by Em Petrova
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights Reserved
Savage in a Stetson
Crossroads
Book 4
Copyright Em Petrova 2020
Ebook Edition
Electronic book publication 2020
Cover Art by Bookin’ It Designs
All rights reserved. Any violation of this will be prosecuted by the law.
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More in this series:
BAD IN BOOTS
CONFIDENT IN CHAPS
COCKY IN A COWBOY HAT
SAVAGE IN A STETSON
SHOW-OFF IN SPURS
They were friends. Now they’re business rivals. Is there room for being lovers too?
Jada Ellis is ready to make some big life changes. When she leaves her job as caregiver in the Crossroads, Georgia nursing home and buys the local BBQ joint on a whim, everyone thinks she’s lost her mind, including her. Just as she starts to feel she’s found the perfect happy trail, she sees another kind of happy trail, leading across the road to her very buff and smoking-hot ex who’s fresh off the rodeo circuit and back in town.
Dominick Cole’s grandpa advised him to stay in the small town, settle down and raise a family here. But he didn’t listen and ran off to chase a golden buckle as a big-time rodeo star. But when “Savage” Cole returns to start up a barbecue restaurant, he couldn’t find a better—or sexier—rival in Jada. The town isn’t big enough for both of them—but a bed might be.
Smoldering friends to enemies to rivals to lovers romance never went down so good. Grab a sweet tea—or something harder—and binge on the latest book in the Crossroads series!
Savage
in a
stetson
by
Em Petrova
Prologue
Jada did not mean to push the cowboy into the pond. It sort of happened.
But this wasn’t about her—it was her little sister’s big day. And true to her style, she told the universe it would not rain on her wedding, and she got her way.
The pond where her sister Joss would say her nuptials couldn’t look more like a fairytale, with twinkle lights glittering on the water’s surface as well as casting a glow on the happy couple. Even the peeper frogs added their chorus to the special evening.
Jada gripped the bridesmaid bouquet of wildflowers and drew in a deep breath of their scent. The Georgia breeze fluttered her custom-made dress around her bare legs. The evening really was perfect.
Jada only wished she felt happier. Sure, she was thrilled for her sister and her new husband-to-be Cort. But her own heart had just been brutally stomped under the heel of a cowboy boot.
She glared at the man wearing those very boots and who’d crushed any dreams of a happily-ever-after with him.
Dominick eyed her across the dock. Those dark eyes and the smoldering looks he shot her couldn’t make up for what he’d just told her minutes before the wedding began.
He was leaving Crossroads.
She thought when he got disqualified from the rodeo circuit for fighting and started working on the Bellamy Ranch that he was here to stay. But somehow, he had sweet-talked his way back into the rodeo, and he was going big-time. No more small Podunk venues—he’d be earning big-boy prize money.
Jada had been friends with Dominick for what? A year. Since he started coming to visit his grandpa at the nursing home where she worked. From the start, she liked how kind he was with his grandpa and how the older gentleman suffering from Alzheimer’s wore a smile on his face for days after Dominick visited.
Pretty soon he stopped by the nurse’s station to seek her out for a chat, first about his grandpa’s health and happiness, but then their conversations spread to more. His humor made her laugh—something she welcomed in her stressful work days caring for the elderly.
Until the last few months, she refused to admit to having a crush on Dom. The sexy cowboy had women falling all over him. And she was only a dull old nurse.
Then it happened—he asked her to dinner. They hit it off. He kissed her goodnight, and she still felt the lingering warmth of that kiss when she thought about it.
Just as she started to think they might have a chance, tonight he told her his plans to leave. He’d be gone most of the year. He’d call.
She slid her gaze from the tall, hunky drink of water across from her standing up as Cort’s groomsman. Why did they have to be friends? Be a lot easier if she never had to see Dominick again—and tonight the last thing she wanted to do was pretend to be chummy with the man. No way would she dance with him either. A girl had to protect her heart, after all.
Joss and Cort were pronounced man and wife. Then Cort grabbed her sister up, bent her over his arm and laid a huge kiss on her. Jada shook her bouquet in the air in celebration and let out a cheer, which was cut off by a pair of full, hard lips.
Dominick’s flavor hit her head, and she pushed away from him—hard. He toppled backward…tipped off the dock as if in slow motion… and hit the water with a splash.
Jada leaned over to see him treading water toward the shore. She wanted to toss her bouquet after him, and shove her high heel where the sun didn’t shine.
She swiped her hand over her lips to wipe away his taste. Damn the man for thinking he could kiss her. As if he had the right after breaking things off.
“Jada, what on earth?” Joss blinked at her in shock.
She waved a hand and squeezed her sister to her. “Congratulations, l’il sis.”
“Thank you. But what was that?”
“Don’t worry about it. Focus on your big happy day!” She pressed a kiss to Joss’s powdered cheek. The couple turned toward the end of the dock and the big group of guests waiting on the shore to greet Mr. and Mrs. Cort Bellamy.
