The Cowboy's Seductive Proposal

Two

Rushed, annoyed that she had to take time to see why the man she met in the park was waiting downstairs, Faith glanced around. Her searching gaze was arrested by a tall cowboy wearing a wide-brimmed black hat with two feathers hanging over the brim, a white T-shirt and a big silver buckle on a hand-tooled leather belt. Jeans hugged his slim hips, and the tips of black boots showed beneath the frayed edges. For an instant she didn’t recognize him. The lobby was dim; the hat hid his eyes. And the shaggy black hair she remembered from the afternoon was pulled behind his head, changing his appearance considerably.

The tall cowboy turned a stroller to face her, and she saw Merry Whitewolf. Faith knew the man she was facing was Jared Whitewolf.

“Mr. Whitewolf—”

“Howdy, Faith. And it’s Jared. You saved Merry’s life, so we’re on a very personal basis.”

“I have to get back to the office,” she said as he approached. She looked down at the baby, who smiled. Faith couldn’t resist smiling back. For just an instant the cares of the day fell away. “Hi, Merry,” she said, leaning down slightly. “You are the friendliest little girl I have ever seen.”

“That’s because her daddy’s friendly” came a slow drawl. “Sorry to interrupt your work, but we wanted to take you to dinner when you’re through here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t!” Faith exclaimed swiftly, straightening to face him. He tilted back his hat, and she looked into dark eyes that seemed to reach down and grab hold of a little part of her soul. She didn’t want to look away. She forgot work. She forgot where she was for a moment. In the park today, she had felt that same magnetic pull, but she had blamed it on the sweet baby, the magic of the outdoors on a sunny afternoon, the unusual encounter. And maybe an expanse of a fabulous, bare chest.

She couldn’t blame her current reaction on any of those things, yet here she was barely able to get her breath, gazing up at a man who was staring at her as if he had been searching for her all his life.

“Yes, you can,” he said quietly, touching a tendril of hair near her face. “You have to eat sometime. Have you already had dinner?”

She felt the faint brush of his warm fingers on her cheek. She knew she looked disheveled. The afternoon had been as hectic as she had expected, and plunging through the spirea bushes earlier had mussed her cotton skirt and blouse. “No, I haven’t, but I’m not going to take time now. I have another hour’s work to do.”

“We’ll wait,” he said with a smile as he smoothed her collar. When his knuckles brushed her collarbone, she tingled. What was the matter with her? Had she worked until she was senseless? She was reacting to a perfect stranger in a very primitive way.

“No, you shouldn’t wait,” she argued, making an effort to look away from brown eyes so dark, she felt she was staring into a moonless night. “I can’t go out with you. You’re a complete stranger. I know nothing about you. And I have to get back to work.”

“Faith,” he drawled, his hand catching her arm as she started to turn away. His touch was feather light, and she paused, rooted to the spot. “We’re not going to stay strangers. Are you engaged or involved with someone?”

“No, but that isn’t the point. In this day and age it’s dangerous to be friendly to strangers.”

“I agree. So let’s fix this stranger status.” He retrieved a glossy program from his satchel and handed it to her. “Here’s my picture. I’m riding in a rodeo at the arena tomorrow night.”

She stared at the smiling picture of him and noted the statistics about his bull riding, saddle bronc riding and prizes he had won. “You’re a three-time world champion bull rider,” she remarked as she read.

With a flash of very white teeth, he grinned. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s a plus in your book.”

“I can’t even imagine it,” she answered, looking again at his picture. She had to admit the man was not only handsome, he had a charm that was spellbinding.

“You can call out to the arena, and any of the boys will tell you about me. I own a home here in Tulsa. The house is on South Peoria. If Merry could talk, she would verify that I’m safe. And besides that—” he thrust the rodeo program into Faith’s hands and pulled out a card from his frayed billfold “—this is my brother Wyatt. He’s a detective with the OCPD. We’ll go call him and he’ll tell you I’m safe. C’mon.”

