The Trouble With Love (36 page)

Cole shook his head and chuckled then gave her a guilty grin, "Sorry, darlin', I was just enjoying the scenery," then he hopped up on the bottom rung and quickly caught up to her putting his arms on either side of her hips.
  "Go ahead, I'm with you..."

Sabrina moved up the rest of the rungs quickly.  She'd climbed plenty of trees herself as a kid,
but
none this big, and she'd never needed a ladder, or a big sexy safety net. 
When she got to a wooden platform, she hefted herself up then looked up and saw a very impressive tree house and gasped. 

When she stopped to admire it, Cole's amused voice came from behind her to ask, "Like it?"

"Unbelievable..." Sabrina told him in awe of the place. She finished pulling herself up onto the deck, which was almost a front porch, then stood to the side so Cole could get up there with her.  "Who built this?"

"Me and Luke...
when we were
thirteen
,
" he
said then
grunted
and
pulled himself up to stand beside her.  "Sure looked bigger when we were kids.  I haven't been up here in years
, until yesterday
."

"I'll bet more than one cowgirl lost
her
virginity up here," she chuckled but the thought made her heart squeeze inside her chest.

"No, way...this was our
secret
hideout.
..n
o girls allowed--ever
,
"
he told her seriously.

She turned to look up at him, "But I'm a girl...you breaking the rules, sugar?"

"You know I'm a rule breaker
now
, sugar...threw the rule book out
when I met you,
"
he told her then pulled her to him for a kiss.  "Mmm...and boy am I glad I did."

He opened the door and it squeaked on its hi
nges then wobbled a little.  He
waved his hand
toward the door and said
, "Welcome to my hideout..."

She peeked inside the dark building and shivered
, then told him, "Nah, you go first..."
  There could be all kinds of creepy crawlies in there...even spiders, which caused another shiver to race down her spine.
..spiders
were her one phobia.

Cole
reached inside and flicked on a battery operated lantern hanging on the wall and she gasped. 
The tree was in the center of the big room, but
benches were built
around it
,
and other assorted wooden furniture
was
scattered around the room...including a set of bunk beds on one wall
with a
large
sleeping bag and two pillows on it
.  This was truly a man-boy cave, complete with old board games stacked by one chair, and fishing poles and a tackle box leaning against the wall right inside the door.

"Wow--this is awesome, Cole," she told him then walked inside.  If it had been hers, she would have hung frilly curtains on the boarded up windows...and maybe put a table cloth on the two-seater table made out of a wire spool...but then it wasn't for gir
ls, she reminded herself.

He walked in behind her and said, "We had a lot of fun up here.  I came out here yesterday and cleaned out all the junk and spider webs."

She shivered at the S word, but shook it off and went to sit on a chair by the table.
  "It must've taken
you two
all summer to build this."

"Two summers.  We had the shell up in one, but we furnished it the second summer," he told her then walked to one of the windows and opened the shutter.  Leaning out
,
he hefted
a rope
until he pulled the picnic basket onto the window sill.

"Looks like you guys thought of everything.
..
the perfect hideaway for two teenage boys.
"

"Luke was up here more than I was...he needed it to get away from his daddy.  That's why I suggested we build it."

"You always take care of everyone, don't you darlin'...who takes care of you?"
Sabrina had to ask the question she'd wondered about for a long time.  Cole was always helping out everyone else, but she'd rarely seen anyone helping him.

He just grunted
then
put the basket on the table
and
opened the lid
, before removing
two red Solo cups and the bottle of wine
.  Uncorking it, he
poured them each some
, then handed her one
. 
Lifting his glass to her, he said,
"To you, sugar...the best damned thing that's ever happened to me."

Sabrina
tapped her glass with his then took a sip of the smooth merlot, washing down the emotion th
at surged up to choke her.

"I made us some sandwiches and brought chips, I hope that's okay.  Not very romantic, but the best this cowboy could do," he admitted then pulled out two overstuffed turkey sandwiches with bags of Doritos.

