Dearest Cowboys Box Set

by Mia Brown

  “There aren’t even any guests at the moment.”

  “Yeah, it’s out of season, but they’ll come. They always do. And anyway, you know as well as I do that there is sometimes more to do out of season then there is in season. Having you here would be a huge help, and it would be fun. Don’t you want to have fun?”

  “I have a lot of fun thank you very much,” I said.

  Tyler grinned. “Oh, I know why you want to be a lawyer.”

  “And why’s that?” I asked.

  “You want to impress all those fancy woman with your suit and tie. I bet all the girls love you.”

  I laughed. “That’s exactly why I’m doing it. For the girls. What about you? Got your eye on anyone lately?”

  “Not at the moment, but I’m sure that will change when the next group of tourists come over. There’s nothing those hot babes want more than a cowboy.”

  I chuckled at that. “You know, maybe I should come back after all.”

  Seven

  Dallas

  I lay in bed, thinking about what was going to happen to my office. I had spent so much time and effort on finding the perfect place for my practice that the thought of looking for something else made me feel physically ill. It wasn’t fair. Steve had a lot of money. Why did he have to choose my particular building to take? It was obvious that he didn’t care one bit about my well-being, or the well-being of my customers. He didn’t have a pet, so he had no idea how important they were. The more I lay there, the more angry I became. Then I started to think about Blaze, and how he had come to do Steve’s dirty work. I wasn’t sure who was worse out of the two of them. Steve was a horrible man, but Blaze was just as bad if he was willing to work for him. What was worse was that Blaze knew the importance of my work. He had worked on his family’s ranch for a while, he had lived and breathed ranch work his whole life. He claimed to love horses, but I wasn’t sure. If he really loved them as much as he said he did then he wouldn’t let this happen.

  I closed my eyes, willing myself not to think about Blaze, but his stupid face kept floating to the front of my mind. I hated that he was so good looking. I hated that I found him so attractive. I had told Madison that I didn’t think of him in that way, but I was lying. Of course I was lying. How on earth could I not think of him as good looking? He was one of the hottest guys I had ever seen. Even if he did walk around wearing a cowboy hat with that ridiculous suit of his. I hated that he affected me so much, and I threw the covers off myself and jumped out of bed. I needed a cold shower, and I needed to get both him and Steve out of my mind. Perhaps they were right. Maybe I should’ve just taken the money and moved out. I knew I was only making life more difficult for myself. But I also knew that there was no chance I was going to back down. He’d started a war with me and I was going to make sure that I walked out a winner one way or another. I wished I had a lawyer on my side for this, but the only lawyer I knew was Blaze and he was on the side of the opposition. Also, I couldn’t afford a lawyer. I did well as a vet, but all my money went back into the practice. There was no way I had enough money to fight this. I also knew deep down that it was a lost battle. The only thing I could do was to make their life more difficult.

  After a cool shower, I got ready and made my way over to the office. Madison was already there, and she smiled when she saw me.

  “Guess what?” she said with a grin.

  “Must I really guess or are you just going to tell me?” I said.

  She laughed. “Guess.”

  “Uh, Steve has decided to back down and he’s letting us stay here for the rest of our lives?”

  “Not quite. Guess again.”

  “You’re pregnant.”

  She gasped. “No! Don’t jinx it. I’m too young for that. You, on the other hand, are not too young. You really should start thinking about settling down soon, you know.”

  I groaned. “How did you manage to turn this around so quickly to make it about me? I’m not thinking of settling down any time soon because I haven’t met anyone worth settling down with. Now, enough about me, back to you. Okay, so you’re not pregnant. Uh…you’re engaged?”

  She beamed and waved her hand in the air. “I’m engaged.”

  I stared at her in surprise. I had only been joking. I honestly hadn’t expected her to say yes to that. I rushed over to see her ring and grinned. It was beautiful and exactly the sort of ring Madison would like. Jack obviously knew her well. Either that or she had picked it out herself which is not something I would put past her.