“Oh, no! You don’t need to call your brother.”

“I’m not going to. You are. I have coins here and you can make the call yourself,” he said, positioning the stroller in front of Faith while he tugged lightly on her arm. “There’s a pay phone, so you’ll know this isn’t a setup job. You can call the OCPD yourself and talk to Wyatt. He’ll tell you I’m totally safe to go out with. If he doesn’t convince you, I have another brother, Matt. He’s a farmer. Let’s start with the cop.”

“This is ridiculous. I have work upstairs.”

“I know you do and I’m sorry to interfere, but some time tonight you’ll have to stop work and go home. And you’ll have to eat. Merry and I can help you unwind. Just a little dinner and I’ll get you home, so we can start getting to know each other.”

“I don’t think so,” she said, facing him. He was handsome with prominent cheekbones, skin as dark as teak, lashes unbelievably thick, a firm jaw. And every time she received the full force of his dark-eyed stare, she felt weak-kneed and knew she was going to cave in to him. She took a deep breath, trying to summon a no.

“Merry really wants you to go with us. She just doesn’t know how to say it.”

No vanished as he offered the handles of the stroller to her. Faith pushed Merry to the phone. Big blue eyes stared at her.

Jared placed the receiver in her hand, turned her to the phone and put the card in front of her. He plopped a bandanna on the shelf and untied it. Silver coins filled the red cloth. “Now, you just call the OCPD. There’s the number. Ask for Wyatt, and then you ask him about my character and reliability.”

She turned to him. “I just don’t think I have time in my life right now—”

He bent his knees slightly to be at her eye level, then he leaned closer. She caught a soapy scent that was pleasant “Faith, I think you should,” he said quietly. “I think we were meant to know each other. Sooner or later we will. So let’s make it sooner.”

Her heart started a ridiculous drumming. Never in her life had she had this kind of reaction to a man.

“Call Wyatt,” Jared commanded softly.

She turned and began punching numbers. Then she listened as the operator told her the amount of money required. Each coin made a metallic clink. Jared Whitewolf moved away, pushing Merry around in her stroller, and then he hunkered down to talk to the baby.

A deep male voice finally came over the receiver and Faith felt absurd. “Is this Detective Wyatt Whitewolf?”

As soon as he said yes, she launched into an explanation. “This is Faith Kolanko from Tulsa, and I’ve just met your brother Jared. He’s asked me to dinner, and since we’re complete strangers—”

She paused as the man at the other end of the line laughed.

“My brother is safe enough,” he said, his voice filled with amusement. “With horses and with women he’s a will-o’-the-wisp charmer. He’s harmless.”

“I met him this afternoon, and his little girl, Merry.”

The explosion at the other end of the line made Faith hold the phone away from her ear, but she recognized the shock in Wyatt’s reaction.

“Let me talk to him,” Wyatt said in a tone of voice that had lost all casualness.

Jared must have heard Wyatt’s response, too, because he turned and smiled, making her pulse jump. His grin was infectious, softening his masculine features. The man was incredibly appealing.

She held out the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

“I’ll only take a second. Do you mind?” he asked, gesturing toward Merry. They switched stroller for receiver, Jared’s hand brushing hers ever so lightly, but she was fully aware of the contact.

“Hi, brother. Yeah, I have a little girl.”

Faith couldn’t help but listen to the one-sided conversation while she wondered what had happened to Merry’s mother.

“No. It’s a long story, Wyatt. I’ll tell you when I see you. Merry’s four-and-a-half months old.” Another pause, and then he said, “Yeah, it’s great.”

Jared’s voice had softened to a buttery warmth that sent a tingle dancing in Faith, and she knew he was talking about Merry. His tone changed whenever he talked about the baby.

“I’m riding in a rodeo here tomorrow night, and then we’ll be in Oklahoma City for the rodeo next weekend, so we’ll come see you then.”

