Cowboy on My Mind--Includes a bonus novella

by R. C. Ryan

  “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “All right.”

  He turned away.

  “Ben…”

  He turned back.

  She looked as surprised by her outburst as he was. “I just…wanted to say…” Her smile bloomed. “I had the best time today. Thank you for…everything.”

  “My pleasure, ma’am.” He pulled her up against his chest and indulged in a hot, hungry kiss before releasing her.

  With a delighted grin he strode to his truck and climbed inside.

  Still grinning, he waited until the lights went on inside her house before driving away.

  Ben printed out his last report and set it on the sheriff’s desk. “I didn’t realize there would be so much paperwork involved in being your deputy.”

  “You complaining, Ben?” Virgil chuckled. “Hell, son. At least you don’t have to do this in pencil and paper like I once did. Computers cut the time in half.”

  “If you say so.”

  “What’s all that junk in your truck parked out back?”

  “Some things Rebecca Henderson bought. I told her I’d bring them by after work. She’s thinking of setting up a little garden area beside the hardware store.”

  “A garden area? How did she ever talk Hank into that?”

  “I’m not sure. I think she caught him in a weak moment after that shooting, when he’d have promised her the moon.”

  Virgil’s smile faded. “I don’t like knowing the state boys still have nothing to go on. None of this makes sense. Why would anybody want to shoot at a minister and a sweet young lady like Rebecca?”

  Ben shook his head. “I wish I had the answer.”

  “You heading over there now?”

  He nodded.

  “Don’t forget—you’re off tonight and tomorrow night.”

  “You working?”

  “No, but the state police will be. We have an agreement. They cover me certain days of each month. So you and I will both get the next two nights off.”

  “Thanks, Chief.” Ben was already thinking about all the chores he’d been neglecting out at the ranch. “See you on Thursday.”

  It was a clear, cloudless day. The sun had already burned off the last of the morning mist, and a fresh breeze blowing down from the Bitterroot Mountains carried the hint of cooler weather on the way.

  People were out walking their dogs, picking up a coffee and their morning newspaper at Dolly’s Diner. Shopkeepers were open for business. A big yellow school bus drove past, filled with laughing children.

  When Ben drove up to the side of the hardware store, he was surprised to find Rebecca hard at work, the wooden pallets stacked neatly against the far side of the building, a trash barrel filled to the brim with debris.

  She was dressed in work boots, faded denims, and a gray hoodie. Her hair was in a ponytail, her face free of makeup.

  Seeing him drive up, she slipped off her work gloves as she hurried over.

  When he stepped out of the truck, she put a hand to her throat in a gesture of surprise. “Oh. Don’t you look…” She gave him a bright smile. “Positively handsome, in a military sort of way.”

  It took him a moment. “Oh. The uniform.”

  “This is the first time I’ve seen you in it. Now your position as deputy feels official.”

  “I don’t want to get too used to it. This is only temporary, until Virgil is fully recovered.” He looked around at the freshly raked earth. “You got a lot done already. Did you start at dawn?”

  “Just about.” She laughed. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m so excited about this.”

  “Tell me where you want the furniture and pumpkins.”

  She had already marked off various areas with a can of spray paint. “The swing there. The table over there. The chair…”

  He lowered the tailgate and hopped up into the back of the truck, moving the furniture to the edge before climbing down.

  Rebecca called Eli over to lend a hand, and the two men managed to set the pieces exactly where she’d indicated.

  While they hauled the log furniture, Rebecca was busy setting out clusters of pumpkins. She made a display in the center of the table, and another alongside a stack of corn stalks she’d borrowed from her neighbor’s garden.

  Eli hurried back to the loading dock, while Ben stood to one side, watching as Rebecca fussed over her arrangements.

  Finally, satisfied with what she’d done, she joined him. “What do you think?”

  “It’s certainly colorful. You’re going to have a lot of folks in town smiling whenever they walk past.”

  “That’s the idea. And if a few of them stop in and buy, that’s even better.”

  He nodded toward the overflowing trash barrel. “Want me to haul that away?”

  “You don’t mind?”

  “Of course not.” He lifted it easily and stored it in the back of his truck, securing it with a bungee cord.

  He pointed to the wooden pallets. “How about those?”

  She stood a moment, considering. “I think I’ll hold on to them for a while.”

  “They take up a lot of space.”

  “I know. But there’s so much wood there. It seems a shame to just toss them in the trash. I wonder if Lamar and Lloyd could think of some use for them.”

  He looked at her with new respect. “It’s worth asking them.”

  “For now, I’ll just leave them over there and give it some thought.”

  “Okay.” He closed the tailgate. “I wish I could stick around and watch your customers’ reactions, but I’d better head home.”

  “Thank you for all this.” She spread her hands to indicate the clever displays. “I hope you get some sleep today.”

  “I will.” He thought about kissing her good-bye, but when he caught sight of her father heading toward them with a frown, he merely waved to her before climbing behind the wheel.

  Putting his truck in gear he leaned out the window to say, “Bye, Becca. Good luck with your new venture.”

