His Forever Texas Rose

by Stella Bagwell

  You’ve been left behind before, Trey. Your ego was squashed for a while, but you got over it.

  Yeah, but things were different this time, Trey argued with the daunting voice in his head. The feelings he had for Nicole were already rooted deep inside him. Tearing them out would leave him full of empty holes.

  Trying not to think about that possibility, he asked, “Is something wrong with her?”

  “Nothing new. Dad has to leave soon on a work trip to New Mexico. Instead of going with him, Mom thinks I should be there to fill the void.” Shaking her head, she said, “It’s so wrong, Trey.”

  “I thought you told me their marriage was going great now. Are you worried that might be changing?”

  Nodding, she said, “The way I see it, marriages take work, and I’m not sure Mom has that much work ethic.”

  She’d barely gotten the words out when the phone dinged twice in rapid succession. Nicole put down her sandwich. “Excuse me. I’m going to take care of this.”

  Trey watched her walk over to the cabinet, and after a quick glance at the screen, she punched a button on the side of the cell phone, then dropped it into a drawer and pushed it shut.

  Out of earshot and out of sight, Trey thought. But was that enough to push the problem out of her mind, at least for tonight? She’d explained what had happened to her parents and how she’d felt the need to get away and move here to Arizona. But with her mother continuing to tug at her, how much longer could she stand being torn between her life here in Wickenburg and her family back in Texas?

  “Sorry for the interruption,” she said as she rejoined him at the table.

  He made himself smile at her. “Don’t worry about it.”

  She reached over and placed a hand on his forearm. Her gentle touch reminded him how much he needed her, how much it meant to him to be a part of her life. But he was very afraid to let himself love again or dream of having a family. He’d tried in the past and failed and it had taken him years to get over the hurt and humiliation of being rejected, not once, but twice. He couldn’t bear to think of falling short in Nicole’s eyes—of losing her.

  “Trey,” she said softly, “this is our time—for me and you only.”

  He gave her a pointed glance. “If an emergency happened right now, Doc would call and I’d have to go help him. That would be a huge interruption.”

  “A call from Chandler would be different. That would be a medical crisis. Mom isn’t in crisis. She’s in denial.”

  “You sound certain of that.”

  “I am. And I’m very certain that I want you here with me.”

  As Trey’s gaze scanned the gentle expression on her face, he realized Chandler had given him sound advice when he’d suggested he be himself and be honest. Being himself would be easy enough, he decided. But how could he be honest and admit that he didn’t want to live without her?

  Even if he had all kinds of courage, he couldn’t admit such a thing to her. She’d think he’d gone and fallen in love with her. And that wouldn’t be true. Trey had quit falling in love a long, long time ago.

  “Trey, are you okay?”

  Her voice jerked him out of his reverie and he saw that she was leaning toward him, a look of real concern on her face.

  Thinking he probably looked like a fish lying on a creek bank, he snapped his mouth shut and swallowed hard. “I, uh, was just thinking.”

  “Must have been some deep thinking,” she remarked.

  He laughed in an effort to cover up his embarrassment. “No. Just thinking about the birthday party and—other things. And there’s something I’ve been thinking about asking you.”

  Her face lit up with a smile. “If I’m ready to go panning again? I’ve been thinking we need to go again—and soon. It would be nice to put a few more nuggets into your ranch kitty.”

  “That would be nice. But there’s somewhere I thought—” He reached for her soft little hand and squeezed it. “Uh—how would you like to drive over to Aguila and meet Granny?”

  Her jaw dropped as she stared wide-eyed at him. “Seriously? You really want me to meet your grandmother?”

  She made it sound like meeting his grandmother was the next thing to a marriage proposal. Trey was wondering if he’d made a mistake by offering the invitation when she suddenly hopped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck. But as soon as she began to rain kisses all over his face, he realized that anything that made her happy made him happy, too.

  Laughing between the smacks she was placing on his cheeks and chin, he said, “Sure, I want you to meet her, or I wouldn’t have asked.”

