The Cattleman's Proposal (The Men of Mulhany Crossing Book 1)

by Helen Lacey

  Ella, Gabby and Patrick emerged a few moments later. While Gabby showed off her baby belly to her brother, Ella cornered her by the drinks table.

  “So it’s working out for you here?” her mother asked as she poured a diet soda.

  “I think so…yes.”

  “And he’s giving you back the business?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. And your dad need never know what almost happened.” She looked across towards Nate. “He’s quite a catch. Are you going to marry him?”

  Joley rolled her eyes. Typical Ella. “You know why I’m here.”

  “Ever heard of killing two birds with one stone? I mean, you’re not getting any younger. And he’s what…thirty-five?”

  Joley would bet her boots her mother knew exactly how old Nate was, his birth sign, and what boarding school he had attended. Ella would have done her homework. “We’ll see what happens.”

  Ella huffed. “If he asks, make sure you say yes. A man like that doesn’t come along every day. Besides, you actually look happy.”

  Her mother was right on one count—a man like Nate didn’t come along every day. Once in a lifetime, in fact. As for being happy…at that moment, she wasn’t happy at all. Resentment nudged its way into her thoughts. Their respective mothers, Gabby and Patrick had intruded and Joley took umbrage. As the morning progressed, her resentment increased. Gabby had the tendency to say whatever she liked, which included a few not so subtle comments about their living arrangement. Ella grilled Nate whenever she had the opportunity. Beverly looked disinterested with the whole scene and Patrick was red around the ears, which Joley knew as a sign that he had something on his mind. To Nate’s credit, he handled the scene remarkably well, and looked more amused if anything.

  Once brunch was over Joley helped Rachel clear the food remainders away and then headed for her room to switch the skirt for a pair of riding britches. She knew Ella was resting and Beverly was making a call to her elderly husband. Gabby had taken off with Nate to the stables and she had no idea what Patrick was up to. She headed for the corral and asked Justin to saddle Dazzler, a steady Quarterhorse mare Nate had offered for her use while Red was recuperating.

  Once she’d swung herself into the saddle Joley clicked the mare into a trot and headed off through the gate. She had only been gone for half an hour when she heard hooves beating steadily behind her. It was Nate, on Shadow.

  “Are you bailing on our guests?” he asked as he came in to amble beside her.

  “Ella’s napping, your mother’s on the ‘phone, and Gabby was with you. I wasn’t exactly needed.”

  “And Patrick?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Besides, you left.”

  “I was concerned about you.”

  “No need. You know me, resilient as an old boot.”

  Nate frowned and took hold of Dazzler’s rein. “What’s going on with you?” he asked as he eased the mare to a stop.

  I’m in love with you and I know you don’t love me back.

  “PMS,” she said, knew he wouldn’t believe. Hell, she wasn’t really sure what was going on in her own head. Except a whole lot of confusion. Being around Nate confused her. Being around Ella and Patrick annoyed her. Being around the always happy Gabby was too much. Enduring the inquisition in Beverly’s cool eyes was worse. By the end of brunch Joley felt suffocated amid the looks, smiles and quiet little nods which indicated everybody knew she’d fallen for Nate.

  And she wasn’t prepared for her heart to be on show for the whole world.

  “You told me you didn’t get PMS?”

  “I do now,” she flipped back. “Makes me unbearable. So, did my mother ask about your intentions?”

  “She did. I told her she’d be the first to know.”

  He was so cool and in control. Infuriating man. Didn’t he care that they’d be observed all weekend? That, nosey relatives would be speculating about them. Well, Joley wouldn’t have any part of it. “She’ll hound you,” Joley told him and tugged the rein from his hand. “I think it would be better if we cooled it for the next couple of days.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means, I’ll be sleeping in my own bed tonight,” she announced, sat deep in the saddle and clicked Dazzler into a fast canter home.

  Nate considered racing her down. Shadow could easily out run Joley’s mare. But he stayed a couple of hundred yards back. By the time he pulled up at the hitching rail outside the stables, she had the saddle off and Dazzler haltered.

