The Cowboy Next door

by Miley Stewart

  She ran her hand along the surface of the table and could almost smell Gran's chicken and dressing that she'd made in a roaster older than Eden. So many memories. She'd loved cooking with her grandmother. There was so much love in this house. And she had to wonder why at times she felt so unloved. Maybe it had something to do with her parents abandoning her. And the fact she had to compete with Tyler for her grandparents' affection.

  "How is the house heated and cooled?" Mona was asking. Eden immediately brought her attention back to the conversation, but before she could respond, Tyler spoke up.

  "Window units and space heaters and, of course, the fireplace, but the house is very drafty in winter and hot in the summer."

  "It is not," Eden denied. "The fireplace warms the whole house and the window units adequately cool the place."

  Tyler knocked on a wall with his fist. "These walls are single, not double like they are today, so there's no insulation anywhere."

  Mona scribbled something on her clipboard. "I'm assuming there's a well for water."

  "Yeah," Tyler replied, "and it's old and tiresome at best. The pump has to be primed—a lot, and in the wintertime it's a headache. You have to keep the pump shed warm or the pump will freeze, and the pipes to the house have to be drained or they'd all bust. It takes—Ouch."

  She'd brought her shoe down hard on his boot, stopping his unwanted opinion. "Sorry. I didn't notice your foot."

  His brow knotted in resentment, but he didn't say anything else.

  "Well." Mona looked from one to the other. "I have all I need. Does the furniture go with the house?"

  "I'm not sure," Eden admitted.

  "Ms. March, it seems there's a lot to be decided before we can take this to contract. From the road, it's obvious the land is plowed and ready for planting. A potential buyer will see that, so," Mona shoved the clipboard into her big purse, "you and Mr. Jakes have to work this out. Take a few days and let me know your decision."

  As soon as the door closed, Eden turned on Tyler. "How dare you."

  His eyes darkened. "And how dare you. You waltz in here, trying to sell everything Ira and Mavis ever had without a second thought. What about Mavis's quilts and afghans? You gonna sell them in a garage sale? Take the money and run, is that your motto, Eden? How about her china and dishes? Just chuck them, huh? They mean nothing to you. Nothing in this house is of value to you. It never has been. Not even your grandparents. You never called and only visited sporadically. How do you think that made your grandparents feel? They loved you and wanted you here, you never cared about—"

  Before she knew what she was doing, she'd slapped him hard across the face. The skin-on-skin sound seemed to echo between them. She was horrified. She'd never done anything like that before in her life.

  "Tyler, I'm so sorry." She pressed her hand to his warm, roughened cheek, softly this time, almost a caress. She'd never been this aware of him. Never noticed that he smelled of a tantalizing mix of leather and sunshine, never noticed that his lips were full and oh-so-tempting…

  Suddenly, his eyes darkened even more and he framed her face with his hands, bringing her closer to him. In slow motion he brought his lips down on hers in a gentle kiss, but the force of her response made her knees buckle and she went limp against him, trembling.

  He let her go abruptly and, without a word or a backward glance, strolled from the room.

  After a moment, Eden regained her equilibrium and held a hand to her quivering lips, still feeling his touch, his masculine scent all around her.

  Chapter Three

  The buzz of her phone brought Eden to her senses. She dashed to the bedroom to get it. Since she'd slept in her grandparents' room, she'd left it in there. Snatching it up, she flipped it open. It was her roommate in Hollywood, Paige. Her friend was from Dallas, and they'd hit it off as soon as they'd discovered they were from the same state. They were planning to stay together in New York, too. Eden had had to take odd jobs to pay her share of the rent, but she hoped to remedy her financial situation soon.

  "Hi, Paige." Her voice sounded raspy. Heavens, she'd been kissed before, but not quite like that—with so much emotion.

  "Are you okay? You sound funny."

  "I'm just tired from driving."

  "I guess you made it home safely then?"

  "Yeah. I arrived late yesterday."

  "Any luck in selling the place?"

