Until he could do that, he saddled up for another day tending to the cattle herd and checking fencing. As he rode out of the barn, he noticed Linnea sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee. She waved when she saw him, and he smiled as he tapped the brim of his hat with his index finger. He hadn’t heard her cry herself to sleep the night before, and that made him happy. An odd sense of pride filled him that maybe he’d had a small part to do with that. He just hoped that another day of hanging around the house alone didn’t give her too much time to fall back into that pit of sadness she’d been in. She needed to stay busy, and the perfect idea for how to help her stay out of her funk popped into his head. His smile grew as he followed his dad and brother out through the pasture for another day of work.
* * *
AS LINNEA HUNG UP on the last phone call she needed to make to completely cancel her wedding, she didn’t know whether to feel relieved or empty. She did know that she should go back to Dallas, return to her life and her business. She’d been hiding out at the Brodys’ ranch for the better part of a week, and she suspected they’d like to have their man cave back.
But the idea of getting in her car and leaving the nice little cocoon the ranch provided made her stomach tie in knots. What if despite Katrina’s threat, Michael showed up at the shop the moment Linnea got back? She wanted to be strong enough to believe that it wouldn’t bother her, but she doubted she would be. She’d bought into their romance a hundred percent, and she still sometimes thought she might wake up to find the awful truth wasn’t in fact the truth.
She needed to stop thinking that way and face it head-on, no matter how horrible it was going to be. She knew that, told herself that over and over, and yet here she sat in Chloe’s old room, not taking that first step.
A knock on the door drew her attention. “Yeah?”
Owen poked his head in. “Get dressed. We’re going to the rodeo.”
“I don’t think I’m up for that, but you all have a good time.”
“Nope, not letting you wiggle your way out of this one. After all, you’re my only hope.”
She cocked her head a little to the side. “Do I even want to ask?”
“See, there’s this girl named Tiffany in town who has been after me, and I need protection.”
Linnea actually snorted at that. “Protection from a woman? You are Owen Brody, right?”
“Exactly. I’m so irresistible that I need a protection detail.”
“Lord, I need to borrow some waders because it is getting deep in here.”
Owen shot her one of those crooked grins of his that she was sure had the women of Blue Falls tripping over themselves to be with him. For a moment, she understood why. If he weren’t Chloe’s brother and she didn’t think men sucked at the moment, she might even be tempted.
Which was another good reason not to go to the rodeo, and another reason she needed to get back to Dallas.
“Owen—”
“You’re going to leave me out to dry after I saved you from a rainstorm and got your tires fixed?”
“Pulling out all the stops, huh?”
“Did it work?”
“Why are you pushing this? Do you really need me to pretend I’m with you to stave off the hordes of women?”
He leaned back against the doorframe and hung his thumbs in his jean pockets. “Because you need to get out of this house and have a good time.”
“You do remember I just had the worst week of my life, right?”
“Which is why you need to go have some fun, because I’d lay good money down that Michael isn’t having fun right now.”
The evil gleam in Owen’s eyes nearly made her laugh. It was amazing how many times he’d given her a light moment throughout the week, something she would have thought impossible when she’d driven out of Dallas with her world shattered.
“Fine, I’ll go. But I’m not promising you won’t regret it later.”
“Fair enough, but you’ll be with me. You’re guaranteed to have a good time.”
“Oh, get out,” she said as she stood. “And take your enormous ego with you.”
His grin widened as he slipped out the door. She closed it behind him and shook her head. But she found herself smiling at the idea of spending the night out while Michael was miserable. At least she hoped he was.
She turned and headed for her bag to look for something appropriate to wear. She might not really be Owen Brody’s date, but damn if she wasn’t going to take advantage of his infectious thirst for a good time. And if she happened to appreciate how he looked in his jeans, well, nobody had to know but her. After all, she’d be back home soon, back to her real life that didn’t include rodeos or cowboys in tight jeans. She glanced toward the door where Owen had stood a few moments before and wondered if she would have been better off falling for someone like him than for the man she’d thought was perfect for her.
Chapter Four
Despite the fact that her best friend had lived her entire life on a ranch and had probably been going to rodeos since she was in utero, Linnea found herself asking several questions as she and the Brodys sat in the grandstands watching the events.
Owen nudged her in the back. “I thought you grew up in Texas, woman.”
She eyed him over her shoulder. “Not too many rodeos in the Dallas suburbs.”
“Not that far to Fort Worth, either. Home to one of the biggest rodeos in the country.”
“She was probably watching Project Runway or Say Yes to the Dress,” Chloe said with a teasing smile.
Linnea wrinkled her nose at her friend. “Neither of those was on when I was in high school. And I seem to remember someone I know not minding Project Runway marathons.”
Chloe lifted an eyebrow. “I am a girl, after all. Just because I know my way around horses and cattle doesn’t mean I don’t like pretty things, too.”
