Cowboy Casanova (Wild At Heart Cowboys Book 3)

by Charlene Bright

  “Bill used to have pigs, but he hasn’t in a while. I thought it would be a good time to get him some more so we can fatten them up for fall, and he can make a little extra money off them. But the sty needs some work, and the troughs are falling apart. I’m repairing the fencing around the sty and rebuilding the troughs.”

  “Pigs? I never thought it would be that much trouble to keep pigs.” Tara assumed they were lazy animals who rolled in the mud and ate leftovers.

  “Once you have a good place to keep them, they’re not a big deal. They don’t need a ton of maintenance, as long as you keep them fed and watered. But they get plenty big enough to start running around aimlessly and knock down the fence where it’s rotten. And they aren’t like cattle. You can’t really chase them down and rope them.”

  “So, how big of an investment are pigs? I mean, how much up front cost is it to buy them?” She put the plate in front of him, and his eyes lit up as he dove in.

  She waited patiently for him to get something in his stomach—that beautiful washboard of his—to get her answer. “If I can get in touch with our fire chief today or tomorrow, he probably has a couple of little squealers he’ll sell for dirt cheap. And then it’s just a matter of bulking them up. If we get a litter out of it, that would be good, too. But I should be able to sell his sow for at least five times what I pay, as long as I get the chief to work with me.”

  She suddenly imagined the package of bacon in her fridge and the ham she’d just put on the sandwich Dylan was eating, and she realized that was exactly what he was talking about. He was referring to selling a sow for slaughter, to make bacon and sausage and ham. Suddenly, she felt sick, and she shook her head. She had to change the subject.

  “So, what else do you do? I mean, for this ranch? And for yours?” She slid into the chair across from him, focusing on her tea and the handsome planes of his face rather than the meat on his sandwich. Living on a ranch, even temporarily, might just turn her into a vegetarian.

  He scowled, looking like he was deep in thought. “It’s hard to say. A lot of it is just so ingrained in me I don’t even think about it anymore. I feed and exercise my horses. I have a few crops. We had a fire here in the forest not too long ago, so I’ve had to salvage the wood, but I chop firewood and sell it. Bill didn’t plant anything this year, but I’ve got to keep his fields tilled and whatnot so they’ll produce next season. Oh, I have sheep. I sheared them the other day and sold the wool. Other than that, I couldn’t even tell you. Feed and water animals. Flake the horses and groom them. The usual upkeep.”

  She shook her head in amazement. “The usual, you say. I don’t know anything about any of that, but it sounds like you stay busy. Do you ever relax?”

  A loud burst of laughter erupted from his lips, surprising and delighting her. “The closest I get to relaxing is when I get to sit back and ride one of my horses here and there. I might watch a show on TV with Bill from time to time or sit and talk with him a couple hours a week. That’s about it.”

  Well, that attitude didn’t leave much room for dating, so she assumed he was single. And would likely stay that way. She didn’t know why that would matter. It wasn’t like she needed to complicate her life by getting involved with anyone, much less a man who lived hundreds of miles from her and was a virtual stranger. “You need a vacation,” she said simply.

  “Ranching isn’t like an office job. You can’t go away to Bermuda for a week and not feed the animals or water the crops,” he told her, his eyes dancing with amusement even as his expression registered a modicum of resentment.

  She thought about it for a minute. “Well, some people hire pet sitters and house sitters when they go away on vacation. Isn’t there someone who can watch over the ranch for at least a day or two while you get away?” It seemed plausible, since Dylan spent so much time on Bill’s property. And he wasn’t even getting paid!

  “I wish it was that simple.” He looked exhausted as he polished off his food, but also anxious to get back to work.

  She wasn’t going to let him go back out there just yet, though. “Look, you should at least take a few minutes and hit the shower,” she said. “It’ll give you a few more minutes to catch your breath and give you a little boost.”

  “I don’t want to disturb Bill,” he said, glancing toward the closed bedroom door.

