Page 96 of His Last Nerve

“He’s busy,” I admitted.

Jackie blinked. “Cowboys don’t work at night. Cowboy drink whiskey and listen to sad music at night.”

A laugh bubbled up through me, and I threw my head back.

“Jackie, how in the world do you know that? You’re from L.A.,” Mom noted, which only made me laugh harder.

“I’ve seen movies, woman. I know.”

I sat up and wiped my eyes. “I don’t think Denver listens to sad music.”

Just then the door opened, and he was there, commanding the air and energy around him. He was still in his jeans and black T-shirt, but his hat and boots were gone. His gray eyes were on me, studying me, his face set in stone.

“I think the hot cowboy just entered the chat,” Jackie loudly whispered through the phone.

Denver raised a brow, and my eyes followed it up and his thick, dark locks. “She’s checking him out,” Jackie continued.

“Oh, for the love of—”

Jackie cut my mom off. “Val, honey, turn the phone a bit. I want to see!”

I bit my bottom lip and dropped my head.

“I’ll make the introductions,” Jackie decided. “Mr. Fine Cowboy, I’m Jackie, the nurse! This is Valerie’s Mom—stop staring at me like that—”

“We’ll let you go, Val,” my mom said, giggling. I looked at the screen to find her hand over Jackie’s mouth.

“Thank God,” I muttered, gesturing to Jackie. She shot me the death glare.

“Good evening, ladies.”

Smoke was all around me, cocooning me, and somehow, I found it easier to breathe. I looked up to find him beside me. His face wasn’t stone anymore. His lips were twitching slightly, and his eyes had a shadow of amusement in them.

“Hi,” I whispered.

“Get ya’ hand off of me, woman! Valerie Cross, if you don’t let me see that man!” Jackie bellowed.

In a flash, my phone was out of my hands and in one of Denver’s massive ones. He faced the screen. “Hello.”

Silence.

Then, “Holy Christ on a cracker.”

“MOM!” I cried, my jaw dropping. I wasn’t sure if my jaw was dropping because of my mother’s outburst or the fact that Denver’s handsome face spread in the most addicting, spell-binding, way known in history.

Denversmiled.

At my mom.

“I was thinking the same thing when I saw your daughter for the first time. I’m Denver Langston,” he said, his deep voice holding a light tone. I sucked in a breath at his words. He looked at me and stepped to the other end of the swing. I got the message and lifted my legs for him. He took a seat and pulled my legs into his lap.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Nancy,” my mother said. “I’ve heard a lot of things about you.”

“Not all of it was good, I assume,” he returned. I watched as he sat back, getting comfortable—settling in—to talk to my mom. My chest ached because of how hard my heart was beating. His face got serious, and his eyes found mine as he spoke. “There were things I said to your daughter. I disrespected her. I misjudged her. She isn’t the kind of a woman I blindly assumed she was—”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Mr. Langston,” Mom said, cutting him off.

“We know you were just protecting your home. Val was a threat to that. You acted the way any normal person would,” Jackie added.

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