Designs on the Cowboy

by Roxann Delaney

  Glory took her hand and nodded. “It has. The last time I was here was ten years ago to visit my mom. She lives in Texas now.” She released Hayley’s hand and looked in Dylan’s direction, but not at him. “If it’s all right, I’d like to wash my hands and get a cold drink of water.”

  “Sure.”

  Dylan watched as she walked past his brother and future sister-in-law, but instead of hearing the sound of water at the sink, he heard the faint closing of the screen door on the porch.

  “Is she upset about something?” Luke asked.

  Dylan wondered what excuse he could give. “We had a little disagreement about the appliances, earlier.”

  “I’d get that cleared up right away.”

  He looked at his brother. “Yeah, I’ll do that.” But there was something about the way Luke was looking at him. Did his brother think there was something going on between him and Glory? If so, he was wrong. Dylan had no intention of letting that happen.

  * * *

  GRATEFUL TO BE too busy to worry about anything beyond the work, Glory moved from the finished bedroom to the former bedroom. When she was done, Dylan would have an office that would not only be utilitarian, but a room where she hoped he would be comfortable. She envisioned a place where he could not only find the papers for the ranch’s latest cattle acquisition or sale, but keep the massive collection of books she’d discovered in what had probably been a pantry. She’d never tell anyone, but a man who read was one of her biggest turn-ons. As if she needed that.

  “You’re sure you want a wall from this doorway all the way to that outside wall, Miz Andrews?”

  Glory nodded at the handyman. “I’ll need a door—” she ran a measured glance down what would be a hallway “—about here. I’ll give you the measurements later.”

  The man scratched his chin and slowly moved his head from side to side. “I guess I don’t get it, what with shortening the hall down there by the bathroom.”

  With patience she wasn’t feeling at the moment, she explained that the space would be a closet, accessible from the office. His answer was a shrug, and she worried she’d need to keep a close eye on him. Not only was there a hall being added, but both bathrooms, upstairs and downstairs, were getting a face-lift, making things a bit inconvenient for a while. The only room that wasn’t having much done was the dining room. She’d fallen in love with the dining table and chairs and refused to remove them from the house. If Dylan didn’t like it, he could do whatever he wanted after she’d finished the job.

  She was in the dining room, which she secretly called her command post, working with the floor plans she’d had drawn up for the new office, when she heard the porch door open and close. She didn’t need to look to know it was Dylan. The sound of his footsteps had become far too familiar. She’d slipped the pictures she was using for her decorating scheme beneath a fat notebook when the footsteps stopped. Looking up, she discovered him standing in the doorway.

  “Don’t you ever take a break?” he asked.

  “Of course I do. Not on a regular schedule, but when I need one I take it.”

  “What about lunch?”

  She pointed toward her large canvas bag in the corner. “I bring my lunch. Why?”

  He shrugged, his gaze going around the room, but skipping right past her. “Ned said the kitchen would be ready for the appliances in a few days.”

  Ned? She was surprised he knew the carpenter’s name. “That’s good news, considering we thought it would be longer.”

  “He’s a good worker. Seems to know what he’s doing.”

  She wasn’t sure how to answer, so she nodded and pretended to study the plans in front of her. Had he thought she would be clueless? He should know that in a small town, finding good workers was the easy part. Fred Mercer at the hardware store was a wealth of knowledge, but although she trusted him, she also double-checked his suggestions with Gram and others. It always paid to get both a man’s view and a woman’s. Each saw things a little differently.

  Taking a peek from beneath her lashes, she saw that Dylan was watching her, and her body reacted with a flash of heat. If she couldn’t get herself under control, she didn’t know how she was going to finish the job.

  She raised her head to look directly at him and hoped he didn’t notice how rattled she was by his continued presence. “Was there something else?”

  “What? No, nothing. Nothing except I was wondering if you had any idea when this would all be done.”

  So he was in a hurry to get rid of her. Well, she’d take all the time she needed and didn’t care what he thought. “I’ll know better in a week or so.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Okay. I just...” Instead of finishing whatever it was he was going to say, he turned and left the room.

  When she was certain he was gone, she put her hands on the table and braced herself. Her knees were shaking so badly she could hardly stand. He wasn’t making this easy on her. She was doing the best she could. In fact, she felt she was doing an excellent job. If she could just finish it up, they’d both be happier.

  By late afternoon, she’d given the promised measurements to the handyman for the wall and started packing the leftovers from what had been Dylan’s bedroom. There were already several boxes along the wall where the bed had been, apparently packed by Dylan, and she tested the nearest one to make sure it wasn’t too heavy for her to lift. Finding them light enough, she carried it to the pantry, and then returned for another.

  When she started to pick up the second one, she heard the sound of glass rattling in it. Wondering what it could be and hoping nothing had broken, she knelt on the floor and picked up the folded newspaper sitting on top of the box. What she saw sent a wave of disappointment through her.

  Liquor. Several bottles of it. Too many, in fact. Her father had been and probably still was a functioning alcoholic.

  Reaching into the box, she pulled out one of the bottles and noticed the half-full tumbler sitting behind the box. Picking it up with her other hand, she sighed.