Dominick also straggled out of the water like a hot, wet sea creature, and Jada pointedly refused to look his direction as he laughed off what had happened to the guests more than eager to rib him for it.
Jada didn’t ever want to leave Crossroads. She loved this town. Her roots dug deep. She wanted to marry and raise her children here, in the same small town where she’d grown up. She let herself be deluded to the thought that Dom wanted the same thing, especially when he took the job on the Bellamy Ranch, but that was just temporary.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at him. It was hard to choke down the knowledge that they were over before they got much of a start. But if it wasn’t meant to be, who was she to argue with the universe?
He sent her a look that made her stomach tumble and her heart bob to the top of her throat. She looked away.
Damn her pitiful heart for falling in love with the man.
Chapter One
The long white casket matched the flashiness of Dominick’s friend who lay inside it. Jackson Jesse James had been christened with a flashy name, he lived his life with the best of everything, from the biggest buckles of a bull rider to his tricked-out truck.
But now he was gone.
Dom rubbed at his jaw and the scar that cut a path over his skin, a thin line a spot where no beard grew, like a vein running through his beard. He earned that scar by falling off a bull. Jackson fell off a bull, struck his head and
died.
How was that fair? Why did he stand here, aching for his best friend and Jackson’s surviving young wife, while his buddy was about to be lowered into the ground?
He glanced up at the man’s wife Sadie. She stood pale and silent, staring into space as the preacher spoke words about afterlife and the glory of God’s kingdom. Dom wished there was something he could do for the woman. She deserved better—to have a family and grow old with her husband.
Sadie’s eyes shifted upward and met his. He swallowed hard, wishing he could run from the funeral, from Texas—hell, even from the scar on his face that reminded him that he’d survived.
Letting his gaze drop, he waited out the rest of the funeral, planning to give Jackson’s widow his condolences and then split as fast as he could—burn up some rubber between here and Crossroads, his hometown. He couldn’t think of anything worse than being on the rodeo circuit, riding bulls and waiting for his own shiny casket. He’d fought to the top in a short time, but what did it all mean?
What did it mean to his friend now?
He heaved a heavy sigh as the preacher’s sermon rambled to a close. Sadie stepped forward to drop a flower on top of the casket. She looked at Dom, and he felt that crawling sensation of survivor’s guilt all over again and automatically raised a hand to his scar.
Everybody took their turn saying farewell to their friend and loved one. Dom did the same, feeling numb and distanced from the moment. He had to get the hell out of here before he broke down.
Turning, he started away from the group.
“Dom! Wait a minute.”
He turned from his fast stride across the cemetery lawn to see Jackson’s wife coming his way. Damn, what would he say to her? I’m sorry for your loss. He was a good man and a good friend. Empty words in the face of her grief.
He started walking back across the vibrant green grass to meet her. He took her hand in his and squeezed as he looked into her bloodshot eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Sadie nodded. “I know ya are. We all are, but nobody could stop Jackson from doin’ what he loved.” Her deep country twang was whispery soft as though her throat hurt from crying.
“I’m sorry to leave so quick. I’ve gotta…” Run away?
“I know. I just wanted to talk to you before you go, Dom.” She searched his face. “Remember that day you told us about your grandpa telling you to stay in Crossroads, find your roots and raise a family with a woman you love?”
His heart gave a sharp pang. As if losing his best friend wasn’t bad enough, his grandfather’s words completely mashed his heart. He hadn’t listened to Grandpa, and it was one of his biggest regrets this past year.
Along with walking away from Jada.
He gave a nod. “I remember.”
“You need to think hard about that, Dom. Nobody could pull Jackson off a bull. He died doin’ what he loved.” Her voice cracked. “But I don’t believe you have the same love for the rodeo as he did. If you can get out, listen to your grandfather…then you should do it, Dom.”
Her words sank in, one by one. Leave the rodeo, return to Crossroads for good. To do what? Be a ranch hand on the Bellamy Ranch like before? He wasn’t cut out for that work long-term.
She squeezed his hands.
“What would I do if I’m not ridin’ bulls?” he asked.
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “You make some fine barbecue. Maybe you find a place and start a restaurant. Whatever you do, Dom, I know you’ll find a better way to spend your life than being beat up by bulls.”
His mind flashed with an image of Jackson under the hooves, being dragged by the rope that still bound him to the massive animal. Of Dom trying to disentangle his friend but it was too late. He failed Jackson and he failed his pretty little wife.
“You hear me, Dom? Get out while you can. For everybody who loves you. For Jackson.”
“I hear you.” His throat clogged off.
Sadie put her arms around him and squeezed. He held her, patting her fragile back, and then she returned to the funeral while he walked off to his truck.
Crossroads. People he loved. A different life. For his friend.
His mind only conjured disjointed fragments of thought, but soon he found himself on the road back to Georgia.
And from that day, he let his beard grow in order to cover the scar that reminded him so much of his loss and his failures.
