The Last Good Cowboy

by Kate Pearce

  Marley flicked him a glance. “Wow, you really are diplomatic, aren’t you?”

  “I try to be. I certainly know better than to get in between two sisters.”

  She chuckled. “Somebody in a big family has to calm everyone down. We usually leave that to Tucker.”

  “He’s a good guy.”

  “So are you.” She hesitated. “Avery and I fight sometimes, but I still love her.”

  He didn’t say anything to that.

  “She’s had it tough for a few years, but I’m really glad she found you again.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’ve made her reach out, and do stuff.”

  Ry took a moment to tighten his reins as Nolly again attempted to kick off into a lope. “I’d love to take the credit for that, but she’s done it herself.”

  “Well, let’s just say you’ve given her an incentive.”

  He grinned. “Hell, I thought that was you.”

  She reached out and bumped fists with him. “Team Avery, right?”

  “Sure, but don’t the hell tell her that.”

  * * *

  As they approached the barn, the light faded behind the Sierras to a sun-streaked lavender, turning the trees and bushes into gray ghosts against the towering rocks.

  BB’s truck pulled up in the yard, and he got out, turning to wave at the incoming riders. Within seconds, he opened Maria’s door and she spilled out of the cab, one hand carrying a party bag and the other wrapped around two balloons.

  “Ry, look! I got balloons!”

  She jumped up and down and one of the balloons gently detached itself and floated his way on the evening breeze. Nolly saw it coming and immediately panicked, backing into Marigold, who reared up. As Roy reached out to help Marley, Ry struggled to regain control of Nolly, and caught a glimpse of Dolittle’s wide-eyed terror.

  “Shit.” He turned Nolly’s head in such a tight circle that the horse was practically chewing his own ass, but at least he’d stopped kicking out. “Avery, hang on!”

  “I’ve got him. Go.” BB grabbed Nolly’s bridle, freeing Ry to jump off and run over to where Dolittle was bunny hopping around the paddock. Avery was still on board, but she was barely hanging on, and the reins were flapping, scaring Dolittle even more.

  Ry lowered his head and slammed his weight into the horse’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around Dolittle’s neck, grabbed the reins, and turned him in a close circle.

  “It’s okay, boy. Stand easy, it’s okay.”

  He slid his other arm around Avery’s waist, holding her steady as Dolittle did one more kick and then settled down, his sides heaving. He nuzzled Ry’s head, knocking off his hat and slathering him in drool, as if he was apologizing.

  “Well, we finally found out what scares you,” Ry murmured. “No kids’ birthday parties for you, dude.”

  He took a firmer grip on the reins and looped them over the saddle horn, making sure Dolittle was settled before turning his attention to Avery.

  “You okay, honey?”

  “Get me off this horse, right now.”

  Her face was paper white. He took a deep breath. “No can do. You’ll have to ride him for a few seconds more.”

  “Get me off, Ry.”

  “Look, you know as well as I do that we have to get things back to normal as fast as possible, which means you stay on his back for the next sixty seconds until we tie him up at the hitching post and rub him down.”

  “I don’t want—”

  “I know, but you’re going to have to.” He glanced up at her and steeled himself. “I don’t want to ruin a good horse, Avery.”

  “You promised me that you’d never force me to do anything with a horse.”

  “And I meant it.”

  “So let me goddamn down.”

  He held her gaze. Her icy calm had deserted her and she was literally seething with rage. “In one minute you can get down yourself. Can you just do that for me?”

  She glared at him, her hands clenched into fists, her teeth chattering. “I’ll do it for the horse, okay? You lied to me. We’re so done.”

  Her words hit him like a punch to the heart. He clicked to Dolittle, who obediently started moving like nothing had happened, which was just what Ry had wanted. He walked alongside the horse to the hitching post, talking to him, and quickly took off the bridle, replacing it with the halter and rope. The faster he tried to go, the harder his fingers shook as his mind caught up with his reactions and replayed all the things that could have gone wrong.