  “What was that hell…” Seeing Rebecca’s smile fade, Hank Henderson stopped and started over. “What did Monroe want?”

  “He was delivering these.” She indicated the display.

  “Isn’t it a little late in the season for outdoor furniture? That stuff could all be covered with snow in a few weeks.”

  “Snow won’t hurt it. In case you haven’t noticed, the furniture is made of logs.”

  “What catalog did you order it from?”

  “I bought it from Lamar and Lloyd Platt.”

  “Those two old reclusive ranchers up in the hills?” Her father walked closer to run a hand over the table, before nudging the swing into motion.

  Just then Dolly Pruitt, carrying a sack of groceries for her diner, paused and stepped into the enclosure. “Well, now, what’ve you done here?”

  Hank turned. “Not me. This is all Rebecca’s doing.” He gave a snort of derision. “She’s hoping to sell outdoor furniture in the snow, I guess.”

  “You’ll notice it doesn’t squeak.” Rebecca felt the need to play up her purchases. “That’s because each piece is made by hand, by Lamar and Lloyd Platt.”

  “You don’t say?” Dolly set her sack on the log table and dropped down onto the swing, using her foot to set it into motion.

  “Unlike plastic outdoor furniture, this will never blow over in a high wind. And it’ll never rust like those metal swings.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing.” Dolly looked around with a smile. “I can’t tell you how many of those cheap things I’ve bought through the years. But they never last.” She continued swinging, while her gaze moved over the table and the big sturdy chair. Finally she stood up. “I wish you had a pair of those chairs. I’d like to put one of them on either side of my front door at the diner.”

  “I could get a second one later in the week. Lamar has more up at his ranch. That is, if you’re really interested.”

  Dolly nodded. “I may be. How much
?”

  Rebecca took a deep breath. “How about two hundred for a pair of chairs?”

  The older woman didn’t even hesitate. “Sold.”

  Rebecca couldn’t help herself. Without thinking she hugged the woman. “Oh, thank you, Dolly. You’re my very first customer.”

  Surprised and more than a little pleased by Rebecca’s reaction, Dolly returned the hug. “Well, I guarantee you, honey, I won’t be the last.”

  “Come inside and I’ll write up the sale.”

  Dolly shook her head. “No time. I have to get to the diner. I left Loretta alone, and the breakfast crowd is still there.” She picked up her sack of supplies. “I’ll pay you whenever you stop by.” She turned away, then suddenly turned back. “Oh, and add a couple of those pumpkins. I like the way they look. They’ll add some color at the diner.”

  Before Rebecca could say a word she hurried on her way.

  Hank stood a moment, looking as startled as Rebecca felt, before a slow smile creased his face. “If I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes, I’d have never believed it.” He shook his head slowly. “You may be on to something.”

  As he walked back inside the hardware store, Rebecca stood perfectly still before suddenly breaking into a happy dance.

  Then she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Ben’s number. She couldn’t wait to share her good news.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was barely dawn when Sam and Finn strolled into the barn. Both blinked in surprise to find Ben just finishing up mucking the last stall.

  “Two mornings in a row?” Sam grinned at Finn. “Is the world about to end?”

  “There must be something cataclysmic about to happen.” Finn slapped his oldest brother on the arm. “Okay, bro. What’s going on?”

  Ben merely grinned at them as he hung his pitchfork on a hook along one wall. “Just trying to make up for all the chores I’ve been missing since signing on to help out Virgil.”

  “Yeah. Speaking of which…How’s that going?” Sam easily lifted the handles of the honey wagon and hauled the dung and wet straw out the side door of the barn.

  Ben waited until he’d returned before bothering to answer. “Some nights it’s slow and dull. Other nights it gets…interesting.”

  “Like the mysterious shooter.” Sam sat on a bale of straw. “You ready to commit to signing on for good?”

  Ben stripped off his work gloves and tucked them in his back pocket. “That decision will be up to Virgil. I’ll let him be the judge if I’m cut out to be a lawman.”

  “You had lots of practice over the years. Not as a lawman, but we all had our share of dealing with the law.” Finn unlatched a bin of oats and scooped some into a trough. “Is Virgil pressing for an answer?”

  Ben shook his head. “Not really. There are rumors that he’s thinking of retiring, but those have been passed around town for years. I’m not sure he’s ready to hang it up yet. He said, ‘I’ll know when I know.’”

  “Huh.” Sam was grinning. “Is that supposed to be brilliant? That’s like saying you’ll know you’re in love when you know it. But how the hell could a guy ever know, when there are so many pretty women out there turning his head?”

  Ben laughed. “Maybe that’s when he knows.”

  At Sam’s quizzical look he added, “When all those pretty women don’t matter anymore.”

  “That’s not love, bro. That’s when you’ll know I’m dead.”

  The three brothers were still laughing as they made their way to the house for breakfast.

  Ben drove through town and parked outside the hardware store, noting idly that the once fenced-in area was bare except for a layer of fresh straw on the ground.

  Rebecca stepped out the door carrying her purse and looking as pretty as a flower in her denims and rose-colored corduroy jacket. “Thank you for coming, Ben. I was hoping to borrow one of my dad’s trucks, but he said no.”

