The Cowboy Says I Do

by Dylann Crush

  He wasn’t going to do this. He wasn’t going to talk about a dog’s menstrual cycle with a complete stranger. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let them know when I return her.”

  The tech closed the folder and met his gaze. “She’s a very sweet girl who’s been through a lot. It might do her good to be with someone she loves and trusts while she goes through her pregnancy.”

  Bodie stepped back. “Whoa. I said I’d watch her for a few weeks, max. Never signed up to foster a pregnant dog.”

  “I’m sure you’ll work it out.” She slid a piece of paper in front of him. “If you’ll just sign here I’ll go get her for you.”

  He flicked his gaze over the long list of items. Intravenous hydration, twenty-four-hour supervision, electrolytes. It all added up to the tune of over three grand. And all because of his dad and his pops. They’d be hearing from him about this. If he hadn’t spent the past twenty-four hours tracking down Lacey they would have already had another visit.

  Bodie scrawled his signature over the credit card slip. There went his boat fund. The tech disappeared and came back a few minutes later with Shotgun. The dog sniffed cautiously at the floor, uncertain about her whereabouts.

  “Hey, girl.” Bodie squatted down to run a hand over her head.

  At the sound of his voice she launched herself at him, covering his face in big, sloppy kisses.

  “She trusts you,” the tech observed.

  Bodie stood and took the offered leash, choosing not to acknowledge that comment. “Anything else?”

  “Nope. Should be good to go. But you’ll want to check in with her regular vet to monitor her pregnancy.” She took a treat out of a canister on the counter and offered it to Shotgun. “Good luck with her. She’s a sweetheart.”

  “Thanks,” Bodie muttered. How had he gone from living the single life, a confirmed bachelor, to getting tangled up with Lacey and taking on a pregnant dog? He’d have to see if Zina could take her back sooner rather than later. He could barely keep his own life in order. There was no way he could become responsible for Shotgun and a couple of pups.

  Before he did anything else though, he had to have a conversation with his dad and pops. With everything going on with Lacey and her plans to turn their corner of Texas into wedding central, he couldn’t afford to get tangled up with the likes of Mayor Little and Swynton. His career aspirations would have to wait.

  * * *

  * * *

  By the time he got Shotgun settled at home and checked in at work, he was hungry, tired, and cranky—the perfect time to resume the conversation with his family. He was already in a bad mood so Pops wouldn’t have a chance to ruin it much more. He pulled into the drive next to his dad’s fully loaded truck. At least he was here and not off scheming with Buck.

  Bodie entered the office to the sound of Johnny Cash crooning over the built-in speaker system. “Dad?”

  No answer. Bodie walked farther into the office.

  “Out here,” Dad called from the back. The office building shared a patio with the main house. Dad sat on the stamped concrete patio surrounding the huge crystal-clear pool.

  “What are you doing outside?” Bodie pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. Temps were in the low fifties this time of year, not exactly poolside weather.

  “I think my office is bugged.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  Dad pointed to his face where the purple and blue had faded to a gruesome greenish color. “How else would they have known what was going on?”

  Bodie ground his molars together. “Dad, you’ve got to come clean with me and tell me what’s going on. Otherwise there’s no way I’m going to be able to help you.”

  Dad shrugged. “I changed my mind about telling you. Your pops and I have it under control.”

  If “under control” meant continuing to dodge someone who obviously had it out for them, then they weren’t doing such a great job. His phone rang, preventing him from saying as much. Lacey. His heart warmed at the sight of her number. But now wasn’t the time. He swiped at his phone then set it back on the table.

  “Doesn’t look like you and Pops have a grip on things. Why don’t you let me handle this?”

  Dad shook his head. “You give any more thought to Buck’s offer? Bodie Phillips, sheriff of Sewell County. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

  “It does,” he agreed. His lifelong career goal, handed to him on a silver platter. Was he being too rash in declining the offer?

  “Think of it. With you as sheriff it won’t take long to run the Cherish girl out of town and then Buck can take over. He’s got a vision that will put Swynton on the map.”

  “I bet he does. But—”

  Dad’s phone rang. He put up a finger, silencing Bodie. “Yeah?”

  While he waited, Bodie checked his phone. For some reason it appeared to be midcall. “Hello?”

  The sound of the line disconnecting hit his ear. Lacey. Shit, shit, shit. Instead of dismissing her call he must have answered. Which meant she’d probably just heard the conversation between him and his dad.

  “I’ve gotta go.” He dialed her number and got sent straight to voice mail. With no time to spare, he shoved his phone in his pocket. The conversation with his dad would have to wait . . . again. He had to get to Lacey and find out what she’d heard. If she thought he was working against her she’d doubt everything that had happened between them. He couldn’t afford to have that happen. No matter what his dad and pops had their greedy fingers into, it was high time he separated himself from their undermining efforts.

  Now he just needed to find Lacey and tell her that before she came to conclusions on her own.

  twenty-eight

  Lacey gulped for air. Her lungs seemed to be collapsing in on themselves, making it impossible to catch a breath. She’d called Bodie only to confirm their dinner plans. If he’d been telling the truth when he dropped her off yesterday then she was ready to take the next step. She’d even made his favorite, brisket, that had been simmering all day along with cowboy baked beans and apple crumble for dessert.

