Page 149 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter Fifteen

For a moment, right after she awoke, Delaney was confused about where she was. Then everything came back in a flash—Tuck’s death, Hugh out for revenge, fleeing to the cabin. And last night … the kiss in Corbin’s bed. She sat up, her cheeks burning with remembrance. She couldn’t deny that the feelings Corbin stirred in her were stronger than any she’d ever had. Tuck had been her only other relationship and that was so messed up and tainted that she really had nothing to go off of. She scrunched her nose, realizing she’d just dubbed this thing with Corbin a relationship.

Corbin probably thought she was a total moron, kissing him and then fleeing. Right after she told him he was a good man and that she trusted him to keep her safe. She did trust him to keep her safe, but she didn’t trust him with her heart. Maybe she’d never be able to trust anyone. Like she said, she was damaged goods.

She got up and looked out the window, struck by the splendor of the landscape. It was a winter wonderland. The rolling hills of pristine snow were surrounded by a hedge of towering evergreen trees. Above that, the crisp blue sky was streaked with wisps of hazy clouds.Always those clouds in thesky.At least today, they weren’t obscuring the sun. A tingle of excitement ran through her. Not a bad place to spend the next few days writing songs. Then again, they could be here much longer, depending on how this thing with Hugh played out.

The bathroom door was open to Corbin’s bedroom. Her pulse picked up a notch as she ran her hand over her nightgown then up to her hair. She didn’t want Corbin to see her with bedhead. Then again, it didn’t matter how messy her hair was because she was going to wear the wig over it. She looked at the hair on the nightstand, half expecting it to start crawling. It really did look like some sort of animal.

She rummaged through the suitcase, looking for something warm and comfortable to wear. She chose jeans and a red sweater. Thankfully, most of the outerwear clothing was leaps better than the sleepwear.

She walked through the bathroom and stood at the door leading to Corbin’s room. Hesitantly, she peeked in. The bed was made, Corbin’s duffel bag resting on the floor at the foot of the bed. His laptop was sitting on the dresser. He was probably downstairs waiting for her. What time was it, anyway? Eight or nine a.m.? She missed her phone, missed getting on Instagram and Twitter to chat with her fans. Hopefully, Milo would take up the slack while she was gone.

Supposedly, everything had been worked out with the execs at Montana Crew’s label, but what if something fell through the cracks? Anxiety streaked through her. She couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes with her career. The negative publicity Tuck’s death caused was bad enough. She needed to get these blasted songs written and recorded for the album to stay on task. She’d be going on tour the end of next month and needed to have something for fans to purchase … something to keep her relevant.

She closed and locked both doors to the bathroom before turning on the shower. A couple of seconds later, she stepped in, letting the hot water run over her shoulders. Her mind went through song options. She ran through the litany of usual subjects. Heartache, cheating, love, money, drinking. There really were no original ideas, only remakes with a unique spin.

As she stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel, an idea struck—the new title of her next song …Absolutely. A smile tugged at her lips as she pictured Corbin’s face when he heard it. The lyrics floated through her mind, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. She pursed her lips, staring at her reflection. How would she frame the song? It could go something like …

Will you be there to hug me in the night? Absolutely.

Will you still love me in the morning light? Absolutely.

I’ll absolutely love you … for the rest of my life … until the stars fall from the sky.

They say I’m damaged goods, and I admit it absolutely, but baby you give me more hope than a person ever should.

She tried to think of the rest, but that’s all that would come. Now she wanted to hurry up and get ready so she could jot those notes down before they flew out of her mind. It was rough, but at least it was a start.

She blow-dried her hair and brushed it a few times, wishing she didn’t have to put on the wig. She applied her makeup androlled on lipgloss rather than lipstick. Then she put on the wig and fluffed the top like Marissa had instructed. The last thing she did before heading downstairs was put on a pair of dangly silver earrings. She studied her reflection, turning from side-to-side. It was amazing how much different she looked. She hardly recognized herself.

The tantalizing scent of bacon caused her stomach to rumble as she walked down the stairs. Her heart pounded out an erratic beat as she rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. She didn’t have a clue what she’d say to Corbin. She stepped into the kitchen and the man turned, causing her to stop in her tracks.

“Wallace. I wasn’t expecting you.”

A friendly smile split his face, causing the wrinkles around his eyes to deepen. “Good morning. I hope you don’t mind, but I thought I’d make breakfast.”

She looked at the stack of pancakes beside the stove. Wallace slid the spatula under the pancake cooking in the skillet, turning it over with a flick of his wrist. “Where’s Corbin?” She’d not expected him to leave without telling her where he’d gone. Was he ticked at her because of last night? Her heart dropped.Probably.

“He went to the store … something about buying some sausage and flour for biscuits and getting a certain little lady a decent set of pajamas.”

“Oh.” Wow. Impressive.Here she was thinking Corbin had left her high and dry and he was doing something nice. Guilt washed over her. She hated how she was always so quick to assume the worst about men. She thought of something. “How did Corbin get out in all the snow? The roads must be iced over.” In Alabama, everything shut down when there were a few inches of snow; she couldn’t imagine what it would be like with several feet.

“The private drive leading out to the main road’s a little dicey because it doesn’t get plowed. But everything else is clear.”

“Does anything ever shut down because of the snow?”

“Not normally, unless we have a blizzard.”

As far as Delaney was concerned, it had come a blizzard. But Wallace was acting like the storm was a normal event. Then again, it was Colorado.

“The ski resort will be happy to get the snow. We’ve had a dry winter.” He motioned. “Have a seat.”

“Can I help with anything?”

“Thanks, but it’s ready.” He slid the pancake to the top of the stack, then turned off the stovetop, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.

Delaney scooted out a chair, wincing when it made a loud scraping noise against the wood floor. “Sorry.”

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