Safe Haven Stables (Curves And Cowboys Book 2) Read online

  This new me was all thanks to getting off the bus in Haven and meeting Chance. In that moment, I knew everything I needed to know.

  No more fighting things! I’m just going to let my heart lead me from here on out…

  I finished drying off, ran a brush through my freshly washed hair, and slipped into the simple cotton nightgown I’d brought into the bathroom with me.

  I opened the door to head back to my room and was surprised to find Chance standing there with his hand in the air, as if he’d been about to knock.

  “Oh, honey,” he said softly. “What are you doing to me?”

  And with that, he reached out and pulled me into his arms, claiming my mouth with his before I could even think of what to say to him.

  Chance

  After Hannah had gone upstairs to shower, I cleaned up the kitchen and thought about what a whirlwind my day had been since I woke up.

  I’d gone from a man who was happy being single to falling head over heels for a damsel in distress. I shook my head and laughed out loud at the realization that my life had become a soap opera.

  But then I remembered how sad and scared Hannah had looked when I’d first laid eyes on her. And I thought about how happy it had made me to bring a smile to her face.

  I knew I couldn’t let her leave. I cared for her too much. And even though it didn’t seem as if she was in a rush to move on, I also knew I had to tell her how I felt about her.

  I hurried up the stairs and was just about to knock on the bathroom door to ask her if we could talk when it swung open and I saw Hannah standing in front of me in just a flowered nightgown.

  My heart raced as I took in her luscious curves and smooth skin. I groaned at the sight of her, and before I could even think about stopping myself, I was kissing her like my life depended on it.

  I felt Hannah melt into my embrace and I scooped her up in my arms and carried her down the hallway to my bedroom.

  After laying her gently down on the bed, I turned on the small bedside lamp. I wanted to be able to see all of her and didn’t want to miss a single curve or crevice on her body.

  She moaned when I crawled onto the bed next to her and pressed my mouth to hers again. I wanted nothing more than to ravage Hannah in that moment.

  But I had to make sure she wanted me as badly as I wanted her. I paused long enough to pull back and look into her eyes. They were soft with longing and I knew the answer to my question before I even asked it.

  “Is this what you want, honey?”

  “Oh, yes, Chance,” she breathed. “More than you could ever know.”

  With those sweet words echoing in my ears, I leaned down and kissed her deeply once more before trailing my mouth down to the tender skin of her neck.

  I pulled aside her nightgown and kissed the tops of her breasts before sucking one of her nipples between my lips, which caused her to moan again.

  “Please! I want to feel your body against mine, Chance!”

  Without another moment of hesitation, I sat up next to her long enough to strip her nightgown over her head, and then I set to peeling off my own clothes.

  My heart was pounding and I was as hard as a rock as I drank in Hannah’s naked form. She was even more beautiful there in the soft glow of the lamp than I’d imagined.

  I slid my hand up her creamy thigh, over her neatly trimmed mound, and along her belly and chest, until I was cupping her face.

  Hannah had tears in the corners of her eyes and I was instantly alarmed. “What’s the matter, honey? Should I stop?”

  “Oh, no! Please don’t, Chance,” she replied in a quaking voice. “I’m just so happy, I couldn’t help myself. I want this. I want you. Please, make me yours, I’m begging you.”

  Her words caused an intense longing and a powerful surge of protectiveness to swell up inside of me. I leaned in and kissed her softly, reveling in the taste and feel of her lips against mine.

  “That’s exactly what I plan to do, honey. Tonight and every night from here on out…”

  Chapter Six

  Hannah

  The moment that Chance laid his body on top of mine and slid himself inside of me in one smooth motion was the most electrifying thing I’d ever experienced.

  It was as if we’d been made to fit together, and in that second, we both exhaled a deep breath that we’d been unknowingly holding our whole lives.

  I closed my eyes and drifted on the waves of pleasure I felt coursing through my body as Chance began to move inside of me.

  When he increased his rhythm, I lifted my hips up and worked to meet his pace, bringing us to a connection that was almost hypnotic.

  I could feel happy tears sliding down my cheeks as Chance pressed kisses into my chest and neck, never slowing down that perfect momentum he’d achieved.

  It wasn’t long before I was crashing over the edge into the most intense orgasm of my life, crying out in a mixture of surprise and pleasure.

  Chance followed close behind me and groaned into my damp skin as he climaxed, calling out my name as my deepest and most intimate muscles clenched tight around him, causing me to moan long and loud.

  I was panting and feeling more satisfied than I’d ever thought possible when I finally opened my eyes and looked at Chance, who had rolled over on his side next to me.

  His smile was so big, I thought it might crack his face, and I gave a small laugh before reaching out to him. Chance pulled me into his arms and we just laid there and enjoyed each other in silence for a few minutes.

