A Cowboy Comes Home

by Barbara Dunlop

  “Abigail’s my new favorite person.”

  “She’ll be thrilled to hear it.”

  He spun Mandy around, then smoothly pulled her back against his body. “You should do this more often.”

  “Dance with you?”

  “Well, yeah. That, too. But I meant dress up.”

  She arched a brow. “Something wrong with my blue jeans?”

  “Don’t be so sensitive. I prefer silk to denim on my dates. Deal with it.”

  “Well, I prefer blue jeans to suit jackets.”

  Caleb frowned at her. Then he made a show of glancing around the crowd. “Any casually dressed guy in particular catch your eye? I could dance you over and let him cut in.”

  “Sure,” she teased right back. “What about the guy in the yellow hat?”

  Caleb shook his head. “Looks a little too old for the likes of you.”

  “The one with the red boots?”

  “Too short.”

  “Well…” She continued to scan the room before returning her attention to him. “Okay, what about you?”

  “I’m wearing a suit. And I’m already dancing with you.”

  “A girl, Caleb. Pick out a girl. Who looks good to you?”

  He kept his eyes fixed firmly on her. “I’m dancing with her.”

  “That’s a cop-out.”

  “It’s the truth. If there are any other girls in this room, I didn’t notice.”

  “Smooth talker,” she told him, but their gazes locked and held.

  “What are you doing later?” he rumbled.

  “I’m rooming with my sister.”

  “This is ridiculous,” he griped, frustrated by the barriers that kept flying up in their way. “I feel like we’re in high school.”

  “You think if it wasn’t for Abigail, I’d be jumping into bed with you?”

  Her question surprised and embarrassed him. Was he being presumptuous? Had he been that far wrong in reading her signals? Had he imagined her response to his lovemaking?

  Sure, they’d argued afterward, but then they’d made love again. And she’d been all he could think of ever since, despite the fact Travis had kept him away from the ranch and out of cell range for two long days.

  Did Mandy feel differently?

  “I’m sorry,” he began, feeling like a heel. “I didn’t mean—”

  “That’s the problem, Caleb.” Her look was frank. “I don’t know what you mean. I just spent two days wondering what you mean.”

  “What I mean is that I like you, Mandy,” he answered her as honestly as he could. “I like you a lot. I think you’re beautiful and exciting and real. And I can’t seem to get enough of you. I want to spend every minute in your company.” His voice rose in frustration. “And I want to ditch all of your siblings so they’ll stop getting in my way.”

  She broke into a smile. “That was a good answer.”

  “Thank you,” he grumbled.

  “But it’s okay if you just think I’m sexy.”

  “I think you’re that, too.”

  Her expression sobered. “When I didn’t hear from you, I thought maybe once was enough.”

  “Twice,” he corrected.

  “Twice is enough?”

  “No! I meant we did it twice already.” He gathered her closer, adding some intimacy to the conversation by putting his mouth closer to her ear. “Twice is definitely not enough.”

  “You want to pick a number?” There was a thread of laughter in her tone. “That’ll keep me from guessing where this is going and when it’s going to end.”

  “Fifty,” he told her.

  “Ambitious.”

  “Always.”

  The band ended the song with a pounding drum solo, and the lead singer announced they were taking a break.

  Abigail appeared next to them, commandeering Mandy for the ladies’ room, and Caleb wound his way toward the bar.

  He ordered a beer.

  Travis stepped up. “Make it two.”

  “Find someone to dance with?” asked Caleb.

  “Not a problem. I went to high school with half the people here.”

  “I recognize a few faces.” Caleb glanced around the room, seeing at least a dozen people he’d known as a teenager.

  The bartender set two bottles of beer on the bar, and Caleb handed him a twenty. He and Travis turned to face the crowd, Caleb scanning for Mandy.

  “I see the way you’re looking at my sister.” Travis took a long swig of his beer.

  Again? Caleb really didn’t want to have this conversation. “Every man in the room is looking at your sister.”