  Surely, Avery hadn’t meant they were done as a couple, had she? Wasn’t she just upset, and not thinking clearly? Once he sorted out the horse issues, he’d get hold of her and talk it through. She’d like that. Women always wanted to discuss stuff.

  “Everyone all right?” BB joined them, leading Nolly. “I’m sorry, guys. Maria’s in tears because of what happened.”

  “Not her fault,” Roy said. “Horses are big scared chickens, and we’re all okay.”

  “You sure about that?” BB looked at Ry, and then up at Avery. “Do you want a hand down, Avery?”

  Ry kept his attention on untangling the reins and hanging the bridle over the fence while BB helped Avery dismount. Marley immediately came rushing over to hug her sister.

  “Oh my God, I thought you were going to fall!”

  Avery said something incoherent and buried her face in her sister’s shoulder. Ry tried not to notice that she hadn’t even looked at him, or come to him for comfort. He took off the saddle and walked it back into the tack room, the bridle over his shoulder. When he returned for the blanket, Avery and Marley were nowhere in sight.

  He halted and looked carefully around. “Did they go?”

  BB grimaced. “Yeah. Avery was pretty upset. Marley said she was going to drive her home. I asked if she wanted to wait to let you know she was leaving, but she said she had nothing she needed to say to you.”

  “Figures.”

  “You did the right thing, bro.”

  “I sure as hell did not, because she couldn’t wait to get away from me.”

  “I heard what you said to her about staying on the horse. That was good advice. When she calms down, she’ll get it.”

  “Yeah? She told me she was done, and I don’t think she was just talking about horseback riding.” He slapped his hat against his thigh. “Shit. What the hell else was I supposed to do?”

  BB patted him on the back. “She probably meant it at the time, but you’ll bring her around. You’re a Morgan.”

  “A guy she doesn’t trust anymore who lives on a ranch surrounded by horses.” Ry shook his head as he took the saddle pad, and marched back toward the tack room. “She’ll never let me near her again.”

  * * *

  “Avery . . .”

  She took another sip of her hot chocolate, and made sure the fleece blanket was still wrapped tightly around her shoulders. She couldn’t seem to stop shivering.

  “Avery.”

  “What?”

  “Mom wants to know if you need her to fetch the doctor.” Marley looked up from her phone.

  “No, I’m fine. Just shaken up, but you don’t have to tell her that bit.” She scowled at her sister. “Or else she’ll be breaking down the door and taking me to the clinic whether I want to go or not.”

  Her bedroom door opened. Avery jumped and prepared to defend herself from a concerned parental attack.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Nancy scowled at her. “You were supposed to be hanging out at the bar with Ry tonight. Where were you?”

  Avery shuddered. “Ry who?”

  Nancy took the seat beside Marley and elbowed her in the side. She wore black jeans and a black T-shirt. Her fair hair was now dyed almost white. “What happened to her?”

  “We went riding. It was all good until a balloon spooked the horses. Dolittle got a bit panicked, and tried to throw Avery.”

  Nancy looked Avery up and down. “You stayed on, right?”

  “Like a p
ro bull rider. Free hand waving and everything.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  Avery put down her mug. “What? It was horrible. I kept getting all these flashbacks to my accident, and I panicked like a complete fool.”

  “But you didn’t let go, fall off, or get hurt.”

  “So what?”

  “So that’s progress, right?” Nancy raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t that prove that you can get on a horse—even one that gets scared—and come out in one piece? That’s awesome.” When Avery didn’t speak, Nancy turned to Marley. “Am I missing something here?”

  “She’s mad because Ry made her stay on Dolittle and ride him to the barn.” Marley shrugged. “I know, I don’t get it either.”

  “He promised me he’d never make me do anything on a horse that I didn’t want to do.”

  Nancy just looked at her. “But if you’d gotten off all upset, you probably would never get back on again. Calming Dolittle down and making you stick together like a team was the right thing for both of you.”

  Avery glared at her friend and her sister, who were both nodding like two wise women.

