Kiss the Cowboy

by Julie Jarnagin

  Dylan removed his hat. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

  She patted him. "I need to pick up Penelope from the groomer." She wiggled her fingers in the air as she walked away. "You two lovebirds have fun."

  Lovebirds? Worry formed in the pit of Lucy's stomach. "What if she says something to Paige?"

  His head tilted. "You mean you haven't mentioned it to her?"

  "No." Just because they were stepsisters and lived together didn't mean she told Paige everything, especially when Paige was not the best at keeping secrets. While the kisses were unrivaled, Lucy wasn't ready for anyone to know about her and Dylan.

  Right now, their relationship was like a daydream. She didn't want to wake up and face all the people who would tell her she was making a mistake. Her gut twisted.

  Despite all the odds against them, she was falling hard for Dylan, and it could ruin everything. They would both end up hurt.

  Dylan took her hand. "You know we can't keep this a secret forever."

  "You don't understand my family. I talked to my mom about what happened with Dad, just like you said I should."

  "That's good."

  She pulled her hand away. "No. It went worse than I could have expected."

  His hat casted a shadow over his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that. But... I don't get it. You're not going to tell your family about us?"

  "This has been wonderful." Her voice was thin and shaky. "But what happens when one of us doesn't get the restaurant? What happens when real life starts?"

  "We'll figure it out."

  She fought back the tears, not wanting to show any weakness. "I had plans before you showed up. I was figuring things out. Now things are getting so messy and confusing."

  The line of his jaw tightened. "Lucy, you can't let any of that come between us."

  Her stomach dipped. Everything in her didn't want to hurt him. "We were both okay before all this started. Why drag out the inevitable when we both know it will eventually end?"

  "Who says it has to?" His chest expanded as he took a deep breath in. "Don't you understand that I love you? I've always loved you."

  The words crashed down on her. He loved her. He'd said it, and now it was out there, and she wanted with everything in her to tell him the truth. That she loved him, too. That she'd never felt this way about a man before.

  But those feelings weren't enough. That's what her mother had said, and her mother had lived it. She'd loved a man, and she'd seen that love fall apart in the harsh glare of reality. And here Lucy'd gone and fallen in love with someone just like her father. Unreliable, risky. She'd built a stable life for herself. Could she risk it for this fleeting feeling of love?

  She looked up at Dylan, watched the hope seep from his eyes.

  "It's unfair for you to say things like that. You loved that girl you knew when I was fourteen. I'm different now. So much has changed."

  She wanted to run away, but she couldn't move. His hands, strong but gentle, wrapped around her arms. "I loved you then, and I love you even more now. Can't you accept that?"

  Accept it? Accepting him meant being rejected by her family. It meant risking everything. "I'm sorry, Dylan, but I can't."

  His jaw dropped, and he snapped it shut.

  She took a shallow breath. "I'm under a lot of pressure from my mom and Kenneth, and—"

  "Is that what this is about?" Every word was full of hurt. "Because other people don't think I'm right for you? Because they don't think I'm good enough for you?"

  She swallowed, feeling the conversation spinning out of her control. "I didn't say that." Dylan was too good of a man to put through any more pain. She was trying to save them both from themselves, from heartbreak, but the disappointment in his eyes said she'd already failed.

  "Well, they're right," he said.

  Her lips parted in surprise.

  He pressed his fist against his chest and shook his head. "I'm not good enough for you, Lucy. No man is. But you have to start living your life the way you want to live it. Like the little bakery you talk about. Do you even want to run J.T.'s restaurant, or is that for your family too?"

  "Of course I want it." Didn't she?

  He paced toward the brick wall of the building and back. "You got a job at the Inven. Did that satisfy them? Were they proud of you then? It seems nothing you do will be good enough for them."

  "It's what I've been working for all these years," she whispered.

  He shook his head. "I thought I could show you who you are—that you're still that girl from the ranch, but I was wrong. I was as bad as they are, trying to push that on you. Because you're more than that. You need to realize who you are."

