Accidental Cowgirl

by Maggie McGinnis

  Hayley’s eyes gleamed as she tore them away from the cowboys. “Ladies, should we make a bet?”

  “Sounds dangerous.” Jess swirled her tea.

  Kyla shook her head. “No bets, Hayls. My only goal is to survive this vacation without breaking any more bones. Men are not in the equation.”

  “Even cowboys?”

  “Definitely not cowboys.”

  * * *

  “One hundred and fifty thousand dollars?” Cole coughed on the chicken wing he’d just bitten into. “How the hell did Dad get into that big of a mess?” He set his plate on the kitchen counter while he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

  Decker scooped a wing out of the pot on the stove, glancing at the swinging doors into the great room to make sure Ma wasn’t coming back through. Over the top of the doors he could see the ranch hands already holding court by the buffet table. “Same way he got in the first ten-thousand-dollar mess. Only bigger.”

  “Jesus, Decker. How in the world are we ever going to be able to repay that?”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure his bookie’s hoping we can’t.”

  “Because if we can’t, he gets the ranch.” Cole set his plate down. “Shit, Decker. What are we going to do?”

  “Marry rich?” Decker forced his voice to stay light as he scooped another wing and cocked his head toward the swinging doors where the new guests were gathering in the great room. “Any prospects out there?”

  “Very funny. And no. We’ve got a middle-aged couple on an anniversary vacation, two divorcées, and three late registrations in from Boston.”

  “Not very promising.”

  “How’d your meeting with the bank go?” Cole peered at the door again. Ma was going to bust them any second and force them to go mingle.

  “Same as the last one went.” Decker scrubbed his hand through his hair. “We are—quote—encouraged to seek a second mortgage elsewhere.”

  “How long did the bookie give us?”

  “Said he’d be back in a month. And that was generous. Said his boss had a soft spot for widows, but with a chunk of change this big, his soft spot could only last thirty days.”

  “Thirty days?” Cole sat down hard on a wooden kitchen chair. “Oh, my God, Decker. What are we going to do? You already maxed out your retirement and life insurance. Ma doesn’t even know that.”

  “Well, let’s hope she never has to find out.” He’d used all of his savings already, too, getting the mortgage current enough to avoid foreclosure. “We’ll figure something out. We don’t have a choice.”

  Decker put on his Stetson and his cowboy game face, determined to pretend he was confident they’d find a way out of the situation. It at least gave him the chance to try to do something right, after all the damage he’d done. “But we’re not going to figure it out tonight. Suppose we should go out there and meet the guests?”

  “Do we have to?”

  “Yeah, we do. But I’ll tell you this—if the Boston gals have that twang thing going on where they forget the letter R is a legitimate member of the alphabet, I’m calling in sick for the week. I cannot do another trail ride with that accent. I swear, I’ll shoot off my own toe to get out of it.”

  “Ha. Like Ma’d let you off that easy. She’d give you a big-ass Band-Aid and a tetanus shot and heave you on your horse herself.”

  “Who needs a tetanus shot?” A sharp voice startled both of them as Ma blasted through the swinging doors carrying three empty serving plates.

  Cole recovered first. “Nobody, Ma. You’ve given us enough of those damn things to keep us tetanus-free ’til we’re a hundred and fifty years old.”

  Ma piled the dishes on the shelf and swatted his arm. “I only gave ’em to you every ten years or so. You ever seen tetanus, you’d be happy I gave you all them shots.” She took a couple of covered bowls and bustled back through the swinging doors.

  Cole shook his head as he watched her go. “Did you find Roscoe?”

  “Long story.” Decker shook his head as he scooped another wing from the pot.

  “Ma was ready to skin you for being so late.”

  “She was just afraid I’d blow off the meet-n-greet, because she knows how much I love playing dress-up cowboy.” Almost as much as I love being back here, seeing Emily at every turn. He looked at the finger-painted picture of a barn and horse that was still taped to the cupboard by the sink. His little sister, frozen in time, never to grow up.

