The Cowboy's Claim

by Carla Cassidy

  She dropped Nick’s hand to knock on the door. A moment later her mother, Connie, opened it and stared in stunned surprise. “Courtney.” She said the name without inflection, making it impossible for Courtney to know if she was happy or sad to see her.

  “Hello, Mother,” Courtney replied. As usual her mother was dressed in a conservative light pink suit, as if she were on her way to one of her many club meetings or social events.

  “What are you doing here?” Connie asked.

  “I just wanted to stop by and introduce you to Nick Benson.” She grabbed Nick’s arm possessively. “He’s the man I was seeing two years ago, the man who fathered Garrett, my son.”

  Nick tipped his hat and Courtney continued. “As you can see, Nick is a cowboy. He’s part owner of a ranch in Grady Gulch, and he’s the only man I’ve ever loved. I’m hoping to build a life with him, and if that life includes mucking manure from horse stalls, I’m all in. We won’t be throwing any fancy parties, but we might have a few barbecues for friends and neighbors, and I’ll probably spill barbecue sauce down my chin and onto whatever blouse I’m wearing.”

  Courtney’s mother shook her head, a touch of sadness coupled with disdain on her elegant features. “Oh, Courtney, we groomed you for so much better.”

  “Groomed me?” Courtney released a slightly bitter laugh. “I was your daughter, Mother, not a dog to be groomed and trained.”

  Connie’s nostrils thinned. “So, why are you here now?”

  “I just wanted to let you know that I’m happy and that I’m choosing love over anything else in my life. I wanted you to know that my love comes with a cowboy hat instead of a three-piece suit, and I’d hoped that you’d be happy for me.”

  “You’ve been nothing but a disappointment to your father and me,” Connie replied.

  Courtney raised her chin, expecting nothing less from the people who had raised her. “And may I just say, the feeling is mutual.”

  She was equally unsurprised when her mother stepped back and closed the door with the audible sound of a lock falling into place.

  “Wow,” Nick said as he placed an arm around Courtney. “Are you okay?”

  She smiled up at him. “I’m better than okay.”

  “That was pretty tough.”

  “It was nothing more than what I expected.” She released a tremulous sigh. “I was never a daughter to them. I was always just a project, like my dad working on the mayor’s Christmas tree or my mother’s charity events. All they ever wanted from me was to be a positive reflection on them, on their social standing in their community. I was never a daughter to be loved and cherished, to be nurtured to make my own choices and find my own happiness.”

  Nick placed his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “You didn’t have to do this for me, Courtney.”

  “No, I needed to do it for me,” she replied. “And I somehow felt that we couldn’t move on until I did it. And I want to move on, Nick. I want a life with you and Garrett together as a family.”

  “And you meant what you said about mucking out stalls?” One of his dark eyebrows quirked upward in obvious amusement.

  “Okay, I might have exaggerated that part a little bit,” she admitted.

  “You know what I want to do right now?” he asked.

  “What’s that?”

  His lazy grin dropped away and his eyes deepened in a way that sent a delicious chill up her spine. “I want to kiss you right here, right on your parents’ front porch.”

  “I say go for it, cowboy,” she replied tremulously.

  “And you’re the boss, right?” he asked teasingly.

  “Darned right,” she managed to mutter just before his mouth took hers in a kiss that stole her breath away.

  Epilogue

  It appeared that every person living in Grady Gulch had turned out for the town festival. People thronged Main Street, which had been shut off to traffic, and colorful tables and displays appeared along the sidewalks.

  It was just after ten when Nick and Courtney arrived on the scene with Garrett firmly locked down in a stroller. The air smelled of cotton candy and freshly baked pies and popcorn, making Nick’s mouth water in anticipation.

  For Nick this was more than just a town festival. It was also a celebration of the love he and Courtney had rediscovered, a love that was out in the open, there for all to see and one he knew would allow the dreams they’d once made in the shadows of the old barn to come true.

  He grabbed her hand as he pushed the stroller with the other hand. She looked more beautiful than he could ever remember, wearing an emerald-green sleeveless blouse and white shorts that displayed her long, slender legs. Her hair was in soft waves to her shoulders, and the small smile of a satisfied woman curved her lips.

  And he was a satisfied man. Although officially she was still living at the motel, for the past week she and Garrett had been at the ranch house, filling the emptiness with laughter, breathing new life not just into the structure itself but also into Adam.

  Nick had two surprises today for the two people he loved, and when the time was right he’d give them both. But at the moment, as they walked down the street, greeting people left and right, he was simply happy to be beside Courtney and with his son.

  The first place they stopped was at the stand Mary had set up to sell slices of homemade pie. The café was closed for the day, and she had Junior Lempke beside her as she sliced and sold pie, with the money being donated to a local charity.

  “Ah, there you are.” Mary greeted them with a bright smile. “I was hoping to see the three of you together today.”

  Courtney smiled at Nick. “Together today and every day.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Mary exclaimed and then frowned. “But, does that mean I’m going to be losing another waitress?”

  “No, I’m still planning on working, at least part-time for a while,” Courtney replied. She and Nick had discussed the issue, and Courtney had insisted she still wanted to work at the Cowboy Café. Nick could take care of Garrett when she was at work, and she promised she’d work only part-time.