  “Oh wow, Madi, that’s gorgeous. Congratulations. Was it a surprise?”

  “A total surprise. I mean, we’ve spoken about it before, but just casually. I never thought he’d actually do it. In fact, I thought he was scared of marriage. He said he was only trying to make me think that so that I didn’t suspect anything. Can you believe it? He’s so sneaky.”

  “How did he propose?” I asked in excitement. I had to admit that there was something very special about a proposal. Even for someone as grumpy as me when it came to love. Also, I was happy for Madison. She was young, maybe too young for marriage, but she had wanted this for so long.

  She sighed with contentment. “Well, he took me out to my favorite restaurant, but he hired out the entire balcony section so it was just the two of us. Even then I still had no idea. I just thought he was being super romantic with me because he wanted to get lucky that night. Which is ridiculous really, because he always gets lucky with me. Anyway, he had the whole thing all planned out. From my favorite food, to my favorite wine, and then right at the end of the night he simply got out the ring and gave me this whole speech about how much he loves me. It was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. Oh, I have pictures.” She got out her phone to show me. “I took the photos throughout the night because the place was so beautiful.”

  I looked through all the photos and smiled. Jack had outdone himself and there was no denying that he had created the perfect proposal for her. I was glad that he hadn’t done anything too outlandish because as much as Madison liked drama, she was also a very down to earth girl at the core. Something sweet and romantic actually suited her more than you would realize on first glance. Most people didn’t know that about her but Jack certainly did and that made me like him even more.

  “I’m so happy for you,” I said to her. “And I’m impressed with Jack.”

  “I can’t stop smiling.”

  “I don’t blame you,” I said. “I’m smiling for you.”

  She grinned. “You see, you’re a romantic too.”

  I laughed. “Only sometimes. I must admit though, this has put me in a much better mood. I was so annoyed this morning.”

  “How come?”

  I sighed. “Oh, you know, this whole Steve and Blaze thing. They’re so frustrating. I really don’t want to move us. I like it here.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. We’ll figure something out, Dallas. We always do.”

  I smiled at Madison. She was in far too much of a good mood to let anything bring her down, but the truth was unfortunately a lot more dire than she realized. “I don’t know. I’m worried,” I told hr. “It’s going to be expensive to move, and it’s going to take a lot to prepare a whole new facility to be able to handle veterinary operations. Remember how much it took me to set this place us. And it’s not like we are the most profitable business around. I know we charge a lot sometimes, but all that money just goes back in here. We’re definitely not doing this for the money, that’s for sure.”

  Madison nodded. “No, we definitely aren’t. Which is exactly why I think it’s all going to work out. You’re not thinking of taking that offer are you?”

  “Hell no. Maybe I should, and maybe I’ll regret it, but I can’t bring myself to do it.”

  “You’re stubborn. I like it,” Madison said.

  “I sure am, and I don’t feel like being pushed out by Steve. I’ve been a good tenant and I’ve done nothing wrong. I still remember him telling me
how I could have this place as long as I wanted. I told him I would probably have it for the rest of my life and he was pleased by that. Now he gets these grand ideas and it’s who cares about me anymore. It’s so annoying. The guy doesn’t care about us, or the animals in the slightest. He’s a good for nothing—”

  “Uh oh. Is this a bad time?”

  I looked up to see a delivery man standing at the door. He’d opened without either Madison or I having noticed him.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I’m glad you interrupted. I was getting a bit too worked up.”

  “Well, hopefully I can bring you some good news then,” he said with a grin and held up an even bigger bouquet of flowers than the previous time. The flowers were so beautiful, an array of so many different colors that it was impossible not to put a smile to your face.

  “Wow, those are beautiful. Jack is on a roll,” I said to Madison.

  “You sure they’re for me? Maybe they’re from your secret admirer?” She teased.

