Sadie chuckled. “Really?”
“Only because I was trying to save you from caving that table in and I went down with you,” Norma Sue huffed.
“We’ll have a sturdy table,” Lacy said. “Sadie, isn’t Rafe having one made?”
“He is. It will be so sturdy that if you two want to get up on it and dance, y’all can. It’ll be here for the next hundred years—probably two hundred.”
And so the conversation went. When they finally left to head home, Jolene felt as if she knew a few more people. Aside from the uncomfortable few moments with the Matchmakin’ Posse, she liked them. Felt a kindred spirit. These women might not all be cowgirls but they were married to cowboys and they knew and loved the Western heritage lifestyle that drove Jolene. Her family didn’t. Though her mother had been a cook on the ranch for several years, it hadn’t taken her long to leave that behind when she married and moved into town.
But Jolene had it in her blood by then and could not leave it behind. Would not leave it behind.
“How did you come to love being a wrangler?” she asked Maddie as they drove home.
Maddie shot her a smile. “Long story short—I had a rough life, no parents. They left me when I was a kid, so I had no idea what kind of heritage I’d have had if they’d stuck around with me. I was raised in the system and soon as I could leave it and strike out on my own, I chose my own heritage and that involved a love of ranch life. Open spaces and freedom drew me. When I came to New Horizon and CC took me under his wing, well, for the first time in my life, other than Jesus Christ, I finally had a father figure and a place to belong. It’s in my blood. Yours too, huh?”
Jolene’s pulse skipped. “Yes. My dad abandoned us in many ways through using and dealing drugs. He was in and out of jail for years and finally my mom took us and we disappeared so he wouldn’t know where to find us. We ended up out in West Texas—near San Angelo on a big ranch where she took a job as a cook. And I fell in love with the cowboy way. And I’m good at it.”
Maddie slowed the truck. “What’s wrong, Jolene?”
Could she be honest? “I’m attracted to Austin but I have my reasons for being hesitant. One reason is he doesn’t appreciate what I do. He thinks I shouldn’t do it because it’s too dangerous.”
Maddie hooted with laughter. “Causes some friction, doesn’t it?”
Jolene was confused by her reaction. “Yes.”
“You should have seen me and Cliff. Oh wow, there were fireworks of the major kind. He tried to tell me what I should and should not do. And I told him to back off several times. Our romance was not one of candlelight and roses. It was sparky and fire driven and tested by fire, that’s for sure. Still is in many ways. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. That man lights me up in the best of ways and I do the same for him.” She chuckled. “He respects what I do but he worries about me. And he’s a bull rider—I feel the same about him. But we have to move on from that and just trust that our skill, knowledge, and good sense get us through. And the good Lord, too. Nothing reminds me of that more than the robbery at the convenience store. That right there showed us both that the danger lies in unexpected places and we can’t live in fear. Austin should understand that. He was there. He’s a lawman.”
Jolene rubbed her neck, feeling tension tightening there. “Yeah, but he told me his brother-in-law died breaking a horse. That makes this personal.”
“Oh.” Maddie grimaced. “That does bring it closer to home. I didn’t know that about him. I mean I knew that his sister is a widow but I didn’t know it was because of a horse wreck. He works as much overtime as he can get because he’s helping put his sister get her teaching degree.”
Jolene was startled by this. “Really?”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy, Jolene.”
“He sounds like it. But this is just a date. Nothing more, so I hope those ladies, the posse, doesn’t get any ideas,” she warned, still uneasy about that part of the night.
Maddie just laughed. “Oh, well, I hate to tell you but no one can ever predict what those three ladies will do. They love their town and marrying off cowboys thrills them. Austin and the other law of Mule Hollow are their heroes now, for certain. But they’ve already helped marry off Sheriff Brady and Deputy Zane Cantrell-you met his wife Rose tonight. So you can see that Austin is priority now.” She parked the truck in the ranch parking area. “I’m just warning you. Sometimes they come on strong, sometimes subtle. It depends on what they sense. So we’ll see. I mean, they were sitting there when you came back in and Riley stopped you. They saw the way he was looking at you but they never asked questions about that. So I suspect they’re hoping you and Austin are a match.”
Jolene was confused. “Why would they have asked me anything about Riley? He just asked me a question.”
Maddie looked less than convinced. “From where I was sitting, that cute, flirty cowboy looked more interested in you than anyone I’ve noticed since he’s worked for us.”
“He…oh, this is ridiculous. Maddie, I had a good night, kind of an odd night in many ways, but I enjoyed meeting everyone. Now, I’m going to go get some sleep so I can ride some wild horses tomorrow.”
“Welcome to Mule Hollow.” Maddie winked. “Really, you’re going to love it here.”
Jolene let out a big sigh of relief as she headed to her apartment. It had been one evening filled with unexpected events.
“You look nice.” Austin groaned at his lack of originality. But she did look nice and he was tied up in knots. Had been since leaving her at the diner on Thursday night.
He wanted to know more about her. Felt driven to know her. And his curiosity overrode the worry about her career.
She looked surprisingly uncertain. “Thanks. Maddie told me Western was fine.”