  “Who said I was ever getting back on a horse?”

  “You will if you want to work at that ranch.” Marley uncurled her legs and got up. “I’ll go and fend off the parents, okay?”

  “Thanks, sis,” Avery managed to mumble.

  Nancy stretched out on the couch. “I can’t stay long. I’m on my break.”

  “You can go anytime you like. Traitor.”

  “Now who’s in a snit because they know they’re wrong?”

  “I am not wrong. I—” Avery paused. “Why is everyone picking on me?”

  “Because you overreacted, and don’t whine. If that had been your brother Mark on that horse? You would’ve done exactly what Ry did.”

  Avery rubbed her cheek against the soft underside of her blanket. “I suppose next you’ll say I should be apologizing to him.”

  “Damn straight, girlfriend.” Nancy pointed a finger at her. “You know it, and you’re just grumpy because you hate being wrong.”

  “Not that you are ever like that,” Avery muttered.

  “Stop changing the subject.” Nancy’s cell buzzed and she checked it. “Damn, Jay’s wondering what I’ve been doing in the bathroom for twenty minutes and does he need to break the door down.”

  Avery blinked. “He thinks you’re in the bathroom?”

  “I climbed out the window.” Nancy shrugged “I’d better go. He was a Navy SEAL. He’d take that door out in a second. Later, Ave.”

  After Nancy left, Avery continued to huddle in her blanket as she reluctantly played back the events of the day. Eventually, in the peace of her own room, she realized two important things. One was that she had managed to stay on the horse. That was a big deal, and something to be proud of. Two was that she’d definitely overreacted and needed to talk to Ry.

  If he’d let her. His shuttered expression after she told him to get lost had almost made her cry. He didn’t let people in very often, and now she’d basically ordered him to leave her alone. He’d do it, too—taking on the guilt for what had been an unfortunate accident, even when it wasn’t his fault.

  She checked the time and yawned so hard she practically dislocated her jaw. It was too late to talk to him now, and she had to get to bed because of her early shift in the morning. When Dolittle bucked she’d almost wrenched her arm out of its socket. Luckily she had some good painkillers stored away, which would help with that, and her hip and leg were fine. She suspected the other kind of pain—the one centered around her heart from being a frightened, self-centered jerk—wasn’t going to be so easy to fix or forget.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “So. I’m thinking we’ll hold a pre-wedding supper up at the hot springs a week before the wedding—which means it will be coming up fairly soon. Just immediate family, fiancées and girlfriends, and Roy, of course.” January looked around the table as she spoke.

  Ruth grabbed a notebook and started making notes. “We can bring picnic food, and have a barbecue. How does that sound?”

  “Awesome.” January grinned at Ruth, and clutched Chase’s hand. “If that’s okay with you, Chase.”

  “Fine by me. You know I have some great memories of the hot springs.” He winked at January, who went beet red.

  They were so unbearably in love that Ry sometimes felt like rolling his eyes just like Maria did. It had been three days since he’d heard from Avery. True, she’d previously told him she was working through the whole weekend, so he hadn’t expected to see much of her anyway. But they usually kept in touch by texting, or long stupid phone calls late at night. And it was now Monday evening, and she hadn’t texted him yet.

  Should he text her?

  He wanted to, but—

  Ruth leaned over and poked him hard in the ribs. “Ry? Are you listening to a word I’m saying?”

  “Sorry, what’s up?”

  “He’s brooding about Avery—whom, by the way, I saw in town today looking just fine in Yvonne’s.”

  Ry stared at BB. “Thanks for the update.”

  BB shrugged, his blue eyes glinting with amusement at his brother’s expense. “Well, I thought you’d like to know if you’re too wussy to go down and see for yourself.”

  “I’m giving her some space, okay?”

  “So she can really make up her mind to dump you?” BB grinned. “Man, you want to keep your woman, you’ve got to fight for her.”

  “I didn’t notice you riding in on a white horse to save Jenna.”

  BB winked. “I didn’t need to. Because I wasn’t stupid enough to let her go for long enough to get away from me.”

