by A. J. Pine
She typed in Sam’s name and then the three most honest words she could muster.
I love you. No. Matter. What.
Message delivered.
“Lanes!” Beth called from up front. She poked her head back into the office door. “There’s a guest who wants to talk to the marketing manager. I’m guessing that’s you since no one officially has that title.”
Delaney’s brow furrowed. She didn’t talk to the guests. She worked behind the scenes.
She groaned. “Let me guess. The sheets on the beds don’t look as white as the ones in the brochure, and they want to know why they’re not getting the Bellagio for seventy-five bucks a night?”
Beth shrugged. “Probably. Maybe you should stop taking such good pictures of the rooms.”
“Or maybe Mom and Dad should stop buying bargain-basement cleaning products and get a bleach that actually whitens whites.” Ugh. She sounded like a damned commercial. But this was the fourth complaint this week she’d had to deal with. Her parents really needed to hire a customer service person because her people skills were waning by the second. Plus, she wasn’t dressed for anything more formal than solo office work today.
She brushed her hands off on her jeans and tried to hand iron the wrinkles from her old Pima Medical Institute scrub top and stormed up to the front counter. “If our sheets aren’t good enough for you, then pack your own next time.”
Sam Callahan—dressed in a fleece pullover and jeans, a backpack slung over his shoulder—stared back at her from the other side of the counter.
“I wasn’t aware I had to bring my own sheets,” he said, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips.
It had been a whole week since she’d seen or spoken to him, and their first words to each other since she’d left Meadow Valley were about sheets?
Beth nudged her shoulder. Delaney had forgotten she was there.
“I’m going to go find something to do in the office. Maybe throw some darts at a map.”
Delaney nodded absently. She stared at him for several seconds, her brows knit together. She loved him, and he was here. Sam was here. For her. And she could hardly breathe.
“Did I conjure you?” she asked. She had the sudden urge to reach across the counter and touch his face to confirm that he was really there. Vegas was the desert, after all. People saw mirages when they were dehydrated, and she and Beth did have a few margaritas last night.
She shook her head, and Sam let out a nervous sounding laugh.
“You okay, Vegas?”
She answered his question with one of her own. “Why are you here, Sam?”
I love you. I was scared. I’m sorry. I brought you some of Luis’s tacos. All of those answers would be fine by her.
“I finished a project yesterday. It’s just a sign right now, but it has potential. Before I publish the photo on our website, I wanted to get an expert opinion on whether or not you think this will improve business, seeing as how your auction and brochure ideas were a big hit.” He scrubbed a hand over his clean-shaven jaw.
“That’s great,” Delaney said, but she was still confused. “You don’t have any marketing consultants closer to Meadow Valley than me?”
He shook his head. “Or maybe I do. I don’t know. Look, I’m really bad at this.”
“Bad at what?” Why was he here? Had he gotten her text and happened to be in the neighborhood? Did he know she’d fallen in love with him the whole time they’d been apart when she’d only figured it out seconds ago? Was she going to hear anything he said if her brain didn’t put a leash on the tornado of questions she kept asking herself?
Delaney squeezed her eyes shut and blew out a breath. When she opened them, he was still there.
Not a mirage.
“Sorry,” she said with measured calm. “You were saying something about being bad at whatever this is.”
He lifted the backpack off his shoulder and set it on the ground.
“I didn’t know ‘no matter what’ existed before you,” he said. “I panicked. I was so scared about the what-if of hurting you that I never stopped to think…‘What if I didn’t.’ Because here’s the thing, Vegas. I love you even if you make me watch Keanu Reeves movies all day long. I love you even if you turned a certified dog lover into a cat man. I love you if you eat all the tacos or if you save some for me. I love you if you’re just as scared for the future as I am, and I love you for believing the future is possible anyway.” He cleared his throat. “I love you if you come home to Meadow Valley—or if you’ve finally washed your hands of the place. No matter what.”
Her chest squeezed, and the tightness in her throat made it hard to breathe. Not the oh-my-God-I’m-in-anaphylactic-shock hard to breathe, but the kind where she was so close to having everything she never knew she wanted yet it was still out of reach.
Tears fell from both eyes at once.
“You okay, Vegas?” he asked again.
She shook her head, then nodded. She didn’t know what the hell she was. But she knew one thing for certain. This was the part of the dream she’d been missing—someone to share it with who put her needs right up there at the top of the list with his own.
“I’d have wanted whatever time I had to get to know you and be with you and—and fall even more in love with you,” she admitted.
“There might be days where I don’t remember falling in love with a woman who could charm the hell out of both my father and my dog, who has an unassuming right hook, and who can muck out a stall in half the time it takes one of my stable hands to do it. But to make up for it, I can promise you that every day for the past week, that’s all I’ve been able to think about.”
Her heart hammered against her chest.
He called Meadow Valley home. Her home. Yet she was still frozen where she stood, terrified to believe it was real.
“Oh. My. God. Kiss him already, Lanes. Or I will!”
