Dearest Cowboys Box Set

by Mia Brown

  “A vulture?” Her words had taken me a back a little. I knew she didn’t like me, but calling me a vulture was a little bit harsh and unnecessary.

  She nodded. “Yes. You’re a vulture. You feed off people. Steve is an awful man who doesn’t give a damn about anyone else but himself, but I’m starting to think that you are even worse. Why on earth would you stick up for a man like that? Oh, I know why, because you’re just as bad as him. Money, money, money. That’s all you care about.”

  “Calm down, Dallas. You’re getting far too worked up.”

  Dallas looked exceptionally cute as her face went pink and she put her hands on her hips. I thought of telling her that but I knew it would only make matters worse. “Don’t tell me to calm down. You have no idea what I’m going through.”

  “No, I don’t. And I thought that’s why you came to talk to me. Why come all the way here if you’re only going to insult me and call me names? You know we can go and sit and talk like civilized people.”

  She laughed. “Oh, there’s nothing civilized about you. Anyway, I’m not here to talk to you. I already told you that. I just happened to bump into you.”

  I frowned. “Really? Then why are you here? Did you just come here to fight with me on the streets?”

  Dallas pointed to the florist shop down the road. “I’m going to talk to the florist again and see if he can finally tell me who the hell has been sending me flowers.”

  I smiled. “You got more flowers?” I couldn’t help but be delighted by the fact that she was getting so worked up about them. She also clearly had no idea that they were from me.

  “I did. And I’m going to investigate the source of them. I swear, I’m going to find out who the hell has been sending them to me.”

  I chuckled. “It sounds quite romantic. Come on, a part of you surely likes it?”

  She sighed. “Well the allure of a mystery man sending me flowers is rather nice, I have to admit. But a part of me still thinks it might all be a joke and there’s nothing I like less than being at the end of a joke.”

  I thought of saying something to her, but changed my mind. She seems to hate me even more now, but at least she was showing interest in the flowers. I knew she was intrigued. The only thing I had to do now as to find a way to get into her good graces. I’d have to do it indirectly though. I was about to say something else when she mumbled something and stormed off. I watched her walk, smiling to myself. Seeing Dallas always made me happy. Surely there was something to be said for that. I got into my car and headed home, but when I got there I noticed a car in my driveway that I had never seen before. I knew who it was the moment I saw it. I got out my car, and there she was. My heart did a weird little dance, part nervous, part excited, part angry. It was hard to truly figure out my feelings after all this time. I had gone through so many emotions in the last few years that I no longer knew what I felt for her.

  “Mary.” Saying her name out loud while looking at her was strange. If it wasn’t for the call from Tyler I would’ve assumed I was dreaming right now. I was glad for the heads up, although I wasn’t sure if it gave me much of an advantage right now. I reminded myself that she no longer had any control over me and that I was better than her. The last thing I wanted was to be a tongue tied idiot in front of her and look like a fool.

  Mary turned at the sound of my voice and smiled at me. Her teeth looked whiter than I remembered, her skin tight across her face. Mary had always been beautiful but I wasn’t sure how much I liked how she looked now. She’d clearly had a lot of work done. Perhaps she suited the environment she lived in, but she didn’t look like she belonged here anymore. Then again, she never did.

  “Hi darling,” she said as she came over to kiss me on the cheek. Darling? She hadn’t seen me in two years and she was suddenly calling me darling? Did she used to call me that? I suddenly couldn’t remember. Although I got the impression she called everyone darling.

  “What are you doing here?”

  She smiled. “Is that any way to greet me? I’m here to see you.”

  I nodded. “How long are you here for?”

  “Just a week. Oh, it’s so good to see your handsome face again,” she said as she reached out to stroke my face. “You don’t age. I’ve missed you.”

  “I haven’t heard from you in two years.”

  “Oh, you know what it’s like. I’ve been busy, and with the time difference and all that, it wasn’t easy.”

  “Yeah, it’s tough to keep in contact these days,” I said sarcastically. “I mean, we have email, we have our phones. I can understand how tough it has been on you.”

  “Well, like I said, it wasn’t easy and I’ve been busy. Anyway, I figured you moved on.”

  “I did.” It wasn’t entirely the truth, but the last thing I needed was for her to know that I had pined for her. Although seeing her now I was starting to wonder why.

  “Oh. You have a girlfriend now?” she asked.

  I considered lying and telling her that I did have a girlfriend but if she found out that I had been lying it would be far more embarrassing than telling her that I was still single. “Well, no, but I’ve moved on.”

  “Darling, don’t be so uptight. What we had was something special, but I had to move on. This town was too small for me. It’s too small for you too. You know I’ve always said that about you. Why don’t you come back with me?”

  “You want me to come back to Paris with you?” I asked. I still couldn’t believe that I was standing outside my house and talking to Mary after two years of complete silence. I had dreamed of this moment so often but now that it was here it felt surreal. It was nothing at all like the scenarios that I had imagined. Was it better or worse? So far I wasn’t quite sure. It would all depend on how it ended.

