The Cowboy Comes Home

by Patricia Thayer

  He frowned. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Thank you. You’re handling Storm—that’s a big enough help. It’s just that it would be nice to have my brothers and sister here. I miss them.” She looked at him. “Do you have any siblings?”

  He shook his head. “None that I know of.”

  “What about your father? Did you have any luck tracking him down?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No. I tried for years, but I never could catch up with him.”

  He caught the sadness etched on her face. “Johnny, I’m sorry.”

  He hated pity. He especially didn’t want it from her. “Why? You had nothing to do with it. Jake Jameson just didn’t want to be found, or meet his son.” He shrugged. “Hey, you can’t miss what you’ve never had. I’m not much of a homebody, either. I guess that’s why I like to keep moving, to have the freedom of changing my mind whenever I want.”

  “So you won’t be here to meet Holt when he gets back?”

  Johnny looked into her eyes and felt a twinge of regret. No regrets, he had to leave. It would be better for everyone. “Depends when that is but I kind of doubt it.”

  He watched as Jess pushed the braid off her shoulder. He enjoyed watching the simple action from this beautiful woman.

  “Seems strange that you’ve perfected your skill and yet you still like moving around.”

  Johnny blew out a breath. “I’m used to it. As a kid, my mother changed locations all the time, until she met a guy.” His boot heel dug at the dry grass. “That was when I took off.”

  She looked at him. “You couldn’t have been that old.”

  “Old enough to know when to get away from a bad situation. I’ve been going it alone for a long time now.”

  Jess looked out over the land. “I guess that’s where we’re different. I’ve never really lived anywhere else. Outside of a few years at college, I haven’t been a lot of places.”

  “Why should you want to leave? You have your business here and your home.”

  She smiled. “I had to fight Dad to live on my own. But I’ve got a little Calhoun stubbornness, too.”

  “And you got all the beauty.”

  She shook her head. “You should see my younger sister, Megan. She’s the real beauty in the family.”

  “Man, I can’t imagine she’s any lovelier than you.” Johnny came closer, removing her hat, and studied her face. “Your eyes are incredible, sometimes brown, other times green. And your mouth… I could kiss you for hours.”

  She sucked in a breath and raised her gaze to his. “Johnny, I thought… We weren’t going to do this.”

  He rested his forearm above her head on the tree trunk. “You don’t want me to kiss you anymore?”

  “It’s just… I’m not sure we should start this.”

  “Don’t look now, darlin’, but it’s already started.”

  “I know, but…maybe we should set some ground rules.”

  She looked at him with those big eyes and he found he wanted to change her mind.

  “You mean like keeping us a secret?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m single and you’re single so we’re doing nothing wrong if we’re seeing each other.”

  “Darlin’, I want to do a lot more than just see you.”

  She couldn’t stop the blush. She wanted the same thing but she had to think about her son. “It’s just Brady. If he sees us together, he might get ideas. So maybe we shouldn’t broadcast us being together.”

  He paused, then said, “I wish I could give you more, Jess. So I wouldn’t blame you if you want me to keep my distance.”

  Jess only knew she should tell him yes, but the problem was, she wanted this man. “No. That won’t be necessary. No strings, no expectations, is probably better, then no one gets hurt,” she said, not even believing her own words. This was so out of her comfort zone. She felt the familiar fear creeping back. But Johnny Jameson had her wanting things.

  He nodded. “So you want to take a chance with this cowboy?”

  Oh, boy, she was in trouble now. But she couldn’t seem to turn him down. “Maybe I would.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  AN HOUR later they rode back to the barn. Johnny walked Risky to his stall, removed his tack and filled his feed bag. Jess had to hand her horse over to one of the men when she’d gotten a call from the bakery. Then she hurried off to the house and her son.

  After he finished with his horse, Johnny went up to his apartment and saw that Jess’s car was gone. This was all backfiring in his face. He wanted a fling and she was willing to go along. They were going to spend time together. He should be happy with the no-strings relationship. Except for one thing. He was afraid that Jess Calhoun was becoming too special.

