Dearest Cowboys Box Set

by Mia Brown

  I grinned at the two of them. “I think you should. Otherwise I’ll have to put up with a very miserable Tyler.”

  “It’s true,” Tyler said. “I’m a changed man.”

  They stayed for another half an hour but then said they had a dinner reservation to go to. They asked if I wanted to go with but I could see that they didn’t really want me to. I thought of saying yes just to make things uncomfortable for Tyler but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Their relationship was still new and they needed to spend some time together as a couple.

  “I’m going to have another drink and then head home,” I said. “But it was lovely to meet you, Veronica. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

  “Horse ride next week?” Tyler said.

  “Definitely.”

  I ordered myself another beer and sat alone with my thoughts. I was already feeling a bit drunk as I had somehow managed to drink two beers and a whiskey with Tyler and Veronica. I cringed when I saw Will coming through the door and turned away from him hoping he hadn’t seen me. I noticed that he went to the bar to get himself a drink and wondered if I could finish my drink before he started looking for a table. I still had a full beer though. The only way I could get out of this was to leave my drink and make a run for it.

  “Blaze, hi, mind if I join you?”

  I looked at Will and found that I couldn’t say no. He really was just such a nice guy and he had done absolutely nothing wrong to me. I was the one who was always so rude to him. I already felt guilty that I had thought of bolting the moment I saw him.

  “Of course,” I said. “Take a seat. Uh, how are you?” I said awkwardly.

  “I’m fine. Been quite busy at the ranch. We’ve had some new horses in so it’s always quite an adjustment. But it’s going well. Hey, I heard that you dropped Steve as a client,” he said.

  I laughed. “News sure gets around fast in this town.”

  “It sure does,” Will said. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing. I never liked that guy. He’s a bit of an idiot.”

  “Yeah, I was tired of working for assholes. He’s more than an idiot. He made my life miserable and I realized that working for him just wasn’t worth the money, you know. In a way I’m glad I met him.”

  “You are? Why is that?” Will asked.

  “He made me reevaluate my life, and that’s never a bad thing.” If it wasn’t for this debacle with Steve I never would’ve thought about my life in this way and realized how much of an idiot I had been turning into myself. I needed this wake up call.

  “That’s a good perspective to have,” he said. “Well, the good news is that I’ve heard Steve is getting pretty desperate now. He’s overleveraged himself for this real estate deal. He made all sorts of promises that he couldn’t keep. I think he was just so confident that he would be able to get Dallas out that he just went around telling people he would get the place ready soon. And now it’s all fallen apart because of Dallas.”

  I chuckled. “Good for her. I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Yeah me too. She doesn’t deserve all of this. Steve is a bad guy, but unfortunately Dallas is the one who had been suffering because of him.”

  “Dallas is a good woman who didn’t deserve to be pushed around by the likes of someone like Steve. Sadly, no matter how messed up things are for Steve, I think she’ll get forced to leave. Her lease is almost up anyway and I doubt he’s going to let her stay on. Not after all of this. He probably hates her,” I said. “You’re right, she doesn’t deserve this. So, uh, you and Dallas pretty close then?”

  “Well, we knew each other in school,” Will said. “We were really good friends then and we used to hang out all the time. I liked her a lot in school but I could never make a move. I’ve always been shy and I was even worse back then. People used to tease me about it at school but she never said anything to me about it. I figured she either felt sorry for me or else she really didn’t know that I liked her.”

  “Knowing Dallas, she probably had no idea,” I said. “She probably didn’t believe any of the rumors. She’s got absolutely no ego.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” he said. “Then after school we went our separate ways. It’s only recently that we’ve been back in each other’s lives. Obviously with her being a vet, I get to see her every now and again.”

  “You still like her like you did in school?” I asked.

  “Well, I thought so. I mean, she’s beautiful and she’s such a great person. She’s actually everything I’ve ever wanted. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about her in that way. I obviously had.”

  “I don’t blame you,” I said. “She’s perfect. So, if you like her so much, why haven’t you made your move? Haven’t you asked her out yet?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking Will so many questions. I seemed suddenly eager to know where the two of them stood and if I had any chance with her. If Will was planning on asking her out then I wasn’t sure I would be able to stand in the way of the two of them. He was a good guy and if she liked him than I should be happy for her. I wasn’t happy for me though. Not at all.

  “To be honest, Blaze, I don’t think she likes me in that way. I’ve been trying to figure her out before I made my move. I didn’t want to ask her out and then make a complete fool of myself. She’s a great woman, and a good friend, and one of the best vets around. I didn’t want to lose all of that. But the more I got to know her again, the more convinced I became that she just didn’t see me in that way. I think she just sees me as a friend. Also, I think there’s someone else that she’s interested in.”

  “Really? Do you know who?” I asked and felt my heart pounding in my chest at the thought of her still wanting to be with me.

  “I don’t know who it is, but I do know that this man is stupid not to make a move. I might not get her, but I do want her to be happy. I want this man to be bold and to show her how he really feels. Otherwise he’s going to lose out on one of the best things that has ever happened to him.”

