“I’m not faking it, Rosie. This hits the spot.” She took another long swallow.
“Shall we go out on the porch? It’s kind of fun to be out there all by ourselves. Us and the owls.”
“Sure, why not?”
“Hang on a sec. I’ll put the rest of the coffee in a carafe. You take the bottle of Baileys.”
“I’m in.” Moments later she was settled in a cozy chair on the porch with a comforting drink and a comforting friend. “I just have to say, I love this ranch.”
“So do I. Last summer I thought we’d lose it because we loaned money to a friend who couldn’t repay us. But my boys came to the rescue with moneymaking ideas, and here we are with a flourishing academy for teens who want to learn about horses.”
“That’s awesome, Rosie.” Hope sipped her coffee. “It would make a great story.”
“Want to write it? Phil told me you’re a writer.”
“Was a writer. I don’t do that anymore.” She took an extralarge gulp.
“Can you just give it up? I thought writing was something you were born to do.”
“Maybe for some. Not for me.” She finished off the contents of her mug and handed it to Rosie. “Hit me.”
“You’ve got it, girlfriend.” She poured more coffee into Hope’s mug and added enough Baileys to get a sailor drunk.
“You gave me too much.”
“You don’t have to finish it. The boys gifted me with a case of the stuff last summer when they thought I was gonna go toes up.”
“What? I didn’t hear about that!”
“I was stressed about losing the ranch, and everyone thought I’d had a heart attack. Turned out it was a reaction to the thought of giving up Thunder Mountain. I’m fine now, by the way.”
“Good.” Hope sighed and leaned back in her chair. “What a scary thing.”
“It’s called broken heart syndrome. Behaves exactly like a heart attack, but in most cases you make a full recovery in a matter of days.”
“Amazing.” She remembered having chest pains a year ago. She’d dismissed them. “Guess you need to hang on to this ranch, huh?”
Rosie nodded. “And not just for me, but for all the boys we took in. Herb and I thought we were providing a temporary home for them. Not so. They look to Thunder Mountain, and to us, for their security, their sense of self.”
“That’s quite a responsibility.”
“It is, but there are rewards, like watching Liam find someone like you. Which brings me back to the problem at hand. We have Grady and Liam in one cabin and Finn and Chelsea in another. The newest cabin will be the backdrop for the wedding since building it brought Damon and Phil together. That leaves one more. I’ll give you the key.”
“You really don’t have to do that.”
“It’s more civilized than the barn. The bunks are singles, so it’s not perfect, but pull a couple of mattresses down on the floor. That’ll work.”
“If I hadn’t ingested a fair amount of Baileys, I’d be horrified by this discussion.”
Rosie laughed. “But you have, so you’re not.”
“No, and since I’m fairly smashed, I’m going to tell you the truth about Liam and me, because you deserve to know. We’re not in it for the long haul, or I’m not, and he agreed. We’ll have fun this week. End of story.”
“Is that so?” Rosie didn’t sound particularly upset, maybe because she didn’t believe Hope.
“I mean it. After my last boyfriend, I vowed never to get serious about another guy.”
“I don’t blame you, honey. Most men are wonderful, but if you get a hold of a bad one, he can sour you on the whole lot. You have a good time this week.”
“If you think Liam’s going to change my mind, he won’t. Riding off into the sunset with the love of my life has been permanently scratched off my to-do list.”
“What a colorful way to put it! Are you sure you’re completely done with writing?”
“Done with writing, done with the happily-ever-after dream.”
“Hmm.” Rosie sipped her coffee.
“You don’t believe me.”
“What I believe or don’t believe isn’t important. But I’d feel better if you and Liam were tucked into a cabin instead of making out in the barn. That could get nasty.”
“Like straw in my hair?”
“I wasn’t going to mention it, but since you did...”
“All right. I’ll take the key. And thank you.”
* * *
HOPE SLEPT LATER than normal the next morning, but remarkably she didn’t feel any effect from the Baileys. When she walked into the kitchen, she found Rosie, Lexi and Phil’s stepmom, Edie, slicing, dicing and cooking food that was probably for the rehearsal dinner.
Rosie glanced up from a steaming pot and smiled. “Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?”
“Too well and too late. What can I do to help?”
“We’ll put you to work in a little bit,” Edie said. “Grab some coffee and I’ll scramble up a couple of eggs if Rosie can spare me a burner.”
“You can tuck in right here.” Rosie moved over. “And there’s juice in the fridge, Hope. Help yourself.”
“I can scramble the eggs.”
“Nope, nope, we have a rhythm going.” Edie backed her off. “Get some coffee and juice. Shoo.”
Lexi stopped dicing ham and grinned at Hope. “Just do as you’re told. Life’s easier that way.”
“Now there’s a smart girl.” Edie scooped up a handful of ham chunks from the bowl beside Lexi and dropped them into her skillet. “Thanks. That’ll go nice with the eggs.”
While Edie joined Rosie at the stove, Hope hovered by the coffeepot. “I feel like a prima donna, but thank you.” Sipping coffee would give her an excuse to gaze out the window. But although she took her time pouring and spent a while sipping, she saw nobody.