  “What are you doing?”

  She nearly dropped both the glass and the bottle as she jerked her head up. “I was—I was moving the boxes into the pantry.”

  Dylan walked into the room and leaned down, taking the bottle and glass from her hands. “I’ll take care of it.”

  She didn’t want to look at him. It was none of her business. She was there to do a job and had no right to judge him on what he did with his life.

  She shook her head. “I’ve got it. Just put the bottle in the box with the others.”

  “It has nothing to do with you.”

  He was right—it didn’t—but that didn’t seem to help quell her disappointment in him. She couldn’t risk looking at him. He would immediately know how she felt.

  Clearing her throat, she got to her feet. “If you’ll hand me the box, I’ll put it in the pantry with the other things.”

  Without meaning to, she looked up and saw him watching her, his green eyes unreadable.

  “All right.”

  For a second, she wasn’t sure she’d heard him, and then she realized he’d agreed. He picked up the box and handed it to her. With nothing more she could say, she thanked him and vowed to put the incident behind her. He was right. It had nothing to do with her.

  Chapter Five

  Dylan stood at the pasture fence and looked out over the best of the herd. He should have been feeling good. He and his brother had come a long way over the past fifteen years. They’d taken a small family ranch that had barely made enough to keep the five of them fed and clothed, with little left over for extras, and they’d turned it into a successful cattle operation that had garnered the attention of some of the best cattlemen in three states. But that wasn’t what was on his mind.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about the loo
k on Glory’s face the day before, the half-empty glass of bourbon in her hand. He’d told himself it didn’t matter and that he could do whatever he wanted. But her disappointment had gotten to him, no matter how much he’d tried to tell himself it hadn’t.

  He heard his brother call his name, and he turned his head, hoping to erase the image in his mind. “What’s the plan?”

  Luke joined him at the fence, propping his booted foot on the rail next to Dylan’s. “It’s Saturday.”

  “Right. So?”

  “Fresh barbecue at Lou’s Place.”

  Dylan nodded. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that. It’s been a while since I’ve stopped in for one of Kate’s barbecued beef sandwiches.”

  “Same here.”

  Dylan pushed away from the fence and stepped back. “Then I’d better get cleaned up.”

  Luke laughed. “I thought you might say that. I’ll meet you there.”

  After Luke turned to leave, Dylan started for the house. He’d only taken a few steps when he remembered that Glory was inside with one of the contractors she’d hired to fix up the bathrooms. She’d told him before he headed out earlier that morning that the water would be off, so taking a shower before going to Lou’s was out of the question.

  “Hey, Luke,” he called. “Mind if I take a shower at your place?”

  Luke waved and answered. “Fine with me. Hayley took Brayden to see her folks, and they won’t be back for a couple of days.”

  “I’ll see you in a few minutes, then,” Dylan answered.

  Inside, he grabbed a fresh set of clothes from his bedroom, and discovered Glory in the next room, touching up the freshly painted walls. His first instinct was to keep going and hope she didn’t notice. Instead, he stopped in the doorway.

  She must have sensed he was there, because she turned around. “Oh, I didn’t hear you.”

  Cussing himself because he’d been fool enough to stop, he searched for something to say. He considered asking if he could bring her something back from Lou’s, but vetoed the idea. She might think he was trying to win her approval or something. He wasn’t. He couldn’t care less about that. “I’ll be at Lou’s Place with Luke, after I clean up at his house, if anyone needs to know.”

  He noticed again that her usual smile was more a frown than anything, and she didn’t look at him when she spoke. “I was afraid something would come up while the water is turned off.”

  “No big deal. It isn’t like Luke’s place is out of the way.”

  She nodded, and then turned back to the wall.

  He didn’t have any doubt that her obvious disapproval was because of what had happened the day before. “This is my house, you know,” he said, the words spilling from his mouth.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him and answered, “Yes, it is,” and then went back to her painting.

  Wishing he hadn’t bothered to stop or even look in the doorway as he passed, he walked out of the room and down the stairs. Next time, he’d know better.

  Within a few minutes, he pulled his pickup into the drive at Luke’s home, a mile down the road from his, and parked, thinking about lunch. It was much safer to do that than think of Glory, with that smudge of paint on her nose.

  He’d been angry with her the day before, when she’d found the bottles. Now he felt guilty about it. Was he crazy?

  Thirty minutes later, showered and dressed in clean clothes, and riding in Luke’s pickup, they pulled into the parking lot at Lou’s Place, Desperation’s local tavern. “You’re looking kind of down in the mouth,” Luke said as he pulled into an empty spot. “Something bothering you?”

  Dylan swore under his breath. His brother knew him too well. He wasn’t about to tell him or anyone else what had happened. “Nope,” he answered. “I was just thinking how hungry I am and hoping there’s plenty of food left.”

  “You and me both.” Shutting off the engine, Luke reached for the door handle and grinned. “Let’s go get us some barbecue.”