Linnea noticed Owen turn his attention to his brother beside him. “How did talking about rodeo lead to a discussion about clothes?”
“Get two women together, and talk always turns toward clothes,” Garrett said with a matter-of-fact tone. “Or shoes.”
Chloe reached back and slugged him in the side of the leg.
“Ow. Wyatt, control your wife.”
“Oh, hell no,” Wyatt said, putting his hands in the air. “Not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.”
“Smart boy,” Wayne said from where he sat on the other side of Garrett.
“What is up with women needing so many shoes?” Owen asked.
“Because we have pretty feet,” Chloe said.
“I’ll have you know I have gorgeous feet,” he tossed back.
“Boy, the only time you had anything other than ugly feet was when you were born.”
Linnea found herself smiling at the good-natured family teasing. Owen had been right. It felt good to get out of the house and do something around other people, even if every time she saw a couple holding hands it sent a sharp pain through her heart.
By the time the rodeo was over, she was ready to retreat to the guest room, however. She was proud of herself for taking a step toward moving on, but she’d worn a smile for about as long as she could manage for one night.
So when Owen pulled into the parking lot for the Blue Falls Music Hall, a flutter of panic hit her. “I thought we were heading back to the house.”
“Later.”
Before she could protest, he slipped out of the truck and headed around the front. Not willing to let him get the door for her as if it were a date, she opened her own door and got out before he could reach her. Thankfully, he didn’t comment on her blocking his attempt at chivalry.
“Sure you don’t want to skip this?” she asked.
“You haven’t been to the music hall in a long time. And the Teagues of Texas, a local band, is playing tonight. They’re pretty good considering it’s not what they do for a living.”
Not wanting to put a damper on Owen’s fun, she accompanied him inside. Though she wa
sn’t his date, it was obvious that they’d arrived together. But it didn’t seem to matter. They were approximately half a dozen steps inside when a cute little brunette grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the dance floor. He looked back at Linnea with a smile and a shrug, causing her to laugh a little under her breath.
“Oh, good, you came,” Chloe said as she looped her arm with Linnea’s and dragged her toward the bar.
“Not much of a choice. Seems all my options for a ride back to the ranch stopped here.” She could have driven herself, should have, but it had seemed silly to take yet another vehicle at the time when they were all going to and coming back to the same place. But now she was stuck in the middle of a beehive of humanity having a good time.
After they sat at the bar and ordered drinks, Chloe spun toward Linnea. “How are you doing?”
“Great. Never better.”
“Sorry. We were hoping getting out would give you a boost.”
She took a breath. “It did.” When Chloe looked skeptical, Linnea continued. “Really.”
Even if she was feeling as if her meager reserve of happiness was running out like the sand rushing through an hourglass, she needed to be grateful that she had friends so ready to try to help her. But maybe it was time to go home and continue trying to heal there.
But she thought about how differently her family would handle things. While they were wonderful and loving, too, she knew her mother would want to hug and protect her, to talk about all the minute details of what had happened. The very thought made Linnea want to run screaming across the border into Mexico. Even though she would have preferred going back to the ranch after the rodeo, being in the midst of a crowd of strangers dancing, talking and laughing was still better than the pity and well-intended coddling she would get from her family if she went home. She needed more time to prepare to deal with that every bit as much as for dealing with returning to work and possibly running into Michael.
She scanned the crowd, spotting a few familiar faces. Chloe’s friends India and Skyler were laughing in the opposite corner with someone else Linnea didn’t know. Garrett and Wyatt were standing at the end of the bar holding bottles of beer. But, no surprise, Owen was right in the middle of the action on the dance floor, smiling at the girl he was dancing with, not the same one who’d accosted him at the door. Linnea realized she’d been staring at him for too long, appreciating the way he moved and how nice he looked in a clean, dark blue, button-up shirt and jeans that weren’t caked with a day’s work.
“Did you hear me?”
Linnea jerked her attention back to Chloe. “What?”
Chloe looked toward the dance floor. “What were you watching so intently?”
“Nothing. Just got lost in my thoughts.” Let Chloe assume she was still dwelling on what Michael had done. It was better than admitting that she had been thinking about Chloe’s little brother in a way she shouldn’t be, especially only days before she had been scheduled to walk down the aisle to marry another man. What the heck was wrong with her?
Chloe didn’t look as if she quite believed her, but she didn’t question her further. She did look back at the dancers, however, and shook her head. “I swear, one of these days my brother is going to grow up and stop acting like a college frat boy.”
“Holding your breath on that one?”
Chloe laughed. “No. Don’t really want to turn blue and pass out.”
Linnea chanced another glance at Owen. “It’s not like he’s over the hill.” Far from it. He was a man in his prime, one she needed to stop watching before she gave herself away. There shouldn’t even be anything to give away. Or maybe she was just overreacting because her nerves were so on edge.
“Would you like to dance?”
It took Linnea a moment to realize she was the one a tall cowboy was talking to. He was nice-looking in a rough-around-the-edges sort of way. He just had the misfortune of asking her to dance at the wrong time in her life.
