His Forever Texas Rose

by Stella Bagwell

  She chuckled at his self-description. “This property must be your dream spot.”

  A wistful look spread over his face. “It is. Part of the property runs along a tributary of the Hassayampa River. It’s lush and beautiful land. A man could raise some fine cattle there.”

  “Is the owner using it to raise cattle now?”

  He frowned. “No. The man’s too old and feeble to do outside work anymore. He mostly just sits on his porch and looks out over the land.”

  “Aw, that’s sad,” she said. “I guess holding on to the property brings him a measure of comfort. But that doesn’t replace being young and virile and able to do the things he used to do.”

  “Age is a thief,” he agreed, then grinned at her. “But it’ll be a long, long time before you have to worry about aging.”

  “I’m twenty-six.” She leveled a curious look at him. “How old are you?”

  “Thirty-one. Compared to you, I’m ancient.”

  “Hmm. You do look ready for a rocking chair,” she teased.

  He chuckled. “You didn’t look close enough. I have two rocking chairs on my front porch.”

  “One for you and one for a lady friend.” Her expression sobered as she thoughtfully studied his rugged face. “I’m very curious about something, Trey. Why don’t you have a wife and kids?”

  From the incredulous look on his face, it seemed he considered being a husband and father as far-fetched as becoming a brain surgeon.

  “Me? With a family? That’s—uh—funny, Nicci.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “I’m just not cut out for that kind of life. And the women around here know I’m just a confirmed bachelor. That’s why—well, I don’t have women knocking on my door.”

  Intrigued by his response, she said, “Frankly, you look like a family man to me. You don’t like women or children?”

  His short chuckle was awkward. “I like both—plenty enough. Kids are great. So are women.”

  “Ah—so, you just don’t want one on a permanent basis. Is that it?” She didn’t know why she was persisting on the subject. She wasn’t interested in husband hunting. Her chance for that went out the window with her mother’s nervous breakdown. Besides, she and Trey were completely opposite. They’d never be a match. That’s what Roslyn had said. And yet, each time Nicole gazed at Trey’s warm smile, she wanted to believe they’d be perfect together.

  He coughed and reached for his beer. After a long swig, he let out a long breath and shifted around in his chair.

  Seeing that he was terribly uncomfortable, she took pity on him. “I’m sorry, Trey. I’m being nosey. You don’t have to answer that if you’d rather not.”

  A little half grin creased a dimple in one of his cheeks, and Nicole found herself mesmerized by the endearing expression on his face.

  “You’re not being too nosey. I just don’t know how to answer your question. Except that women like me for a friend. But they don’t give me a serious thought.”

  She found that hard to believe. He was a good-looking man. No, he was more than that, she thought. He was very sexy in a rugged, earthy way. Plus, he was nice and easy to talk to. There had to be women around here who found him attractive. Which made her wonder if he deliberately ignored most of them.

  “Maybe that’s because all you want is to be their friend,” she suggested. “Maybe you’re not encouraging any of these women to be more.”

  He let out another long breath. “You could be right. I’ve been told that I put out some weird vibes.”

  Different perhaps, but not weird, she decided.

  After a sip of tea, she leaned slightly forward. “What would you do if a woman wanted to get serious with you?”

  He laughed, but Nicole could tell it was a nervous reaction more than a sound of humor.

  “Probably run like hell. Later on, she’d be glad that I did.”

  Her gaze met his, and as she studied the green depths, she saw flickering shadows. The kind of darkness that was born of deep disappointments and lost trust. He’d been hurt in the past, she realized, yet he hid it all behind a beguiling smile.

  Deciding it was time to change the subject, she gestured to the mural next to their table. “I’ve learned that mining played a big part in founding this town.”

  “Mostly gold. And some silver,” he replied. “You might not know it, but there’s still quite a few mine claims around here.”

  Surprised, she asked, “For real? Is any gold actually found?”