  “Well, I guess we aren’t strangers anymore, huh?”

  I couldn’t help but giggling at that. “No, definitely not strangers anymore.”

  I snuggled up close to Chance and breathed in deeply, reveling in his masculine scent and the feeling of safety and security.

  His strong arms around me were the best thing I’d ever felt and I loved tracing my fingers along the muscles of his chest and back.

  I knew I would never have to worry about being hurt again. By anyone, let alone by a man I was in a relationship with. Those days were over and I was all too happy to see them go.

  Chance and I laid there and talked long into the night, exploring each other’s minds and bodies, and watching the stars come out over the paddocks through the window across from his bed.

  Just before I drifted off to sleep in Chance’s arms, I thought about how much I was going to enjoy my new, peaceful life.

  Of course, I didn’t know yet what the next day would bring, and looking back on it now, I’m glad I was still blissfully ignorant in that moment…

  Chance

  As usual, I was up with the sun the next morning, and planned to move around quietly to keep from waking Hannah. But she wasn’t in the bed next to me.

  I threw on a pair of jeans and ran down the hall to the guest room. She wasn’t there either and my heart began to hammer in my chest.

  After a quick check in the kitchen and living room, I threw open the front door and strode toward the barn, trying to fight off the panic I could feel starting to creep in on me.

  My pace quickened when I saw the barn door was wide open. Jose would never leave it like that and risk letting a horse get loose and become injured.

  I paused after stepping into the barn and let my eyes adjust to the shadows. After taking a few steps, I stumbled over something and damn near fell. I looked down and saw it was Jose lying face down on the concrete aisle.

  I crouched down beside him long enough to feel for a pulse and make sure he was still breathing. He’d been knocked out, and his left eye was starting to swell, but he was alive.

  My eyes darted around the dim interior of the barn as I stood back up and made my way down to Redemption’s stall. I knew that’s where Hannah would be if she was here.

  As I drew closer, I heard soft sobbing and a sharp male voice demanding quiet. My blood turned to ice water and my vision went red.

  I knew I had to keep my head on straight, no matter how badly I wanted to rush into
that stall and save Hannah. I didn’t know if there was a weapon involved or any other details of the situation.

  But I was as sure as the day was long that Todd was in my barn with my woman. And that he wasn’t going to make it out of here without some serious repercussions.

  My eyes swept the barn aisle and landed on a pitchfork leaning against the wall. I walked over an picked it up, enjoying the heavy feel of it in my hands, and then I made my way over to one side of Redemption’s stall.

  “You alright, Hannah?” I called out in calm voice, not wanting Todd to know that he’d rattled my cage.

  I heard her take in a deep breath to call out an answer and then give a short cry of pain. My blood went from icy to boiling at that sound and my hand clenched tighter around the pitchfork handle.

  “Hannah’s just fine,” Todd said in a snotty voice that made me want to put my fist through his face. “She was a little confused, but now she knows she made a mistake, and that it’s time to come home.”

  “She’s not going anywhere with you, asshole,” I replied, maintaining my cool confidence, even though my heart was racing at the thought of Hannah being hurt. “Why don’t you quit hiding behind a woman and come out here? Let’s talk man-to-man, just the two of us.”

  There was silence from the stall for a few seconds. “You stay right here, you dumb cow,” Todd hissed. “You’ve caused enough trouble. I’m going to take care of your hick friend and then we’re leaving, got it?”

  I heard Hannah sobbing quietly and looked up to see a scrawny figure emerge into the barn aisle. I sized Todd up in one look and I knew I could take him, but I still didn’t know if he had a weapon on him.

  “You need to put the pitchfork down and let us pass, partner,” Todd said in that same condescending tone. “You don’t want to get hurt, do you?”

  I could tell this douchebag was used to getting his way in life and had probably been told from birth how special he was by his rich parents.

  I’d love nothing more than kicking his ass for him and was about to do just that when I saw the gun glinting in his hand. Luckily, I also saw movement in the shadows at the same time, and noticed Jose sneaking up behind him.

  “What’s the matter, asshole?” I asked Todd, hoping to keep him distracted long enough for Jose to get the drop on him. “Can’t keep a woman without beating her into submission?”

  Todd’s smirk slipped off his face and he was opening his mouth to tell me off when Jose hit him in the back with a shovel and he hit the ground.

  The force of the blow knocked the gun out of his hand and I rushed forward to kick it away. When I dropped my knee into Todd’s back, he gave a satisfying cry of pain.

  “Doesn’t feel as good to be on the receiving end, does it?” I ground out between clenched teeth as I took the lead rope Jose tossed me and tied Todd’s hands behind him.

