Her Favorite Cowboy

by Mary Leo

  “Wait. What?”

  Once they reached the exit, she stopped abruptly to face him. “What part of ‘we should keep our distance’ don’t you understand? I’ve made myself perfectly clear.”

  One of the books slipped from his grasp and tumbled to the floor. He looked down to see a smiling cowboy looking back up at him, and in that instant he knew he’d slipped back into that Wall Street tiger who had to win, no matter what the cost. He’d awoken that morning thinking this kind of behavior was under control, just like his drinking, but apparently he still had a long way to go.

  Cori was right. He had acted exactly like a pompous ass.

  An older gentleman bent over and retrieved the book and stacked it on top of the other books Gage held on to.

  “Thanks,” he told the man, then returned his attention to Cori, who was now headed for the hotel lobby.

  “Cori, wait,” he called out, but she kept right on walking, her tight bottom swaying with each step, her long dark hair catching the light as she passed under the chandeliers. This feud had to end. One minute they were talking and having fun, and the next they were arguing. Granted, he’d gone about it all wrong, but she, of all people, should appreciate why he had to buy the rod and reel for his grandfather. It served as the ultimate peace offering. Why couldn’t she get that?

  Cori passed by his grandfather, but didn’t stop as she rounded the corner, walking out of sight. He’d glanced over at his gramps and caught the look he’d directed to Cori as he stood chatting with another man just up the two steps that led into the lobby. Gramps actually made eye contact with Cori as she passed and had offered her what seemed like an apologetic smile.

  Gage halted in his tracks as everything he carried began to slip from his grasp. Then in one split second the books, poster and contested rod and reel slipped from his arms and landed on the wooden floor with a clatter so loud everyone gazed his way.

  “That’s not how to impress a fine woman like that,” his grandfather all but whispered to him as Gage stacked up his books.

  “I wasn’t trying to impress her. She’s a frustrating, bullheaded, opinionated bully and I’m done with her.”

  “No, you’re not. She’s under your skin, and if you want to keep her interested, you gotta find some common ground, something that will charm her every time you two are together, not pull you apart.” When Gage finally looked up, his grandfather’s expression seemed to soften. “Son, I’d help you with that stack, but my back ain’t what it used to be. ’Sides, for all the money you spent today you should’a got a box.”

  He held out the perfect-sized box for the items.

  “Thanks,” Gage told him, accepting the welcomed container, then placing it on the floor and carefully stacking up as many of his books as he could fit.

  When he finished and they were all tucked inside, he hoisted the box up onto his shoulder, still unable to handle the fishing pole.

  “Let me give you a hand with that,” his grandfather offered, plucking the expensive item off the floor. “Old Zane sure knew fishing. I heard a couple of fellas say during the auction that if they had the choice, they’d rather spend the day fishing than make love to a woman. I don’t know if that’s the mark of a true adventurer or not.”

  “A little over-the-top by my standards.”

  “Mine too,” his grandfather said, giving Gage a little nudge with his elbow.

  Gage gazed over at his grandfather as they walked toward the lobby.

  “How’d you do it?” Gage asked him.

  “Do what?”

  “Stay married to the same woman for all that time and still be crazy about her?”

  “Ain’t nothing to it when you love somebody and they love you right back. It’s a natural kind of thing.”

  Gage speculated on how his grandma, Rose, ever put up with him when he turned ornery. But then he remembered her kindness and generosity. Gage couldn’t think of one time when his gramps raised his voice to Rose or said a harsh word.

  “I love you, Gramps, but we can’t be in the same room for more than a few minutes before we’re arguing. Why is that?”

  “I admit I’ve been a little rough around the edges since your grandma passed. Plus, it don’t help that I got this internal sugar problem that keeps naggin’ at me. But those are my problems. You’ve got a boat load of your own brewin’, one of ’em being you don’t seem to know when to let somethin’ be. It takes a lot of love and patience to know when to stop pushin’ and open your heart.”

  “I was only married for four years when my wife called it quits.”

  They kept walking, the box of memorabilia getting heavy on his shoulder.

  “And you let her go?”

  “You can’t hold on to a woman who doesn’t love you anymore.”

  “Seems to me you’re the one who left her. It takes a lot for a woman to fall out of love with her man. They’re more loyal than we are, and smarter most of the time.”

  “She asked for the divorce, not me.”

  “Because she knew you didn’t love her. That short amount of time being married, letting her go that easy, you probably never did.”

  “So, okay, let’s say I truly never loved her. How would I know the difference?”

  “You know when it’s true love ’cause you can’t breathe without her. But lovin’ a woman ain’t always enough to keep her. You gotta know how to keep her lovin’ you.”

  “Sounds impossible. What’s the secret? How’d you and Grandma Rose keep it together for all those years?”

  “With humor, compassion, encouragement, and if you’re lucky...good-tastin’ pie.”

  Gage felt certain he hadn’t heard him correctly. “What was that last thing?”

  “Pie.”

  Gage chuckled at the absurdity of the statement. “Any particular kind?”

  “That’s just it. We liked to try all sorts of pies. Some people travel to see the sights or to shop or to immerse themselves in a different way of life. We went for the pie.”

