Charmed By The Daring Cowboy (Sage Valley Ranch Book 4)

by Melanie D. Snitker

  Her silence must have said enough because Morgan planted her hands on her hips. “Admit it. You like him.”

  As much as Alyssa wanted to deny it, she couldn’t. “I guess I do. But I’m not sure a relationship is a good idea. Especially now.”

  “I’m convinced you’d say that no matter what. Don’t sabotage something before it has a chance to start.” Morgan frowned. “Trust me, we don’t often get second chances, so don’t mess up your first one.”

  Alyssa knew Morgan was talking about Gabe and the big mound of resentment and regret that had grown up from that relationship. “I think you’re jumping the gun a little. But I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

  “You do that.” She put an arm around Alyssa and gave her a squeeze. “You know I love you, girl.”

  “Yeah, I know. Right back at ya.” If it were possible to choose your family, Alyssa would have hand-picked Morgan for her sister. “I’d better get going. Let me know if he gets to be too much for you today, okay? I’ll be by to get you both for dinner.”

  “We’ll be fine. You go plant some flowers and make some money. Oh, and say hello to that cowboy of yours, huh?” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

  Alyssa gave a dramatic roll of her eyes. She hugged Noah goodbye, stopped by Rita’s Tacos on the way for one of their amazing breakfast tacos they sold for half price on Tuesdays, and headed for Sage Valley Ranch. Unfortunately, the combination of egg, cheese, and sausage did little to calm the swarm of butterflies darting around in her stomach.

  She and Dare had chatted via text a couple of times the day before. So why was she so nervous now? Seriously, except for those texts, nothing had changed since she’d last seen him. For that matter, all her time agonizing over the whole thing probably would’ve had Dare laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

  With a truck bed full of sage bushes and other plants, she drove onto the ranch at a quarter past ten in the morning. At first glance, she didn’t see Dare, so she parked the truck near the main house and began to unload the potted plants, placing them according to the diagrams she’d drawn out some time ago. This would let her get the spacing right before transplanting them into the ground.

  She’d reached for a sage in a five-gallon pot when hands closed over hers and a masculine voice said, “Here, let me finish unloading these.”

  Dare’s palms against the back of her hands practically seared her skin. Was he intentionally letting his hands linger on hers? That’s when it dawned on her that it was she who hadn’t relinquished the plant. Cheeks on fire, she let it go and looked up to find Dare smiling at her. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” she replied, then swallowed hard. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” Dare looked at the truck. “Noah didn’t come with you?”

  “He’s staying with my friend today. I needed to make up some lost time, which means I can’t make all of this as fun for him as I usually do. He’ll enjoy hanging out at her store. Air conditioning is definitely a plus.” She ran a hand through her hair. “At least he’s feeling better, and I managed to avoid getting sick.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” He turned and pointed to the nearby flower bed. “Where do you want this one?”

  “Oh! Right over here.” She showed him her diagram, and together, they filled in the flower bed. Even though they weren’t officially planted, she knew the layout was perfect. Get these into the ground, top it off with cedar mulch, and it was going to be beautiful.

  Dare dusted off his hands and leaned against her truck. “Can I ask you a weird question?”

  Alyssa raised an eyebrow. “I suppose, though with a request like that, I reserve the right to dodge it.”

  He laughed loudly. “Fair enough.” Dare paused a moment before pointing to her hair. “What kind of shampoo do you use? I catch whiffs here and there, and it smells familiar, but I can never quite figure out what it is.”

  Of all the things he might have asked her, she hadn’t expected that one. Without thinking, she brought a section of hair to her nose and inhaled. “It’s honey and almond milk.”

  Dare snapped his fingers. “Honey! See, I knew I should’ve recognized it. But it’s been bothering me since that first day we met.”

  This time, she couldn’t cover her surprise. She fought to maintain a straight face. “Was that before or after you kicked mud all over me?”

  He tried to look contrite, but a smile broke through. “After. I truly felt horrible about the whole thing.”

