The Cowboy's Homecoming

by Donna Alward

  Kailey sighed heavily, a deep, cleansing breath. And if her Prince Charming never showed up, well, that was all right, too. She was fine just the way she was.

  Except she sometimes wondered if that were true. First it had been Carrie, now Lacey. Both deliriously happy. And somehow Kailey felt as if she was missing out on something important.

  One thing she knew for sure, she thought, as she stretched out in the sun. Rylan Duggan was not the thing she was missing out on. She’d learned her lesson there.

  If she had her way, he’d be hitting the road for his next rodeo before any of them had time to catch their breath. In and out of her life as quickly as he had been the last time.

  * * *

  ON RYLAN’S FIRST night home, Lacey pulled out all the stops, just as Ry had known she would. Duke and Carrie came for dinner, and Quinn and Amber practically lived at the ranch, though the official move-in wasn’t until after the wedding in June. Lacey had made potato salad and Caesar salad, and Quinn was grilling rib-eyes for the prodigal celebration. It was nice but unnecessary. He didn’t want any fuss made.

  Good luck with that.

  They had asked all sorts of questions about Rylan’s latest rodeo conquests and were well into the meal when Duke brought up the subject of Rylan’s camper.

  “I noticed you set up your RV,” Duke said as he cut into his steak. “That’s a great little rig. You must like it when you’re traveling.”

  Rylan nodded. “It’s smaller than some, but there’s only one of me. Doesn’t take long to set up and suits me just fine.” Truthfully, he’d had something bigger but it had been a pain in the ass, heavier to haul, more space than he’d needed. He’d sold it in February and had bought the smaller set-up. On the heels of his latest win, he’d been flush with cash for a few weeks.

  Including over Valentine’s Day.

  “I made up the spare room with fresh sheets,” Lacey broke in, handing a basket of buns to Quinn. “Same one you slept in at Christmas.”

  Rylan put down his fork. “Not necessary, sis.” He smiled. “I’m happy in the camper.”

  “Rylan Joseph Duggan. You are not sleeping in a camper!”

  He raised one eyebrow as all eyes turned to look at her. “Wow,” Quinn said. “You’ve got the mother voice down cold.”

  “Can I sleep in your camper, Uncle Ry?” Amber speared a piece of steak that her father had cut for her. “I’s never been camping.”

  “We’ll see, pumpkin.”

  Lacey regarded him with disapproval. “Rylan, really. There’s no need to sleep in the yard when there’s a perfectly good room here with your name on it.”

  Right. Just what he needed. To horn in on her relationship with Quinn. Maybe the manager hadn’t formally moved in yet, but it was clear as the nose on Rylan’s face that the three of them had a cozy little vibe going on. Besides, the wedding was in less than a month. The last thing he wanted was to be smack in the middle of their newlywed love nest.

  “I like it,” he contradicted mildly. “I’ve got my own space. My own privacy. And I won’t be invading your privacy either.”

  “There’s a much better mattress on the bed upstairs.” Lacey frowned. “You surely didn’t come all this way to sleep in that contraption.”

  “I prefer it.”

  “What if you have to go to the bathroom in the night?”

  Rylan couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing and smiles bloomed on faces around the table. “Really? What am I, five?”

  Amber lifted her chin. “You can’t be five, Uncle Ry. I’m gonna be five in two weeks.” She rolled her eyes.

  “See?” He reached over and ruffled Amber’s hair. “Five, huh? Guess that means you start school in September.”

  “Real school,” she replied importantly.

  Amber’s insertion into the conversation had mollified Lacey a little bit. “You’re sure?” she asked. “There’s lots of room.”

  “I’m sure. I also know how to do my own laundry. Make food.”

  Quinn stepped in. “You’re going to want to take advantage of the food thing. Your sister’s a heck of a cook.” Rylan watched as Quinn turned a tender gaze on his fiancée. “Even when you don’t want it, she’s going to press food on you. You might as well accept it and enjoy.”

  Lacey turned pleading eyes on him. “Yes, Rylan, please eat your meals here.”

  “I can probably do that,” he conceded. The small concession would get her off his back, and he’d eat a lot better than if he cooked for himself.

