by Debra Kayn
Small town folks had a way of invading every spare moment she and Roy Lee had together, and she liked keeping their relationship secret. Rumors flew fast, and relationships were the hot topic over dinner. No doubt, when the news of the sheriff and the veterinarian falling in love came out, everyone and their Aunt Sue would speculate about wedding bells.
Ryan came out of the front office and walked toward her. She motioned him into the room. “You’re in early today.”
“I brought over last night’s reports.” Ryan handed her a slim folder, his voice more gruff and impatient than usual.
“Thanks, Ryan. I could have helped though. I don’t expect you to do all the paperwork when we’ve both been on an emergency call.” She stepped behind her desk, fighting a grin.
The new veterinarian she’d hired to work part-time tried hard to fit in with the Pike community, but Roy Lee was right, Ryan would never lose the city-boy appearance. She clamped her lips together. He must have bought the stiff jeans to fit and put them on without washing them first. He had no idea that after he washed those brand new pants, he’d be packaged tighter than a link of beef sausage hanging at the fair.
She fumbled with the papers on her desktop trying anything not to stare at Ryan in his outrageous outfit. For someone who’d lived on this earth for thirty-three years, Ryan sure did try hard to fit in socially. Too hard.
“It’s no problem.” Ryan drew closer to the front of her desk. “I was thinking if you didn’t have any plans, we could stay late tonight and go over the schedule you want set up for Mr. Branham’s mare therapy. I’d feel more comfortable walking through the plan one more time with you, and maybe afterward we could pick up dinner…or, I could run over to Valenciennes’ Place and we could eat here.”
“There’s no need, you know the schedule inside and out. You’ll do fine. Besides, I have plans.” Margot raised her gaze, shook her head in disbelief and snorted. “Oh, sweet smelling sh—” She blinked hard. “Where did you…?”
“You like it?” Ryan’s grin grew.
Tilting her head, she studied the over-large cowboy hat that was surprisingly too small on Ryan’s blond head. The large feathered band must have taken a whole chicken to make.
He swept off the hat in grand style, bowed and plopped the sucker back on. “I went shopping earlier this morning. I figured that if I was going to take up residence here, I’d better start dressing like everyone else. It’s a total new style for me, don’t you think?”
He turned all the way around and ended his fashion show with a hand on his hip. She schooled her expression and pretended to study the new Ryan.
“You look real…nice, Ryan.” She ducked her chin and shuffled through the paper to keep from having to lie to his face. “Don’t worry about what others think. Once they get to know you, you’ll feel like you’ve always lived in Pike.”
Roy Lee took off his hat, set it on the passenger seat and picked up the mouthpiece to the radio. Damn, he’d like to deck the snot out of that twit of a city boy working for Margot.
“Betty Ann.” He let his finger up off the button.
“Here, Sheriff.”
He raised the mic. “I’m goin’ out to the ranch if you need me.”
“Ten-four. Give ol’ Bone a scratch for me.”
“Will do.” He hung up the radio and started the engine on the squad car. He grunted. Sneaking around with Margot had been a lot easier before Dr. Ryan Martin signed on at the clinic. The little do-gooder rubbed him wrong. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, but acting uppity didn’t help matters.
Five miles out of town, Roy Lee spotted Jack Grady riding the fences on McDougal land. He flipped the flashing lights on and held his hand out the window with his middle finger stuck straight up in the air. He chuckled as Jack returned the greeting.
A couple acres past the McDougal-Hanson property line, he slowed down and pulled into his driveway to follow the six-mile-long gravel road back to his place. He’d grown up next to Margot and her family, and even though their properties were on the opposite sides of the road, the land between them provided privacy. The distance never was a barrier to him as a youngster, and he’d often sneak over to play with the McDougal girls.
After his parents retired and moved into Pike, he’d bought the ranch…lock, stock and barrel. He peered out at the horses running in the pasture. It never ceased to amaze him how driving up to his place brought a sense of accomplishment. He had a damn fine stable full of horses, but being able to break the half-wild ones brought out the best in him.