  I stood up and strode over to Redemption’s stall, not sure what kind of state I’d find Hannah in when I got there. She was slumped down in one corner with her face in her hands.

  With a gentle touch, I brushed her hair back and tilted her head up toward me. Hannah’s eyes were red and she had a mark on one cheek where she’d been slapped.

  I was equally furious and relieved to see her face. “Oh, honey,” I groaned. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. I should have been here to stop it.”

  Hannah took a watery breath and tried to smile. “This was my fault, Chance. I should be the one that’s sorry. I just wanted to see Redemption. And then, Todd was here and I was s-s-s-so scared!”

  Her voice trailed off into more sobbing and I couldn’t wait any longer to get her into my arms. I lifted her as carefully as I could and wrapped her up in my embrace.

  I pressed tender kisses to her cheeks and mouth, not wanting to hurt her, but unable to contain my desire for her even now. It was in that instant I knew Hannah was the only one for me.

  “I love you, Hannah,” I mumbled into her hair as I held her tight against me. “And I swear that I’ll spend the rest of my life protecting and cherishing you, if you’ll let me…”

  Epilogue

  Hannah

  The sun was beginning to set as I rode Redemption into the barn yard. Golden light glinted off the chestnut gelding’s neck and mane as I dismounted and rubbed his nose.

  “How did it go?” Chance asked as I led Redemption over to take off his saddle and hose him down. “No trouble with traffic this time, I hope?”

  “He was a perfect gentleman,” I replied as I turned and gave Chance a kiss. “Just like the other love of my life.”

  It had been almost six months since the day I climbed off a bus in Haven. I lived in a completely different world than the one I’d grown up in and I’d loved every moment of it.

  Except for that brief encounter with my past in the form of Todd showing up and trying to take me back to Atlanta with him. But Chance had taken care of that.

  Todd had been carted off by the Sheriff’s Department after Chance and Jose had taken him down. He’d been sentenced to two years in jail for that little adventure and I couldn’t have been happier about his fate.

  “Why don’t you get your main man here taken care of and then have a warm bath while I make us some dinner?”

  “God, you really are the perfect man, aren’t you?”

  “I sure do try, little lady,” Chance said with a smile and a wink. “Of course, you make it all mighty easy and more than worth it.”

  I felt my face flush with pleasure at the compliment and from the pat on the rear Chance gave me before heading into the house and leaving me to enjoy my time with my horse.

  With a contented sigh, I returned to untacking Redemption, thinking about how far he’d come since he’d first arrived at Safe Haven Stables.

  He was no longer afraid of every loud noise he heard and he was even getting used to being ridden near traffic, which had sent him into a tailspin not too long ago.

  “Hell, we’ve both come a long way, haven’t we boy?”

  The big horse just nickered happily as I led him into his stall and gave him a couple of carrots for taking such good care of me on our ride.

  As I made my way into the house and upstairs to the bathroom, I thought about my own changes since I’d met Chance. I wasn’t as jumpy either, and I felt more comfortable in my own skin than I ever had before.

  Being around a good man and helping him with animals in need had been wonderful medicine for me. I honestly couldn’t believe I’d once let a man treat me like a punching bag with both his fists and his words.

  That’s all behind you now, I thought as I slipped into the warm bath I’d drawn for myself, delighting in the bubbles that foamed up around me. It’s all clear skies from here on out, Hannah…

  I’d closed my eyes to get nice and relaxed, and I hadn’t heard the bathroom door open. It was a cool draft on my wet skin that alerted me to the fact I wasn’t alone anymore.

  In my previous life, that probably would have had me jumping out of my skin, but I knew I was safe and sound here, so I just opened my eyes with a smile.

  Chance was crouched down next to the tub, wearing a big grin and holding out a small box. My heart started racing when he opened it and I saw the glint of a diamond.

  “Hannah Miller,” he said as he held a beautiful engagement ring up to my eyes. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, I reached up and locked my arms around Chance’s neck, pulling him and the ring into the bath with me, and giving him a passionate kiss.

  Once I let him come up for air, I saw that he had bubbles on the rim of his hat and even in his eyelashes. I couldn’t help but laugh and kiss the tip of his nose.

  He did his best to stay serious and looked me right in the eyes as he said, “I’m going to go ahead and take that as a ‘yes,’ little lady of mine.”

  “You got that right, cowboy! Now, let’s get out of this tub, find my gorgeous ring, and celebrate by spe
nding some time getting dirty again. What do you say?”

  “I say that sounds like the best idea I’ve ever heard, my blushing bride-to-be. And that I’ll race you to the bed!”

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  About the Author

  Mandy Morgan is a professional phone sex operator and writer of steamy romances for women.

  When she's not reading or writing about sexy alpha males, she's probably on the phone or at the beach.

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