A Cowboy Summer (Harlequin Super Romance)

by Salonen, Debra

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  ANNE BLAMED HERSELF. If she’d been paying attention instead of thinking about her own problems—her feelings for Will—this wouldn’t have happened.

  She bit down on the end of the pen she was using to fill out the insurance papers for the treatment center Linda had recommended. “My kids are regulars there,” her friend had said. She’d followed Anne to the car with Zoey’s overnight bag and Anne’s purse. Anne’s arms had been occupied with her limp, whimpering daughter.

  Linda had tried to apologize, but Anne hadn’t had time to listen. Nor was any apology necessary. None of this would have happened if Anne had been more observant and less self-absorbed.

  This attack was her wake-up call. For as long as Zoey was living under Anne’s roof, Anne needed to make her daughter’s health and well-being her top priority. Two months of relative calm had lulled her into a false sense of security. Today proved how fast an asthma attack could demolish their fragile harmony.

  She needed to get Zoey home to their apartment where Anne could monitor the little girl’s meds, diet and rest more closely. Anne had let her guard down for one night and look what had happened.

  “Anne?”

  Her heart jumped against her rib cage.

  Will hurried across the institutional carpeting. Why would anyone put carpeting in a medical facility? Anne thought irrelevantly. Don’t they know about allergies?

  “Anne. Oh, God, I was afraid I’d go out of my head before I got here.” He reached down and pulled her out of her chair and into his arms before she could react. “How is she? Can I see her?”

  Anne’s senses warred. One part of her wanted to crawl into the comfort he offered; the other wanted to run out of the building screaming. She shook her head. “She’s with the respiratory therapist.”

  He held her at arm’s length and studied her. “You look like a strong wind could blow you to Canada. Let’s sit down.”

  She didn’t have the energy to protest—to do the right thing and send him away.

  He took the chair beside her. He was still in the clothes he’d worn to her room last night. She couldn’t look at his buttons without remembering, so she stared blankly at the papers in her lap.

  “Sweetheart, are you okay?” he asked. “Can I get you something? Water? Coffee? A stiff drink?”

  She almost smiled. It occurred to her that she hadn’t eaten all day. And after an energetic night like last night… Anne took a deep breath, drawing on her reserves. She wasn’t needy or pathetic. “I’ll be fine. Something like this always takes the wind out of your sails. It’s so difficult to see your child blue and limp.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her again. “I heard about it from Linda. She called a minute after you hung up. Wanted to know if I had any news.”

  Linda was a good friend. Anne was going to miss her.

  “She feels terrible. Blames herself for not checking to make sure Zoey took her medication this morning. And for letting the kids play tag. She said she should have—”

  “It wasn’t her fault,” Anne said. “It was mine.”

  He gave her a questioning look. “If Zoey didn’t take her medicine, I’d say some of the responsibility falls on her shoulders, wouldn’t you?”

  Anne looked at him sharply. “She’s only eight.”

  “Nine,” he corrected. “She’s nine. And she’s lived with this condition all her life. She knows what’s good for her and what isn’t, doesn’t she?”

  He had a point, but that didn’t absolve Anne of her blame. “The meds are important, and she should have had her fast-acting inhaler close by, but the real reason we’re here is me.”

  “How so?”

  Anne sank back into the chair and sighed. “I was distracted. When I got to Linda’s, my mind was on—well, you. I wasn’t listening to Zoey.”

  “To her breathing?”

  “To what she was telling me. Apparently Linda’s son stole her hat and Zoey had to chase him through the neighbor’s backyard where this black Lab puppy lives. She stopped to pet the dog and…”

  Anne took a deep breath. She hoped that what her mother had always told her about confession being good for the soul was true. “I blew it, Will. When I heard the part about the dog, I looked at her and saw that her cheeks were flushed and her breath was raspy. I grabbed her by the shoulders and said, ‘You chased after a boy instead of thinking about your health?’”

  Will winced.

  “See? Stupid, huh? I embarrassed her in front of her friends. This never would have happened in New York.”

