The Texan and the Cowgirl

by Victoria Chancellor

  “I know you’re anxious to get back to your bride, but this is your career we’re talking about. Sometimes we can’t rush these things.”

  “We can sure try,” he said, frowning. How hard would it be to find a quarter horse in the state of California? The sun seemed to shine most of the time, so that shouldn’t be a problem. And Lord knew, there were enough cameras out here.

  “I’ll arrange something and call you back. In the meantime, I’ve gotten you a lunch with the producer of a new pilot set in the West. It’s about a ranching family. I thought you’d be perfect.”

  “Great. I’ll talk to him.”

  “Her. It’s not something that’s been picked up by any network yet, but they’re shopping the concept around.”

  “Send me the information on when and where.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon,” Marilyn said, and ended the call.

  Charlie slipped his cell into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his rental car. Hollywood moved at its own pace. He hoped Marilyn understood he had an agenda, too. And his priority was the wife he’d left behind.

  “AND THEN I SAID, ‘Where do you think you’re going with that wedding cake?’ And he dropped the whole piece on his dress shoes!”

  Everyone at the table laughed at Bobbi Jean Maxwell’s recounting of a confrontation with a little boy at the reception. The regulars—Caroline, Clarissa, Bobbi Jean and Sandy—sat in their usual booth. They’d pulled up two chairs at the end for Toni and Cassie to join them.

  “The reception was wonderful,” Cassie said. “The food was delicious, the cakes were beautiful, and I really enjoyed seeing everyone.”

  “The way you two slipped out of there so fast, I thought maybe the reception wasn’t the place you wanted to be,” Sandy said with a mischievous smile.

  Cassie blushed. Sandy was right; she and Charlie couldn’t wait to get someplace private. Who knew a wedding could be such a turn-on? The last two wedding receptions she’d attended, she’d ended up in bed with Charlie Yates.

  “I was getting a little tired,” she told the ladies, who were smiling at her as if they knew she was lying through her teeth.

  “So, Charlie is back in L.A. already,” Clarissa said. “I thought he’d stay away from that place now that he has a good reason to settle down here.”

  “It’s just a commercial,” Cassie said, “although he did stress the words Super Bowl.”

  “Oh, well, that explains it,” Caroline said. “Mention anything to do with football and the men go nuts.”

  “Actually, I like to watch the commercials,” Sandy said. “Some of them are great, like little movies with special effects and plots and everything.”

  “I know it’s a good opportunity,” Cassie admitted, “but I had high hopes for his roping school.”

  Sandy shrugged. “He could still do that. After all, this is just one commercial, right?”

  Cassie felt as if a band was tightening around her forehead. Was it just one commercial? Or would he get pulled back into the ups and downs of auditions and rejections, possibilities and cancellations? Being from California originally, she had some knowledge of the industry.

  Charlie had said he was okay with being voted off The Next Cowboy Star, but was he? Did he still need the public validation that he’d received during his rodeo career?

  They hadn’t talked about it. Maybe she should bring the subject up, but there had barely been time to discuss the baby, then the wedding. Would he think she was prying into his life or trying to tell him what to do? She’d always heard that men didn’t like to talk about how they felt about something, and they didn’t like their wives or girlfriends to tell them what to do. She didn’t want to put her foot down as much as she wanted to understand.

  If Charlie wanted a career more than he wanted to settle down in Brody’s Crossing, she should know that now, because she had no intention of going anywhere. She also wasn’t going to be the kind of wife who sat around waiting for her husband to show up. She wanted someone who was in this with her for the long haul…or she wanted no one at all.

  Wow, she hadn’t realized she felt that way until this very moment.

  “Cassie? Did you zone out there?”

  Toni’s voice cut through the revelations. “Um, yes, I guess so. Sorry. What did I miss?”

  They filled her in on the conversation about a possible new store on Main Street. She filed away her opinions about Charlie’s career choices until he returned.