  “Did you get that out of your system?” he asked as he dismounted.

  She dusted down her britches. Hell, she looked so good in them. “Not by a long mile.”

  “You still look like you want to punch someone.”

  “I still might,” she said.

  Nate tethered Shadow beside the mare. “I have no intention of sleeping without you tonight.”

  Her blue eyes flashed at him. “You don’t get to decide.”

  Irritation crept in. “You think separate rooms is the answer?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Nate wondered how much Patrick Cohen had to do with her decision. Two hours after the other man’s arrival she was closing down and jealousy rattled through him. Nate kept his cool, despite wanting to haul her into his arms and kiss some sense into her to remind her what they had together. “If that’s what you want.”

  She untied the mare. “It is,” she said and walked off, leading Dazzler into the corral without another word.

  Sticks came up behind him. “Woman trouble?”

  Nate unclipped Shadow’s girth. “No more than usual.”

  The old man grinned. “She’s fitted in here real well. It’d be a shame if that changed because you’re being bull-headed.”

  “I know what I’m doing.”

  Stick laughed at his arrogance. “Then you’d be the only man alive who does.”

  When Nate returned to the house, he spotted his mother on the front steps, hands on hips, something clearly on her mind. He knew that frown well. His ass was grass.

  “Are you going to marry this girl?”

  His mother had never been one to shy from a hard question. “No one’s business.”

  “Living with someone you hardly know just isn’t like you, Nathanial. Remember what happened with Allyson? I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Nate didn’t have a clue. “What I’m doing is ending this conversation.”

  He turned on his boots and headed for the back of the house. Be damned if he’d allow her to abandon his bed because Patrick Cohen had turned up. Joley belonged with him. They were great together. He simply had to make her believe it.

  Dinner was strained, Joley knew she was under scrutiny from Beverly and Gabby. Ella seemed to be enjoying the tension and Patrick cast her sharp looks all evening. Nate was unusually quiet. She’d managed to avoid being alone with both men all afternoon which suited her just fine.

  Ella pleaded a headache after nine o’clock and no one protested when she retired to her room. As everyone else gradually turned in for the night, Joley became increasingly aware that Nate expected her to join him in his bed. Their bed as she’d come to know it. But the prying eyes of the guests made that impossible. Stupid and old fashioned it might be—but she couldn’t help her feelings. They’d be gone on Monday and things could return to normal. She could talk with him, explain herself, and make him understand.

  Joley took off for her room at ten and she didn’t spare anyone a backward glance. Especially not Nate. She showered and changed into sweats. Alone in the guest room that was dotted with her belongings but didn’t actually seem like hers, she lasted about twenty minutes. She needed a walk to clear her head. And maybe some tea. The house was quiet as she padded off down the hallway and entered the kitchen. She flicked on a light and filled the kettle.

  “Can I join you?”

  Patrick stood in the doorway, smiling broadly.

  “If you like,” she said and grabbed
a second mug. “Black with sugar. Gabby asleep?”

  He came into the room. “Yeah. The pregnancy is tiring her out by the end of the day.”

  Joley plonked teabags into the mugs. “Nice of you to tell me, by the way, about her being pregnant.”

  Patrick look suitable guilty. “Sorry. We weren’t telling anyone until after the first trimester.”

  Nate knew, but Joley kept that to herself. “I’m happy for you.”

  “Are you?” he asked. “I mean, are you really?”

  Joley stilled. “Of course.”

  Patrick shrugged. “It’s just that things have been different between you and me, you know, since the wedding. You won’t take my calls; all we seem to have in common these days is the business. And since you’ve shacked up with Garrigan we hardly—”

  “Don’t call it that,” she said sharply, hating how Patrick made it seem tawdry.

  “What else can I call it? It’s pretty obvious what’s going on here. You gotta admit it came off left field.”

