Boots and the Bachelor

by Myla Jackson

  “For Dalton,” Gwen said out loud, steeling her heart against more damage. At a good place in her life, she refused to put herself up for heartache all over again.

  “Mom, you should have seen Angus’s face when they called out his name as the next cowboy for auction.” Colin laughed for the hundredth time that morning, riding on Angus’s last nerve.

  His humor had long since worn a hole in Angus’s reserve of patience. Having been up since dawn, mucking stalls, feeding and exercising horses and taking care of the chores that had to be done before noon, he didn’t have time or the desire to talk to the brother who’d deserted him at the Ugly Stick Saloon the night before.

  “I’m sorry,” his mother said. “When you boys put up such a fuss over my ultimatum, I guess I was a little angry. I didn’t think Audrey would jump on the chance to add another two cowboys to the lineup on such short notice. But it’ll all work out in the end.” She smiled brightly.

  “So you’re not going to sell the ranch?” Angus asked.

  Her smile slipped into a straight line. “I didn’t say that. I meant every word I said yesterday. If you three don’t get your lives together and make a go of finding someone to love, I’ll sell this place and move to Florida. You two had better get crackin’ because you have less than two months to make it happen.”

  Angus bit hard on his tongue. His mother had every right to do whatever the hell she wanted with the ranch. Legally, it was hers. “Fine. Since you put me up for bid and had me down for four dates, the least you could do is make lunch. My date will be here in…” Angus glanced at the clock, “…oh hell. She’ll be here in fifteen minutes. I need a shower.”

  “I also meant what I said about not cooking or cleaning for you.” His mother pivoted and left the room. She hadn’t been kidding. That morning, she’d cooked eggs, bacon and grits for one, and made only a single cup of coffee in the coffeemaker.

  Too frazzled, by his decision to go through with his dates, to cook, Angus made a very dissatisfying cup of coffee that tasted more like pond sludge and burned a piece of toast for his own breakfast.

  His plan for Gwen’s first date had been to take her on a picnic. He knew how to dress up and take a lady out to one of the high-class restaurants in Dallas, but he hated wearing a tie and hated more sitting for hours in a place he wouldn’t feel comfortable. After seven long years, he’d be uncomfortable with Gwen anyway. He didn’t have a clue how to start over with the woman he’d known so well, and he suspected he didn’t begin to know the woman she’d become.

  Now, he had to come up with something to feed his date. He was starting to rethink his picnic idea. “Damn.”

  Colin laughed out loud.

  “You.” Angus pointed at Colin. “I need two sandwiches pronto.”

  “What do I look like? Your maid?”

  “I don’t see you doing anything to save this ranch.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “With Molly O’Brien?” their mother asked from the other room.

  “Sorry, Mom,” Colin called out. “Molly and I are just friends.”

  “Didn’t she purchase four dates with you last night?” Angus asked.

  Colin laughed. “Yeah, but like I said, we’re just friends, and she needed a man to help her do some work on the little rental house she’s refurbishing in town.”

  “I thought they were supposed to be dates,” Angus grumbled.

  “She told me what she needed, and promised to provide home-cooked meals if I provided the muscles.” Colin grinned. “I’ve got four great meals in my near future.”

  “Right. In the meantime, make sandwiches.” Angus snapped his fingers and pointed to the refrigerator. “And while you’re at it, be thinking about how you’re going to meet the woman of your dreams if Molly isn’t the one. You heard Mom; we have less than two months.”

  Two months to find mates and to get their brother back in the state. Angus needed to have a talk with Colin about what went down between the two of them. Somehow they had to patch things up or they’d lose the ranch.

  Quickly ducking into the shower, Angus washed the hay out of his hair and the manure out from beneath his fingernails. He got the feeling he could scrub all day and not measure up to the woman Gwen had become. When she was sober. She’d worn an expensive skirt suit, and those had been diamond earrings in her ears. Leaving him behind had been a good thing. Whatever she was doing with her life seemed to be working for her.