  If he came back from L.A. and was no longer interested in acting, there would be no reason to have a discussion. If he started talking about future projects, though, she knew she had to say something. She had to stand up for herself…and their baby.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “They loved your tape,” Marilyn said as they sat in her office on Friday morning. “They want you for the commercial.”

  “Okay then.” Charlie had expected to feel more elated, but instead he simply felt a sense of satisfaction. He’d thought he was perfect for the job. He and the director had hit it off. All he had to do was ride a horse and lasso a calf. The only “acting” required was to pretend he was working on a cattle ranch, not performing in a rodeo arena.

  “You’ll need to be back for preproduction and fittings. Ravi also mentioned he’d like to consult with you on some of the details to make sure the set is authentic.”

  “Set? Why doesn’t he just shoot it on a real ranch?”

  “I’m not sure what his plans are for a location shot.”

  “Sounds like they’re making this more complicated than it has to be. I don’t need wardrobe. I have plenty of jeans, shirts and boots. And of course I’ll wear my own hat.”

  Marilyn frowned at him. “That’s not the way it’s done.”

  “Then they’re wasting my time and their money. Any decent cowboy has his own gear that he feels comfortable with. I’m not gonna end up lookin’ like one of those 1950s drugstore cowboys they hired for Western movies way back when.” He was pretty sure he’d made it clear to Ravi that real Texas cowboys didn’t wear ten-gallon hats, tucked-in jeans and “woolie” chaps.

  “I’ll talk over the issue of wardrobe with their production assistant and get back to you,” Marilyn said, jotting down a note.

  “Okay then, I guess I’ll be able to make that first flight.” He wanted to get back to Texas. Back to Cassie. Talking on the phone hadn’t been enough. He had a feeling she was more upset about him leaving than she’d let on.

  “If you could stay one more day, I’d be able to get you another meeting.”

  “I’m goin’ back today,” he said, more firmly this time. “I appreciate your work and your ability to get folks to meet with me, but I’ve got a new bride and a ranch that need my attention.”

  “Oh, and speaking of your wife, I think it would be a good idea to get a publicist working on that angle right away. I can recommend a couple and you can decide. We’d need some wedding photos, maybe a few of you and—I’m sorry, what’s her name?”

  “Cassie.”

  “Right. Pictures of you and Cassie at the ranch would be great.”

  “I don’t see the need for that.”

  “Look, to be blunt, if you’re going to have a career in this town, you need to play by the rules. If your name isn’t out there all the time, people forget about you. It’s been three months since you were on The Next Cowboy Star. I can get you plenty more auditions and meetings if we can create some buzz.”

  Charlie frowned. “I hear what you’re sayin’, Marilyn, but I’m not sure I want that much buzz. Also, Cassie and I never discussed this. She’s more of a private person.” She was also three months’ pregnant and had an ultraconservative family who wouldn’t like that fact discussed in public.

  “You talk about it, okay? It would really help your career.”

  “I’ll think about it,” he said, getting up from the chair. “Thanks again for all your work.”

  “Of course.” She gave him a grin and a thumb
s-up sign. “We’ll talk the first of next week.”

  “Okay.”

  “Oh, and Charlie?”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you ever notice that your accent becomes much more pronounced when you’re slightly irritated?”

  “Yeah, I guess I did,” he said on the way out, not knowing whether to smile or frown at Marilyn’s observation.

  He glanced at his watch as he headed to the parking lot. He shouldn’t have any trouble making his flight. Despite the two-hour time difference, if he didn’t run into traffic, he should be home well before dark.

  He couldn’t wait to kiss Cassie hello, look into her eyes and know everything was fine. He wanted to make love to her just like on their wedding night, and then sleep with his hand over her tummy all night long.

  COLBY ASKED CASSIE IF she’d like to come to the house for steaks, since they were both waiting for Charlie to arrive home. Because she was only going to pace the living room and eat the last of the meals prepared by their friends, she accepted.