  "If it were only that easy—"

  "I want to be with you forever, but you have to figure out what you want."

  Her sister walked by with Heather. "There you are," Paige said. "We've been looking for you." Her gaze shifted and she smiled. "Hi, Dylan."

  "Ladies," he said, his voice low. He looked back to her. "Why don't you let me give you a ride home, Lucy?"

  Her heart felt like it might beat out of her chest. Why did doing the right thing feel so very wrong? "Thanks, anyway, but I'm going with Paige."

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Dylan pulled the pile of white envelopes from the dented metal mailbox and handed it to his father in the passenger seat.

  His phone was silent in the console. He wanted to call Lucy, but he wouldn't. He couldn't. It wouldn't do any good. He'd poured out his heart to her, told her how he felt, told her she needed to decide what she wanted, and she'd walked away.

  He left his window rolled down, dust from the road lingering in the air. They turned into the long driveway, and the truck rattled as it crossed the cattle guard.

  His father flipped through the stack of mail and held up an envelope with Final Notice printed in red ink. "More bills I can't pay."

  Dylan stared at the drive in front of him. "I'll get paid after the wedding. Just a few more days. That should get you caught up."

  Red ran out from behind the barn to greet them.

  "You know I don't want to take your money. Besides, I'm not sure it would even be enough to do the trick. I'm going to have another payment on the land come due..." His words drifted off.

  Dylan parked out by the hay baler, which needed to be cleaned up and stored.

  They headed for the house, Red's collar clinking between their boots. "How'd it go with Lucy today?" his dad asked. "Wouldn't it be something if you two ended up together after all these years?"

  Dylan gritted his teeth. "I don't think it's going to be that simple." The only thing simple with Lucy was the way he felt about her. She was smart, beautiful, talented, and so stubborn it made him crazy. He couldn't force her to love him back.

  "Are y'all still competing for that restaurant job? You think you're going to trade in that hat for one of those tall floppy white ones?"

  Dylan's dad would have been proud of him if he became an executive chef, but if Lucy wanted the restaurant, he didn't want to stand in her way. Maybe the whole idea of this life with the restaurant and with Lucy had always been out of reach for him.

  "I got a call from the ranch in Wyoming a few days ago," Dylan said. "They offered me a job."

  His dad stopped and looked up at him. "Really? Why hadn't you mentioned it?"

  Staring out toward the cattle pens to the north, Dylan shook his head. "I didn't think I was interested. Now I might be ready to get out of Texas for awhile."

  "I thought you didn't want to be a ranch hand anymore."

  "I'd be managing the whole crew. It would be a pay raise with a signing bonus that might help cover some of your bills. And I'd be closer to Jentry." Although he'd have to tell his sister that she'd been right all along—that some dreams are too crazy to chase after.

  His dad gave a weak laugh. "If I miss any land payments, I may need you to hire me."

  "Don't talk like that. You're not going to miss a payment. You're going to get caught
up on everything."

  The muscles in his jaw tightened. "And what about the restaurant?"

  The windmill squeaked in the distance. "Maybe I'm not cut out for a big city job."

  "This isn't any of my business, but do you want to move back to Cheyenne, or are you running from something?"

  "It's not about running." All this moving around, never staying in one place for too long, hadn't been about running. He'd been searching for something, and he'd finally found it here in Texas—with Lucy. But it took two people to two-step...or in their case, to salsa.

  His dad shrugged and walked to the front door. "Well, it's been nice having you back home."

  Texas would always be home. Wherever Lucy was would always be home.

  #

  Lucy poured batter into round cake pans that had seen better days. After she got the money for the catering job, she'd buy some new ones for the senior center.

  Alice, a white haired woman in a dolphin sweatshirt, ran her finger across one of the beaters on the hand mixer and licked off the chocolate batter. "What's wrong, dear?"

  "Where's that man in the cowboy hat been?" Margaret asked. "I haven't seen him around here for a while."

  Lucy blew a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes. "He won't be coming around anymore."