  “Every man in the room isn’t dancing with her.”

  “Only because I won’t let them.”

  Travis opened his mouth to respond.

  But Caleb interrupted him, squaring his shoulders as he angled to face Travis. He was getting this over with here and now. “You’ve got to back off, man. She’s a grown woman.”

  The piped in music throbbed through the speakers, and a few dancers took the floor again.

  “You don’t have a sister.”

  Caleb crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t. But that doesn’t change anything.”

  “It would change your attitude.”

  “Let’s assume my attitude is not going to change in the next five minutes.”

  Travis took another pull on his bottled beer. “Yeah, I know.”

  “She’s a smart woman, Travis. She’s realistic and self-confident, and I’m not pressuring her to do anything.”

  “I’m backing off,” said Travis.

  The statement surprised Caleb, leaving him at a loss for words. Thanking Travis didn’t seem remotely appropriate. So, he took a drink instead.

  Seth appeared from the crowd. “What’s going on?”

  Caleb shot Travis a sidelong glance, wondering what he was going to say to his brother.

  “Not much,” Travis responded with a shrug.

  Seth signaled for a beer and parked himself next to Caleb, facing the room along with them. “I think we’re going to have to keep an eye on our sisters tonight.”

  Travis coughed out a laugh. “You think?”

  “I never think of them as particularly beautiful,” Seth continued. “But they clean up pretty good.”

  It was Caleb’s turn to laugh. “Your sisters are drop-dead gorgeous, Seth.”

  “I know,” said Seth in some amazement. He scooped a handful of peanuts from the bowl on the bar. “I’m picturing them on the campaign trail.”

  “What trail?” Travis challenged. “You’re running for mayor, not governor.”

  “There’ll still be photo ops. What do you think? One on each arm?”

  “You’ll look like Hugh Hefner.”

  “Hmm,” Seth mused. “Guess I’d better rethink that.”

  At the far side of the room, Mandy reappeared with Abigail.

  Men immediately took notice, sending interested gazes and shifting themselves in the women’s direction, some of them obviously setting up to make a move. Caleb abandoned his beer and pushed away from the bar, setting a direct course for Mandy. Seth and Travis could look out for Abigail. But Caleb wasn’t letting Mandy out of his sight.

  Back in the hotel room, Mandy stripped off her high shoes. Abigail followed suit, stretching her bare feet out on an ottoman in their compact sitting area.

  “My feet are definitely not in shape for strappy sandals,” Abigail complained.

  “I hear you.” Mandy flopped down on the opposite armchair, stretching out her own sore feet, sharing the ottoman. She liked to think she was pretty tough, but she’d definitely been defeated by a dance floor. By midnight, even a few more minutes in Caleb’s arms hadn’t been enough of an incentive to add an extra blister.

  “Felt a little like Cinderella, though, didn’t it?” asked Abigail.

  “Tomorrow, we go back to cleaning the fireplace.”

  “Well, horse stalls,” said Abigail. “At least, that’s your fate. I�
��ve been getting away with a lot of office work lately.”

  “I hate the office work.”

  “Lucky for me.”

  Mandy plucked at the silky layers of her dress. “Do you think the campaign is going to keep you in Lyndon a lot?”

  Abigail shrugged. “More than usual, for sure. Why?”

  “It’s been awfully quiet at home.”

  Abigail grinned at her. “You missed me?”

  “I did,” Mandy admitted. “With Mom and Dad staying at the rehab center, and you and Seth in Denver and Lyndon, and Travis always out on the range, it’ll just be me at lunch and probably just me at dinner.”

  “I think Travis likes his new role,” said Abby. “With no Dad and no Seth, he’s going to have a lot more responsibility.”

  Mandy had to agree. Travis seemed very happy. Once again, she got the feeling she was the only one left behind.

  “Are you suffering from empty-nest syndrome?” Abigail asked, compassion in her dark, hazel eyes.

  “Maybe I am,” Mandy realized. “Weird. I never thought about how much my life depended on the rest of the family being there. It’s like nobody needs me anymore.”