  “I couldn’t say. I’ve heard of some being unearthed, but I don’t think any major veins have been discovered. Thank God for that. I’d really hate to see a modern-day gold rush hit around here.”

  Nicole said, “Speaking of gold rushes, Roslyn was having a fit for me to move out here a week earlier than I did. The Gold Rush Days festival was going on, and she wanted me to be here to enjoy some of it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get everything packed by then, so I missed the celebration. She says it’s a very big deal. Her mother-in-law, Maureen, always throws a big party at Three Rivers Ranch, and the town is always loaded with people and fun things to do.”

  “Doc always insists that I go to the party at Three Rivers. This last one was a doozy. I think there were at least a hundred people there, and I ate so much I thought I was going to be sick. As for here in town, thousands of people come to the festival every year. Booths and special events are set up on the streets. And there’s always the big rodeo and music concerts.”

  “Did you go to any of the events?” she asked curiously.

  “One night of the rodeo. That’s about all I could make room for in my schedule. Foaling and calving time is always a busy time for me and Doc.” He gestured to the mural of the prospector. “Did you know that Loretta often pans for gold?”

  Nicole looked at him with surprise. “You’re talking about Loretta at the clinic? The girl who does the bookkeeping and billing?”

  “Yeah. She lives up by Congress. It was a big gold-mining town back in the 1880s. Now the area is mostly a ghost town, but there’s still a small community of folks around there. Loretta likes to hike the canyons and pan a little.”

  “That sounds like fun to me. Has she ever found gold?”

  “I think she’s found a few tiny nuggets. She’s stashing them away until she gets enough to make a down payment on a house.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me that she’s saving her finds. Loretta seems very down-to-earth and responsible. I wonder if she’d show us how to do it? Or maybe you already know how?”

  His thick brows lifted with uncertainty. “Do it? Uh—you mean pan?”

  Nicole laughed. “What else would I mean?”

  With an awkward chuckle, he shifted around on his seat. “Well, uh—show us how to save money? She has a degree in business. But yeah, I figure she’d be happy to show you how to pan.”

  “Us,” Nicole corrected. “Me and you. I wouldn’t want to go without you.”

  The look on his face was a mixture of disbelief and bewilderment. “Oh—I don’t think, uh—you’d want me along.”

  “Why not? You’re an outdoor guy. Me, I’ve always been a city girl. But now that I’ve moved out here, I’d like to learn how to be more of an outdoor girl.”

  He leveled a thoughtful glance at her. “Guess you don’t have much to do around here. Not like what you were used to in Fort Worth with all the fancy shopping places and theaters and things like that.”

  This wasn’t the first time he’d suggested she might be bored by small-town living, and Nicole resented his way of thinking. It was too much like her parents, who continued to insist she’d soon grow bored and want to return to her old home.

  Frowning, she tried not to sound annoyed, but frustration wrapped around her words anyway. “From what I understand, Phoenix has all those things, and it’s not that far
away. But contrary to what you may think, I’m not overwhelmed with the urge to see city lights. I don’t have a craving to run to a shopping mall or theater, or concert!”

  A look of mild surprise came over his face. “Pardon me, Nicci, I guess I hit a sore spot.”

  She heaved out a long breath. “I guess you did. A very sore spot. You sound just like my parents. And I moved a thousand miles away so I wouldn’t have to hear them tell me what I needed or wanted to make me happy. I prefer to decide those things for myself.”

  A wide grin suddenly curved his lips. “I knew there had to be some fire to go with all that red hair. Do you always look so darned pretty when you’re—uh, fired up?”

  Her mouth fell open, and then she rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I don’t know. I’ve never bothered to look in the mirror when I’m fired up,” she admitted, then feeling more than foolish, she reached across the table and placed her hand over his. “Forgive me, Trey. I shouldn’t be so touchy. You were just making a reasonable assumption, and I went off like a shrew. I’m not really one of those. It’s just that—before I moved out here, things were a little rough back in Texas. I think it’s going to take me a while to get past them.”

