.

  My eyes were drawn to him as if by magic and I felt like I was in the middle of a romantic movie. Just seeing him sitting at a booth in the back made heat blossom at my core.

  When he stood up to greet me, I saw that he was wearing pressed jeans, a crisp button-down shirt, and what had to be his best boots and hat. He was every inch the sexy cowboy and I melted on the spot.

  “Well, hi there, sweetheart,” Holt said in that deep drawl of his. “You look good enough to eat, I have to tell you.”

  He came forward and slid his arm around my waist to guide me into my side of the booth. I swear, I thought my heart would stop at the feel of his warm flesh on me.

  Don’t you dare faint before your dream date even gets started, Cassie Lynn! Chances are this will be a night you’ll never forget…

  Holt

  When Cassie walked through the door, she took my breath away. She looked amazing and I told her as much as I drank in her juicy curves. I wanted to eat her up right then and there.

  I managed to hold myself back but I soaked up every second of pleasure I got from feeling her warm skin under my hand as I helped her into the booth.

  “You’re just as gorgeous as you were in high school, Cass,” I told her with my most winning smile after we were both settled into our seats.

  Her cheeks pinked up prettily. “I didn’t think you even knew I was alive back then.”

  “How could I not? You had so much more to offer than the other girls. In every way possible.”

  Cassie’s blush intensified and I could feel myself stirring underneath the zipper of my jeans. “So, who do I have to thank for bringing you back to Fairview?”

  She went on to tell me about coming home to help her father, what her life in Dallas had been like, and what had made her and her mother leave so fast all those years ago.

  I let Cassie talk and just sat there watching her, enjoying the way her pretty lips curled around her words. She paused only long enough to order her meal when Sue showed up at the side of the booth.

  Right after our food came, she finished up by telling me how glad she was to get away from her controlling boss back in Dallas. “I feel like this will be a fresh start for me, even though I’m coming back to a familiar place.”

  Her smile was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen and I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and tell her that I would do anything it took to make sure she had everything she’d ever hoped for, from here on out.

  “But, I’ve talked long enough!” Cassie said with a laugh. “What have you been up to since I last saw you?”

  I told her about my work on the ranch and my little house out on the outskirts of town. And how I was planning to build a barn out back for the blue roan filly I had my eye on in this season’s herd.

  “I’ve been putting some time in with her when I can. I want her to be as gentle as a kitten. Be able to have anyone take a ride on her. That’s my goal.”

  “Is that the only woman in your life, Holt?”

  Her shy smile left me aching for her. “Yes, ma’am. The one and only. I never could settle down. Guess I was waiting for the right woman to come along. Or back.”

  I slid my hand across the table that Sue had cleared after we’d finished our meals. Cassie’s fingers were soft and warm, and I felt them open like a blossoming flower under my touch.

  “What do you say we get out of here?” I asked her softly, never taking my eyes off hers. “I could show you my place and where I plan to build my new barn.”

  Cassie’s face flushed but she nodded and I helped her out of the booth, placing my hand around her waist as I guided her to the front door. I wanted to let everyone there know she was mine without saying a word.

  We headed over to my truck and I helped her climb up into the passenger seat, reveling in the feel of her curves under the cool fabric of her dress.

  I couldn’t hold myself back any longer, and before Cassie could turn around and face forward in the truck’s cab, I took her face in my hands and pressed a kiss to her lips.

  It was like the whole world disappeared but the two of us and I let it. All I cared about was right there in front of me. I let everything else but the feel and taste of Cassie fade away.

  Chapter Four

  Cassie

  I couldn’t believe Holt Sutton was kissing me! I’d dreamed of this moment so many times in high school, but never thought it would actually happen.

  Now that it was here, it was so much better than I ever could have imagined. He tasted like summer days and the delicious heat that comes with them.

  I could feel that sultry warmth move from my lips to my chest, and down into my belly. It was like Holt was the whole world at that moment and I never wanted that feeling to end.

  When he pulled away, I gave a soft moan of longing and he smiled at me before tracing one finger down my cheek and pressing it to my lips.

  “That’s all for now, lovely lady. Don’t want to give everyone in Sue’s a free show.”

  Holt slipped an arm under my legs and slid me around to face forward. He moved with such confidence and I saw his muscles bulge underneath his shirt. I felt as light and delicate as a feather around Holt.

  Just watching him made me feel as if I would melt into a love-struck puddle right there in his truck. I had to give my head a shake to clear it, so I wouldn’t launch myself at him as he made his way around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.

  Holt pulled out of the tavern’s crowded parking lot and pointed his truck toward the other side of town, driving with that sexy self-assurance that drew me to him like a magnet.

