Counting on the Cowboy

by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

  She’d heard him upset, frustrated, worried, but never like this. Tuckerman must really push Chase’s buttons.

  “Sorry about that.” Chase stalked back into the room.

  “What’s the big deal?” Devree spread her hands, palm up.

  “He had my grandfather’s friend almost signing his property over to him for a fraction of what it’s worth. Thankfully, his son got wind of it and put a stop to the transaction.”

  That put Chase’s anger in perspective.

  “Did Brock leave?” Landry asked.

  “He’s still trying to talk sense into Tuckerman. Apparently, they were partners a few years back. Probably until Brock figured out what he was about.”

  Brock worked with Tuckerman? Devree’s brain whirled.

  “I think we could all use some sweet tea.” Chase turned toward the back of the house. “Can you help me with that, Devree?”

  “Sure.” She followed Chase to the kitchen. Why would Brock work with a land developer who tried to swindle owners into underselling to him? Why would he come to work here as a handyman when he used to build upscale cabins?

  Chase grabbed the phone.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “The sheriff. Get the sweet tea for my cover, will you?”

  She filled the glasses while he made the call. As soon as he hung up, he grabbed two teas and started back to the living room.

  “Hold up,” she whispered. “Brock used to work with the Tuckerman guy.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “I overheard a phone call a while back. It was someone he’d worked with before and it sounded like they’d ended up on bad terms. After he hung up, he said he had an opportunity for him to get back into building cabins at an upscale resort in a few months.”

  “That’s great. We both know we’re wasting his talents here.”

  “But what if it was Tuckerman? What if he’s the one that paid the old handyman to leave? And put Brock up to taking over where Lee Jackson left off? Maybe Brock is scoping out the ranch, trying to figure out a way to get you to sell?”

  “No, he’s not like that.” Chase leaned on the counter.

  “Do we really know what he’s like? You knew him when you were both kids. He’s had a rough life since then.”

  “He has?”

  “Just think about it. He came to work here, way overqualified. Why?”

  Chase looked past her, out the window. “All his memories of his dad are here.”

  “Or he’s still working with Tuckerman and he thinks he has pull with you. Maybe they need this property for their high end resort.”

  “Come on, Devree, can’t you just trust?”

  “I’ve learned there are very few men who can be trusted.”

  “Well, trust me.” Chase held her gaze. “Brock is one of them.” He headed back to the living room.

  She started to follow, but her cell phone started up and she slid it from her pocket, planning to turn it off. Until she saw the name on the screen. Brighton Electronics.

  Had pulling off the perfect dude ranch wedding paid off for her? “Devree Malone speaking.”

  “Devree. It’s Phillip Brighton. How’s that daughter and new son-in-law of mine?”

  “Week two of living their happily-ever-after, sir. I saw them in the dining room last night, still blissful.”

  “Good. I’ve been thinking and I’ve come to the conclusion that Chasing Eden Dude Ranch is the perfect place for Brighton Electronics’ annual company retreat. And you’re just the gal to put it all together for me.”

  “I’d love to work with you again, Mr. Brighton.” She tried to keep the exhilaration from her voice, to remain businesslike.

  “Can you meet with me tomorrow in Dallas to discuss what I have in mind?”

  Tomorrow? Landry had been in the hospital only last week. “Let me check my schedule and see if I can move some things around.”

  “You do that and call me back.”

  “You’ll hear from me tonight, sir. Thank you.”

  The line went dead and she pressed her phone to her mouth. How could she leave her sister? They’d always been close and if anything bad happened, she wanted to be here. But Mr. Brighton wasn’t known for his patience. If she left him hanging, he might just find another event planner.

  By the time she got back to the living room, Chase was back in his usual spot at Landry’s feet.

  “Devree, you okay?” Her sister’s brows scrunched together.

  She set the tea glasses on the coffee table, relayed the conversation with Mr. Brighton.

  “That’s awesome. But why don’t you look happy?”

  “I can’t go to Dallas tomorrow.”

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t leave you alone. You were in the hospital last week.”

  “Look around, I’m not alone with Mr. Hovercraft here.”

  Chase frowned at the description but didn’t argue.

  “But I want to stay until Sprint is born.”

  “Does Mr. Brighton want you to go back to Dallas for good?”

  “No. Just to meet with him. An hour. Maybe two, tops.” Long enough for Sprint to be born. Or complications to arise.

  “I’m fine. You can leave me for a day.”

  “Mr. Hovercraft is firmly on Landry duty.” Chase patted her leg. “I told the staff not to schedule me for anything around here. Go to Dallas if you need to.”

  “But what if you go into labor?” Or something goes wrong?

  “I’ll call you if I feel the slightest twinge. Dallas is only five hours away and I bet if it was an emergency, Mr. Brighton would fly you on his fancy plane.”

  “I don’t know.” She’d never forgive herself if anything happened and she wasn’t here for Landry.