  She tore up red leaf and Boston lettuce for a salad. Fortunately, she’d gone to Casale’s Grocery yesterday to supplement the casseroles she’d been eating all week. Other than working a few hours these past three days, she’d shopped a bit, unpacked a few more of her things, and thought about Charlie.

  Taking out a sharp paring knife, she began cutting wedges of a tomato. How did he really feel about her? She knew they had a pretty powerful case of lust for one another. He’d stood up for her with her aunt and uncle and told her several times that he’d protect and care for her.

  Neither one of them had ever said “I love you” to the other. She’d told herself that she would love him and they’d both spoken vows that mentioned love, but that was different than looking someone in the eye, saying the words and really meaning them.

  Or maybe it was too soon to even think such thoughts, she told herself as she shook some croutons on top of the salad. She didn’t like not knowing how he felt about a lot of things. Losing her mother and father, then living with Aunt Helen and Uncle Jim, had wiped all traces of spontaneous living out of her…until she’d moved to Brody’s Crossing.

  That one rebellious act—giving up a well-paying corporate job so she could move to a small Texas town—had produced a lot of fun. She’d made new friends, gone dancing and horseback riding, dated—and ended up pregnant.

  Had she returned to her more rigid ways as a result of guilt? Did she still feel guilty for getting pregnant? She had at first, even though Charlie had reminded her they’d both forgotten protection that first time.

  Maybe she took responsibility for the pregnancy because she expected more of herself. How many times had she heard stories of other women getting pregnant, or catching a disease, because they’d acted “irresponsibly”…and then she’d gotten so lust crazed for a sexy cowboy that she’d left a wedding reception to make love in the back of a pickup truck without a condom.

  Good, sensible women simply didn’t do that sort of thing, she thought as she jerked plastic wrap from the roll to cover the salad bowl.

  But, you did, her inner voice reminded her. And you enjoyed it. That doesn’t make you a bad person.

  She smoothed the wrap over the bowl. She knew she was too hard on herself sometimes, that she didn’t allow herself to make stupid mistakes. The problem was, having this baby and marrying Charlie didn’t seem like a mistake at all…at least to her.

  But how did he really feel about suddenly having a wife and a baby on the way? Would he rather be free of responsibility so he could pursue his dreams in Hollywood? She had to find out, even if he didn’t want to talk about his feelings.

  She put the salad and two types of dressing in a bag and headed for the main house.

  FOR A WHILE CASSIE FORGOT she was waiting for Charlie to return from Hollywood, and she enjoyed a meal with Colby. She’d never had a big brother, but he was doing a great job of standing in as the male protector. Anything she needed, he offered. He’d always be there if Charlie wasn’t around, he promised.

  She wondered what he meant by that. Did he know something about Charlie’s plans that she didn’t? Or was Colby simply accustomed to the transient nature of the rodeo, with his little brother going from one event to another on the circuit?

  The steaks were delicious, the salad refreshing, and the diversion welcome. Cassie was glad she’d driven her car because by the time they finished the dishes, the sun was setting. She didn’t welcome walking home in the dark, which probably wouldn’t have happened anyway because Colby would have driven her back. At almost nine o’clock the thermometer outside the kitchen window read ninety-seven degrees, so walking would be uncomfortable.

  As she folded the dish towel in half and hung it on the stove handle, the crunch of gravel on the driveway made her turn back to the window. Charlie was home! He parked his pickup next to her car.

  “Charlie’s home!” she called out to Colby, who’d gone into the living room to check the score of a Texas Rangers game. When she opened the back door, a blast of dry air hit her as if she’d opened a hot oven. That didn’t deter her, though, as she rushed to the pickup. The screen door banged behind her as Charlie stepped off the running board.

  “Hey, darlin’,” he said, grinning. He held out his arms and she raced into them. Charlie lifted her from the ground and held her tight against him. “I’m so glad to be home.”