  “Why? There aren’t boys in New York?”

  Tears filled her eyes. “She doesn’t have any friends there.”

  “Oh, Anne,” he said, his voice softened with sympathy. “That isn’t true and you know it. Zoey has a good life because you’re a wonderful mother, but even the best mom snaps once in a while. Nobody’s perfect.”

  She wished she deserved his support.

  “Besides, Linda told me to tell you that the other kids didn’t hear a thing. They were arguing over something else by then.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Sweetheart, they’re kids. They have the attention span of gnats. Nobody is going to remember this.”

  “Except Zoey.”

  “She’s the most resilient child I’ve ever met. She’ll be fine.”

  Anne wanted to believe him, but she didn’t.

  “Hey,” he said, giving her a smile. “A.J. called. He’s on his way back.” His voice dropped. “He said everything went fine. It wasn’t easy, but Gramps said it was just the way Esther would have wanted it.”

  Anne touched his arm. She knew Will had loved her mother, too.

  “Maybe this isn’t the right time to bring it up, Anne, but Gramps wants us to think about taking over the Silver Rose permanently.”

  “Us? Will, there is no us.”

  “There could be.”

  Anne jumped to her feet. “How? Even if I could get out of my contract and abandon my career, my dreams, I have Zoey to consider. Her future, her health—”

  “Which has been excellent,” he interjected. “Except for this one time, which you just admitted was caused by extenuating circumstances. Zoey’s been doing great. You can’t use her health as an excuse.”

  “Is that what you think I’m doing? Well, you’re wrong. Allergies aside, there are still emotional precursors like stress and worry that come into play with certain types of asthma. Zoey is especially sensitive to emotional trauma.”

  She didn’t know how to say what she feared without sounding morbid. “Will, I’m not the only one who loves you. Zoey hangs on your every word. She follows you around like a lamb. What happens to her when you go back to bull riding? What if the next time you hit the ground wrong you don’t get up?”

  He wove his fingers together in his lap and looked down. “A.J. wants me to quit, too. Maybe I should.”

  Anne closed her eyes. Was that what she was waiting to hear? If so, why did she feel so empty inside?

  Neither spoke for a minute, then Anne said, “Will, this is one of those proverbial no-win situations. I figured that out while I was driving to Linda’s. It’s why I was so upset that I missed all the signs leading up to Zoey’s attack.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “To put it bluntly, if you continue to ride, there is no us—for all the reasons we already talked about. If you give up bull riding and move to the Silver Rose, there’ll come a time when you look at me and Zoey and realize that we’re the reason you gave up your dream.”

  He snorted, but she put her hand on his shoulder and said, “Believe me, Will, I know what I’m talking about. People don’t just change because you want them to. They don’t give up their dreams without suffering major consequences down the road.”

  “You’re talking about your ex-husband, not me.”

  “I remember my mother telling me once that if you learned anything from your mistakes, it was not to
make the same mistake twice. I didn’t listen to Barry when he said he didn’t want children. I thought my dream was big enough to sweep him into the picture. I was wrong and we all paid a price.”

  The flatness in Anne’s voice broke Will’s heart. Not for the first time, he wished her bastard ex-husband would drop by for a little ass-wupping. “Anne, I promise you, if I—”

  A woman in a nurse’s uniform approached them. “Mrs. Fraser?”

  Anne lifted her head. Will kept his arm around her shoulders when she turned to face the nurse. “Yes?”

  “Zoey is all done. She’s tired and a bit cranky but breathing well. Her blood/oxygen level is back to the normal range. The doctor wants her to spend forty minutes on oxygen then you can take her home.” She pointed toward the hall. “You can sit with her, if you want, but she’s watching Scooby Doo and resting if you want to wait. It’s better if she doesn’t talk.”

  “Yes, I know. We’ve been through this before. Thank you.”

  Anne’s knees seemed to buckle and he used the excuse to pull her closer. “Have you eaten?”

  It took a minute before she shook her head.