  “Why not? It will be fun. Oh, and I have some gorgeous girls I can set you up with. Of course, we can mess around a bit too. You know, for old times sake, but I think we both know we’re not going to get married or anything. Might as well just have some fun in the process you know. Oh, there’s this guy I like, and I have a feeling he’s going to propose, but up until then I’m a free agent, if you know what I mean.”

  I stared at her. Had she always been this way? Tyler had never liked her, and even though my parents hadn’t said much I knew they felt the same. Was I only seeing her true self now? The more I looked at her, the more unattractive she became to me. I had built her up in my head all these years and turned her into something she wasn’t. Mary wasn’t beautiful. She was fake. Everything she said and did was calculated. Nothing she said was real. Tyler was right. It was good that I was seeing her again, because I really hadn’t moved on from her. All these years I had been pining after a woman who I didn’t really know at all. I smiled.

  “Nah, I think I’m fine here,” I said.

  She frowned. “Really? But it’s Paris. With me. Come on, it will be amazing. Think of the adventure we’d have together. And you’re a lawyer. You’ll do so well there. I can put you in touch with some people. Or you can start your own practice there. In fact, you’ll make more money over there than you could ever imagine. Big house, big car, big clients. You’ll be great.”

  “Oh, I’m sure I’ll be great. But I’m happy here. I love the work I do, and I love being close enough to my family and the ranch. That’s important to me.” The words surprised me. I hadn’t realized how much it all meant to me until now. She was right, I really had always wanted to run away, but now I wasn’t sure why. The town of Raindrop was home and it always would be.

  “They do? I thought you always wanted to get away,” she said. “That’s what you always told me.”

  “Turns out I was right. Everything I ever needed was always right here in front of me. Anyway, it’s been a long day and I am desperate to get inside and relax. Mary, it was good to see you again. I’m glad you’re doing well and I’m happy to hear you’re loving Paris. I wish you all the best for the future.”

  “But…aren’t you going to i
nvite me in?” she suddenly seemed liked a lost child, but I didn’t feel bad for her at all. She was the one who had left me. It was time for me to leave her.

  I shook my head. “Goodnight, Mary.”

  Nine

  Dallas

  I was feeling better after spending my morning out at ranch and dealing with some of the horses which had been affected by the sudden illness sweeping the town. The horses were doing well, and things seemed to be getting under control. Whatever had been going around must’ve stopped because there were no new cases coming in. I never liked to admit when I was scared about something, but deep down I had been worried. Some of the horses had been more ill than I had ever seen and I hadn’t been sure that I could save them. I wasn’t worried about my reputation, but more worried about losing the horses. None of the other animals seemed to be effected so whatever was going around was directed only at the horses. It was odd, but I was glad to see it finally getting better. The man I had been to see had been so grateful to see me that he’d given me a box of chocolates and a bowl of muffins that his wife had baked for me to take home. It wasn’t necessary but it was always nice when I made people happy.

  I was on my way home now. I had called Madison on the way to ask her to meet me at my house. I needed help with inventory and figured we could do the rest of our work from my house. I had no scheduled clients for that day so there was no need to go into the office. Madison was already there when I arrived, and when she saw me getting out of my car with the chocolates she squealed.

  “Your mystery man strikes again. Ooh, and this time he gave you chocolates. And…what’s this?” she asked as she peered into the bowl. “Muffins? He got you muffins?”

  I laughed. “No, these are from Reg. I went to his ranch to check on his horses. He was so happy that he gave me this to take home.”

  “You think he’s your mystery man?” she asked.

  I held up the muffins and shook my head. “His wife baked these. So no. He’s definitely not the mystery man. Come on, let’s go inside. I’ll make coffee and we can have some of these muffins.”

  Inside we ate some food while doing our work, both of us lost on our computers just as we always were in the office. Madison was a hard worker and I enjoyed working with her. Although every now and again she mentioned something about her upcoming marriage and I knew she was getting distracted. This was a once in a lifestyle thing, well if you’re lucky, so I couldn’t hold it against her. She hadn’t set a date yet but it hadn’t stopped her from planning.

  “You think we should get married at a church? Or do you think we should do something outdoors?”

  “Definitely outdoors,” I said. “You could get married at a ranch even. That could be cool. Then instead of driving off in a car, you can gallop off on a horse.”

  She grinned. “But only after all my photos are taken because I don’t want to ruin my dress. Hey, did I show you the dress I was thinking about?” she asked.

  “You didn’t. You already found one?”

  “Well, not really. But I found one online that I love so I want to try and get something made similar to it. What do you think? Would this suit me?” she asked as she turned her computer to me.

  On the screen was a woman wearing a very beautiful and elegant wedding dress which was far more demure than anything I would’ve ever imagined Madison to wear.

  “It’s not what I thought you would go for, but I think it’s perfect.”

  “So do I. And you’re right. I never would’ve thought of something like this for me but the moment I saw it I knew it was the right dress.” She squealed. “I’m so excited. Right, back to work. Sorry, I promise I won’t distract you anymore.”

  I smiled. “It’s okay. I really don’t mind. Anyway, I’m going to start looking for some places now. You know, for when we do eventually move out.”

