Renegade Cowboy

by Sara Richardson

  “Sorry.” He raised his hands. “I wasn’t aware.” When it came to pregnancy, babies, and birthing, he was blissfully ignorant and happy to stay that way.

  “It’s okay.” Naomi let him off the hook with a shrug. “I’m not offended. I know how clueless you are.”

  “Thanks,” he said drily.

  “It’s not his fault.” Lance winked at him. “He inherited it from Dad.”

  “Papa Luis isn’t clueless.” Gracie gave her uncle a dirty look. “He’s super smart.”

  “Hey,” Levi ruffled the girl’s curly red hair, “you don’t think I’m smart?”

  “Not if you think my mom’s having twins,” she sassed with a smile that poked a dimple into her cheek. That kid was too darn cute for her own good.

  “Well, you’d better wise up quick if you want to pursue Cassidy,” Jessa said. “It’s not like you have all day.”

  The room got so quiet he could hear the distant buzz of a fly outside.

  Oh yeah. That was the other thing Jessa and Naomi did during family dinners. They minded everyone else’s business.

  “Cassidy?” Lance repeated. “As in Cassidy Greer?”

  “That’d be her,” he replied with a scowl at Jessa.

  She smiled sweetly. “Levi has a crush on her.”

  “A crush?” Gracie squealed. “Levi has a cru-ush, Levi has a cru-ush!”

  “I take it the feeling’s not mutual,” Lucas said above the girl’s song.

  “Why would you say that?” he demanded. Was it so hard to believe Cass might be interested in him too?

  His brother shrugged. “Cassidy seems so serious about everything.”

  “And I’m not?”

  “You really want me to answer that?” Lucas asked as though he’d be glad to.

  Levi ignored him. Sure, there’d been a time when he’d been irresponsible and self-centered. But people could change. And Cass was worth changing for.

  “That girl is one hell of a hard worker,” Lance said with admiration. “All she’s been through and taking care of her mom like that? She deserves the best.”

  “I agree.” Maybe Levi hadn’t been the best in the past, but he could step it up.

  “She doesn’t exactly seem like the type to go for a fling,” Lucas commented, serving out huge portions of Naomi’s authentic Italian lasagna as everyone gathered around the table.

  “What’s a fling?” Gracie asked.

  “A very quick romantic relationship,” her mom answered with a disapproving look at her husband. Sometimes they all forgot there was a curious eleven-year-old in the room.

  “Which is all Uncle Levi here has ever known,” Lance added.

  “Which was all you ever knew until you met the right person,” he reminded his brother. Yeah, that shut him up. Lance had little room to talk when it came to previous romantic relationships.

  “So how are you planning to win her over?” Jessa asked, drizzling oil over the salad. She handed him the bowl, and he took a modest portion. Lettuce wasn’t really his thing.

  “Seems to me what she needs right now is someone to be there for her for a change.” He helped himself to a hunk of garlic bread from the basket in the center of the table.

  “Wow, Levi.” Naomi looked him over. “That’s actually very wise.”

  Jessa rolled her eyes. “I wonder how you figured that out.”

  “I had help.” He wasn’t above admitting he needed help with this whole relationship thing. Obviously. When he’d ambushed Cass at the Farm, she’d been as cold as ever. But he didn’t need some big elaborate plan to win her over. He needed to do what he hadn’t done for the past six years. Show up. Listen to her. Offer whatever support he could. Which reminded him…“You still looking for someone to help out at the shelter?” he asked Jessa.

  Her fork froze midair. “Why?”

  He sawed off a bite of lasagna and shoveled it in. “Thought Lulu might be the perfect candidate,” he said when he’d finished chewing. “She’s looking for a job. And she looked really happy when I saw her out walking that dog.”

  “Lulu’s looking for a job?” Jessa and Naomi said the words in unison. Those two spent too much time together.

  “Well…Cass is looking for a job for her. She thinks it’ll help her find purpose again.” At least that was what he’d overheard at the restaurant the other day. “And the shelter would be perfect.” Low stress, working with animals instead of people. It’d be a great place for her to get her mind off everything else.