  “And that kept your marriage alive for sixty-some years?”

  “Yep. Who don’t like pie? I defy you to stay mad when you’re eatin’ a slice of warm apple pie with ice cream, or passion fruit cream pie with whipped cream and jelly beans. Found that one in a cookbook written by a ten-year-old girl. One of the best pies I ever tasted.”

  “Pie. That’s one of the secrets to a good marriage?”

  “Sure worked for me and my gal.”

  As they approached the crowded lobby and the elevator, Gage couldn’t let his gramps go without one more question.

  “So, you’re telling me all I have to do to win Doctor Cori Parker’s heart—if I actually wanted to win her heart, which at the moment seems impossible, even though you seem to think I still have a chance—you’re saying if we ate pie together, we would fall in love.”

  Gramps stopped walking, turned and stared Gage in the eye, a curious expression on his weathered face.

  “I’m right about you, son. You listen with your head and not your heart. You can’t think outside that big-city box you’re looking out of. Shame, ’cause I know you got the chaps to make a fine cowboy, if you only tried a whole lot harder.”

  Then Gramps placed the rod and reel under Gage’s arm, pressed the up arrow for the elevator and ambled toward the woman with the snow-white hair who’d provided Gramps with her pink sweater to use as a pillow when he collapsed. She was standing next to Steve Curtis, who took her hand and guided her and Gramps out the double doors and into the late afternoon sun, laughing as they made their way down the stairs.

  The elevator doors opened and Gage stepped inside, going over what his grandfather had said, and decided that staying happily married to the same person for more than sixty years seemed like a heck of a lot of work, especially since he didn�
�t even like pie, passion fruit or otherwise.

  Chapter Six

  There were events that Cori simply did not want to participate in. The barn dance happened to be one of them. Hailey had more or less forced her into attending, despite her insistence that she was tired and wanted to rest in their room. Her excuse didn’t hold water with her daughter.

  “Aren’t you glad you came? Who could miss a real barn dance?”

  Cori couldn’t remember ever telling Hailey anything about it.

  “And I suppose Grammy filled you in on what a barn dance is all about?”

  Hailey grinned and nodded. “Oh, Momma, I’m having such a good time. Can we stay right here in Durango for a while? If we did, I could take horseback riding lessons and learn how to ride like Gage. Could we stay, Mom? Please?”

  Hailey skipped along the sidewalk between her mom and Gram, a big smile on her face. She had accumulated several Zane Grey movie posters, books and even a teddy bear, all courtesy of thankful auction attendees. At first, Cori thought it might be too much, but everyone had insisted she keep them for having done such a great job. Hailey had already started reading one of the books and had plans to sleep with the cuddly teddy bear.

  “We can consider it, but I don’t know if I could get a practice going here. It’s a really small town, sweetie. And besides, it’s fun now because of the conference. I have no idea how it would be when we were here by ourselves.”

  “I’d be a lot closer,” Gram offered. It was the first full sentence she’d uttered to Cori since the auction. “I thought you needed a change. Besides, I bet they could use a good doctor in this town. There can never be enough good doctors, especially doctors who care about their patients.”

  Cori wasn’t quite ready to make a commitment to live anywhere but her grandmother’s house for the near future, much less make a commitment to another practice. Sure, her gram’s house was way too tiny, but in rethinking the situation, maybe she’d like to try something else entirely. Like maybe she’d write a book—a mystery or a steamy romance. If she couldn’t have a sex life of her own, perhaps she could invent one in a novel. She needed to care about something again. Aside from Buck, she hadn’t really cared about a patient in a very long time. He’d been the first patient in several years she’d allowed herself to feel something for. When you worked in an ER there was no time to get involved. You saw the patient once, handled the trauma and walked away. She’d practiced showing adequate compassion, but deep inside she’d kept her distance. It was merely part of the job. In some ways, that distance she continually practiced had somehow contributed to her chronic fatigue.

  “I stopped really caring a long time ago, Gram.”

  “That’s not true. I saw how you doted over that old fool, Buck Remington. You were kind and compassionate. No doubt more than he deserved, but it just goes to prove if you can feel sympathy for that old goat, your bedside manner hasn’t changed since you took care of your grandfather.”

  “That was different.”

  Cori had flown in every weekend for eight months straight to take her grandfather to chemotherapy on Monday morning. He’d been so scared of the chemicals going into his body and what his reaction would be that she thought being there and explaining everything to him could ease his anxiety. She’d take him out to his favorite restaurant afterward, and the three of them would spend the night playing cards and watching old movies until he fell asleep in his recliner. Tuesday morning, bright and early, she’d be on a plane heading back to New York City and work the late shift. Hailey stayed at her best friend Susan’s house for most of the weekends. She’d bring Hailey along sometimes, when her great-grandpa was feeling better, but for the most part Cori would go alone.

  Cori didn’t know what she would have done without Susan’s parents, and even now the thought of moving away from such a strong support group seemed next to impossible.

