Home on the Ranch: Texas Cowboy, Be Mine

by Trish Milburn

  * * *

  Angel attempted not to fidget as she sat facing Chris, tried and failed not to think about how only last night she’d sat at this same table across from Hunter, the happiest she’d been in a long time.

  “Thanks for meeting me,” Chris said. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

  “To be honest, neither was I. But my curiosity won the day.”

  “I’m glad it did.” He glanced through the window where the bakery was doing a brisk business. Keri had told her once that rainy days made people want sweets and coffee, no matter the time of year. “What would you like?”

  “I’m good.”

  “You sure?”

  She nodded. “But you go ahead.”

  While her curiosity was carving a tunnel through her brain, what would a few more minutes matter? The rain had already ruined her plans for the day anyway.

  Chris stood. “Be right back.”

  He seemed off somehow, maybe jittery, which made no sense and didn’t seem like the Chris she’d once known.

  While he was inside, Angel sat back and watched the traffic roll by. Her thoughts wandered to Hunter again, as they repeatedly had since the moment she’d driven away from him the night before. Their date had been great, but if she was being honest it had scared her a bit, too. Scared her how quickly her attraction to Hunter was building, how thrilling his kisses had been, how she feared falling for him too fast and too hard, just as she had with Dave. No matter how many times she told herself that Hunter wasn’t like Dave, a little voice of doubt in her head whispered, “You don’t know that for sure.”

  But one thing she was sure of was that she loved how it felt being with Hunter last night. Laughing during their failed attempt to outrun the rain. Kissing with abandon as if no one could possibly see them. And the way he’d stood up to Danny even though he’d acknowledged he knew she was perfectly capable of fighting her own battles was just...sexy. Odd to think of facing off against a bigot as sexy, but it was. It showed what kind of man he was, what sort of heart beat within his finely toned chest.

  Chris’s sinking onto the chair opposite her again startled her out of her daydream about unbuttoning Hunter’s shirt to see what she’d felt the night before. Once again she was thankful for her complexion because otherwise everyone on Main Street would see the heat in her cheeks.

  She looked at the coffee and oatmeal-cranberry cookie Chris had placed in front of her.

  “I remembered you liked those,” he said, pointing to the cookie.

  “How could you possibly remember that?”

  “I remember lots of things.” He paused and lowered his gaze for a moment before lifting it back to hers. “Like how badly I treated you. That’s why I wanted to talk to you, to apologize.”

  Angel just stared, not knowing quite what to think. He was apologizing an entire decade after he’d cheated on her?

  “Angel?”

  “Uh, I’m surprised.” She considered him for a moment, how he’d been away from Blue Falls for years only to come back now. And he was apologizing for old wrongs. She leaned forward. “Are you an alcoholic?”

  Confusion flooded Chris’s face. “Huh?”

  “Your apology, is it part of one of those twelve-step programs?”

  “Oh. No, not really, though I guess it might be one of my own making.” He glanced toward the street, but his expression said he was looking far beyond the cars and pedestrians. “I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking lately, wanting to make up for the things I’ve done wrong in my life.” He shifted his attention back to her. “And one of the worst things I did was cheat on you. I wish I could take it back. You didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

  Angel remembered how badly his betrayal had hurt, how she’d cried until her head felt as if it would crack open along with her heart. But she’d moved on, and it felt juvenile and petty to resurrect an old grudge now.

  “It was a long time ago. Kids do stupid things.”

  “Be that as it may, I’m still sorry.”

  She smiled, and she found the smile was surprisingly genuine. The layer of teenage cockiness Chris had once worn was no longer in evidence, as if it had never existed or been deliberately scrubbed away.

  “Apology accepted.”

  Chris exhaled, his relief obvious.

  “Did you think I was still angry after all this time?”

  “You wouldn’t be the first person to hold a grudge that long, myself included.”

  “Who were you ticked at?”

  He didn’t answer at first, instead taking a drink of his coffee. As he sat the cup back slowly onto the table, he said, “Let’s just say that my parents and I were not on the best of terms when I left for college.”

  “Really? I had no idea.”

  “Mom and Dad are very good at keeping up appearances.”

  Okay, even if his parents were on his apology tour, there was still bitterness on Chris’s end. Her curiosity ate at her some more, but she kept quiet. They were not close friends, and that seemed like a close-friends kind of question to ask.

  He seemed to climb out of whatever negative well he’d fallen into and smiled. Only then did she realize that even though Chris had grown up to be a handsome man, he also looked tired, as if he hadn’t gotten enough sleep in a long time.

  “Are you okay?”

  His smile wavered. “Sure. This is nice.”

  Angel leaned her forearms on the table, her curiosity telling her better sense to take a long hike.

  “Why apologize after all this time?”

  Chris stared into his coffee as if the liquid might reveal the answer to her question.