  Duke joined the conversation. “You’re always welcome at the bunkhouse, too, Ry. Carrie and I have room. At least until the baby comes.”

  Which would be in a few months. Carrie was already glowing with motherhood, her hand resting on her rounded belly. And Rylan smiled through it all, feeling incredibly claustrophobic and smothered.

  “I’ll stick to the camper for now, but thanks for the invites.” His jaw felt tight and he forced himself to relax it. “Heck, I’m going to be rodeoing a fair bit of the time anyway. Easier to just hook up and go, you know?”

  This would be his home base. No commitments, no ties. He was still going to run this life the way he had for the past several years. On his terms, coming and going as he pleased.

  He knew at times it must have seemed as if he didn’t care for his family, but nothing could have been further from the truth. That he was here was proof of that. He wanted this for them, if it was what would make them happy, and he was strangely happy that he could finally do something right rather than merely being an afterthought.

  He just hoped they could accept that he needed to run his life his own way, too, and understand when the time came for him to leave again.

  Chapter Two

  Kailey stared in the boutique’s mirror and had to admit that Lacey had fantastic taste.

  The bridesmaid dress was turquoise blue, a slightly brighter shade than a robin’s egg. The light material draped and flowed in an utterly feminine way, fluttering to a hem just above her knees. It was strapless, leaving Kailey’s shoulders bare, and she realized she was going to have to rectify the farmer tan she had from working outside in T-shirts by employing some self-tanner. But she loved it. She completely and utterly loved it.

  Lacey came back to the dressing room with a box in her hands. “Oh my gosh! That’s so beautiful on you!” She put the box on a padded seat and put her hands to her mouth. “Oh, Kailey. You’re stunning.”

  Kailey felt a blush climb her cheeks. Not that she didn’t like dressing up for a night out, because she did. Occasionally it was nice to feel like a girl. But this was different. It felt so formal. So...foreign. The only wedding she’d been in before had been Duke and Carrie’s, and that had been so low-key that she’d just worn a pretty red dress from her closet and a flower in her hair.

  “It’s not too much?” Kailey looked down, hitched up the bodice just a touch. She had to admit, she liked the way the fabric crisscrossed her breasts and waist.

  “It’s perfect.” Lacey beamed at her. “And don’t worry about wearing heels you’ll break your neck in. Here. I got you these. My present to you.”

  Lacey picked up the box again and handed it to Kailey.

  Kailey opened the lid and found a gorgeous pair of cowboy boots nestled inside, with matching blue accents inlaid on the boot shaft.

  “Wow. Just...wow.”

  “I figured you might not wear the dress again, but you might find some use for these.”

  Kailey took the first one out of the box and slid it on. It was a perfect fit. “There is nothing more comfortable than a good pair of boots,” she decreed, looking up at Lacey and smiling.

  “I’m going to be wearing a pair, too,” Lacey replied. “Under my dress.”

  Kailey had seen Lacey’s dress. It was sweet, in a similar style to Kailey’s only long and white and with frothy light material on the overskirt. Simple and very, very sweet—just like the bride. “The boots can be your something blue,” Kailey suggest
ed, and Lacey grinned.

  “I might have thought of that.” She looked at Kailey. “So what do you think? Alterations? Or is it fine as is?”

  It fit perfectly. “I think we can take this home today, don’t you?”

  Lacey nodded. “I can’t believe it’s only a few weeks away. Sometimes it feels like it’s all happened so fast, and other times it seems to be taking so long!”

  Kailey smiled in return, though it felt forced. She kind of understood what Lacey meant but in the totally opposite way. Valentine’s Day seemed like ages ago, yet the time from then to now had gone so fast. Quinn and Lacey had been busy falling in love and she’d...

  She’d been busy, all right. Thinking she’d seen something in Rylan Duggan that didn’t exist. Thinking he was...different.

  “I should change,” she suggested, annoyed that she’d allowed Rylan to sneak into her thoughts. “We still have errands to run, right?”