  Chase cleared his throat. “That’s not what I heard.”

  “Me neither,” January chimed in. “In fact—”

  Ruth banged on the table with her spoon. “Can we get back to the matter at hand? I’ll work up a menu with January, and you boys can organize the rest of it, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” BB saluted. “At least now you have an excuse to go see Avery, Ry. You can ask her to come to the party.”

  “I don’t need an excuse.”

  Chase looked up. “Actually, I was going to ask you whether it would be okay to have both the Hayes girls up here for interviews this week.”

  Ry stood up. “It’s got nothing to do with me.”

  “Do you still think Avery will be interested after what happened with Dolittle?”

  “I don’t know. Seeing as it was your dumbass horse that caused all the problems, ask her yourself!”

  “It wasn’t Nolly’s fault. He’s just excitable.” Chase frowned. “You sure you don’t want to ask Avery? It gives you a legitimate reason to call her.”

  Ry shoved his chair in with some force. “I don’t need an excuse to speak to her. I didn’t do anything wrong. It was all her idea! She chose to get on that damned horse.”

  “So you’re waiting for her to apologize?” BB snorted. “Good luck, bro.”

  Ry swung around. “You—”

  BB held up his hands. “I’m not fighting with you, okay? Number one, I could take you down way too easily, and number two, Ruth would kill me.”

  “None of you are fighting, and BB, leave Ry alone or I’ll—”

  Ry was already out the door before he heard what Ruth thought she could do to a big bad Marine. Not that he doubted her. She’d already earned his respect, and BB was no fool. He’d shut up, now that Ry had gone. He walked down to the barn and through to Dolittle’s stall. To his relief the horse hadn’t suffered any ill effects since the balloon had gone up, and was back to his lazy, amiable self.

  Ry rested his chin on his folded arms and stared into the stall. Dolittle didn’t stir. It was quiet in the barn, apart from the usual sounds of horses and the other smaller creatures that hung out there. Maria had adopted a bunch of kittens that were growing up to be excellent rat catchers, and had joined the already substantial feral cat collective that h
ung out at the barn.

  He pulled out his cell and stared at the blank screen. Nothing from HW and nothing from Avery. But was BB right? Should he be waiting on them? Learning to be a strong and independent person didn’t mean he had to lose the ability to admit when he’d screwed up.

  His thumbs moved over the keys.

  How’s training going?

  That was nice and neutral for HW. Now for Avery . . .

  Are you okay?

  Lame, but it was the best he could come up with at the moment. He waited a moment, but neither of them replied. He was just about to wander down to the tack room and fix one of the bridles, when Chase came into the barn.

  “Hey.” Chase came to look in at Dolittle as well. “He seems okay.”

  “Yeah.”

  “If Avery was in Yvonne’s today, it probably means that she’s okay, too.”

  “Yeah.”

  Chase sighed. “I’ve got some news.”

  “About Mom?”

  “About the guy she married. He’s willing to talk to us if we go up to Humboldt.”

  “When?”

  “Sometime this week.”

  “Fine by me.”

  “Cool. I’ll let you know the final arrangements as soon as I’ve set them up.”

  Ry nodded. Chase didn’t go away.

  “You really like Avery, don’t you?” Chase let the question hang, but there was no way in hell Ry was going to get into a conversation about that. “I can see why. She’s smart, funny, and brave.”

  “She’s all that,” Ry reluctantly agreed.

  “So sometimes, if it’s the right woman, even when it’s not your fault you have to be prepared to grovel.”

  “Like you did?”

  “Hell.” Chase shoved a hand through his thick black hair. “I still do. January’s a saint to put up with me.”

  “True.” Ry hesitated. “But what the hell am I supposed to say?”

  “Sometimes it’s not about what you think you have to say, but simply being there and listening to what the other person wants to say to you.”

  “That sounds like something Dad or Jenna would come up with.”

  Chase shrugged. “Maybe their wisdom is rubbing off on me. It’s about time.”