The Last Good Cowboy

by Kate Pearce

  “Good for Nancy.” He brushed a kiss over her forehead. “So will you come back to the bar, eat your burger, and just talk to me?”

  She stared at the buttons of his shirt. “I bet you think I’m an idiot.”

  “No, I think you’ve been given a raw deal, and that you need to get back on your horse.”

  She shuddered. “That’s one thing that’s definitely not happening.”

  “Yeah?”

  She scowled at him. “You were speaking metaphorically, weren’t you?”

  His smile wasn’t reassuring. “Nope. I’m going to literally get you back on a horse.” He took her hand and started walking toward the bar.

  “That’s supposed to make me feel positive?”

  “I think you miss it more than you realize.”

  She snorted. “Then you’re completely wrong. I hardly even think about it anymore.”

  Liar, liar, pants on fire. She dreamed about galloping away from all her worries every single night.

  For the second time that evening, he held open the door to the bar. “Yeah, I could see that at the ranch, by the way you tried to climb inside your car without resorting to using a door.”

  “You surprised me.”

  “Bullshit. You watched me ride down the hill. I saw you looking.”

  Their booth was exactly as they’d left it, beer bottles, silverware, and all. As soon as they sat down, Nancy appeared with their food order, her gaze on Avery as she placed the food on the table.

  “You okay, hon?”

  “I’m good.”

  Nancy gave Ry the best-friend scowl, but he winked at her.

  “Nice to see you again, Nancy. How’s life?”

  “Great, if you don’t upset my bestie.”

  Avery patted her arm. “He didn’t upset me, Nance, I upset myself.”

  “Then that’s okay then.” She picked up the tray. “As long as he’s making you feel better.”

  “I’m trying,” Ry said. “Can we have two more beers, make mine nonalcoholic, and whatever you’re drinking yourself?”

  “Sure. I’ll bring them right over, and thank you.”

  * * *

  Ry watched Avery’s best friend walk back to the bar. He’d forgotten how pretty Nancy was, and she was no pushover. At school she’d been one of the few brave souls willing to take on his fiercely competitive brother Blue at any sport. She’d beaten him a few times as well . . .

  “Nancy hasn’t changed a bit.”

  “Yeah. Still stubborn as a mule.”

  Ry grinned. “Just like a Morgan.”

  Avery considered him. “You’re not as bullheaded as the rest of them.”

  “I have my moments.”

  “You’re more like Billy.” She dipped a fry in her ketchup and slowly sucked it clean. “Was your mom stubborn?”

  “I don’t really remember much about her.”

  “That’s right, you were only five when she disappeared.” Avery shook her head and licked more ketchup off another fry. It was quite hypnotic. Ry couldn’t decide if he wanted to lean over and suck her fingers, or kiss her lips.

  “What?”

  He jumped. “You’re getting ketchup on your shirt.”

  “Darn it.” She rubbed at the spot, pulling her T-shirt away from her skin, giving him an eye-popping view of her excellent cleavage. “I think some of it went down my cleavage.”

  “I could help you with that.”

  She slapped a hand over her bosom. “Ry Morgan, behave yourself.”

  “Why? You’re not seventeen anymore.”

  “I know.”

  The amusement faded from her face and he kicked himself for being so insensitive.

  “How’s the burger?”

  “It’s good.” Avery licked her lips. “I’ll have to talk to Ruth about supplying the hotel. I’ve always wanted to do a locally sourced type of menu, and Manolo would probably go for it.”

  “Who’s Manolo?”

  “Our chef. He’s really talented. I’m going to get him involved in January’s wedding buffet if Yvonne agrees.”

  Ry finished his own burger in three more bites. Working outside gave a man an appetite, and the beef was good. He must remember to tell Ruth.

  “Is HW coming to the wedding?” Avery asked.

  He avoided her gaze and sorted through his fries with one long finger. “He said he would.”

  “But . . . ?”

  “He’s pretty mad at me right now.”

