Catching the Cowboy: A Small-Town Clean Romance (Summer Creek Book 1)

by Shanna Hatfield

  Emery decided to let it go a while longer. She hoped before she had to do anything with the pasta, Nell would return. The woman had placed a casserole in the oven for lunch, but she hadn’t mentioned taking it out, so Emery thought it would probably need a while to bake.

  With nothing better to do, she wandered through the house, looking at the pictures on the walls. If the girl and boy in the photos were Hud and his sister, she could definitely see why her uncle thought Cricket resembled Jossy.

  “Jossy,” Emery said, testing the name on her tongue. It wasn’t one she’d heard of before, but she liked it. She wondered about the woman who lived across the road. Would Hud’s sister be as cool and reserved as he’d been to her, or would Jossy welcome her like Nell had, with a warm smile and comforting hug?

  Emery looked into the office, taking in trophies lining a shelf and framed images of cattle and horses. There were photos of both Hud and Jossy in their younger years, showing off big smiles as they stood next to cattle and held up blue ribbons. She had no idea what they’d won, but they seemed exceptionally pleased.

  From the office, she walked past Nell’s tidy bedroom and the bathroom, then stopped in the door to Cricket’s room. From the pink-flowered bedspread to the frilly pink curtains on the window, it wasn’t hard to see what color the child favored.

  Emery stepped inside and slowly circled the room, looking at crayon drawings of flowers and blobs she assumed might be a horse or cow. When something brushed against her foot, Emery gasped and jumped, then looked down at the tiny white and gray kitten Cricket had packed around last night.

  “Luna? Isn’t that your name?” Emery asked, picking up the kitten and cuddling it beneath her chin.

  The kitten began to purr, snuggling against her. As she held the little feline, Emery’s heart softened. She smiled, carrying the kitten as she continued perusing the contents of Cricket’s room. Her inquisitiveness stemmed not from a need to be nosy, but because she wanted to know more about the child and her family.

  From the boots and tiny spurs in her closet to the fluffy pink tutu tossed over a small chair, it appeared Cricket was a child of many interests.

  Amused by a vision of Cricket riding a horse in the tutu with a tiara perched among her black curls, Emery cast one last glance around the bedroom, then moved into the hall and walked to the doorway at the end. She stopped outside the master suite, hesitant to boldly march inside.

  The door was open, and Emery couldn’t deny the urge to take a peek at Hud’s domain. As though she might be caught any moment, she tiptoed into the room and looked around. The king-sized bed was neatly made, and no clothes littered the floor. Heavy walnut furniture had a masculine feel and appeared as old as the bedroom set in her room upstairs. Photos on the dresser showcased Cricket, Jossy, Nell, and a man she assumed must be Hud’s grandfather.

  Emery drew in a deep breath, inhaling the scents of leather and something uniquely masculine she liked entirely too much.

  In her twenty-four years of living, Emery had dated many, many boys. She’d even gone out for a while with a man ten years older than her, until Uncle Henry finally convinced her that Aiden was only after her trust fund. She’d never been in love, though. Not even close.

  However, considering her current circumstances, she might end up spending her life alone, living in a hovel, wearing clothes rummaged from a church donation box.

  Appalled at the idea, she left Hud’s room and returned to the living room. A rancid, burning odor caused her nose to wrinkle in disgust. The pot of boiling water couldn’t be the reason, could it? Surely water wouldn’t burn.

  Emery set the cat on the floor then ran into the kitchen. The pot of water had boiled so dry, it turned shades of black and brown with a chalky residue coating the bottom.

  She grabbed the handle of the pan, then yelped as it burned her palm. Quickly dropping it back on the burner, she snagged a dish towel off the counter, wrapped it around the handle then lifted the pot to the sink, filling it with water.

  It sizzled and the stench increased.

  Uncertain what to do with it, she stood in the midst of the kitchen looking for somewhere to set the pan when she heard the back door open.

  “My lands! What is that horrendous smell?” Nell asked as she breezed into the kitchen.