  But now . . . she rubbed her ears, trying to erase what she’d just overheard. Had Bodie been plotting against her all along? Had he been in cahoots with his dad, his pops, and even Mayor Little to try to run her out of office?

  No, she didn’t want to believe it. But all signs pointed otherwise.

  She stomped through the kitchen. He must have known she was on the phone. She had to get out of there before he showed up on her doorstep making flimsy excuses.

  “Dad, I’m heading out for a bit. Dinner’s in the oven.” Let her dad enjoy Bodie’s home-cooked meal. Zina would help her figure out what to do.

  “Smells delicious, sweetheart.” Her dad caught up to her in the foyer as she shoved her feet into her boots. “What’s the occasion?”

  “Just wanted to make something special tonight.” She wouldn’t tell him she’d opened herself up to Bodie, heart and soul, like a damn fool. “I’ll be back later, okay? Everything will be ready in a couple of hours, just keep it on warm in the oven.”

  Dad kissed her on the temple. “You take such good care of me.”

  He wouldn’t think so if he knew she’d fallen prey to Bodie’s plans. Or that she’d spent Friday night in a jail cell in Dallas. She swallowed back the emotion clogging her throat.

  “I’ll be back.” Then she grabbed her jacket and her keys and made her way to her truck as fast as she could.

  Ten minutes later she’d pulled into Zina’s empty drive. Lacey should have called first. Clearly Zina wasn’t home. Probably putting in extra time at the shelter this afternoon. Lacey didn’t want to go there. The last time she’d been at the shelter it had been with Bodie while they were dropping off Shotgun. She thought of the darling dog he’d taken into his home. Was that part of his ploy, too? While she sat in
Zina’s drive, the truck running, she ran through Bodie’s actions of the last month. Was everything a lie?

  She needed some time for herself. Time to clear her head. Turning her truck toward the one place she knew she’d be able to breathe, she let out a sigh. Spending a couple of hours on the back of a horse would make her feel better.

  Her phone rang just as she pulled into the stable where she boarded her palomino. A number she didn’t recognize flashed across her phone. Grateful it wasn’t Bodie, she answered.

  “Mayor Lacey Cherish?” a woman asked.

  “Yes, this is she.”

  “Hi, it’s Samantha Cross. We spoke about the story in Texas Times magazine?”

  “Right.” The story that wouldn’t be happening now. Lacey’s stomach whipped into a knotted frenzy. “What can I help you with?”

  “I had a phone call from Ms. Monroe. She said she’s no longer having her ceremony and reception at your new event venue and invited us to cover her wedding over at a venue in Swynton instead. I really enjoyed learning the history of the building last time I was there. But without a bride, I just don’t see how we can put a story together.”

  “I understand.” Lacey rested her forehead on the steering wheel. It physically pained her to let an opportunity like this slip through her fingers. There had to be some way to salvage the story. Think, think, think.

  “Unless you fill that date with another wedding, I’m sorry, but we’ll have to move our coverage to Ms. Monroe’s wedding in Swynton.”

  Another bride. Who could Lacey throw into the frying pan? Someone who would be easy to manipulate, someone who would go with the flow just until the story came out in the magazine. That ruled out Zina. She’d never go along with this kind of plan. Jojo came to mind. But she was overwhelmed at the diner. And she wasn’t even seeing anyone. Where would Lacey come up with a groom?

  “Mayor Cherish?” Samantha asked. “Are you still there?”

  A vision of Bodie sealing the deal with Buck Little played through her head. She ought to out him to the town, lump him together with the rest of his no-good family members. Could Jojo pretend to be engaged to Bodie?

  “Mayor Cherish?”

  “Yes, I’m here.” A plan began to take shape. Lacey shook off the alarms ringing in her head. She didn’t have a choice. Something had to work out. “I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to steal the limelight from Adeline . . .”

  “Do you have another couple willing to be featured?”

  “I do.”

  “Fantastic. Can you give me their names so I can follow up? We’ll need to make contact right away to make sure we don’t miss out on any of the planning. We’ve got the story scheduled for the June issue, which means the wedding needs to happen by the middle of May in order to make our deadline.”

  Crap. She couldn’t expect Jojo to cram a few months’ worth of wedding planning into her already busy schedule. That left Lacey with no choice. As much as it chafed her to tie herself to Bodie in any capacity, he was her last hope. “The groom is actually Deputy Phillips. I believe you met him the day you visited the house?”

  “Oh, that’s fabulous. He didn’t say anything about being engaged at the time. How perfectly romantic, what with him having such history with the town. Now, who’s the lucky bride?”

  Panic set in. Lacey took in a deep breath through her nose. Here goes nothing. Here goes everything. “The bride is me.”

  twenty-nine

  Bodie knocked at the door of the Cherish home, trying to brace himself for a confrontation with Lacey. As the door opened he straightened his stance and held the bouquet of carnations out in front of him.

  Mr. Cherish eyed the flowers then glanced to Bodie’s face. “You shouldn’t have, son.”

