A Cowboy To Keep: A Contemporary Western Romance Collection

by Hebby Roman

  Braden and Piper were outside the entrance preparing dinner at the campsite they’d established. Audrey wasn’t sure why she’d asked Piper to accompany them—it certainly had put a damper on any romance between her and Braden—but it seemed that the older woman should be present.

  Audrey glanced over at the wooden box sitting nearby that held the death mask of Thaddeus Marsh. She also wasn’t entirely certain why she’d wanted to bring that as well, but it had been the writing on a scrap of paper in the box Piper had retrieved from the attic that had given Audrey the idea.

  The page must have been torn from a diary, but Audrey hadn’t been able to locate the rest of it. In precise and slanted lettering had been the reference—We laid Mama to rest beside Papa and Uncle Thaddeus today, as per her wishes. The date was 1962. Audrey was certain the woman was Elise Marsh Delaney, and she was also certain that the burial was in this cave.

  But it was looking more and more that it wasn’t. She exhaled in frustration.

  She’d scoured the main room from top to bottom—Braden had a ladder brought in so she could inspect the petroglyphs all over the wall and near the ceiling. But she’d found no clue that would indicate that bodies were buried here. Maybe she needed more time to excavate the floor.

  Blue bounded in, startling Audrey.

  Behind him was Piper. “I’m sorry,” she said, huffing from running after the mutt. “He got away from me.”

  Audrey was glad that Braden had crafted a sturdy covering made of wood to shield the bottomless pit located along the entrance tunnel. Piper and Blue weren’t as careful as they should be.

  Audrey was about to grab the dog’s collar when she pulled her hand back. Maybe she’d been wrong to keep Blue out. The dog wiggled past her, licking her face twice, then moved to the far wall.

  “It’s all right,” Audrey said to Piper. She switched her focus back to the dog. “What do you think, Blue?”

  The dog paused and watched her, and then began inspecting the floor and walls with his nose. He stopped at a long crevice that ran vertically and jammed his nose into the opening. After several long sniffs, he sat and stared at the spot. Audrey moved beside him.

  “What is it?” Piper asked.

  “I should have trusted Blue more,” Audrey said. “He did live here for two months.” She poked her fingers into the crevice. “He would know this place better than anyone.” As she carefully pressed along the crack, the dirt began to give way. “I think there’s something back here.”

  She grabbed a trowel and began to pick away at the cranny in the wall. Audrey didn’t notice that Piper had exited the cave until she returned with Braden. With his help, they soon had a small opening cleared. Audrey shined a flashlight through the aperture, coughing from the dust still in the air. They had punched through to another room or access way.

  She flicked the beam back and forth. “I think I can crawl through.”

  “Be careful,” Braden said.

  She grinned. “Yes, sir.” She would have kissed him, but Piper stood behind them.

  They hadn’t been alone since coming back to Whisper Rock. When should she and Braden reveal their relationship? She wasn’t sure they even had a relationship. Still, she’d glimpsed his heated gaze on her from time to time, and he’d managed to steal a few kisses when they were alone in the cave. With hope, their one night together wasn’t just a one-night stand.

  She crawled on hands and knees while clasping the flashlight in her right hand, dirt raining down on her back and hair. It was probably just as well that she and Braden hadn’t been romantic recently—she was filthy at this point, and now, even more so.

  Once she cleared the opening, the area widened and she could stand. The air was stagnant and stale. She dusted off her pants and took stock. It was much smaller than the main cave, but right away Audrey knew she’d hit jackpot. Three separate pallets were situated along each wall, creating a rectangle with the entranceway the fourth side. And atop each were clearly the remains of a body, although each was wrapped in a covering.

  Braden bumped into the back of her legs.

  “Did you fit?” she asked as she stepped away to give him room to stand.

  “Barely.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “You found them.”

  “I think so.” Audrey lowered her voice in reverence and showed Braden the bodies with the flashlight.

  “I guess I’m not selling Whisper Rock after all.”