  “The ranch can’t run without you and Travis.”

  “Without Travis, maybe. But you’re the one who does the paperwork. The foreman knows what to do day to day. The hands know what to do. I’m… Okay, this is depressing. I think the Terrells need me more than my own family.”

  Abigail’s eyes narrowed. “The Terrells?”

  “Getting Reed back.” Mandy was surprised Abigail didn’t immediately understand. “Caleb’s off on this crazy ‘sell the ranch’ tangent, and Reed’s lying low. And somebody has to knock some sense into the both of them.”

  Abby moved her feet to the floor and sat forward in her chair. “They’re grown men, Mandy.”

  “That doesn’t mean they have a brain between them.”

  “That doesn’t make it your responsibility.”

  Mandy shook her head. Her sister wasn’t getting this. How had nobody else noticed? “The universe is out of balance, Abby. It has been for ten years. I love Reed.”

  “We all love Reed.”

  “There you go. I can’t abandon him at a time like this, can I? He’s my third brother.”

  Abby’s face winkled in consternation. “Do you think there’s any chance.” She paused, watching Mandy carefully. “Any chance at all that—I mean, right now—you’re somehow substituting Reed for your own family.”

  “I’m not—”

  Abigail held up a hand. “Hear me out. We’re all busy. And you’re feeling adrift. And along comes this very juicy family problem that you think you might be able to solve.”

  “A juicy problem? You think I’m getting some kind of emotional satisfaction out of Caleb Terrell threatening to sell his family’s ranch?”

  “I think you’re like a moth to a flame. Someone’s hurt? There’s Mandy. Someone’s upset? There’s Mandy. Two people in a dispute? There’s Mandy.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  “It’s not a bad thing. It’s a great thing. And it’s an important role, in your own family. But when you start franchising out, it’s a problem.”

  “This is Reed Terrell, not some stranger I picked up on the street.”

  Abigail chuckled at that. “All I’m saying is don’t get too invested in Reed and Caleb Terrell. This may not be a problem you can solve.”

  Mandy’s hand clamped down on the padded arms of the chair. In her mind, failure was not an option. “I have to solve it.”

  “And, if you can’t?”

  Mandy wasn’t going to think about that right now. Reed gone from the Valley forever? Someone other than the Terrells living down the road? And Caleb gone, with no reason to ever return.

  She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she’d started hoping he’d reconnect with Lyndon Valley, maybe come back once in a while. He did have his own jet. And then, they could…could…

  Okay. Shelving that thought for now.

  Abigail was watching her expectantly. “And if you can’t?” she repeated.

  “If I can’t get them to reconcile,” Mandy responded breezily. “Then, that’s that. Reed will move and life will go on.”

  There was a long pause. “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “Because you’re naturally suspicious. You have that in common with Travis.”

  “Ha. I’m naturally fun and exciting.” Abigail was obviously willing to let the argument go. “Did you see all the guys who asked me to dance down there?”

  Mandy smiled at her sister’s exuberance, forcing herself to relax again. “Green is definitely your color.”

  “I’m wearing it more often. Five of them asked for my number.”

  “Did you give it out?”

  “Nah. I’m not particularly interested in cowboys. What about you?”

  “Nobody asked for my number.”

  Abigail’s dark eyes glowed with interest. “I think Caleb’s already got your number.”

  Mandy felt her cheeks heat.

  Abigail sat up straight, staring intently. “So, I’m not crazy. You are into him.”

  “He’s a good guy,” Mandy offered carefully.

  “You just told me that he’s trying to sell the ranch, and you’re trying to stop him. That doesn’t sound like a good guy.”

  Mandy’s cheeks grew hotter still. “Okay,” she allowed. “Aside from that particular character flaw, he’s a good guy.”

  Caleb was misguided, that was all. She was confident he’d eventually see the light. Assuming she could keep him from selling the ranch between now and then.

  “He’s definitely hunky,” said Abigail.

