Must Love Cowboys: This steamy and heart-warming cowboy rom-com is a must-read! (Once Upon A Time In Texas)

by Carly Bloom

  “That’s not what I was going to say. You need to understand that there is no correlation between dyslexia and intelligence. None whatsoever. Having dyslexia means you process information in a way that makes reading more difficult. That’s it. That’s the whole ball game. It doesn’t affect your ability to predict outcomes or draw conclusions. And as far as creativity goes, which is its own kind of intelligence, there is some evidence indicating that people with dyslexia are more creative and more likely to think outside the box. Dyslexia makes you a little bit different, but many consider it an advantage in problem solving.”

  Beau was speechless. He’d never in a million years consider dyslexia an advantage. But he’d also never heard it described in such terms. A small piece of shame seemed to melt away, and he felt lighter. He wished the folks he’d worked with as a youngster had described dyslexia in such a manner. Maybe it would have made a difference. “Do you work with kids?”

  “When I’m asked to.”

  He swallowed a lump. “They’re lucky to have you as their teacher.”

  Alice’s cheeks turned pink and she smiled. The statement had really pleased her, and she was pretty when she was pleased. He wanted to please her some more.

  Allie shuffled through papers to pull out one with the alphabet written on it. “Can you recite the alphabet?”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “Nope.”

  Beau sighed, crossed his arms, and effortlessly recited the alphabet like any five-year-old could.

  “Good,” Alice said. “Now can you write it?”

  It took him a bit longer to do that, and by the time he handed the paper to Alice, his cheeks felt like they were on fire.

  Alice looked over the paper. She put a few marks on it. Jesus. Had he made some mistakes?

  When Alice looked up, her brown eyes were calm and friendly. There was no judgment. No disgust. No pity. “You’re doing great.”

  His chest lightened a little. And that was all it took to get through the next half hour, during which Alice asked him to read a few words and try to figure out some sentences, even if he couldn’t read them perfectly. A few times he had to guess, and Alice praised him. She said that using context clues was a coping strategy, and that he was very good at it.

  “I have a better picture of your strengths now. And my plan is to use them to shore up the areas where you’re weakest. In the meantime, what do you like to read?”

  “Is this a trick question?”

  “No. What’s the last book you read?”

  He started to say that the last book he’d read was in high school, but that wasn’t even true. Bryce had been the one to read it, and he’d written the paper, too. “Wow. This is embarrassing, but—”

  “Embarrassment is not a part of this process. Give me your phone.”

  “Why?” He pulled it out of his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to Alice.

  “I’m giving you some homework.” She swiped a few times. “You’ve now got an app so you can listen to books.” She put a finger to her lips. “Let’s see . . .”

  She stared at him intently, nodded her head once, and tapped the phone.

  “This is the first book in a suspenseful, action-packed series. I loved it, and I think you will, too.”

  Beau took his phone and clicked on the new icon. A picture of a book popped up.

  “All you have to do is listen to it. That’s your homework,” Alice said. “And I really hope you enjoy it.”

  Beau was skeptical. Books had never held his attention. And besides, he didn’t want to overcome his dyslexia in order to sit around wasting time with books. He just wanted to be able to do his job.

  Chapter

  Ten

  Alice rolled up her yoga mat and put it beneath her desk. Some people might enjoy doing yoga with animals—baby goats and puppies—but doing it with a full-grown Great Pyrenees was not in the same universe. So, she’d taken to doing yoga at the library.

  She had a few minutes before Janie would arrive, so she opened the document she’d slaved over nearly all night.

  Her résumé popped up. And it was pretty impressive for a small-town librarian.

  When she’d come on board, the library had consisted of an old building filled with mostly donated books. She’d worked with the city to get real funding and a workable budget. She’d applied for grants and signed up for programs. She’d partnered with other libraries to offer interlibrary loans while building up the collection. She’d developed outreach programs—ESL, adult literacy, programming for children and teens—until the library was woven into the social fabric of Big Verde.

