by Various
"You need to loosen up, friend. Nobody here is trying to make time with your woman. We just want to get to know her," Ryan said then huffed out a breath. "But hell, it looks like we don't even know you anymore." He shook his head then picked up his bag and shot Cord a heated glare before walking down the hall.
Cord watched Ryan disappear into the hall and his shoulders relaxed. He looked back at Hope. "Stay away from the guys, Tinkerbell. They're hound dogs."
"And you are a pit bull," she said, standing to walk over to him. "You do need to loosen up, Cord. You're acting like a jealous boyfriend. You know that isn't how it is between us. Just chill out. You need your friends."
His eyes darkened and his jaw tensed. "What if I am?"
"What if you're what?" she replied.
"A jealous boyfriend."
The words danced around between them then floated into her brain before making a straight path to her heart. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out as he jerked her against his body and his mouth slammed down over hers. Unlike Ryan and Twyla, Cord smelled like sunshine. He was a warm man with clean sweat. He tasted like heaven, and the combination overwhelmed her senses. Hope moaned and put her arms around his neck, leaning into the kiss for more.
From far away, Hope heard the squeak of the screen door before it slapped shut and an angry voice said, "Boy, ain't you got nothing better to do than put on a show with that girl in the doorway?"
Hope gasped and stepped back from Cord. He spun around. "Daddy...I, uh..." he stammered and his father's eyes narrowed.
Mr. Dixon straightened his broad shoulders. "I've been home for twenty-four hours and I've seen you one minute when you wandered into breakfast this morning to tell your mama you were going to town. You haven't been here in three years, and now you bring all these cowhands to the ranch and expect me to feed and pay them? We need to talk," he said then his eyes landed on Hope. "And what the hell is she doing here with that camera?"
Cord had hoped to find the right time to talk to his father, but it looked like he was going to have to do it now, right or not. "Let's go to your office, Daddy," he said and grabbed his father's arm, but Silas Dixon pulled it away.
"Just pack your stuff and head back to Dallas where you belong, boy. And take your crew with you. You're not welcome here anymore," he said. The disgust and disappointment in his daddy's voice was almost more than Cord could stand.
But he deserved it, so Cord shored up his confidence and said firmly, "I belong here. You were right. I should never have left. I'm back for good, Daddy."
"Dean says you're back for a photo shoot."
"Dean is wrong. I'm back for a lot of reasons, but not for a photo shoot," Cord replied then looked at Hope. "Hope is a photographer and wanted to take some pictures, but we're here to work."
"I can't pay those men. I sure hope you can," his father scoffed then held up a finger. "Oh, yeah, Dean told me you got fired by Laramie, so I guess you can't. That's the only reason you dragged your ass back here."
Cord huffed out a frustrated breath. "Well, it sounds like Dean gave you all the answers, Daddy, and you're not going to let me have a word at all."
"I've heard all I need to, son. You came back here with your tail between your legs because you screwed around and got fired from your job. Don't come looking for one here. We have done just fine without you for three years." Silas stomped out the door without a second look.
They hadn't done just fine without him. The more Cord looked around the ranch, the clearer that became to him. His daddy was living in a dream world where the ranch was just fine, and he was just fine. Denial wasn't going to get them anywhere. Cord was going up to the house to make his stubborn father see things through his eyes. He took one step toward the door, but Hope laid her hand on his arm.
"Give him time, Cord," Hope said with a squeeze to his arm. "You are both upset right now. Maybe if you have a heart-to-heart with your mother, she can talk to him."
His breath escaped him like a deflating balloon and his shoulders slumped. "I don't know what I'm going to say to him to fix things anyway."
"Just tell him the truth. Tell him you love him," she suggested.
"That would have worked a year ago, probably. I'm not so sure it matters to him now. He looked at me just now like I was nothing to him."