  I laughed. “No, I think he gave up on me.”

  “It says here that these are for a Dallas Thomas,” the man said.

  I gasped. “Really?”

  Madison burst out laughing. “I told you.”

  I got up to take the flowers from the man and to sign to say I received them and then I asked him who they were from. The man checked his notes but shook his head.

  “Sorry, but once again I don’t have any details for you. Whoever is sending you these flowers obviously doesn’t want you to know who they are.”

  I groaned. “But what’s the point?”

  The man looked at Madison. “Is she always like this?”

  “Always,” Madison said. “I keep telling her to be happy about it. I mean, they’re flowers from an admirer, what’s not to love?”

  “Exactly,” the man said. “Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t give you any more news, but I hope they cheer you up. You should speak to the florist if you want to know who sent them.”

  “I already did and they couldn’t tell me.”

  The man frowned. “Hmm. That’s odd. They always know who sends the flowers. You should try again. I mean, that’s if you really want to know. My personal opinion would be to just enjoy the flowers and to not worry about where they are coming from. I’m sure it will be revealed in due time. I think it’s romantic.”

  “So do I,” Madison said.

  I thanked the man and took the flowers to my desk. They were so huge that I had to get two vases to put them in. I sat down, staring at them, trying to figure out who on earth could be doing this to me. I gasped when an idea came to mind.

  “I think I have an idea,” I said.

  “Ooh, I thought it was Will?” Madison said.

  I shook my head. “Maybe, but I don’t think so.”

  “So who do you think they’re from?” she asked in excitement. She was at my desk now, looking at the flowers as if they were going to reveal the answer to her.

  “Steve.”

  “Steve? As in Steve Compton? As in our landlord, Steve? The creep?”

  “Yep. That one.”

  “Why on earth would Steve the creep send you flowers when he’s trying to kick you out of this place?” she asked.

  “Maybe he’s trying to put me in a good mood. Maybe he’s trying to sweeten the deal. Well, it’s not going to work.”

  Madison sighed. “Or maybe you really just do have a secret admirer.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Go and speak to the florist again. I think you need to get to the bottom of this.”

  Eight

  Blaze

  It was nearing the end of the day, and it was time to leave the office. Tyler said I worked too hard and he was probably right. Being in front of my computer all day was probably not a good thing. I rubbed my tired eyes and wondered if I was doing the right thing. I kept telling everyone how much I loved my job, but sometimes I wasn’t sure. Being at the ranch with my family had made me question things all over again, and I hated the insecurities it had placed in me. I had always been a confident guy. The sort of person who always went after his dreams without ever looking back. Lately, however, I wasn’t sure what my dreams were. I loved the ranch, but being a lawyer had always been my dream. I was good at it too. I glanced up and looked at the wall where I had placed all my qualifications. I had excelled in this career and I should be proud of myself. Why was I doubting myself so much lately?

  I was about to go when Tyler called me.

  “Guess who I just saw?” he said.

  “Who?”

  “Aren’t you going to guess?”

  I groaned. “I can, but something tells me I’m not going to get it right. Go on, tell me.”

  “Mary.”

  “What? Are you serious? Where?”

  “At Bramptons.”

  “At Bramptons?” I asked in surprise. Bramptons was the local food store close to my family ranch, and not the place I would ever have thought Mary would be. Then again, Mary was supposed to be in Paris. “Did you talk to her?”

  “I did. She’s in town for a week. She asked about you. I didn’t say too much. I wasn’t sure how much you’d want me to say. Anyway, I’m pretty sure she’ll be in contact with you soon.”

  I sighed. “How did she look?”

  “Like she’d just stepped out of a fashion magazine.”

  “As usual.”

  “She’s even more polished than before. The lifestyle suits her. Anyway, I just wanted you to know in case you bump into her. Thought I’d give you the heads up. For what it’s worth, I’m glad she left you.”

