Cowboy Courage: Includes a bonus novella

by Carolyn Brown

  “Thanks, and I’m not a leg man,” he chuckled. “I’m a breast guy.”

  She blushed in spite of the chill and forced herself not to look down at her own chest, which was average size, and wondered if her boobs were too big or too small. It was a crazy thought, because other than a few kisses, whatever this was with Hud couldn’t go anywhere permanent until she made up her mind about her own future. It wouldn’t be fair to a great guy like him to ever lead him on for weeks and then reenlist. The army only knew where her next duty station would be, but it sure wouldn’t be anywhere close to Bowie, Texas.

  She shivered the whole time that she changed, and hadn’t warmed up yet when she started back down the stairs. Her pulse jacked up a few notches when she realized Hud was standing at the bottom of the steps, watching her. Just the way he looked at her heated up her insides more than any sweater in her closet.

  Luna walked up behind Hud and poked him on the shoulder with a bony finger. “Y’all quit makin’ moony eyes at each other, and get on in here to the table before the gravy gets cold. Nothin’ worse than cold gravy.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Hud held out his hand toward Rose.

  He didn’t drop it until he pulled out a chair for her. “So, what’s your favorite piece of chicken?” he asked as he rounded the table and seated Luna.

  “Legs,” Rose answered. “Daddy used to tell me that he needed to perfect a breed of chicken that had three legs.”

  “My granny used to tell Tag the same thing,” Hud said.

  Luna bowed her head. “Thank you, God, for this food. Amen.”

  “We’ve never said grace before,” Rose said.

  “It’s Sunday,” Luna said bluntly and took two legs out of the box of chicken before she passed it on to Hud. “Now let’s eat.”

  “What was your favorite thing about living in a commune?” He removed a breast and a wing.

  “I think it was the land. Although the commune owned only maybe thirty or forty acres, it had a nice stream bordering it on one side and a mountain on the other. I loved running wild and free, wading in the clear water or taking a sandwich up into the trees and having a picnic with the squirrels,” she answered honestly. “What did you like about growing up on a ranch?”

  “Pretty much what you said.” He spooned some mashed potatoes out onto his plate and handed the container to her. Vibes passed between them when their fingertips touched—but that wasn’t a surprise, since it happened every single time they were even close to each other. “After me and Tag would get done with chores, we’d either go to the creek running on the Rockin’ B Ranch property or we’d play rodeo cowboys. We about wore out a bull Grandpa made us from a tractor tire and hung from a big old scrub oak tree in our backyard. I’d ride while he pulled on the rope to make it buck, and then we’d trade places. The best thing was when Daddy or Grandpa came out there and jerked the rope around, because the bull got really rowdy then.”

  “The boys had one of those at the commune,” Rose said. “I tried it one time, but I only stayed on a couple of seconds. That ended my rodeo career right there.”

  “Not mine,” Hud said between bites. “I still ride bulls whenever I get a chance.”

  “Ever been hurt?”

  “Few times,” he admitted.

  “Wilbur used to get a wild hair up his butt and want to do rodeo stuff. I told him that we had a carnival and riding the Ferris wheel or the Tilt-A-Whirl was enough excitement for him,” Luna said and changed the subject. “How’d y’all fare at the two-steppin’ last night?”

  “We didn’t go,” Rose replied. “We went out to Hud’s ranch and I got to see his house and meet his dog, Red. He kind of reminds me of Daddy’s redbone hound named Merle. He’s a big pet, for the most part, but he hates coyotes, so when one comes around lookin’ for a chicken or a newborn calf or baby goat, Merle puts them goin’ pretty fast.”

  “Is he named after Merle Haggard?” Luna asked.

  “Yep, and Red is after that song by Blake Shelton,” Rose told her.

  Rose glanced up at her reflection in the mirror hanging above an old washstand on the other side of the kitchen. Her makeup was completely washed away, leaving her eyebrows and eyelashes the same strawberry blond color as her hair. Every freckle was shining, and her full lips still looked slightly bee-stung from the make-out session. Hud had kissed her when she looked like a runaway street person, so evidently, he really did like her.