  Eden sat cross-legged on the feather bed. "No. I contacted a Realtor, but I might speak to Judd Calhoun this afternoon. It would be much faster. He owns a lot of land here and might be interested. If he's not, I'll have to go with the Realtor and that's going to take time."

  "But without that money you're not going to be able to stay in New York long and your business is dead in the water."

  "Mmm."

  "We've already given notice at the apartment and our flight to New York is booked for just weeks from now. We can stay with my sister who works at Bloomingdale's until we find a place. It's going to be so exciting. I have your new, expanded website almost ready to upload. I hope your jewelry starts selling like hotcakes."

  Paige was a computer whiz and also a singer. They were both eager to try their talents in New York City. They talked for a while longer and Eden promised to call as soon as she wrapped up things in High Cotton, which, if she had anything to say about it, would be very soon.

  ***

  Eden spent the morning going through things in the house. There was so much stuff: the antique dining room set, the armoire Gran had received as a wedding gift from her parents, the wrought iron bed that had belonged to her grandfather's parents, Pa's silver dollar collection, Gran's handmade quilts, Pa's Purple Heart and the feather bed. She couldn't bear to part with any of those items. Tyler had been wrong. These things meant something to her. Storing them would be the logical decision, but first she had to find a buyer for the property.

  Trying to keep her thoughts off Tyler, she grabbed her purse and headed for her vehicle and Judd's ranch, the Southern Cross. Thirty minutes later she had her answer—Judd wasn't interested in the place, but he suggested she contact Tyler Jakes, whose property joined hers and who already had crops planned for her grandfather's fields. That was not what she wanted to hear

  As she traveled from the big ranch, she saw trucks parked on the side of the road. At first she thought it was a wreck, but then she noticed several men had gotten out of their vehicles to watch a herd of Brahma cows. Curious, she stopped behind one of the trucks, opened her door and got out.

  In the distance, she saw a handful of cowboys on horses talking amongst themselves. Her eyes zeroed in on Tyler, looking handsome and rugged, sitting on a chestnut-colored quarter horse with three white stocking feet. Tyler and Chance Hardin, the foreman, seemed to be discussing something.

  Chance motioned to the cowboys and pointed to the herd. The cowboys weaved their horses through the agitated cows. Tyler and Chance readied their ropes. They were going to rope something. A rush of excitement shot through her.

  The cowboys worked steadily, trying to get a calf away from his mother. Cows threw up their heads in fear and loud bellows echoed.

  "They'll never get a rope on that calf," Mr. Hopper—one of the men in the crowd she'd joined—said, leaning on his truck.

  Rufus Johns, Chance's uncle, joined him. "You just watch, Ben. I taught those boys everything they know."

  Finally, the cowboys had the calf out in the open and tried to keep the momma in with the herd. Chance immediately bolted out and threw his rope around the calf's neck. In a split second, Tyler followed, standing in the stirrups and sailing his rope in a perfect loop under the hind hooves and the calf went down, bellowing. On cue, Tyler's horse backed up, as did Chance's, holding the calf flat and tight.

  Chance jumped off his horse and straddled the calf, examining the hooves. Pulling a small pair of pliers from his jeans pocket, he removed something and held it up to Tyler. He tipped his hat, grinning.

  Her knees felt wea
k.

  Then someone shouted and all hell broke loose. The momma cow had managed to get away from the other cowboys. Chance jumped into the saddle and he and Tyler simultaneously loosened their ropes and jerked. The calf was free, but the big cow charged straight for them.

  Eden held her breath.

  They kneed their horses and the animals responded beautifully, digging in their hooves and galloping toward safety. Out of harm's way, Chance and Tyler pulled up, watching the cow and calf.

  The Brahma pawed the ground and snorted, flinging her head from side to side, just daring them to take one step toward her baby. After a moment, the momma and the little one trotted into the woods. Eden noticed the baby limping. There had been something in its hoof.

  She was still reeling from the magnificent show of skill, coordination and horsemanship. No one did it better than Tyler Jakes. Her grandfather had told her that many times, but now something was different. It didn't take her long to figure out what it was. She'd acknowledged his talent on her own.