  Will cursed softly. “There’s a deli across the street. Come on. You heard the woman. Zoey is fine, but you’re a basket case. And I won’t let you near the steering wheel if you don’t eat something first.”

  She ate half a bowl of soup while Will polished off a Reuben sandwich. They didn’t talk. He could tell the let-down from the intensely emotional drama—and their intensely amorous night—was taking a toll. He knew Anne was capable of handling this crisis just fine without him, but he felt good sharing her load. He couldn’t imagine not being here.

  He pointed through the fake greenery in the café’s window to the dozen or so cars lined up beyond the stucco wall. “See that parking lot?”

  Anne craned her head. “Uh-huh. What about it?”

  “When I drove past, I noticed all those cars have For Sale signs in their windows. What do you say I park the truck there, then I drive you and Zoey home?”

  “Park it? To sell?”

  He nodded. “While you’re getting Zoey discharged, I’ll run into the hardware store and buy a sign. There’s lots of traffic on this road. I bet the truck goes in a snap.”

  She looked dumbfounded. “Why are you selling it?”

  He scooted out of the booth, suddenly energized. “Because it’s a kid’s truck. I’ve been wanting to get rid of it for a long time—just needed the right push.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Not because—”

  He offered her his hand. “It’s time, Anne. I’ve outgrown this truck. It happens, you know. Same with dreams.”

  She looked doubtful but obviously didn’t have the energy to argue.

  That was how he wound up driving her mother’s Forerunner with Zoey asleep in the back seat and Anne out cold in the passenger seat. He felt like a family man and, Will had to admit, the feeling reminded him of that millisecond before the chute opens—a mix of fear and possibility.

  His right hand—his riding hand—caressed Anne’s hair. He knew that regardless of what decisions he made this relationship wasn’t a done deal. Even if he were prepared to quit riding, what right did he have to expect Anne to give up her dream job? That dire prediction she’d mentioned earlier worked both ways. Will remembered all too well how anxious Anne had been to leave Nevada—a state she’d hated in high school and didn’t seem all that sorry to leave now. If she decided to stay—for him, for Zoey, out of some sense of loyalty to A.J.—would she someday regret it? He’d witnessed firsthand how hard she worked. For her sake, Will wanted Anne to realize the sweet taste of victory.

  Before she’d dozed off, Anne had asked Will to give her the time and space she needed to make an “informed” decision. He’d agreed to back off—how could he not? Besides, he had some thinking of his own to do.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “I THINK SOMETHING is wrong with my mom.”

  Will eased his horse a bit closer to Zoey, who was riding at his side. She had claimed the right to be his partner before anyone else was done saddling. “Since Tressa can’t come, I get to ride with Will,” she’d announced with a challenging look toward her mother.

  Sixteen other riders, including Anne and Linda, were strung out in tandem along the trail behind them. Linda’s son was somewhere near the end of the line, but her daughter had missed out on the long-promised trail ride and picnic thanks to an ear infection, which explained why Will and Zoey could talk in private.

  “Well, Miss Z, your mom’s been working extra hard to get the place ready for Gramps’s return,” Will suggested. “She’s probably tired.”

  “It’s more than that,” Zoey insisted. “She always works hard.”

  Will couldn’t deny that. Since their tumultuous night together and Zoey’s asthma attack, Anne seldom left the office before midnight. Will knew because he spent most nights watching the office window until the light went out.

  Zoey glanced over her shoulder before adding in a low voice, “I hear her at night, Will. She paces around and I think she cries sometimes.”

  Will’s stomach clenched. He didn’t want to hear that, although it confirmed what he suspected. It didn’t surprise him that Anne was suffering—so was Will, but he didn’t know what to do about the situation. She’d made it clear she wanted him to keep his distance.

  “It’s my fault,” Zoey said flatly. “Because I told her I want to stay here to go to school. I know we can’t. I know her job is back East, but I love it here, Will. I don’t want to leave.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. He reached across the distance and squeezed her shoulder. “I know you’re worried about what’s been happening, honey, but you can’t let it upset you. Not here, not now,” he said, tilting her chin so he could make eye contact. “An asthma attack would scare your horse.”