  Mandy nodded. There was no point in pretending she was blind. “Sexy as they come.”

  “So?” Abigail waggled her brows. “Did he kiss you?”

  Mandy hesitated, wondering how much, if anything, she dared share with her sister.

  “He did,” Abigail cried in triumph. “When? Where? I want the details.”

  A few beats went by in silence.

  “Are you sure you want the details?” Mandy asked, a warning tone in her voice.

  “Yeah.”

  Mandy screwed up her courage. “Everywhere.”

  Abigail blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, he kissed me everywhere.”

  Abigail’s eyes went round. “We’re not talking geography, are we?”

  Mandy shook her head, a secretive grin growing on her face.

  “When?”

  “Two days ago.”

  “At the ranch?”

  “His ranch.”

  “You didn’t?”

  “We did.”

  Abby plunked back in her chair, her expression a study in shock.

  “Then I didn’t hear from him afterward.” Mandy found the words rushing out of her. “And I thought, okay, that’s it, he’s from the big city, and it was a one-night stand, and I can handle it. But then we got here—”

  “And he made that stupid excuse to take you down to his room.”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “And it was like no time had gone by. He grabbed me, kissed me, talked about going crazy for not seeing me.” For Mandy, it had been both gratifying and confusing. Her emotions had done a complete one-eighty in the space of about ten seconds.

  “So, why didn’t he call you?”

  “Out on the range. Out of cell service. Apparently Travis was keeping him busy, and he didn’t have a chance to see me. He said he tried.”

  “And while you were dancing tonight?” asked Abigail. “Did he proposition you again?”

  Mandy nodded. That appeared to be the thing about a heat-seeking missile. They didn’t leave you guessing.

  Abigail’s brows went up. “And you’re sitting here with me, because…?”

  The answer to that was pretty obvious. “Because two of my brothers and my sister are
in the same hotel, and I don’t want to upset anyone.”

  “You think I’ll be upset because you spend the night with Caleb?”

  “I think you’ll be… I don’t know.” Mandy tried to put it into words. “Disappointed?”

  “You’re twenty-three years old. Besides, you already did it once. You think my delicate sensibilities can’t stand being five rooms away while you have a sex life?”

  “And there’s Travis.”

  “What’s Travis got to do with this?”

  “He warned Caleb to keep his hands off me.”

  Abigail sputtered out a laugh. “Grow up, Travis. It’s none of his damn business.”

  “I know that. And you know that. And believe me, that’s Caleb’s opinion. But I don’t want to upset Travis.”

  Abigail sat forward again. “Mandy, honey, this family’s emotional health is not your responsibility. I’m not suggesting you sleep with Caleb or you don’t sleep with Caleb. What I am suggesting, is that you make up your own mind. You’re allowed to do that.”

  It wasn’t as simple as Abigail made it out to be. In families, people had a responsibility to the group, they couldn’t just selfishly think of themselves alone.

  “You think that when I date a guy, I’m worrying about your opinion?” Abigail asked.

  “Well, I’d never—”

  “I don’t. And neither does Travis when he’s dating a woman. And you shouldn’t, either. Now.” Abigail brought her palms firmly down on her lap. “If the rest of us weren’t here, what would you do?”

  Mandy pondered her sister’s question. If she had it to decide all on her own, remembering their lovemaking from last time, thinking about his words and her feelings on the dance floor, taking into account that Caleb was here only temporarily?

  Mandy bit down on her lower lip.

  Abigail waited.

  “I’d already be down the hall in his room,” she admitted. “I’d be with Caleb.”

  Abigail’s grin was a mile wide.

  Three minutes later, standing barefoot outside Caleb’s hotel-room door, Mandy was forced to tamp down a swell of butterflies battering her stomach. She was pretty sure he’d be glad to see her, but there was no way to be positive. Other than to knock on his door.

  Right.

  She brushed her palms against the skirt of her red dress, took a deep breath, glanced both ways down the corridor and knocked.