  “Well, I got to meet them dogs someday,” Luna said, smacking her lips. “This is some fine chicken. Reminds me of what your mama made for me the last time I saw her. Only thing I like better than fried chicken is catfish. We had that on the table the day I went to see her too. Man, was that some good food.”

  “When spring comes, we should go fishing in one of our farm ponds,” Hud suggested. “They’ve been stocked with catfish, and the old guy we bought the place from said no one has fished in them for several years. That means they might be good eatin’ sized.”

  When spring rolled around, Rose could easily be thousands and thousands of miles away, or then again, she could only be a couple of hours down the road if she took the job in Fort Worth.

  “I haven’t been fishing in years.” She put the thoughts of where she’d be in two months away, and focused on the memories of the commune. “Daddy and I often went on Sunday afternoons, and if we caught something, we’d cook it over an open fire right there on the creek bank and eat it.”

  “Did you feel guilty that you didn’t take it back to share with the others?” Hud asked.

  She shook her head. “Me and Daddy called it an afternoon snack. There wasn’t enough for everyone in the commune to even have a taste. The way I figured, it was that if they wanted plenty to feed the crowd, then they should be out there helping us. We all worked together in the huge garden, picked the fruit from the orchard, and took care of the livestock, so it was either fish and eat or not fish and have whatever was left over in the kitchen for snacks.”

  “Sounds like pretty sound thinking to me,” he agreed.

  “I thought so.” She stole looks over at him.

  “Where was your favorite place to be stationed when you were in the army?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure,” she replied. “I loved each place, even the tours over in Afghanistan. There was something eerily beautiful about that place, but I have to admit I got sick of the sand. There was no way to keep it out of everything, from your clothes to your bedsheets. That part I didn’t like at all. What about you? You’ve worked on your folks’ big ranch, and now this smaller one. Which is your favorite?”

  Hud hesitated for so long that she wondered if he’d ever answer. Then he gave a brief nod, as if he’d found the most truthful one. “I’d have to say the Canyon Creek ranch is my favorite. Tag and I are working toward something that we can be proud of and, hopefully, add to as land around us comes up for sale. What my folks have is huge, but my great-grandparents started small like we’re doing and built the ranch into an empire. We want to do the same for our future generations. It takes long hours and lots of elbow grease, but there’s a lot of pride in getting a fence built, or a barn roof put on, or even a pasture full of hay baled. And that’s not even talking about the excitement of a new calf on the ranch.”

  She loved the enthusiasm in his voice. She wanted to feel the same way when she made up her mind about what step to take next in her own life.

  Chapter Ten

  Paxton called just as they were finishing Sunday dinner and told Hud that a dozen cows were out on the road. “Evidently, all this rain has left those old rotted fence posts easy to push over. There’s about four of them down on the ground. Reckon you could get on back here and help me get them back inside the pasture?” he asked.

  “I’m on my way,” Hud said and ended the call. “Ladies, I hate to eat and run, but Pax needs my help right away.”

  “Get on out of here.” Luna waved him away. “But before you leave, don’t make plans for Wednesday night. W
e’re all three goin’ square-dancin’ down at the VFW. I saw an ad for it in the newspaper this mornin’, and they said everyone was invited. So put on your dancin’ boots, and we’ll go have us a good time. That is if Wilbur don’t call between now and then.”

  “If he does, we’ll let you know,” Rose told him.

  “Thanks,” Hud said as he disappeared out of the kitchen.

  At least the rain had slacked off to a slow drizzle when he got back to the ranch that afternoon. He made another dash through the house to change into work clothes and boots and called Paxton on his way back to the truck to see exactly where he should go.

  “I’m at the back side of the ranch on the far side of Canyon Creek,” Paxton answered. “I’ve got them herded up together, but the old cow in the lead won’t budge, so the whole lot of them are being stubborn. Bring Red with you. Maybe he can get them moving.”