  “Oh, I can’t wait! When can we go? Tomorrow night?”

  Her eagerness amazed him. It also made him feel about ten feet tall. Was that what a woman’s love did for a man? he wondered. Made him believe he could lift the whole world and balance it in one hand?

  Hey, Trey, you’re getting way ahead of yourself. You might have Nicole’s attention, but she’s never talked about loving you. She’s never hinted at the word.

  Refusing to listen to the doubting voice going through his head, Trey said, “Granny works late at the café on Thursday and Friday nights. And we’ll be at Doc’s party on Saturday. I’ll see if she’s going to be home Sunday. Can you go then?”

  Pulling her head back, she touched the tip of her nose to his. “I’ll be ready and waiting!”

  With a hand at the back of her head, he pulled her face near enough to fasten his lips over hers. She moaned softly, and without breaking the kiss, she slowly sank into his lap.

  When she wrapped her arms around his neck, Trey gathered her closer and deepened the kiss until their tongues were mating and his hand was sliding over her hip and onto her buttocks. Along the way, desire began to lick at the edges of his brain and send red-hot signals to the rest of his body.

  He kissed her until he could no longer breathe and was forced to pull his mouth away from the intoxicating sweetness of her lips.

  “We haven’t finished eating,” he murmured huskily.

  Her gray eyes were like silver smoke as her lips tilted into a sexy smile. “Who cares about eating?”

  He chuckled under his breath. “You said we weren’t going to get sidetracked. Remember?”

  “I have a very short memory.” Smiling impishly, she tugged him up from the chair.

  Trey willingly allowed her to lead him out of the kitchen, and as they walked hand in hand down the hallway to her bedroom, he realized he’d been all wrong when he’d called himself a stubborn jackass. No, this thing he had with Nicole had turned him into a helpless little lamb, too lost in her charms to stop her from shepherding him straight off a cliff.

  Chapter Ten

  Saturday turned out to be a blazing hot day, but as darkness fell over Three Rivers Ranch house, the temperature dropped dramatically. To make it more comfortable for the birthday party guests, a fire had been built in a large stone firepit located at one end of the covered patio. Festive colored lights hung from the rafters, while a portable bar had been set up to provide before-dinner cocktails.

  With her back to the warmth of the flames, Nicole’s gaze vacillated from the family and friends milling about on the patio to the ranch yard in the far distance. A half hour ago, Chandler and his younger brother Holt had insisted Trey join them on a trip to the horse barn to check on a very pregnant mare. So far none of the three men had returned to the party.

  Nicole was wondering if a medical emergency had detained them when she spotted Holt’s wife, Isabelle, walking toward her. Dressed in a floral skirt and blouse, the lovely blonde was carrying a long-stemmed glass filled with orange-colored liquid and slices of citrus fruit.

  Having met her several weeks ago, Nicole already regarded the woman as a friend. Besides being warm and down-to-earth, she’d also learned Isabelle was an excellent horse woman, and along with be
ing a wife and mother, she worked her own horse ranch, the Blue Stallion.

  “Nicci, where’s your drink? You need to get in the partying mood,” she scolded playfully.

  Nicole smiled. “I just finished a margarita. If I had another, I’d have to be helped to the dinner table.”

  Laughing lightly, Isabelle turned her back to the heat radiating from the fire. “Same here. This will be my one and only cocktail. And speaking of the dinner table, Maureen has decided to have dinner inside tonight. Even with the fire, our food would be cold by the time we filled our plates.”

  “It is a bit chilly.” She glanced over at Isabelle. The woman didn’t appear a bit fidgety about Holt’s absence. No doubt she was probably accustomed to her husband disappearing in the middle of a dinner party. “Did you bring your baby with you tonight? I’ve not had a chance to see him yet.”

  Smiling fondly, Isabelle nodded. “Carter is upstairs with the rest of his little cousins. Probably trying to hoard up all the little horses he can find in the toy box. For some reason, he’s obsessed with the animals,” she added with an impish wink.

