"Ahem—"
Both of them started at the sound of Jim's voice.
"I'm sorry to bother you two." Jim's eyes twinkled. "You know, there's a party inside in your honor. Think you might want to attend?"
"Go away, Jim." Smiling, Boone held Maddie close. "Just because you gave Maddie away doesn't mean you can start acting like a father." Then he shot Jim a glance. "And get those people to go home."
Maddie laughed.
Jim did, too. "If you think I'm going toe-to-toe with Velda and Vondell, then you better go get your brain checked. My mama didn't raise no fool."
Boone sighed. "I hear you."
"But you go right ahead, if you think you're big enough." Jim turned to leave.
"Jim—" Maddie spoke up then.
The foreman halted.
"Thank you—for everything."
He nodded. "Never mind what that boy says. You need a father figure, I ain't too old to take him to the woodshed."
Maddie laughed. "I'll remember that."
Boone smiled and shook his head. "I'm firing everyone. Between him and Vondell, I'll never get any time alone with you."
"Vondell's moving into town."
"Yeah, but you know she'll be in the thick of it, once you take over The Dinner Bell."
Jim chuckled. "It's a long way from a fancy restaurant in New York, Maddie."
"You two just wait. I'll have people driving from Fort Worth and Dallas to eat at my place." Saying the words my place sent a surge of pride through Maddie's heart.
"I believe you will," Boone responded, his gaze locking on hers, delivering a deeper layer of messages.
"You'll put my name on a booth, right?" Jim asked.
Boone's eyes went dark and hot. Anticipation tap-danced over Maddie's nerves. For a moment, she couldn't think what Jim had asked, lost in the world only she and Boone inhabited.
"Never mind," Jim muttered.
"Jim," Maddie roused herself to answer without looking away from Boone, "It's a deal, if—"
"If what?"
"If you'll get all of those people out of Boone's house."
Boone shook his head. "Maddie's house."
Once that would have been enough, a place of her own.
Not anymore.
"Our house." Maddie smiled.
"Our house," Boone whispered, as he lowered his head to hers. "And my woman."
Maddie's giggle turned to a sigh as Boone kissed her.
Jim walked away, whistling.
Get the other books in the TEXAS HEROES series at
AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | KOBO:
About the Author
USAToday, NOOK and Kindle bestselling author of over 30 novels in romance and women’s fiction, a three-time RITA finalist and RT BOOKReviews Career Achievement Award winner, Jean Brashear knows a lot about taking crazy chances. A lifelong avid reader, at the age of forty-five with no experience and no training, she decided to see if she could write a book. It was a wild leap that turned her whole life upside down, but she would tell you that though she’s never been more terrified, she’s never felt more exhilarated or more alive. She’s an ardent proponent of not putting off your dreams until that elusive ‘someday’—take that leap now.
CONNECT WITH JEAN
Visit Jean’s website
Facebook
Twitter
Crazy About A Cowboy
by
Barbara McMahon
Copyright 2011 Barbara McMahon
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
In Memory of Cassidy: We will always miss you, sweetie.
THEY DIVORCED FOR all the wrong reasons. Now he wants her back for all the right ones. Texan Sam Haller and his wife young wife Lisa ended their stormy marriage two years ago. Lisa left Texas and took their infant son with her. Now she's back, and Sam wants his wife back in his life. Are there too many hurtful words and heartaches to overcome? From the stockyards of Fort Worth to the rolling Texas ranch land, the two try to recapture what they once had, in spite of their past and Sam's startling complication.
Chapter One
SAM HALLER SAW her across the crowded stockyard in the glare of the noonday sun. Shooting the bull with a bunch of cowhands was part and parcel of the stock sales, and Sam had been leaning against the rail fence, one booted foot resting on the bottom rung, swapping tall tales with the best of them when his gaze was caught.
Dust hung in the air, dry as a desert, churned up by the horses and cattle crisscrossing the stockyard. The background noise of bawling bulls and the occasional shrill whinny of a horse was ignored almost unheard.
In that instant, everything came to a crashing halt. Sam stared, ignoring the other men, the heat of the sun, the cacophony of sound. He felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. Time stood still. Slowly he lowered his foot, standing to his full height, his gaze never moving from her.
Memories flooded his mind; her laugh, her tears, the fights they’d had, the making up, making love long into the night. They’d been crazy in love, crazy in lust or just plain crazy.
It felt as if a vice gripped his heart. He hadn’t seen her in two years, except once, briefly, when he’d had to take Joey home early and no ranch hand had been available to deliver him. The jumble of emotions from that day stayed with him for a long time insuring he didn’t risk another encounter.
What was she doing in a stockyard in Fort Worth, Texas, when he thought she was in Denver? And who was the man she was talking with? Laughing with.
Jealousy churned as he watched. Was it an illusion? Or the real Lisa? For months after she left, he'd thought he'd spotted her a dozen times. Impossible since she moved away from Texas and on to Colorado. Was this another instance of imagining he saw her everywhere he went?