  “Because you came home without him?”

  “Trust me, he didn’t want to leave.”

  “And, I bet, knowing HW, he had a tantrum when you wouldn’t stay.”

  The nice thing about Avery knowing both of them was that he didn’t have to explain everything. She totally got it.

  “He said I was doing it to spite him—that if he didn’t qualify for the finals it would be my fault.”

  She was silent for so long that he wanted to look up, but instead dipped a fry in his ketchup. She probably thought he was such a wuss.

  “What a jackass.”

  His gaze locked on hers and he blinked.

  “He didn’t—”

  She reached across and grabbed his wrist. Now he was the one getting covered in sauce. “Don’t you dare defend him. What a selfish, inconsiderate jerk to lay that on you.”

  He contemplated the unexpected strength of her grip and the pink polish on her well-trimmed nails.

  “Thanks for the support.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles before returning it to her. “It means a lot.”

  “Ry—I know he’s your twin, but sometimes even you must want to strangle him, right?”

  “I left, didn’t I?”

  “And you shouldn’t feel bad about that at all,” she said fiercely. “I bet he was treating you like dirt.”

  He wanted to tell her the whole of it—to lay it out there in all its messy glory, but he never did that with anyone. His loyalty had always been to HW. The idea that he even wanted to share was startling in itself.

  “Dad says HW has to work it out for himself.”

  “And he’s right.” There was a strength and conviction in Avery’s words that she totally lacked when talking about herself. “You’re not your brother’s keeper.”

  Yeah, I am. . . .

  His mother’s voice as she cracked him round the ear resonated through his head. You look after your brother, do you hear me? You take care of him.

  “Ry? Are you okay?”

  He shook off the strange memory and refocused his attention on Avery. Ever since he’d found out that his mom might still be alive, he’d been having these flashbacks, or whatever the hell you’d call them. He sure as heck wished they’d go away.

  “I’m good.” He offered Avery a smile. “Do you want dessert?”

  She made a humming sound that went straight to his groin. “Only if you’ll share something with me?”

  “Sure.”

  “Banana split?”

  He pictured her eating that and wondered how much extra room there was in his jeans.

  “That would be awesome.”

  Chapter Seven

  “HW, it’s four thirty in the morning. What the hell do you want?”

  Ry blinked hard and settled back on his pillow, his cell now clamped to his ear. He’d forgotten to turn the ringer off, and was now regretting it.

  “Just checking in with you, bro.”

  There was the sound of loud music, voices, and lots of whooping, which made Ry think his twin wasn’t settled in for the night.

  “Call me in the morning.”

  “Come on, Ry, give me a break. Just . . . talk to me.”

  “About what? I can barely hear you.” HW’s sigh was loud enough to get through, making Ry open his eyes. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You hurt?”

  “You’d know if I’d broken anything. You always do.”

  “So what’s wrong?”

  There was a l
ong pause. “Why do you always assume something’s wrong, bro? Maybe I just called to tell you I’m almost certain to qualify for the finals.”

  “That’s awesome.” Ry hesitated. “I’m really proud of you.”

  “Yeah, which is why you assumed I only called because I screwed up.”

  Ry thought about his lecture to Avery. Was he just as bad? Only seeing the negatives?

  “I’m really pleased for you. I mean it.”

  “Right.”

  “You out celebrating with Lally?”

  “Yeah.”

  There was another silence and Ry wondered how it had come to this—that they couldn’t even string a few words together. HW was supposed to be the outgoing, chatty one.

  “When will it all be made official?”

  “In the next week or so. Don’t you remember?”

  “I haven’t had much time to keep up with the rodeo schedule since I’ve been home.”

  “Home? Is that what you’re calling it now?”

  “Yeah. The ranch is doing really well, and I’m working with Roy.” Not that HW had asked a thing about how he was doing.

  “You don’t sound like you miss the rodeo.”

  “I don’t.” Ry let out his breath. “I miss you, though.”