  “But I already work at the shelter,” Gracie said, her lips pouting.

  “And you’re a great helper,” he assured her. “But you can’t be there all the time. Especially with school.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Jessa shared a look with Naomi.

  “Why not? You need help, and she needs a job. Seems perfect to me.”

  The woman sighed as though there were so many things he didn’t understand. “Lulu has a drinking problem.”

  “She’s working on that.” They could all help her work on that. “But she needs a reason to quit. She needs something stable in her life.”

  “It won’t be that easy,” Naomi cautioned. “From what I’ve seen, she needs professional help.”

  “I know. Cass is already thinking about that.” And he could help her. He could look up the resources available in the area. He could drive Lulu to meetings. He’d do whatever it took.

  “That’s your plan?” Jessa pointed her fork at him as though she had him all figured out. “You’re gonna try to save Cassidy’s mom so she’ll fall in love with you?”

  “This is me trying to be there for her. For both of them.” The way he should’ve been after Cash’s death. “If we do this for Lulu, maybe Cass can move to Denver without worrying about her mom.” Much as he wanted her to stick around Topaz Falls, he wanted her to be able to chase her dreams even more.

  “I think it’s a good idea.” Naomi nodded encouragingly at Jessa. “You could do it on a trial basis. With conditions.”

  She looked at her husband uncertainly. “It wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot,” Lance said.

  “Okay.” Jessa gave him a nod. “We can try it out. I just don’t want to jeopardize my friendship with Cassidy if anything goes wrong.”

  “Nothing will go wrong,” Levi assured her. “We’ll all keep tabs on her. With the right support, I think she can do this.”

  “I hope so.” Jessa actually smiled. “It’ll be nice having someone else there. I’ll call her tomorrow—”

  “Actually, I’d like to tell them, if that’s okay with you.” This news would best be delivered to Cass in person. During an impromptu visit.

  “Sure.” Jessa went back to eating her salad, no trace of the earlier uncertainty in her tone. “Tell them to stop by the shelter sometime this weekend so Lulu and I can chat.”

  “Perfect.” He pushed away his plate. Right after this next discussion, he would head over to the Greer’s house. “I need one more favor from all of you.”

  His brothers groaned. “I think you’re out of favors,” Lucas muttered.

  “Think of it as a win-win proposition.”

  “I’m listening,” Lance said with about as much enthusiasm as a slug.

  He didn’t let his brother’s lack of excitement derail him. In all of two minutes, Levi quickly and efficiently went through the pitch he’d prepared last night detailing his plan to do the youth clinic at the rodeo grounds. “The way I see it, I need your equipment and animals, and you need good publicity.” That was a stretch, but Lance and Lucas were trying to get the word out about their new stock contracting operation, and this could earn them a few write-ups.

  “That sounds so fun!” Gracie had enough enthusiasm for all of them. “I want to come!”

  “I’m guessing you’re not planning to pay to rent the equipment.” Lance was the miser in the family. Always thinking about money, which Levi supposed was a good thing.

  “Not when I own a shar
e of the ranch.” There should be some perks to being a silent investor, after all.

  “Well, I think it’s a great idea,” Naomi said before his brothers could come up with any more complaints. “I’d love to do whatever I can to help.”

  “Actually, seeing as how you’re the queen of numbers and details, I could use your help with logistics.” He didn’t plan to burden Cassidy with those jobs. He had other things in mind for her…

  “Oh, I’d love to.” Naomi didn’t even hesitate. “That’ll be the perfect distraction from my swollen ankles and huge belly.”

  “It’s not huge, hon.” Lucas leaned over to give his wife a kiss.

  “Come on, guys. Not at the dinner table,” Gracie scolded.

  Lucas grinned and slipped his arm around his wife.

  “We’re happy to help too,” Jessa said, speaking for Lance. “Whatever you need—the space, the animals. Right, honey?” she asked, patting her husband’s leg persuasively.

  “Right.” Lance—always the skeptic—narrowed his eyes and glanced at Levi. “July doesn’t give you much time to plan this thing.”