  “It’s keeping us afloat, Decker. You can’t argue with the figures so far this summer.” Cole fiddled with the brim of his Stetson. “Not that it’s gonna help us if we lose the ranch to some casino in Vegas, but at least we’ve got a chance at making the mortgage payments. Some guys would think this was a dream come true. New batch of women every week, most of them divorced and … hungry.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Well, I’m afraid I’m not one of them. And I need to get back to L.A. in a month.” If Decker got a little jolt of disappointment every time he said it, well, that was just too bad. He had no right to stay, once he helped Ma and Cole out of this hole.

  “So you’ve mentioned. A lot. So where was Roscoe?”

  Decker fiddled with the food on his plate as he considered what to tell Cole. Something about Kyla’s voice kept gnawing at him. It was familiar, but he couldn’t place why. And everything about her body was still bothering him. “I found him about an hour south of town.”

  “Oh, boy. What was he doing this time?”

  “He had some city girl doing jumping jacks in the road, in her bare feet.”

  “Jumping jacks?”

  “Some sort of dumb-ass sobriety test he made up, I guess. She was not amused, to say the least.”

  Cole rolled his eyes, scooping salsa with a corn chip. “Did you rescue her?”

  Decker pictured Kyla crossing her arms while spots had flamed her cheeks. Her little body had been encased in a very proper navy suit, and if she’d had a bun and tortoiseshell glasses, she’d have embodied all the best parts of a very hot shy-librarian fantasy. He cleared his throat again. “Rescue would be a strong word. I think she was prepared to take care of herself, mostly. ’Til she unintentionally pissed off a rattler.”

  “Oh, Christ.”

  “Yep. Thought she was going to drop dead from a heart attack when I came at her with the Remington. Damn snake was only ten feet away from her.”

  “She never heard it?”

  Decker shook his head. “Nope.” Lucky for him, she’d been so shocked when she’d seen the gun that she’d frozen in place. After he’d shot it and she’d gotten a glance at the rattler’s body, she’d gone pale and had practically scuttled back into her car, mumbling about spas or some nonsense.

  “Well, I imagine she’ll know what it is next time. Welcome to Montana. Pow!”

  Ma bustled back through the kitchen doors, eyeing Decker and Cole. “What are you two jawin’ about?”

  “Nothing, Ma,” they said in unison.

  She narrowed her eyes. “That tone always means something, Ma, but I don’t have time right now to grill you two.” She took the plates out of both Decker’s and Cole’s hands and set them on the counter. “Ready to come out and meet our new folks?”

  Decker swallowed a grimace as he turned toward her. “Ready as ever, Ma. Ready as ever.”

  “You remember the rules, right?”

  “You remind me every session, Ma.”

  “Well, I don’t want you forgetting. For the next two weeks, you’re still a cowboy. Definitely not an L.A. architect, got it?” She turned to Cole. “And you. You get a haircut before Tuesday or I’m gonna cut it myself.”

  “Yes’m,” they muttered.

  Ma looked carefully at both of them, a smile twitching the corner of her lips. “Don’t you go yes’m-ing me when you don’t mean it, either.”

  “Yes’m.”

  Ma crooked her pointy finger and headed for the swinging doors, holding them open for Decker and Cole. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I
present … your cowboys.”

  Decker pasted on a smile and strode through the door, but froze mid-step as he locked eyes with the woman leaning against the back of the couch.

  Chapter 4

  “All right, city kids. Ready to be cowboys and cowgirls?” Kyla tried to tear her eyes from Decker’s and pay attention to the older woman beside him, but she had a bad case of crazy-glue. Just over an hour ago, he’d come at her with a gun, and now here he was, apparently the owner of the ranch she’d be at for the next two weeks? In the soft light of the wall sconces and fireplace, he was just as brochure-ready as the sunset picture Hayley had shoved in her carry-on.

  “I’d like to introduce myself and my sons here, and then we’ll mingle and get to know each other a little bit. First things first, I’m Sara Driscoll. I run this place, but I let my sons here think they’re helping. You can start off callin’ me Sara, or Mrs. Driscoll, or ma’am, but you’ll be callin’ me Ma by the time you leave. That’s just the way it goes.” Her voice settled somewhere between drill sergeant and Mama Bear, making Kyla smile.

  “I love her already,” Jess whispered in Kyla’s ear.