  When he whistled, the dog came running and barely slowed down enough to jump onto the passenger’s seat.

  “We’re both on the way,” Hud said.

  When he reached Paxton’s truck, he pulled over beside it and opened the door. Red bailed out and headed right for the cows. He went to the lead heifer and barked at her. She didn’t take even a half step, so he nipped at her heels. That set her in motion, and she headed into the narrow strip of land between the fence and the creek. The herd rolled their eyes and bellowed, but they followed her until they were all crammed up in a huddle, still afraid to step into the rolling creek waters. Finally, Red got them moving single file toward a small bridge up the creek a ways.

  “Well, we got them going, but getting that old cow to cross the footbridge might be another thing,” Paxton said.

  “Let’s get this fence patched,” Hud told him. “They could live on this little piece of dirt until the water recedes. How do you figure they got across anyway?”

  “They either came over before the water got deep or one of them led the herd across the bridge.” Paxton got what they needed out of his truck.

  “It’ll seem strange to be working with just me and Maverick,” Paxton said as he tossed one of the old rotted fence posts off to the side. “The four of us have been a team for a decade now.”

  Hud drove a metal post where the old one had been. “We’d try to talk you into staying if it would do any good.”

  “Can’t stay, now.” Paxton grinned. “Emily and the family have a big surprise going-away party for me tonight at her place. I can’t disappoint her.”

  “How’d you know about that?” Hud asked. “I don’t talk in my sleep, do I?”

  “Nope.” Paxton kicked another post out of the way. “I hate goodbyes, so I was going to slip away this morning. Then Tag came by. He had to let the cat out of the bag so I’d stay for the party. Ain’t no way I’m going to disappoint Emily and Justin after all they’ve done for us.”

  Hud understood Paxton completely, because he’d been dreading telling his roommate and best friend goodbye the next morning too. However, the strip of land separating the creek from the road seemed to strike a nerve in Hud’s thoughts.

  “This strip of land is a little oasis between the past, with all the raging water, and the future, which is the road out there,” he said.

  “When did you become a philosopher?” Paxton asked.

  “Since Rose showed up in Bowie, I guess.” He set another metal post and moved on down to the next place. “I’m happy on my ranch, but I wonder about Rose. Where will the future road take her?”

  “That’s pretty deep thinkin’ for us old cowboys.” Paxton got out the barbed wire and started stretching it from post to post. “But I reckon it’ll be up to her. You gettin’ serious about that woman?”

  “I can see it going that way if she doesn’t leave in a few weeks.” Hud followed along behind him with another row of wire.

  “Well, would you look at that?” Paxton pointed across the creek where the whole herd of cows had their heads bent, getting drinks from the creek.

  Red ran up and down the creek, yipping at Hud. Finally, he jumped in and started paddling to their side. The current took him downstream a little ways, but when he reached the grassy shore, he bounded back to Paxton and Hud, shook water all over them, and then barked at the cows across the creek.

  Hud rubbed the dog’s ears and said, “I don’t know how you got them across that little bridge but you did good, old boy.”

  “You might want to put up a gate so they don’t come across it during high water times,” Paxton told Hud.

  “Great idea,” Hud agreed.

  “Now, what do we do with the rest of the afternoon?” Paxton asked.

  “How about we get into some dry clothing, grab a couple of beers, and watch some Sunday afternoon football until it’s time to go for your surprise party,” Hud suggested.

  “Sounds good to me,” Paxton said. “Meet you at the barn, and we’ll get the feeding chores done early so we won’t have to do them in the dark after my party. Come on, Red. You can go with me. Might be the last time we get to see each other for a while.”

  Hud had been so wrapped up in Rose that he hadn’t really thought about Paxton leaving until that moment. For the first time in his life, starting tomorrow, he would be living alone. He’d lived in the big ranch house on his folks’ ranch until he was eighteen, and then he and Tag had moved out into the bunkhouse on the Rockin’ B Ranch. They had declared that they wanted to be grown-ups, but in actuality, what they really wanted was to be free to go to bars and bring women home with them. Then when they moved to Sunset, they’d lived in the house together until Tag moved out into the little cabin over on Longhorn Canyon and wound up getting married. After that, he still had Paxton in the house. Now it would be empty except for him and Red.