  “I know, but I have to make it happen before school starts up again.” And before Cassidy left to pursue her new life. “I figure if we all work together, we can get it done.”

  “Then let us know what you need,” Lance said. “We’ll do everything we can to help.”

  “Thanks.” Every once in a while, his brothers’ generosity surprised him. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  Now he just had to convince Cassidy.

  Chapter Ten

  Levi had never walked out on a plate of lasagna. Not once in his life.

  But tonight he couldn’t wait to get over to Cassidy’s house. Naomi and Jessa had been all too eager to push him out the door. Once they’d agreed to help with the clinic, he’d told them he needed to talk with Cassidy. Next thing he knew, Jessa was handing him his car keys and Naomi was stashing food into leftover containers, and then they’d sent him on his way, each offering her own advice.

  Touch her a lot, Naomi had advised.

  But don’t come on too strong, Jessa had cautioned.

  Unfortunately, too strong happened to be his default setting. What was wrong with that? When he saw something he wanted, he went after it. And Cass sure hadn’t minded him coming on strong the night he’d kissed her. In fact, he seemed to recall that she’d enjoyed it. A lot.

  With that memory simmering, he climbed out of his truck, carrying the food Naomi had stowed in some fancy dish-warmer thing. He could’ve called first, but that wouldn’t have done him any good. Cass had become an expert at avoiding his calls. Lucky for him, her Subaru was parked in the driveway, which meant she wouldn’t be able to avoid him now.

  He knocked on the door, hardly having to wait before it swung open.

  “Levi!” Lulu staggered, leaning into the wall.

  At first he tried to force a smile but quickly gave up. She’d been drinking. “Hey, Lulu.” He stepped inside. “Is Cass around?” Stupid question. If she’d been around, her mom likely wouldn’t be tipsy.

  “No,” Lulu said with a pout. “She’s on one of her marathon bike rides.” She wobbled over to the couch and plopped down. “I hate that she rides in those mountains alone.”

  “Yeah.” He walked past her and eyed the bottle of vodka on the kitchen table as he set down the food. Jessa and Naomi were right. Lulu needed some serious help.

  He left the food on the table and went to sit next to her on the couch. “How much have you had to drink?” he asked bluntly.

  She let out a twinkling laugh. “Hardly anything. Just a nightcap. It helps me sleep.”

  He didn’t pretend to be amused by her playful tone.

  The silence seemed to make her uncomfortable. She leaned forward and organized the scattered magazines on the coffee table into a neat pile. “I’m sure Cass-a-frass will be back in no time, if you want to wait.”

  Oh yeah. He would wait. But he wouldn’t keep quiet. If he wanted to help Cass, that meant helping her mom too. Which also meant he couldn’t ignore this. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”

  She continued to mess with the magazines, avoiding his eyes. “Sure, hon. Talk away.”

  It was crazy how much she seemed like the old Lulu when she drank. Happy and unburdened. Except it wasn’t real.

  He turned to her, employing the same stern expression his own father had used on him a time or two. “I found you a job.”

  “A job,” she repeated, finally looking at him directly.

  “Working with Jessa at the shelter.” Hopefully this wouldn’t be a mistake. “There’s no cash register, no carrying food trays around. All you’ll have to do is work with the animals and keep things clean and organized.”

  The sparkling humor drained from her eyes. She sat back, her shoulders slumping against the couch.

  “It’ll be flexible hours,” he went on before she could say no. “Not full time to start, but it could turn into more if you want it to.” That was the key to this whole thing—working, getting sober, functioning again.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Lulu stared at her hands.

  He lowered his head to look into her eyes. What he saw was not apathy or detachment. It was fear.

  “You can do this.” She had to do it. “And you’ll have help. Here’s the thing though. You have to quit drinking.”

  “I know.” She nodded slowly, as though her head was almost too heavy to hold up. “I was going to have only one drink tonight. Cass has been gone a while, and I got nervous—”

  “You can’t have any drinks.” He cut off the excuses. “You have to be the one to decide. You have to want this.”