  So why did she come back to Temptation? And why did she purchase four dates with him? Seven years was a long time.

  Whatever reason she had, Angus didn’t care. He refused to get any more involved than the four dates he was obligated for. No touching, holding hands or kissing.

  Hell, last night should not have happened. He should have taken her to her room, dumped her on the bed and left immediately. Instead, he’d stuck around and kissed Gwen like there weren’t seven years since the last time. Now all he could think about was how soft her lips still were, the scent of honeysuckle in her hair and the way her breasts pressed against her shirt with each breath she took.

  He’d stayed with her to make sure she didn’t get out of bed and stumble outside and down the steps. After she’d fallen into a deep sleep, he’d lain longer, drinking in the vision of the woman she’d become, all soft curves, long legs and toned muscles.

  He turned the shower water to cold and stood beneath the spray until he shivered and all desire had been effectively chilled. It was self-defeating to think of making love to Gwen. She’d left him seven years ago without so much as a goodbye kiss or note. No forwarding address and no phone number.

  Hoping she’d call him when she got to College Station, he’d waited by the phone every evening, praying for it to ring. It hadn’t. His plan to go to look at a horse in the college town where she’d gone to school had fallen through when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. His entire life went on hold then.

  All of Angus’s focus went to caring for the ranch and his mother during and after her surgery. He’d gone with her for every round of chemotherapy, as determined as she was to beat the illness. He couldn’t stand to lose another one of his parents so soon after the first. Theirs had been a tight, loving relationship.

  Almost a year passed when he finally felt his mother was stable enough to leave without worrying himself or her. He’d gone to the college town where Gwen went to school, hoping to find her, only to discover he’d missed her graduation by a week. She’d moved out of her apartment and hadn’t left a forwarding address with her landlord. The fact she hadn’t left a forwarding address or phone number told Angus she was cutting all ties. She wasn’t interested in being found.

  His heart aching, Angus went home and got on with the rest of his life just fine without Gwen in it.

  Angus stepped out of the shower, dried off with a big, fluffy towel and strode across the hallway to the bedroom that had been his since he was born. He had only left the ranch when he’d gone to college and for the three years he’d worked in Dallas at a high-powered architectural firm. He still worked for the firm on a contracting basis, having set up office in his father’s old study. Angus had modernized the room with a computer, high-speed satellite Internet and his drafting table standing in one corner. Though he’d given up a chance at the major projects and advancing in his career, he still used his skills, added value to the corporation and kept up with changes in the field.

  If he and his brothers didn’t live up to his mother’s demands, he’d have to move all of his things. Maybe even go back to Dallas and work full time for the corporation where he might be another warm body in a cubicle. Or he might earn a chance at eventually leading one of the major projects. Though, his desire to scratch his way to the top had been trumped by his desire to work with the animals on the ranch.

  And what would he do with the horses? He’d built a profitable horse breeding and training facility he didn’t want to give up. It was one of the purest pleasures he got ou
t of life. Working with the horses calmed him and reminded him what was important in life. He understood the horses and they seemed to have an equal understanding of him.

  Some of his clients called him the horse whisperer. He laughed at the moniker. Anyone could work with horses if they had the patience. Angus felt more comfortable with the big animals than he did with people. They didn’t squander his love, they returned it. He liked working as an architect, but he was more passionate about working with the horses.

  Pulling on a clean pair of jeans and a blue chambray shirt, he ran his fingers through his damp hair and jammed his feet into his boots. The sound of tires crunching on gravel made his heart beat faster and he turned to stare out the open window.

  A sleek champagne-colored Cadillac pulled up the drive.

  This was it. Once again he considered talking her into selling back her bid, but he needed to save every cent he had to purchase even a portion of his family ranch. He might ask to take on additional contracts at the corporation in Dallas. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t give him the funds fast enough. Perhaps he’d be better off taking on a full-time job with a respected company to encourage the bank to lend him the money needed to purchase the property or a portion of it.