  The two women looked at each other. "Why not?"

  "We were catering a wedding together. Once it's over, we won't have any reason to see each other."

  "It didn't look like you two were just coworkers last time he was here."

  She threw the oven door open, and heat rushed out. "It's complicated."

  "What can be so complicated about two nice young people spending time together?"

  Everything. Lucy shrugged and pushed her cakes onto the rack.

  Reed walked in the door, impeccably dressed in a power suit and purple tie.

  "Oh, look." Alice said to Margaret. "There's a new one, and this one wears a suit."

  He gave Lucy a peck on the cheek that didn't go unnoticed by the two older ladies smiling behind him.

  "This is Reed Shaw," she said. "Alice and Margaret are friends of mine."

  "It's great to meet you."

  "What brings you here, young man?" Alice asked, practically wiggling her eyebrows at him as she spoke.

  Lucy was wondering the same thing.

  "I'm here to surprise Lucy."

  He'd called after her conversation with Dylan, and she'd told him she'd be here today. She hoped she hadn't given him the wrong idea. Despite the nice things he'd done for her lately, Reed only had room for one love in his life, and that was his career. Lucy had no interest in competing with it for his attention. "I always eat lunch here with my friends after we cook. Do you want to stay and eat with us?"

  He looked back at the Margaret and Alice, took Lucy's hand, and led her across the kitchen out of earshot. "We can't eat here. We need to go somewhere nice to celebrate."

  "Celebrate what?"

  "Your new job," Reed said, looking proud of himself.

  Their spectators left, looking annoyed that they could no longer eavesdrop.

  Lucy grabbed a bowl and carried it to the sink. "Don't jinx it, Reed. I still need to beat Dylan." Talking about Dylan shot a dagger through her chest. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she missed him. She missed cooking with him. She missed the way he kissed her. She shook off the thoughts and dropped the bowl among the dirty dishes.

  "You haven't heard?" he said, excitement in his voice. "Dylan bowed out of the running for my uncle's job. I guess he finally figured out he wouldn't be able to beat you."

  "What?"

  "He's moving. He stopped by my uncle's office and told him."

  "Moving? When? Where?" Surely he wouldn't abandon her right before the event they'd worked so hard on.

  He waved his hand out, dismissively. "Montana or Wyoming or wherever it was he came from. He got a job there. He leaves right after the wedding."

  Dylan was going back to Cheyenne? Why hadn't he told her? The thought of Dylan leaving felt like a boulder dropped onto her stomach.

  She pushed the feeling aside. Maybe this was for the best. "A cooking job?"

  He picked a piece of lint from his jacket. "He's returning to some ranch. Probably as a hired hand or something. People like Dylan have no real ambition. He'll always be working in some dead-end job."

  She stepped further from Reed and crossed her arms. "He's worked really hard on the wedding. And he's talented." It didn't make any sense. Why would Dylan suddenly change his mind? Unless...it had something to do with her. "I don't understand why he would give up like that."

  Reed eyed the gnocchi on the counter. "Your food still needs to wow my uncle at the wedding, but we both know you won't have any trouble with that."

  She couldn't think about cooking right now. All she could think about was Dylan leaving Texas.

  He squeezed both her arms at her elbows. "Why the frown? This is the best news possible. After you cook with him at the wedding, Dylan is out of the picture."

  She didn't speak.

  Letting go, Reed's arms slowly fell to his sides. "Lucy? What are you not telling me?"

  She shook her head. "I didn't want to talk about this here, but I don't want to be unfair to you."

  Realization broke across his expression. "Lucy, come on—"

  "I'm sorry. I still want us to be friends, but I think I've made a terrible mistake."

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  On the day of the wedding, butterflies filled Lucy's stomach. She wasn't nervous about impressing J.T. Shaw but about spending an entire day in the kitchen with Dylan. Outside the venue, the city streets were quiet and deserted. She and Paige had arrived early—Lucy to start prepping the food and Paige to get the vendors and florists started on the setup of the room.