  “And now what I want is a piece of your cherry pie,” Nick said and then looked at Courtney.

  “None for me right now,” Courtney replied. “I’ll have a piece later in the day.”

  Mary sliced him a big piece and he gave some of the crust to Garrett, who smacked his lips for more.

  From Mary’s stand they moved on down the street, stopping occasionally to visit with people they passed. Cameron and several of his deputies stood on one of the street corners, looking official as peacekeepers.

  The two murders of the waitresses hadn’t been solved, and Nick knew the crimes weighed heavy in Cameron’s mind, in his heart. But, today was a day to celebrate life, not contemplate murders, and he hoped at least for a little while today Cameron could put the murders behind him and just enjoy himself.

  As they started past the booth the bank had set up offering free bottles of water, Grant stepped out from behind the table. Nick tensed as the handsome man approached them.

  “Nick...Courtney.” He greeted them with a smile.

  Nick fought the impulse to throw his arm around Courtney and like Garrett exclaim, “mine!”. “Grant, how’s it going?” he asked.

  “Good,” he replied. “I have a feeling we’re going to be handing out a lot of bottled water today.”

  “It is another hot one,” Nick said.

  Grant looked at Nick and then to Courtney. “The three of you look good together, like you belong together,” he said. “I’m happy for you.” He offered Nick another smile. “I just borrowed her from you for a little while.”

  It was obvious Grant meant what he said, that he’d moved on and harbored no grudge toward Courtney. “Thanks,” Nick said and held out his hand. The two men shook and Nick felt as if another door of closure had occurred.

  Garrett pointed with excitement in the distance as he saw Rusty Albright with a handful of balloons. Grant went ba
ck to his work behind the water table and Nick and Courtney moved on.

  Within minutes Garrett had a balloon tied to his stroller, and as they approached the booth that Daniel and Lizzy were running, Nick felt the muscles in his stomach clench in anticipation, even though he’d been treated warmly by them at the Cowboy Café.

  The booth was the carnival game of darts and balloons on a wall. On the right side of the backboard was a basket of stuffed animals, silly hats and fancy plates to be won with the burst of a balloon.

  “Step right up and try your luck, cowboy,” Lizzy said, her eyes sparkling in amusement. “Break a balloon and get a prize.”

  Courtney giggled. “You sound like a real carnival barker,” she said to her friend.

  Daniel looped an arm around Lizzy’s shoulder. “She’s a woman of many talents.”

  “See if you can win a prize,” Courtney said as she grabbed Nick’s arm.

  Once again Nick’s stomach muscles tightened with tension. Everything was in place, and he suddenly felt as if his entire life was on the line. All he had to do was break one balloon.

  “Come on, Nick. You get three darts. Surely you can make one of them count,” Daniel said.

  Nick nodded and stepped up to the counter. “Watch Daddy, Garrett,” Courtney said from behind him. “He’s going to win us a prize.”

  Daniel laid three darts in front of Nick, and as he picked up the first one a trickle of nervous sweat slid down his back. It was ridiculous to be so nervous. One way or another he knew he’d be a winner. Still, at the moment all he wanted to do was pop one balloon.

  He was vaguely aware of a small crowd forming behind them. The first dart went far left, smacking into the side of the backboard inches from any of the colorful balloons.

  “Ah, we have a novice with the darts,” Lizzy exclaimed amid a few good-natured catcalls behind Nick.

  Nick picked up the second dart and glanced at Courtney. Her grin warmed him from head to toe. She was his very heart, as was Garrett.

  As he thought of that moment when Courtney had confronted her mother, his heart swelled in his chest. After that visit, they’d talked about her feelings for her parents, and he knew she realized that there was something broken inside them, something that would probably never be fixed.

  “Hey, brother, you gonna throw that dart, or are you waiting for the A team to step in?” Adam’s voice called from behind Nick.

  Nick grinned at Courtney, then turned and let the dart go. It found its mark in the center of a bright red balloon that popped. The crowd cheered and Courtney threw herself into his arms as Garrett clapped with excitement even though he was too young to understand what was going on.

  “Do I get to pick the prize?” Courtney asked, eyeing a cute teddy bear with a blue bow.

  “Actually, when you break a red balloon the prize is preselected,” Lizzy said, a bright, knowing twinkle in her eyes.

  She bent down beneath the counter and pulled out the tiny black cowboy hat Nick had arranged to be there. “Oh, Garrett, look!” Courtney exclaimed.

  “Hat!” Garrett exclaimed.

  A blue ribbon was tied around the hat and instead of handing it to Nick, Lizzy held it out to Courtney. “If I were you I’d take a good, hard look at that ribbon before I put that hat on your son’s head,” she said.

  Courtney frowned at her as she took the hat. Nick knew the moment she saw it, the sparkling diamond ring tied to the ribbon. Her gaze shot to his in stunned surprise.

  Nick took the hat from her trembling fingers and quickly untied the ring and allowed the blue ribbon to float away on the hot breeze.

