Dakota, who had been drinking her coffee up until this point, coughed. Cash didn’t see the importance of where she’d worked. “Is that right?”
“Yes, for a few years,” Dakota answered.
“Then she worked at an upscale boutique,” Hope added. “In fact, I need her to help pick out a new wardrobe for me. She has a fun style I really like.”
Dakota’s cheeks turned a color that matched her lips. “And believe it or not, I didn’t pay her to sing my praises.” She turned her cheek to Hope. “And you dress just fine. You don’t need my help.”
Cash laughed. He liked seeing the exchange between the women.
Hope’s eyes lit up. “If you wouldn’t mind, Dakota, could you help? Who better to shop for girl’s clothing than someone who knows fashion?”
Dakota looked at Cash through a fringe of lashes. She looked like a cat eyeing its prey. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I do know what girls like to wear. I’d be happy to help Becca.”
Cash got a feeling she wanted to make sure he understood it wasn’t for him. “If you don’t mind.” To think he could spend some time with her wasn’t a bad thought.
“We don’t even have to leave the house.”
“We don’t?” At home, with her, was even better.
She tapped her finger on the rim of her cup. “Yes. We can visit online shops that have a wide variety of choices. I have some time this morning.”
Cash planned to check out the new irrigation system, order bales of hay, check into hiring a new ranch hand…none of that included shopping for girls clothes.
“Or you could go to his house this evening,” Hope added, smile growing by the second.
Dakota smiled too, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Or I could come to your place later. Becca could help pick out her own clothes. If you say she’s going through a particular stage, it might be best. Nothing worse than having a closet full of never worn clothes.”
“I should be finished about six this evening.”
“Then it’s a plan.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” He knew Hope was watching him closely.
Dakota set her coffee down on the counter. “I really don’t mind. I’ll have nothing else to do anyway.”
As Cash stepped toward the door, he caught Hope’s expression. She wagged her brows as if he should understand what she meant. He sighed and went to his truck. He needed a basic class on the ins and outs of a woman’s thoughts.
Ten minutes later, when he stepped inside of the barn, he found Tucker stacking bales of hay. His brother looked at him, smiling like he’d won the lottery. “Still in a pissed mood?” Tucker asked.
“No, and why do people keep asking me that question?”
“Probably for good reason.” Tucker sighed.
“Fuck that.” He shrugged.
“Oh now come on, bro. No one’s judging you.” Tucker pulled off his gloves and threw them on the workbench. “You and Lanie ain’t seeing each other anymore, are you?”
Cash rubbed his forehead. “We were never seeing each other.” He pulled on his gloves and took over where his brother left off. “I’ve already put in the new order for bales.”
“Ok, let me correct that statement. You two aren’t hitting the sheets and knocking boots anymore, are you?”
Cash gave him a side glance. “How’d you know?”
“Pfft. How would I not know? You actually removed the corn cob stuck where the sun don’t shine for a while.” Tucker shook his head. “Now it’s back and a bigger cob this time.”
“For your information, we haven’t ‘hit the sheets’ for several months now.” Sweat beaded on his back and dripped down below the waist of his jeans. He unbuttoned his shirt, hearing seams rip, and he pulled it from his shoulders.
“What happened?”
“I couldn’t give her what she wanted,” he admitted.
“She wants more than sex? Really?” The underlying sarcasm couldn’t be missed.
“She wanted me to take her to dinner, bring her flowers, treat her like I cared.” Once the words were out, he realized how harsh they were, but the truth was that he didn’t care and that’s why he stopped having sex with her before things got more complicated.
“Ouch. Can’t beat the truth, can you, bro? I hope you were gentler when you broke the news to her.” Tucker stretched his legs and hooked his boots on the stall rail.