They were probably down in the meadow, setting up for the rehearsal. Having a wedding in front of a log cabin hadn’t made any sense to Hope until Phil had explained it. Last summer when Thunder Mountain Academy was in the planning stages, the decision had been made to add a fourth cabin to the three that had housed all the foster brothers years ago. Phil and Damon had met while working on the new cabin, so it was significant to them.
“The guys and Phil are setting up the tent,” Rosie said. She’d obviously guessed why Hope had been staring out the window. “They all ate earlier.”
“Sorry I’m such a sleepyhead.”
“No problem,” Edie said. “Right, Rosie?”
“No problem at all. Hope kept me company last night. We had a little bit of coffee and Baileys.”
“Oh, did you, now?” Lexi raised her eyebrows. “Have you found a new convert for your favorite beverage?”
“She has,” Hope said. “I’m ready to join the coffee and Baileys club.”
“Have at it.” Lexi shook her head as she continued to dice up ham. “It’s not for me, but when Chelsea gets here, you’ll have a quorum.”
Hope gazed at her. “How can you not like it? It’s like coffee on steroids.”
“Believe me, I tried for Rosie’s sake. I know how she loves that concoction, but it doesn’t work for me.”
“For me, either.” Edie came over with a plate full of eggs and a fork. “But if you were up with Rosie drinking coffee and Baileys, you need this. Now sit.”
Hope decided to do as Lexi had advised and follow directions. She sat and began eating her delicious eggs.
“I’m glad Phil’s down there with the guys,” Lexi said. “I hope she keeps an eye on Cade.”
“Why?” Mention of Cade immediately made Hope think of the condom he’d left. She wondered if Lexi knew he’d done it. “Is he likely to pull a practical joke?”
&n
bsp; “Oh, he’s capable of that, too, but mostly I hope he doesn’t accidentally compromise the tent setup. We don’t want it coming down in the middle of the ceremony.”
“He means well,” Rosie said.
“I know he does, but that cowboy’s about as handy with tools as his cat, Ringo.” Lexi turned toward the gray tabby curled in his bed in the corner of the kitchen. “I take that back, Ringo. You’re probably better at it than Cade. I love that man, but I swear he doesn’t know a hammer from a hockey stick.”
“I do so!” The screen door banged, and boots clomped across the living room floor. “I also heard you say you love me.” Smiling, Cade walked into the kitchen and straight over to Lexi. “And in front of witnesses, no less. Any day now you’ll get down on one knee and ask for my hand.”
Lexi chuckled. “You’ll make me do that, too, won’t you?”
“You bet I will. I want this proposal done right. Whatcha got there?”
He reached toward the bowl, and she smacked his hand. “Nothing for you. Did you have a reason for coming in to bother us, or did they banish you from the work site?”
“I’ll have you know I’m the official messenger from the tent crew. They’re about to set up that latticed arbor thing we talked about as a backdrop for the ceremony, and we’d like both moms to come give us an opinion. Some of the guys are worried it’ll blow over if we get a good wind.”
Edie blinked, sniffed and then fanned her face with her hands.
Hope left the table and rushed over to her. “What’s wrong? Are you worried about the weather?”
“N-no.” She sniffed again and wiped her eyes carefully as if trying not to smudge her mascara. “It was when he said both moms. That got to me, being included in the mom category.”
“Aw.” Hope wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “That’s sweet.”
“I so want Phil to think of me as her mom, even if I’m really not.”
“I’m sure she does think of you as her mom.” Hope had no idea if that was true or not, but it seemed like the right thing to say.
“You are her mom in every way that counts.” Rosie came over to give Edie a hug, too. “She told me how thrilled she is that you love Damon and are excited about this wedding. She isn’t into clothes shopping, so—”
“Tell me about it!”
“She said you were a lifesaver when she had to pick out a dress.”
“She did?” Edie dabbed at her eyes again. “That’s...that’s so nice to hear. I thought it was a chore for her.”
“It might have been if you hadn’t been there to help.”
Cade stood there shifting from one booted foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. “So, uh, does that mean you two can come out and take a look at the arbor thing or what?”
“Yes.” Rosie winked at Hope. “We’ll all come out. The more, the merrier.”
Hope appreciated that suggestion more than Rosie could ever know. She was like a schoolgirl with a crush when it came to Liam. If Cade hadn’t shown up, she would have found some excuse to go out and check the progress on the tent.
But as they all trouped outside, she thought about Edie’s emotional reaction to being accepted as Phil’s mom. Hope had a loving mother, and she’d taken that blessing for granted. In the past year, she’d shut her mom out. Talking about the breakup wasn’t her favorite thing, but her mother must be worried about her.
After the week with Liam, she’d go home and give both her parents a clearer picture of what had happened. They knew only that she’d stopped writing, quit her job in Cheyenne and moved to Cody. They had to have figured out that the breakup had prompted her behavior, but she’d confided nothing.
Yet they hadn’t pestered her for details. That must have taken loving restraint, something she hadn’t fully appreciated until now. They’d raised her, educated her and loved her unconditionally. They deserved better.
