LONE STAR HEARTBREAKER
by
Anne Marie Novark
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PUBIT! EDITION
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Book Four: The Diamondback Ranch Series
Tyler McCade is the youngest McCade brother in Salt Fork, Texas, and the biggest heartbreaker of them all. Or he was--until a plane crash wrecks his body and sends his crop-dusting company into a tailspin. Needing time to heal and form a new business plan, he retreats to the Diamondback Ranch, where he spends too much time alone tormented over the possibility that the accident might have been his fault.
Caitlyn Ross lives to fly planes. Accepting the job as pilot for Lone Star Wings seems like a dream come true. But when she packs up everything she owns and finds herself working for the brooding Tyler McCade, her defenses go on high alert. The sexual tension sizzles, but does she have what it takes to help him heal? And is she even brave enough to try?
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Lone Star Heartbreaker
Copyright © 2012 by Anne Marie Novark
Al rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
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Dedication
To Rita.
Thank you for the awesome help.
It's very much appreciated.
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CHAPTER ONE
Oh, how the mighty had fallen.
Tyler McCade sat alone at one of the tables set up around the large wooden dance floor erected close to the big house on the Diamondback Ranch. He nursed his bourbon and soda while watching the guests circle and twirl in time to the music blaring from the vintage jukebox. Everyone was having a grand old time at his brother Austin's wedding reception.
Everyone but him.
When Austin and Theresa glanced his way, Tyler raised his glass in salute to the newly married couple and forced a smile. No way did he want to put a damper on the festive occasion. Austin deserved his happiness. He'd lived for over twelve years raising his daughter Kelsey by himself.
Tyler was glad that his brother had final y found someone to love. Real y, he was. He was glad that Cameron and Dal as had found happiness, too.
Three McCade brothers down and one to go.
Tyler shook his head. He didn't want to fol ow in his brothers' footsteps anytime soon. They'd al gotten lucky finding the women they'd married. What were the odds of him getting that lucky? Besides, he wasn't ready to settle down yet and give up his freedom. There were too many beautiful women out there looking for a good time, and he was just the one to show it to them.
At least, he used to be the one to show the women a good time. But not anymore. He'd run out of luck last Christmas when his plane had crashed.
Tyler gripped the highbal glass in his hand. The ice cubes clinked against the sides with the sudden movement. Hel , his luck hadn't taken a complete nosedive. He was alive, right? He'd survived the crash, hadn't he? But for the past six months, every hour of every day had passed at an excruciatingly slow pace and with an extraordinary amount of pain. He'd had four surgeries and months of intensive physical therapy. He stil had several months more to go.
Rehabilitation was a bitch.
Adjusting his position on the metal folding chair, Tyler tried to ignore the sharp pain shooting up one thigh. He tossed back the rest of his drink and stared at the empty glass with a frown. He wasn't drowning his sorrows so much as trying to dul the incessant pain throbbing in his legs. They'd been crushed when his plane had gone down, the left leg practical y to smithereens. The right leg hadn't been as bad, but he was damn near a cripple. Hel , he was a cripple. He had to use crutches to get around, didn't he? At least he was out of the wheelchair he'd been chained to the first couple of months after the accident.
That had not been fun. Not fun at al .
Tyler leaned across the chair where he'd propped his leg and snagged his crutches. He needed a refil ; maybe he'd make it a double. He'd been on his feet since early morning. Sure, he'd tried to take it easy and sit most of the time, except he'd been in the wedding party and duty had cal ed. His body protested the long hours of walking and standing. The muscles in his cheeks ached from the fake smiles he'd pasted on his face throughout the interminable day.
The outpouring of sympathy from friends and neighbors over his accident and the pity in their eyes over his injuries had damned near kil ed him.
Worse were the people who couldn't meet his gaze or avoided him altogether.