  After opening the door to his apartment, he walked in and headed to the refrigerator. There wasn’t much inside, just some milk and lunch meat for a sandwich.

  He closed the door, and dropped onto the sofa. He’d been spoiled by Nancy and Jess’s cooking so not much else sounded good. But with those meals came strings—Jess and her son.

  Getting up, he went to the dresser and opened the top drawer. After digging through his stack of underwear, he came up with a black velvet box. He opened the lid to find a single, square-cut diamond.

  He thought back to three years ago and the nice girl he left in Dallas. Amy was the daughter of one of the ranchers he’d worked for. They’d dated for a while, and suddenly he found himself buying a ring and getting down on one knee.

  Not long after, he felt that his life was being planned out for him. It was decided where they’d live, what house, where he’d work. He realized suddenly he didn’t want any of it. Or he did want it, but dammit, he was afraid to get too close. A familiar painful ache in his chest had stopped him just in time. The one thing he’d always longed for had been the one thing he feared. He’d reached out too many times as a kid and had been turned away. The scars served as a reminder that he wasn’t cut out for love. He was so afraid to lose it again.

  He couldn’t go through with the marriage. Worse, he had to tell Amy. She threw the ring back in his face and he left town.

  He wasn’t proud of what he’d done, but it was better than him walking away after they’d married. He snapped closed the box’s lid. It was a symbol, a reminder, to keep things light.

  No more promises that he couldn’t keep. Because in the end, he always left. He’d been in situations like this a few times before, and knew how to avoid them.

  Of course that was before he ran headlong into Jess Calhoun.

  * * *

  The next morning, Jess walked Brady inside his classroom at the preschool. Before she left, the teacher, Liz Peterson, pulled her aside.

  “I wanted to give you a flyer.” She handed her the single sheet of paper that read “Little Buckaroos First Annual Rodeo, Saturday, January 28”.

  Jess was surprised. How long had this been going on? “I thought you were having a bake sale.”

  “It’s been in the works awhile. We called a parent meeting at the first part of December. Then we discovered the cost of new computers and playground equipment,” the teacher told her. The pretty brunette had a lot of enthusiasm and it showed with the kids.

  That wasn’t long after Clay’s death. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it. There’s been a lot going on.” She waved a hand at her excuse. “What kind of rodeo are we talking about?” Jess asked.

  Liz could hardly contain herself. “It’s for both adults and children but on a small scale, of course. The events for the adults are Tie Down Roping, Team Roping and Barrel Racing. For the children, it’s Mutton Bustin’.”

  Jess knew about the kids’ rodeo. They had to be under sixty pounds and would be riding sheep.

  “It’s strictly for amateurs, only small cash prizes. We’re hoping to get a lot of families involved.” Liz’s eyes grew wider as she spoke. “It’s going to be at the Larkville Corral. We’re hoping you’ll still want to donate some baked
goods to sale.”

  “Of course.” At least she could do that much. “And let me know if there is anything else you need.”

  “Maybe see if you can convince some of your ranch hands to sign up.”

  She nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. Give me more flyers and I’ll hand them out.”

  Liz gave her another dozen. “Cheyenne and Derrick Carson are chairing the committee, so they can give you all the details.”

  Jess read the flyer and could see that the committee had been busy. “It looks pretty organized.”

  “Yes, but we need all the merchants to help out. This money is also shared with the church charities. We’re hoping this will set an example to the kids and we want them to help as much as possible.”

  That would be a good lesson. “You can count on me. Molly and I can set up a sweet booth and we’ll donate all the profits.”

  “Oh, Jess, that would be wonderful.”

  “Have Cheyenne get in touch with me, and we’ll go from there.”

  Jess walked away smiling. This was the first time she was involved in a school fundraiser for her child. She thought about her family. They weren’t here to help her, but Wes and Nancy would, of course. She thought about Johnny, wondering if he would still be here for it, too.

