Page 44 of Cowboy Daddies

Back In The Saddle Again

By Kessily Lewel

Allegra Dalton is in big trouble.

Her marriage is on shaky ground. Their D/s dynamic has fallen apart. And she’s been hiding the fact that her boss is a slimy creep, who’s tricked her into doing half his work in return for a promotion that may never come.

When Carter figures out what’s going on, he decides it’s time to put on his boss boots. But it’s not enough to just take charge again. They need to repair their relationship, and he knows a place that can help.

Second Chance Ranch—it’s a place that saved him once already. Now his past and her future are on a collision course, and the end result might not be what either of them are expecting.

Chapter One

Allegra was beyond exhausted when she walked through the door. It wasn’t just the normal tired that came from a long day of work. It went beyond that. She felt weary to the bone.

It had been like that for a while, and there seemed to be no end in sight. She could have handled it if there was some future point to look forward to, a day on her overloaded calendar where she’d get to sit back and relax, but there wasn’t. It was starting to fray her nerves.

She needed to veg out on the couch, doomscroll, and just not think until she passed out. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a date night with Carter and the moment she walked through the door she realized that’s what she was in for.

Delicious smells were coming from the kitchen, and she could hear the clatter of pans as he whipped up one of his amazing meals. She was great at homey comfort foods, but her husband was an artist when it came to cooking, and he did most of it since he worked from home. Her mouth watered and she realized she was starving.

That part wasn’t the problem. The problem was that she could see the dining room table, which they rarely used, was set with the nice plateware. There were fresh roses in a crystal vase in the center, and taper candles had been lit. He’d gone to a lot of effort to prepare a romantic dinner, and it made her want to cry, because she had zero energy for any of it.

“Ally,” he called from the kitchen. “That you?”

Long seconds went by while she tried to push her emotions back and control the sudden need to panic. She finally managed, “Yep, it’s me,” in a voice that sounded off even to her own ears.

She couldn’t do this. Couldn’t sit across from him and smile and pretend like everything was okay, because it wasn’t. And she couldn’t tell him that she wasn’t up for the nice dinner, after all the work he’d done, because it would hurt his feelings. It seemed like she’d been hurting his feelings a lot lately.

Every time he tried to take her to a movie. Every time he suggested they go away for the weekend. Every time he suggested she come home early so they could have a quiet night together. She didn’t want to say no, but she had no choice.

Carter stepped out of the kitchen and swept her into his arms. “Been missing you, sweetheart.”

She forced herself to relax against him. Made her lips form the smile he expected to see. “You just saw me this morning,” she reminded him. “It’s not like I’ve been away for a year.”

He snorted. “For five minutes as you rushed out the door. It’s not enough. It’s never enough.” He leaned in to kiss her.

For a moment she let herself go, set aside all the stress and worries to just be in the moment with him. There was a tartness on his tongue, citrus and something green from whatever he was cooking.

She’d never even liked deep kissing before him. Never understood the point. Part of her even thought it was gross, but when his tongue pressed against her lips, invaded her mouth, it was different. It was like opening a connection between them and it drew them together.

Her body reacted, as it always did, and she melted into his arms. There was peace there, and safety too, if she allowed herself to accept it. It was perfect… for a moment.

With reluctance she broke the kiss and pulled back, ignoring the look of surprise on his face. “I’m starving and it smells like dinner’s almost done,” she offered as an explanation.

His eyes fixed on hers and held them in silent examination as seconds ticked away and then he nodded slowly and deliberately. He obviously had questions and she was grateful he didn’t ask them. “It’s ready now. I turned down the heat to keep it warm. Do you want to go change before we eat?”

Getting out of her heels and the pantsuit sounded like the best thing in the world and this time the smile he got was real. “I can’t even tell you how much I want to be in something soft and cozy right now. I’ll be right back.”

She kicked off her heels and was already unbuttoning her blouse as she headed to the bedroom. It didn’t take long to dig out her favorite pajamas and shove her feet into fluffy slippers. Scrubbing away the make-up took a little longer, and when she looked in the mirror, she was tempted to put the mask right back on.

The woman in the glass looked even more tired than she felt—if that was possible. Her skin was washed out. The dark circles under her eyes had been a near constant companion lately. She hesitated and then dabbed a little concealer over them, so Carter wouldn’t worry.

It wasn’t until after they’d started to eat that she realized it wasn’t a date night. This was her husband’s idea of an intervention.

He’d made one of her favorite dishes, Pasta al Limone. There was a glass of rosé from the small local vineyard she adored, and a plate full of crispy hot garlic bread. It smelled heavenly and tasted even better. Taking small bites took real effort, when what she wanted to do was stuff her face as fast as possible.

God, this is soooo good. Even if it hadn’t been her first meal of the day, she’d have wanted to devour it, but⁠—