“I wasn’t mean.” He didn’t want to hurt anyone, at least not intentionally. His mind drifted back to Dakota. Another pissed off female because he’d either done something or said something wrong. He shouldn’t care what she thought, so then why did he? Tonight he’d clear things up as much as he could, but his misbehaving parts had to tread carefully. He wanted to get to know her on a different level.
Tucker shrugged. “Good thing. You wouldn’t be happy with yourself.”
“I stopped over to see Hope this morning and instead ran into your guest. Too bad that bed and breakfast wasn’t available, huh?” Cash heaved a bale and tossed it to the top of a stack on the trailer, wishing it eased some of his stress. Instead it irritated him more. When Tucker didn’t respond, Cash gave him a glance. Tucker’s brow lifted. Cash sighed. “What’s that you say?”
“I didn’t say a word.” Tucker pretended interest in his boots.
“You didn’t have to. You got somethin’ to say, just say it,” Cash grumbled.
Tucker dropped his boots to the floor. “Okay then, I will. Why are you pushing away every female that comes near you?”
Cash blinked. “What are you talking about? I don’t push anyone away. If this is about Lanie, isn’t it best I ended it before anyone got hurt?”
“I’m not talking about Lanie. I’m referring to Dakota. Hope called me and told me she’d walked in on you and our guest having a heated moment, and when I say heated, I’m talking cold shower good.” Tucker’s eyes turned dark.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Dakota doesn’t like me.” Cash dropped down on one of the bales and stretched his legs. He just wasn’t much into work this morning. Maybe he needed another cup of coffee, or two, or three.
“Nothing happened?”
Hell, he had no reason to lie. “While I was in Delores’s bedroom looking for Becca’s stuffed animal, Dakota and I kissed.”
“Whoa, for a cowboy who moves slower than molasses, you certainly did shoot out of the gate on this one.”
Cash wiped his brow with his arm. “It won’t happen again, I’m sure.”
“You’re confidence motivates me.” Tucker snorted. “Here we go with the excuses again. There’s always a good one why things wouldn’t work.”
“Fuck off, bro.” Cash rubbed his shoulder, hoping to ease the tension in the muscle. “I think Dakota hates me because she caught Lanie kissing me.”
“Wait, she caught Lanie kissing you, and then she decided to kiss you too?”
“Not at the same time,” Cash growled. He didn’t have the inclination to explain it further.
Tucker slapped his hand against his thigh and erupted into laughter. “Fuck, Cash, that’s as close to a threesome as you’ll ever get.”
Cash tossed his glove at his brother’s head. “I don’t want one of them, let alone both.”
“Yeah, right. I can see why you don’t want husband predator, Lanie Madru, but Dakota seems like a pretty decent woman.”
Cash blinked. “What changed since last time we talked? You didn’t want her staying.”
Tucker rubbed his chin. “Last night, she helped Hope with Marah while I did evening chores. Hope even managed a half hour nap. Not everyone would jump in and help us out.”
“Hey, bro, I’m sorry if I’m not doing my part…”
Tucker waved a hand of dismissal. “I’m not referring to you. I just think there’s an appropriate amount of time before Hope and I look for a replacement for Delores, and now isn’t the time. Hope’s glad to have someone at the house.”
“We can hire anot
her hand soon, take up some of your work so you can spend more time at home. I believe that’s what Hope is really wanting.”
“Could be for the best. I was hoping you’d suggest that idea. Remember Brody Zane? He’s looking for a job. Think we should ask him to come out, ask him a few questions? I know he has the background.”
“I think he’d work out fine here, but what happened with being a rodeo star?”
Tucker stood up, put his gloves back on. “I hear he took a dirt bath off a bull and screwed his leg up, limping now. Enough that he’s hung up his spurs.”
“Have him come out this evening.” Cash stood too, retrieving his glove from the ground.
“I can’t this evening. I promised Hope I’d be home.” Tucker went back to putting another bale on the truck.
“No worries. I’ll handle it. Enjoy your time with your family. I bet Dalton would like to throw around a baseball or football.”