  “It would be a shame to let go of such an important part of your family history.”

  His other arm wrapped around her waist, and she enjoyed the opportunity to touch him.

  “How do we go about identifying the bodies?” he asked.

  “We know that Thaddeus died young and that Elise died when she was quite old. I’m going to assume Marcus also passed at a progressed age, so it stands to reason that the oldest remains belong to Thaddeus.”

  “All right.” His breath against her ear sent a shiver through her. “Tell me what you need.”

  For a moment, her thoughts went to a naked interlude right here in the bowels of Whisper Rock Mountain. But it was far too creepy to consider a rendezvous here among his dead relatives.

  “My camera, my notebook, and my digging tools, just in case.” She turned in his arms. “And Thaddeus’s death mask.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to see if it fits.”

  * * *

  Braden brought everything Audrey asked for, along with two extra flashlights. He huddled in the tight quarters of the burial room with Audrey, his mother, and even Blue had insisted on being present. Braden had wanted to shoo him out, but Audrey said that he should stay.

  His mother crouched beside a set of skeletal remains and helped Audrey remove the fabric to expose the bones. This was the largest body; in Audrey’s dreams, Thaddeus had been a very tall man with a thick girth, so it seemed likely the biggest corpse would be his.

  Braden leaned over them, providing light.

  Audrey took photographs as she went. “The bones are white and clean, which indicates insect activity after death. My guess is this chamber was open after Thaddeus was brought here.”

  “Maybe it was sealed after Elise’s death,” his mother said. “I wonder that Cam didn’t know any of this, but then he would have been a baby at the time.”

  As Audrey flattened the fabric away from the remains, the skull rolled back. “That’s normal. The head isn’t attached to the rest of the body by much.”

  She carefully righted the head bone, and then reached for the death mask. She positioned it over the front of the skull.

  “It appears to fit,” she said. “Piper, take a photo.”

  His mother snapped off several, the flash hurting Braden’s eyes.

  And then Audrey surprised Braden by placing the death mask over her own face. She gasped and pulled back with a jerk.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  Although clearly unnerved, she repeated the action. As if in a trance, she didn’t move. Braden and his mother watched her as time stretched.

  Finally, Audrey lowered the artifact and handed it to his mother. “Put it on your face,” she whispered.

  His mom did as Audrey instructed. She sucked in a breath but didn’t bring the mask away, instead remaining motionless and unmoving for what Braden guessed was several minutes. When she did remove the plaster cast, she exchanged a misty-eyed gaze with Audrey.

  “How did you know?” his mother asked.

  “I didn’t. But now we know why the mask was so special. I’ll bet Elise used it to communicate with Thaddeus.”

  “What are you both talking about?” Braden asked.

  Audrey took the historical relic from his mother’s hands and handed it up to him. “Put it on.”

  He exchanged the flashlight for the rendering of Thaddeus Marsh, and then lifted it to his face. He nearly stumbled backwards. Before him stood his father.

  Chapter Twelve

  “It’s good to see you, Bray.
”

  Braden’s heart pounded. He gulped down air so he wouldn’t pass out. Or was he already unconscious? Was this just a dream? Maybe Audrey, and Whisper Rock, and the return of Blue hadn’t been real.

  Cameron Delaney smiled at him, a twinkle in his eyes, his body strong. This was the man Braden had known before the cancer had worn his father out.

  “Dad?”

  “I’m here.”

  Braden glanced around the room. While he was clearly still in the tiny burial chamber, it had taken on a golden hue, but there were no one-hundred-year-old bodies. “Am I dead?”

  “Not yet. I’m glad you’re here. Thank you for bringing your mother.”

  “It wasn’t me.” Braden wasn’t himself, at least, he wasn’t his human self. He was functioning as a spirit as much as his father was. Sadness suddenly gripped him. His father wasn’t really present.