Training came second nature to him and his dad, Tom. The old man often stopped for coffee on Saturday morning and offered guidance while Roy Lee tended the animals. Roy Lee shook his head. His dad would love to be back on the ranch, but Tom had promised his wife they’d travel in their golden years.
If Roy Lee had a choice, he’d breed horses full-time, but he wasn’t stupid. The sheriff’s job put food on his table and kept his horses fed. Nowadays, men didn’t turn down a regular paycheck, especially not a man who wanted to raise a family. Besides, he’d fallen into the role of protecting the small town when the former elected sheriff died suddenly from a heart attack.
After wearing the badge for two weeks in an effort to help out, the position soon grew on him, and he’d gone to Helena and enrolled in the police academy. Pike’s citizens didn’t rely on fancy certificates, but he never was one to do something half-assed.
Instead of pulling up at the house, Roy Lee headed straight to the stables. He whistled while grabbing a handful of sweet feed out of the bin, and then headed toward the third stall.
A soft nicker greeted him. He unlatched the door and stepped inside. He held his hand out in front of the buckskin gelding’s nose. His other hand rubbed the long sleek neck. “Look at you. On your feet and feelin’ good, huh?”
Roy Lee waited until the eight-year-old horse ate every speck of food. “I wanna check your leg now, Stormy.”
He massaged his way down to the front foreleg. “I think it’s healin’, partner. It doesn’t feel hot to the touch anymore. I guess Margot knows what she’s doing, huh, boy?”
Stormy swung his head over and laid it on his shoulder. He chuckled. “You’re not gonna tell her I doubted her vet skills, are you?”
Roy Lee continued to squeeze on the pressure points, pleased with the progress. He stroked the velvet softness along Stormy’s jaw. “A couple more weeks of rest, and I promise you’ll get to go back in the field with the others. This time, you better watch out for the holes in the ground.”
Once he had the rest of the chores done, he dug his cell phone out of his pocket and punched Sam’s number into the keypad out of memory. He rocked back and forth on his boots and waited for his best friend to pick up the phone. “Hey, Sam. I’m ready. You can bring over the other load.”
“Has Margot found out yet?”
“Nah, Margot doesn’t suspect a thing. I’ve kept everything covered up with a tarp behind the line shack.” He peered down and stomped the mud off his left heel. “You didn’t tell Val, didja?”
“Hell no. The sisters don’t know how to keep a secret.”
Roy Lee smiled. “Okay. See you in a bit.”
He slid the phone back in his jeans and headed toward the house. Thinking about Margot’s reaction to his surprise had him smiling. If he could pull this off without Margot finding out ahead of time, he’d be set.
Chapter Two
Val stood in the middle of the bar with her back toward the door. Margot waved to Becca, one of the waitresses who worked full time for Val, shook her head and pointed at her sister. “I called in an order, but I wanna talk with Val first.”
“Sure thing. Let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll round up your food.” Becca moved to help another customer.
Val turned around, her face lit up, and she wobbled between the tables toward Margot. “Did you talk to Roy Lee or Sam?”
Margot shook her head, leaned over and gave her younge
st sibling a kiss on the cheek. “I was with Roy Lee this morning, but I haven’t seen Sam all day. You are absolutely gorgeous, Val. With your back turned, no one would suspect you have this giant baby growing inside of you.”
“Dangit. I was hoping you knew what was going on.” Val pulled Margot toward the counter. “Our men are up to something.”
“What are you talking about?” She sat down on the barstool.
“Sam’s over at the Hanson spread right now. Top secret. Won’t tell me a thing.” Val set a soda in front of Margot. “I tried to find out, you being my sister and all, but Sam…well, you know how stubborn he can get. He told me to mind my own business.”
“Maybe you should.”
Val slapped a rag down on her hand. “Like that’s gonna make me mind. I even called Chantilly. She asked Bisette and Florentine, and no one knows a thing.”
Margot laughed. It never ceased to amaze her how fast her four sisters could find out something if they set their mind to it. “Maybe Roy Lee needed his help with the tractor again. I think pregnancy has made you paranoid.”