He paused and listened. “Yeah, she’s with me. How are your girls? And Alexa? Good. Tell them hello. See you Saturday.” Jared turned to her. “Faith, do you want to talk to him again?”

She shook her head, then watched as Jared turned back to the phone. With one hand splayed on his hip, he seemed so relaxed, so easygoing, yet there was an air of energy about him that she could feel every time he was near. She would go to dinner with him, she decided. It gave her a peculiar feeling, as if she was caught in a current carrying her along, out of control. Her life was order and stability and security. Filled with routine precision, it was as sure and certain as the hands on a clock. But ever since she had plunged through the spirea bushes and Jared Whitewolf had come into her life, she had felt off balance and out-of-step.

Merry began to fret, and Faith bent down to pick her up. “You have been a very good girl today. You really are a sweetie,” she said, remembering that Jared had used the endearment earlier. She turned to find that Jared had replaced the receiver and was sauntering back to her. “Have you been waiting here in the lobby with this baby all day?” she asked.

“No. We spent the afternoon in the park and then came back about closing time.”

“Your brother didn’t know about Merry.”

“No, but he does now. We don’t write letters. Now, what do you say about dinner?”

“You’ll have to wait around for a little while until I’m ready.”

“We don’t mind, do we, Merry?” he asked, and Merry smiled at him.

“She’s the best behaved baby I have ever seen. She smiles every time anyone looks at her.”

“That’s because—”

“I know. Because you smile a lot,” she said, finishing for him as she handed Merry back to him. He grinned while he fell into step beside her and walked with her to the elevator, pushing the empty stroller ahead of him.

“If you’d rather wait in our office, you may. It might be easier with Merry.”

“Thanks.” He held the elevator door while she entered, and then he pushed the stroller inside. He leaned back against a wall and faced her.

“What’s your title?”

“Executive director of advertising.”

“I’m impressed. And what do you do? Sell advertising?”

“No. I’m a graphic artist. I plan the layout and design, write copy, sometimes do the entire ad campaign or promotion. I have certain accounts I regularly handle, as well as others I do occasionally, and I have six people I supervise.”

While she talked, she was aware of his steady scrutiny. She became more conscious of her appearance, knowing her hair needed combing and her makeup had long ago disappeared. Her blouse was wrinkled and she had a green stain on her collar, probably from the spirea. Jared looked relaxed, one knee slightly bent, his booted foot propped against the wall.

“Do you always work this late?”

“No. We’re working on a big account, and the client wanted changes at the last minute, so we’re rushing to get everything done. We present the pitch in the morning.”

He nodded. “Have any particular food you like to eat?”

“Maybe Italian.” She glanced at Merry. “Won’t we be keeping the baby up long past her bedtime?”

Jared shook his head. “She sleeps off and on around the clock. And whether she’s tucked into her bed or out with us, Merry will sleep. When she’s ready to snooze, nothing will stop her. Don’t worry, she won’t lose sleep,” he said, smiling.

“You know best,” Faith replied.

The elevator doors opened and she led the way to a glass door that she unlocked.

“You can wait in here.”

They entered a large reception area with beige carpeting, dark wood furniture and pots of green plants. Faith turned to him. “I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. We have all the time in the world. At least, until the rodeo tomorrow night.”

Feeling the familiar sense of being caught in something she couldn’t control, Faith left through a glass door and returned to work. She moved down the hall to a wide table where brochures and folders were spread. Nearby a colorful graph filled the screen of her computer.

Her co-worker and immediate supervisor, Porter Gaston, glanced toward the glassed-in waiting room and his blond brows arched. “Who’s your friend?”

“Jared Whitewolf. We’re going to dinner later,” she tried to say casually, wishing the announcement would go unnoticed, yet knowing it would be as overlooked as a firecracker exploding in a prayer meeting. Without really seeing it, she studied the brochure in front of her.