  With the ring in his hand, he fell to one knee. Courtney’s eyes opened wide as the crowd of people began to clap and cheer. “Courtney, I love you,” he said, shouting to be heard above the others. “Would you please make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me?”

  Courtney’s head bobbed up and down as tears began to race down her cheeks. “Yes.” He saw her lips whisper the word. “Yes!” she shouted and he rose, and as he placed the ring on her finger she laughed and cried at the same time as he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her.

  “Okay, folks, show’s over,” Lizzy shouted. “And that’s the last diamond ring coming out of this booth today.”

  As the crowd began to disperse, Nick reached down and grabbed Garrett from the stroller. Courtney plopped the little hat on his head, a hat identical to the one that Nick wore.

  “Mine!” Garrett said as he reached up to grab the rim of the little hat.

  “Mine,” Nick repeated and reached up to touch the brim of his own hat.

  Garrett nodded and pointed to Nick. “Dada’s hat.”

  Nick gathered Courtney into his empty arm. “Mine,” he said as he held his family in his arms.

  “I love you, Nick,” Courtney said. “I can’t wait to marry you and be your wife forever.”

  “I have everything I need in life.” He took her lips with his, and in their kiss he tasted the bright joy of their future together. “I have the woman I have always loved, will always love, and my little cowboy son. What more could a man want?”

  Courtney smiled, her green eyes twinkling with happiness. “A little cowgirl daughter,” she replied.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt of The Cop's Missing Child by Karen Whiddon

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  Chapter 1

  The bright sun felt warm on his skin. If he’d been here for no reason other than a desire to enjoy the weather, Mac Riordan would have stopped and turned his face up to let the bright rays try to heat blood that these days always seemed chilled. Instead, he glanced around while keeping his quarry in sight, taking in the lush greenness of the park crowded with citizens enjoying the early spring air.

  He couldn’t believe the hunter’s rush he felt at this planned-for encounter. Finally, after all this time, he’d meet the woman who had, inadvertently or not, stolen everything he had left to live for.

  He’d planned this carefully, just happened to take a stroll along the tree-lined, paved walking path when the very woman he’d come to town to find strode past him on her daily walk—Emily Gilley. He’d been watching her for a week, after all, and figured an accidental meeting in the park would be a great way to meet her.

  True, if he wanted this to appear unintentional, keeping up with her confident pace without looking as though he was stalking her might prove difficult, though not impossible.

  He doubted she’d find him suspicious. From what he’d heard about the east Texas town of Anniversary, everyone was friendly and trusting and looked out for each other. If this was true, then Emily Gilley would have no reason to worry about a friendly stranger.

  He allowed himself the slightest of grim smiles. If only she knew.

  So far, he’d been careful. After all, he’d only been in town for three weeks. It was just long enough to establish his brand-new trucking business and to put out a few feelers about her, the woman he’d spent several years trying to locate: Emily Gilley, twenty-nine-year-old widow of one of the most notorious drug dealers on the Eastern Seaboard. She’d changed her name, taking back her mother’s maiden name Gilley, and altered both the cut and the color of her hair, all to help her disappear. But for someone with the far-flung resources to which he had access, finding her had been a matter of time and a tenacio
us effort. He was fortunate to still have a lot of the tools from his law enforcement days at his disposal.

  Her long, blond locks were now dark, short and spiky. Instead of designer fashions, she wore clothing that looked off the rack at a big bin department store. She’d gone from a glamorous life in Manhattan to this: a tiny lakefront community ninety miles east of Dallas.

  As he hurried around a bend at the end of the trail, trying not to appear in too much of a rush, he nearly ran into her. She’d stopped at the weathered wooden bench that marked the entrance to the paved parking lot of Sue’s Catfish Hut, which was crowded with lunchtime patrons.

  She was stopped and turned to face him, apparently willing to wait for him to catch up.

  This was going even better than he’d hoped, he thought with some satisfaction. And then he got a look at her annoyed expression.

  Hands on her hips, she glared at him, her brown eyes full of anger mixed with only the barest hint of fear. “What do you want? Stop following me! If you’re trying to creep me out, you’re succeeding admirably.”

  He dipped his chin, sending her an abashed smile he hoped she’d find reassuring. “My apologies. I had no idea this was a private trail.”

  Instead of growing flustered, she shook her head, sending her shaggy spiked hair rippling. “It’s not. But I walk here every day on my lunch break, and I know almost everyone in town. Every time I look up, you’re right behind me. You never pass me or fall back. And while this is the first time I’ve seen you here, you have to understand how such behavior can make a woman feel threatened.”

  “Threatened? Interesting choice of words.” He crossed his arms. “I’m new here, and I mean you no harm. I wasn’t aware being a newcomer and taking a walk were crimes.”

  Narrowing her eyes, she studied him, apparently not buying his too-easy, confident patter. In his experience, overly suspicious or outright paranoid people usually had something to hide. But then again, she had a point. He was a stranger who was following her, and her former husband had been a drug dealer. No doubt, looking over her shoulder had been deeply ingrained in her psyche. She’d be foolish not to worry. And one thing he’d learned about Emily Gilley, formerly Cavell, was that she was anything but stupid.