  “I … it’s … the pan … ” Emery burst into tears.

  “It’s okay, Emery. Everything is fine.” Nell took the pan from her and set it back on the burner and poured vinegar in with the water. She pushed open the window above the sink and fanned a dish towel in front of it.

  Emery lifted her hand and studied the burn. As far as she knew, it was the first time she’d ever burned herself.

  “Grabbed the pan handle?” Nell asked, gently taking Emery’s hand in hers. “I don’t think it will blister. Cool water will help it, though.”

  Emery allowed Nell to lead her to the sink and quietly stood while the older woman held her hand under a stream of cool water.

  “Let that run a few minutes, and you should feel much better.” Nell scurried around the kitchen. She sprayed an odor neutralizer in the air, took a bubbling casserole from the oven, and set another pan of water to boil.

  When Emery turned off the water, her hand no longer stung. She managed to pour iced tea in three glasses and set them on the table without any mishap. Nell added pasta to the pan of boiling water, then went out to tell Hud to come in to eat. Emery picked up a rag from the sink. She could at least wipe off the counters and put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, thanks to Uncle Henry’s instruction before he left.

  She set the salad she’d made along with bottles of salad dressing on the table, then went to the bathroom to tidy her hair and splash away any traces of tears. When she returned to the kitchen, flames greedily licked at a dish towel she’d left too close to a hot burner.

  “Oh, no!” Uncertain what to do, she glanced around, hoping an answer presented itself in the form of a fire extinguisher, not that she had any idea how to use one.

  Before she could burn the house down, Hud appeared. In a blur of motion, he dropped the lid from the pot of pasta over the towel, snuffing out the flames. With a pair of kitchen tongs, he picked up the smoldering cloth and set it in the sink, then soaked it with water before turning to look at her.

  One expressive eyebrow shot upward, but he didn’t speak to her. As quickly as he appeared, he turned and left the room.

  Scorched pan and scorched towel odors mingled with the smell of vinegar and the aroma of beef casserole as they ate with their coats on. Hud had opened all the windows and doors to air out the stench.

  Mortified, Emery didn’t say a word the whole time he was in the house. It wasn’t until Nell closed the windows and doors an hour later that Emery felt like she could relax a little.

  Nell made a batch of chewy peanut butter cookies, then dipped them in chocolate. She walked Emery through each step of the recipe and encouraged her to help dip the cookies.

  “These are Hud’s favorite, and Cricket loves them, too,” Nell said as she dipped the last of the cookies. “Do you have a favorite?”

  “Favorite? Cookie?” Emery stared at Nell. It had been years since she’d eaten a cookie. Dessert, if she indulged, was generally something like meringue with fruit. “I used to love those little cookies with nuts that are rolled in powdered sugar.”

  Nell grinned. “We call those mothballs. I’m quite partial to them myself. What kind of nuts do you like? Any allergies?”

  “All kinds. I don’t have any food allergies, at least not any of which I’m aware.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  Emery turned to pick up an empty cookie sheet and accidentally knocked another glass to the floor. The sound of it shattering made her wince.

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Cole!” Emery’s voice quavered, on the edge of tears once again.

  “It’s no problem, Emery. It’s just a glass.”

  “But it’s the second one I’ve broken today, no
t to mention the dish towel and the pan.” Emery sighed. At least the pan had been salvageable. After boiling vinegar in it for several minutes, which added to the unpleasant odors in the house, Nell had sprinkled it with a scouring powder meant for use on stainless steel and set Emery to work scrubbing away the burnt-on residue. It had taken thirty minutes and half the container of powder, but the pan looked nearly new when she finished. Except for one scorched spot on the bottom of the pan that refused to come off, no one would know she’d nearly destroyed it.

  “Look, Emery, I know you don’t want to be here, and everything is so strange and different for you. It’s okay. Don’t let the little things get to you. If you just relax, I think you’ll find your stride.” Nell watched as Emery picked up the bigger shards of glass and set them inside the garbage can. The woman handed her a broom with a grin. “And you agreed to call me Nell.”