“I bet he would. I think it’ll be a good fit with Brody. The man’s as tough as nails.”
The rest of the day Cash spent in silence. He went alone to check the perimeter of the property and mend a fence, needing the space and to connect with nature. He had a lot to think about before he saw Dakota that evening.
When his chores were finally finished, Cash drove up to the house. He had a layer of dirt from head to toe, and if he stomped his boots he’d probably send a cloud of dust around his head. He needed a good scrubbing and a beer.
Sliding out of his truck and stretching his aching back, he marched up the stairs to the porch. Flipping through the day’s mail, he tripped over something. “Shit!” A large manila envelope had almost caused him to break his neck.
He looked down at the offending obstacle, wondering where in the hell it came from. He read the wide label. “Texas Bachelors.”
Never heard of it.
Grabbing it up, he carried it inside with the rest of the mail, dropping everything on the table. He overlooked the bills and stared at the large, mysterious package. Sliding his finger under the flap, he broke the seal and peered in. Inside he found a pile of envelopes, dumping the contents onto the table and scattering the parcels. They all had his name on them. His curiosity growing, he picked up the loose, folded piece of paper, smoothed out the folds and read it...
“Dear Mr. Bailey.
We are so pleased to spotlight you as this month’s bachelor of the year. Hundreds of men were nominated and we narrowed it down to you. Congratulations. I’m forwarding the letters you’ve received here at the magazine.”
He ripped open one envelope, practically shredding it, pulling out the one page letter inside, reading…
“Dear Bachelor of the month.
After reading your article in Texas Bachelors, I just knew I had to meet you. I’m a single mother myself with two children. I understand what it’s like to lose a loved one…”
He dropped the paper to the table.
“What the hell?”
He grabbed another, opened it, read it, and the three after that all mentioned an article in the magazine—each one made him sicker.
Grabbing his cell phone out of his back pocket, he hit quick dial. On the third ring, Hope answered. He sighed. “Would you happen to know anything about an article in the Texas Bachelor?” he asked.
The line remained silent for a good ten seconds. “Uhh…well, why are you asking?”
“I have about a hundred letters on my table from women who want to meet me. Now, I know I didn’t sign myself up for this, so can I get an explanation?”
Her moan cracked the line. “I’m sorry. With Delores’s death, I’d completely forgotten all about it.”
“Forgotten what exactly?” He gripped the phone tighter.
“I came across an ad in the magazine, Texas Bachelors. They look for top bachelors looking for love. On a whim, I decided to enter you. I guess women liked you, huh?”
“At any time in this did you think you should ask me first? Or take into consideration I’d never do something as crazy as this?”
“Yes, and that’s why I didn’t ask.” Marah’s cries sounded in the background. “You know we did this because we love you.”
“We as in Tucker was in on this?”
“After the fact.”
“I’m going to wring his neck for not telling me,” he growled.
“If you’re not going to help yourself, someone has to. Don’t be mad at me or your brother. I’ve got to feed Marah, but we’ll talk soon.
Once he hung up, he stared at the envelopes scattered around the table. He didn’t have time to think about it right now. It was already five-thirty and he still had to shower.
****
Dakota stared into her open suitcase. She had all of her best clothes with her and still had nothing to wear. It wasn’t as if she needed to dress a certain way. So then why did her stomach get all tight and her palms clammy? She didn’t need to impress anyone, especially a tall, sexy cowboy.
Who was she kidding? She’d thought about Cash all day, and she still couldn’t seem to get enough. He was a bittersweet poison rushing through her veins.
Cash was a real cowboy, rough and tough, and his looks could upend any woman, especially one who hadn’t been around a man in a long time.
Where would all this lead? And did it matter? She needed to extricate all naughty thoughts of Cash, his calloused hands and charming smile from the recesses of her mind. She needed to think of the future and how the heck she’d get off Havens Ranch because currently, she was stuck.