  When he and Tag had lived in the bunkhouse, and then again in the little two-bedroom ranch house with Maverick and Paxton, he’d sworn that he would give his right arm for some peace and quiet. Now that it was coming tomorrow morning, he wasn’t so sure he was ready for it.

  He didn’t even realize he’d gone past the turn to the ranch until he was almost to Sunset. “Dammit!” he muttered as he turned the truck around and headed back. When he topped the hill, he saw the most beautiful rainbow he’d ever laid eyes on. He pulled over to the side of the road and called Rose.

  “Need some help with those ornery cows?” she asked.

  “Go outside and look to the east,” he told her. “There’s a gorgeous rainbow.”

  He could hear the front door opening and then her gasp. “Oh. My. Goodness! It’s so bright and beautiful,” she said.

  Her reaction made him feel like he’d just laid the moon at her feet. “I thought you might like that. Glad I got your number so I could show it to you.”

  “Me too,” Rose said. “I wish we could be standing together at the end of the rainbow.”

  “So we could find the pot of gold together?” he asked.

  “No, so we could discover what was there together,” she replied. “It might be answers to all our questions instead of a pot of gold.”

  “Wouldn’t that be great?” Hud caught a movement in his peripheral vision and turned to look to his right. Paxton had pulled up beside him and was motioning for him to roll down his window.

  “It’s starting to fade. I’ve got to go get Aunt Luna and show it to her,” Rose said.

  “Talk to you later,” Hud told her as he hit a button and the passenger-side window started moving downward.

  “Got trouble?” Paxton asked.

  “No, I just pulled over to look at that rainbow,” Hud told him.

  “Awww, that’s romantic,” Paxton teased.

  “If that’s the case, maybe you should write a poem about it and send it to Alana,” Hud shot back.

  “Now, you’re gettin’ downright mean. I bet I can beat you home, and if there’s only one beer, I’m not goin’ to share it.” Paxton rolled up his window and left a long black streak on the wet road.

  Hud chuckled and f
ollowed along behind him at the speed limit. He wasn’t worried about losing the race, and he knew there was a whole six-pack of beer in the fridge because he’d put it there the day before.

  Getting the cows back onto ranch property, repairing the fence, and then doing all the chores had taken Paxton and Hud longer than they’d thought it would. They listened to the kickoff of a football game as they got dressed for Paxton’s surprise party. Hud had known about it all week, and his job was to deliver Paxton when Emily called to tell him that it was time.

  He’d just gotten his boots on and was combing his hair when his cell rang. Expecting it to be Emily, he answered, “Timing is just right.”

  “For what?” Rose asked.

  “To talk to you,” he answered. “What’s up?”

  “Aunt Luna is depressed because Uncle Wilbur hasn’t called,” she said. “I was wondering if you could come over and play a game of dominoes with us to cheer her up.”

  “I’d love to, but this is Paxton’s last night here, and my sister is giving him a going-away party.” He bit back a groan.

  This was the first time she’d called him, and the only time she’d asked for his help—every other time he’d helped her out had been nothing but coincidence. “But, hey, why don’t you join us at the party? Y’all can be my plus two. It’s nothing formal. Just a buffet supper and some visiting with Paxton, since he’s leaving tomorrow morning.”

  “Are you sure?” Rose asked. “I don’t want to crash a family gathering.”

  “I’m positive,” he said. “Remember how to get to the ranch?”

  “Yes,” she answered. “But…”

  “It’s the first right on the road after you turn off from Sunset. My ranch is the second one, so if you get as far as the Canyon Creek, then turn around and go back a quarter mile. No, I’ve got a better idea. Y’all come here to my ranch, and we’ll go together”—he looked at the clock beside his bed—“say in about thirty minutes.”