  "Didn't I tell ya, Ben?" Mr. Johns said.

  "Yep. Should have known better."

  Mr. Johns walked toward his truck and Mr. Hopper noticed her. "Miss Eden, you're home."

  "Yes. For a little while." She wrapped her arms around her waist. It was getting chilly.

  "I'll miss Ira. He was a good man."

  "Thank you."

  He opened his door. "Call if you need anything."

  "Thank you," she said again and climbed into her car. Everyone here was so friendly. She would miss that in New York.

  When she reached home, she carried firewood from the back porch and placed it in the fireplace. She loved making a fire and she had enough wood to last while she was here. As she stuffed old newspapers beneath the logs to light, she heard a tap at the door.

  It couldn't be Tyler. Could it? Against her will, her heart hammered against her ribs.

  Chapter Four

  She opened the door and found a little girl—Eden judged her to be about five or six years old—standing there. She wore jeans stuffed into cowboy boots. The tops were pink. Her blond hair was in a ponytail. Big brown eyes stared at Eden.

  "Hi," the girl said, smiling with two front teeth missing. "My name is Jenny. What's your name?"

  Who was she? There were no cars in the driveway….

  "How did you get here?" she asked, figuring it was the best way to start the conversation.

  Jenny pointed to Tyler's house.

  This had to be Tyler and Denise's child.

  Eden drew a long breath. "Does your father know you're here?"

  Jenny shrugged. "Daddy told me that Pa's granddaughter was here and I wanted to meet her 'cause I'm Pa's granddaughter, too."

  "What?"

  "I don't have a grandpa and he said he'd be mine. I took him to school for show-and-tell."

  For a moment she was speechless, but it sounded just like Pa. He had a very big heart.

  "Are you Eden?"

  Eden had never been good with kids, and she wasn't sure what to do with this one. Please go away, kid. "I'm sure your dad is worried about you. Maybe you should go home."

  Jenny shrugged again. "Can I sit in Pa's chair? He lets me do that."

  "I'm very busy, this isn't a good time." She stepped back and closed the door. The moment she did all she saw was that hurt little face. She yanked it open. "I'm sorry. That was rude."

  Jenny tried hard to keep her bottom lip from trembling and Eden felt even worse. How could she be mean to an innocent child? "You can sit in Pa's chair."

  The lip stuck out farther. "I don't want to now."

  Eden bent down to her level. "I'm making a fire in the fireplace. Want to help?"

  "No."

  Eden walked inside, leaving the door open. She found matches on the mantel and lit the newspaper. Soon the fire roared to life. As she was putting the screen in front of it, Jenny trailed in and then made a dash for Pa's recliner and jumped in. She reached for Gran's afghan on the arm and curled up. Jenny looked lost in the big chair, but it was obvious she was familiar with the house. She must have had a loving relationship with Pa.

  And yet Pa had only mentioned the little girl in passing. Maybe because he sensed Eden had conflicting emotions about Tyler. Where was Tyler? Did he allow his child to run all over the place unsupervised?

  Not sure what else to do, she left Jenny in the chair and went to the table where she had her jewelry-making supplies laid out. While she had time, she thought she'd make matching sets of bracelets, necklaces and earrings to sell on the website. Stringing large lime-green and crystal beads with silver spacers onto a flexible professional wire, she noticed Jenny had made her way to the table.

  "Whatcha doing?"

  "Making a bracelet," she replied, without looking up.

  "Like, to wear?"

  "Yes. I sell them."

  "Gee. It's pretty."

  "Thank you."

  "Are you Beauty?

  Eden dropped a bead and immediately picked it up. "Why do you ask that?"

  "'Cause Pa said he called his granddaughter Beauty and I wanted him to call me Beauty but he said there was only one Beauty."

  "Oh." Her throat closed for a second.

  "So he called me Cutiepie, and there's only one Cutiepie and that's me."

  Eden stopped stringing beads as she suddenly saw herself clearly in Jenny—the need to be loved. And the feeling she had to compete for that love. She realized her grandfather hadn't loved Jenny any more than he'd loved her, so why had Eden felt that need to compete with Tyler? The thought was unsettling.