He'd be glad when he could cal it a night and return to his apartment at the airfield, where he could get rid of the tux, and chil and relax--at least as much as he'd been able to relax these past six months. The darkness of night would hide the crumpled heap of metal stil piled up in the field near the airstrip; the wreckage of his plane that he hadn't had either the guts or the physical ability to investigate yet. Not to mention arrange to have it towed away. What an eyesore.
And what a coward he was turning out to be. Pitiful, that's what he was. Downright pitiful.
"Hey, Uncle Tyler."
Tyler tightened his hands on the crutches as he stood in front of the bar waiting for his drink. He sucked in a deep breath, forced yet another smile and turned to greet his niece. "Hey, Kelsey. How you doing, kiddo? You sure look pretty in that dress."
His soon-to-be teenaged niece gave an unladylike snort. "Yeah, right. Thanks, but I don't think so. Dresses are so lame. I wouldn't be wearing one, only Theresa--I mean Mom--said I had to wear it since I'm a bridesmaid."
Tyler found himself smiling for real at the disgusted tone in Kelsey's voice. His niece was stil very much a tomboy. "Yeah, I know what you mean.
Same here with the tux."
She frowned and tossed her blonde head. "It's not the same."
"Right. Here, help me back to my table. Talk about lame. That's what I am with these crutches: Lame. Crippled even." He winked at her and she smiled. He was getting damned good at faking a cheerfulness he was far from feeling. A talent he'd practiced al his life.
"Good one, Uncle Tyler. But you're much better now, right?" Kelsey carried their drinks and walked beside him. "You'l be off those crutches before you know it." She set his glass on the table and kissed his cheek. "See you later. I'm going to go pick out some better music on the jukebox. Talk about lame."
Tyler maneuvered himself into his chair and balanced his crutches against the table. He'd had two passengers in his plane when it had gone down last December. Kelsey had survived the crash with nothing worse than a few cuts and bruises. She had a scar on her forehead, but in time it would fade. Unlike his own scars.
Crashing his plane had been a life-changer for him. He'd been flying his niece and Theresa to Houston, where his future sister-in-law would spend the holidays with her folks. She'd been hurt worse than Kelsey in the accident. Thankful y, she'd recovered fairly quickly from the broken ribs and concussion she'd received.
Sipping his fresh drink, Tyler watched the festivities continue. They'd already eaten dinner and Austin and Theresa had cut the cake soon after. It wouldn't be long before the bride tossed the bouquet and the groom the coveted garter. Tyler wanted no part in it; he'd wait to leave so as not to be rude.
Nine o'clock and the night had final y settled in. The strings of twinkling lights glittered around the dance floor, chasing the
darkness away. A ful moon was on the rise and a myriad of stars shone brightly up above. The early June weather had favored the bridal couple on this special day; a cool evening breeze rustled the leaves of the mesquite trees in the pastures.
The music on the jukebox stopped abruptly, and Tyler grinned into his glass as he listened to Kelsey organize the bouquet and garter toss. She was a bossy little thing. A natural-born leader. One of these days, she'd give some man a run for his money.
"Quick, Ty! Hide me!"
Tyler looked over his shoulder at his sister Tori crouching behind his chair. "Hide you? Again? Who from this time?"
"Shh! Turn around and don't look at me. You're supposed to be shielding me from view."
Tyler faced forward again and scanned the crowd. Nothing out of the ordinary that he could see. "Tori, for God's sake. Don't be such a drama queen. You're an adult. Besides, Garza left a good hour ago. There's no reason to hide now." Talk about giving a man a run for his money.
"I know exactly when Sam left. He has nothing to do with my hiding this time. Now hush."
Tyler sighed into his glass. "Don't you want to try for the bridal bouquet? Kelsey wil be disappointed if you don't stand with al the single ladies and try to catch it."
"She'l just have to get over it. I'm not going over there. I don't want to get married." She peeked over his shoulder, then ducked down again. "At least, not yet. And I don't see you hurrying over to try for the garter."
"That's different. I'm injured."
