True-Blue Cowboy

by Sara Richardson

  Everly shook her head, backing toward the door. “Rule number one—don’t dwell on the past,” she said, her voice quivering. “Rule number two—when a live band is playing, you dance.” Everly swallowed hard. “Then you showed me rule number three. Mess around because it makes you forget.” She closed her eyes. “It did. Last night made me forget all my problems. But they’re not gone. Just like your grief over your brother isn’t gone.” Tears brightened her eyes. “Everything you do is about avoiding reality. And that won’t be enough for me. I want something real.” She turned and ran out on him before he could stop her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Everly shoved her feet into her rubber boots—which were unfortunately the only shoes by the door.

  “Wait,” Mateo called behind her.

  “I have to go.” She tromped outside and down the steps on shaky legs. Tears pounded at the backs of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Damn her heart. Damn it for being so open and naïve. Damn it for letting her develop a connection to a man whose whole life revolved around avoiding connections that might take away from his fun.

  She hurried down the path to the café, determined that Mateo would not catch her. She’d said everything she needed to say. Last night, he’d let her see a glimpse of him, of his pain, but then he’d turned back into the charming cowboy determined to show her a good time. And he had. It had been a very good time. But when she woke up this morning, she’d realized nothing had changed. He wanted to use her as a distraction, but she refused to be one of his groupies from the Tumble Inn.

  Everly rushed around the back side of the restaurant. Gus, Charlie, and Hector were all gathered by the door wearing concerned frowns.

  “Sorry I’m late!” She jogged the rest of the way, fumbling to get the keys out of her pocket.

  “We were about to call out the search party,” Hector said, looking her over as though he wanted to make sure she was okay.

  “Especially when we saw that bastard cowboy’s truck parked outside your house,” Charlie grumbled. “I thought you told him to leave because he kicked you out of your own home.”

  “He didn’t kick me out.” At least not yet. “I’m staying until my lease is up.” Everly scooted past them to unlock the door. The ache in her heart deepened into more of a throb, but she kept a smile on her face. “Who’s ready to learn how to make oatmeal?”

  “He’s gonna flatten this place, isn’t he?” Gus asked, following her inside.

  “Over my dead body,” Hector muttered.

  “He still at your house right now?” Charlie went to peer out the window. “’Cause I’ll go on over there and give him a stern talkin’ to.”

  While she would’ve liked to see that, it wouldn’t make any difference. “All right, fellas. It’s not worth getting all worked up about. Mateo owns the land. He can do whatever he wants with it.” She’d known that from the beginning. She’d been foolish to think he’d want to keep the farm around. “This just means it’s even more important for you three to learn some skills in the kitchen since I won’t be around to make your breakfast anymore.”

  Those sneaky tears heated her eyes again. She’d miss it—greeting Gus and Hector and Charlie each morning, chatting while she poured their coffee and served their eggs. She’d miss helping them with their crossword puzzles and hearing them poke fun at each other. But if she started to focus on everything she’d miss, it would be a very long day.

  “Let me get organized.” She slipped her apron over her head and tied it around her waist.

  While she rummaged through the pantry, Hector walked over and covered her hand with his. “What’re you gonna do, doll?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” she admitted. She’d have to find a job; that was for sure. At least she wouldn’t be homeless, though. Darla had already told her she could stay at her place as long as she needed to.

  “I heard that diner off the highway is looking for a cook,” Gus offered. “It’s only about twenty miles outside of town.”

  “Thanks. I’ll look into it.” Though she had a feeling her cooking style might not fit in at a highway diner. She had a thing against grease. “I appreciate all of your concern. Really. It’s so sweet. But we need to get this class going.” So she could block out the sadness, the thoughts of last night. At least for now.

  She finally located the old-fashioned oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar and lined them up on the counter. “I was running late this morning and didn’t have time to take care of the animals. So, I’ll get you three started on the oatmeal, then I’ll have to sneak out for a few minutes.” Leaving them on their own might be borderline dangerous, but at least there were no open flames involved. “The recipe we’re making today is called apple pie oatmeal in a mug.”