  Her head lifted, and her faded blue eyes raised to his. “I do want it. I want it for Cass.”

  Eventually, he hoped she’d want it for herself too. “All right, then.” He stood and strode into the kitchen, going right for that bottle of vodka and uncapping it so he could dump the rest down the sink. Lulu followed behind him, moving like a shadow.

  “This is the start of a new day.” Levi tossed the bottle into the recycling bin and riffled through the sparse contents of the cabinets until he found some coffee grounds. “Now we need to sober you up.” He measured out the coffee and poured water into the pot on the counter before flicking it on.

  “I hate coffee.” Lulu crept to the kitchen table.

  “If you don’t have coffee, Cass will know you’ve been drinking,” he reminded her.

  The woman looked up at him with a small smile. “You’re not going to tell on me?”

  “I don’t have to.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Right? Because you’re done. You’re done hiding alcohol in the house. You’re done drinking.”

  “Right,” she mumbled.

  He wished she’d put more energy into the words, but that would come in time. And with the right support group.

  “Here.” He filled up a tall glass from the tap and set it in front of her. “Drink all of that before you drink the coffee.”

  Lulu gazed at the glass and made a face before lifting it to her lips.

  While the coffee pot steamed, he went to sit across from Cassidy’s mom and gave her a pestering nod whenever she tried to set the glass down. Finally, she finished the last gulp of water and shoved the glass away.

  “It’s a good thing I got here before you’d finished that bottle or I’d make you drink three more of those,” he told her.

  A smile snuck out, though it didn’t light her eyes. “You can be very persistent.”

  “Yes. I can be.” He liked to think it was one of his better qualities.

  “I wonder how long it’ll take Cass to give in.” Already the woman’s eyes were looking clearer.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He grinned at her and hopped up to fill a mug of coffee and then set it in front of her with a grand presentation.

  “No sugar?” she whined, peering into the cup.

  “Straigh
t-up black motor oil.” The one time he’d been stupid enough to get drunk on Gunner Raines’s watch, the man had woken him up at 5:30 a.m. and forced him to drink the blackest, most bitter coffee he’d ever tasted. Then he’d told him he’d be off the team if he ever drank like that again.

  “Come on now,” Levi coaxed. “Like you said, Cass could be back anytime.” And he’d rather spring the good news about the job on her than tell her he’d caught her mother drinking again. This day could be the dawn of a new era for Cass too. For them.

  “She likes you more than she lets on, you know.” Lulu lifted the mug to her lips and took a feeble sip. She coughed, a grimace crumpling her face.

  “I’m glad to hear that.” After everything that had happened between them as of late, he’d figured she liked him, but it was nice to hear someone say it. “I like her too. A whole lot.”

  “She’s guarded though, you know?” Cassidy’s mom choked down a few more sips of coffee. “She won’t make it easy for you.”

  “I noticed.” But he could be as stubborn as Cass. “Do you think she’ll come around?”

  This time Lulu’s smile sparked with some of that old spunk in her eyes. “How any young woman can resist your charm is beyond me, Levi Cortez.”

  He laughed. “There have been a few—”

  The front door banged open. Cassidy maneuvered in, wheeling her mountain bike along with her. She stopped cold when she looked up and saw him sitting at her kitchen table.

  “Nice bike,” he managed to say, even with his jaw hanging open. It wasn’t the bike his eyes had fixated on. It was the spandex shorts and hot pink tank top that hugged every perfect curve. She’d pulled her hair back, but most of it had escaped from the loose ponytail and now haloed her face in a carefree, unbelievably sexy way. It was a picture of how she might look after a long, rowdy night in his bed…

  “What’re you doing here?” she demanded, breaking his concentration on her body.

  Not hi, or how’s it going? or nice to see you, Levi. Yeah, he had his work cut out for him.

  Lulu shot him a fearful glance, but he simply shrugged. “I came by to see you.” He said it as though it shouldn’t surprise her. Judging from the color in her cheeks, she already knew why he’d come. “But I’ve enjoyed chatting with your mom while we waited for you to come back.”