Rubbing her temples, she made a wish that the throbbing didn’t turn into a migraine—a huge one with a capital C etched on her forehead for the man who’d done nothing but haunt her every waking hour since they’d met. She wasn’t desperate, didn’t even want a male persuasion. So why all the fuss?
Her emotions were whacked. After all, she’d been on a non-stop emotional roller coaster for the last few months. Losing Delores had been the toughest hill and she didn’t see a descent anytime soon.
Pulling a blue, short-sleeved shirt from the suitcase, she held it up to her body, checking herself in the mirror. Too dressy.
She then tried a long-sleeved blouse. Too warm.
Finally settling on a v-neck, she pulled it on. Then her favorite skinny jeans.
Since working at the diner, she’d stopped worrying about her appearance. A world of a difference from when she worked at the boutique. No surprise. Waitresses worked twelve hour shifts with only a five minute break all day. Dakota had been lucky to get a good night’s sleep just to get up and go at it again. The boss had been a slave driver, and she should be happy she had gotten away. It’s just too bad her wallet squeaked because it was so empty.
This was only a hurdle she’d have to jump. She’d been in worse spots before. She would make it out of this bad situation stronger.
She had half a mind to open a map, close her eyes and point—wherever she landed, she’d go. But at thirty-two, could she be so careless? No, it was time to start getting her life in order.
But where did she belong?
Here maybe?
The Bailey family was kind. She felt she already knew them and had become fast friends with Hope.
Whoa, slow down. She was getting ahead of herself. Job offerings in the small town would be limited, if not obsolete.
The loneliness grew like a black hole in her heart. She missed having someone to talk to, someone to listen. Warm hands on a cold night…calloused, ranch-handling hands. Her mouth went dry. She hadn’t been this confused and crazy, since high school.
Last night she’d finished reading Delores’s letter and cried herself to sleep.
Her aunt had written about Becca and how fast she was growing up. Delores had loved the little girl and worried about her. She’d also mentioned Cash and the loneliness she saw in his eyes, and she wished he’d find someone to love again. Dakota’s heart went out for Becca, and maybe for Cash too.
With one last brushing through her ha
ir, she slid into sandals and went downstairs.
Hope caught her before she stepped through the door. “Thank you for this, Dakota.”
“I’m glad I can help. Becca is such a sweet child.”
“Do you have a second? I wanted to run something by you before you left.” Hope joined Dakota on the porch. She nodded. “I remember you telling me that you wanted to open a coffee shop and, while at the doctor’s office today, I overheard someone talking about a price reduction on a building here in town. The owner is in a hurry and wants to unload it. I just thought you might be interested.”
Dakota shrugged. “I’m afraid even a reduction in price is outside of what I can afford right now.”
“I knew you would say that.” Hope smiled, holding out a piece of paper.
“What’s this?” Dakota took it.
“It’s the number to a realtor friend who can help you if your situation changes. I’d love to have you stick around.”
“It’s a lot to think about.” Dakota stuck the paper into her purse. “I’ll definitely consider it.” But how could she manage buying a business right now? Without a job and without a good credit history, it would be impossible.
“Okay. We’ll talk soon.” Hope bid her goodbye.
Driving toward Cash’s, Dakota admired Havens Ranch. The sun was setting, casting a beautiful yellow-orange glow as a backdrop to rolling green fields dotted with wildflowers. A herd of cattle grazed part of the land separated in a pasture. Further ahead, horses hung their necks over the side of the white fence as she drove by. She realized she couldn’t have seen more than half of the property on the short drive. The fields seemed to stretch for miles and beautiful blooming trees lined the narrow lane. Only a handful of buildings broke up the blue, cloudless skyline. The squawking of a flock of birds hovering overhead was the only thing heard. She wanted to see more of the ranch, and decided she’d ask Cash if he’d still be interested in taking her for a tour.
Second Sunrise Cowboy (Second Chance Book 8) Page 6