  “I know, it’s just … I … Thank you.” Tears stung her eyes, but Emery blinked them away as she swept the remaining bits of broken glass into the dustpan Nell held. When she finished, Nell gave her two pieces of bread.

  “What’s this for?” Emery said, staring at the bread. She’d already eaten more carbs today than she had in the past five years.

  “Press it against the floor where you broke the glass. The bread will pick up anything we missed. I’d hate for Cricket to step on a piece of glass.”

  Emery knelt down and pressed the bread across the floor. When she lifted up a piece, she could see a few little sparkling pieces of glass against the surface. “I’ll never remember all the things you know.”

  “Yes, you will. And if you need a little help, write them down.” Nell opened a drawer, took out a notebook, and set it on the counter. “You might like to jot down your thoughts, like a diary or something. It could help you figure things out.”

  Emery had no idea what things Nell referred to, but she did like the idea of keeping a journal. In the event she had to take care of herself in the future, it wouldn’t hurt to write down what she was learning from Nell. The weekly report she had to send to the probation officer and her uncle might be a good place to share some of the things she learned, too. While she was at it, she decided to keep a list of everything she broke, damaged, or destroyed at Summer Creek Ranch.

  “If you’ll toss that last load of clothes in the dryer, I’ll get a chicken in the oven for dinner, then we can take a little break.”

  Emery walked into the laundry room and transferred clothes from the washer to the dryer, added a dryer sheet, and managed to turn the dryer on with no problem. She walked into the living room to pick up a magazine she’d seen earlier and noticed a police car rolling to a stop at the end of the walk.

  Panicked she might be heading back to jail, she wondered what she’d done to get herself in more trouble.

  Chapter Six

  “Does anyone have anything they want to share this morning?” Laini Sullivan asked the seventeen students in her classroom. She enjoyed shaping the little minds of Summer Creek’s first and second graders. She’d gotten the job at the school right out of college three years ago and loved life in the small community, even if she sometimes missed the conveniences of a larger town.

  She smiled when Cricket Cole waggled her hand above her head.

  “Yes, Cricket. Do you have something to share?”

  “I do, Miss Sullivan.”

  “Go ahead,” Laini said, smiling at the energetic child. Cricket was a sweet little girl with a lively personality and a quick mind that often kept Laini on her toes.

  Cricket hopped up from her desk and rushed to the front of the room, then faced her classmates. “We got a lady at our house named Emery. She came yesterday with a judge from prison and she’s going to stay with us for a long, long time. I heard my daddy say she was in jail and everything!”

  “What?” Laini asked, staring at Cricket. “Is she still at your house? Does your grandmother know about this?”

  “Yep! Grammy knows her daddy and her uncle, the judge. His name is Henry and he’s nice. He gave me candy and told me a secret.”

  Disturbed by what was taking place at the Cole residence, Laini was shocked by the news Cricket divulged. In the time she’d lived in Summer Creek, Laini had found the Cole family to be upstanding, upright people. Would they really harbor a criminal? One who, according to Cricket, was fresh out of jail. Had the woman escaped? Was there really a judge involved?

  Struck by an urgent need to protect Cricket from a potentially dangerous circumstance, Laini wouldn’t rest until she got to the bottom of the matter.

  “That sounds quite exciting, Cricket. Thank you for sharing that with us.”

  “Maybe I can bring Emery for show-and-tell one day. She’s so pretty and she smells nice, like Grammy’s flowers. I like her and you will too.” Cricket tossed her curls for emphasis before she skipped back to her seat.

  Laini watched the clock until it was time to send the children out for recess. The moment they were all out the door, she hurried down the hall to the principal’s office. The receptionist, who usually served as the gatekeeper, wasn’t at her desk, so Laini tapped on the principal’s door and opened it when she heard him say, “Come in.”

  “Miss Sullivan, what can I do for you today?” the principal asked, motioning for her to take a seat at one of the two chairs in front of his massive desk that had probably been at the school for as long as the building had existed.