  My heart was pounding with anticipation as we pulled onto the long, winding driveway th
at led to Holt’s little house, set back in a stand of trees with a small pond to one side.

  Holt parked and cut the engine, leaving the peaceful sounds of country living in the place of the truck’s rumble. I waited for him to come around and help me out of the passenger seat, enjoying the stars shining above me as I took in his deliciously masculine scent.

  “It’s not much, but it’s mine,” Holt said as he took my hand and led me to the front door.

  “Oh, it’s wonderful,” I breathed softly. “I would love to live in a house like this.”

  I felt my face flame up and hoped that the starlit night was dark enough to cover my embarrassment. Why I had gushed like a silly school girl?

  I hoped that I hadn’t made Holt think I was too forward and blown my chances with him – what guy wants to hear about how his date wants to move in with him after their first dinner together?

  But Holt just gave me a big grin, opened the door, and turned on a nearby lamp. His living room was larger than I thought it would be and full of rustic charm, from what I could see in the dim lighting.

  “Come sit with me, Cassie.”

  Holt wrapped an arm around my waist and led me over to a comfy looking leather sofa. He lowered me down onto the soft cushions and sat beside me, never taking his eyes off my face.

  When he leaned in close, wrapped me up in his arms, and claimed my lips with his, I felt his hardness pressed against my thigh, and I thought my heart might stop.

  I’d been with other men before, but this was the man of my dreams, and my giddy eagerness grew to almost unbearable levels as Holt’s hands traveled the curves of my body.

  He cupped and caressed my flesh as his tongue parted my lips and our kiss deepened. I felt one of his hands trail down and come to rest on my thigh, stroking it tantalizingly before slipping his fingers under the hem of my dress.

  When I felt his work-roughened touch on the silk of my panties, I took in a sharp breath and moaned into Holt's open mouth. He traced my folds through the damp fabric, sending shockwaves of delight through me.

  Holt pulled back and looked down at me. "I want you, Cassie," he growled. "Hell, I need you."

  There was a longing in his eyes that set me on fire in a whole new way. “I want you too, Holt,” I said in a breathy voice. “I want to be yours and yours alone.”

  Holt groaned and closed his eyes briefly before smiling and claiming my mouth with his once more. I pressed my body into his and felt the hard heat of his desire against me.

  Without another word, Holt scooped me up into his arms, lifting me into the air as if I didn’t weigh a thing, and making me feel like a princess in a fairytale.

  He strode across the living room, down a short hallway, and into the master bedroom, where he laid me gently down on his bed.

  I watched as he turned on the small bedside lamp and bathed the room in warm light. Then he began stripping off his clothes, never taking his eyes off mine.

  When he Holt stood before me in all of his naked glory, I couldn’t help a moan of longing from escaping. He was every bit as gorgeous as I’d always imagined he would be in my naughtiest of dreams.

  “You look so beautiful laying there, Cassie,” he said in a voice that was thick with longing. “Let’s see if I was right about how soft those curves of yours are.”

  Holt made his way over to sit beside me on the edge of his bed. My head was spinning with the realization that he’d fantasized about being with me, just as I had done with him.

  It was in that moment I let myself totally go and gave into being Holt Sutton’s woman. I felt myself melt under his touch as he slowly and gently stripped off my dress and let it drift to the floor.

  “Oh, Holt,” I breathed as I felt his touch on my bare flesh for the first time. “Please…make me yours!”

  Holt

  I wanted nothing more than to ravage the curvy beauty lying naked in my bed. But this wasn’t just any woman. This was Cassie Weaver. I wanted to show her what she meant to me.

  Struggling to keep my animal instincts in check, I trailed my fingers along Cassie’s soft skin until she was writhing beneath my touch.

  When I slid into bed beside her, she turned to me and ran her hands along my upper arms, drawing me closer and begging for more without saying a word.

  I leaned forward and pressed my lips into the tender flesh between Cassie’s earlobe and collar bone, feeling her tremble as I kissed my way down to her full breasts and took her nipple into my mouth.

  She seemed to purr as I nibbled and nuzzled my way down to her belly. Her nails dug into my back as I drew closer to the object of my desire between her thighs.

  “Please, Holt,” Cassie moaned. “I need you!”

  Hearing that made me swell with pride and a sense of longing that almost pushed me over the edge right then and there.

  I slid my hands underneath her juicy ass and squeezed her plump cheeks, panting hot breath onto her neatly trimmed mound.

  “God help me, Cassie. You smell so good, honey,” I groaned. “I can’t wait to taste you.”