  And when it had all been wiped out by the flood, she’d built it back up. Brick by brick, and book by book. But there really wasn’t anywhere to go from here. There wasn’t a higher position or promotion in her future. And her salary was a joke. What if Carmen was right, and she really wasn’t a small-town girl?

  She quickly changed out of her yoga pants and into a sweet little yellow A-line skirt she’d sewn herself. She was a beginning seamstress, but the skirt fit, and she was proud of it.

  She spun in front of the door, watching the skirt twirl in the reflection of the glass. Then she jumped, hand to her throat, when she saw Claire on the other side.

  Claire tapped on the glass. “Let me in!”

  Alice went to the door. What had brought Claire to the library? She already had her copy of Breaking the Cowboy, the romance they were reading for book club. Whatever it was, it was urgent. Because Claire’s eyes were wide, her cheeks were pink, and she was bouncing on her feet like she had fire ants in her shoes.

  Alice opened the door. “Are you okay? You look like you might explode.”

  Claire blew a strand of hair out of her face and put her hands on her hips. “I think I’m in shock.”

  “What happened?”

  Claire started tapping her toe. “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  Alice flipped the sign on the library’s door to open. “Can you be more specific? Like are you asking me what happened on a specific day? In a specific year? Can we narrow it down a bit?”

  Alice headed for the circulation desk with Claire hot on her heels.

  “I hear you have a beau,” Claire said.

  Alice nearly dropped the keys. She should have anticipated this. The rumor mill had been cranking for more than forty-eight hours. She went behind the desk and climbed on her stool. Claire leaned in, drumming her fingers on the counter. “Well? Are you seeing Beau?”

  This wasn’t going to be easy. Alice was good at a lot of things, but lying wasn’t one of them. Although, technically, it wasn’t a lie. She was seeing Beau. Twice a week. For reading lessons.

  She could answer truthfully while withholding that last part, which was technically lying by omission, but she wasn’t in the mood for technicalities.

  “Yes, I’m seeing Beau.”

  Claire eyed her warily, and Alice blinked first. Dang it!

  “How long has this been going on?” Claire asked.

  Alice swallowed loudly and moved a small stack of books between her and Claire. It felt better to have a buffer. “Um, well, we just started on Saturday—”

  “Well, what the heck happened last week then? Because I saw both of you at Jessica’s wedding and there was nothing going on other than the usual drooling and whatnot.”

  Alice gasped. “The usual drooling and whatnot?”

  Claire waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, please. You and Beau have always been gooey around each other.”

  “Gooey? What does that mean? It sounds gross.”

  “Y’all are weird around each other, that’s all.”

  That wasn’t very specific. Alice was kind of weird and awkward at times around everyone. And Beau just acted like he always had. There was no way he was attracted to her. He flirted with everyone but her.

  What could she say? Beau’s privacy—no matter how she felt about him—had to be protected.

  The library doo
r opened. Janie! Yay!

  “Well, well, well. Look who took my advice and got busy.”

  That did not sound like Janie. It sounded like somebody with blue hair.

  “Howdy, Carmen,” Claire said. “What brings you to the library?”

  Carmen leaned on the counter. “Gossip.”

  “Did you hear Beau and Alice are seeing each other?” Claire asked.

  “Yes. And I take full responsibility.”

  The library door opened again, followed by a clunking sound. “Oh my God, Alice! I hear you have a date for my wedding!”

  Everyone ran to assist Brittany, who was on crutches and wearing a boot bedazzled with rhinestones. As soon as she was settled, the door opened again. “Good morning,” called Janie.

  Janie wasn’t a gossip. And she wasn’t in a bunch of ladies’ clubs. Maybe she hadn’t heard anything. In fact, maybe not that many people were talking about Alice and Beau at all. Maybe it was literally just Claire and Carmen and Brittany.

  “What’s this I hear about you and Beau Montgomery?” Janie said.

  Dang it. “Where did you hear about that?”