  The grin on his face gentled to an expression of understanding, and Nicci felt something inside her go as soft and gooey as melted candy.

  “Aw, you don’t ever have to apologize to me. I’ve got a tough hide. You could shoot an arrow right at me and it would just bounce right off.”

  “Especially if it’s a cupid’s arrow,” Linda remarked as she arrived carrying a tray with plates of steaming food. “If you tried to shoot one of those into him, it would probably break the arrow.”

  Trey scowled at the waitress while Nicole studied her with amused curiosity.

  “You say that like you know him,” Nicole said impishly. “I’ve never seen him without his shirt. Does he wear metal armor under there?”

  Linda laughed as she carefully placed the plates on the table. “Well, I confess, I haven’t seen him shirtless, either. But I figure there’s a bunch of barbed wire under there. To keep all the women at a safe distance.”

  “Oh, now Linda, you know I use a big stick to keep the females away. Not barbed wire,” Trey joked.

  Linda looked at Nicole and winked. “Don’t believe anything he says. He tells stories. But he’s a superman with animals.”

  Nicole glanced over the table to see that a ruddy color had appeared on his neck and jaws.

  “A superman with animals, huh? That’s quite a compliment.”

  Trey laughed. “Talk about telling stories—Linda’s really telling one now.”

  The waitress poured more ice and tea into Nicole’s glass and then placed a fresh bottle of beer in front of Trey’s plate.

  “Remember, Trey, you rushed my sister’s cat to the animal clinic, after a stray dog tore a hunk from her side. Doc Chandler sewed her up and it never even left a scar. And she loved you for that.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember her. She was an orange tabby,” Trey said. “But I’m not surprised that she loved me. Most cats take right up with me.”

  Groaning, the waitress rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Janna loved you, silly! Not Annabelle.”

  His grin was suddenly replaced with a somber nod. “I loved Janna, too. I’m glad I made her happy by saving her cat.”

  Linda cleared her throat and took a step back from the table. “Yeah, well, if you two have everything you need, I’ll let you get on with your meal.”

  The waitress walked off, and Nicole thoughtfully watched the young woman until she disappeared through a pair of swinging doors at the back of the room.

  Picking up her fork, she looked over at Trey. “You know, I’m very glad you suggested we come to this restaurant tonight. I’ve learned something important from your friend.”

  His lips twisted to a wry slant as he sliced into a chicken-fried steak covered with gravy. “That I wear barbed wire and can help care for an injured cat? Nothing important about that.”

  Smiling faintly, she said, “Those are nice things to know. But I was thinking more about the suffering Linda has endured. It reminds me to focus on the important things. And you know what I’ve decided? That you and me sitting here enjoying dinner together is one of them.”

  His fork stopped midway to his mouth as he looked at her in wonder. “Gosh, Nicci, that’s a nice thing to say. It feels pretty important to me, too.”

  No glib words to try to impress her. No pretending to be anything more than a simple, hardworking guy. Nicole liked his unassuming manner. In fact, she was beginning to like everything about the man. And whether that was foolish or smart, she figured only time would tell.

  * * *

  Normally, Trey was never at a loss for words. But as Nicole drove the two of them back to his place, he couldn’t think of a sensible thing to say.

  Maybe because his brain was too busy trying to figure out her motive for spending this evening with him. Any idiot could see she didn’t need him for company. And there sure wasn’t any need for her to act as though she liked him. Not really like him in a romantic way.

  Where did you get the idea she’s thinking of you in that way, Trey? Just because she was nice enough to invite you out? You’re a fool if you let yourself start imagining her as a girlfriend. She’s just a coworker. Nothing more.