“You’re kidding.”

Looking up, she could see the incredulity in Porter’s blue eyes.

“Who the hell is he? Where did you meet him?” he demanded.

“He’s a friend. Shall we get back to work?” She stared at Porter, feeling a challenge rising. For the first time in her life she was doing something unexpected, unscheduled and uncharacteristic. While Porter looked at the reception area again, she turned to the computer.

“Faith, how long have you known this guy? I know I’m prying, but we’re friends.”

She turned to face Porter. “I haven’t known him long, but I’ve talked to his brother, who is a detective. Jared is a nice guy.”

“Well, damn. I can’t believe you’re going out with him. Here Madge and I have been trying for two months to get you and Kent together and you’re always busy. Yet here in the middle of this project, out of nowhere you’re going to dinner with some stranger.”

“It’s just dinner, Porter.”

“How long have you known Whitewolf?”

“His name is Jared Whitewolf.”

“Sorry. You’re evading my question.”

“I met him today.”

“Good Lord! And now you’re going to dinner with that ponytailed cowboy? Faith, the papers are filled with stories about women who get picked up by strangers and the terrible things that happen to them.”

“Look, I already told you, his brother is a detective, and I spoke to him. The guy is safe. He seems nice. He has a sweet little baby. He has a house on South Peoria. I read about him riding in the rodeo. I’ve seen a program with a write-up about him. He’s won a lot of rodeo prizes—”

“This is really you talking?”

Annoyed, she turned away. Porter was echoing her own thoughts and causing her regrets to multiply. She didn’t know Jared Whitewolf. And even if he was as reliable and charming as his brother indicated, she should be practical and go home to catch up on much-needed rest.

“Sorry,” Porter said. “I think I should meet him.”

“We will in a minute. Let’s finish this up.”

She met Porter’s quizzical gaze and then he shrugged. “All right. Look at the layout here.”

She moved around the table, scrutinizing papers that held graphs and charts and slogans. In minutes she was concentrating on her work again and had returned to the computer, rearranging the information and design. As she moved back to look at a brochure, she glanced through the glass partition.

Jared Whitewolf had tossed aside his hat. He stood with his back to her while he looked at framed pictures of advertising layouts the company had done. Her gaze ran over his thick black hair and his broad chest. The T-shirt molded the sinewy muscles in his shoulders and upper back. His jeans hugged slender hips. He was as foreign to her life as an intergalactic being. And Porter was right She should tell Jared Whitewolf that she would be working incredibly late and that she would be too exhausted to go anywhere except home. Alone.

She thought of men in her past that she had dated. Without exception, she had known them years before dating them. Buddies, school chums, childhood friends—even Earl Baines, a co-worker whom she had dated the longest. She didn’t know anything about cowboys, bull riders or men who spent their afternoons in the park with a baby and wore jeans and T-shirts. She glanced at Porter, who was seated at his desk. He had shed his suit coat, but he still wore his tie and white shirt with well-creased navy slacks. He was the kind of man she knew—professional, ambitious, punctual, whose life was filled with schedules and routines as much as her own.

She would tell Jared Whitewolf goodbye. It was absurd to think of doing anything else.

“Faith, can you look at this?” Porter asked without glancing up. “I think we should move this slogan and the picture of the machinery to the top of the page.”

She crossed to his desk and bent over the layout in front of him, forgetting Jared Whitewolf.

It was half an hour later, as she walked back to her computer with papers in hand, that she remembered her date. She glanced toward the reception room, knowing she should put the papers on her desk and send Jared home.

He sat on one of the chairs, and Merry was in his arms while he gave her a bottle. His head was bent over her, and Faith could see his lips moving and knew he was talking to her. Merry reached up a tiny hand, pale against his dark skin, as her fingers explored his jaw. Something seemed to unfold inside Faith and longing swamped her. She tried to picture Porter holding a baby, giving it a bottle, but it was impossible.