"This whole setup is totally romantic, Cole.  A fabulous idea..." she told him with a grin.  She wondered why he seemed so nervous all of a sudden, his hands almost shook when he unwrapped his sandwich, and he wouldn't look at her.
 

Thinking he might be a little unsure of his choice of date locales, she reassured him,
"A moonlight boat ride and a secret hideaway on an island?  C'mon that's about as romantic as it gets, sugar.  I could live up here with--" Sabrina caught herself and busied herself with unwrapping her own sandwich, then took another sip of her wine.

His head snapped up and she felt his gaze burning her.  "That would be heaven,
sugar
..." he
told her in a low fierce voice, then she saw him push his sandwich aside and he reached inside the basket again, not looking at her.  When he found whatever he was looking for his eyes finally moved back to hers, and he stood up and walked around to her. 

"You told me when I asked you the last time to let you know when I was sure I wanted you because of you, and not because I wanted to take care of you..." he
reminded her, and
her heart froze as he dropped down in front of her and put his hand on her thigh. 

"I'm telling you I want you for
you
, Sabrina...forever." She saw him swallow hard and then
realized
it was a ring box he had in his hand
.  He
opened it and held it out to her.  Blood rushed to her head when she saw the gorgeous emerald cut diamond with a smaller matching diamond on either side.  Her hand
floated up to her chest as she tried to catch her breath.

Cole
smiled a sad little smile then held it up to her
, and told her,
"This was my mama's ring
...
my daddy gave it to her, and I can't think of another relationship that was stronger than theirs was
.  I
'm giving it to you hoping that ours will be the same
," he took it out of the box and slipped it onto her finger.  "
I thought my mama was the most amazing woman I'd ever know
...
until I met you
.
"
Cole told her looking
deeply into her eyes, his sparkling with emotion, "Bri
,
I love you and want to spend the rest of my live proving it to you.  Will you marry me, sugar?"

Sabrina was so stunned she just sat there a moment staring at him, at the ring, then him again.  His eyes dulled then he flinched and he went to stand back up, and she grabbed his arm stopping him.  Tears choked her as she told him, "Yes, Cole...I love you and want to spend the rest of my life proving it to you too
.
"
 

And she would...this wonderful caring man was going to be hers forever, and she couldn't think of anything she wanted more.
  She leaned forward and kissed his lips tenderly and asked, "Will you take me to the rodeo
in
Dallas
this weekend?" she asked him and he gave her a curious look.  "I have to tell Wade, before he finds out on his own from Gabe."

She could tell he wasn't happy about it, but he nodded and then hugged her, and said near her ear, "I don't like it, what you do with your life shouldn't be any business of Kenny's brother, but I understand, darlin'.
  Yeah, I'll take you.
"

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Sabrina thought
Luke wasn't really thrilled that Cole wasn't going to be at the cattle sale
this weekend
, but he
was
thrilled that
she and Cole
were engaged
.  So,
he cut Cole some slack and encouraged him to go with her to
Dallas
.  Cassie was beside herself when Sabrina told her the news and showed her the ring Cole had given her. 

Sabrina loved th
e
ring, it was so beautiful
...but meant so much more to her than that.  The ring on her finger had belonged to the woman who meant everything to
Cole,
and he'd chosen to give it to her.
  His proposal had been so damned romantic, tears clogged her throat every time she thought about it.

Throwing the last pair of jeans into her overnight bag, Sabrina zipped it up then picked up the black Stetson she'd bought in town yesterday and plopped it on her head.  She was staying in
Bowie
, so she had decided to enhance her cowgirl apparel.  She'd even bought a braided leather belt with a big bedazzled saucer size belt buckle...well no
t that big, but big enough...it matched the distressed leather boots she'd bought. 

It had been fun shopping with Cole yesterday.  As much as he protested, he seemed to like helping her pick out stuff in the western store.  He'd even bought some
of the
things
she'd made him try on, the ones that had m
ade her want to drag him back into the fitting room and have her way with him.