  The men seemed to perk up.

  “Apple pie?” Charlie asked with sudden enthusiasm.

  “Yes.” Everly dug some apples out of the refrigerator. “It’s just as good as real pie, but a whole lot healthier.” Especially for their hearts. “First, you’re each going to chop up half an apple.” She set out three mugs and cutting boards, and then selected semi-dull knives. “Then you’re going to mix a half cup of rolled oats with one cup of water, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and three teaspoons of brown sugar.” She jotted it all down on a pad of paper. “Add in the apples, then pop it in the microwave for two minutes, and violà! Apple pie oatmeal in a mug.”

  “Two minutes? That’s it?” Gus picked up the mug and inspected it as though he suspected it might have magic powers.

  “Two minutes,” Everly confirmed. “You guys have got this.” She headed for the door. “When I get back, I want to see three mugs of perfect apple pie oatmeal.”

  “You got it, boss.” Charlie had already started to chop.

  “We’ll be fine,” Hector assured her.

  “I know you will.” Even so, she moved extra fast through the restaurant and out the door. If she hurried, she could probably have the animals fed and situated in ten minutes. She darted down the path and veered to the left to get to the chicken coop. Halfway there she stumbled to a stop.

  Mateo was scattering handfuls of chicken feed across the grass, all of her hens following behind him, pecking at the ground.

  Her heartbeat picked up at the sight of him dressed in his worn jeans and a tattered T-shirt. He was so beautiful it tempted her to question whether she really did want something real. Or maybe she just wanted Mateo every night…

  No, no. She’d already had a superficial relationship, and look at how that had ended. With deception and heartbreak. Things would be no different with Mateo. Eventually she wouldn’t be a good enough distraction anymore and he would have to find something else. The thought helped to curb the sudden flutter in her heart. “What’re you doing?” She marched over to him.

  Mateo seemed startled. He dropped the bag of feed on the ground. “I took care of the animals for you. Since you didn’t have time.” Everly tried not to notice how sad his eyes seemed. “They’re all fed. Then I checked around to make sure there was no sign of our friend from last night.”

  Awww. That was actually thoughtful of him. But no, she couldn’t let his thoughtfulness tempt her into a swoon. Boundaries. She had to set healthy boundaries so she wouldn’t want him more than she already did. “Thanks, but I could’ve taken care of it.”

  Those dark magic eyes seemed to droop lower. “You shouldn’t be out here alone. Especially in the mornings.”

  “Yeah…about that.” She leaned over to right the feed sack so she didn’t have to look at him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to move in again.” Then she’d end up right back where she’d been last night. In bed with him. On a regular basis. Boundaries had never been one of her strengths.

  “Okay.” Mateo’s jaw tightened. “Then I’ll have Dev come out here every morning and evening to do the rounds with you.”

  There was that thoughtfulness again. Or maybe he simply didn’t want her to die on his property. “It’s not necessar
y. I can—”

  “It’s not up for discussion,” Mateo interrupted gruffly. “I’m not willing to take a chance with your life. So it’s Dev or me.”

  Whoa. He looked pissed. “Fine,” Everly muttered. “You can talk to Dev.” That would be much safer than spending more time with Mateo. “I should get back to the café.” She made the mistake of glancing at him. God, those sad eyes of his. She had to get away. “Thank you for taking care of the animals.”

  “No problem,” he said as she walked away. “Everly?”

  Her heart clenched at the sound of her name on his lips. She turned.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you. I didn’t mean to.”

  “I know you didn’t.” But he had all the same.

  Word had definitely gotten out that the café would soon be closing. The place was so packed that Everly hadn’t sat down for a full two hours. All morning, she’d served pancakes and omelets and cinnamon rolls, all while accepting people’s condolences that she was being forced out by an outsider cowboy who obviously didn’t understand the significance of a small-town business.