It was equally impossible to imagine either of her brothers—or even her father—tending a baby. With five children, her father had still managed to escape giving one of them a bottle unless he had been settled in front of the latenight news and her mother had placed a baby and a bottle in his arms. Nor could she imagine any of the men she had dated spending the day in the park with a baby like Jared had unless pressed into the duty.

Everyone in her life was as predictable as the sunrise. The men were busy with careers; the women busy with home and children. She was the oldest female and the only unmarried one in her family. Restlessness and a growing dissatisfaction tugged at her while Faith watched Jared Whitewolf. And she decided that this was one night she would spend a couple of hours breaking out of her routine. For once, she would let go of her orderly existence and see what life would be like with someone like Whitewolf.

His head rose and he met her gaze. They stared at each other, and even with a glass partition separating them, her pulse jumped and she felt weak-kneed and fluttery.

She waved the papers at him and he nodded, then she hurried to her alcove to try to finish. They had only the last touches now, and then she and Porter would be ready for the presentation tomorrow morning.

Ten minutes later she looked up to find Porter standing in front of her, gazing down at the brochures and folders and layouts. “We’re done!” she exclaimed. “Ten after nine. Not bad.”

“It looks great,” he said with satisfaction. “Damned good job. I think they’ll go for it.”

“Thanks,” she said, carefully placing the work in stacks.

“I’ll wind things up here and then we can go over everything again in the morning before we meet with them. Come on, introduce me to Whitewolf.”

She got her purse, shut down her computer and took a last look around.

“You’re through, Faith. Stop working.”

She smiled at him and they walked to the reception room. Jared came to his feet.

“Porter, this is Jared Whitewolf. Jared, this is my supervisor, Porter Gaston.”

“Glad to meet you,” Jared said politely, shaking hands with Porter.

“Faith said you’re taking her to dinner.”

“That’s right.”

“Before you go, I thought maybe you’d want to look around the office, see some of her work. Faith, why don’t you sit with his little baby while I show him our new promotion?”

Hearing the determination in Porter’s voice, Faith knew it was useless to protest. And she knew he wanted Jared alone to question him. Porter was a family friend who’d been looking after her for years.

“Now I can see what you’ve been working on,” Jared said easily, and followed Porter beyond the glass door.

Faith felt mildly annoyed at Porter’s meddling, but she knew her entire family would be even more curious about Jared Whitewolf than Porter was. She sat down and looked at the baby who was sleeping again, slumped over in the stroller. She looked uncomfortable, so Faith leaned down to unbuckle the strap and carefully lift the sleeping child into her arms. Merry sighed and snuggled against Faith and Faith’s arms tightened. She felt a hollow ache while the warmth of the tiny baby seemed to permeate to her heart.

Fifteen minutes later, the men returned and Jared took Merry from her arms. He picked up his hat and set it on his head, and then turned to extend his hand to Porter.

“It was nice to meet you. Thanks for the tour.”

“Sure thing. You two have a good evening. I’ll wind this up, Faith. If I see anything that isn’t ready, I’ll give you a call. You don’t mind if I call anytime tonight, do you?”

“No. I won’t be home for about an hour, but after that, it’s fine.”

“Good. I might have a question.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Gaston,” Jared said, and pushed open the door for Faith. He wheeled the stroller through the door and walked beside her toward the elevators.

“Sure that wasn’t your dad?”

Smiling, she shook her head. “He’s a close friend of my father and my uncle, Blake Kolanko. My uncle owns this business.”

“Ahh.”

“Don’t say ‘ahh’ like ‘so that’s why you have your job.’ I worked at another ad agency until last year when I came to work here.”

“I didn’t mean any such thing. I just understand better why Gaston was hovering. He didn’t want you to go out with me.”

“Well, you’re not my usual date.”

As they waited for the elevator, Jared looked down at her, then touched her collar, his fingers brushing her throat. He stood close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body.