* * * * *
The tinkle of the little bell over the shop door announced Jada’s presence, but bells didn’t echo her feelings at the moment. For her mood, she needed much gloomier music, like a pipe organ.
Joss looked up from her sewing machine, and the small crinkles of concentration between her brows vanished as a smile spread over her face. “Hey, sis. I didn’t know you were dropping in.”
Jada looked around the shop. “You’ve made some changes.”
“You know me. I’m always moving things around and updating displays.”
“Well, show me around.” Jada hoped to buy a bit of time before Joss detected her reason for stopping in had more to do with how depressed she felt.
Joss stood from her sewing station, stretched her golden-tanned arms and bounced up to hug her. Jada hadn’t seen her sister in a week, and she gaped at her in shock.
“Holy crap, you practically exploded!” She pointed to her sister’s midsection and her baby bump.
“Gee, thanks.” She placed a protective hand over her bump and caressed it with a soft, dreamy look on her face. “I’ve hit the home stretch.”
“That baby looks to have doubled his weight.” She put both hands on the bump to size up her nephew who would make his appearance in about six weeks.
Joss beamed. “Cort and I have another Lamaze class tonight.”
“So exciting.” She was so happy for Joss and Cort…but she couldn’t help but feel left behind. Her baby sister was a wife and soon to be a mother. She was just Jada, going to the nursing home every day and feeling less and less motivated to get up in the mornings.
“C’mon. I’ll show you the new dresses I made.” Joss looped her arm around Jada’s and led her across the small boutique to the far wall. A metal hanging bar displayed Joss’s fashions, and the pale yellow dress hanging there caught her eye.
She reached out to touch a dress. “Wow, this is gorgeous! Look at those details. The buttons and ruffles on the sleeves are stunning, Joss!”
“It’s for my spring collection. The buttons are vintage. I couldn’t believe my luck when I ran across a lot of them at an online auction. I practically designed the dress around them.” She touched her fingertip to a lemony yellow pearled button on the cuffed sleeve. Suddenly, she turned to Jada. “Do you want to try it on for me?”
“Oh.”
“Please? I couldn’t try it myself, with Cort the third in the way.” She wrapped her arm around her baby bump.
“Sure I will.” She couldn’t deny her sister a model just because she wasn’t feeling in the mood for anything but climbing under her covers and having a good cry.
Joss bustled her into the dressing room and closed the deep green curtain. Jada faced the yellow dress on the hanger and then the mirror leaning against the wall. For Jada.
She slipped out of her nurse’s scrubs and let the cotton dress slip over her head. She tugged it over her hips, and it fell from the waistband to the ruffled hem. The perfect mix of country and vintage. It would sell out of her sister’s web shop within a day, if she knew anything about Joss’s clientele.
When she opened the curtain, Joss gasped. “Oh my goodness, you look radiant in that color! I knew you would, with your blonde hair and brown eyes. Turn around for me please.” Her inner designer appeared, her expression serious as she critically examined the dress on Jada.
As she turned forward again to face her sister, Joss’s stare landed on her face. “Oh no. You’re not happy.”
Her throat tightened. “It isn’t the dress. The dress is beautiful, Joss.”
A sympathetic look creased her sister’s face. “Take it off. I’ll put on the teakettle and we’ll have a good chat.”
She’d come here exactly for that reason, but now that Joss suggested it, Jada wished she’d gone home instead. She got out of the dress, replaced it on the hanger and then stepped out of the dressing room in her slumpy old scrubs again.
The scent of chamomile tea filled the air, and she followed it to the back room where her sister had a small kitchenette set up with a microwave, a mini fridge and an electric teakettle. On the wooden table she had mugs set out and dunked the teabags into the hot water.
“You look like you could use a talk. Are you okay?” Joss settled in a chair and picked up her mug, cradling it between both hands. Her wedding and engagement ring glinted in the afternoon sunlight, a reminder to Jada that she wouldn’t have anything that came close to her sister’s relationship with Cort, and soon their family would grow.
What did she have? A lot of heartache.
“What happened today?” Joss asked quietly.
She lifted her eyes from her steaming mug. “Today we lost Mrs. Greenwich.”
“Oh no. She was one of your favorite patients.”
She nodded, throat thickening with the tears that kept threatening to erupt. She sipped the tea, tasting nothing but sorrow. “I don’t know how much longer I can go on this way, Joss.”
Her sister’s eyes went round. “What do you mean? Leave the nursing home? But you love it!”
“I do. But all my friends are dying. One by one, by the week sometimes. We had such a hard winter, losing all those patients. Today felt like the final blow.” She lifted her shoulders and let them drop in a heavy shrug. “I don’t know…”
Joss reached over the table and placed her hand over Jada’s. “I’m so sorry, sis. Are you…thinking of finding another job?”
“Maybe.”
“You should work at the pediatrician’s office with kids instead of old people. Easier and more fun.”