  “One of my students shared something quite upsetting this morning. For the sake of her safety, I thought it best to relay the information to you.” Laini took a deep breath, knowing the principal was well acquainted with the Cole family. Everyone in town knew them, since the Coles were among the first people to settle in the area. “Cricket Cole said there’s a prisoner at her house, one her father and grandmother invited to stay with them for a long, long time.”

  Jim Schock’s smile melted into a frown. “Are you certain that’s what she said? I can’t imagine Hud or Nell allowing anyone like that around Cricket.”

  “You can ask her yourself. The children are out at recess.”

  “By all means, let’s go talk to her.” He rose from his desk and motioned for Laini to precede him outside. They found Cricket playing on the swings with two of her friends.

  “Cricket, Mr. Schock has a question for you,” Laini said, pulling the swing to a stop.

  “Am I in trouble?” Cricket asked. Her lower lip started to roll out in a pout as her blue eyes widened in fear.

  “No, Cricket. Not at all.” The principal offered the child a reassuring smile as he hunkered down beside her. “Miss Sullivan was telling me you have a special guest out at the ranch. I’d sure like to hear more about her. What’s her name?”

  Cricket’s pout morphed into a happy smile. “Her name is Emery and she’s beautiful, Mr. Schock. Her hair is gold, just like Rapunzel’s, and she has a pretty smile, and she smells so nice. I been praying and praying for my very own mommy. God sent her to be my mommy, I just know it!”

  “Is that so?” Mr. Schock gave Laini a worried look.

  “Yep! I heard Grammy tell Daddy that Emery is going to stay with us for a long, long time. I’m so excited!” Cricket clapped her hands together, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

  “And you say this Emery has been in jail?”

  Cricket nodded her head until her curls jounced around her face. “Yep. Daddy said she got ‘rested for orderly ducks, and public decencies, and … ” Cricket scrunched up her face, trying to recall what she heard. “Oh, I remember. Drinking breakfast. Does that mean she had coffee? My daddy likes coffee for breakfast.”

  “I’m sure that’s what it means,” Mr. Schock said, offering Cricket a smile and a pat on her head. “You go on and play with your friends, Cricket.”

  “Okay!” she said, returning to swinging while Mr. Schock motioned for Laini to walk with him inside the school.

  “I’m sure there has to be a reasonable explanation, but everything Cricket said is
quite disturbing. I think I’ll pay a visit to Summer Creek Ranch as soon as school is out and look into matters myself. In fact, I’ll see if the deputy is around today, and we’ll go together.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Schock. I hope it’s all a misunderstanding. I sure hate to think of Hud allowing a criminal into his home.”

  “I just can’t picture it, Miss Sullivan. I truly can’t.”

  Chapter Seven

  Deputy Knox Strickland sat in a booth in the Early Bird Café, sipping a cold glass of sweet tea and reading the newspaper he’d picked up when he’d been in Burns that morning. Ten minutes were left in his break before he’d get back in his car and return to patrolling a section of Harney County that covered a seventy-mile radius from Summer Creek.

  Having grown up in Summer Creek, he liked that he could live in his hometown while doing a job he loved, one that made a difference in the lives of others.

  He’d just flipped from the sports page to the comics in the paper when someone plopped onto the bench across from him. The vinyl squeaked in protest as the interloper slid further into the booth.

  Unhurried, Knox lowered the newspaper and looked at the school principal as the man nervously drummed his fingers on the faded Formica top of the table that had been in the café long before Knox was born.

  “Howdy, Principal Schock. Something I can do for you?” he asked, folding the newspaper and setting it aside. From the look on the man’s face, he wasn’t going to get to finish his break and would have to read the paper later.

  Jim Schock had been the principal when Knox was in school. Generally, the man was laid-back and hard to upset. But the sour look on his face did nothing to reassure Knox that the visit was purely social.

  “We need to go out to Summer Creek Ranch. Right away.” The principal kept his voice low and glanced around to see if anyone listened to the conversation.