“Hey, Haller, you going off in a trance?” one of the men in his group asked. The rest laughed, one looking in the direction Sam was staring.
“From the looks of that babe, guess our Sam is finally going to break down and show he’s human,” another man joked.
Sam scowled and glared at Tim Higgins. He readjusted his Stetson and resumed his casual pose leaning against the fence, though every fiber of his being urged him to take off across the stockyard and confront Lisa. Find out what she was doing in Texas. See her, speak to her. Touch her.
Deliberately he turned away, tried to focus on what the men were talking about. Jeez, he had it bad. Still. They’d been divorced two years. It was over. When was he going to accept it and move on? When was he going to see another woman and really be interested in her?
“If you mean that bay mare, you’re right. I wouldn’t mind having her. If she throws true, I’d have some fine get,” Sam said, hoping to bluff his way through.
One of the cowpokes slapped another on the shoulder. “Should have known Sam’s coveting some horse. He never cuts loose like the rest of us.”
None of the men present, recent acquaintances, knew about his marriage. He planned to keep it that way. No man liked to admit failure. Especially when it was his own fault.
As soon as he could without causing comment, he offered to buy everyone a round of drinks at the bar that night, and headed off. Deliberately heading away from Lisa, he studied some of the cattle for sale, talked with one man at length about one of the bulls, but his mind wasn’t on stock.
It revolved around Lisa. If it had been Lisa, where was she now? Had she left, or was she wandering around with that man checking out the sale animals?
A casual glance in the surrounding area let him know he wasn’t being observed by anyone. Turning swiftly, h
e headed for the spot where he’d seen her.
She was gone.
He stood for a moment in indecision, then headed in the direction she’d been facing. In less than ten minutes he caught up with her. She stood to one side, out of the main swirl of traffic, jotting notes in the sales catalog, then glancing up to study one of the bulls penned in the shade.
He hesitated, wanting to speak to her, knowing they had nothing left to say. Hadn’t it all been said years ago?
Yet the pull of connection was still there. He tried not to think about her that would drive him crazy. But seeing her again – maybe it was fate.
What could it hurt to just say hi? It wasn’t as if they couldn’t be civil. Saying hi wasn’t a declaration of intent. Not that they had a prayer of getting back together. There was too much between them. More than even Lisa knew.
Almost without volition, his feet carried him in her direction. When he drew close enough to smell her flowery scent over the dusty air and pungent cattle, he halted. It wasn’t too late to turn and walk away, she hadn’t seen him yet.
But Sam Haller wasn’t a coward.
“Hello, Lisa.”
She spun around, her eyes widening.
“Sam! I didn’t expect to see you.”
“What are you doing here, then?”
She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. “I’m on an assignment for my boss.”
“An insurance agent in Denver?” he asked in disbelief.
She shook her head. “I’ve changed jobs.”
He waited, watching as she rolled the catalog up in her hands, unrolled it. Was Lisa as nervous as he felt? He pulled the brim of his hat down a bit lower, tucked his fingers in the back pocket of his jeans, his gaze never leaving her. He tried to ignore the rush of blood through his veins. Damp down the feelings that threatened to rise.
She looked great. Her glossy brown hair held back from her face with clips, fell in waves across her shoulders. The checked shirt was opened at the throat, revealing her pale skin. The snug jeans fit like a second skin. He remembered peeling them off her, touching every inch of her satiny skin as it became revealed.
Swallowing hard, he shifted a bit to ease the growing tightness in his own jeans.
She looked away. “I’m working here now in Fort Worth. I missed Texas. And my folks wanted to be able to see Joey more often and more easily.”
Joey, their son. A link between the two of them that would never cease.
“As I do, especially now that he’s older,” Sam said.
She twisted the catalog. “I got the notice from your attorney. Why now? Why change anything? You didn’t want him when we separated.”
“That’s not true. But a baby needs his mother. He’s three now, and a little boy needs a dad.”
“And his mother!” she said, facing him again.
“I never said he didn’t. You asked why I was petitioning for more time with him at this juncture. I explained. It would make it easier if you’d just come home to Tumbleweed.”
Easier to deal with Joey, harder to live with the fact their marriage had ended so abruptly, if Lisa was living in town where he’d run the risk of seeing her unexpectedly at any time.
“I don’t want to do that,” she said quickly.
“Why not? It’s your home.”
It was an argument that had raged for days when she first left him. She’d refused to stay in Tumbleweed insisting she needed distance and her own space. So she’d uprooted their baby, said goodbye to all she’d known, and moved to Denver. The distance alone made it almost impossible for a busy rancher to get time to see his son. A subtle way to make her point, but one he’d been powerless to defend against.
“I have a nice apartment here in Fort Worth. And a good job. There’s nothing for me in Tumbleweed.”
“You had a nice place in Tumbleweed.”
“Your ranch?”
“It was ours when we married.”
“It was always yours. Yours and Nick’s.”