  For a minute Ben simply stared, wishing he could scoop her up and kiss her. Instead he settled for tugging on the collar of her jacket. “What’s going on there? What happened to all the stuff?”

  “I sold it.” Her breathless tone said more than words.

  “Everything?”

  She nodded and caught his arm. “Come on. Let’s load those pallets in the back, and then I’ll tell you all about it on the ride up to the Platt ranch.”

  “No need for you to get dirty. I can load them.”

  She shook her head. “This is my business. I’m going to help.”

  Before he could argue she had already crossed the yard to pick up the first of a dozen wooden pallets lying in a pile.

  Ben carried three at a time, and in minutes they’d loaded them in the back of his truck and secured them with bungee cords.

  He helped her into the passenger side before circling around to climb in the driver’s side.

  As they pulled away, she turned to him with a radiant smile. “Dolly bought the chair. Actually, she wants a pair of them. And the next day I sold the table and the swing.”

  “And the pumpkins?”

  “The school principal bought all I had on hand to use in each of the classrooms. I have an order for fifty for the town’s Autumn Festival. And the mayor said they may need more, depending on how many sign up for the pumpkin-carving contest.”

  Ben turned to her with a grin. “What did your dad have to say about this?”

  She laughed. “He doesn’t know what to make of it.”

  “I’m betting he’s proud of you.”

  “He hasn’t said it in so many words, but he’s stopped reminding me the weather is all wrong for outdoor furniture and that nobody would buy pumpkins when practically everyone in town has a pumpkin or two growing in their own backyards.”

  “That’s a start.” As they turned onto the interstate, he glanced over. “Are we heading to the Platt ranch?”

  “Yes, please. And then, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go to your place and see Otis about some pumpkins.”

  He sent her a grin that had her blushing. “My day is yours.”

  “I’m sure you’re neglecting a lot of chores.”

  “The chores will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. But spending time with you…” He shot her a dangerous smile. “Becca, I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

  And, he thought, getting her as far away from town as possible was just frosting on the cake. A day spent in the glow of Becca’s smile, while keeping her safe, meant the world to him.

  They found Lamar and Lloyd in their workroom in the barn. The two men looked up with matching smiles.

  Lamar set aside his brush and wiped his hands on a rag before walking over. “Two visits in a week. What’s the world coming to?”

  “If my first sale is any indication, the world will soon be coming to your doorstep.” Rebecca removed an envelope from her pocket and handed it to him.

  He tore it open and merely stared at the money inside. “What’s all this?”

  “The profit from the sale of your table, chair, and swing.”

  “You already paid me.” He counted out the bills. “There’s three hundred dollars here.”

  Rebecca nodded. “Dolly Pruitt was my first customer, and I wasn’t sure just how much to charge her when she asked for two of your chairs. So I asked for two hundred dollars, and she didn’t seem to think that was too much.”

  Lamar turned to his son. “Imagine that. Two hundred dollars for two of our chairs.”

  “Actually, I went online, and found similar furniture that’s mass-produced selling for hundreds more. So I’m thinking of setting the prices a bit higher from now on.”

  “From now on? Are you thinking you can sell more?”

  Her smile widened. “I already have several orders. Dolly paid me for a second chair, and Phil and Kathy Ritter want a swing for the front of their hair salon. Three families have requested your table for their backyards.”

  The old man sank down on the edge of a
tool bench. “Who would have believed it?”

  Rebecca sat beside him. “I wasn’t certain other people would love your furniture the way I do. But now, I’m convinced I can sell all you have here.”

  When Lloyd finished wiping his hands, he walked over to join them. Noting the round cookie tin in her hand, his eyes widened. “Is that what I hope it is?”

  “Oh.” She looked down. “I almost forgot. They’re chocolate chip cookies.”

  “You baked them?” The two old men shared a look.

  “No. Sorry. I’m not very good in the kitchen. I asked my mom to bake some. I think you’ll like them.”

  Lamar got to his feet. “Let’s go inside. Lloyd will make coffee, and we’ll give them a taste test.”

  The four trudged up to the house. A short time later they were seated around the kitchen table, sipping strong hot coffee and nibbling Susan Henderson’s chocolate chip cookies.

  “Mmm-hmm.” Lamar kept smiling and nodding as he ate one, then a second, and finally a third. “Now these are the real McCoy. Homemade and perfect. You be sure to thank your mama for us.”

  “I will.”

  Lloyd peered out the window at Ben’s truck. “What’s that in the back?”

  “Wooden pallets,” Ben said. He turned to Rebecca to explain.

  “My father gets a lot of these, loaded with items for his hardware. He’s been tossing them in the little fenced area I’m now using for my garden center. I thought, instead of throwing them away, I’d see if they were something you could use.”

  “Well now.” Lamar stood. “Let’s have a look.”

  Once outside, Ben backed his truck to the barn before hauling one of the pallets from the back of his truck.

  The two men carried it to the workroom and began turning it this way and that.

  Finally Lamar looked over at Rebecca. “You thinking of making something out of this to sell in your garden area?”

  “If you think it’s worth selling.”