  “I love her sons more,” Hayley muttered under her breath.

  “Now let me introduce my boys here. On my right is Cole. He’s our head wrangler and chief medic, but we’ll try to use only the first skill while you’re here. And on my left is Decker. He’s our horse trainer. He’ll be helping you with riding lessons this week, and he’ll be head guide on the trail when you set out next week.”

  Mrs. Driscoll’s voice continued, but Kyla wasn’t hearing the words. She was locked on to Decker’s blue eyes. Right now they looked amused, and the corners of his lips tightened like he was hiding a smile. She hadn’t noticed the dimple on his right cheek earlier today, but he hadn’t really been smiling then. Of course he was amused now, though. Last time he’d seen her, she’d been doing jumping jacks in the middle of the freakin’ highway. Barefoot, for God’s sake.

  “Um, Kyla?” Hayley drew up close beside her and whispered out of the side of her mouth. “You’re melting, girl.”

  “Omigod,” Jess breathed. “That’s your cowboy, isn’t it?”

  Kyla nodded imperceptibly, then broke eye contact with Decker. Oh holy hell. He was going to be their riding instructor? And trail guide? She’d only met him an hour ago, but already he’d seen her almost pee her pants at the sight of a gun. Imagine what he’d think when he found out she was here at a dude ranch, but deathly afraid of horses. He’d probably send her packing back to Boston.

  “So let’s introduce ourselves,” Mrs. Driscoll continued, motioning everyone into an awkward semi-circle in the center of the room. She was about five-four and wore jeans and a blue flannel shirt, with comfy leather moccasins on her feet. Her silvery hair was pulled into a loose bun, but wisps that had come loose framed her ruddy cheeks. “We’re a nice small crew this week, so we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other, but let’s at least do some quick introductions.”

  She motioned toward the two cowboys who’d come in first. “Jimmy and Pete are our jacks-of-all-trades around here. They’ll be on the trail with you when you head out next week, and they’ll be helping with some of the work we’ll do to get you saddle-ready.”

  Jimmy was tall and lanky, with a cocky grin. Kyla pegged him for early twenties. His sidekick Pete looked to be about the same age, but was built like a wrestler, all muscles and brawn. He was as dark as Jimmy was blond, and both of them looked like they’d spent a fair amount of time in the sun already this summer.

  Sara motioned to a middle-aged couple next. “Maureen? Tom? Let’s hear a little bit about the two of you.”

  Maureen ducked her head nervously, then glanced over at her husband with a shy smile. “Hi, everyone. We’re here from Minnesota. It’s our thirtieth anniversary, so we decided to splurge and take a little second honeymoon.”

  Tom put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “We’re happy to meet you all. We’ve been putting in time on the treadmill hoping we won’t slow all you young folks down on the trail next week.” Maureen elbowed him as he winked, and Kyla tamped down a spike of jealousy as she watched their unconscious hand motions and glances. Cripes, they’d been married thirty years and they still acted like newlyweds.

  “We hope you have a lovely second honeymoon, you two. Just treat this place like your home … but let us do the cooking and cleaning up.” Sara winked at them, then motioned to a tall, thin woman who looked like she’d spent a little too much time in the tanning bed in her younger years. Her hair had probably once been reddish-brown, but was now a streaky mix of blonds and reds. She wore enough jewelry on her wrists that she clinked as she walked, and her four-inch heels gave her hips a sexy sway in her skinny jeans.

  “I’m Theresa,” she practically purred, looking directly at Decker and Cole. “From Pittsburgh, but I’m a country gal at heart.” Right, Kyla grimaced. And I’m a heart surgeon. Those heels she was wearing probably cost more than Kyla’s grocery bill for the month. “I’m in pharmaceuticals, and I am so ready to let loose and have a ball out here.”

  “Welcome, Theresa.” Sara smiled warmly.

  Jess went next, and Kyla smiled as her best friend held the room mesmerized, merely by standing still. With her Native American roots and Disneyesque eyes, she was almost impossible not to stare at. “I’m Jess, from Boston, and I have a natural medicine practice.” She thought for a moment, then finished with, “I honestly don’t know much about Montana yet, but I’m really hoping this ranch will be just the right medicine for the three of us right now.”