  Alyssa shrugged. “I had to take Noah to a doctor’s appointment for a check-up, or it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal anyway.” She’d always felt rather bad for being as grumpy as she had been. He’d noticed her shampoo. It suddenly mattered a great deal whether he liked the scent or not. She pulled on her right earlobe and gathered enough courage to ask him. “So, I hope my shampoo hasn’t been bothering you all this time. I know some people can be sensitive to certain smells and things like that.”

  Dare shook his head, a twinkle in his eye. “Nah, I like it. Besides, honey is sweet, and I think that fits you well.” With a less than subtle wink, he turned away and went to retrieve the shovel from the bed of the truck, leaving Alyssa’s heart racing.

  * * *

  After complimenting Alyssa on her shampoo, Dare thoroughly enjoyed watching her cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink. Between that and the way she’d been tugging on her ear, she was lucky they were there in the middle of the ranch where anyone could walk by. Otherwise, he would’ve kissed her right on the spot. He had no doubt her lips would taste sweeter than she smelled.

  Instead, he enjoyed the easy way they worked together all afternoon. Dare knew the flower beds and garden were going to look nice, but it wasn’t until they had the plants in that he comprehended how expertly Alyssa combined light and dark leaves, flower variation, and the spacing in between them. Mrs. Buchanan was going to be thrilled. It also brightened up the ranch for the guests coming to stay.

  It was nearing five o’clock. Dare was helping Alyssa load the last of her equipment into her truck when Mr. Buchanan walked up to them. He smiled brightly. “It’s sure looking good around here.”

  Alyssa grinned. “Thank you.” She scanned the area around them. “We’ll put the fence up around the garden tomorrow and do what we can to get the other flower beds ready. I may have to come back Saturday to work on those, if that’s all right.”

  Dare wanted to ask her if she was having to spend Thursday and Friday working on the hospital job again, but she’d addressed Mr. Buchanan directly, so Dare kept his mouth shut.

  Mr. Buchanan nodded. “Of course, although you can always wait and come back in next week instead. Take some time off to relax a bit this weekend.”

  “I want to be able to focus on that main display near the entrance next week. I’ve been looking forward to it the most, so that’s why I saved it for last.”

  Her words reminded Dare that next week was the final one with Alyssa and Noah working on the ranch. The idea bothered him a lot more than it probably should have. They lived in the same town, so why did it feel as though it could mean they might not see each other again? He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, or how, but that was not going to be the case.

  Thankfully, the other two had continued their conversation, completely unaware of Dare’s internal monologue. Alyssa was telling them about something funny that had happened at the garden center, and Mr. Buchanan laughed heartily.

  “Well, it sounds like it all worked out in the end,” he said.

  “It did, but I sure hope Ben doesn’t order those plants again. I can’t see how anyone would want those on their property.”

  Mr. Buchanan shook his head in wonder before turning his attention to Dare. “When you’re done here, could you lend me a hand for a few minutes, Dare? I built my wife a bookcase she’s been asking for, and I could use some help getting it into the house.”

  “Of course.” He was going to ask Alyssa if there was anything else
he could do, but she waved them away.

  “I think we’re good here. I need to pick up Noah. He’s waiting for me, and my friend has a Bible study to go to.” She smiled at them both. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  Dare returned her smile. She had no idea how adorable she looked, complete with that light streak of soil across her right cheek. “See you then.”

  He and Mr. Buchanan watched her climb into the truck before turning to go to the garage on the other side of the main house. Dare had marveled several times at the way Mr. Buchanan had transformed the garage into a shop any guy would be happy to work in. They hadn’t gone more than a dozen steps when the sound of Alyssa’s truck trying to start reached their ears.

  They’d just gotten back to her truck to find her getting out again, a look of frustration on her face. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with it.” She glanced at her watch and her brow wrinkled.

  Mr. Buchanan didn’t miss a beat. “Dare, take her into town to get her son. I’ll call Mason in, and with any luck, Alyssa, we’ll have your truck running by the time you get back.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Mr. Buchanan. I know you’ve got a lot of other things to do. What about Mrs. Buchanan’s bookcase?”