  “I don’t suppose both his parents being horse trainers has anything to do with that,” Nicole joked.

  “Not a thing,” Isabelle said with a chuckle. And in case you’re wondering, Roslyn is still upstairs trying to get Billy to sleep. If you’d like, we’ll go up later on and you can see the whole brood of kids.”

  “I’d like that,” Nicole told her. “I’ve been trying to remember all the children’s names. I know Evelyn and Billy belong to Roslyn and Chandler but I’m not sure about the rest. There’re so many I get them mixed up.”

  Isabelle smiled. “Maureen calls her grandchildren the little herd. By the way, what do you think of my mother-in-law?”

  The first time Nicole had visited Three Rivers to meet Roslyn’s family, Maureen had walked into the room wearing jeans and boots and a crumpled cowboy hat with a stampede string drawn tight beneath her chin. Nicole had been amazed by the woman.

  “Oh my, she’s everything and more than I expected. She’s so beautiful and warm. She seems ageless.”

  Isabelle nodded. “Not to mention strong, hardworking and loving. There’s no way any of her daughters-in-law could ever fill her shoes. Blake, Chandler’s older brother, manages this ranch and does a fine job of it, but underneath, their mother, Maureen, keeps the wheels turning.”

  “Speaking of beautiful women, your mother is no slouch,” Nicole said of Gabby Leman, a lovely blonde, who’d been hanging on to her husband’s arm ever since the couple strolled out here to the patio. “And her husband, Sam, is just delightful. It’s amazing that he’s in his seventies and able to work as foreman of the Bar X.”

  Loving pride shone on Isabelle’s face, and Nicole had to wonder how it would feel to have a mother she could count on to be strong and understanding. Back in Texas those who knew Angela would say that wealth had spoiled her. But after being around the Hollisters, Nicole wasn’t so sure. Maureen had been blessed with incredible wealth, yet she appeared to be a pillar for her family. Gabby was a successful artist, but she was happy to live a down-to-earth life with her cowboy.

  Isabelle replied, “Lots of people predicted their marriage would never work. And not just because Sam is more than twenty years older than Mother. The fact that she’s an artist and originally from San Diego and he’s a rawhide-tough cowboy makes it look like such a mismatch. But none of that matters to them. They adore each other.”

  Nicole felt the same way about herself and Trey. They were different, too, and yet when they were together, it was like everything fit perfectly.

  “They’re lucky,” Nicole said, “to have found each other and to be so happy and in love.”

  “So true. I was divorced when I met Holt. Back then I wasn’t necessarily looking for love. Funny how it seems to find a person even when you’re trying to avoid it.” She sipped her drink, then turned a clever smile on Nicole. “Roslyn tells me you and Trey came to the party together tonight.”

  Nicole’s cheeks grew warm. “We did. He’s gone with Chandler and Holt to the horse barn right now.”

  Isabelle laughed. “And that was a half hour ago. Holt loses track of time when he’s with his horses. And a mare that’s foaling is a real party for those guys.”

  “Taking care of animals makes Trey happy,” Nicole told her. “And that’s good, because I want him to be happy.”

  Isabelle regarded her closely. “You sound like a woman who really cares about her guy.”

  Her guy. Nicole wanted to think of Trey as being her man. That the feelings between them were growing into an unbreakable bond. But so far, she was still waiting for him to give her a sign that their relationship meant more to him than physical pleasure.

  “We’ve not known each other all that long,” Nicole replied.

  “Time is irrelevant,” she said with a clever grin. “The first minute I saw Holt, I felt like an earthquake had hit me. And back then he was such a womanizer that I tried to convince myself that I despised him. Obviously, my strategy failed.”

  Nicole was thinking how loopy she’d felt when she’d first laid eyes on Trey when Isabelle suddenly gestured to the far end of the patio.

  “Speaking of men, here they come,” Isabelle said. “And if we’re lucky, the mare will hold off until we eat dinner.”

  * * *

  Through the years, Trey had attended many Hollister parties. Some had been huge affairs, others low-key. But he’d never had a date at his side. Especially one like Nicole. Now as the group headed into the house for dinner, he gave her a rueful smile.