  “I am here.” His dad watched him with empathy, a look Braden remembered from when he was a boy and would screw up. “Thaddeus Marsh had a remarkable gift, and he guards this place. And through him, the Delaneys have been tied to Whisper Rock ever since.”

  As his father spoke, Braden came to see there were other people—or beings?—also present. A tall, robust, and very young man; an older woman who bore a striking resemblance to the man; and another man beside her that carried the Delaney build and brooding stare.

  “Marcus and Elise?” Braden asked. “And Thaddeus?”

  His father nodded.

  “If Thaddeus could heal, why didn’t he heal you?” Braden demanded.

  “It doesn’t always work that way, son.”

  “But he saved Audrey.”

  Thaddeus grinned, exuding innocence. “She allowed it.” He glanced at Braden’s dad. “Cameron wouldn’t.”

  His dad shook his head. “I was stubborn. I didn’t always believe in what I couldn’t see.”

  “Did you come here as soon as you died?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that why Blue ran out here?”

  His father nodded. “He followed me. I have something I want to tell you. Don’t sell Whisper Rock. We must protect this place. There’s paperwork in my office. Look for it. Find Ellis Holst. It will fix the financial problem you’re facing.”

  “Who’s Ellis Holst?”

  “A friend.” His father’s apparition wavered. “It’s difficult to maintain an open channel. Can you give the mask back to your mother?”

  Braden nodded. “I miss you, Dad.”

  “I’m proud of you, Bray. I know the ranch is in good hands. Tell your sisters that I love them.”

  Marcus and Elise remained silent, but Braden felt an encompassing warmth and love from them.

  Thaddeus lifted his gaze. “Tell Audrey that the blue sage will always guide her. And she will always guide you.”

  Braden removed the mask from his face. The sudden darkness, barely illuminated by a flashlight, disoriented him. Audrey reached out and gripped his arm, her touch real and grounding. He blinked and looked into his mother’s crying eyes.

  “Did you see him?” she whispered.

  “Yes.” He handed her the mask. “One more call before bedtime.” Whenever Braden had been away from the ranch with his father, Cam Delaney always had called Piper on his cellphone before he turned in for the night.

  A sad yet joyous laugh escaped her mouth, and she was soon motionless and lost in the place between places, where spirits dwelt and loved ones could be found once again.

  Still stunned by what had happened, Braden gratefully folded Audrey into his arms.

  “How did you think to put the mask over your face?” he asked, his voice low so as not to disturb his mother while she visited with his dad.

  “Morbid curiosity, I suppose.” Audrey hugged him tighter and buried her face into his chest.

  “I’m glad. If I hadn’t found you, I might never have come here.”

  She leaned her head back and he kissed her. Holding her felt good, and she soothed the edges of his heartbreak while tugging at his sense of home. With Audrey, everything was right.

  His mother’s words whispered in his ear. Within ten minutes of talking to him, I knew he was the one.

  The moment Audrey rolled off that hill and into his life, Braden had sensed deep down that she was about to change his life.

  She’s the one.

  But he’d wait on telling her.

  First, he needed to get her alone.

  And the sooner the better.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Eight Months Later

  Audrey unbuckled her backpack and slipped the straps from her shoulders. After a long winter, she and Braden had finally been able to return to Whisper Rock. While he settled the horses, she headed for the cave opening, Blue right on her heels.

  The sun had warmed the mid-May air and a cacophony of bird songs resonated all around them. The pine trees showcased newly-grown needles, and the shrubs and bushes blossomed with green adornments.

  Audrey nearly started skipping from spring fever but stopped short when she caught sight of a shiny collection of black in the distance. Blue also came to high alert, his ears and back hair jutting vertically in response.

  At the cave entrance were at least a dozen ravens.

  “Did you tell them we were coming?” Audrey murmured to the mutt.

  Blue ignored her. His reticence melted away, and he bounded forward to greet his friends. Audrey stayed back and witnessed the reunion. The birds didn’t flee and Blue appeared to say hello to each one in turn with a nose-to-beak acknowledgment, his tail wagging furiously the entire time. In response, the ravens squawked in an excited frenzy.