  “So you don’t mind if she ends up with another guy?” I said as casually as possible.

  He shook his head. “I don’t mind. I’m not even sure I’m in love with her. I guess I’ve just always had this crush on her and it’s hard to get rid of those feelings, you know. But that was a long time ago and things have changed. Maybe she’s not the right girl for me either. I don’t know. All I know is that she deserves to find the right guy, whoever that might be.”

  I really had gotten Will all wrong. I felt terrible for the way I had treated him, and how rude I had been to him when there really wasn’t any need. It was amazing how much you could change when you were jealous and I vowed not to ever let jealously get in the way of anything.

  “This is nice,” I said to Will. “I don’t think the two of us have ever really spoken like this.”

  Will laughed. “I always assumed you didn’t like me,” he said.

  “And yet you still came up to talk to me now?”

  He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t like you. I’ve always liked your family.”

  “That’s nice of you, Will. That’s very nice of you. Actually, I have an idea that I want to put forward with you,” I said suddenly as a thought brewed in my head.

  Thirty-Seven

  Dallas

  Life without Blaze was boring. I hadn’t realized how much I had enjoyed being with him until it got taken away from me. I thought about all the things he had told me and wondered how much he had meant it. A few weeks had already gone by since then and he hadn’t been in touch with me. He said he would prove to me that he liked me but he hadn’t done a thing. Had he already forgotten me? Perhaps he had given up when I had told him that I needed time to think things through. If he really liked me then surely he would’ve done something about it by now. I had to put him out my mind. I couldn’t allow myself to get swept up by his words. He probably hadn’t meant a word of them. I didn’t even know if it was true that he was no longer working for Steve. I thought a
bout asking Steve but that would mean talking to him and I really didn’t want to. I had to put the thoughts aside. Thankfully, work was busier than usual and I had a lot to occupy my mind.

  I was dealing with a client now, looking at her dog who had gotten into a fight with another dog. He had a nasty cut on his leg that needed to be stitched and he wasn’t making my life easy. The owner had left the dog with me and said she’d be back in an hour which gave me plenty of time to sort him out. I worked carefully with him, making sure that I was as gentle as possible.

  “Who started the fight?” I asked him. “Was it you? Is that why you look so guilty?” I said to the dog. He just stared at me and I chuckled. “That’s okay. You were probably sticking up for yourself, weren’t you? I don’t blame you. I have this very nasty man who is trying to take my building away. I would love to bite him.”

  The dog seemed calmer at the sound of my voice so I continued to talk to him throughout the process and it didn’t take long for me to get through the stitches. I cleaned him up and then gave him a treat and he wagged his tail as if to say he appreciated what I had done. When the owner came back I took her through how to care for his wounds and told her to bring him back in a week. She seemed relieved that everything was fine and quite surprised too. She’d been quite hysterical when she’d come in because the wound had looked worse than it actually was.

  “He’s a good dog,” I said to her. “He was an absolute champ.”

  “He was? I thought he would be a nightmare,” she admitted. “He was going crazy when he first came in although it probably didn’t help that I was going crazy too.”

  “He was a little at first, but the more I spoke to him the calmer he got. He seemed to like it when I spoke. ”

  “Really? Maybe it’s because I always speak to him to calm him down,” she said excitedly. It was like she had just been told that she was a good mother. She looked so proud of herself.

  “That’s probably it. He’s quite a good listener. He listened to all my problems,” I said with a chuckle.

  “He really is a good dog. Well, thank you so much for helping him on such short notice today. I really appreciate it. I’ll see you next week,” she said.

  When she was gone Madison told me that Will had called.

  “He asked if you could call him back right away. He seemed like he had some big news to share with you.”

  “Really? Did he mention what it was?” I asked.

  “Nope. He was quite tight lipped about it. Phone him now. I want to hear what it’s about. Maybe he’s finally going to admit to sending those photos,” she said with excitement. Madison was the type of person who got just as excited about other people’s lives as she did about her own. I loved that about her. Throughout this process I realized what a good friend she was to me.

  “You think he’d do that over the phone?” I said. “That’s quite impersonal. I’m not sure if he would do that.”

  ‘But he’s quite shy,” she pointed out. “That might be the only way he can do it.”

  “That’s true. I hope not though. I’ll be mortified.”

  “I’ll be right here,” she said. Although I wasn’t sure if that would make it better or worse.

  The flowers had still been coming and each one was still more beautiful than the next. Whoever was sending this, probably Will, had great taste. I hoped that wasn’t what he was calling about though. I wouldn’t know what to say.

  “Hi Will,” I said when he answered. “Madison said I must give you a call.”

  “I have some great news,” he said and he sounded like a kid who had just gotten the present he wanted for Christmas.

  “Great news is always the best news,” I said. “What’s going on?”

  “I bought your building.”

  “You did what?” I asked. Had I heard right? I saw Madison staring at me in confusion and I shrugged.