Hefting the big bag up on her shoulder, Sabrina made her way out
of
her bedroom door and Cole
was standing there waiting for her on the landing.  He took the bag
from her, then leaned down to give her a kiss.  "You ready to rodeo, cowgirl?" he drawled.

"Yee-haw," she said and started down the stairs.
  They went out on the porch
where
Cassie and Luke were sitting on the swing snuggling.

Luke looked up when they walked out and said,
"Woo hoo, ya'll going watch the rodeo or ride in it?  You look like the color guard," he laughed and squeezed Cassie's shoulders.

Sabrina saw Cassie's lip droop and she said, "When it comes to town again, we'll all go.  This is the last weekend Wade will be in
Dallas
, so I figured I'd better go now.
..
"

"Guess I'll have to watch it on TV," she said poutily then looked at Sabrina, "What events did you say he does?"

"Team roping and bronc riding."

"Wade Roberts right?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah..." Sabrina felt Cole stiffen beside her and looked up to see his jaw was clenched.  "He's been on the pro circuit for a good many years now,
but
I expect he'll be retiring soon...he's only thirty-four, but he's seen his share of falls."

"Yeah, bronc riding is pretty much for
the
young bucks
...especially at the pro level
," Cassie agreed.  "He could probably still rope for a while longer
though
."

"He's pretty good, he's won some titles and a lot of cash," Sabrina told her.  Kenny had tried riding bulls, but he quit when he and Gabe joined the military and never went back to it. 
Kenny
and Wade had been raised on a ranch, their daddy raised rodeo stock...bulls and broncos.
  Their farm
had been
just down the road from her daddy's
ranch
outside of
Phoenix
,
but a
hell of a lot
bigger
.
  Several years ago, they sold it when Kenny's dad passed away, because neither of them wanted to run it, or had the time.

Cole grabbed her arm and turned her toward the steps, then said gruffly, "Enough talking, le
t's go see Superman in action."

Sabrina heard Cassie and Luke laughing behind them as Cole dragged her to the truck and tossed her bag in the bed
, before he
flung the door
open
and
lifted her up inside.  God, his attitude pissed her off sometimes.
  That whole alpha male thing he had going on excited her, but made her
made her blood boil too.  She took a deep breath then exhaled slowly.  This was going to be a good weekend
,
away from
Bowie
,
with the man she loved
.  She wasn't going to ruin it before they even got out of the gate by arguing.

Cole hopped into the truck and started it, without even looking at her. 
Sabrina slid across the seat to sit beside him, then
put on the middle lap belt
and laid
her hand on his thigh.  He looked down at her then
put
his arm over her shoulder
s
and gave her a squeeze. 

"Thanks for taking me, baby," she told him then laid her head on his shoulder.

"You're welcome, darlin'...I just want to get this over with."

When they got to the hotel in
Dallas
, Cole pulled up under the canopy
at the front door
and shook her awake.  Sabrina had been sleeping most of the way, and he'd had plenty of time to think.  He wasn't so sure this was a good idea.  If Kenny's brother tried to talk her out of marrying him, Cole was going to put his lights out. 

Whether Sabrina realized it or not,
Wade Roberts
had feelings for her himself
, and not brotherly ones
.  It
had been
there on
his
face
when he looked at her
that day
in the Blue Bird,
Cole had seen
it.
  That was one of the reasons he'd been so upset.
  Now that he knew they had a history that he didn't share, it made him
even
more insecure.

Cole trusted Sabrina and knew that she loved him, but just the fact that she wanted to make sure she told Wade Roberts about their engagement face to face, to spare his feelings, told him she cared about the man too.
  And he wasn't her husband or her brother.

Sleepily she looked up at him with a smile, then patted his chest, "We there?  Sorry I zonked out on you," she said then stretched her arms high above her head. 

Cole's eyes automatically went to where the tight black western shirt she wore framed her full breasts, and his mouth watered to taste her.  "You keep that up and we won't make it to the rodeo tonight, sugar."