  I sighed. “I have no idea how I feel.”

  “Then maybe it’s good if you see her again. You need to move on.”

  “Tyler, I moved on from Mary years ago.”

  “Did you though?” he asked.

  I groaned. “I don’t know.”

  After the phone call, I sat back in my chair and thought about Mary. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about her recently because she always popped into my head every few weeks. It was hard not to think about the woman you had thought was the love of your life. The woman who had one day decided that I was not good enough for her. I wasn’t always so cynical. When I had first left the ranch to pursue my dream of being a lawyer, I had met Mary. She was an assistant to one of the other lawyers in the building and it had been love at first sight for me. Mary was beautiful. She was tall, curvy, and full of sass. She knew exactly what she wanted in life and nothing would stop her from getting it. I thought I had met the woman of my dreams. We’d started seeing each other almost immediately, and a year into the relationship I was sure that I was going to propose to her. I took her to the ranch to meet the family, and even though it was obvious they didn’t approve I was so sure that they would one day see her the way I saw her. Then, just as I was about to go shopping for a ring, she phoned to tell me she had received a job offer in Paris. The next day, she was gone. She broke up with me over the phone as if I had never meant anything to her. Since then, I had never quite been the same.

  I shoved thoughts of Mary out of my head. Today had been a frustrating day. I had spent about an hour on the phone with Steve who was still being stubborn about getting Dallas out. He had reviewed his records and was looking for any pay irregularities that could be used against Dallas. He was hoping to find something to get her out of there quickly. I couldn’t help but feel bad for Dallas, but I had already agreed to being Steve’s lawyer and it was too late to back out. Right now Steve wasn’t doing anything illegal so it would be unprofessional of me to just let him go because of my feelings toward Dallas. Anyway, Dallas really was being a bit too stubborn about all of this. She had friends and family that could help her, and the offer of a thousand dollars could’ve gone a long way if she had allowed it. She was making this so much harder than she had to. Perhaps I should’ve approached the whole thing differently. She didn’t like Steve and she didn’t like to see that I was on his side. I should�
�ve gone with a more gentle approach. I was sure that she knew she would eventually be kicked out, and leaving now would’ve been so much easier. Now I seemed to have just fueled her fire and made her want to stay even more. Steve would be angry if he knew I had actually made things worse for him.

  I sighed and switched off my computer. My head was buzzing with thoughts of Steve, Mary and Dallas and I could no longer concentrate on anything. All I needed was a cold beer and a good movie to get my mind off everything. Living alone could be lonely at times which is why I tried to keep as busy as possible, but tonight I actually didn’t mind a night by myself. I needed to unwind. I grabbed my coat and headed out, but as I left the office I almost bumped straight into someone.

  “Sorry,” I said as I gathered my wits about me. Then I noticed who it was and I smiled. Dallas. Even though she was annoying me lately I couldn’t help but feel happy to see her. There was just something about her that always put a smile to my face. It also didn’t harm that she was so easy on the eye. Dallas was beautiful in an unassuming sort of way. She didn’t try too hard and that was probably what made her even more attractive to me. “Oh, hi Dallas. I’ve actually just locked up but I would be more than happy to go back in if you want to discuss your options. I’m glad you came to chat. Want to go into the office or do you want to go for a drink somewhere? There’s a great little place down the road.” The thought of a night with Dallas was far more interesting than a night at home by myself.

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “No, I do not want to go for a drink with you.” Her answer was curt and decisive.

  “Oh, well, okay then, we can go into the office. I can make us some coffee if you like.” Of course, I knew she was going to say no, but I couldn’t help myself. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t at least try.

  “I don’t want coffee, and I don’t want to go to your office. Did you really think that I came here just to talk to you? What do you think I want? You do you really think I’m going to cave in to Steve’s demands? No, I’m not going to do that. You’re just his little puppet. Doing his dirty work. I know what you are. You’re a vulture.”