One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas)

by Carolyn Brown

  “Thank you.” Leah smiled.

  “I’ll get you a key to the house after breakfast. Refrigerator is empty, but the freezer has about a quarter of a hog in it and half that much beef. Help yourself to any of it that you want.” Polly picked up a platter of bacon and eggs and carried it to the table.

  “And you can start a charge at the store. Just tell Jill to put it in your name and keep it separate from River Bend.”

  Leah’s eyes misted for the second time that morning. “Y’all don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

  “Ah, honey, it ain’t nothin’ but a simple breakfast. If we’d have known you were comin’, we would’ve made sausage gravy to go with it.” Polly grinned.

  Gladys patted her shoulder again. “It’ll all work out. In a year, it’ll only be a line in the history of your life.”

  “I hope so,” Leah said.

  * * *

  Leah made arrangements for one of her cousins to teach her Sunday school class that morning and went to check out Polly’s house, walking from room to room in the small two-bedroom house, and thinking that she’d like to have a home like it someday. All she really needed was a little place with a front porch big enough for lazy dogs and cats on a hot summer day and a yard for some roses and petunias.

  If Rhett didn’t want to buy the ranch, perhaps Polly would make her the same deal. She could hire one full-time foreman and a couple of part-time cowboys to help out, and in a couple of years, she’d be making a profit.

  The guest room that was to be hers was only about half the size of her bedroom at the ranch, but it had a good-sized closet. Her heart was as empty as the closet right then, waiting for something to happen in her life that would prove to her that she’d made the right decision. She heard her phone ringing in her purse, rushed to the living room, and fished it out, hoping that it was Rhett.

  Before she could answer, it vibrated in her hands letting her know someone had sent a text message. Honey was asking her where in the hell she was. They were at church, and it was starting in ten minutes. She was already in hot water with Granny, so she’d best get her ass in gear.

  She sighed on her way out the door and was only five minutes late when she slid into the pew beside Honey.

  “You are late,” Honey whispered.

  “Yes, I am, and I didn’t go to Sunday school, but I made arrangements, so don’t fuss at me.”

  “You still hell-bent on leaving River Bend?”

  Leah nodded.

  “Shhh.” Quaid tapped her on the shoulder from the pew right behind them.

  The song ended and the preacher took the podium. Leah glanced over to the other side of the church and met Betsy’s gaze. Betsy’s smile was smug. Movement on another pew farther back grabbed her attention, and Tanner blew a kiss from the tips of his finger across the church toward her.

  The preacher’s voice droned on for what felt like hours and hours instead of the usual thirty minutes. She kept her eyes glued ahead and wished the next two days were already over. The preacher made reference to a verse that talked about honoring your mother and father, and that set her mind on another loop, one that involved her mother, Eden. Now that she was divorcing River Bend, should she try to approach her again, or leave it alone and not reopen old wounds?

  One thing at a time, she thought. Get the tailgate picnic over with. Then call Rhett. Go home and pack. Sleep in the house you were born in one more night. Go to school. Move into Polly’s house. Settle in, and then think about calling Eden.

  That’s the way it lined up, and the first thing on the list had to do with Tanner Gallagher, something that she dreaded worse than anything else on the list. She carefully snuck her phone out of her purse and sent Rhett a text message, asking him to call her as soon as he got home from dinner at Wild Horse with Betsy.

  He sent one right back that said he would, then leaned back across the pews and smiled at her. She tucked her phone away and tried to pay attention to the end of the sermon, but it was useless. Finally, she played out a dozen scenarios about how she would handle Tanner when they were alone. The second that the last amen was said after the benediction, Betsy latched on to Rhett’s arm and pulled him toward the door.

  Leah stepped out into the aisle, and Tanner quickly crossed over to the Brennan side of the church, laced his fingers in hers, and squeezed. She pulled her hand free, so he slung an arm around her shoulders and escorted her outside into the hot, broiling August sun.

  What was she thinking when she’d planned a tailgate picnic? Even parked under the only shade tree in the parking lot, the metal pickup bed would be hot. A nice, public restaurant would have been a much better choice. After all, it did not have to be a secret. The whole damn town knew she was having dinner with Tanner Gallagher.