  “You just need a little time off to regroup. Everybody does at some point in their working career. It’s normal. There’s always a time when life starts to close in on us and we need to find our path all over again. You’re in one of those times. Nothing to get overly concerned about. When you come out on the other end, you’ll be stronger for it, and more confident in your life’s work. I guarantee it.”

  They’d reached the Elks Lodge, a large two-story tan brick building where the barn dance would take place. One of the few places in town that had a wooden dance floor large enough to hold everyone.

  “You should listen to Grammy, Mom. She’s smart,” Hailey chimed in as she swung open the heavy door, grunting and trying with all her might to keep it open.

  “Here, let me get that for you,” Gage said from behind Cori, then he reached over her head and grabbed the awkward door. He stood only a heartbeat away from her, causing her to want to move out of the way, but she couldn’t. She was trapped between her daughter and the door.

  The sound of his voice had startled her as she’d pulled in a breath. How long had he been following them? Had he heard their conversation? Cori wanted to die right there in front of the Elks Lodge, but there was nowhere to land when life slipped from her body other than his waiting arms.

  “Thanks,” Hailey said, obviously tickled to see him. “I was hoping you’d be here. I want to be the first person to ask you to dance. I bet you know all about the two-step and line dancing.”

  “It’s been awhile,” Gage answered, as everyone made their way through the door. “But, just like riding a horse, I’m sure it will come back to me.” He chuckled as Hailey took his hand and hurried him into the next room where the band had already started the hootenanny.

  “She likes him,” Gram said, without a trace of malice. “And, despite his being an ornery Remington, I think you do too.”

  “I have absolutely no interest in Gage Remington. He’s exactly everything I dislike in a man. He’s arrogant, obtrusive and a total pain with an addictive personality. Once this conference is over, I never have to see him again as long as I live, because he certainly won’t be escorting his grandfather to one of these events in the future. Not after his shenanigans at the auction today. The man has no sense of decorum. He’s an absolute boor.”

  Gram gazed at Cori as she hurried to get into the other room. Real cowboy music was her favorite, and from what Cori could make out, it was happening in the next room. “If all that’s true, sweetheart, how do you explain the flush on your pretty face?”

  Cori’s hands instantly covered her cheeks, mortified that she’d had such a visceral reaction to being close to him when logic dictated the opposite. Could she be that powerless in her resolve?

  She stopped in the doorway that led into the dance hall knowing full well that reason told her she should turn right around and return to the hotel, but when she saw big, hunky Gage Remington teaching petite Hailey Parker the two-step, all her apprehensions completely melted away.

  Oh, yeah, she had it bad.

  * * *

  GAGE HADN’T BEEN to a real barn dance since he was ten and even then, he’d never appreciated the music as much as he did now. It was lively and upbeat, earthy and downright American. Nothing pretentious. It was all about having fun and it didn’t matter what your clothes looked like, where you were from or the color of your skin. Everyone was there to have a good time. Check your ego at the door and allow yourself at least one good “yee-haw” during the night, and everything would be all right.

  Exactly what he needed.

  The room vibrated with stomping boots, hoots and whistles as the band belted out one classic country song after another, by artists Gage had all but forgotten. One of the more amazing components of the band happened to be that not one of them was over twenty-five. Six people comprised the band—four young men and two young women. Of the two women, wearing black fringed skirts, red Western shirts and black boots, one played a guitar and the othe
r the banjo. The four cowboys, wearing Western hats, shirts with embroidered detail, jeans and boots, played an accordion, a bass fiddle and two red-hot violins.

  The music was lively and plentiful, which kept the crowd of Zane Grey fans on the dance floor.

  As the night wore on and Hailey took what Gage had taught her and danced with just about everyone, he realized the one person he wanted to hold in his arms had purposely ignored him, which he had expected and was fine with. Still, he couldn’t help wondering what holding Cori close would feel like. He knew she didn’t want anything to do with him, yet he’d catch her looking over at him as if she had second thoughts about the whole friend routine.

  The woman drove him to distraction.

  He wanted the night to be over, and if he hadn’t promised Hailey the last dance, he would be back in his room reading one of the books he’d purchased that afternoon. Instead, here he was torturing himself over whether or not he should ask Cori to dance.

  Not that he would, knowing how she felt about their situation, but he liked to contemplate the idea. It gave him something to focus on while he indulged at the dessert table and enjoyed several glasses of sparkling apple cider.

  On the other hand, his grandfather’s silence during the entire evening was something else entirely.

  He’d made countless attempts to chat with Gramps, but the man would have none of it. He thought they had come to some sort of terms that afternoon, but apparently those terms still needed negotiating. Gage even brought him an assortment of tasty treats from the dessert table, only to be reprimanded for his efforts.

  “You know I can’t eat those in my condition. Are you trying to kill me?” Gramps protested over the music.

  “No. I... Of course not. I just thought, well, I don’t know what I thought...a peace offering?”

  “It ain’t me you need to be making peace with. At least, not now. You gotta work on your timin’, son. I’m gonna get in that there line and do a little dancin’. I suggest you get rid of them cookies and do the same. Go get that girl you been soft on and ask her for a dance like I taught you. Or did you forget all your cowboy ways, livin’ in that big city?”