  Dylan nodded and opened the door on his side, determined to keep his mind on anything but Glory. He’d spent a sleepless night dealing with the memory of the look on her face when he’d found her with the bottles. He wasn’t an alcoholic, no matter what she might think. Except for an occasional beer with friends, the only time he drank was once a year, when his guilt about his parents’ accident was more than he could handle. If he’d been where he was supposed to be that day, fifteen years ago, his mother would be enjoying the grandson she’d never had a chance to know and his father would be reaping the benefits of a successful ranch. And he and his sister and brother would still have their parents.

  Glory had made him realize that the drinking had to stop. He would never be able to forget, or stop missing his mom and dad, but he could do that much to make things right. Even if Glory might never know, he’d made a silent promise that morning that his annual binge-drinking days were over.

  “You’re sure everything’s all right?” Luke asked.

  As they walked toward the tavern, Dylan shook off the dark thoughts. “Right as rain.”

  “How’s the decorating stuff going?” Luke asked when they reached the door.

  “Okay.”

  Luke looked over his shoulder as he opened the door and walked inside. “Just okay?”

  Dylan stepped through behind his brother. “It’s hard to tell. The house is pretty much a mess.”

  “Hayley’s curious to see how it’s going.”

  Dylan shrugged. “Glory might like the company. She might put her to work, though.”

  Luke laughed as they greeted a handful of friends and neighbors on their way to a table in a corner. “I doubt she’d mind.” Taking a seat, he looked around. “Busy place today.”

  Dylan chose a spot at the table where he could see the comings and goings, and then signaled one of the waitresses. “I guess this is when we’ll find out if they’ve run out of barbecue.”

  “I’m hoping luck is on our side.” Luke turned to the waitress, who had just walked up to the table. “Hey, Lucy.”

  “Hi, boys. What can I get you?”

  “Two draws.” He glanced at Dylan, who nodded and then held up three fingers. “And six of Kate’s sandwiches. If there are any left.”

  She smiled. “At least enough left for both of you. I’ll be back with them in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks.” When she walked away, he turned to Dylan. “Now there’s a nice girl. Maybe you should give some thought to—”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Got your eye on Glory, huh?”

  Dylan snorted. “Yeah, like I’m that crazy.” Considering what had happened the day before, even if he’d been interested, he’d blown his chance. Not that it mattered, he reminded himself. He didn’t have any interest in getting tangled up with Glory or anyone else.

  Luke leaned a little closer. “I think she likes you.”

  Dylan slowly turned his head to stare at his brother.

  “Glory,” Luke answered, as if Dylan hadn’t understood.

  “Glory likes everybody,” Dylan replied, without looking him in the eye. “She always has. So don’t go gettin’ any ideas, because there’s no reason. Got it?”

  Luke leaned back in his chair and held up both hands in surrender. “Whatever you say.”

  Dylan spied Dusty coming in the door with another cowboy and waved a hand to indicate the empty seats at their table. “Plenty of room here,” Dylan said.

  “Save a seat for Morgan,” Dusty said, claiming a chair. “He’ll be here as soon as his shift is over. Tanner and Tucker, too.”

  “No wives?” Luke asked.

  Dusty shook his head. “They’re busy working on stuff for the box social.”

  “Hayley mentioned something about that,” Luke said. “I have
n’t been to one for a long time.”

  Totally in the dark about what they were talking about, Dylan leaned forward. “Does somebody want to let me in on this box thing?”

  Dusty turned to him. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Shaking his head, Dylan looked around the table at the others. “No. Should I know about this?”

  Sheriff Morgan Rule walked up to the table, pulled out a chair and joined them. “Every man in the vicinity of Desperation knows the annual box social is the best place to get a fine meal. The ladies always manage to outdo themselves each year.”

  Dusty pointed at the cowboy next to him. “Even Jeff here is seriously considering coming back next weekend for it.”

  Looking at Dusty’s friend, Dylan realized the man wasn’t a stranger. He and Luke had known Jeff Morton for several years, having met him at a rodeo where their sister was competing. He’d been an up-and-coming bull rider before an injury had slowed him down, although he still did some competing. But from what Dylan had heard, Jeff’s main interest was a cattle ranch in Colorado.

  Lucy appeared with Luke’s and Dylan’s orders, then took the orders of the other men at the table. “These will probably be the last barbecue sandwich orders I’ll be able to fill. There’s been a big crowd today, and that’s what everyone is ordering.”

  When she walked away, Dylan turned to Jeff. “You still riding?”

  Jeff leaned back in his chair. “Some. In fact, I ran into your sister a couple of months ago.”

  “Yeah?” Luke asked.

  Jeff nodded. “Yeah. She was showing me a saddle made here in Desperation some years ago. She’d just bought it from a relative of the saddle maker.”

  Dylan sat up straighter and leaned forward. “Did you say Erin bought the saddle?” He glanced at Luke, whose eyebrows lifted slightly. “Did she mention any names?”

  Shaking his head, Jeff took a sip of his beer before answering. “None that I recall.”

  Dylan looked at Luke again. It was obvious to Dylan that his brother noticed the same coincidence he did. Glory’s grandfather had to have made the saddle. “Would you know the name if you heard it?”