  The horses were his, purchased with the money he’d earned through his architectural contracting and his quarter horse breeding program. But finding a place he could keep all thirty animals wouldn’t be easy on short notice. If the ranch sold fast, he might have to sell all or part of his herd.

  Cinching his belt buckle, he left his room and strode out to the porch.

  “She’s punctual.” Colin leaned against the porch railing, his gaze on the car pulling to a stop in front of the house.

  “Sandwiches?” Angus asked.

  “I made two.”

  “Out of what?”

  “Are you seriously going to get picky?”

  Angus frowned, his gut clenching. “Just answer.”

  Colin shrugged. “The usual. Bread, lettuce, tomato, mustard.”

  “And?”

  With a cringe, Colin’s gaze slid to the corner of the porch. “We’re going to need to make a grocery run to town.”

  “What else is in the sandwiches?”

  “The only lunch meat in the refrigerator was a package of bologna.”

  “Damn it.”

  Colin glared at him. “I did the best I could with what we had.”

  The car door opened. Realizing in that second that it was too late to slip into town for groceries, Angus grit his teeth and prayed this date would end as soon as it started.

  He couldn’t be that lucky.

  A long, slim leg encased in charcoal-gray trousers swung out. Another followed and Gwen stepped out of the vehicle, her hair pulled back in an artful twist, displaying the long, slender neck Angus had loved kissing. She wore four-inch high heels and large, round sunglasses on her pale face.

  After closing her door, she turned to the rear door of the vehicle.

  Angus squinted, wondering what she was doing.

  Then two little legs dressed in pint-sized blue jeans appeared below the edge of the car door. When Gwen closed the back car door, a little boy stood beside her with a shock of thick auburn curls and a grin the size of Texas.

  Angus couldn’t mistake the kid for anyone else’s. The little boy looked so much like Gwen it hit him like a punch to the gut.

  Colin laughed. “Holy crap. She’s got a kid.”

  Angus didn’t see anything funny.

  Chapter Five

  Gwen stood for a moment, her gaze catching his, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. It was too late to change her mind. Either her plan worked, or it didn’t. She held her son’s hand in hers and marched up to the porch.

  “I’m here for my date,” she announced.

  “Looks like I’m gonna be makin’ another sandwich.” A man who had to be Angus’s brother punched Angus in the arm as he went by. “Mom will be ecstatic when she sees this.”

  The front screen door opened and a woman Gwen recognized as Angus’s mother stepped out. She looked much the same as the last time she’d seen her seven years ago. A few more gray hairs, but the same bright eyes and welcoming smile. “Boys, don’t be rude, invite your guests inside.” She walked down the steps, beaming at Gwen and the little boy. “Since my sons seem to have forgotten their manners, I’m Maggie McFarlan. And you are?”

  Disappointment tugged at Gwen’s heart. It wasn’t as if she’d spent that much time around Angus’s mother seven years ago, but it would have felt good to be remembered. But it was Angus and Gwen’s fault Mrs. McFarlan didn’t remember. They had been more interested in spending time alone and often naked. “Hi, I’m Gwendolyn Graves.”

  Angus’s mother’s brows dipped into a V and she tapped her chin. “Gwendolyn.” She stared hard at Gwen. “I know you, don’t I? I never forget a face.”

  Gwen’s lips formed the hint of a smile. “You used to make chocolate chip cookies when I came to the house.”

  The older woman’s eyes rounded. “Gwen? The woman who broke my Ang—”

  “Mom!” Angus stepped in and cupped Gwen’s elbow. “Perhaps we can take Gwen and her little boy inside for some lemonade.”

  His mother’s brows rose. “Do we have any made?”

  Angus’s brother rolled his eyes. “Of course not, but I could make some darned good coffee.”

  Gwen smiled. “It’s too hot for coffee, but a glass of water would be nice.” Anything to redirect Mrs. McFarlan’s frown from her.