  “From the scowl on your face you must be miserable,” Nicole said as she turned the car off the main highway and onto the dirt road leading to his house. “I’m sorry, Trey, if the evening has bored you. Hopefully, as time passes, I’ll learn more about the clinic and the animals you treat. Then I’ll be able to talk shop without sounding too ignorant.”

  Still frowning, he glanced at her. “I’m not miserable.”

  She said, “Then you must be feeling ill. You haven’t said more than ten words in the past fifteen minutes.”

  Doc would be splitting his sides laughing at the mere idea that Trey could stay quiet for five minutes, much less fifteen. “Sorry, Nicci. I guess I’ve been thinking. That’s all.” He glanced over at her lovely profile illuminated by the lights on the dash panel. “And you don’t sound ignorant about anything. You’ve been great company. Just great.”

  He could hear her release a long breath, and the sound had him wondering what she could possibly be thinking. That this was the first and last time she’d ever waste an evening on him? No. She couldn’t be thinking along those lines, he decided. During dinner, she’d asked him to go panning with her. That didn’t sound like she intended to end their friendship—or whatever it was.

  “I’m glad,” she said. “I didn’t invite you out tonight to bore you silly.”

  Bored? Trey could’ve told her that he’d never been so wide-awake in his life. Every cell in his body was standing at attention, every nerve was humming like a high-voltage wire.

  Instead, he said, “Don’t worry. I’m not about to go to sleep.”

  Less than five minutes later, she was turning into his driveway and parking behind his truck.

  Once she switched off the engine, he nervously swiped his palms down the thighs of his jeans. If Candy Anderson, or any of the other girls he often danced with at the Fandango, had been sitting behind the steering wheel instead of Nicole, he wouldn’t be at a loss for words. He wouldn’t be floundering around wondering what might be the right or wrong thing to say or do.

  She turned slightly toward him and smiled. “This has been nice. The meal was delicious.”

  Her lips reminded him of pink rose petals, and he figured if he ever had the good fortune to kiss them, they would feel just as soft and smooth. “Good. Homestyle cooking is hard to beat,” he said, then made a backhanded gesture toward the house. “Would you, uh, like to go in or sit on the porch? I can make coffee.”

  “Oh, I’m too full for coffee, but I’d love to sit on the porch,” she
told him.

  He’d not expected her to accept his invitation. The fact that she did, and so readily, caused his spirits to soar.

  “Great!” He practically jumped out of the car and hurried around to help her out. “I’ll show you my rockers.”

  Laughing, she placed her hand in his and stepped onto the ground. “Okay. But I think I’d better get my jacket first.”

  * * *

  He released her hand, and Nicole opened the back door of the car and collected a jean jacket lying on the seat.

  “Let me help you with that,” he said.

  He took the jacket from her and held it open so that she could easily slip her arms into the sleeves. The gentlemanly gesture was unexpected and so was the way her heart fluttered as his hands smoothed the fabric over the back of her shoulders.

  “Thanks. I won’t shiver now.” Not from the chilly air, she thought. But the way her body was reacting to his nearness, she was definitely having to fight off the trembles.

  “We wouldn’t want that.” He gently rested a hand at the small of her back and urged in the direction of the house. “Maybe we should go inside where it’s warmer and forget about the porch.”

  “Oh, I’m not that fragile.” She glanced up at him. “But it’s nice of you to be so thoughtful.”

  As they walked through the short gate and down the stepping stones that led to the porch, he said, “I have a feeling you’re being extra polite. I’m kind of rusty when it comes to entertaining a woman. And to be honest, I don’t know any women like you. I mean, I’m friends with Roslyn and acquainted with all the Hollister women, but you’re different.”

  “How am I different? Because I’m not from this area?”

  “I—that’s part of it,” he said. “And you’re—well, more refined—is what I’m trying to say.”

  Nicole realized he meant that as a compliment more than anything else, but somehow it didn’t feel that way. Rather, it made her feel like he’d lifted her up and set her several feet apart from him. She didn’t want to be different from him. She wanted to fit into his life.