  Mr. Buchanan snorted. “Sharon’s been waiting on that bookcase for five years, another hour or two won’t kill her.” He chuckled. “You two go on before Noah starts to get anxious and your friend is late for her Bible study.”

  Alyssa looked like she wanted to object, but she probably knew as well as Dare did that Mr. Buchanan wasn’t going to change his mind. She handed the keys over. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He gave her shoulder a comforting pat.

  Dare waited for Alyssa to grab her bag and Noah’s booster seat from her truck. He took the booster seat from her and led the way to the bunk houses where he’d parked his own vehicle.

  Before long, they were on their way back into Sage Valley. “Now, where is your friend’s store?” As soon as Alyssa told him, Dare was certain he’d seen it before, although he’d never been inside. It wouldn’t take them too long to get there.

  He glanced at her. “How’s the hospital job coming along?”

  “It’s going okay. There’s a lot more work involved than I think any of us really thought. I’m supposed to get done by the end of next week, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen.” She gave a little shrug. “I may have to push it back to the following week, only for a day or two. Thankfully, everyone I’ve been working with at the hospital is great.”

  “How about your boss?”

  “I still feel like something’s going on. I’m not sure what, though. Honestly, it has us all uncertain. At this point, even if he was going to fire the whole lot of us, it’d be better if we knew now instead of dragging it out.” She sighed.

  Without thinking, Dare reached for her left hand that had been fiddling with a ring on her right. Her hands had seemed small compared to his when he’d taken the sage plant from her this morning. Now that he held one in his, it seemed more petite. Her skin was cool to the touch and silky soft against his own. “I’m sorry. Not knowing is worse, because the imagination tends to take over.”

  She exhaled slowly, and he expected her to pull her hand away. Instead, she relaxed a little. Dare laced his fingers with hers, his pulse racing at full speed. If it weren’t for the fact Noah was waiting for his mom, Dare would’ve slowed their progress through downtown Sage Valley to prolong their arrival.

  He pulled into a parking space in front of It’s All Good. Reluctantly, he released her hand and put the truck into park. “I can wait out here if you’d prefer.”

  She seemed to consider his offer. “You may as well come in. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for Noah to clean up before we can go.” It looked as though she were going to open the door when she turned back to face him again. “Look, my friend is wonderful, but she’s also outgoing. She likes to take anything I say about you and exaggerate it. So, take what she says with a grain of salt.”

  Alyssa talked to her friend about him? Dare tried hard to not let that inflate his ego, but he wasn’t sure how much he’d succeeded. Suddenly, what Alyssa thought about him and might have shared with her friend meant a great deal to him.

  7

  Alyssa’s skin still buzzed from Dare’s contact. She should’ve pulled her hand away, but the moment his large, solid hand closed around hers, it seemed as though all logical thought fled from her head. So what if she missed his touch right now? Morgan was going to be nearly impossible to deal with later as it was, much less if she’d seen them.

  The moment Alyssa walked into It’s All Good and saw Morgan, she pegged her friend with a no-nonsense look. Morgan seemed confused until Dare walked in behind her. He swept his cowboy hat off his head and lowered it to his side.

  Her eyes alight with way more curiosity than Alyssa cared for, Morgan took several steps forward and extended a hand. “Welcome to It’s All Good. I’m the store owner, Morgan Clark.”

  “Dare Jackson.” He shook her hand like a gentleman and released it. “I think I’ve seen you around Sage Valley Ranch.”

  Morgan pointed at a small sign on the counter advertising the farmer’s market. “I’m there almost every Saturday. We’ve probably passed by each other at some point or another.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. Well, in that case, it’s good to finally meet you.”

  Before Morgan had a chance to say anything else, Alyssa jumped in with an explanation about her truck. “Dare was kind enough to bring me into town to pick up Noah.”

  Her son appeared from the back of the store, saw Dare, and his face lit up immediately. He ran right past Alyssa and threw himself at the cowboy. “Yay! Did you have to chase Hopscotch today?”