At the mention of his brother, Sam’s blood began to heat. Nick had been the final straw in their rocky relationship. The brother she should have married, he thought again, remembering their last blowup.
Then remembering all the lonely days and nights since Lisa had left. Once again Sam wondered if she had hoped Nick would follow her once she was free.
Some perverse gene had him say, “You know, it’s probably past time Joey came home to stay. He’ll inherit half the ranch, time he starts learning about how to run it. It would be easier if you lived in Tumbleweed. But it doesn’t matter. I will have my son in my home at least half a year.” It was something he’d discussed with his attorney. Jason Ronald had advised waiting a bit longer before pushing for joint custody primarily because of the distance between the two households. But all bets were off now that Lisa had moved back to Texas.
If he couldn’t have his wife, he at least could have his son.
“He’s only three. Too young to learn about ranching,” she said, almost shaking with sudden anger.
“Joey’s as much my son as he is yours. He can learn a lot by observation. Can’t start too young,” Sam said easily, amazed to hear his voice sound so calm. He wanted to reach out and snatch her close, hug her against him until she softened and put her arms around him like she used to do. Feel her soft body press against his. Rant and rave at her for leaving. For not wanting him as much as he had wanted her.
What would she do if he kissed her until she was pliant and willing, and as hot for him as she’d once been.
He was fascinated by the soft curve of her lips, the hint of color high in her cheeks, the flashing blue eyes that glared at him. At least it beat indifference.
But it still hurt.
Where had they gone wrong? Had they ever had enough between them to make their marriage work? Had he been fooling himself for years that what they had was more than a sexual attraction that flared in bed and could not sustain itself anywhere else?
“He’s too young. He needs-- ”
“Lisa! There you are.”
Sam turned to look at the man hurrying over to them. It was the same one he’d seen Lisa laughing with earlier. Dark haired, not quite six feet, he looked young maybe twenty-five. Lisa might not think that so young, closer to her age than he was.
His attire was brand new his boots still had the shine on them, despite walking around the dusty stockyard. Sam was not impressed. Where had she picked up the urban cowboy?
“I think one of the bulls I wanted is going on the block now,” he said eagerly
“Okay, I’m coming.” She threw a dark look at Sam. “I’m through here.”
The stranger looked at Sam, not picking up on the tension. He smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Bill Taylor. Lisa works for me. You a friend of hers?”
Sam slowly gripped Taylor’s hand, his look one of sudden amusement. “You could say that. We go back a long ways. I’m Sam Haller.”
Bill looked from one to the other, a puzzled expression in his face.
“Same last name.”
“Lisa was my wife,” Sam said.
Bill looked from one to the other, then nodded once. “Lisa just started working for me. She knows a lot about cattle. I just unexpectedly inherited a ranch from a distant relative so I really need someone to show me the ropes.” Bill looked from one to another again, obviously at a loss on how to handle the situation.
Sam dismissed Bill and glanced at Lisa. “I have work on my ranch,” he said. “If you wanted a change from Denver, all you had to do is ask.”
“Sorry, I snapped her up first. She’s a whiz on the computer, and knows more about cattle than I’ll probably ever learn,” Bill said quickly.
“She staying at your place?” Sam asked. He didn’t like Bill Taylor. And he didn’t like knowing Lisa was working for another rancher. What happened to the innocuous office job in Denver? The place that contained more women than men, and where the lines of relationships were sharply drawn?
“I’ll be in touch,” Sam said, his narrowed gaze on Lisa. “Real soon.”
She shook her head, but said nothing as she hurried along with Bill Taylor.
Sam watched her hips sway enticingly as she quickly crossed the dirt expanse. Her rich chestnut hair bounced against her back, glossy and shimmering in the sunshine. He wanted to tangle his fingers in that silky mass as he used to. He wanted to feel the swell of her hips, the taut, sleek muscles beneath that velvet skin.
He wanted his wife like he’d never wanted anyone. Still, with a hunger that never went away.
Ex-wife.
When was he going to remember that? Or all the complications that made it a certainty that’s the way it would stay?
Sam Haller had been at the sale for two days. He’d be heading home tomorrow with a truck load of new stock to deliver. But now that he knew Lisa lived in Fort Worth, he’d be back.
* * *
LISA HURRIED TO keep up with Bill. He was so enthusiastic about his first auction about every aspect of ranching. Of course he’d only been at it a few months. Wait until he had a hard winter and lost half his herd, or the price of beef dropped to the basement, or anthrax threatened, she thought cynically.
Then frowned. No sense letting Sam get to her. Bill was refreshing to be around, fun, excited, and enthusiastic. She was lucky to get such a great job where she could stay at home, or take Joey with her when she had to visit the ranch. She was doing what she knew and loved.
She’d been miserable in Denver. If she hadn’t been so prideful and stubborn, she would never have run so far.
And that’s exactly what she’d done, no matter how she tried to dress it up. She’d run like a scared rabbit from Sam and the mess they’d made of their lives.
Love Me Some Cowboy Page 34