  “You can’t let this opportunity pass you by. It’s what you’ve wanted for months. It’ll put your name on the event-planning map and I don’t want you to let it slip through your fingers on my account. I’d never forgive myself.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive,” Chase interrupted. “You’ve been slaving on our behalf for weeks. You helped get the honeymoon cottage finished in time for our newlyweds. You pulled off the wedding of the year. And you made this place just the home Landry wanted. She’s completely stress-free thanks to you. It’s time to do something for yourself for a change.”

  Her insides warmed. She’d never really known if her brother-in-law liked her. Respected her—yes. Put up with her as part of Landry’s package—yes. But she’d always suspected he rolled his eyes over her dirt, insects, reptiles and rodents issues.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow night.”

  “You most certainly will not.” Landry tsk-tsked. “You can’t drive five hours, have a two-hour meeting, then drive five hours back home. You’re staying in your apartment tomorrow night. I’ll see you Thursday evening.”

  “I believe that’s an order from the honorable Lady Landry.” Chase bowed his head.

  “I’ll be fine. Go make your dream come true. And when you come back, I want to hear all about it.”

  “Okay. I’ll do it. But I mean it, the slightest twinge and you call me. I won’t miss Sprint’s entrance into the world.”

  “Promise.”

  And despite her worries over her sister, an excitement started to build. Dallas. Her apartment. The hustle and bustle of her normal life. The chance to taste it again and build her business.

  Lord, keep Landry and the baby safe.

  And then it hit her: she’d be leaving Brock behind too. A good thing. Especially if he was in cahoots with this Tuckerman creep. But if Brock stayed, could she leave, knowing he might be conspiring against her sister? Or would she be forced to stay and keep an eye on him? Especially if Chase was wrong about his childhood friend’s loyalty.

&nb
sp; * * *

  “Stay away from them, Tuckerman.” Brock’s jaw clenched. “Chase meant what he said. He’s probably called the sheriff by now.”

  “It’s a free country.”

  “You can’t just wander about on private property, especially if the owner wants you to leave and has a no solicitation sign up.” He jabbed his finger toward the warning in the drive.

  “What are you doing working as a handyman here, McBride? With your talent, this is beneath you.”

  “It’s a good place to avoid unscrupulous men like you. I sleep much better at night, knowing I haven’t helped swindle any land from befuddled owners.”

  “You can’t tell me you’re content with this.”

  Not entirely, but that was none of Tuckerman’s concern. “It was good enough for my dad. It’s good enough for me.”

  “You’re happy wrangling goats, cattle and roosters? Not to mention skunks.”

  Now, it all made sense. “You paid Lee Jackson off to cause trouble around here. Didn’t you? To convince the Donovans to throw up their hands and sell to you.”

  “Lee who? What are you talking about?”

  “How else could you know about the hijinks around here?” Heat crawled up his neck.

  “I was at that restaurant in town the other day, heard one of your ranch hands talking about it all.”

  “Uh-huh. If I find out Jackson’s on your payroll, you’ll be in jail so fast your head will spin.”

  “I don’t know any Jackson. You’re barking up the wrong fence post. And you’ve got no proof.”

  “If you’re involved, I’ll find proof, if it’s the last thing I do.”

  A police car pulled into the drive, parked behind Chase’s truck and the sheriff got out. “Mr. Tuckerman, how many times do I have to tell you to stay off Mr. Donovan’s property unless you’re invited?”

  “I’m leaving.” Tuckerman put his hands up in surrender, hurried to his car, leaving Brock alone with the sheriff.

  Should he mention Lee Jackson and his possible connection with Tuckerman? Or just fill Chase in? Knowing Chase, he’d probably want to handle it himself.

  “Thanks for coming out.” He shook the sheriff’s hand.

  “Just let me know if he comes back.” The sheriff asked Brock a few questions, took some notes, asked him to have Chase call him. He got back into his cruiser, backed out with a wave.

  Brock punched Chase’s number up. It rang twice.

  “Did you get rid of him?”

  “The sheriff did. Can you come out for a minute? I have new information.”

  “Be right there.” Chase hung up. Minutes later, he stepped out. “What’s going on?”

  Brock filled him in on his conversation with Tuckerman.

  “Sounds like I need to pay Lee Jackson a visit. Did you mention any of this to the sheriff?”

  “No. I figured that was your call.”

  “Want to go talk to Jackson with me?”

  “I have a better idea. You stay here with your wife and let me handle it.”

  “This isn’t your problem.”

  “No. But you’ve got enough to deal with. If I can convince Jackson to talk to the sheriff, you’ll probably have to come to the station to give a statement. Let me get things rolling for you.”

  “Make sure Lee knows if he’ll tell the sheriff everything, I won’t press charges against him.” Chase clasped his hand, pulled him into a back slapping hug. “I owe you. A lot.” He let go, headed back inside.

  Brock hurried to his truck, made the short drive to Jackson’s place.

  At the door, Brock knocked, waited. No answer. “It’s Brock McBride. I know you’re in there, Lee. Your truck’s here. And I know Judson Tuckerman paid you to disrupt Chase Donovan’s ranch. If I can’t talk to you about it, I’ll talk to the sheriff.”

  The door opened and a shame-faced Jackson stepped outside. “It wasn’t my idea. He sought me out.”

  “If you’re willing to tell the sheriff everything, Chase won’t press charges against you.”