  With two and a half weeks until the big day, Kailey was spending more time than usual away from the ranch, fulfilling her maid of honor duties. Not that she minded, but it was a busy time of year. They’d be making the first cut of hay soon, not to mention rodeo season picking up. She didn’t often travel with the stock, but she had the final say on which animals traveled and she was in charge of making the arrangements.

  “Right,” Lacey replied, taking the boots from Kailey as she reluctantly removed them. “K, you’re going to knock Rylan’s socks off in that dress.”

  Kailey scowled. “That is so not the objective.”

  “Oh, of course not.” Lacey’s face looked a little too innocent to be believed. “But you have to admit it’s a nice little side benefit.”

  “Whose side are you on, anyway?” Kailey turned her back so Lacey could undo the hook and eye at the top of the zipper.

  “Hey, I love my brother. Don’t get me wrong.” Lacey’s fingers were cool against Kailey’s skin as she undid the clasp. “But that doesn’t mean I agree with everything he does. Like hurt my new best friend.”

  Kailey swallowed thickly. She loved it in Gibson, had lived here all her life. And she and Carrie had been good friends for years. But she had to admit, that with the exception of Rylan, she was very, very glad that the Duggan siblings had come to live at Crooked Valley. Duke and Lacey’s friendship had become really important to her.

  “That’s sweet,” she said, trying to make her voice sound breezy. “But you don’t have to worry about me. That’s water under the bridge.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Ouch. Not that she mistook Lacey’s meaning. Clearly the family was aware of what had happened on Valentine’s Day. And she knew that all Lacey meant was that she was glad Kailey had moved on. But it stung a little, too, that Lacey was glad there was nothing between them. It felt as if the Duggans wouldn’t support her having a relationship with Rylan... After all, blood was thicker than water. Maybe they thought she wasn’t good enough for their little brother.

  She locked herself in the changing room and frowned. What the heck was wrong with her, thinking like that? She didn’t want a relationship with Rylan, for Pete’s sake! What she wanted was for him to satisfy his inheritance requirement and then just leave again.

  And good enough? She pulled on her jeans and zipped them, her movements quick and efficient. Jeez, she let one guy catalogue all her faults as a girlfriend and suddenly she doubted herself. Honestly, there were days she wished she’d never met Colt Black and his charming face. Or Rylan and his charming face, too. Boy, she was a sucker for the lookers, wasn’t she?

  But today that didn’t matter. Today was about Lacey’s wedding, so after she put the dress in the garment bag and paid the balance at the counter, she and Lacey started back to Gibson for lunch. This afternoon they had appointments to put in the final order for the cake and flowers. Lacey was the perfect blushing bride-to-be, radiant and happy during the preparations. There hadn’t been a single bridezilla moment, and for that Kailey was eternally grateful.

  The Horseshoe Diner was doing a bustling business over the lunch hour, and Kailey and Lacey found themselves at a table near the back, close to where the ancient jukebox sat. Lacey, being ever conscious of fitting into her wedding dress, ordered a salad with dressing on the side. Kailey didn’t worry so much about what she ate, considering the physical labor she did each day. She ordered a cheeseburger with bacon and hot peppers and then, at Lacey’s horrified expression, asked for a side salad instead of fries.

  She would not look at her watch and worry about chores. She deserved a day off. This was Lacey’s wedding after all. Things could run without her for a few hours.

  Their food came as they were discussing the merits of having both a white and chocolate layer in the wedding cake. Kailey was just considering the best way to pick up her cheeseburger when the front door swung open and Rylan and Quinn strode through.

  Lacey had her back to the door, so it was Kailey who saw them first, and her heart sank as she watched Quinn scan the room for an empty table. There weren’t any that Kailey could see, and she looked down, hoping the pair wouldn’t see them sitting there. Not that she’d mind Quinn, but Rylan? No thanks.

  No such luck. A quick glance showed her that they were on their way over, Quinn leading the way with a big smile. Of course he was smiling. Lacey was there. Rylan didn’t look quite as pleased. Apparently he wasn’t looking forward to seeing her any more than she was looking forward to seeing him.

  “Is there room for two more here?” Quinn asked, and Lacey’s head snapped up in surprise, her face flushing with pleasure.