  Lucy pulled the last box of supplies from the backseat. She'd hired a couple of line cooks she'd worked with in the past to help her put everything together, but they wouldn't be in the kitchen for hours. Right now, she had time to get things ready in the peace of a quiet kitchen.

  If Paige was nervous, she certainly didn't show it. Holding a clipboard and wearing a black skirt and pink suit jacket, she was the picture of poise under pressure. "The photographer and reporter for the Lone Star Monthly may come by here later. They'll want to take some pictures and may ask you a few questions."

  Lucy hoped she could form a coherent sentence. She hadn't slept for days, her insomnia at its worst since her fight with Dylan. She'd spent hours staring at the ceiling, trying to imagine what her life would be like in a few months. If she could pull off this meal, she'd be the executive chef of a hot new restaurant. What she couldn't figure out was why the thought of it didn't make her happier.

  "Earth to Lucy."

  Lucy shook her head. "Sorry. A lot on my mind today."

  "Don't be stressed. You're going to beat Dylan," she said with the enthusiasm of a professional football coach.

  Lucy gave a half-hearted smile, shifting the weight of the box in her arms. "It's not that. He doesn't even want the job now. Reed told me he's moving back to Wyoming."

  Paige gasped, her eyes wide. "That's great. The job is yours."

  She bit the inside of her lip. "I guess."

  "Aren't you excited? This is what you've been working for."

  When she didn't answer, Paige cocked her head, studying her. "You love him, don't you?"

  Lucy's breath caught in her lungs. She loved Dylan. The thought left her paralyzed with fear. His cockiness drove her crazy, and those dirty cowboy boots didn't have any place in a spotless kitchen, but she was in love with Dylan. "I think I do."

  "That's great!"

  Lucy shook her head, fighting back the emotion.

  "That's not great, either?"

  Knowing her parents would never approve, it felt good to have Paige's support—even if it was too late. "I thought you wanted me to get back with Reed."

  "That was before I saw how crazy you are about
the cowboy. I know you, Lucy, and I've never seen you like this. I've never seen you in love."

  Too weak to hold it, she set the box on the asphalt. "I ruined everything, Paige." The words came pouring out, each faster than the one before. "First I told him I didn't want anyone to know about us, and then I said it could never work between us. Now he hates me, and rightfully so. Why wouldn't he? And he's leaving."

  Paige grabbed her arms. "Slow down."

  Lucy inhaled deeply, but she still felt the weight of regret on her chest.

  "You need to tell him how you feel," Paige said softly.

  "You're right. You're right. I'll just tell him."

  Paige let go of her. "Right. Talk to him."

  Convince the man who she loved to cancel his plans and stay with her in Texas. As easy as pie.

  An old rusty truck turned into the parking lot. It took Lucy a second to recognize it as the truck Dylan's dad had been working on the first day she went out to the ranch.

  "Is that Dylan?" Paige asked. "What's he doing driving that?"

  Lucy shrugged, her heart now in her throat. The engine roared as it pulled up beside them.

  Paige hugged her. "Well, I've got to get to the church," she yelled over the roar of the truck. "Good luck. Call me if you need me."

  By the encouraging look, Lucy she knew she was talking about Dylan, not the food.

  When he cut the engine, it was eerily quiet. Dylan stepped out of the truck and tipped his hat at her. "Morning." His words were curt.

  She swallowed. "I didn't think you'd be here so early."

  He pulled the same beat-up ice chest he'd had on day one from the truck. "Dad pretty much kicked me out of the house. All the pacing I was doing was making him nervous."

  She straightened, determined not to let him see the uncertainty rolling around inside her. "Where's your truck?"

  "I sold it."

  "Sold it? I thought you loved that truck."

  His glanced at her. "It was just a truck, and being able to help my dad keep the ranch was more important."

  He sold his truck to help his dad? Her heart lurched.

  She rubbed her tingling hands together, trying to work out the nerves. "Can we talk before we do this?"