The heartache she heard in Cord's voice made Hope want to weep. She knew what it was like to face disappointment from your parents. It was a hard pill to swallow, and she was the last one who should be giving this man advice on how to deal with his father. But it was also obvious that his family was a lot closer than hers, so that meant they'd probably be a lot more understanding too. If he just explained himself to them. Proved himself again. "Just keep working, Cord. Fix the ranch, pay off the mortgage, and show him that you're staying and that you care. He'll come around."
Hope put her arms around his waist and hugged him. Cord sighed and hugged her back before dropping a kiss on her hair. "I need a shower then we need to go set up the fire."
"I'll go get the cart loaded. I have the stuff set out at the house," she said and pulled back. "You take your shower and relax a little. Have a beer and get yourself together. I'll meet you down at the fire pit."
Cord smiled and that sexy dimple popped out in his cheek. "You sure are bossy, Tinkerbell," he grumped playfully then reached for her, but she sidestepped him.
"Shower!" she said firmly, pointing toward the hallway.
"Yes, ma'am," he drawled then turned toward the hall.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The sun faded behind the trees in the distance, which seemed to be the cue for the crickets in the field to start singing their night songs. The sound sent calm through Hope, and settled the restlessness she had been feeling since Mr. Dixon's visit to the bunkhouse earlier. Hope hadn't been out in the country much, but she could see why people loved it. There was peace to be found here in the midst of the calming sounds and the fresh air. The rodeo cowboys evidently felt that peace too, because they were a lot quieter than they had been when they arrived at the ranch this morning.
Zack helped Hope unload the cart while the other guys hefted logs from the back of Lucky's pickup to strategically place them inside the concrete block-lined fire ring. Cord still hadn't shown up. She'd told him to take his time and relax a little, but it had been two hours since she'd left him at the bunkhouse. All the other guys had showered and changed and made it out here. She wondered where he was.
Hope grabbed the handle of the big cooler full of beer and tried to slide it to the edge of the cart, but it wouldn't budge. She dug in the heels of her shoes and pulled harder, but it still didn't move. Huffing out a frustrated breath, she stepped back and bumped into a hard wall. Hot breath teased her ear, as strong arms closed around her to trap her arms at her sides.
"Need some help, Tinkerbell?" Cord drawled. The honeyed sound set every nerve in her body on high alert as his big body enveloped her in its warmth. He kissed her hair then rubbed his jaw against it and she heard him inhale deeply. "You smell so good, I could eat you up," he growled and squeezed her tighter. Cord loosened his hold and she turned toward him to put her hands on his chest.
"You feeling better?" she asked with a tremble in her voice. Her eyes roved up his chest, along the smooth skin of his throat, past his beard-shadowed chin, to snag on his lips. They curved up into a smile and her heart kicked as he lowered that smile toward her mouth to give her a slow, sweet kiss.
He pulled away, and his dimple made an appearance when he smiled. "Much better. I'm sorry I'm late, but I stopped up at the house to talk to Mama."
He had taken her advice. "How'd it go?" she asked softly, wanting to lick the pulse she saw beating steadily at the side of his throat.
"You were right. I think she's going to talk to him. I invited Dean to come out to the fire too, but he shot me down. Said he had things to do. He's going to be a tough nut to crack." Cord shook his head and sighed.
"Just don't give up, Cord. He'll co
me around too," she said, putting her hand on his cheek to stroke it. He leaned his face into it and kissed her palm. A tremor shook her body, and Cord's arms closed around her.
He held her tightly against his body and looked down into her eyes. "Thank you for being here." The sincerity in his voice touched her. "And thank you for helping Mama at the house. She said it was a big relief when she came home from the bazaar."
"You're welcome. I'm glad I'm here but I don't know how much help I've been."
With a throaty growl, Cord's hands lowered to her butt and he lifted her feet off the ground before walking her backwards until her back touched the tailgate.
"You are an amazing woman, Hope Carlisle, and I'm so damn lucky I met you." His fingers tightened on her butt, and he pressed his body into hers before his mouth slammed down over hers. Mindless of all his friends milling about, Cord made love to her right there with all their clothes on. By the time he pulled back, Hope knew she couldn't form a coherent sentence. Her legs felt like they were liquid, they were both breathing hard, and her head was spinning.