“Nah, I have too much time on my hands now. Sam has me cutting my work schedule down to no more than three hours a day. I swear, he thinks I’m some sissy-girl who should be sleeping her days away.”
Margot raised the glass and sipped. “I’m heading out there now. I came to pick up dinner. If it’s something major, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay.” Val tapped the counter. “Hang on. I’ll go get your sack.”
Margot took another long swallow of her drink, caught a figure in her peripheral vision and set the cup down. “Hey, Ryan.”
“Margot.” Ryan sat down beside her and cleared his throat. “I noticed your truck out front, and figured I’d stop and ask if you’d like to have dinner with me? I’ll buy.”
“Who the heck sold you that hat?” Val elbowed the kitchen door closed and laughed. “Whoever it was played a jo—”
“Sorry, Ryan. I’m here to pick up dinner myself.” Margot stood up and laid her hand on Ryan’s arm, glaring at Val to make her shut up. “I’ll have to take a rain check.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise.” Ryan removed his hat and set it on the table.
She turned toward Val and cocked her brow. Be nice, she mouthed.
“Call me.” Val blew her a kiss.
Opening the bag, she stole a hot French fry and popped it in her mouth. Poor Ryan. There was no way Val would keep quiet about his ill-bought clothes.
The relaxing drive out to Roy Lee’s farm passed in no time. Margot realized she finished her fries and had started eating Roy Lee’s order by the time she shut off the truck. She groaned. Looks like I’ll be joining you on that new exercise program, Harley Hog.
The front door swung open. Sam stepped out of the house and tipped his hat. “Evening, Margot.”
“Hey, Sam. How’s my favorite brother-in-law?” She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Better not let Jack hear you say I’m the favored one.” He stepped off the porch. “I’ve only just convinced Chantilly to serve me the biggest slice of pie on Sundays. Jack will screw my plan up if he finds out.”
“My lips are sealed.” Margot laughed. “Drive safe.”
“Hey, sweets.” Roy Lee shut the door.
She stepped into his hug. “Hungry?”
“Not yet.” He took the food from her hands and set it inside the door. “I wanna show you something.”
“Stormy?” She slipped her fingers in his hand.
“He’s fine. Leg is healing fast, just like you said it would. Won’t be long and he’ll be back out in the field.” He turned Margot to face him. “This is ’bout something else.”
She cocked her head. “Okay.”
Roy Lee gazed off over her shoulder, bobbed his head, and then turned his attention back to Margot. “You know I love you, right?”
She nodded. “I love you too. What’s going—?”
“Hang on.” He cupped her face. “I know the last year hasn’t been easy on you with your daddy passing on, the clinic growing and our decision to keep our relationship secret…”
Margot raised her hands and gripped his arms. “You’re scaring me, Roy Lee. Is something wrong? Are you having second thoughts?”
“Never.” He shook his head. “My mind hasn’t changed since Stuart asked me to drive you back to the clinic after your truck stalled at McDougal Ranch the second you came back to Pike. I couldn’t believe I was thinking dirty thoughts ’bout the same girl I used to pal around with growin’ up.” He winked. “College done you good, sweets.”
“Roy Lee—”
He placed his finger over her lips. “Give me time to say what I gotta say, sweetheart. I fell hard, right then and there. Shook me to the core, it did. I didn’t understand how I could know you my whole life, think of you as my friend, and after all that time, you come home and my feelings for you were anything but neighborly.”
She smiled. “I know. The same thing happened to me. That’s why I wanted you to keep it a secret about us seeing each other. I don’t want to jinx us, and your friendship meant too much to me. I don’t want to lose you if things don’t work out between us.”
“But I have to tell you something. I didn’t keep our relationship secret the way I promised. It’s been bothering me that I went against the rule you made.” He blew out his breath, and traced her bottom lip with his finger.
Margot frowned.
“I couldn’t lie. There was one person I respected more than anything, and he deserved to know.” He smoothed the skin on her forehead. “In fact, this person asked me flat out if I loved you.”
“Who asked?”
“Your daddy.”