She looked over her shoulder to find Beth standing in the office doorway, staring at the scene before her as though it were the next Netflix rom-com.
Delaney laughed and brushed another tear from under her eye. She pushed through the waist-high swinging half door that acted as a barrier between motel personnel and guests so that she was standing face-to-face with the man she’d thought about every minute of every day since she left Meadow Valley last week.
“If you forgot me in twenty years, we’d still have twenty years. And if you’d asked me what I wanted, I’d tell you that I’d have taken those twenty years. And then after that I’d remember for both of us. I’d tell you about a selfless man who towed my car and gave me a place to stay and that no matter how hard he fought it, also gave me his heart.”
Sam raised a brow. “Maybe I did all that because I was afraid of that unassuming right hook.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And because you really needed my marketing expertise?”
“Oh,” he said. “Right. Let’s see if my phone found a network. Hit a bunch of dead zones on the way here.”
She bit her lip as she saw the phone’s screen light up. But there was no notification of an unanswered text. It went straight to the internet, which was already set to the Meadow Valley Ranch page.
“Here’s the unpublished tab. Let me know what you think.”
She stared at a sunlit photo of the sign he’d affixed above the far side of the stable. MEADOW VALLEY RESCUE. And on top of the page it read Coming soon…rescue animal shelter. Guest volunteers wanted.
“I get if it’s too much too soon,” he said when she kept staring at the screen, unable to speak. “I should also mention, though, that some of the town residents put together a little crowdfunding campaign to get you started and to help compensate Dr. Murphy for the volunteer hours he’s still hoping to provide once you get your first residents.”
She’d chased a dream, and Sam Callahan was giving her the world. “Some town residents?” she asked. “That was your idea?”
He shrugged. “It’s not a means of buying yo
u out or compensating for land that, deed or no deed, we all know is rightfully yours,” he said. “So if you think you might want to get in from the ground up, we start renovations next month.”
She dropped his phone on the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You better kiss me already, cowboy, or you’ll have my sister to answer to.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Is that a yes?” he asked. “Because it’s technically still ranch property, so you’ll have to earn your keep.”
She pulled him to her, their lips colliding with a week of longing and stubbornness and fear, finally getting it right.
“I love you, Vegas,” he said, his lips still pressed against hers. “Just so we’re clear.”
“Yeah, well, I love you right back.” She kissed him again, breathed him in, and thanked the stars he was anything but a mirage.
“One more thing,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“I love you. No. Matter. What.”
She tilted her head back. “You got my text?”
He nodded. “Right when your sister went to get you. I already had my I-love-you speech prepared, though. I wasn’t plagiarizing.”
She laughed.
“But I’m glad it was there,” he added. “It’s the only reason I knew I didn’t have a right hook coming my way. Not that I didn’t deserve it.”
She shrugged. “There’s always tomorrow.”
“And the day after that,” he added.
And whatever the future held, as long as it was theirs.
Sam woke early and started the coffee. Scout paced the kitchen floor as he scrambled up some eggs and fried the bacon.
He laughed. His women sure loved their bacon.
When Delaney emerged, bleary eyed, wearing nothing but one of his T-shirts—God, he loved when she did that—he ran into the living room with a steaming mug to distract her before she caught a glimpse out the window.
“Today’s the big day, huh?” she asked, brushing her lips against his as he handed her the coffee.
“Yep,” he said.
“And you’re sure you want me there?”
He knew she’d understand if he said no. He had his blood drawn the week she was gone. Today he found out if he had inherited the gene mutation that caused his father’s disease. He had no idea how he’d react to either result, but he knew that it must have been hell for Ben to go through it alone, to not have someone in his corner no matter what the future held. Sam had somehow hit the jackpot and had his very own someone right here, right now, with her.
“Always,” he said. “Especially for the tough stuff, like today.”
She smiled that heart-stopping first smile of the day, the one that was only and always for him. A daily gift he didn’t think he’d ever be able to repay—except for today.
He kissed her forehead and set his hands on her hips.
“Turn around, Vegas. I got you something.”
Her brow furrowed, but she did as he asked.
She gasped as his arms slid around her waist, his hands clasping against her stomach.
“It’s snowing,” she said, a tremor in her voice.
The landscape outside his back door was a blanket of white—something Scout would take care of soon enough.
“It’s cold as hell, too,” he said. “Thirty-four degrees. Are you sure this is what you wanted?” He kissed her neck.
She leaned into him, breathing in deep and letting out a contented sigh.
“Always. No matter what.”
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Don’t miss the next book in A.J. Pine’s Meadow Valley series!
Make Mine a Cowboy
Available Summer 2020
About the Author
A librarian for teens by day and a romance writer by night, A.J. Pine can’t seem to escape the world of fiction, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. When she finds that twenty-fifth hour in the day, she might indulge in a tiny bit of TV when she nourishes her undying love of vampires, superheroes, and a certain high-functioning sociopathic detective. She hails from the far-off galaxy of the Chicago suburbs.