  Had it? Because she was so predictable and dull? Someone who never took a chance? A woman stuck in a fantasy world where a flesh and blood man didn’t exist. “Maybe it did,” she said stiffly. “But I’m here, and it’s my life.”

  Patrick rocked back on his heels. “You’re staying then? You’re really ready to make that kind of commitment, with someone you hardly know?”

  Now wasn’t the time to remind Patrick he’d married quickly too. She was tired of the discussion, sick of explaining herself. “My life, remember?”

  “We’re friends, Joley. We’ve been friends since we were kids. I’m concerned you’re rushing into this because…because…” He stopped, took a breath. “Because you were alone and felt like time was running out.”

  “What’s running out is my patience,” she snapped. “Our friendship doesn’t give you open season on my decisions.”

  “And Garrigan?” he asked. “I’m guessing he gets whatever he wants.” The petulance in Patrick’s voice was hard to miss.

  “I don’t understand why you’re saying this. What has Nate ever—”

  “Because he swooped in,” Patrick said, cutting her off. “Just like Parker did. And you’ve got that same look on your face, just like you had when Parker was around. I don’t want this to end badly for you. You’re like a sister to me, Joley, and I’m concerned.”

  “Nate is nothing like Dale. And I’m not seventeen anymore.”

  Patrick thrust his hand on his hips. “Oh, come on, you’d have to be blind not to see the similarities. The way he looks, the old money and the edge of arrogance, the way he quickly charmed your pants off.”

  Appalled, Joley scowled at her friend. “That’s enough.”

  But Patrick wasn’t done. “It’s not. What are you doing with a guy like—”

  “What I’m doing,” she said loudly, cutting him off. “Is undoing your mess.”

  “My mess?”

  “You sold me out,” she replied angrily. “You sold my father out. And I’ll do whatever I have to do to get back what rightfully belongs to my family.”

  “Does that include lying on your back and enduring…whatever…with someone who you told me you hated? Just a few short weeks ago, you said you couldn’t stand the fact he now owned a third of the flight school. Why didn’t you—”

  She knew the exact moment Nate walked into the room. Because she could sense him, feel him even at a distance. Patrick stopped immediately. Joley felt like she was suddenly standing in a vacuum and all the air in her lungs was being sucked out.

  Patrick made a strangled sound, like he knew he’d said too much. Time stretched like elastic. Joley couldn’t move her feet. Nate’s expression was as unreachable as the stars around some distant planet. He looked as far away as ever.

  Patrick went to say something but Nate cut him off at the knees. “I suggest you get back to your wife. Now.”

  When he turned to go Patrick passed her a pleading look. Joley ignored it. Her focus was on Nate. Once Patrick had left the room, he walked across the threshold. He’d looked at her in so many different ways over the last few weeks—with desire, with amusement, with tenderness. Now, there was a coldness that made her shiver.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Nate, I—”

  His eyes didn’t leave her face. “Is that what you’ve been doing?” he asked. “Enduring whatever?”

  Joley grappled with her fraught nerves. “Of course not.”

  He didn’t look like he believed her. “Did you tell Cohen you hated me?”

  She had. She’d called him over as a disagreeable and arrogant swine. She hadn’t expected her best friend to remind her of the fact. “I…I said that I was…” She stopped, stalled. “Yes.”

  He inhaled a long breath. “I see.”

  She took a step forward. “It was before…before I came here…before we… well, before I knew that I—”

  “Before you knew that you’d do anything to get your business back?” he asked, cutting her off.

  She knew how it sounded. And more than ever she wished she had the courage to tell him how she really felt. But he looked so cold and uncompromising. He didn’t want her love. He didn’t want any woman’s love.

  “I never lied to you about wanting it back.”

  He watched her, his gaze lingering before he spoke again. “I guess you didn’t.”

  “We…we had a deal.”

  “I guess we did.” He straightened his back. “Only, I thought…I thoughts things had changed.”