  She moaned and lifted her hips up, pressing her pussy up to meet my mouth, and giving me the perfect opportunity to slide my tongue between her moist lips.

  Cassie gasped and clenched my head with her creamy thighs as I lapped at her sweet little nub. She tasted as good as I’d imagined she would, and I wanted to stay there between her legs for hours.

  But my need for her was too great to waste any more time. I wanted to drive any memory of other men out of her head forever and show her how badly I wanted her to be mine.

  So, I lifted her legs up and hooked them over my shoulders, burying my face into her wet, throbbing core, and put my all into licking and sucking her tender flesh.

  “Oh, Holt, oh my God, oh Sweet Jesus!” Cassie cried out as she came, coating my mouth and chin her juices, and making me grin like an idiot for bringing her to bliss.

  I unhooked her legs from my shoulders and pressed hungry kisses into her skin as I made my way back up her body.

  “How was that, honey?” I whispered as I settled myself between her luscious thighs and looked down on her pretty face, now wearing a soft, pleased smile from her release.

  “That was amazing,” she said with a contented sigh. “But please don’t stop now.”

  “Honey, I plan on pleasing you every day for the rest of your life.”

  I lowered my mouth to Cassie’s and kissed her deeply as I pressed my rock-hard cock against her warm, wet opening, smiling when I felt her lift her hips up to meet me.

  As I slid inside of her, Cassie and I both moaned in satisfaction. It felt like coming home as I pressed deeper and deeper into her wet heat. When I couldn’t go any further, I began to grind my hips in slow circles, watching Cassie’s face clench in pleasure.

  “Please, Holt, please…”

  That soft plea was all I needed to hear to cause me to pick up the pace and drive myself into Cassie’s warm depths. I was hypnotized by the way are bodies seemed to be made for each other and the perfect rhythm we fell into.

  It wasn’t long before I felt myself about to crash over the edge into orgasm. I panted out that I was about to come and Cassie wrapped her legs around me, lifting herself up to me.

  “Yes, God yes, Holt! I want all of you, please!”

  And with that, I felt her body’s deepest muscles tighten around my shaft, and I was falling hard into the strongest orgasm I’d ever known, gasping and bucking as I held onto Cassie for dear life.

  We lay there, tangled up in each other’s limbs, panting and sweating, and I felt more alive than I ever had before. I turned us onto our sides, brushed Cassie’s hair away from her face, and looked deep into her eyes.

  She looked peaceful and content, and as I kissed her gently on her cheeks and neck, her eyes closed, and I watched as Cassie drifted off to sleep in my arms.

  God help anyone that tries to come between us now, I thought to myself as my own eyes slipped shut. God help them…

/>   Chapter Five

  Cassie

  I awoke to the sound of chirping birds and the warmth of sunlight on my bare skin the next morning. For a second, I didn’t know where I was, and my heart tightened in my chest.

  Then it all came flooding back and I wrapped my arms around myself in a contented hug. I was in Holt Sutton’s bed and we’d made love last night!

  If I hadn’t been able to feel the pressure of my own embrace, I would think it was all a dream. But it wasn’t, and I was so happy, I felt as if I might burst.

  Glancing around Holt’s charmingly masculine bedroom, I spotted the dress I’d been wearing the night before laying on a nearby chair.

  I slipped it back on and headed out to look for Holt. When I found the house empty, I began to panic, until I saw a note on the kitchen counter.

  Cass,

  Sorry to leave you to wake up alone, but I had to head out to the ranch to take care of the herd.

  I know you left your car at Sue’s last night, so give me a call when you’re ready and I’ll get you a ride.

  I don’t want you having to deal with getting home on your own, big city girl or not!

  xoxo, Holt

  P.S. I always have lunch at Sue’s. Meet me there at one, alright? I can’t wait to see that beautiful face again.

  I let out a little squeal of delight when I read that Holt wanted to see me again so soon. This really was starting to seem like a fairytale!

  But I still had to live in the real world and that meant taking care of my responsibilities. I needed to get home and check on Daddy.

  I know Holt was concerned for my safety, but this was Fairview, not New York City. He’d scrawled his cell number at the bottom of the note, but I was pretty sure I could figure out a ride on my own and save him the trouble.

  After all, I’d been taking care of myself for quite awhile, and I was no shrinking violet. How many times had my girlfriends and I told ourselves we didn’t need a man?

  Keeping my fingers crossed, I grabbed my phone out of my purse and pulled up the Uber app. Bingo! Even people way out here in the middle of nowhere wanted to make money with ride sharing.