  “I bought your building from Steve. His whole project came crashing down but I knew he was going to evict you anyway out of spite. I mean, let’s be honest, that’s just the sort of thing he would do. So, I decided to buy the building from him. Now you don’t have to worry about finding somewhere to move to.”

  “I…I can stay?” I asked.

  “You can stay. Nothing changes. You continue to keep paying the rent like you used to. No more worries.”

  “But…why…why would you do this?”

  “Why not? I couldn’t stand that guy,” he said.

  “Oh Will, this is huge. That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you so much. I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Anyway, I have to go. But I just wanted to let you know. I’ll explain everything the next time I see you. But, for now, sit back and relax. You’re not going anyway.”

  “Thank you,” I said breathlessly. I sounded like I had just run up a flight of stairs, but he had quite literally taken my breath away. “Thank you so much.”

  “My pleasure. I’m glad you’re happy, Dallas.”

  I put the phone down and stared at Madison. I couldn’t believe what was happening.

  “What’s going on?” she asked in exasperation.

  “I…” My mouth had gone dry. I reached for my water and took a sip. “Will bought this place.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “He bought this place from Steve. Steve is no longer our landlord. Will is.”

  “Will? So, does that mean…”

  I nodded. “Yes. We don’t have to move. We’re staying.”

  Madison jumped out of her chair and pulled me out of mine. Then the two of us danced around the room and screamed.

  “I still can’t believe this,” I said. “We don’t have to move. This whole thing has been a complete nightmare and now it’s over. And even better, I no longer have to deal with Steve anymore. This is the best news I have received in a very long time.”

  “I’m so glad. This was the best building. You know, I was always trying to be so positive but the truth was that I was worried we weren’t going to find the right place. I’ve been searching every day and nothing has come up. This is a huge relief. Wow, that’s so nice of Will. That guy must really be in love with you. Those flowers have to be from him. I mean, it’s quite obvious now wouldn’t you agree?”

  I sighed. “Yeah, I agree. They’ve got to be from Will.”

  “You don’t seem happy about that.”

  “Well, I’m not sure how I feel to be honest. I guess I just feel bad about the whole thing. I really appreciate the romantic gesture and I also appreciate his help, but I’m just not drawn to him in that way. No matter how much I want to like him, I just don’t. Not in that way at least. Remember when you told me that the right guy will make your heart beat faster?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Will doesn’t do that to me. And when I’m not around him, I don’t think about him. I’ve tried. I’ve really tried, but there’s nothing there. No spark at all. I just don’t want to string him along. I’m worried that he now thinks I will come running to him. And then what if I don’t? What happens then? It will be so awkward. He’s our landlord now.”

  “That does actually make things a little weird for you,” she admitted. “Look, you have to just be honest with him then. You have to tell him how you feel. If he asks, of course. But I’m sure he will. I doubt he’s done this just because he wants to be your friend. The guy wants to be a in a relationship with you. Judging by what I’ve heard, he’s wanted that since you were in school together. He’s taken a long time to tell you how he feels, but he’s putting himself out there. That’s good. But it doesn’t mean you have to just go along with it because you feel bad for him. Unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless you think that things could develop if you tried? I mean, what if you tried to date him and see where it went? You could end up falling for him, or you could realize even more that he’s a friend. But at least that way you’ve tried.”

&
nbsp; “I guess so,” I said. I groaned. “Why does this have to be so difficult?”

  I was about to say something more when the delivery man came by with another bouquet of flowers for me. Soon he wouldn’t be able to hold the flowers. They had gotten bigger and bigger with every delivery. He handed them over and whistled.

  “This man hasn’t stopped since Valentine’s Day. He must really be in love with you. It’s honestly one of the romantic things I’ve ever seen.”

  I smiled. “You’re right, it really is. If only I knew who they were from.”

  The man chuckled. “Ah, but then the mystery would be gone.”

  When the man left I turned to Madison.

  “I want the mystery to be gone. I just want to know.”

  “But you do know,” she said.

  “Well, sure, but I wish Will would tell me to my face. Oh, hey, there’s a note with this one,” I said as I pulled out a little envelope.

  Madison squealed. “A note? What does it say?”

  “Please do me the honor in meeting me for dinner tonight at The Dawn.” I turned over the card but saw nothing else. “That’s it. Oh my god.”

  “Will is taking you to The Dawn? That’s only the most romantic restaurant this town has. And expensive too. Wow. I can’t believe it. This is it, he’s finally going to tell you how he feels.”

  “What must I do?” I said.

  “What do you mean? You have to go.”

  “But…I mean…what if I don’t want to be with Will. Oh no, what if he thinks I like him and that’s why he’s been doing all of this for me?”

  “No, you’ve done nothing to lead him on. Go for dinner. Hear him out. Thank him for everything he’s done, and have a great time with him. Tell him how you feel too. Just be honest with one another. If the only thing that comes out of this is a boost of confidence for Will and a greater friendship for the two of you, then that’s fine too. After everything he’s done, I think you owe it to him to go.”