"Amazing," he repeated gruffly then leaned in to punctuate the statement with another kiss, this one soft and meaningful. "And don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
The man holding her was probably the only one on earth who believed she was amazing for the right reason. But then he didn't know her very well. Her family thought the only thing amazing about her was her ability to embarrass them. Her ex-fiancé thought the only thing amazing about her was her inheritance. And her ex-best friend and former business partner only found her ability to bite off more than she could chew amazing.
Like them, he'd probably change his mind once he got to know her better. "Say that at the first of the year and maybe I'll believe you," she said with a short laugh. "The only thing I've been amazing at lately is screwing up."
"Things are changing, Tinkerbell. People change too. Just keep the faith and your family will come around. If mine can forgive me, yours will too."
Hope was jarred when someone slapped Cord on the back, shoving him forward into her. "Alright you two lovebirds. Luke says it's time to get this party on the road," Tucker Calloway said. His brother, Lucky, had just shoved a bundle of burning sticks under the pile of logs in the fire pit.
Hope heard a loud whoosh as they caught fire and the flames shot upward. The heat reached all the way over to them, and it warmed her against the chill in the night air. This was going to be a good night. She could feel it. Being with Cord and his down-to-earth friends was wonderful. She leaned forward and hugged his waist tightly. He backed up and smiled down at her, but kept his arm around her waist as he led her toward the fire.
* * * *
After they finished working on Sunday, Cord left Hope and the guys at the bunkhouse to finish eating supper while he went up to the big house to talk to his family. He hadn't told them yet that he was getting married on Monday. Since he didn't know what their reaction would be, he didn't bring Hope with him. The last thing he wanted was for their anger at him to hurt her. It was time for a showdown, but he needed to face that by himself. Cord could only hope his mother had eased the way by talking to his father.
Nostalgia hit him in the chest when he walked inside the front door of the ranch house and heard the family talking in the kitchen while they got ready for supper. He stood there a moment, letting it swirl around his heart and trickle up to his brain. This was home. These were the most important people on earth to him. Cord shored up his determination and stood straighter. He was going to set things right. Tonight. Tomorrow he was marrying Hope Carlisle to help his family. To help himself.
Cord walked through the doorway of the kitchen as his mother was putting the last bowl on the table. His father, brother, and nephew were already seated. Putting on a smile to cover his nervousness, Cord walked to the table and sat in the empty chair. There wasn't a plate there, so Cord looked at his mother. "I'm eating with ya'll tonight, Mama. I smelled your meatloaf all the way across the yard."
His daddy harrumphed, his brother frowned, and Jeremy squealed. Barb Dixon just smiled and her eyes glistened. "I'll get you a plate, baby boy."
After a dinner with hardly any conversation between them, other than his mother trying to fill the empty space with chatter about the bazaar, Cord sat back in his chair with a sigh and unfastened his now too tight jeans. "Mama, that was the best meatloaf I've ever had. And I swear there isn't a woman in Texas who makes better biscuits."
"Now that you've got your gut full, you can get the hell out of here," his daddy said without making eye contact.
Cord leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. "I'm not going anywhere, Daddy. You'd better get used to seeing me around here." His eyes darted to his brother, who was studying him with a look of wariness on his face.
"It's true. I'm back here to stay and I'm sorry for ever leaving. I left all of you in the lurch and it was wrong." Dean's response was a lifted brow, and his daddy just grunted.
"We're going to get this place fixed up, and I'm using the money I've saved from modeling to do it. At least something good will come from the time I spent away from ya'll." Cord swallowed hard then addressed his daddy directly. "Daddy, I know you’re sick, and I have the money for the treatments you need."
"I don't want your damned money," Silas said angrily as he shoved his chair back from the table. "And I'm not getting any more of those so-called treatments. They make me sicker than I already am."
"You don't have the money. That's why you're not having them," Cord corrected bluntly. "I'm paying off the mortgage you took out on the ranch, and we're going to find the best doctor in Texas to get you better."