  She’d be lying if she said that it didn’t matter. It did. She wanted Johnny Jameson to stay. She’d never met a man who made her feel this way. She thought back to her first serious boyfriend, Brady’s father, Chad Branson. They’d both been such kids. Okay, she’d thought she loved Chad. Yet in the end, she’d been glad that she didn’t marry a man who would eventually break her young heart, and Brady’s, too.

  She climbed in her car and started the engine. Her thoughts returned to the man who’d kept her awake nights. Who had her longing for things she never wanted before. Maybe she’d just been too shy to ask for them. Even knowing he would be leaving, she still couldn’t stay away from Johnny.

  At least this time, she knew the rules and she could protect her heart.

  * * *

  Johnny had just finished his session with Storm, and put him in his stall, when he came out of the barn to see Brady running toward him.

  “Johnny! Johnny!”

  Johnny caught the charging kid in his arms and lifted him up. “Whoa, partner. Where are you headed with that full head of steam?”

  “To talk to you. Look.” He shoved a piece of paper at him. “It’s our school rodeo. Now I hafta learn to ride ’cause I need to be in it. If I can learn to ride real good, then I can ride Beau in the opening part and carry a flag. Please help me.”

  Johnny set the boy down and looked over the paper. “Well, this doesn’t give us much time.” He continued to read. “What’s this Mutton Bustin’?”

  “That’s if you’re little like me, you get to ride a sheep instead of a bull.”

  “Now you want to ride a sheep?”

  The boy nodded. “If you show me how? And I need someone to be in it with me. Will you do that, too?”

  Johnny felt something tugging in his chest. He knew the kid looked up to him. “Whoa, son, I might be able to come up with a sheep to practice with, but I’m not a rodeo cowboy.”

  “Well, you can do something with Risky. Does he do some tricks? And you can help me ride Beau, too.”

  He liked the kid’s enthusiasm. “That’s a lot of work. You haven’t even been on Beau yet.”

  “I really want to do it.”

  He looked up and saw Jess approach them. “I see he’s told you about the rodeo,” she said.

  Johnny nodded. “It’s a tall order in a short time span.”

  “You can do it, Johnny,” Brady said, smiling, then turned to his mother. “Mom, are you going to barrel race? Papa said you were the best. Oh, I’ve got to go tell Wes.” He took off toward the foreman coming out of the barn.

  “That’s a lot of words to come out of such a little guy.”

  “I think this fundraiser has a lot to do with his excitement,” she said. “And for whatever reason, you and his new pony are his new focus.”

  Johnny didn’t want anyone looking up to him. It would only cause disappointment. “Look, Jess. Brady’s a great kid, but I could be gone by then.”

  “I know, but maybe you won’t be.” She walked closer. “Doesn’t give you much time left to enjoy your stay here.” Her gaze met his and he felt a stirring. “You should at least get to know the people of Larkville.”

  He covered her hand with his. “I’d rather get to know you.”

  “It might be arranged,” she told him.

  He smiled at her playfulness. “I thought maybe we can spend some time together.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  He had trouble swallowing. Damn, if she wasn’t the most tempting woman. He glanced around to see several men doing chores. Although not in earshot, no doubt they could see him and Jess. So he kept his hands to himself.

  “That’s up to you,” he said, throwing the challenge back to her.

  She smiled. “Why don’t you come by tonight and we’ll see how the evening turns out?”

  * * *

  This was becoming a habit. Another supper and Johnny might as well move into the main ranch house. He did spend some time with Brady and his new pony. He’d gotten the kid to sit on Beau bareback, and it seemed to go fine. He’d promised the boy tomorrow that he’d put a saddle on the pony and they could walk around the corral.

  Most of the dinner conversation centered around the boy, but Johnny kept getting distracted as Jess sat across from him. Tonight it was only the three of them because Nancy had gone off with Wes to a movie. Maybe it was a little too cozy.