  “I lost someone recently, and it made me realize how short life can be.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She spotted a momentary glimpse of a smile before it was gone. “Thanks.” He sighed and gripped his cup. “I started thinking that I haven’t always been the best person and I needed to change that.”

  “I can understand coming home to see people, but why move back? I heard through the grapevine that you liked Oregon.”

  “I did. I still do. It’s just...full of raw memories right now. And, well, even though I suspect it’ll be the second hardest thing I’ve ever done, I need to try to repair my relationship with my parents.”

  She suspected the hardest thing was saying goodbye to the person he’d loved and lost. “Were you married?”

  He gave a slight shake of his head. “We talked about it, but time wasn’t on our side.”

  She thought about Hunter losing his father when he was barely out of high school, how he was going to lose his mom before he actually lost her. Time could be cruel.

  “How about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

  He couldn’t possibly want to go out with her again, could he? Was that why he was apologizing to her, in the hope that the apology would pave the way to his asking her out for more than coffee?

  No, the sorrow she’d seen on his face and heard in his voice weren’t feigned.

  “I’m not sure.”

  Chris tilted his head and gave her an amused look.

  “I’m not officially dating anyone,” she said, “but I did go on a date last night.”

  Chris smiled. “And it went well?”

  No matter how crazy it was to be sitting here talking to an ex-boyfriend about someone she wouldn’t mind being a current boyfriend, she found herself doing exactly that.

  “Better than expected.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  “Hunter Millbrook. He was ahead of us in school.”

  “I saw him at the hardware store the other day. Good guy?”

  “Yeah.” She didn’t hesitate and that told her a lot about what she knew deep down.

  “I’m happy for you.” Though Chris smiled again, he couldn’t totally
hide how he wished he could have romantic happiness himself.

  “What was her name?”

  “Who?”

  “The woman you lost.”

  Chris sat back in his chair, and Angel thought he might actually get up and leave. Had she crossed a line? Or was the loss so fresh he couldn’t talk about it?

  “Darren.”

  Angel’s first thought was that she liked that name for a girl, but then she registered the apprehension on Chris’s face, as if he thought she might stalk off at the realization that Darren was, in fact, a guy. And then everything fell into place—why she and he hadn’t worked out, why he’d moved so far away from Blue Falls and...

  “That’s why you’ve been estranged from your parents?”

  He nodded and she’d swear she heard him sigh in relief.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged. “Part of me thinks I’m crazy for coming back here, especially now. People don’t tend to change.”

  “Sometimes they do.” She gestured toward him, indicating he was doing the very thing he claimed people rarely did.

  Chris took a big gulp of coffee as if it were a good, stiff drink known for giving courage. She hated that not everyone was fortunate to have the kind of understanding parents she did.

  “Maybe they’ll surprise me.” The way he said it indicated he didn’t hold out much hope, which made her admire him for trying despite believing he’d likely fail.

  She suspected that in the wake of his loss, he needed his family as anyone would in the same situation. When Dave had left, leaving her alone to face pregnancy and then single motherhood, her family had gotten her through the scary, heartbroken days that followed. They hadn’t made her feel shame, but she deduced Chris could not say the same.

  If his relationship with his family was going to be such a trial, the guy needed friends. She wondered how many of his friends from high school who were still around knew about his orientation. And, if they did, would they be any more supportive than his parents?

  “Do you mind me asking what happened?” She thought he meant he’d lost Darren to death, but she wasn’t sure. It could have just been a horrible breakup, but her gut told her otherwise.

  “Wrong place, wrong time. He was on his way to work and got hit...” His voice hitched and he paused to swallow visibly. “He was hit by a tractor trailer.”

  A horrible image formed in Angel’s mind, and she wished she could wind back time for Chris and Darren. It wasn’t the first time she’d had that wish, but that wasn’t the way life worked. She and all of her siblings had lived through their own losses or abuses, but it had made them the people they were. Still, she didn’t want to think about any of them losing their spouses. The pain would be unbearable.

  Her thoughts shifted to Hunter. They weren’t married, had only gone on one date, but the thought of something happening to him made her chest ache.

  “I know this won’t help, but I’m really sorry.”

  “Thanks.” He took a deep breath, as if trying to shove off some of the weight of his grief.

  A few long moments of silence passed as Chris seemed to sink into his thoughts and Angel tried to think of the best thing to say. She decided to take a chance that Chris might like to talk about Darren, especially if his parents weren’t supportive and he couldn’t talk about him with them.

  “How did you two meet?”

  She breathed easier when Chris smiled. “A stray cat brought us together.”

  “This sounds like an interesting story.”

  Chris fiddled with his cup. “I worked in marketing for a big retailer, and when I left work one day I found this skinny little kitten huddled under my car to get out of the rain. It took some coaxing, but I got her to come to me. She was skin and bones, but had the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. I went straight to the vet my neighbor used, and the moment I saw him I just knew.”