  “Where to, darlin’?” he asked.

  She stopped beside her bright red truck. “It’s a tailgate picnic right here.”

  “Too hot for that kind of thing, Leah. Let me take you out to dinner in a nice restaurant,” Tanner said.

  “Rules say that I have to produce dinner, so this is it. Now if you can’t take the heat, then it’s your prerogative to forfeit the dinner and then the whole Sadie Hawkins race will be done and finished,” she said.

  “No, ma’am, but I would like to go somewhere a little cooler.”

  “Right here,” she said.

  “Okay then, if that’s the way it is, then that’s the way it is.” He grinned. He put the tailgate down and sat down on it. His boots came off first and then his socks.

  She could feel her eyes trying to pop right out of her head. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s hot. I came dressed for church, not dinner in the broiling-hot sun. If it’s going to be right here, then I’m shucking out of half of these clothes,” he said. “You are free to do the same if you’d like.”

  The noise of engines starting, trucks, cars, and vans all leaving the lot, muffled the sound of a truck when it came to a stop right beside Leah’s. Betsy rolled down the window and yelled, “Good grief, Tanner, you are still on church grounds. Don’t take it all off.”

  The next truck to pull out of the lot left behind a long, sexy wolf whistle, and she turned back around to see Tanner swinging his long legs off the edge of the tailgate, waving at everyone like he was the newest model for romance novels. His jean legs were rolled up to below his knees, and his unsnapped shirt flapped in the hot wind, showing a bare chest and ripped abs.

  Leah might be moving away from River Bend, but that didn’t mean she was befriending the Gallaghers. Someday, she intended to yank every single red hair out of Betsy’s scalp, a handful at a time, for today, if for no other reason. Leah’s hands knotted into fists thinking about the joy of that fight.

  “Ahh, a picnic basket and a cooler. Does that mean we have cold beers?” Tanner asked.

  “It means you have cold soda pop and ice water,” she said.

  “Are you going to feed me from your fingertips?” he asked.

  “The rules say I have to supply dinner. They do not say a word about feeding you or providing beer.” She opened the tailgate and set the basket and small cooler on it. “It’s help yourself from this point on, like at a buffet. And, Tanner, dinner does not mean the whole afternoon. One hour is what I’ve allowed, and then I’m going home to pack.”

  Shit! Why had she said that? And why was it that swearing came so quickly to her thoughts these days?

  “I heard that your Granny was ready to kick you out, darlin’. We’ve got lots of room over on Wild Horse, and you are welcome. I even talked to my Granny about it, and she said you could have a room in the main house.”

  “And it’s all part of the feud, so no thank you. I’m so sick of all this, I could cry,” she said.

  Tanner cocked his head to one side. “I’m not used to hearing you say bad words or that tone in your voice.”

  “Get used to it,” she said.

  The last vehicle pulling away from the parking lot was the preache
r and his wife. He stuck a hand out the window and waved, then tooted his horn as he left. Did the fool think that this dinner would end the feud? Even the angels in heaven knew that this would only fuel it up hotter than ever.

  Tanner waved and kept digging in the picnic basket, bringing out two paper plates and plastic cutlery. He set a pretty nice little table right there between them, spreading out two napkins to use as a tablecloth. “Leah, all kidding aside, because now I’m going to talk serious. I know you like Rhett and that you think all of this with me is part of the feud. Ham or turkey?” He pulled two sandwiches from the basket.

  “Turkey,” she said.

  “Rhett is a decent man, but he’s a ranch foreman and that’s all he’ll ever be. I can offer you a lifestyle like you’re used to,” Tanner said.

  She pulled out a bag of potato chips and one of Fritos and held them up. He pointed at the chips, so she laid the Fritos beside her plate. “Are you proposing to me, Tanner? We haven’t even been on a proper date.”

  “This is a proper date and, no, I’m not proposing to you. But the more I get to know you, Leah Brennan, the better I like you. I would like to date you. I would like to spend time with you and to hell with the feud. Who knows? Maybe if we connected, it would end this damn thing once and for all,” he said.

