One Night with a Cowboy - Sara Richardson Page 0,18
told him not to give it another thought. But over the years she’d taught herself to rely on logic too. This was one of those safety issues that couldn’t be ignored. He had to learn a lesson. Not that Wes would understand that. She could’ve lost him. God, she could’ve lost him on the bottom of that lake. Fiery tears raged at the backs of her eyes but she blinked them back.
“I know I’ll have a consequence.” Her son’s shoulders slouched pitifully.
“Maybe he could help me clean up the beach later,” Wes suggested. “And we can scrub out the canoe.”
Ryan’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great consequence!”
Yes, a great, fun, rewarding consequence. She drilled her gaze into Wes’s so she wouldn’t roll her eyes. “I was thinking something more along the lines of losing privileges, but we’ll talk about it later.” She kissed the top of her son’s head and gave him a pat. “Now why don’t you go inside for a few minutes? See if you can wake up your sister for me.”
“All right.” Ryan walked away but looked back over his shoulder on his slow journey through the door. “See ya soon, Wessy.”
“Not if I see you first, Ry-ry,” the man said through a laugh.
Thea could hear Ryan’s giggle even after the door closed.
She, however, was not laughing. She was hardly breathing. When it came to her children’s well-being, she seemed to feel every emotion about a hundred times more intensely—the panic, the fear, the love. And all she could seem to see right now was a vision of Ryan sinking down into dark water. That was her worst nightmare.
Thea turned away from Wes and steadied a hand on the porch rail, her legs nearly giving way.
“Hey.”
She could feel the man’s presence close by, but she couldn’t see him through the tears. Damn it! She had to stop crying. She had to get it together. She never did this. Especially in front of a virtual stranger.
“Thea…” Strong arms came around her. “He’s all right. Everything’s all right.”
She hadn’t realized how soothing Wes’s deep voice was. Or maybe this was a tone she hadn’t heard from him before. “If you hadn’t walked by—” The damn tears wouldn’t stop. “He could’ve—”
“But I did walk by.” Wes tightened his hold on her, and instead of fighting the gesture and piecing herself back together, she leaned into the embrace, letting him hold her. Only for a minute. His clothes were still damp, but the closeness of his body against hers brought a warmth she hadn’t realized she craved.
God, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been held.
“I can’t lose him,” she murmured. “Liv and Ryan are my everything.”
Wes said nothing. He simply kept his arms around her, letting her cry everything out as though he knew that was exactly what she needed.
Eventually the tears did their cleansing work, purging the emotions enough for her to feel the embarrassment creep back in. Who knew how long she’d been standing there crying all over the man? “I’m sorry.” Thea straightened and edged away from him. “I shouldn’t have unloaded on you like that.” She shouldn’t unload on anyone. She was the group leader, for crying out loud. She was supposed to keep everything together.
“It’s okay.” Wes seemed to study her closer.
She couldn’t blame the man. She was losing it. She hardly recognized herself right now. Thea tried to smooth the frizz from her hair, grasping at her last strand of dignity. “Thank you again. I’m really grateful you were there. Ryan usually knows better, but he’s so excited to be here.”
Wes slipped off his cowboy hat. “Do you really have to punish him?”
Thea crossed her arms—partly to look stronger than she felt and partly to hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Holy moly, she’d just pressed herself up against the man and she wasn’t even wearing a bra! “Would your dad have punished you?” Right after she said the words, she wanted them back. How could she bring up his dad? Jane had told her all about the kayaking accident…
Wes was quiet for a few seconds.
“I’m sorry.” Damn her big mouth. It was the embarrassment of having a complete breakdown in front of a good-looking cowboy in her pajamas. It made her snarky. “I shouldn’t have—”
“My dad definitely would’ve punished me,” he interrupted. “And you don’t have to keep apologizing for things you have no business being sorry for.”
“Excuse me?” The intensity in his eyes pushed her back a step.