  Jackson blew out a big breath, looked toward the sky. “You promise?”

  “He’s a man of his word. But if he hears of you getting in any trouble in the future, he will have a talk with the sheriff.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “I’ll give you a ride.”

  Brock trailed Jackson back to the truck. Hopefully, this would end Tuckerman’s career.

  * * *

  Dressed in her pajamas, Devree threw herself back onto her bed. Home. She dialed Landry.

  “How’s it going in the Big D?”

  “Busy and noisy and wonderful.”

  “To each his own. Or her own, rather.”

  “You feeling okay?”

  “Other than boredom, I’m fine.”

  “Is Chase with you?”

  “No. The supper rush is over, so his mom is babysitting me. Him and Brock are acting weird. I think something’s going on with Tuckerman and Chase is trying to shield me. Have you talked to Brock?”

  “Um, no. It’s not like we’re friends or anything.” And he might be conspiring against them. But she wouldn’t dump that on Landry. Learning of Brock’s history with Tuckerman put everything in a new light. It made no sense to her for Brock to apply at the dude ranch as a handyman when he was famous in Texas for building high-end cabins.

  “So how’d the meeting go?”

  “I aced it. Mr. Brighton hired me to plan his company retreat, and he wants to have it at the dude ranch. We’re supposed to get back to him on dates once I get home.”

  “That’s wonderful. If you keep us booked like this, we’ll have to hire you as our full-time event planner.” Suddenly, Landry gasped.

  “What? Is Sprint okay?”

  “We’re fine. I just realized you called the dude ranch home.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “You most certainly did.” Landry repeated her words back to her.

  “A mere slip of the tongue. Anyway, I’ll plan anything you like as long as I can do it from here.” She plumped her pillow.

  “You still love it there?”

  “As much as you loved Aubrey when we were kids. As much as you love Bandera now. Dallas is where I belong. Here, everything’s so filled with purpose and in a rush.”

  “And that’s a good thing?”

  “For me, it is. It energizes me. Give baby Sprint a hug for me and I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Drive careful.” The call ended.

  She snuggled into her pillows, her sheets, turned off the lamp. A siren sounded, grew louder as it neared, then faded away. The buzz and rumble of constant traffic. No crickets. No frogs. She turned on her side, put a pillow over her exposed ear.

  Another siren, someone yelling in the street. A boom box with thumping bass from down the hall. She put another pillow over her head, clamped them both to her ear.

  In Bandera, when she’d first arrived, she couldn’t fall asleep because it was so quiet. But once she’d gotten used to the silence, the peaceful night sounds had lulled her to sleep. There was nothing peaceful about her apartment.

  Loneliness swept over her. No one in Dallas loved her. They only wanted her to plan their events.

  In the last three weeks, she’d gotten used to having her sister near. And even bonded with her brother-in-law. When Landry had the baby, Devree would miss out on his or her life.

  Could it be possible that Dallas wasn’t home anymore?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Piles of planking surrounded Brock as he methodically covered the floor in honeymoon cottage C. Devree had been gone all day yesterday—and she’d left without saying goodbye. But she was supposed to return this afternoon. She might even be here by now. Why was that the thing most prevalent on his mind?


  The door opened and she strutted inside. Didn’t even spare him a glance. Went straight to the pile of curtains Rustick’s had sent over.

  “Well, hello to you too. Did you have a nice trip?”

  “Yes.” Monotone.

  “Did you get the job?”

  “Yes.”

  He was sick of the strain between them. So, they’d end up going their separate ways, but it would be nice if the remainder of their ranch days could be stress free.

  “You’re not gonna make this easy, are you? Can’t we get rid of this tension? We still have to work together for a while longer.”

  She ripped the cellophane package open, jerked out the curtains.

  “Are you mad about something?”

  She dropped the curtains, turned on him. “Are you in cahoots with Tuckerman?”

  “What? No. Of course not.”

  “It doesn’t make much sense for you to go from designing and building luxury cabins to dude ranch handyman.”

  “Just what are you suggesting?” He pushed to his feet.

  “That maybe you’re on your former partner’s payroll, the way Lee Jackson was. Maybe you’ve been behind the mishaps around here lately.”

  “First of all, I was once in a partnership with Judson Tuckerman.” Heat moved up his neck. How could she accuse him of being so devious? “But when I realized he was dishonest, I put an end to our affiliation. And second of all, why would I cause mishaps for myself to fix?”

  “So you and Tuckerman can get your hands on the dude ranch property no matter the cost.”

  “You really believe I’d pull something like that?”

  “If I find out you’ve done anything to hurt my sister, you’ll regret it. And I think it’s best if we work in different areas from now on. I’ll do the decor in cottage D while you finish here, then come back and finish up here once you move on.” She stalked out, slammed the door behind her.

  His stomach sank—he couldn’t believe that she’d think him capable of such betrayal. He had to get out of here. Away from the Tuckerman ordeal and now this new source of friction with Devree. He could live somewhere else and still build a relationship with his mother. If only he could cut and run. Leave town, start over somewhere else. Immerse himself in building upscale cabins again.