  Braden appeared, wrapping an arm around her from behind. “Looks like they missed him.”

  “He is the famous Blue Sage of the Prairie.” Her gaze was drawn beyond Blue and the ravens to the thin upright stems with bell-shaped blue flowers that created a canopy at the cave entrance. “That’s funny,” she said, pointing. “That plant is blue sage.”

  Braden nuzzled her neck with his lips, causing Audrey to shiver in anticipation. They’d been apart the last three weeks while she’d worked on a dig in southern Arizona, and she was ready to be naked with her cowboy.

  “Thaddeus said that blue sage would guide you.” His hands began an assault that made her legs give way.

  “I’m sure he meant the dog.” She turned in his arms and crushed her mouth to his.

  So much for waiting for a warm sleeping bag and a crackling fire. While stripping off clothing, they managed to make it back to their gear and locate a rain poncho to throw onto the ground so that Audrey didn’t get poked with pine needles.

  Braden loved her like a man starved, and Audrey clung to him, savoring every delicious muscle with her body. Her hands explored his now familiar physique—hard and masculine and sexy as hell. Once wouldn’t be enough for either of them.

  Braden continued his assault with his mouth before he relented and came up for air, folding her against him. They lay naked on the forest floor. “I missed you.” He buried a hand in her hair and kissed her forehead.

  “I know.” She played with a patch of his chest hair.

  She loved her work, but a long-distance relationship was beginning to wear on them. Eight months ago, she’d had the luxury of time with Braden when she’d excavated the cave and the burial chamber as a private contractor for Piper Delaney. It turned out Cam had invested in real estate near Fredericksburg, Texas, with a friend named Ellis Holst, but the paperwork had been misplaced until Braden searched his father’s office from top to bottom. Cam Delaney’s small investment had blossomed tenfold with the development of a wine industry in Fredericksburg.

  When Braden contacted Holst, he hadn’t known of Cam’s recent death but was willing to buy out Cam’s stake. It had been enough revenue to pay off the balloon mortgage and to contract Audrey for her services.

  She’d been able to secure Whisper Rock and catalogue many artifacts from the time of Marcus and El
ise Delaney, and her brother Thaddeus. And she, Piper, and Braden had interacted often with the ancestral spirits. Thaddeus had healed her as a child, but during this time it was Piper and Braden who gained much needed closure in letting go of Cameron.

  But then winter had descended and Audrey had been forced back to Heritage Archaeology and dig sites in the Bisbee area and New Mexico. Visits with Braden had become short and precious.

  “You could marry me, you know,” he murmured.

  She stilled. “Are you serious?”

  He shifted onto an elbow and looked her in the eye. “I am, Driggs.”

  “Marriage won’t fix the fact that I’m an archaeologist and you’re a rancher.”

  “No. But I want to work this out. I’m willing to delegate at the ranch so I can travel with you.”

  The statement shocked her but filled her with hope. She hadn’t dared ask it of him.

  He wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger. “But I want you to live with me the rest of the time.”

  Her heart beat faster. “Yes.” She smiled and threw an arm around him, pressing her naked breasts against his chest.

  They were about to begin round two when Blue returned, and with him came the ravens, who were now sitting in the trees above them.

  From Audrey’s vantage on her back, she said, “I kind of feel like we’re being watched.”

  Braden’s gaze followed hers. “Hang on.” He stood and rustled around in a duffle bag, then pulled a shirt out. “I got this for you.” He handed it to her.

  She held it up. White lettering on a black background said Never Stop Exploring.

  “I know it’s a part of you, Audrey.” He pulled on his jeans and sat shirtless beside her. She tried to focus on their conversation but his lithe and lean naked torso distracted her. He had the body of a man who worked the land every day, and she loved every inch of him.

  She found her bra and undies and soon was clothed in pants and the new t-shirt. She straddled him before he could stand again. “This is going to be complicated, you know.”