"Right, Ty. That's the sorriest excuse I ever heard. Oh, crap. Here she comes."
Sure enough, Kelsey marched over to the table, stood with hands on hips and glared at her uncle and aunt. "Come on, y'al . You have to do this.
Grams said so."
"Go find someone else," Tyler said.
"There is no one else. There aren't that many single people here. Aunt Tori, I see you. You're not hiding very wel , bobbing up and down like that."
Kelsey reached around Tyler and caught hold of her aunt's hand. "Come on, before I send Grams over here."
Tyler drained his glass and struggled to his feet. "The game's up, sis. Get moving." He grabbed his crutches and waited for the ladies to lead the way. "I'm warning you, Kels. I'm leaving after this. There's only so much fun I can take."
Tori came out of hiding and frowned at her niece. "Okay, I'l stand there, but you can't make me catch it."
Kelsey giggled. "You guys are hopeless."
Tori was as good as her word and stood at the back of the group. Tyler smiled when Sarah Sue caught the bouquet. She was a favorite in town with her popular cafe and famous cakes and pies.
When the garter was tossed, Tyler also made sure to stand way in the back. Even though his brother Austin aimed it right at him, Harold Johnston fought off al competitors and made a successful grab for it. Holding the fril y garter high above his head, Harold made a beeline for Sarah Sue and kissed her in front of God and everybody. Applause broke out through the crowd.
Tyler just shook his head.
After the traditional rituals were duly performed and concluded, he approached Austin and Theresa to tel them goodbye. He shook his brother's hand and kissed the bride on the cheek.
"I wish you al the best," he said. "Don't take any crap from this guy, you hear me? If he gives you any trouble, any trouble at al , just give me a cal ."
Austin grinned and slapped Tyler on the shoulder. "Don't listen to him, sweetheart. I won't give you any trouble. I'm putty in your hands and you know it."
Theresa rol ed her eyes. "I wish. How are you holding up?" she asked Tyler, concern evident in her soft voice. "It's been a long day. I hope it hasn't been too much for you."
"I'm okay, but I'm going to cal it a night. Have fun on your honeymoon." He gave her a hug, then punched Austin one for good measure.
"Hey, watch it!" he said, rubbing his chest where Tyler had hit him. "Who's driving you home?"
"Tori. She's meeting me out front with her truck."
"I'l walk with you. I've been meaning to talk to you al day."
Theresa lifted a brow. "Secrets already? I'm crushed."
Austin gave her a playful pat on the butt. "No secrets. I'l tel you al about it later." He winked over his shoulder as he walked beside Tyler toward the front yard.
"You're one lucky son of a bitch," Tyler said. "Not only for finding such a great lady, but also because she survived the plane crash. You could have easily lost her." Seemed like everything reverted back to the accident. He needed to let it go and move forward. He would, too. As soon as he could stand on his own two feet. Without the damned crutches.
"Don't remind me," Austin said. "Those hours in the hospital when she wouldn't wake up were about the longest I've ever spent. But she did recover, thank God. Unlike you, I'm sorry to say."
Tyler shrugged. "Yeah, wel . I'm doing better. Like Kelsey says: I'l be rid of these crutches before you know it." And maybe if he kept saying it, it would come true. Positive thinking and al that.
"I know you wil . You've always pul ed through tough times before. You'l get through this, too." Austin looked up at the stars glittering in the night sky.
"Anyway, what I wanted to ask is if you've found another pilot yet. You've gone through them like they're a dime a dozen, which they're not. First Gus, then Duffy, then that other guy--I can't even remember his name. I don't know how you've kept Lone Star Wings solvent since your accident. And now crop-dusting season is right around the corner. I need an herbicide application on the south farm soon. Like in yesterday. Time is money, Ty."
Tyler inhaled a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "You're not tel ing me anything I don't already know. And you're not the only one hurting. The phone's been ringing night and day with people wanting to schedule applications. But help is on the way. I'm happy to say I've finally found another pilot to fly my planes. She should be here Monday or Tuesday."