You can learn more at:
AJPine.com
Twitter @AJ_Pine
Facebook.com/AJPineAuthor
Praise for A.J. Pine
“A steamy cowboy romance novel that is sure to warm your heart!”
—LovelyLoveday.com on Hard Loving Cowboy
“A delightfully sexy read that made me want to go in search of a cowboy of my own.”
—KimberlyFayeReads.com on Hard Loving Cowboy
“Sweet and engrossing.”
—Publishers Weekly on Tough Luck Cowboy
“Light and witty.”
—Library Journal on Saved by the Cowboy
“A fabulous storyteller who will keep you turning pages and wishing for just one more chapter at the end.”
—Carolyn Brown, New York Times bestselling author, on Second Chance Cowboy
“Cross my heart, this sexy, sweet romance gives a cowboy-at-heart lawyer a second chance at first love and readers a fantastic ride.”
—Jennifer Ryan, New York Times bestselling author, on Second Chance Cowboy
“Ms. Pine’s character development, strong family building, and interesting secondary characters add layers to the story that jacked up my enjoyment of Second Chance Cowboy to maximum levels.”
―USA Today “Happy Ever After”
“5 Stars! Top Pick! The author and her characters twist and turn their way right into your heart.”
—NightOwlReviews.com on Second Chance Cowboy
“This is a strong read with a heartwarming message and inspiring characters.”
—RT Book Reviews on Second Chance Cowboy
Also by A.J. Pine
Meadow Valley Series
Cowboy to the Rescue (novella)
Crossroads Ranch Series
Second Chance Cowboy
Saved by the Cowboy (novella)
Tough Luck Cowboy
Hard Loving Cowboy
Keep reading for a special bonus novel from New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown:
TOUGHEST COWBOY
IN TEXAS
The last time Lila Harris was in Happy, Texas, she was actively earning her reputation as the resident wild child. Now, a little older and wiser, she’s back to run her mother’s café for the summer. Except something about this town has her itching to get a little reckless and rowdy, especially when she sees her old partner in crime, Brody Dawson. Their chemistry is just as hot as ever. But he’s still the town’s golden boy—and she’s still the wrong kind of girl.
Brody hasn’t had much time lately for anything other than running the biggest ranch in the county. All that responsibility has him longing for the carefree days of high school—and Lila. She may have grown up, but he still sees that spark of mischief in her eyes. Now he’s dreaming about late-night skinny-dipping and wondering how he can possibly resist the one woman he can never forget.
Chapter One
Order up!” Molly yelled from the kitchen.
Lila picked up a basket filled to the brim with hot French fries just as the door to the Happy Café opened. The hot western sun silhouetted the cowboy in the doorway, but she’d recognize Brody Dawson anywhere—in the darkest night or the brightest day.
The energy in the café sparkled with electricity and her chest tightened. She gripped the red plastic basket to keep from dropping it and slowly inhaled, willing herself to take a step toward the table where a couple of old ranchers waited for their order.
“Well, well,” Brody drawled. He closed the door behind him and slowly scanned her from the toes of her boots to her black ponytail. “The wild child has returned.”
“But not for long, so don’t go getting your hopes up,” she smarted off right back at him.
In a few long strides he slid into a booth and laid his hat on the space beside him. He filled out the butt of his jeans even better than he had when they were in high school and his chest was an acre wide. Lord, why couldn’t he have developed a beer gut and two chins?
She carried the order to the other end of the café and set it down between Paul McKay and Fred Williams, two ranchers she’d known her whole growing-up years.
“I’d forgotten that they called you the wild child, Lila.” Paul grinned.
“People change,” she said. “Anything else?”
Fred squirted streams of ketchup across the fries. “Nah, we’re good for now. Might need some more tea before we go. You should wait on poor old Brody. He looks like he’s spittin’ dust.”
“Yeah. I’m dying over here,” Brody called from across the small dining room. “How about a glass of half sweet tea and half Molly’s fresh lemonade?”
“Anything else, Your Highness?” Lila asked as she turned to face him and made her way to his table.
His sexy grin and that twinkle in his baby-blue eyes made every hormone in her body beg for attention. But then she reminded herself that she didn’t have to impress Brody Dawson. She was not that girl anymore. Oh, but to kiss those lips one more time just to see if they still made her knees go weak. No! No! No! Yet her fingertips went straight to her lips to see if the memory made them as warm as they felt.
“Whatcha got?” His drawl broke through the haze surrounding her.
She quickly dropped her hand. “What?”
“You asked if I wanted anything else.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “So whatcha offering?”
She reached across his booth to pick up a one-page menu stuck between the saltshaker and napkin holder. Her arm brushed against his chest and more sparks danced around the café. Hoping that he couldn’t hear the breathlessness in her voice, she straightened to her full height and started reading. “We have chicken fried steak, grilled pork chops, breakfast served all day, burgers of all kinds, and today’s lunch special is meat loaf and mashed potatoes. I think there’s a little more left if you’re interested. I really thought you might have learned to read down there at Texas A and M.”