  “Of course there is!” She patted the chair next to her. “Our food just arrived. I’m sure yours won’t take long.”

  Quinn gave her a quick kiss and sat while Rylan stood by Lacey’s chair. “May I?” he asked quietly, politely. Unenthusiastically.

  “Be my guest,” she answered coolly, wishing now that she’d gotten the fries. And a big soda. And a hot fudge sundae to bury her head in.

  “Thanks,” he murmured and took the seat beside her.

  He and Quinn ordered and Kailey noticed that Lacey wasn’t eating, instead saving her salad for when everyone had their food. She looked longingly at her burger, still hot from the grill, the scent of the beef so delectable her stomach growled in anticipation. With a little chuckle, Rylan leaned over. “Eat it. It won’t be as good cold.”

  “That would be rude,” she replied, trying to ignore the delicious shiver that skittered down her spine at the quiet words uttered so closely to her ear.

  “Not if we say it’s not.” He sat back, picked up his glass of water and took a sip. “Seriously. Eat. Don’t let us interrupt your lunch.”

  She still felt awkward, but she picked up the burger—she needed both hands—and took a first delicious bite. Closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the explosion of flavor happening inside her mouth.

  When she opened her eyes again, Rylan was watching her, a look of fascination on his face, and something more, too. Hunger. For her? Or for her lunch? She grabbed her paper napkin and scrubbed it across her lips, looking away from him.

  “It’s that good, is it?” he asked, the note of teasing slightly strained.

  “Always,” she replied, taking a drink of water. “I’m afraid I’m not one of those fancy dish people with the fresh this and that, and herb and goat stuff and whatever. A good beef burger with bacon and cheese and some jalapenos and I’m a happy girl.”

  “Not champagne tastes then.”

  She met his eyes evenly. “Not really. My tastes tend to be rather...ordinary.”

  She could see in his eyes when he got her meaning, and she felt a little bit small for implanting the barb in such an innocuous way.

  She hid by taking another bite of her burger while Quinn and Lacey chatted about wedding stuff.

  Moments later Quinn’s and Rylan’s meals arrived, and she watched with envy as Rylan picked up a crispy fry and dipped it in a little dish of ketchup. He’d ordered
a club sandwich, and didn’t waste any time helping himself. Likewise, Quinn picked up his pulled-pork bun and took a hearty bite. Out of sorts, Kailey wondered why men could order such meals and it was all manly and if a woman did the same thing, she got sideways looks. It was a stupid double standard. Especially considering what her daily calorie burn tended to be. Scowling, she took another huge bite of her burger.

  “You should see Kailey’s dress.” Lacey’s sweet voice interrupted the meal, and Kailey nearly dropped the half of the burger she had left in her hands while she chewed what had ended up being too big a bite. “She looks beautiful. The color is just perfect.”

  Kailey struggled to finish chewing and finally swallowed the mouthful, feeling as if she had no table manners at all. “Lace, I’m not sure the guys are interested in bridesmaid dresses, you know?”

  Quinn put his arm along the back of Lacey’s chair. “Aw, there’s nothing wrong with being excited about the wedding,” he replied, looking at Lacey with such devotion it was nearly sickening.

  Kailey wasn’t usually so cynical. Maybe it was because Rylan was beside her. And Rylan had been the one to leave her alone in a motel room after what was the most romantic night of the year—Valentine’s Day. Perhaps if it had been underwhelming, it wouldn’t be so difficult to put in the past. Trouble was it had been amazing. Rock-her-world amazing.

  Kailey had often wondered if she should trust her own judgment with men, and the incident with Rylan pretty much had cemented the answer.

  She was better off sticking to horses and bulls.

  “What color is it?”

  Rylan asked the question and she really, really wished he hadn’t. “Blue,” she answered. “It’s blue.”

  Lacey laughed. “You can’t just say blue. There are lots of blues out there.” She turned her attention to Rylan. “It’s kind of a turquoisey sky blue. It looks great with her hair and tan.”

  Kailey put her forehead on her hand. Her tan? Really? Because she was only tanned around her neck and from the biceps down...like every other rancher in these parts.