" She should arrive?" Austin looked at him in surprise. "You're going to let a woman fly your precious airplanes?"
"Yeah, so what? I know a lot of women who fly, and Ms. Ross has an impressive resume. Wel , she'd have to, right? I wouldn't trust just anyone with my babies."
"Impressive resume, huh? This should prove mighty interesting." Austin grinned. "Mighty interesting indeed."
"Cut the crap. This is business, not pleasure." Tyler slugged him one last time and made it extra hard.
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Late Tuesday morning, Tyler watched as an old battered pickup truck turned off the pavement onto the dirt road leading to his airfield and crop-dusting compound. The dry red West Texas dirt crunched beneath the tires. He squinted against the bright June sunshine. The old pickup groaned under the weight of an equal y old camper and heroical y hauled a dilapidated trailer loaded with what looked like the fuselage and various other parts of a vintage biplane.
What the hell was this? Sitting beneath the lone hackberry tree in front of hangar number two, he watched the truck inch its way closer. Could this be the ag pilot he'd hired? And what was with the ancient plane she was towing behind her truck? If he wasn't mistaken, it looked like an old Pitts Special.
When the entourage final y pul ed to a stop in front of the hangar, Tyler took another sip of coffee and waited. A big yel ow dog poked its head out the passenger side window and stared at Tyler with intel igent brown eyes. The woman sat behind the steering wheel and peeked around the dog at him. She made no move to get out of the truck. The dog barked and she petted its neck, shushing it, murmuring words of comfort.
For the dog or for herself, Tyler couldn't tel . Even from this distance, her low husky voice drifted over him, warm and smooth like good Kentucky sipping whiskey going down.
Wel , hel . Looked like his body had final y awakened from its long dormant sleep. Good to know that part of him was stil in working order.
The woman gave the dog one last kiss, then she waved at Tyler before unbuckling her seatbelt and hopping out of the truck.
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Hel o," she said, walking around the front of the pickup, not stopping until she stood directly in front of Tyler. She stuck out her hand. "Tyler McCade? I'm Caitlyn Ross. Nice to final y meet you." She looked around, green eyes wide. "Wow! This is some set-up you have. Crop dusting must do good business around here." With hand stil extended, she looked Tyler up and down. "Oh my God, you're hurt! You didn't say anything about being hurt when we talked on the phone."
"No, I didn't." Keenly aware of her scrutiny, Tyler reached for his crutches and slowly, painful y stood. Once he'd balanced himself, he shook hands with his new pilot. He'd almost forgotten how smal and warm and soft a woman's hand could be. "Welcome to Lone Star Wings and the Diamondback Ranch."
Caitlyn withdrew her hand and looked him up and down. "So you're Tyler McCade. Air show stunt pilot extraordinaire! Mr. Do or Die McCade!"
Tyler winced at the nickname he'd picked up on the air show circuit. If only they could see him now. "Yep, that would be me."
"Wow! I stand in the presence of greatness," she said with a smile in her eye. "But what in the world happened to you?"
"An accident."
"Accident? As in . . .? " She left the words hanging.
"Yeah, as in . . . " Tyler pointed with one of his crutches toward the field on the right, "as in plane crash." His throat tightened on the words. Oh yeah.
It had been a life-changing moment al right.
Caitlyn looked at the crashed plane out in the field. It was hard to miss. He should know. It had mocked him for months since the accident. He hoped she didn't ask too many questions, because he didn't have any answers.
"At least you're in better shape than your plane," she said, looking at him again.
"Not by much." He adjusted his weight on the crutches. He stil hurt like hel . And at the rate he was healing, he didn't know if he'd ever ful y recover.
And that scared the living crap out of him. He lived to fly, damn it. If he couldn't fly, he might as wel be dead.
Caitlyn stared at his crutches. "No wonder you were advertising for an experienced pilot."
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