  She rolled her eyes. “Were you not living in this other bedroom before I came? Use my bathroom. Unless you’re terrified that some melon-scented shampoo is going to attack you,” she teased.

  “If that’s all right with you,” he relented, looking grateful as she nodded and pointed him back toward her room. As he finally disappeared into the room, she was almost disappointed that he closed the door. She’d had a sudden fantasy that she might catch a flash of him without his clothes on. Now, wouldn’t that be a memory she could carry with her for the rest of her lonesome life?

  She heard the water running and sighed as she stood, getting back to the cleanup she’d interrupted to feed Dylan. Tara didn’t have any obligations to anyone but her charges, and she’d always considered it a blessing. But now, hearing how solitary and lonely his life sounded to her ears, she had to consider that her own life wasn’t much different. There wasn’t someone to relieve her, no family living with her, no real friends. She didn’t see her coworkers except at training sessions, so she was pretty much alone. Even Dylan seemed to have more than that, since Bill was his friend. And he talked about the fire chief and a couple of other people he interacted with.

  For Tara, it was literally just her patients, an occasional call from her boss, and maybe visitors to her patients who mostly ignored her existence. It made her think more about what it would be like to settle down. Maybe it was just a phase she’d hit, but she’d always been content with this lifestyle. Now, she questioned how much she missed having friends. Sure, that meant drama, but it also meant a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear to turn to.

  How much more fulfilling would it be to have a partner in life, someone to go through everything with? Someone who was there to warm the bed beside you every night and eat breakfast with you every morning?

  And perhaps the reason she could picture it now was because she had a face she could apply to it. She’d sat at the kitchen table with Dylan, and that by no means counted as a date or the start of a relationship at all, but it gave her an idea of how to have conversation over a meal with someone. And it gave her a handsome fill-in to dream about as her partner.

  But dreams were for dreamers, and Tara was a realist. She tucked all of that away and went back to her fantasy. Picturing Dylan stark naked in the shower with water running down that incredible body was very different than creating a home and two kids with a stranger. And the vividness of her imagination definitely inspired her to peer over her shoulder every once in a while, just in case. Who knew? Maybe he would have a memory lapse and walk out here undressed, looking for some clothes.

  7

  Dylan couldn’t remember the last time he’d stood and stared at the sunset on the horizon, but tonight, it was a beautiful blend of rose, gold, and tangerine. He was mesmerized, couldn’t look away, and his thoughts wandered to a place just beyond that horizon.

  He’d never traveled much, so he even though he knew a bit about Cheyenne and some of the other towns around here, he knew Tara had come from somewhere further away than that. And even the thought of getting that far out of town, having a break from Five Forks and all the responsibilities he carried with him every day, seemed impossible and yet enticing. He was weary, and something about her suggestion that he needed a vacation had been bugging him all week long.

  After that conversation at lunch, he had avoided her, feeling a bit strange about using her bathroom. Sure, he’d been using it for months, but he’d picked up her body wash, sniffed, and felt his groin twitch. That was what she smelled like, and it was intoxicating. He’d had the inclination to invite her into the shower with him, and that was wholly inappropriate. So, he
had tucked himself away, physically and figuratively, and had gone about his business.

  But every day since, he’d found some excuse to get up to the ranch house and talk to her, even if it was just for a minute or two. He’d spent some time lubricating hinges on some of the squeaky doors, delivered some sweet rolls from the bakery, and brought Bill a couple of books from the library in Monroe, a tiny town a few miles away.

  The truth was, Tara intrigued him because she was from somewhere else, from a more urban lifestyle, and she was awed at the hard work they carried on at the ranches around here. Beyond that, she was a kind, caring woman who’d stuck herself in a career that was almost as lonely as his. He hadn’t intended on creating a situation for himself that kept him from getting close to anyone, but it seemed to work for him. He didn’t have to worry about what time he got home or if he even came home at night. He didn’t have to consult anyone else before making a financial decision. He had responsibilities to others he’d taken on his shoulders, but he didn’t have accountability to anyone.