  Kyla took a deep breath as Jess finished and Hayley started. What in the world was she going to say? The first thing that popped into her head was completely inappropriate, but frighteningly true. However, I’m Kyla, and a year ago I woke up from a coma to find that a.) my fiancé was already married, b.) he’d stolen all of my money, and c.) he’d set me up to take the fall might just put her on the ranch’s cuckoo watch list, so that wasn’t going to work.

  She took another deep, steadying breath. How had she thought she was going to survive two weeks in another state, with a bunch of strangers? The whole idea was a ready-made panic attack. She had Wes to thank for those, as well. They’d started about six months after the car accident, which her therapist had assured her was pretty normal. Ha. Normal was the last word that sprang to mind when her limbs turned to jelly and her head buzzed like six thousand bumblebees had moved in.

  “… So I’m really looking forward to spending a couple of weeks with animals bigger than the football-sized ones I see in my clinic back in Boston,” Hayley finished.

  “Maybe you can give us some pointers while you’re here,” Mrs. Driscoll smiled. “Don’t think we’ve had a vet yet this summer!” She turned to the woman next to Theresa. “Cheryl? How about you?”

  Cheryl was dressed like her friend Theresa, but it wasn’t a look a stylist would choose for her. She looked about five-foot-six, but was getting some help from her red heels. Kyla’s mother would have looked her up and down and said, Time to cut out the milkshakes, sweetheart. Kyla looked down at her own jeans and tank top under a light sweater and immediately felt underdressed.

  “Well, like Theresa said, we’re here from Pittsburgh. I’m a masseuse at an upscale spa. Very exclusive clients.” Looking straight at Decker, she practically simpered, “I’m just so glad to finally be here and learn all there is to know about ranching and horses and, well, everything! And if anybody needs a massage for their sore muscles, I’m your girl!” Her giggle made Kyla raise her eyebrows. Seriously?

  “Welcome, Cheryl.” Was it Kyla’s imagination, or was Mrs. Driscoll’s smile a bit strained? “Last but not least, Kyla.”

  “Hi, everyone. I’m Kyla.” Her voice sounded a little steadier than she’d expected, which gave her a tiny bit of confidence, though she still wasn’t quite sure how to introduce herself. “I’m from Boston, too. I’
m here … I guess, to catch my breath for a little while.”

  As she finished, she felt Decker’s eyes on her. His penetrating gaze should have made her squirm. It should have reminded her of the detectives who’d tried so hard to make her admit things that weren’t true. It should have made her desperately uncomfortable.

  But instead, the intensity sent a liquid warmth to places she hadn’t even thought about in quite some time. She shook her head. He was probably the resident Lothario, breaking hearts every two weeks. He probably had that effect on everyone.

  Mrs. Driscoll gave them a quick rundown of the next day’s schedule, then rubbed her hands together. “All righty,” she finished. “That’s enough of me talking. You all need to mingle and get to know each other a bit. You’ll be working closely for two weeks here, first on the ground, and then on the trail. Get some munchies, have a drink, and chitchat a bit. I’ll be back out in a few minutes.” She waved toward the buffet as she headed through the kitchen door.

  Before Kyla could figure out whether she dared to approach Decker now that she wasn’t trapped on the side of the road desperate for his help, Cheryl and Theresa had headed his way. Though she didn’t want to, Kyla couldn’t help but notice how Cheryl sidled up to Decker and placed a hand on his arm. The gleam in her eyes and tilt of her hips made no secret of her interest. Theresa had adopted much the same position at Cole’s side.

  Damn. Where did women get that level of confidence? And where could she buy some? Kyla shook her head and finished her wine. It didn’t matter. If Decker knew anything about the past year of her life, he’d be running for the Rockies if he detected a glimmer of interest from her anyway. And since her last glimmer of interest had resulted in a conspiracy charge, it’d be much smarter to tamp this one down long before it ignited.

  A little while later, Kyla had just sat down near the fire when a camera flash exploded. She flinched as she pictured flashbulbs blinding her at the police station, on the courthouse steps, at the grocery store, even. Wes had lost just enough of other people’s money that his arrest and trial had been top-of-the-fold news.