He smiled. “It’s a street dance and a country band. Western is more than fine.”
Especially when it looked so good on her. The turquoise Western plaid shirt and jeans with dress boots with sparkly brads on them looked like her. Or at least what he’d come to know of her. “You ready?”
She nodded and stepped outside and pulled the door closed. She didn’t grab a purse, just tucked her key in her pocket. “Ready.”
He led the way to his truck and opened the door for her.
She looked sharply at him. “Thanks, but I could have gotten it.”
“I know. I just wanted to do it.”
“Okay.” She slid into the seat.
Austin moved to stand beside her. “Jolene, I know we have some strain between us but, I’m glad you’re coming to the dance with me. I’m…interested in getting to know you.”
She took a deep breath. “Same here.”
He felt the tension in her and longed to caress her cheek but held back. “Good.” He smiled and closed the door.
Dear Lord, he was flubbing this date already. He stormed around the truck, his gut in knots. He was flubbing and suddenly, for all he was worth, he knew that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Jolene rubbed her damp palms on her jeans and watched Austin stalk around the front of the truck with a grim expression on his face. She was flubbing this date! She couldn’t get her tongue to work. It was stuck to the roof of her mouth and showed no signs of getting free. Saturday had come far sooner than she’d been prepared for. She’d had two days to ride her worries out on the back of wild horses and she was still uncertain why she’d agreed to go out with him when she knew in her heart that he didn’t like that she broke horses for a living. There was no getting past that gulf of difference.
Yes, she was attracted to him. Oh yes, no doubt about that. He looked so handsome tonight in his jeans and dress shirt and Stetson. Yup, she’d be lying to herself if she said otherwise. She’d never felt what she felt when he looked at her. Touched her. Kissed her.
A shiver raced over her at the thought.
She’d stood in front of the mirror in her room and critically studied herself. She’d asked Maddie what she should wea
r to the dance because she’d been uncertain there was anything in her closet that was right. But Maddie had assured her that jeans and a blouse was fine or a sundress if she’d rather. Jolene didn’t own a sundress and had decided that her jeans and dress boots and a plain blue teal blouse was fine. Now, as he slid into the seat beside her, she wished she had something a little more feminine.
He shot her a smile, a nervous smile she realized. The realization tugged at her heart.
She reminded herself she was simply going on this date to get this infatuation or whatever this was for him out of her system. After tonight, she could get back to being herself. The cowgirl who broke horses and was comfortable in jeans and blue shirts and who wouldn’t be caught dead in a sundress.
Chapter Eleven
“It’s been a long time since I went to a dance,” Jolene confessed as they headed to town. “I must confess it’s not my favorite thing.”
“I’ll confess then that I’d rather be fishing. But,” he added quickly, “I’m excited to be going with you.”
“I actually would rather be fishing too. It’s been too long since I dipped a hook in a pond.” She laughed.
There was a moment of silence.
Austin pulled his foot off the gas. “You wouldn’t want to go fishing instead?”
“Really?” A bubble of laughter escaped her. “Well, actually I’d love that. I don’t know if you realize this but you have a cheering section that I met last night. ‘The Posse,’” she made quotation marks, “is going to be there and watching. The thought of being watched so close while I’m dancing almost has me nauseous.”
He pulled the truck to the side of the road. “Are you serious? I know the ladies can be a little, ah…exuberant but in no way do you need to be that uncomfortable. I know where a beautiful lake is—if you’re sure?”
She smiled at him. “Let’s do it. I…I’m in shock.”
He chuckled, deep and sexily; the butterflies in her tummy fluttered. And then he turned the truck around and headed the other way.
He’d gone just a little way and turned down a dirt road. “I’ve been renting a little place since I moved here. I’m planning to look for a place but haven’t had time to look so far and I like the place I’m renting.” He turned in to a drive; a log cabin sat on the edge of a beautiful mid-sized lake.
“Oh wow. This is it?”
“Yeah. I can walk out the back door and fish. Hop on my horse and head for the pastures.”
“It’s perfect,” she said and meant it. “It’s just what I would be looking for if I—” She broke off, feeling suddenly awkward. “When I start looking for a place.”
“That’s what I felt when I turned in to the drive and drove past the trees and saw it.” He looked suddenly relaxed and more comfortable. “Come on, let’s go grab some gear and a cold drink.”
She followed him to the back deck that overlooked the lake. “How big is the lake?”
“About twenty-five acres. Not really that big, but big enough for a guy and a girl to have a good time. Don’t you think?” He winked and she laughed again.
“Yes, I do.” They looked at each other and she couldn’t help smiling. This night had taken such an unexpected turn and she was just thrilled. And more than a little intrigued.
Austin held the refrigerator open and looked back at Jolene. He still couldn’t believe they were in his house and about to go fishing. But he was feeling overwhelmed. It had been like a shell coming off her the moment he’d mentioned fishing. And he couldn’t believe she was so excited. But he liked it. “What would you like? I’ve got tea, Coke, water, orange juice.”
“Water is fine.”
He pulled a couple of bottles out and handed her one. Their fingers met and he took his time letting go. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Her gaze held his. “I’m glad I’m here too. Now, let’s go drop a line.”