  But as the light faded and he stood at the back of Bill’s house where he’d been hanging a fallen shutter, he wondered what it would be like to come home to a fire burning and a warm meal waiting for him. Or to share an accomplishment with someone who smiled at him with sparkling blue eyes and celebrated it with as much enthusiasm as he did.

  And the idea of going on vacation alone didn’t thrill him. He hadn’t said as much to her, but that was part of the reason he’d never bothered. It didn’t matter where you went to get away from work. Sitting on a beach without someone else to share it with was just as lonely as feeding the sheep and knowing he didn’t have anyone waiting for him when he was done. It sounded miserable and pathetic, and he wasn’t looking for pity or sympathy.

  But maybe he was looking for companionship.

  Maybe that was why he enjoyed short exchanges with Tara. Around here, the only people he had to talk to knew everything there was to know about him. They’d grown up together, in the same small town and at the same schools. And anything new they could talk about was just gossip. With Tara, there was real mystery and, at least for him, a true desire to get to know her. She seemed just as sincerely interested in his background, too, and it fueled him to actually share a bit of himself with her.

  He wasn’t a man of many words most of the time. In fact, being around Bill had prompted him to start talking more. There wasn’t much else to fill the time they spent camped out by the toilet when Bill was having a bad day. But normally, he wasn’t good with conversation. But to get Tara to engage with him, he found himself thinking up something to say, a conversation starter or a detail that might spark her interest.

  He thought about showing her some of the workings of the ranch, but that would draw her away from Bill. She was here for a job, and it would be wrong to take her away from that for his own personal satisfaction. And since Bill actually seemed to be doing a bit better, Dylan didn’t want to disrupt whatever routine she had created to help him. He had just considered ambling around the ranch, looking at different things so he could watch her face light up as she learned the ropes. Maybe he’d flirt a little. He wasn’t great at it, but he could throw a couple of teasers her way.

  Then again, that was like a date, and he didn’t date. He didn’t deal with women like that, and he certainly wouldn’t know how to impress someone who was probably far more worldly than he was, even if he wanted to. Clenching his jaw as the stars started to sparkle overhead, he told himself to keep his feet on the ground and get back to work. He couldn’t stand around, creating scenarios in his head that may or may not make him a happy man, especially when it was clearly evident that those scenarios were never going to become reality.

  Tucking the tools back in the box, he tipped his hat back and strode around toward the front of the house. He’d promised Bill he’d come in for a few minutes to talk before he headed home, and he would stand by his promises, even if he thought it would be better not to be around Tara tonight. He was vulnerable, for whatever reason, and he didn’t want her to notice. She was perceptive, which was probably a blessing, given her choice of careers, but that made things difficult for him when he didn’t want anyone seeing down to his core.

  Inside, he realized how late it was when he saw her washing dinner dishes and noted that Bill was sitting on the couch in front of the television and nodding off. He gave her a quick smile and proceeded toward Bill, forcing himself not to stop and chat. “Hey, old man,” he said, sliding onto the couch beside him. “You look plum tuckered out.”

  Bill blinked and cleared his throat, trying to wake up enough for conversation. He had a little color back in his cheeks, and he hadn’t lost any more weight. He seemed to be more tired most of the time, but at least that meant he slept, something that had been a problem for weeks. Bill’s smile showed more lines, but it was genuine. “I’m not the one working all the time. Your eyes look as old as mine right now. You’ve got to slow down, son, or you’ll wear yourself out and never catch a woman.”

  “I didn’t plan on going fishing,” Dylan growled, not happy about the direction of the conversation, considering that he’d been having doubts about his resolve.

  “Well, you should. Find yourself a nice girl, like Tara. She’s a good one.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to the woman in the kitchen. “If she can make me better, a woman like that could sure as hell give you a good spit shine.”

