Free Ropin' Trouble (Cowboys of Nirvana Book 2) by Rhonda Lee Carver Page B

of her own.
    “I have a feeling that’s not accurate.”
    “I wanted a change of scenery.”
    “You’re getting uncomfortable. You start playing with the hem of your shirt when you’re put on the spot.” She moistened her lips. “And yes, that too. You lick your lips.”
    She doubted many men were as observant. “My marriage wasn’t what you’d call ‘normal’. At home I’m surrounded by memories that aren’t pleasant.“ She was saying too much.
    “Any kids?”
    “No, thankfully.” She nibbled the corner of her lips.
    “Must have been one rotten marriage.” He removed his hat and laid it next to his hip.
    He had thick, dark hair that lightly curled at the neckline. She’d wondered about his hair, but instead of her curiosity being satisfied, she had a new craving. What would the strands feel like against her fingers? Satiny and smooth?  And she wasn’t sure why she didn’t mind talking to him—at least some—about James. She just needed to hold her secret close. “Rotten enough that leaving him was the best freedom I’ve ever felt in my life. In the end, it was his heavy drinking that was his demise. One night he was driving drunk and hit a tree. He was killed immediately.”
    “I’m sorry…”
    “Uh…remember, no apologies here at Nirvana.”
    “You’re right, sweetheart.”
    “Now, now, let’s not spoil our lunch with talk about the past. Motley would be very disappointed if we didn’t finish his delicious hummus.” Ben didn’t force her to talk about it. Knowing how easy he was to communicate with, who knows what she would have told him and then he’d know way too much.
    They finished eating in a comfortable silence, and packed up.  Cara was helping fold the blanket when something moved in her pants. She froze and dropped the blanket. “Ben, something’s in my pants.”
    He dropped the basket to the ground. “What is it?”
    “I don’t know, but…ouch! It stung me!” She froze. “Afraid if she moved an inch either direction whatever it was would sting her again. “I think it’s a bee.”
    “What does the sting feel like?”
    “Are you serious? A sting! Like someone shot a staple into my butt.” Tears came to her eyes.
    “Drop your pants, Cara.” He was beside her in a flash.
    The back of her thigh started to throb in pain but she continued to stare at him in confusion. “I’m not dropping my pants.” She was mortified.
    “If it’s a wasp, it’ll sting you again,” he warned.
    Fear washed over her, but not from the wasp. If she pulled down her pants he would see her panties, not the pretty, lace ones she wore once upon a time. Not the panties she knew men like Ben liked to see on women. Cara’s panties certainly wouldn’t be found in a sexy lingerie shop. These were the comfy panties—as she liked to call them—she started wearing when James continually told her how fat she was getting. They didn’t cover up enough for her liking.
    Had she gone mad?
    And why did she care one hoot what underwear she was wearing? If Ben didn’t like them, then so what!
    She smiled. Wow…she was getting the aggressive thing down. Deirdre would be proud.
    “Do you need some help?” he asked.
    She smacked his hand away. “No. I’ll do it, but you have to turn your head.”
    “Cara, we don’t have time for this. Is it not processing that you could be stung again? This is for emergency reasons only.” The sincerity in his expression made it easier to do what she knew must be done.
    Unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans, he was polite enough to keep his gaze on her face as she slowly slid the denim down her hips and thighs, slipping them to her knees. All of James’s cruel and degrading verbal assaults crawled through her mind as she stood there, partially naked. He had been the only man who’d seen her without clothes. And he’d never liked what he saw.
    “Where did it sting you, sweetheart?” His gentle voice soothed her—a little.
    “On my thigh, the