  “Water it is. But first…” Maggie McFarlan’s frown lifted and she bent down to Dalton, “…who do we have here? I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.”

  “This is Dalton, my son,” Gwen offered.

  Mrs. McFarlan hugged the boy. “Well, now, aren’t you a handsome man?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Dalton said.

  Gwen hid her smile.

  Mrs. McFarlan straightened, her face softening as she stared down at the boy. “He looks just like you.”

  Gwen nodded. “He looks a lot like the pictures of my father when he was a boy.”

  Angus squatted in front of Dalton and held out his hand. “I’m Angus. How do you do?”

  Her son studied Angus as if he was sizing him up. Finally he placed his little hand in Angus’s big one. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  “That’s a mighty strong grip you have there.” Angus stared into the boy’s face and asked, “How old are you, Dalton?”

  “I’m five and a half. I’ll be six on my next birthday.” He held up both hands and showed an awkward array of six fingers.

  As Angus straightened, Gwen gave him a narrowed glance, a spike of anger rushing into her chest. “He’s not yours, if you’re wondering.” Dalton hadn’t been conceived until nearly a year after Gwen left Temptation.

  “Hey, big guy. I’m Angus’s brother Colin. Come give me one of those big handshakes.” Colin sat on the porch steps and held out his hand.

  The boy glanced from his mother to Colin.

  With a smile, Gwen said, “It’s okay.”

  The boy crossed to Colin and held out his hand.

  Angus leaned toward Gwen. “Why didn’t you tell me you were married?”

  Gwen’s chin tipped up and she stared at him down the length of her perky nose. “It wasn’t important.”

  Angus gripped her arm and forced her to take several steps backward to get her out of earshot of his mother, who had joined Colin on the porch steps, talking with Dalton. “The hell it isn’t. We kissed.”

  She planted her fists on her hips. “It doesn’t count since I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Hey. Don’t judge me.” Her chin tilted up another notch. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “I used to,” he gritted out.

  “Past tense.” She sighed, the tension easing a little from her body. “For the record, I’m not married.”

  “Then
how do you explain your son?”

  “I don’t have to explain anything to you.” She had been married for one month and a day. The marriage had only been intact that long due to paperwork and court dates. “I’m here for a date. Are we going on one or not?”

  Angus’s gaze slipped to Dalton who was engulfed in one of his mother’s bear hugs. “What about the boy’s father?” He glanced back at Gwen.

  Her lips twitched. “He’s not coming on the date.”

  His mouth pressing into a tight line, Angus gripped her arm. “That’s not what I was asking, and you know it.”

  Gwen rolled her eyes. “I know, but I find I like yanking your chain.” Her gaze went to her son. “His father has never been in the picture.” She’d sent word to him, via certified mail, a few days after she’d had Dalton, but hadn’t heard from him since the night they’d conceived the boy. Gwen preferred it that way. At least Dalton wasn’t torn between two homes with legally mandated visitation.

  “What do you expect to do with him while we’re on our date?” Angus asked.

  Gwen bit her bottom lip. “He’s coming with us.” She held her breath and waited for Angus’s response.

  For a long moment, he didn’t say anything, just stared from her to Dalton and back to her.

  “Are you using him as some kind of shield? Because if you are, there’s absolutely no need. I won’t kiss you again.”

  She was going to tell him the same, but his beating her to it left her feeling a bit hollow inside. Which was silly. With no claim on the man and no desire to rekindle their old relationship, she was there for Dalton. Nothing else.

  “The reason I bid on you last night wasn’t for me. You see, I need a man.” Her cheeks burned and she hurried to explain. “I’m a single mother, and I love my son dearly, but I can’t provide everything he needs in the way of guidance and life lessons. Last night I was discussing our needs with Mona. She suggested I enroll Dalton in the mentoring program.”

  “Angus, we’re going inside to raid my secret cookie stash.” Mrs. McFarlan took one of Dalton’s hands and Colin took the other.