  “So come back.”

  “I don’t think Lally would like that.”

  “It’s nothing to do with her. Come back for me. I—need the support.”

  “Yeah?”

  HW’s laugh sounded forced. “Hell, no. I don’t need anyone. You’re like my lucky charm, you know?”

  “Like something you dangle from your key chain or rub for luck? I’m worth way more than that, bro, and you seem to be having plenty of luck without me being around. Didn’t you just say you’d qualified for the finals?”

  “Ry, what the hell’s wrong with you? I said I’ll forgive you, and I want you back—what more can I say?”

  “Number one, I haven’t done anything that requires forgiveness, and number two, please don’t say any more or I’m going to end this call. I’m happy here, HW. Happy. Do you get that? I’m doing good work and good people surround me. I wish you all the best, and if you want me to come and watch you compete in Vegas? Let me know and I’ll be there in the stands, cheering you on.”

  The silence this time went on so long Ry would’ve ended the call if he hadn’t still heard HW breathing.

  “I just wanted to tell you I finaled. It seemed important to do that.”

  His twin’s voice was flat.

  “HW . . .”

  “Thanks for the lecture. Later.”

  “Typical.” Ry snorted and resisted the impulse to throw his cell across the room. “He calls me in the middle of the night, makes the whole conversation about him, and I end up feeling guilty.”

  He lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. There was no chance of getting back to sleep now. What the hell had just happened? HW had been way out of line, as usual, but there had been something beneath what he’d been saying. Some sense of him reaching out that was still eluding Ry. Was it as simple as HW wanting to hear a familiar voice? Ry rolled onto his front and stuck his pillow over his head.

  He’d stood up for himself, and refused to rush back into his brother’s orbit. That was good. But he still felt damn guilty.

  Of course HW hadn’t liked it. That was why they were in this hole in the first place. But if their positions were reversed, and he needed someone to talk to, who was the first person he would call?

  His twin.

  Hell.

  Should he call back? Ry considered it for a second. He didn’t regret what he’d said. HW was just pissed that Ry wasn’t prepared to drop everything and come running.

  Even though it was still dark, one of the roosters started crowing and Ry decided he might as well get up and get an early start. He might not have hundreds of adoring fans like his brother did, but at least the chickens would be pleased to see him.

  * * *

  “So Mom’s not in Eureka anymore?”

  Ry forced himself to ask the question as he forked up another piece of bacon and tried to sip coffee at the same time. It was now eight in the morning and he was ravenous. Billy had an appointment in town and had taken Maria to school, so it was just Chase, BB, and Ruth who sat with Ry at the table.

  “Apparently not.” Chase grimaced. “But they do have another lead to chase down, so all is not lost.”

  “Good.” Blue nodded. “I really want this sorted out soon.”

  “You think I don’t?” Chase asked. “It’s costing me a fortune, and more importantly my wedding day’s creeping up, and I’d much rather be focused on that.”

  “Then why don’t we drop it?” Ry heard himself speak before he’d even thought it through. “Start looking again after the wedding.”

  He raised his gaze from his plate to find both his brothers staring at him.

  “What’s up?” BB eventually asked.

  “Nothing. It’s just that Chase’s wedding should be more important.”

  “It’s more than you worrying about the wedding,” BB persisted. “We all want this, don’t we?”

  “What about Ruth and Dad?”

  BB frowned. “What about them?”

  “Have you ever considered asking them how they feel about all this?”

  Chase and BB exchanged a puzzled look. “Ruth wants to find Annie and Rachel as much as we do.”

  “True,” Ruth said.

  “And what about Dad?” Ry demanded. “Have you even asked him what he thinks?”

  Chase sat back, his gaze focused on his laptop. “I can’t say I have.”

  “He lives here, too, you know.”

  “I’m well aware of that, Ry.”