  His cheeks radiating heat like they’d been set on fire, Bodie let the flowers drop to his side. “Is Lacey home, sir?”

  “You just missed her. She tore out of here about ten minutes ago like the devil himself was on her tail. Is there a reason you’re bringing my daughter flowers?” He cocked his head, his eyes narrowed.

  “No, sir. I mean, yes, there’s a reason, but it’s nothing special.” Not unless he wanted to admit to Lacey’s dad that he’d spent the early hours of Saturday morning testing out the theories of physics on his daughter’s limber body.

  “What’d you do?” He held the door open, an invitation to come inside and spill his guts. Bodie had taken advantage of several invites like this from Mr. Cherish over the years. He respected the man’s opinion and often sought out his advice over his own father’s. But not today. He couldn’t very well admit to screwing up where Lacey was concerned. Especially screwing up over screwing Lacey.

  “Lacey overheard something she shouldn’t have. I need to find her to make it right.”

  Mr. Cherish nodded. “Odds are she’s either over at Zina’s or out at the stables.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Bodie stood there, the flowers still clutched in his hands. “Would you mind making sure she gets these? In case I don’t catch up to her today?”

  “Sure. Good luck, Son. You know as well as I do when she gets upset about something it can take quite a while for her to calm down.”

  “Yes, sir.” Bodie handed over the flowers. They’d seemed like a good idea when he ran into the mini-mart but now they looked wilted, like a lame attempt at an apology, as Mr. Cherish held them in his hand. He took a final look at the blooms then steeled himself to track down Lacey.

  A drive by Zina’s house and a quick pass by the shelter didn’t turn up Lacey’s truck. Unless she was going to great lengths to hide and didn’t want to be found, she hadn’t gone to either place. That just left the stables out on Highway 75. She’d been boarding her horse there ever since he could remember. He and Luke used to have to run her back and forth for lessons after school and on the weekends. Bodie had always enjoyed watching her ride. She was a natural in the saddle.

  He pulled up next to her truck in the dirt parking lot. If she’d taken her horse out it might be an hour or more before she returned. He walked through the barn in search of the horse’s stall. Empty. That left him two choices. Either wait around for her to come back or head over to the Phillips House to check on the armadillo-removal attempt. Having good news to share when she returned might make their confrontation go a little smoother.

  As he walked the length of the barn to head back to his truck, he ran into one of his old high school pals. He and his family owned the ranch. Like most of the folks around town, the land had been in their family for generations.

  “Hey, Bodie. What brings you out here today?” Callan stopped mucking out an empty stall and stood.

  “Just trying to track down Lacey. I’ve got some official town business I need to fill her in on. You see her around?”

  “Yeah.” Callan wiped his brow with his sleeve. “Came through here about twenty minutes ago, fit to be tied about something.”

  “Oh yeah? She say what?”

  “Nah. Whatever she was working through, she didn’t want to talk about it. You want to borrow old Mercury and chase her down? She probably just went on a loop around the property.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll catch up to her later.”

  “Sounds good.” Callan resumed his job on the stall.

  Bodie was halfway through the barn when Callan called out behind him. “Oh, I forgot to offer my congratulations.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Congratulations on what? He didn’t want to take the time to ask about it. Could be he’d heard Bodie had taken in a dog. Or maybe it was a belated congrats on the public safety award he’d won back in December. Either way, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was finding Lacey.

  He didn’t want to think about what might be going through her head. After the night they’d shared on Friday, she had to be madder than a wet hen, thinking he’d played her like a
fiddle. He picked up his phone and tried her number again. Straight to voice mail. Served him right. He should have shut down his dad’s ridiculous offer the first time he’d brought it up. Now look where it got him. On the outs with Lacey, right when he’d finally found an in.

  He tried not to think about it as he drove over to the Phillips House. The pest-removal truck sat in the drive. Either the armadillos had multiplied and dug even more holes or the person trying to trap them had been creating more piles in an attempt to figure out where the damn animals were hiding.

  He walked the perimeter of the house before he caught sight of the wildlife expert. The man held a live trap in each hand. Bodie closed the distance between them, hoping for good news. He had to have something positive to tell Lacey. Something to balance out the bad.

  “How’s it going?” Bodie tipped his hat at the man.

  “Been at it all weekend. You’ve got some wily critters, that’s for sure.” He held up the trap in his right hand. A small armadillo peered at Bodie through the wire cage. “Just got two more. The traps have been snapping all night.”

  “What are you going to do with them now that you’ve caught them?” As much as Bodie wanted the damn critters long gone, he didn’t want them turned into boots or belts or something else.

  “We release ’em way out in the country.” He shrugged. “It’s the most humane thing to do. Got about six already. I’ll reset the traps again tonight but I think we may have caught them all.”

  Bodie nodded. “Great, thanks. Y’all planning on filling in the holes all over the yard, too?”

  “Sorry, Deputy. Mayor Cherish didn’t pay for the all-in-one service. Said she’d take care of that herself.”

  Figured. Lacey would cut as many corners as she could to save a few bucks. “All right, then. I’ll figure that out.”