  “At the Pump ’n’ Go this morning.”

  “From who?”

  “Anna Vasquez. She heard it from Trista Larson, who heard it from—”

  “Sally Larson, who heard it from Dolly at the Catholic Daughters meeting,” Alice said.

  The library door opened again, and Miss Mills lumbered in. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully.

  “Miss Mills, you’re not scheduled to volunteer today.”

  “The Good Lord whispered in my ear that the library might need my help, so here I am. Also, Alice, I hope what I heard at church isn’t true.”

  Good grief. Alice was suspicious that the Good Lord didn’t really think the library needed help today.

  “I’m sure all you heard at church was how much Jesus loves you and how you shouldn’t judge,” Claire said. “Because good Christian women wouldn’t have been gossiping about Beau and Alice hooking up.”

  Miss Mills dropped her keys in her purse and pulled out a book. “Someone’s got some sass this morning,” she said, tossing a glance at Claire. “And Alice, Beau Montgomery gets around. He goes from woman to woman like a bee in a flower garden, and honestly, I thought you had more sense.”

  “I’m responsible for the meet-cute,” Carmen said. “I want full credit.”

  Brittany plunked her booted foot on the counter. “Oh? How?”

  “Alice didn’t want to go to the wedding with your uncle, so I told her to ask Beau. And apparently, she did. And then other things seemingly happened. Things about which I need to know every single detail.”

  What could Alice say? She glanced at Claire, who still had that eyebrow raised.

  “What’s wrong with my uncle?” Brittany asked.

  “Not a thing,” Alice said politely. “Beau and I enjoy each other’s company. That’s all there is to it.” Surprisingly, that wasn’t even a lie. She’d enjoyed their tutoring session.

  “Since when?” Claire asked.

  “Since recently.”

  “I just don’t see how an experienced man like Beau would be able to control himself around a woman of virtue, such as yourself,” Miss Mills said. “It’s not a good match.”

  Claire snorted.

  Alice opened the book on top of the stack in front of her. “Virtue has to do with adherence to moral standards, and I do not judge people’s morality by how many adults they choose to have consensual sex with.”

  Claire snorted again, probably because she knew the effect these words would have on Miss Mills.

  “Goodness!” Miss Mills said. “Alice, I would expect better moral standards from a librarian.”

  Carmen nodded her head vigorously, as if she agreed with Miss Mills. She then faked a pouty frown and brushed one index finger over the other, as if to say Shame on you.

  “And Claire,” Miss Mills continued. “You need to see a doctor. You sound like a pig clearing its sinuses.”

  Claire snorted loudly and then covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. That one just slipped out.”

  “Your generation doesn’t understand the notion of behaving like ladies.”

  “There is no one way that ladies should behave,” said Alice. “As for men being unable to control themselves around women of virtue, I say that’s hooey.”

  “Miss Mills made Alice say hooey,” Brittany said.

  The library door opened again. Alice crossed her fingers and hoped for an emergency that only a librarian could handle . . .

  But it was just Maggie, carrying two-year-old Maisy on her hip while pushing a gigantic empty stroller. “Hey, y’all! I hear Beau knocked up Alice!”

  Miss Mills began frantically fanning herself with her daily devotional. “That didn’t take long.”

  Claire dropped her head to her arms and started laughing in earnest.

  “You did not hear that!” Alice said to Maggie. “Take it back.”

  “Oh, but I did hear it.”

  “Where?”

  “At the drugstore. Carol Hawker was in there buying vaginal lubricant because she’s going through menopause—”

  Miss Mills dropped her ten-ton purse, making everyone jump. “That is not appropriate language for a library!”

  “Vaginal? Lubricant? Or menopause?” Maggie asked.

  “All three! And you’d better cover that child’s ears, lest she turn out to have a potty mouth just like her mother and her friends.”

  “As soon as she says menopause, I’m going to wash her mouth out with soap for sure,” Maggie said.

  “That is a dirty word,” Janie said. “Hot flashes kept me up all night.”