  “Then maybe you should consider his feelings. Mom tried to stab him, and walked out, making him think he’d killed her!” Ry looked at his brothers and stood. “You don’t consult him about ranch affairs, even though technically he owns this place, so why the hell should you care what he thinks about locating his wife?”

  Ry pushed away from the table. “I’m going down to see Roy. If anyone wants me, we’ll be working out near the ghost town today.”

  He was halfway to the barn before he calmed down and Chase caught up with him. Ignoring his brother, Ry went into the tack room, grabbed his saddle, carried it out to the yard, and heaved it onto the top rail of the fence.

  Chase hooked the heel of his boot on the bottom rail and looked out at the mountains. “Dad asked me to run the place and make the decisions for him. I have the official paperwork if you want to see it.”

  Ry didn’t bother to answer and got his bridle ready, hanging it on the post beside the saddle.

  “But you’re right about one thing. I didn’t ask him how he felt about us finding Mom.”

  Ry finally glanced at him. “Maybe you should.”

  “Yeah. I get that.” Chase scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “Assuming shit.” His smile was crooked. “Or worse—not even noticing I should be assuming shit. Has Dad said anything to you?”

  “Not really.” Ry waited, the halter swinging in his hand.

  “Then I’ll talk to him.”

  Ry was about to go and fetch Dolittle when a familiar car pulled up in front of the barn.

  “Is January here today?” Ry asked.

  “Nope, she’s in town at the historical society meeting.” Chase noticed the vehicle as well. “Is that Avery?”

  “It’s her car. I’ll go see what she wants.”

  “She’ll come down here, won’t she?”

  “I doubt it.” Ry started walking up the slope. “She keeps well away from the barn.”

  She turned as if she’d heard his voice, shielding her eyes against the sun. She wore her usual jeans and Hayes Hotel T-shirt, and her brown hair was tied back in a severe ponytail. She came toward him, the slight hitch in her gait barely noticeable on the flat surface. />
  “Hey!” It took him a moment to realize her gaze wasn’t on his face but on the halter swinging from his hand. He held it up. “I was just about to get Dolittle. Why don’t you keep me company?”

  She took a step back. “I just came to check out the kitchen facilities.”

  “You can do that after you’ve seen me ride off into the sunset.”

  “It’s morning.”

  He shrugged. “You know what I mean.” He held out his hand. “Just walk down with me? I won’t make you touch anything you don’t want to.”

  Her eyebrows rose, and he was pleased to see some color returning to her cheeks.

  “Okay, now you sound like a perv.”

  “You wish.”

  “No tricks?”

  He solemnly crossed his heart. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “Okay.” She nodded at him to move on. “I’ll follow you.”

  For once he was glad that Dolittle’s stall was at the far side of the barn. It meant he could walk Avery around the outside, past the chickens, and the feral cats sunning themselves on the retaining wall and in the other entrance.

  When he reached the stall he took a tentative look inside and grinned. Perfect. Without turning around, he said. “Do you know why we named him Dolittle?”

  “After the talking-to-the-animals-guy movie?”

  “Nope.” He made no effort to open the door but leaned against it, inviting Avery with a jerk of his head to join him. She took two tentative steps, her breathing already uneven.

  He pointed at the horse. “Because look at him.”

  “He’s asleep.”

  “I could get his food bucket and bang on it for half an hour, and he probably wouldn’t even blink. If you want to know anything about conserving energy? Talk to Dolittle.”

  She studied the horse, her expression wary as if expecting an explosion. It made Ry’s chest hurt. “So why do you ride him?”

  He shrugged. “Because it makes a nice change from a saddle bronc or a bull.” He tried not to react as she joined him, leaning over the gate, her shoulder wedged against his. “I don’t like surprises anymore.”

  Dolittle smacked his lips and one eyelid flicked open in their direction and then closed again. Even in that second Avery tensed.

  Ry transferred the halter into his left hand and carefully put his right arm around her shoulders. “The other reason I’m riding him is because we’re trying out all the new horses for the guest ranch and writing profiles on them.”