  “Nope, not today, sprout.” Dare easily lifted the boy with one arm and held him high. By the look on Noah’s face, it might as well be Captain America or any of Noah’s other favorite super heroes holding him up instead.

  Seeing them together had Alyssa’s heart aching with both longing and sadness. When she exchanged a look with Morgan, her best friend’s bottom lip pushed out in sympathy.

  It didn’t stop her from coming closer and whispering discreetly, “You left out some details.”

  Was Morgan referring to Dare’s rugged good looks? Or the way Noah was taken with him? Probably both. Alyssa elbowed her in the ribs a lot harder than she needed to. “Shut up,” she whispered fiercely. The last thing she needed was for Dare to hear any of this. “Peter was the one who suggested he bring me into town.”

  “Uh, huh.”

  Alyssa’s phone sounded with an incoming call. She checked it to see Sharon’s name. “Hey, Sharon. What’s going on?”

  “Honey, I wanted to let you know that Bucky said it’d take at least an hour to fix your truck, but it shouldn’t be a problem. Why don’t you, Noah, and Dare eat some dinner first and then come back afterward? The timing should be about right.” Even through the phone, there was no mistaking the tone of the older woman’s voice. She was scheming as surely as Alyssa was standing there.

  “Thanks for letting me know. We’ll see you in a little while. Please thank Peter for me.”

  They said their goodbyes, and Alyssa ended the call.

  Noah was still in Dare’s arms, one of his smaller ones looped around the cowboy’s neck. From the way everyone was looking at her, apparently the conversation had carried beyond that of the cell phone.

  “Can Mr. Dare eat dinner with us, Mommy? Please?”

  Alyssa’s gaze swung to Morgan, but her friend only held up both hands. “I’ve got to close up here and get to my Bible study, or I’d love to join you all.”

  Then there was Dare, whose expression looked nearly as hopeful as her son’s. “Of course.” What else could she say? So much for keeping things strictly work-related. Of course holding his hand in the truck had pretty much thrown that whole thing out the window.

  As though Dare sensed her confl
icting emotions, he set Noah back down on the floor. “You know, I’m still pretty new to Sage Valley. I heard there’s an amazing hamburger place somewhere on Main Street.” He looked from Noah to Alyssa. “Is there any chance you two could show me where it is? You can tell me what’s good on the menu. My treat.” He even motioned to Morgan. “And if you change your mind, you’re more than welcome to join us.”

  “Oh, no. You three go on ahead. It’s actually my week to bring snacks, so if I don’t show up, I won’t ever hear the end of it.” Morgan waved them on with a raise of an eyebrow in Alyssa’s direction.

  “Can we, Mommy? Hamburdagers sound so good. I’m starving!”

  Alyssa adored the way her son pronounced the word. She hated for Dare to feel like he had to buy them dinner. At the same time, this was better than taking him back to her house for lunchmeat on bread. She forced what she hoped was a natural smile. “A hamburger does sound good.”

  Noah gave a loud whoop then disappeared to most likely pick up his things and stuff them back in his backpack.

  Morgan chuckled. “I’m pretty sure that boy would eat hamburgers for breakfast if you’d let him.”

  “No joke,” Alyssa agreed.

  Moments later, Noah returned. “I’m ready.” With his backpack on, he reached out and held both Dare’s and Alyssa’s hands.

  Dare tipped his head slightly. “It was nice to meet you, Morgan.”

  “You, too.” Morgan waved. Once Dare started for the door, she mouthed to Alyssa, “Have fun. Call me later.”

  Alyssa gave her a stern look before going out the door that Dare was holding open for her. Once he’d stepped through himself, he replaced his cowboy hat and helped them both into his truck.

  “All right, so which way do we go?”

  She gave him directions and within minutes, they pulled in front of Main Street Burgers. It was a relatively small restaurant with less than ten booths on the inside. However, it was the covered patio area on the outside where most people sat and ate. Combined with music playing from the 50s and 60s, planters painted to look like dice, and the aprons worn by the women working there, the place had a real diner feel. They placed their orders inside first.