  “Really?” Madison asked with surprise. “I thought you were going to be stubborn about this and not look for anything. Isn’t that what you’re supposed be doing?”

  “Oh, don’t worry, I don’t plan on moving any time soon. I’m going to make this as difficult for Blaze as I can.”

  “Blaze? What about Steve?” she asked.

  “Steve too. I just happen to have Blaze on my mind because I bumped into him the other day. Remember when I was going to the florist to chat to them? Well, that’s when I saw Blaze. His office is right there. He thought I had come to see him. He wanted to take me out for a drink to discuss matters further. What an idiot. Did he really think I was going to break down that easily? You know what I hate the most about him? I hate that he thinks he can use his looks to get away with anything? I can tell just by the way he smirks at me that he’s expecting me to melt at the sight of his smile. What an idiot.”

  Madison chuckled. “I thought you didn’t think he was good looking.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You sort of do though, don’t you?”

  I sighed. “Dammit. It’s not fair. Why can’t he be ugly?”

  “You sure you don’t like the guy?”

  “Are you kidding me?” I said to her. “I definitely don’t like him.”

  “Sometimes there’s a thin line between love and hate,” she teased.

  “And sometimes it’s very obvious which side of the line you fall on with someone. I’m the hate side with him. Trust me. He’s good looking, but other than that he’s not my type at all. And I’m definitely not his type.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Don’t you remember that woman he used to go out with? Mary or something like that. They worked together and then ended up getting together. He even brought her back to the ranch to meet his family but rumor has it that they didn’t like her. I actually met her. I was over a the ranch checking on their horses that day. Blaze didn’t know I was there, but when Tyler took Mary to see the horses, I met her. Blaze was apparently madly in love with her. So trust me, if he liked a girl like that then he would never like a girl like me. She was the opposite of me.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot about Mary. I never met her but I do recall hearing about her. Ooh, maybe you’re right. He obviously has a certain type. No wonder he went back into law. Didn’t she break his heart though?”

  I shrugged. “Who cares?”

  Madison chuckled. “Wow you really don’t like the guy, do you?”

  “He’s on Steve’s side. I definitely don’t like him.”

  “Good point.”

  Madison went back to work while I continued to look for new premises. I didn’t want to move but I knew that it would eventually happen. If not this month then certainly in the next few to come. I needed to start looking now so that I wasn’t without work space. I needed somewhere to put all my stuff, because there was no way it would all fit into my small house. There were a few options on the market but nothing nearly as nice as what I now had. Just in case I popped the agent an email to say that I was interested in taking a look.

  There was a knock on my door and I jumped up to get it. I couldn’t imagine who it could be as not many people visited unannounced and I definitely didn’t know of any visitors due to come over. So it was a great surprise to find another delivery man standing there holding yet another bouquet of flowers for me. It wasn’t the same guy as the last time but this guy also had no idea who the flowers were from. This time I didn’t bother to attack him with a million questions because I knew he wouldn’t have an answer.

  “Beautiful flowers,” he said as I signed for them.

  I looked at the flowers and smiled. Each bouquet I got seemed to get bigger and more colorful than the one before and this one was no exception. I couldn’t help but smile. “They sure are,” I said.

  Madison’s eyes widened when she took in the flowers.

  “Reg?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “Not this time. I’m guessing they’re from the same person as before.”

  “Wow, they’re beautiful. Dallas, you are one lucky lady. I wonder who keeps doing this?”<
br />
  “I have no idea, and this time they came to my home instead of my office. So whoever has sent these knows a bit about me.”

  “Well, to be fair, it’s a small town. Still though, that doesn’t really narrow it down for you. It could be anyone. Oh, this is so exciting. Hey, I just realized something,” she said.

  “What’s that?”

  “You haven’t complained yet. Usually by now you would be mumbling and grumbling about how annoying it is to get flowers from someone you don’t even know, but you haven’t said a word. In fact, you seem quite happy with this delivery. Is it fair to say that you have changed your mind about this? Are you actually enjoying it?”

  I chuckled. “It’s just really hard to get angry when the flowers are so beautiful. I don’t like not knowing who they are from, but whoever is sending these to me seems to know exactly when I need some cheering up. And look, the little card has a picture of a horse. That’s so sweet.”

  “Still no note though?”

  I looked at the card and sighed. “No. Just my name. And I have no idea who this handwriting belongs to.”

  “But you’re happy?”

  I sighed. “I hate to admit it, but yes, I’m happy.”

  Madison chuckled. “Finally!”

  Ten

  Blaze

  Another day, another meeting with Steve. I was dreading it. He was due in an hour and I was probably drinking far too much coffee while waiting for him to arrive. I loved coffee, but one cup too many always made me feel anxious. When my phone rang I trembled as I answered it and hoped that it was Steve calling to cancel. I really wasn’t in the mood for him. It wasn’t Steve though.

  “Hey bro. How’s it going?”

  “Hi Tyler. Yeah, not bad. Waiting for a client.”

  “Ah, can you talk?”