  The distraction seemed to work. Zoey made a visible effort to control her breathing. She took a hit on her inhaler then glanced over her shoulder to see if her mother had noticed.

  Will looked, too. Fortunately, Anne seemed engrossed in her conversation with Linda.

  He gave Zoey a nod of support. “Good job, sweetie. Now, let’s talk about this problem. We both know your mom has a lot on her mind, including the fact that you’re obviously very happy living on the ranch and more than anything she wants to make you happy. But her job is a big factor. It’s what pays the bills and puts food on the table. A good mother takes those things very seriously.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “Mommy and Joy were arguing again this morning. Mommy wants to train Joy to take over the office after we’re gone, but Joy says she likes the kitchen better.”

  Gone. The word sucker punched him in the gut.

  “Hey, cowboy,” a voice called from behind them. “When’s lunch?”

  Will shifted in the saddle to gauge the condition of the horses and riders behind him. A few of the city folk looked ready to nod off from the slow pace and warm temperature. “Lunch in five minutes,” he hollered.

  Anne tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The ball cap she’d borrowed from one of the guests sat slightly askew, lending her a tomboy appeal that made Will want to kiss her. Totally unlike her usual calm, organized self, the Anne of late was frazzled and absentminded. She’d seemed close to tears this morning when she couldn’t find her mother’s old cowboy hat.

  Even after two hours in the saddle, she still managed to look sexy as hell. Her faded denim shirt was tied at her waist. A faint shimmer of sweat glistened on the skin exposed by her black tank top. Is she getting sunburned? he wondered. Or is it just a reflection?

  Will hadn’t expected Anne to participate in this outing, but she’d been adamant. “If my daughter can do this, so can I. I took a riding class in college. I think I can handle it.”

  He’d insisted on giving Anne, Linda and the newest guests a quick refresher before heading out on the trail. He wasn’t surprised that Anne found her seat after onl
y a few trips around the arena.

  “There’s a clearing up ahead,” Will said, raising his voice so the whole party could hear him. “If anyone feels up to it, a hiking trail leads to the ridge where you can see Lake Tahoe. I’m told this is a favorite spot for cross-country skiers in the winter.”

  Half an hour later, members of the group were scattered to various spots enjoying their hoagie sandwiches and the amazing vistas. Some clustered in the shade of the Jeffrey pines, napping or discussing the wonderful weather—a rare August cool spell. Will knew the pleasant temperature was beguiling but dangerous, given their altitude and exposure to the sun. He insisted each person carry and drink bottled water.

  “Be back in half an hour for dessert,” he told those heading off for a hike. “We’ll need to be off the mountain by sunset or Joy will track us down with a frying pan.”

  Returning to the rock formation that had served as an impromptu table, Will looked around for Zoey. Seated in Linda’s lap getting her hair braided, Zoey held a fruit drink in one hand and a half-eaten sandwich in the other. Her gaze seemed fixed on the lanky boy who was helping Will’s wranglers water the horses.

  Will emptied the ice from a mostly empty cooler into a second then offered the plastic shell as a seat to Anne. She finished folding the insulated bag that had held the sandwiches before eyeing the stool warily. “Thanks, but I’m afraid if I sit down, I might not be able to get up again.”

  Will smiled. “You’ll get your land legs back in a minute.”

  She made a face. “It’s my land butt that I’m worried about.”

  His hoot made people stop eating to look at them. Quickly, he grabbed two drinks from the slushy water and dropped to a squat a foot or so away from her. She gingerly lowered herself to the cooler and heaved a sigh. “Maybe this trail ride wasn’t such a good idea, after all.”

  Will handed her the cold fruit drink. “Don’t say that. Zoey’s glad you’re here.” And so am I.

  Anne’s left eyebrow cocked in question. “What makes you so sure? As far as I can tell, she only has eyes for you-know-who.”