She gave him a lazy smile then said, "You keep noticing and I won't care about going to the rodeo."

He huffed out a breath then opened his door, "I
want
to go--so you can tell him
--
then we can go back home."

"It's not that big
of
a deal, Cole
--
really.  I just thought it would be considerate to tell him before Gabe did,"
she said then slid down out of the truck
to stand beside him
.
Although Sabrina
said the words
Cole
wanted to hear,
he
saw her gnaw her lip and
noticed
the way h
er eyebrows furrowed together.
  Wade Roberts opinion mattered to her.
 

Cole slammed the door and reached in the back of the truck to grab their bags. 
He wanted to believe her, but he had a bad feeling in his gut.  Cole had lived with that feeling too many times in the past to ignore it now.
  Call it cop's instinct or whatever, but it had saved his butt a few times.
  It meant something bad was coming down, and in this case that didn't bode well for his engagement to Sabrina.

They checked in at the desk, then dropped their stuff off in the room, before heading back down to go to the arena.  Sabrina had called Wade and told him she was coming and he put two tickets for them at the box office.  She was excited and said they were 'family seat' tickets each rider was allowed.  Like she was still his fucking sister-in-law...or girlfriend. 
Th
e ticket
also gave her a pass to go 'back stage' to see him, before he rode.  Cole would sure as hell be with her.  No way was he going to let her go back there alone.

It looked like Wade Roberts had thought of everything, because when they got to the gate to go park, Sabrina mentioned his name, and they were directed to a 'special' parking area up close to the back door.  They even had a ticket booth back there, where Sabrina went and picked up their tickets.  She smiled up at him and waved them. "Ready to go see some rodeo
action
up close and personal
?"

The only thing
Cole wanted
to see
was
her back in his truck heading home, but he forced a smile, put his arm over her shoulders, then said, "Lead the way, darlin'."

When they got inside, he realized they were in the staging area of the arena, and saw a long hall off to the left where several cowboys
leaned on the wall
rosining up ropes,
or getting their gear ready
and
talking. 

She pointed at the hall and said
excitedly
, "That's where Wade said to meet him," then walked that way.  He followed behind her watching the cowboys eyes follow her ass down the hall.  He gave them a warning stare and his fi
sts clenched as he passed them.

No, this is not where he wanted to be at all, Cole thought
,
then hurried his step so he could catch up with her.
 
She s
top
ped
to talk to
a
tall lanky cowboy standing by himself.  Cole gritted his teeth and walked up to put his arm around her again.

"Have you seen Wade Roberts?
" she asked the cowboy, then added, "
He's a
bronc rider,"

Cole
gritted his teeth as he
watched the guy's eyes move down her body then back up
, before he smiled at her and said, "
Wade, huh?" then tossed his rosin bag down into the tote bag beside him.  "He always
has been
a lucky sonofa
--
"

"Just fucking tell her if you've seen him, asshole," Cole grated and stepped in front of her.  "He's her brother-in-law."

The cowboys eyes widened and he held up his hands, "Whoa, dude, I didn't mean anything.  He's down in the doc's office getting taped."

Sabrina grabbed his arm and yanked
.
"C'mon Cole..."
Sabrina
said then
said
in a fierce whisper, "You're the one being an ass...stop!"

Cole stiffened his shoulders and walked alongside of her, until she stopped in front of a door that had a sign above it with a big red cross.  She let go of his arm and stepped around him to look inside.  Her face lit up and she waved then ran inside and over to the tall dark-haired cowboy he'd seen her with at the Bird.  He had his shirt off and someone was winding adhesive tape around his ribs. 

Cole caught up with her just in time for him to jump off the table
and pick
Sabrina
up in a tight hug
and say,
"Hi, darlin'
,
glad you finally came to see me ride.
..
"

His eyes met Cole's over her shoulder and his smile faded
, then they
had a
face
off
,
sizing each other up, until she stepped back and grabbed Cole's hand
then
moved to his side
and said,
"Wade this is Cole Jackson, the Sheriff of Bowie..."