  While she appreciated the support, the whole dance had started to exhaust her. Once again, she drifted back to the dining room, her tray piled with plates and mugs of black coffee, which she served with a smile. She refilled waters and chatted about the warm fall weather and the fact that snow probably wasn’t too far off.

  When Everly turned to head back to the kitchen for a few minutes of quiet, the door opened, sending dried leaves swirling along the wood floor. Darla and Charity sashayed through, looking a little too conspiratorial with their heads tilted together.

  Everly hurried to intercept them. “You two are in early.” It was a rare occasion for Darla to leave her house before noon.

  “We thought we should do some investigating,” her friend said with a clandestine look at Charity.

  Everly hustled them to a table in the corner. Far away from the rest of the town’s listening ears. “What are we investigating?” she asked when they were out of earshot.

  Charity removed her cowgirl hat and set it on the table as if she wanted a full view of Everly’s face. “Mateo didn’t show up for our training session at six this morning. And Levi said he didn’t come home last night.”

  Uh-oh. Everly clasped her hands in front of her waist, wringing them together nervously. He hadn’t said anything about a training session with his friends that morning. Of course he hadn’t. He’d been too busy enticing her to stay in bed.

  “We thought that was odd,” Darla commented blithely, scooting into the chair across from Charity. “You know what else is odd?” Her eyes did a quick appraisal of Everly’s attire. “You look like you just rolled out of bed.”

  Cold thoughts. She had to think cold thoughts so her face wouldn’t go molten. Icicles and igloos. Yeah, that didn’t work. “I woke up late,” she finally said.

  “Why’d you wake up late?” Charity propped her chin on a fist and stared her down.

  “What d’you mean, why? I just did.” That sort of thing happened to people all the time, right?

  Darla’s peaked eyebrows channeled the all-seeing Maleficent. “Did Mateo happen to wake up late, too? Because—and this is just a stab in the dark—if he didn’t sleep at Levi’s house last night, I’m guessing he was at your place.”

  There was no denying it. Her friends weren’t stupid. “Fine. He was at my place.” That didn’t prove anything, though.

  Darla pointed an accusatory finger at her. “You slept with him.” At least she said it quietly.

  Everly neither confirmed nor denied the allegation.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Charity’s nose wrinkled with a look of disgust. “Mateo? Really?”

  “It was a one-time thing,” Everly whispered, reminding them to keep it down. “And it wasn’t my fault. He saved me from a mountain lion out on the property.” That was how it had started, anyway. He’d been so comforting when he’d carried her inside, and then he’d taken care of everything—calling Dev, getting her warmed up, making her that insanely delicious hot chocolate.

  “Oh my God!” Darla’s gasp commanded the attention of the entire restaurant. “You got attacked by a mountain lion?”

  “A mountain lion?” Hank Green, the uncontested mayor of Topaz Falls, looked up from his newspaper. “When did you get attacked by a mountain lion?”

  “I never said it attacked me.” Her jaw tightened at the same time her glare admonished Darla and Charity to shut the hell up. They did not need to bring the entire town into this conversation. “I ran into it when I was out feeding the goats and Mateo scared it away.” Best to end the story there. “Don’t worry, we called Dev,” she added for Hank’s benefit. “He’s on it.”

  “No one told me we had a rabid mountain lion on the loose,” Hank grumbled, digging out his phone. “I’m only the mayor of this town, but no one sees fit to tell me a damn thing.”

  “That’s because you’re a numbskull,” Hector called. He and Charlie were in their corner booth. They snickered like two junior high boys.

  Hank tossed aside his newspaper as though ready for a fight. “No one asked you.”

  While the old men traded insults, Everly sat down across from Darla. “Anyway,” she whispered. “Mateo was really sweet to me. I was terrified, obviously, so when we got inside he called Dev to put in the report and then made me hot chocolate.”

  “Hot chocolate,” Charity scoffed. “What a ploy.”