  “I’m glad you’re home, too,” she said.

  Colby walked up. “Want to come in and have a cold one? Rangers are up five to three in the sixth inning.”

  “Nah, I think I’ll do my relaxing at home,” he said with a smile, looking down at Cassie.

  “Yeah, I can see that,” Colby said. “How was the trip?”

  “Good. My agent told me they liked the audition. I guess I’ll be doing a Super Bowl commercial. Other than that, it’s the usual hurry up and wait, I suppose.”

  “Nothing else?”

  “I don’t think so. Next week we’ll work on that bunkhouse for our rodeo school.”

  Cassie hugged him and laid her head on his chest. That meant he wouldn’t have to go back and forth to California all the time. He’d just have to show up when they needed him for the filming. “Your rodeo school,” Colby corrected. “I already have a ranch to run.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I meant,” Charlie said. “My school on the Lazy Y. It’s all one happy family, right?”

  “Right. Well, you two have a nice night,” Colby said, turning and heading back to the house.

  “Thanks again for dinner,” Cassie said. “The steaks were great.”

  He waved and continued to walk.

  Charlie looped his arms around her. “Do you have anything inside you need to get? Purse or whatever?”

  “Just the salad bowl, but I can get that later.”

  “Darn right you can,” he said, grinning again. “Let’s go home. We can pick up your car tomorrow.”

  “No way! I’ll race you to the house.”

  “You’re on, cowgirl. I’ve got more horses under my hood.”

  “Yeah, but my car is cuter,” she said, running for the driver’s-side door.

  Laughing, forgetting their problems for tonight, she headed home. They would have plenty of time to talk tomorrow. And like Charlie said, it was only the one commercial.

  CASSIE FELT REALLY GOOD the next morning. Last night she and Charlie had gone straight to the bedroom, just as they’d done after the reception. They’d been all over each other and making love had been fun and sexy and oh, so satisfying. Now she craved the taste of coffee, if not the actual caffeine, and she was hungry enough to eat whatever she could find in the refrigerator.

  She put on a pot of coffee for Charlie and made a cup of decaf for herself. The sun shone through the windows without a cloud in the sky. Another hot day in Texas, but that was normal for July.

  She really had to get used to the heat. Maybe she and Charlie could go to the barn today. She needed to see where
she’d be riding Rooster. She didn’t want to forget everything she’d learned, and they should work on those lead changes before her next lesson.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” Charlie said, sniffing the air. “I swear, you make the best-smelling coffee I’ve ever had the privilege of tasting.”

  She turned and smiled at him. “It’s all about having a clean pot to start with.”

  “Well, you’re a good coffeemaker.” He looped his arms around her and kissed her temple. “How about I fix us some breakfast? Do we have eggs and bacon?”

  “I believe so.”

  “I can whip up a mean omelet.”

  “I’ll let you do that, then.” She settled on a bar stool as he sauntered into the kitchen, his jeans partially buttoned and the rest of him bare. The view from the breakfast bar was particularly good this morning, she thought with a smile.

  “What do you think about setting up a few traditions?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?” He turned around with a carton of organic brown eggs. She recognized the logo of the Rocking C. Christie must have brought those out when her friends were stocking the refrigerator.

  “Just simple things, like if you cook, I clean up, and vice versa. You must have some things around the house you’d rather not do, and some you don’t mind.”

  Charlie frowned a little. “I guess, if you think that’s necessary.”

  “I do. I’ve read articles and talked to friends who said that having some rules eliminates problems later.”

  “What kind of problems?” He searched in the meat drawer and came out with some microwave bacon.

  “Like the woman doing all the cleaning and cooking.”

  “Oh, that. I don’t mind either one too much.”

  “Well, I don’t either, but it’s not my goal in life.” It also shouldn’t be her entire responsibility. “With the baby, it’s going to get a little crazy, or so I’ve been told. If we have a plan going in, I think our life might be less chaotic.”