  Now that was a novel idea. Ending the feud forever because of a Gallagher and a Brennan falling in love; she’d had a crush on Tanner for more than a decade, so maybe it wouldn’t be difficult to rekindle her past feelings for him.

  She looked up to see his face so close that he had four eyes instead of two and they were closing as his lips brushed across hers. The first kiss was sweet, and the next was clearly supposed to be filled with passion and heat, but it did nothing for Leah. There were no sparks, no bursting stars, not even a little sizzle.

  “Give me a chance, Leah,” he whispered seductively as his hand grazed her shoulder.

  The feud could be over, her conscience whispered as softly.

  “I’m moving away from River Bend because I want to figure out who I am. I’m almost thirty, and I have to get some things settled before I make a commitment to anyone for any kind of relationship,” she said.

  “I’ll be right here in Burnt Boot waiting for you,” Tanner said.

  “Yeah, right!” She smiled. “Until the next woman comes along who catches your eye, and then you’ll be hugged up to her on the dance floor?”

  “Honey, if you’ll dance with me, I give you my promise that I’ll never dance with another woman,” he said.

  Leah didn’t believe him for a minute, but still, the end of the feud? And what if the Gallaghers were serious about making Rhett disappear?

  Chapter 23

  Rhett had been miserable in church that morning. Sitting in the middle section with Tanner on one side and Leah on the other was purely symbolic; especially after the night before, when he’d called and sent Leah text messages so often that he’d begun to feel like a stalker. He’d wanted to get off his cycle and beat the shit out of Tanner for sitting in the back of Leah’s truck with his shirt opened and flapping like that.

  Now he was miserable sitting between Betsy and her grandmother, Naomi, in a huge room of Gallaghers. He’d meant to steer clear of the feud when his cousins Sawyer and Finn told him about it, and now he was a pawn in the whole damn mess of things. He hated it and wished he could talk to Leah. He’d be willing to pawn his cycle and cut off his ponytail if he could get things straightened out with her.

  “I understand Leah fixed up a cute little picnic for her and Tanner, and they’re having it in the church parking lot.” Naomi smiled.

  Betsy tapped him on the arm. “She’s had a secret crush on him since they were kids. This is a dream come true for her. And I think Tanner is finally ready to stop his womanizing and settle down.”

  “Never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad. Leah is a fine young woman who knows ranchin’ and is such a good girl. I’ve been afraid he’d bring home a barroom hussy with dollar signs in her eyes. Even a Brennan is better than that,” Naomi said. “But enough about this, Rhett. Tell me where you grew up.”

  “Same place as Finn and Sawyer—on a ranch down around Comfort, Texas. I have relatives over in Ringgold, not far from here,” he said.

  “Those O’Donnells? I’ve been thinking about putting my name on the list to buy one of their fine horses. Now I know that you’re a relative, I’ll have to give them a call this week.” Naomi smiled.

  “They do grow some good horses,” he said.

  Betsy’s hand landed on his thigh and squeezed. “We’ll get through this dinner and then we’ll have a tour of the ranch.”

  “The rules of the race say that we only have to have dinner together,” he said. “I’ve allowed an hour and a half for the dinner, and then I have a meeting with Gladys, Polly, Sawyer, and Jill planned. I have to be there at two o’clock.”

  “Well then”—her hand slid farther up his thigh—“I expect we’d best make the best of what time we have. How do you like what you see here on Wild Horse?”

  “As in?” he asked.

  “As in how would you like to be a part of what you see here?”

  “Are you proposing to me, Betsy?”

  Her smile was brilliant, but her eyes told a different story. This was all a game to Betsy and had nothing to do with love, ranches, or anything but the feud.

  “Why, Rhett O’Donnell, I’m most certainly not proposing anything but asking you if you like what you see. If you do”—she squeezed his leg again—“I was thinking about making you one of those offers you can’t refuse.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as jumping the fence from Fiddle Creek over to Wild Horse. I’ll pay you double whatever Sawyer and Gladys are paying you, and there’s all these wonderful benefits.” Her fingers walked up his thigh, all the way up to his zipper.