  “It was good hot chocolate.” As smooth and indulgent as Mateo himself. “Then we talked for a long time. One thing led to another and next thing I knew clothes were coming off.”

  Darla shook her head, pouting with a resentful frown. “It’s not fair. You don’t even like hookups. That’s supposed to be my thing.”

  “You can have it back,” Everly said. “They’re definitely not my thing, and I told him as much this morning.”

  “I’m going to kick his ass,” Charity muttered.

  “No.” Everly shut down their grumbles with a dirty look. Why did everyone assume that he’d taken advantage of her? “I wanted it.” Two minutes into kissing him, she’d practically been begging him to keep going. If she remembered right, she’d specifically told him not to stop—never to stop—multiple times. “It’s been a long time. And it was…really great.”

  “Oh God.” Darla shared a concerned look with Charity. “Don’t start falling for him, Everly. You’re so sweet. And he’s a cowboy.”

  Yes, well, it was a little late for that.

  “He’s a cowboy who takes full advantage of his star status on the circuit,” Charity added. “Trust me. He gets as excited about commitment as he does about fancy three-piece suits. Have you ever seen him wear anything except for jeans?”

  No. She hadn’t. “I know.” She wasn’t stupid. Too emotional and caring and impulsive, maybe, but not stupid. “He’s afraid of commitment. It’s because of his brother…” The abandonment, the betrayal. Not that Mateo would acknowledge it. Hence the reason he was incapable of having the kind of relationship she wanted.

  “He doesn’t have a brother,” Charity informed her. “Only sisters.”

  “Oh. Right.” She studied the wood grain pattern on the tabletop, remembering how solemn his face had been when he’d told her about Andres. At least he’d been telling the truth about no one else knowing his secret.

  “If you want to date someone, what about Dev?” Darla suggested.

  “Yeah,” Charity agreed. “He’s pretty sexy. For a cop.”

  “I don’t want to date Dev.” And did those words really just come out of Charity’s mouth? Everly had never heard the woman call anyone sexy. She decided to save that conversation for another day. Right now she had to shut down this one. “Mateo and I aren’t dating. And don’t worry about me. I’m completely over last night. It meant nothing.” She’d keep telling herself that until it was true.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mateo climbed down the ladder a
nd stood back to inspect his work. The crack in the farmhouse’s foundation appeared to be patched for the moment, but the bigger concern was why it had cracked in the first place.

  When he’d come down to the cellar to find the picture of Andres, he’d noticed some moisture buildup on the walls. Then he’d moved his boxes and found a squirrel’s nest, which led him to investigate where they might be coming in. The crack in the far corner of the basement was a couple of inches wide. At least Owen had left some good caulking behind. That’d saved Mateo a trip to the hardware store.

  He folded up the ladder and put it back where he’d found it. There were so many things he should be doing right now—getting everything ready to head out for their competition in Wyoming—but he didn’t want to leave things unsettled with Everly. So he’d spent hours cleaning and fixing up her basement because he’d been too chickenshit to follow her to the café. Everything she’d said about him was true. He’d never wanted any relationship to be more meaningful than a one-night stand. And she was right. She deserved more.

  He rearranged the boxes and bins, moving them away from the walls so he could get to his old photographs. The picture of him and Andres was still buried at the bottom of the bin where he’d stashed it after Everly had found it. He picked it up and went to sit on the stairs. Crazy that he had no clue what his brother would’ve looked like now. In the picture, he still had a boyish face, an easy grin. He’d still been a kid when he’d walked out. Older than Mateo but not much wiser. And Andres would’ve turned thirty-six this year. He would’ve looked so different Mateo probably wouldn’t have even recognized him on the street.

  His phone rang, sending in a rush of hope. It was too late to fix things with Andres, but maybe he could fix things with Everly. Maybe she was calling because she’d come back from the café and saw that his truck was still here. Maybe she wondered where he was. He pulled it out of his pocket knowing that was wishful thinking. She wouldn’t call him. She wanted nothing to do with him.