  “I had no trouble at all going through the change,” Miss Mills said. “I prayed about it, and the good Lord answered.”

  “I’ll try that next,” Janie said. “Right after the CBD oil.”

  The library door opened again. Alice crossed her fingers, hoping to be saved by an elderly person needing help with the internet.

  “Well, speak of the devil,” Claire said.

  Alice broke out in pins and needles. Her stomach dropped. Her heart pounded. She didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.

  Her Beau-dar had gone off, and it felt different this time.

  Oh, dammit. Beau had gotten here early, hoping Alice would be alone. Just how many people did it take to stick books on shelves? And what the holy hell was Claire doing here? And Maggie? And Carmen?

  Janie smiled at him. “Good morning, Beau.”

  He removed his hat. Nodded his head. “Good morning, ladies.”

  Claire smirked at him. “Were your ears burning?”

  “Pardon?”

  One look at Allie’s horrified face told him all he needed to know. She’d been right about Dolly starting up the gossip train. But Beau didn’t care about all that. People in small towns gossiped. And people in small towns hooked up and then unhitched pretty regularly.

  “Alice,” Maggie said. “Do you and Beau need help planning your shotgun wedding? Claire and I would be more than happy to oblige.”

  Beau sighed. “Allie Cat, I need to talk to you.”

  “Aw,” Claire said. “They have nicknames.”

  “In private,” Beau said.

  Miss Mills huffed and fanned as if they were going to do something obscene. Which they weren’t. It was specifically spelled out in the contract.

  Alice came out from behind the counter, and he followed her to her office. She shut the door. “What on earth is wrong?”

  “How do I get the second book?” he said.

  “The second book to wha—” Alice’s face erupted into a huge smile. “In the series? The one you’re listening to?”

  The first one had ended on a fucking cliffhanger. “Yes. I stayed up until nearly dawn listening, and now . . .” He fumbled around for words and finally decided on the truth. “I need the next book or I might die.”

  Ali
ce squealed and clapped her hands. “I knew it! I knew you’d love it.”

  “Man, Allie, I just didn’t know. I didn’t know that listening to a book could be like watching a Mission Impossible movie—I love those, by the way—”

  “I actually think reading a book is even better than watching a movie,” Alice said.

  Her big brown eyes shone, and her smile looked like it might outgrow her face. And Beau knew just what she meant. Watching a movie felt kind of passive. Even if it kept you on the edge of your seat, you knew you were in a seat. Listening to a book was like . . . Like you were fucking there. “This might be a stupid question—”

  “There are no stupid questions.”

  “Does reading a book feel just as exciting as listening to one?”

  Alice nodded her head. “Sometimes more so. Now give me your phone. I’ll show you how to get the next one. And do you like scary movies? Stephen King type of stuff?”

  “Of course.”

  Alice looked up slowly, grinning in a sly, almost evil way. “Wait until you read one of those. You won’t be able to sleep without a light on for at least a week.”

  Beau watched as Allie found the next book. It looked easy.

  “See? You can do it yourself. Also, the entire town is talking about us. They think we’re dating. As in they think we’re a couple.”

  “I figured as much when I saw the crowd out there.”

  “Doesn’t it bother you?”

  It should bother him at least a little. Because now he was definitely going to have to watch himself around women. No flirting. No other stuff. But instead of being irritated, he was just kind of excited to get together with Alice again. And it felt good to know that folks thought they were together. That someone like him could appeal to someone like Alice, who was literally the smartest person he knew. “It doesn’t bother me.”

  Alice didn’t say anything. It probably bothered her plenty.

  “Don’t forget that you get to break up with me in just a few weeks. And you can be as dramatic as you want.”

  “I’m actually not much for drama,” Alice said.

  “Maybe we’ll just drift apart.”

  “It happens to the best of couples.”

  They grinned at each other, and then something caught Alice’s attention behind him. He turned to see Carmen and Claire peeking through the doorway.