  Things had changed. She’d fallen in love and he hadn’t. Joley wanted desperately to be in his arms. “Nate, please let me—”

  “All I asked of you was honesty,” he said, cutting her off. “That’s it. If you couldn’t stand me, why did you jump into my bed?”

  “I didn’t,” she said on a rush of breath. “I mean, it wasn’t like that. Yes, I wanted my business back and in the beginning that’s all I cared about, all I thought about. But then we became…close. We became friends. I really did want to try and see if we could make it work and then I—”

  “With someone you hated?”

  She didn’t hate him. She loved him. So much. “I don’t hate you.”

  “So, Cohen lied?”

  “No,” she said with a quick shake of her head. “But it was months ago when I said that. I didn’t know you then. I didn’t…like you then.”

  “So, you’ve gone from hate to like in a mere matter of weeks?” His brows shot up. “That’s quite a transformation. I must have underestimated my charm.”

  At another time she might have laughed. But this wasn’t a moment for levity. He wasn’t smiling. “Can we just—”

  “Goodnight, Joley,” he said, dismissing her so effectively it was several seconds before she realized he’d left the room and she was alone.

  The following morning Joley listened to Patrick’s apology and managed to accept it with as much grace as possible. She was still angry with him. But Patrick was…Patrick. And even the best of friendships were tested sometimes. The best relationships were tested, too. Only, Joley had the feeling her relationship with Nate had crumbled like the dust beneath her boots. She’d slept in her own bed the night before. And she craved him more than she imagined possible. She left Patrick and took to the stables. Red greeted her with a soft whinny and it cheered her spirits. He nuzzled his big head into the crook of her arm and she twirled his forelock between her fingers. When the big horse nickered softly, Joley knew she was no longer alone.

  “Sleep well?”

  Nate stood in doorway, dressed in a lethal combination of jeans and black chambray shirt. He looked so good she could barely breathe.

  Joley released Red and pretended to be interested in a worn clip on his rug. “Sure. You?”

  “Sure.”

  Silence stretched between them. A forced silence brought on by words unsaid.

  “Are you planning on taking him out today?” Nate asked finally and gestured towar
ds Red.

  Joley made a sniffing sound. Nate’s cool control was infuriating. She didn’t sleep well. In fact, she’d hardly slept at all. Instead, she cried and lay awake most of the night, wishing she’d been in his arms. And most of all wishing he would come to his senses and realize there was more to a relationship than logic and compatibility. There was love—and nothing less would do.

  “No,” she said, answering his question with an angry glare. “I was thinking a rest spell would do him good. In fact,” she said and drew in a deep breath, “I might send him back to the city. I can arrange a transport to pick him up mid-week. You were probably right—he isn’t suited to this kind of life.”

  Nate looked at her oddly. “And what about you?”

  Joley shrugged. “I thought I was. I thought a lot of things, I suppose.”

  “But now you’re not sure?”

  She was sure. She knew what she wanted. What she needed. She also knew what she had to do. “I might take a break myself,” she said and felt the pain of each word through to her bones.

  The pulse in his cheek throbbed and was the only indication her announcement had registered. “And when will you be leaving?”

  She shrugged again. “I was thinking tomorrow.”

  “With Patrick?” he asked quietly.

  “By myself, in my own plane.” she replied. She stopped, wondering how she could say the words when they hurt so much. “I thought we could do with, you know…some time apart,” she said, fractionally stronger.

  She waited for him to respond, to contradict what she said and tell her he wanted her to stay. That he needed her…and more. “Is this about Cohen?”

  It’s about you. “What does that mean?”

  “It means he’s been here for less than twenty four hours and you’re bailing…it’s not so hard to figure out the connection.”

  “Patrick has nothing to do with this,” she said.

  “Suit yourself,” was all he said before he turned and walked off.

  Joley was tempted to race after him and demand he fight for them…for her. But…nothing. He couldn’t muster enough feeling to look even remotely devastated when she announced she was leaving Gwendonna. Leaving him. Leaving them. The man had iced water in his veins. Tears came again and she rubbed at them with the back of her hand.