"I'm tired of the damned doctors, and I'm tired of this conversation. I'm tired." He stood and started to walk away from the table.
"I love you, Daddy," Cord said loudly with frustration pouring through him. "Please come back and talk to me."
Cord saw his father's shoulders stiffen. "Like you talked to me before you left?" he asked without turning back around. "It's too late, Cord."
"It's never too late," he said evenly. "If you aren't a quitter." The gauntlet was thrown and his daddy's shoulders got even stiffer, if that was possible. That's what he called Cord when he left the ranch three years ago. The words were burned into his brain.
A full minute passed before his daddy decided to pick it up. He turned back toward the table and his eyes were hard. "You're the quitter, boy. You quit on us three years ago and never looked back."
"I looked back plenty, Daddy. But I didn't think I was welcome back, the way we left things."
"You were always welcome here, but your family wasn't important to you."
Cord looked at each one of the members of his family individually then took a deep breath. "There is nothing more important to me than y’all. It took me three years away to realize that. That’s why I'm back. It's not because I lost my job, it's not because you're sick, and it's not because I think you need me. I need you."
His father swayed on his feet and his face paled. Cord got worried and stood, but his father held up his hand and staggered back toward the table to sit. Cord sat back down, too relieved that he evidently found the right words to make his father stay to talk. He had to keep going while he had the momentum.
"That woman with me... Hope Carlisle? We're getting married tomorrow at the Justice of the Peace. I'd love it if ya'll could be there to stand up for me."
His father's face got paler. "You're what?!?" he shouted and tried to stand, but fell back into his chair.
"She's a good woman, Daddy, and I l—" Cord stopped and swallowed the emotions that swirled up in his throat to choke him. "I love her." The words flowed easily off his tongue, and he wondered why the lie tasted sweet rather than bitter.
His mother gasped, his father grunted again, and both of his brother's eyebrows lifted over his shocked eyes. Bless Jeremy, Cord thought, as he piped in, "I love Miss Hope too. She thinks I'm cute and she's pret
ty. I wanna marry her too!"
The beautiful elf photographer was one of the sweetest women he'd ever met, but Cord didn't love her. Jeremy thought he did, because kids wore their feelings on their sleeves. She had given Jeremy the attention he wasn't getting from Dean, so he could understand his nephew's infatuation. Cord was infatuated with her too, but he didn't love her. It would be easy to fall into that trap with her, but he wasn't going to let himself do it. They would both end up hurt.
"Sorry, kiddo. She's marrying me," Cord said with a laugh.
Dean's eyes were angry as he scraped his chair back and stood. "Thought you would have learned from my mistakes, Cord. Guess you're still one of those that has to learn lessons the hard way. I won't be there to watch," Dean said as he turned and stormed out of the kitchen.
Jeremy looked confused and his smile faded. "Maw Maw, may I be excused?" he asked quietly. "I'm done."
Sympathy, clouded by anger, filled his mother's eyes. "Sure, baby. You go take a bath, and I'll come read you a story in a little bit." Jeremy nodded and his little shoulders slumped as he walked out of the kitchen.
"He has no idea what his anger is doing to that kid, does he?" Cord asked with a shake of his head. "Cindy left him. Dean just needs to suck it up and focus on raising his son. Jeremy needs him."
His father looked up at him. "How the hell would you know what the kid needs? You left him too. Left all of us." His mother reached over and covered his dad's hand with hers.
Cord could feel the anger radiating from his dad and could see he was in pain. He'd said enough for tonight. Laid the groundwork for rebuilding a relationship with his family. He pushed his chair back and stood. "Daddy, I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I'm asking for it. People make mistakes. I made a big one by leaving, but I'm trying to fix things. Please give me a chance to do that."
Optimism cut through the dark cloud inside of him when his father nodded. His father didn't smile, and his face was still pinched and pale, but at least he acknowledged he'd heard what Cord had told him. It was a start.