  "My daddy says Mommy used to call me angel, but then…then she left me," Jenny blurted out. Pa had told her that Tyler and Denise had divorced, but Eden assumed Denise still saw her child. Obviously not.

  She stared at the little girl, recognizing the pain of a nine-year-old whose parents didn't want her. "My mommy left me, too."

  "Oh." Jenny's brown eyes opened big. "Did she love you?"

  Eden rolled a bead between her fingers. "I think so, but she didn't want to be a mommy."

  "Mine didn't, either, but I got Daddy."

  "And I had my grandparents."

  Jenny smiled. "We did good, huh?"

  "Yes. We did good." Why hadn't she focused on that all those years ago? Eden had felt as if she'd done something wrong, but she knew now that she hadn't. And neither had Jenny.

  Jenny pulled at the sleeves of her denim jacket, which was noticeably too small for her.

  "Don't you have a bigger jacket?"

  "I lost it and Daddy can't afford to buy me a new one." Jenny fiddled with a bead. "Daddy says when he sells the calves and the crops come in things will be better."

  The crops on her grandfather's land. The land she wanted to sell. Damn.

  She'd always thought Tyler had the Midas touch and it was surreal finding out that he had faults and troubles like everyone else. It made him human. And appealing.

  They both heard the pounding of hooves.

  "Uh-oh." Jenny quickly glanced around. "Where can I hide?"

  Eden smiled. "He probably already knows you're here."

  "Gee."

  Tyler knocked on the door.

  Eden looked at Jenny. "Do you want to get it? Or should I?"

  Her brown eyes brightened. "You can and I'll run out the front."

  "No, no." Eden tried not to laugh as she got to her feet. "You stay right here and I'll let your father in."

  Eden opened the door and Tyler came straight to the point. "Tell Jenny to come out."

  She waved a hand toward the kitchen. "You might want to do that yourself."

  "Jenny," he called, walking inside. His presence seemed to fill up the house and warm it more than the fire ever could.

  Jenny wasn't in the kitchen or the living area. Had she escaped?

  A blonde head popped up over the top of the recliner. "I'm sitting in Pa's chair, Daddy."

  "Let's go. I told you not to come over here."


  Jenny trudged toward her father in boots that seemed as if they weighed ten pounds each. "Yes, sir."

  "Go home and sit in the time-out chair. I'll be there in a minute."

  "Yes, sir."

  When Jenny reached the doorway, she looked back at Eden. "Bye."

  "Bye." Eden's heart ached at the sad face.

  Don't get involved. Don't get involved.

  As soon as the door closed, Tyler said, "I'm sorry if she bothered you."

  Sweat stained his shirt and dirt caked his jeans, but there was another awareness now. Broad shoulders, tight jeans, boots and a worn Stetson suddenly made her blood race. She never knew she liked cowboys.

  "How old is she?"

  "Six."

  "She's a ball of energy."

  "Some days she does me in." He raised his eyes to hers. "I'm sorry about earlier. I had no right to say those things."

  "And I had no right to slap you."

  He nodded. "We have to talk."

  "Yes."

  "But I should get Jenny home. I'll come over later."

  As the door closed, Eden knew she had a big decision to make. She'd never dreamed Tyler depended on the crops he grew on her grandfather's land for his very livelihood. And Jenny's. But Eden needed the money from the sale of the land to start her business and her new successful life.

  What could she do?

  Chapter Five

  Tyler went through his back door feeling lower than a snake. He hated disciplining Jenny. It took a little piece of his heart every time he had to. His blood pressure had spiked when he discovered where she was. He didn't want his kid in the middle of his and Eden's issues.

  God, he couldn't believe he'd kissed her. And he couldn't believe all the suppressed emotions it had generated. He wanted to kiss her again. To hold her, to be with her. But getting involved with Eden was too risky. Like Denise, Eden's life was not in this small town. And he and Eden had business to take care of that required cool heads.

  In the living room, he saw Jenny sitting in her little chair, facing the wall. He took a deep breath.