  Jess started clearing plates while Brady went into the connecting family room to watch a video. Johnny followed Jess into the kitchen to help.

  He stood next to her at the sink. “If you keep feeding me like this, I won’t be able to get my jeans fastened.”

  Jess’s gaze went to his flat stomach. “You look like you’re doing fine to me.”

  “I guess I’ll work it off. There’s a nice gym at the bunkhouse.” He leaned closer, placing the empty plates in the soapy water. “Is that because you supply all the crew with desserts?”

  She glanced at him, so close he could lean down and kiss her. Then she turned away. “No, it’s because the strength training helps with the hard physical labor.” She began rinsing dishes. “And no one is forced to work out.”

  Over the past two weeks he had learned firsthand that the Double Bar C was a top-notch operation. The men who worked here were paid well, but were also expected to do a good job. There were no slackers. Living quarters were nice, with a lot of room and good food. Yeah, it would be hard to leave here.

  “Brady had a good day. He let me put him atop Beau and we walked around the corral.”

  She smiled and his breath caught. “He told me. Several times. I can’t thank you enough. My dad would have loved this. He always felt guilty that he might have been the one to cause Brady’s fears.”

  Johnny shrugged. “Who’s to say. Your son is older now. We’ll see what happens. I know it’s been hard for you to stay away, but I think Brady wants to get a little better before he invites you down.”

  He kept talking, hoping it would distract him from what he really wanted to do, but it didn’t help. He finally leaned in and his mouth covered hers. He kissed her slow and tender, holding back as best he could. He pulled back and saw the heat in her eyes, then went back for more. This time, he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close.

  She must have liked it, because her hands moved over his chest and his neck and she opened up to him. She tasted of coffee and pure, sweet Jess.

  “Mom? Why are you kissing Johnny?”

  Jess gasped and pulled away. “Brady! I didn’t hear you come in.”

  The little boy glanced back and forth between the two. “My friend Cody says his dad and mom kiss a lot.”

  Jess answered quickly. “Johnny an
d I are friends. I like him and he likes me. And sometimes adults kiss. Hey, you should get your things together and we need to head home.”

  The child nodded, but not before he eyed Johnny carefully. Johnny didn’t blame the kid. The boy was watching out for his mother.

  Soon the dishes were done, and Johnny helped Brady put away his toys and get his coat on. They headed for the back door.

  “Johnny,” the boy said. “It’s okay if you kiss Mom. Now that Papa is gone to heaven, she needs more kisses.”

  Johnny winked at Jess, who seemed embarrassed by her son’s perception. “Thank you, Brady. I can see that she does.” He leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on Jess’s mouth. “Thanks for supper.”

  “You’re welcome. Good night.”

  He leaned down to Brady and swept him up into his arms in a big hug. “How was that, kiddo?”

  “Good,” the boy admitted, and Johnny realized that Brady’s approval meant far too much to him.

  * * *

  Two evenings later, Johnny asked Jess out to dinner. With limited options on restaurants, he took her into town to the Saddle Up Bar and Grill. The place was crowded, standing-room-only in the bar.

  The restaurant had a rustic quality, open beam ceiling and scarred hardwood floors. There was a big stone fireplace in the entry area where they stood waiting for their table.

  Jess wore her thick blond curls down against her shoulders. It was a big contrast with the dark rust-colored sweater that hugged her curves. A denim skirt hung to just below her knees, and buckskin boots finished the outfit.

  He swallowed hard, wanting nothing more than to get her out of here.

  Instead, he stood by her side as she greeted and introduced him to several friends. Everyone was curious about him, just like they’d been at the dance at the Cattleman’s Club.

  Why not? Clay Calhoun had been a beloved man in this town. A good neighbor and a good friend to everyone. If something was needed, Clay stepped up to help. So if someone was interested in his daughter, the townspeople wanted to make sure he was acceptable.