Margot stepped back and wrapped her arms around her waist. Roy Lee’s confession stole the air out of her lungs. “Daddy knew about us?”
“Yup.”
She turned around and walked the length of the porch. The guilt sitting at the bottom of her stomach over her decision to keep Roy Lee hidden from even her family left. Daddy knew!
There were countless times she’d wanted to tell her daddy, but the moment never seemed right. Between his doctor visits, preparing paperwork and funeral arrangements, and days when Stuart only wanted to sit in his rocker and close his eyes, Margot centered her visits around keeping the family’s spirits up. She didn’t want to add another worry onto his plate, and yet, he was the one person who deserved to know the truth.
She wasn’t ashamed of loving Roy Lee, but she valued their friendship over anything else and until she was positive it was going to work out, she didn’t want her family thinking any differently toward Roy Lee.
“Sweetheart?”
Margot jumped and lifted her gaze. Tears rushed to her eyes and she covered her cheeks. The concern etched into the lines on Roy Lee’s face and the way he held all the responsibility on his shoulders endeared him to her even more. As it was, he’d given her daddy a calm contentment that one of his daughters had a good man at her side.
“Oh, Roy Lee.” She ran toward him and flung herself into his arms. “Thank you.” She kissed him hard. “Thank you.” She pressed her mouth against his. “Mm…thank you.”
“You’re not mad?” Roy Lee caught his hat before it fell off his head.
“No. I’m happy.” She tightened her hold around his neck. “I’ve regretted keeping our secret. More than anything, I wish I had told Daddy before he passed away. He would have liked hearing that from me. That’s why I didn’t want anyone else finding out…after he died, I mean. It wasn’t fair. I should never have kept it to myself. Daddy and the girls deserved to know and be happy for us. I thought…with everything going on…I didn’t want to add to the stress.”
“They all love you.”
“I know.” She tossed her blond hair back. “I was wrong, and admitting I made a mistake keeping us secret isn’t easy for me. I felt like I failed Daddy. It’s different now. You’ve made it okay.”
/> “So, you’re fine with what I did?”
She ran her hands over his face. “More than fine. I wanna yell it to the world and tell everyone I love you, Roy Lee.”
“Good, because one day soon, I’m gonna wear you down and ask you to marry me…and you better say yes.”
Chapter Three
Laughter filled the room at Val’s bar. Margot turned around to find the crowd parting right before Chaser, Jack and Chantilly’s dog, jumped her.
“Whoa, boy.” Margot placed her hand on the back of the animal’s neck and gently pushed him down until he had all four paws on the wooden floor. “I’m glad to see you too, Chaser, but Val has a rule about no dogs in the bar.” She kneeled down and gave his white and black speckled coat a brisk rub. “Did you miss me? Hm? You’re a good dog, aren’t you?”
“Chaser, you rascal. Stop.” Chantilly ran up and pointed to the floor at her feet. “Heel.”
Chaser scooted away and sat down again beside Chantilly’s boots. “Sorry ’bout that, Margot. He jumped out of the cab when I hopped out of the truck to see what was keepin’ Jack so long in the feed store.”
“No need to apologize.” She laughed. “I’m always glad to see this guy.”
Chantilly tilted her chin and gazed down at the dog. “It seems like he’s tryin’ to impress you, cause two minutes ago, he wouldn’t listen to a word I said. I swear he only obeys you and Jack.”
“He knows what I always have, don’tcha boy?” Margot straightened up and reached into her purse. She held up a dog treat. “Is this what you want, boy?”
The Australian cattle dog’s tail swept the floor, his mouth fell open and he barked. Margot stepped over and gave Chaser the biscuit. “How are things out at Da—the ranch?” Her breath caught. Old habits were hard to break, and remembering her daddy was gone took daily reminders.
“Real good. Craig’s finishing up finals and will be here soon. He’s anxious to start the training program with the new riding stock on the ranch.” Chantilly smiled. “I swear he’s become more than my stepson, he’s a friend, and I fall more in love with Jack the more I see him and Craig together. I can’t wait to have him home with us.”