Lexi and Cade teased each other the entire way to the meadow. Hope got a kick out of it. She thought they probably belonged together, but Lexi wasn’t ready to commit. Hope was on her side. A woman had to be absolutely sure that she’d found the right guy before handing him her heart. Or her cherished manuscript.
10
LIAM HAD SPENT most of breakfast waiting for Hope to appear. Eventually he’d had no choice but to leave the ranch house where she was sleeping right down the hall and help his brothers and Phil put up the wedding tent. Distracted as he was, he wasn’t sure how much use he’d been.
He’d tried to be quiet as he slipped into the cabin the night before, but Grady had woken up, anyway. They’d talked for a while, and Grady had offered to switch places with Hope and take her room in the house, but that seemed a little obvious. Liam wanted to be with her, but he’d rather not turn it into a drama involving everyone.
Still, he hungered for a glimpse of her. Knowing she was nearby but not within touching distance drove him crazy. Any second he expected her to magically appear. And then what? How should they act toward each other?
When Cade had been sent up to the house to fetch the two moms, Liam had wondered if Hope would come along. Fortunately she had. Cade, Rosie and Edie led the parade with Lexi and Hope following.
Liam’s body tightened with yearning as she came closer, her golden hair shining in the sun. Had he seriously promised to walk away after a week if that was what she wanted? He could taste her kiss and feel the warmth of her body. His cock twitched at the thought of how effortlessly he’d slid into her heat.
Yeah, sure, she’d said all those things about not wanting a commitment and making a clean break, but she couldn’t possibly mean it. And if she had meant it then, she wouldn’t continue to think that way after they’d spent several hot nights together. He held on to that belief as she stepped into the meadow.
This morning she wore a crisp white blouse tucked into a pair of jeans that looked newer and not as soft as the ones she’d worn on the ride. They might pose a greater challenge for him to take off. Then he realized he was thinking about undressing her when they’d all gathered to discuss the placement of a white wicker archway. Time to dial it back.
If he’d had any sense, he’d have kept his distance, but instead he walked over to her and Lexi. “Good morning.”
Her gray eyes and soft smile welcomed him. “Good morning to you, too.”
“How did you sleep?” He’d tossed and turned. Every waking moment had been filled with thoughts of her lying in that guest room bed alone. He should have told her to leave the window open. He knew how to take off those screens.
“Like the dead.” She told him about her drink and chat with Rosie.
“Sounds like fun.”
“It was.” She edged away from the group endlessly debating whether the arch should stay or go, and whether any stabilizing would make it look ugly. “I told her we’re not serious about each other and all we want is a temporary fling.”
He laughed. “You’re kidding me, right? You didn’t really say that.”
“I did. I felt obligated to let her know what’s going on.”
He blew out a breath and forced himself to calm down. “I know what that’s like. I’ve had many discussions with her, and she has that effect on a person.”
“There’s more” Motioning him closer, she spoke in a near whisper. “She gave us a key to the unused cabin so we don’t end up conducting our wild affair in the barn.”
“You told her about the barn?”
“She knows we don’t have a lot of options until after the wedding.”
He glanced over at Rosie talking with the others. “Do you think she disapproves?”
“If she does, she didn’t let on.”
“Because she knows me better than that.”
“Oh?”
Damn. Wrong thing to say. He met her questioning
gaze. “This isn’t the best time and place for this discussion.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
He turned toward the group. “Hey, guys. Hope and I are going for a walk. Be back in a few.”
“We’ll still be here, haggling over this arbor,” Damon called back. “Either that or we’ll have decided to turn it into firewood for the cookout tonight.”
“I’m sure you’ll make the right decision, bridegroom.” Liam glanced at Hope. “Let’s see how the forest service road looks in the daytime.”
“Okay.” She fell into step beside him.
He took her hand but didn’t say anything more until they’d gone through the gate and had started down the dirt road. “Look, just because I’ve never done something like this doesn’t mean I can’t. For one thing, no woman has ever suggested it.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’ll discover a week of sex with no commitment is right up my alley.”
“Or maybe you and Rosie both think a week with you will change my perspective.”
“Are you completely closed to that possibility?”
“Yes.”
“Really?” He looked over and noted that her jaw was rigid and her gaze was focused on the road ahead. “I guess you are.”
“I’m not in the market for a steady boyfriend, so if you’re going into this with an agenda, we need to call it off now.” But she didn’t pull her hand away, which was encouraging.
“I wouldn’t say I have an agenda, but I’m not so sure we’ll finish up the week and be sick of each other.”
“We probably won’t be.”
“So what would be the harm in tacking on a little extension?”
“That would ruin the whole concept. One extension would lead to another, and then you’d want us to start living together.”
“Maybe you’d want that, too.”
“No. Never again.”
He sighed and drew her to a halt. “What did that dirtbag do to you, Hope?”
She stared at him with a mutinous expression. “I don’t want to talk about Tom. It’s a closed book.”
“I do want to talk about him.”
“You’re asking a lot. I haven’t even told my parents the whole story.”
Cowboy After Dark Page 9