“No, but thank you.”
“You sure?”
She offered him a smile that she hoped was kind but not encouraging. “Yes, I am.”
The song ended, and Owen parted from his latest dance partner. As if he could sense they were talking about him, he headed straight for them. He eyed the retreating cowboy.
“That guy bothering you?” he asked.
Linnea shook her head. “No. Just asked me to dance.”
The band struck up another tune, a cover of a Jason Aldean song. Linnea was more of a pop-music fan, but you couldn’t live in Texas and not be familiar on some level with country music.
“Not a bad idea,” Owen said, and extended his hand to her.
She stared at his hand for a moment. “I don’t think so.”
He placed his other hand over his heart. “You’re going to shoot me down? The guy who saved you from the side of the road.”
“Oh, you’re milking that for all it’s worth.”
“Go on,” Chloe said, motioning toward the dance floor. “Save my brother from his legions of adoring fangirls.”
Linnea had the strongest urge to click her heels together three times to see if she’d be transported back to the ranch. Something tightened inside her, telling her that dancing with Owen wasn’t a good idea. Mentally calling herself a fool for worrying over nothing, she sighed. “Okay, one dance.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “Unless you can’t pull yourself away.”
Linnea met Chloe’s gaze. “You’re right. He is an ego-driven frat boy.”
“Hey,” Owen said.
She just rolled her eyes at his mock offense and walked past him toward the dance floor. When he joined her there, however, taking one of her hands in his and placing his other at her waist, she tensed involuntarily.
Owen didn’t seem to notice as he spun her deeper into the crowd. “Are you having a good time?”
“Actually, yes. Thank you for urging me to get out tonight.” She might still be hurting, but she also was able to recognize that moping around in the guest room at the ranch wasn’t going to alleviate that pain.
“Good.”
She looked up at Owen and momentarily got trapped by his gaze. While she’d spent plenty of time with Owen over the years, she’d never been this close to him outside of an occasional quick hug hello or goodbye. She’d never thought about him in a physical way, never wondered how it would feel to have his strong hand wrapped around hers, certainly never yearned to move closer to him. At that thought, her body tingled with an electric warmth that caused her step to falter. Owen’s grip on her tightened as if to prevent her from falling.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just clumsy.”
He smiled. “I get that a lot, women tripping over their own feet at the sight of me.”
She laughed a little, and wondered if it sounded as forced to him as it did her own ears. Because he’d hit entirely too close to the truth, as in on the nose. A flutter of panic danced through her when she thought she saw a question in his eyes. Unwilling to answer it, at least not truthfully, she lowered her gaze and shifted all her focus to making the right dance moves.
Owen led her around the dance floor for the remainder of the song, but after it was over he didn’t protest when she moved away and headed back to the bar. In fact, he seemed as if he couldn’t wait to move on to his next dance partner. That shouldn’t hurt, but it did. She told herself it was only because she was already wounded and her emotions were tender to even the simplest touch, the merest slight.
Chloe was dancing with Wyatt, so Linnea had a few minutes to get herself together before she had to face her friend, the one who could typically see right through her. Though she should keep her gaze firmly planted on her drink, she turned so that she could see Owen dancing with a beautiful blonde who was laughing at something he’d said. A twinge of disappointment curled up in her chest. Why should she even care who he danced with? She shouldn’t. And yet as she watched him pull the blonde closer, something twisted i
nside her.
“You ask me, you got away from that one just in time.”
Linnea glanced left and realized the woman who’d stepped up to the bar was talking to her. “Pardon?”
The young woman, yet another blonde, gestured over her shoulder toward the dance floor with her thumb. “Owen Brody. You don’t want to get messed up with that one. He goes through women faster than most men go through socks.” She turned her back to the bar and glanced toward the sea of dancers. “That man could make loving and leaving an Olympic sport, and he’d take the gold medal.”
“We’re just old friends,” Linnea said, reminding herself as much as she was explaining to the other woman.
“Uh-huh. I wonder how many women here started out as just friends with Owen. Trust me. Leave it at that.”
The woman took her drink and wandered off through the crowd, leaving Linnea feeling oddly irritated. What was she thinking, letting herself feel anything other than friendship for someone known for playing the field? Was she so desperate to be loved that she was latching onto the first guy to cross her path after Michael’s betrayal?
She shook her head as if that would work to clear out the crazy thoughts she’d been having. Owen wasn’t anything other than a friend. She was just letting her vulnerable state make her think weird things.
As another song ended, she focused on the lead singer of the band.
“We’ve had a special request tonight, and we just couldn’t say no to this one.” He motioned for someone to come up to the stage. When a young man she recognized as one of the steer wrestlers from the rodeo hopped up on the stage, the singer continued. “Jacob here has a question he wants to ask someone special.”
Her Cowboy Groom (Blue Falls, Texas Book 5) Page 5