  “I’d rather not have a woman spit on me, Bill,” Dylan teased, trying to lighten the mood. “I’d assume she was pissed off at me for something if that happened. I tend to think of spitting on someone as an offense.”

  “You’re a damn fool, Dylan!” Bill laughed, and for once, he didn’t start coughing. That was impressive, and Dylan wondered if there was something specific Tara had done to help calm that cough. Of course, he wasn’t going to ask her about it. In fact, he didn’t even want to be having the discussion they were having right now. But he would try to humor Bill until he just couldn’t take it anymore. “Really, though, son. I’m in good hands now, although I think I’d rather have her in mine if you know what I mean.”

  “Don’t be crude,” Dylan chided, snapping a little harder than he’d intended. He didn’t like the idea of anyone else’s hands on Tara, even if he couldn’t get his own hands on her. Besides, he didn’t want Bill to offend her and have her packing her bags. At least right now, he could catch a glimpse of her here and there, even if he didn’t particularly want to be with her.

  “Relax, Dylan. I’m behaving just fine. I couldn’t do anything about it if I wanted to. All these drugs I have to take got me down for the count. But I can tease her a bit without any harm done. Don’t be so overprotective of people before you know what in Sam Hill’s going on!” He shook his head. “The point is, you don’t have me on your plate now, and I don’t think you need to do much for my place anymore. I’m not going to be around long enough to keep it going, so whoever buys it can just take the discount based on the condition. Take care of yourself. Find a good girl.”

  “Now, listen to me, old man,” Dylan said, pointing a finger in Bill’s bony chest. “I didn’t take care of you just to have you throw in the towel. You got a lot of time left in you. I don’t want to hear that talk again.”

  “I’m just being realistic,” Bill said, suddenly very somber. “I go to the doctor on Monday, and if that guy suddenly has a miracle up his sleeve, I’ll dance a jig with you. But let’s face it, Dylan. We both have to accept I’m coming down to the wire.”

  “Speaking of which,” came Tara’s voice as she entered the room, wiping her hands on a towel, “I wanted to talk to you about the doctor’s appointment.”

  Dylan wasn’t sure he could talk about the doctor. First of all, he was almost in a panic now, wondering how much of the conversation Tara had heard. She’d startled him by cutting into the discussion when he hadn’t realized she could hear them. He needed to be more alert. But then, he was also upset at the m
ention of Bill’s impending death. He was never good with that topic, and right now, he was having a little trouble controlling his emotions.

  But she continued, looking him right in the eye. “I have no problem taking him. But I thought that, if you happened to have time, which I doubt, I would invite you to come along, if you wanted to. All his vitals are much better, and he’s had a lot less vomiting, which is a good sign. I’m hoping we hear something promising, and I felt you might be interested in hearing that news firsthand.”

  Dylan stared at her, not quite sure how to respond. Was she really inviting him to go with them, just to be kind? Or was she trying to get his help without admitting that she needed it? She seemed to be one of those people who was typically very straightforward and unafraid to ask for help, but maybe she didn’t want Bill to think she couldn’t handle him alone. Or maybe she didn’t want him to think he was a burden.

  His face must have looked upset because she held up her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. I know you’re extremely busy. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot, knowing how much you have to do.”

  “No, don’t worry about that. I can always rearrange my schedule.” He punched Bill with a light, playful fist on the shoulder. “What do you think, old man? Should I tag along and make sure you act like a gentleman? Or just for moral support one more time, for old time’s sake?”

  “Aw, hell, Dylan. You know I always want you here. But I don’t want you wasting your time on me. You got things to take care of, a life to live, and that life is going to last a whole lot longer than mine. Don’t get tied up with me.”

  Dylan didn’t like his tone, and he exchanged a worried glance with Tara, who was definitely concerned. “I’m going,” he said definitively. He looked to Tara again. “What time do I need to be here?”