He laughed. “Sounds like a plan to me, darlin’.” He paused, seeing the flicker of hesitation in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Jolene. I called you darlin’ because right now that’s how I feel. Don’t let that worry come into your pretty eyes, okay?” He was amazed that this tough woman could look so vulnerable at times. It dug at him and he needed to know why.
“I’m fine. I like what you’ve done with the place,” she said, teasing.
He’d done absolutely nothing with the place. His counters were clear. His walls were vacant and the wood floors were bare of any rugs. “Gee, thanks. I’m glad you like it. As you can tell, there’s been no time. And then when I do have a free moment, the lake or the horses are calling.” The air in the room seemed to evaporate. He wanted to hold her. Instead, he moved to the door. “Let’s go to the lake.”
He paused at the mudroom and grabbed a couple of fishing poles and his tackle box. “Got to have these.” He led the way outside. His heart thundered in his chest like the hooves of a thousand horses stampeding.
Jolene followed Austin out onto the small pier that stretched about twenty feet across the water. There was a small metal rowboat tied to the pier. Austin set the fishing poles in it and the tackle box and the water bottle he’d tucked under his arm. Then he held out his hand to her. Jolene’s fingers still tingled from touching him when he’d handed her the water and it caused her heart rate to kick up even before she slipped her hand into his. Oh boy. His touch was warm and electric as he took her hand. She carefully stepped into the boat and sat down. Then he followed as soon as she was sitting.
The heat of the day had eased some but it was still in the mid-eighties as Austin untied the boat and pushed off from the pier. The water lapped at the small boat as it floated out into the open water of the lake and Jolene felt the calm of the atmosphere surround her. She swallowed a sudden and unexpected lump in her throat and found the ache of tears behind her eyes. What was wrong with her? It was just so perfect.
“Look, we have company,” Austin said quietly as he leaned forward to pick up the oars, pausing first to point toward a deer and her spotted fawn near the water at the far side of the lake.
Jolene had thought it was perfect seconds before; now she knew it was. “Beautiful,” she whispered.
Austin looked at her and nodded. “There’s a lot of beauty here this evening. And my fishing partner is top of the list.”
She smiled and a jolt of joy hit her. “Thanks. I can say the same thing.”
He rowed in long, powerful movements and within seconds they were in the center of the lake. He pulled the oars in and for a moment made no move. They just sat in the calm boat and the sounds of nature surrounded them.
“Are you ready to fish?”
“I’m ready. It’s been awhile. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am.”
He opened the tackle box and she saw the array of lures. “See anything you like?”
You. She met his gaze and then immediately focused on the lures. “This one.” She snagged up one and then reached for her rod and expertly attached it to the line. She felt him watching her.
“I honestly am blown away that you actually know what you’re doing. Did your dad teach you?”
Instead of getting irritated, she just kept doing what she was doing, though she glanced up momentarily at him. “No, my dad was a drug addict and small-time dealer. He didn’t teach me anything except what not to do. He was in and out of jail—and my mom and sister and my lives until when I was around ten. Then my mom took us and we disappeared. She eventually used a lawyer to divorce him but never let him know where we were living. She’d taken a job as a cook on a huge ranch in West Texas. That’s where I fell in love with the Western way of life. I learned everything I know from the cowboys on the ranch. Even fishing.”
Finished with her lure, she quickly, smoothly cast her line out into the still waters of the lake. It hit the surface with an almost silent tap and then she met his curious gaze.
“I’m sorry about your dad.”
She shrugged. “He made choices and those choices weren’t us, his fam
ily. I have to tell you, though, that I saw my dad carted off by the police so many times before I was ten that it causes me a little trouble when I’m around lawmen.”
His brows dipped. “I guess I can understand that. You probably didn’t know what was happening at first.”
“I didn’t. My first memory of it was when I was about five. I cried and screamed and clung to the cop’s leg. That memory is branded into my mind and heart. I don’t necessarily mean to go on the defensive when I get pulled over, but I do it.”
He took a lure and changed out the one on his line. But he stopped before he finished. “So, y’all hid out from your dad. Do you know where he is?”
“He died. And sad as it sounds, I feel regret about that but I’m so removed from him that I honestly struggle to feel love. It’s sad to me.”
“Understandable though.”
“Yes, he wasn’t nice when he was home and his choices put his family at risk. And that’s what spurred my mom to take us into hiding.”
He cast his line. “So you were raised on a ranch around a bunch of cowboys. You enjoyed that?”
“I loved it. We lived there for three years and every moment that I could, I was at the arena. I learned to ride and rope and I was drawn to the horse training. To breaking them. I studied every move the trainers made and though they wouldn’t let me on the back of a wild horse, I managed to sneak in a few rides while I was there.”
He laughed and then sobered. “Did you get hurt?”
“I was nearly fourteen when I crept into the round pen after everyone was asleep. They’d left the horse there that they’d been working with so it would be there, ready the next morning. I caught it—I’m very good at roping—and I was able to put what I’d learned through watching to work and got the saddle on the mare and then I eased up into the saddle.”
“How’d that go?”
Austin (New Horizon Ranch Book 8) Page 7