  “Sorry we were gone so long to the barn, Nicci.”

  “No problem,” she replied. “Isabelle has been keeping me company. How was the mare?”

  “Doc thinks she’ll deliver in the next few hours. Two of Holt’s assistants are keeping an eye on her right now.”

  She looked incredibly lovely tonight in a green-and-white strapless dress with a white lace shawl draped around her creamy shoulders. Her hair swung like a bright flame against her back and reminded Trey of the times he’d tangled his fingers in the silky strands and fastened his mouth over hers.

  He was quickly becoming obsessed with her, he decided, and the fact was starting to worry him. But how did a man go about turning off the feelings in his heart?

  “Chandler is probably hoping she’ll hold off until tomorrow.”

  Her remark interrupted his thoughts, and he managed to chuckle. “Are you kidding? Doc thinks it’s fun when a mare foals on his birthday. Just like there hasn’t already been thirty or forty foals here on Three Rivers born on this day. Some are even named after him. Like Doc Do Too Much, CH Star and Chandler’s Charge. He loves his job.”

  “Yes, and I think you love your job, too,” she said with a knowing smile.

  He slanted her a guilty look. “Just a little.”

  Inside the house, Trey and Nicole followed the crowd into a long dining room where three separate tables were set up to accommodate the large number of guests.

  Nicole was seated to Trey’s right side, while Taggart O’Brien was to his left. Beyond the Three Rivers Ranch foreman was his wife, Emily-Ann, who’d recently given birth to a boy they’d named Brody. Across the table, Holt and Isabelle were gazing at each other as though they were the only two people in the room.

  Each of the Hollisters had a loving mate, he thought. Even Maureen had moved past the tragedy of losing her husband, Joel, and now seemed to be head over heels in love with his brother, Gil Hollister.

  As Trey looked around at all the happy couples in the room, he couldn’t help but feel like a little lost doggy. Everybody had somebody, he thought. Not just for tonight, but forever.

  Why the hell are you feeling sorry for yourself, Trey? You have a beautiful woman sitting next to you, and she looks at you with stars in her eyes. If y
ou really wanted a lasting family like the Hollisters, you’d be telling Nicci how much you loved her. How much you wanted the two of you to spend the rest of your lives together. Instead, you get scared if you even think she’s going to mention the word love. You’re a coward. Nothing but a sniveling coward.

  “Trey, are you coming down with something?” Holt asked. “You look like you’ve eaten too many green apples. Is Nicci making you sick?”

  A spate of chuckles penetrated Trey’s wandering thoughts, and he glanced blankly around the table before his gaze settled on Holt’s teasing face. “Did you say something to me?”

  “I said you look miserable. I realize this isn’t like going to the Fandango, but Mom does throw a decent party.”

  Hoping his face wasn’t red, Trey said, “Oh—it’s a great party.” He glanced over at Nicole’s curious expression, then back to Holt. “I was doing some thinking. And Doc always did say it made me sick to use my brain,” he attempted to joke.

  “Want to share those deep thoughts of yours?” Nicole asked.

  The impish little smile on her face made him want to grab her and kiss her and forget all about the doubts rattling around in his head.

  Snatching at the first thing that came to his mind, he said, “I—uh—was just noticing how especially happy Maureen looks tonight.”

  The thought was partly true, Trey decided. Earlier, when they’d first entered the dining room, he’d noticed the Hollister matriarch standing next to Gil, holding his hand and smiling up at him in the same endearing way that Nicole smiled at him.

  “Maureen is happy,” Isabelle spoke up. “Gil has changed her life for the better.”

  “Mom’s hopes are high right now,” Holt said, then added in a lower voice, “Joe and the Phoenix police are planning a meeting with Ginny Patterson. Sometime in the next few days. Mom believes the woman can fill in the blank spots about Dad’s death.”

  “And that’s the only thing that’s holding Maureen back from actually planning a wedding with Gil,” Isabelle added.