  He reached under the table and moved her hand to her own lap. “I like my job and I never was too good at jumping fences.”

  “Don’t say no until you hear the benefits.”

  Naomi laid a hand on his arm. “We’ve got an empty two-bedroom house not far from where Betsy lives, and I’ll throw in medical insurance with your salary and give you a two-week paid vacation after six months.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. By the way, this steak is really good. What’s your secret?”

  “Good beef. I’ll show you my secret in raising prime stock, but you have to take us up on the offer. This is a big place, Rhett. Even though Leah will wind up living here, there will be miles between you. Besides, she’s not serious about a plain old hired hand. She’s been flirting with you to bring Tanner to his knees,” Naomi said.

  “I figured you’d fight the idea of bringing a Brennan onto Wild Horse,” Rhett told her.

  “I would if it was any other woman from over on River Bend. But Leah, now that’s special circumstances. I hope it causes Mavis’s blood pressure to shoot up so high that she has a stroke and dies.” Naomi’s tone was icy cold.

  “But the benefits I have to offer are a lot hotter,” Betsy whispered in his other ear. “Think about long, hot nights with no commitments, dancing at the bar, fishing in the river, skinny-dipping after either or both. It’s win-win. Leah gets to keep living in the style she’s accustomed to. My granny wins a battle in the feud. Mavis drops dead. You get more money and lots more fun. No losses here, darlin’.”

  “Maybe I’m looking for a commitment,” he said.

  She kissed his earlobe. “Maybe you’ll find one. And, honey, remember what I told you yesterday—there’s more than one way to skin a cat. If I want you, and Leah is in the way, Granny can fix that little problem real quick.”

  Dinner dragged on forever, through course after course, served by waiters dressed in black slacks and white shirts. It wasn’t the first time Rhett had been to a dinner like that, but they’d usually been at weddings or some other such celebration, not merely a family meal after church on Sund
ay. By the time they got to the dessert cart, which featured cheesecakes in about a dozen varieties, blackberry cobbler with or with ice cream, and pecan pie, it was one thirty.

  Betsy chose a slice of turtle cheesecake and he nodded. He didn’t care if he had sawdust with ice cream on top; he wanted to finish dinner and get the hell away from Wild Horse Ranch.

  “I hate to eat and run, ladies,” he said after he’d swallowed the last bite. “It’s been a lovely dinner, and it was so nice to get to know you better, Naomi. But I have a meeting scheduled that I must get to, so I should be going. Y’all have a wonderful afternoon.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Betsy laid her napkin down.

  “Come back anytime, Rhett,” Naomi said. “And remember my offer. It’s only good for twenty-four hours, so don’t ponder on it too long.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  Betsy looped her arm in his and led him through a maze of Gallaghers. When they were finally at his cycle, she looped her arms around his neck, rolled up onto her toes, and kissed him full on the mouth, tongue, and the whole nine yards. It wasn’t a bad kiss, not bad at all, but it did nothing to excite Rhett like Leah’s kisses did. There was no flashing sparks, no breathlessness, and no racing pulse.

  “You take that home with you, cowboy, and remember, it can be yours if you move on over here to Wild Horse. And, Rhett, don’t be thinking that Leah is in love with you. A girl never forgets her first love, not ever, and Tanner is hers. She’s getting a once-in-a-lifetime chance right now to fill the hole in her heart. It’s never been possible before and probably never will be again, that a Gallagher and a Brennan can get together,” Betsy said.

  “Who was your first love, Betsy?” Rhett asked.

  “I haven’t found him yet. You want to apply for the job?”

  “Not today,” he said as he got into his truck and started the engine.

  “I’ll give you a whole week to think about it and change your mind.” She laughed and waved as he drove away.

  He parked in front of Gladys’s house beside Sawyer’s truck and sat on the cycle a couple of minutes before going inside. Why was the whole family there, anyway? Surely they weren’t going to fire him because of the dinner. That wasn’t his fault, and even though he had mixed feelings about what was going on with Leah, he damn sure wasn’t ready to walk away from Burnt Boot.