  “The vet was Darren.”

  He nodded. “There was an instant connection, although Darren didn’t acknowledge it for a while. He’d just gone through a bad breakup and wasn’t keen on dating again anytime soon.”

  “But you convinced him otherwise?”

  “It took a couple of months, but I can be persistent when I want something...or someone.” He smiled. “Persistent in a non-restraining-order sort of way.”

  “Always the best way.”

  “How about you? I don’t remember you and Hunter being friends before.”

  “We weren’t. When I was at the gallery preparing for my exhibit he was working on the roof. And he may have almost knocked me in the head with a two-by-four.”

  “That’s certainly a drastic way to get someone’s attention.”

  She ended up telling him pretty much the entire story of her and Hunter so far and was surprised by how easy it was to talk to him about things she hadn’t told anyone else. She never would have predicted this scenario.

  As they talked, she noticed the occasional glance their way, a few conversations between passersby that no doubt were filled with speculation about the two of them. She wondered if he’d noticed as well because he stood and gathered up their trash. With work of her own to get back to, she also stood.

  After Chris returned from tossing their trash into the outdoor can, a bit of awkwardness sprang up between them.

  “It was good to see you,” she said, hoping to dispel it.

  “You, too. Thanks for meeting me.” The look on his face was less tense than when he’d arrived.

  “Anytime,” she said, and she meant it. Continuing to go with her instincts, she gave him a quick hug. “Seriously, if you need to talk more or just want to hang out, let me know.”

  “I may take you up on that.”

  As Angel walked back to her truck, she realized that she felt lighter, as if some little part of her heart that had been in shadow was now benefiting from direct sunlight despite the rain that was still falling. She smiled as she slid into the driver’s seat. Life was looking pretty good right now, and damn if she wasn’t going to enjoy every single minute of it. As soon as the rain gave way to sun again, she was going out to Hunter’s ranch in search of one of those fantastic kisses she hadn’t known she needed in her life.

  Chapter 9

  Once upon a time, Texas had a drought. But it wasn’t over the past week. And Hunter’s mood matched the soggy, muddy world he went to work in every day. He’d texted a couple of times with Angel, but she’d said nothing further about coming to the ranch. Not that Mother Nature was cooperating anyway. Add in the fact that he kept imagining her with Chris, and yeah, even the cattle didn’t want to be near him.

  “Have you asked out Angel again?” his mom asked the moment his bottom hit the chair at the kitchen table.

  He sighed as she placed a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage in front of him. Either she was being annoyingly persistent or she’d forgotten she’d asked him the same question the night before. He didn’t want to answer, no matter which was true.

  “Well?” she prompted when he didn’t respond.

  “We’ve both been busy.”

  She huffed in frustration, but to his surprise she turned around and left the room. He took the opportunity to shovel down his breakfast and hurry out the back door before she could launch into round two.

  Though the rain had finally lessened to no more than a mist, the day still felt heavy with grayness. He put on his hat and headed toward the barn. He was nearly at the entrance when he heard the sound of a vehicle coming up the drive. When he glanced in that direction, it took him a few moments to realize that the truck that emerged from the thin layer of fog belonged to none other than Angel Hartley.

  There was no sun in sight, but his mood lifted as if it was high noon on a bright first day of summer. Then he remembered how she’d looked sitting across from Chris, and the bottom fell out of his good mood
.

  But he’d said she could come out and take photos, that Julia could visit with his mom, and he was a man of his word. When she waved, he waved back and wasn’t able to prevent his heart rate from accelerating as he watched her park and then hop out of the truck with a smile on her face.

  He walked toward her as she came around to the passenger side to help Julia out.

  “I hope you don’t mind us showing up without me calling first,” Angel said as he drew close. “We needed to get out of the house. Been going a bit stir-crazy this week with all the rain.”

  “It’s fine, though I doubt you’ll get many good pictures.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. This type of weather can convey a different mood.”

  “Yeah, soggy.”

  She smiled. “If I’m to show the truth of the ranching life in my photos, they can’t all be full of sunshine. The work doesn’t stop just because the weather isn’t optimal.”

  The front door to the house opened and his mom hurried out to greet their guests with a wave and a big smile that helped alleviate some of his sour mood. Seeing Julia reciprocate with an enthusiastic wave and smile of her own helped a bit more.

  A snippet that he’d heard on some show his mom had been watching the day before landed in the front of his mind. Something about every day being what you make it, so why not make it great. As a rule he wasn’t into all that self-reflective, self-help stuff, but he supposed a positive attitude never hurt anybody. And he had to admit he really liked seeing Angel again.

  His mom whopped him on the arm when she reached them. “Why didn’t you tell me we were going to have company?” She paused. “Or—”

  “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know.” He’d heard the question before she spoke it, her wondering if maybe he had and it had made a hasty departure from her mind like things often did.

  “I hope we’re not intruding,” Angel said.