Vaughn's Pride: California Cowboys

by Selena Laurence

  Vaughn got his love of the outdoors from his father. Rex Jenkins hadn’t only loved to surf, he’d also loved camping, skiing, riding the range for hours at a time. He was a big man, husky and strong as an ox, and he’d loved being outside and active. Having three sons was the perfect setup for him, and he nearly always had at least one of the boys with him when he worked the ranch.

  But Vaughn’s love of animals and art had come straight from his mother. Sophia had been an art major in college like Vaughn. After working a few years as a graphic designer, she’d elected to stay home and help out with the ranch once she had her first baby. But that side of her, the artistic side, never disappeared. She was always involved in craft projects around the house, painting pictures for the walls, sewing quilts and pillows, coming to the boys’ school and doing art projects with their classes.

  But while Ty and Cade smeared paint around on paper, more interested in how much of a mess they could make than what the pictures might be, Vaughn painstakingly created beauty. He loved sitting for hours with his mother, learning how to mix colors, create dimension, dream things that became real in paper or clay or acrylics. He loved the focus, the quiet, the space that creation occupied. It was as though nothing else existed for a period of time, while his hands and his eyes, and his very soul worked in conjunction, building the image in his mind’s eye.

  And when he was done, sometimes it was hard to come out of that place, hard to reenter the normal world, but when he did, his mother was always there, giving him that sweet smile, her eyes shining with pride. She’d look at whatever he’d created and say, “I love your heart.” It was all he needed to hear, and even now, when he would paint something or look at photographs he’d taken or manipulate the tiny sculptures he liked to make from rusty fence wire, he could almost hear his mother’s voice inside his head—I love your heart.

  Vaughn sighed as Ty stumbled up on shore, jammed his board into the sand, and collapsed on his back, exhausted from trying to keep up with Cade in the water. He knew his brothers wanted him back out there with them in the water. Cade had bought him a prosthesis that was specifically for use in the water. But he also knew it wouldn’t feel the same. People would stare, children would point, and he’d be lucky if he could manage to get even half as skillful as he had been. Every time he went out, it would be just another reminder of how damaged he really was.

  So, Vaughn rode to the beach with Cade and Ty, then strolled along the boardwalk, and eventually he made his way to Lynn’s coffee shop, where he was now. His brothers would come eventually as well, and then he could listen to them enumerate all the reasons why he needed to go back to PT and learn to use the water leg.

  He walked into the small shop and waved as half a dozen old-timers piped up with greetings. As he walked toward the counter to order, his gaze wandered to the deck out back, facing the ocean. And then his heart stuttered to a stop, because there, sitting in the beautiful California sun, wearing a sundress that exposed her perfect golden shoulders, with her long inky hair drifting around her face—her smiling face—was T.J. And across from her was the asshole from the Shark Tooth. Mr. Hands All Over While They Danced.

  Vaughn swore under his breath, clenching his jaw as he got in line behind old Mrs. Yanamoto. She was notorious for how long it took her to place an order at any store no matter what, which meant he was going to have to stand in full view of T.J. and her new boy toy for God knew how long. Fucking torture.

  “They’ve been here about twenty minutes, and he brought her a flower when they met up,” his Aunt Lynn’s voice shook him out of his own head where he was imagining hanging Asshole over the railing of the deck by his ankles.

  He turned to look at the woman who was the closest thing he had to a mother now.

  “That’s great,” he deadpanned. “She deserves flowers. And coffee. And whatever else she wants.”

  “And you deserve her,” Lynn said softly as she looped her arm through the crook in his elbow and leaned in. “I know you don’t believe that, but it’s true. You can be anything, have anything. All you have to do is go get it. Decide who you want to be—who you think she should have, and just be that.”

  Vaughn snorted.

  “Tell me something,” Lynn said, her voice firmer than normal. “If it had been T.J. who had the accident, T.J. who lost a limb or an eye, or, God forbid, ended up paralyzed, would you have moved on? Would you have wanted someone else?”

  Vaughn’s hackles rose at the mere suggestion. “Of course not—“ Then he realized he’d been played.

  Lynn smiled. “Why in the world do you think the rules should be different for you? Why do you think that missing a few bones and some skin means that you can’t be everything she’s ever wanted? You know T.J.’s not that shallow, and look at you. You’re tall and strong, and as brilliant as you’ve always been. You can do everything for her you ever could.”

  “It’s not just the leg,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “My parents are dead—”

  Lynn rolled her eyes. “So are a huge portion of the world’s. People’s parents die all the time. What would have happened if you and T.J. got married and then your parents died twenty years later? No one lives forever, Vaughn. No one’s parents live forever.”

  He gritted his teeth. “It’s not that they’re dead, it’s that when they died, I felt like I broke. She doesn’t need a broken man.”

  Lynn tugged on his arm until he was fully facing her, then she put her palms alongside his cheeks, gazing at him with so much love, it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

  “I love you more than words can say. I was there the day you were born, and I’ve watched you every moment of your life, so it’s not easy for me to say this to you, but it’s time. Someone has to, and since your mama and my brother aren’t here to do it, it’ll have to be me.”

  Vaughn swallowed, anticipation wriggling its way through his veins.

  “You’re only as broken as you let yourself be. What happened to your parents was terrible. It was tragic, and it’s not the kind of thing that you just ‘get over.’ But it was also six years ago, and it didn’t steal your life. You still have your home, you still have your community, you still have your brothers, you still have me. And you still have you. You are strong and healthy and talented and wealthy. You can decide to be broken…or you can decide to get fixed. Be that man. You have all the tools you need. You just have to want to use them.”

  He watched her, his heart racing with something that almost resembled hope.

  “Why now? Why are you giving me this little pep talk now?” he asked. “In all these years, you’ve never told me how to be or what to do.”

  She gave his cheek one last pat, her eyes turning sad as she glanced past him at T.J. outside. “Because this is it—you’re going to lose her, and while you may not realize it yet, that’ll be what really breaks you.”

  She walked back behind the counter, quickly dropping into a conversation with Mrs. Yanamoto about what variety of apples were used in the apple croissants. Vaughn turned and looked out to where T.J. sat, a gentle ocean breeze dancing through the long strands of her hair. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and gave Asshole a smile so beautiful that Vaughn’s heart squeezed painfully.

  You’re going to lose her, Lynn’s voice echoed in his ears.

  No. He wasn’t.

  He turned and walked out of the coffee shop, heading for the truck as he texted Ty and Cade.

  Had to do something important. I’ll tell Nina to come pick you up.

  Then he texted Nina, telling her to meet his brothers at the coffee shop. As he reached the truck, he paused, taking a deep breath of the briny air near the beach. He didn’t know where he wanted to end up, and he didn’t know how he was going to get there, but he knew he had to try, because Lynn was right about one thing—if he thought he was broken now, it was nothing compared to what he’d be if he let T.J. live her life with another man.

  “T.J.?�
� Rob Walker said as she walked by the door to his office.

  T.J. backtracked and stood in his doorway. “Yeah? You got something for me?” she asked, watching as Rob stood and motioned for her to come in.

  Rob was a part owner of the practice, and not usually around all that much. He was a personal trainer to the stars in Los Angeles, but had invested in Big Sur PT with T.J.’s regular boss, Michael, his old college roommate. With Rob’s reputation attached to the business, it had boomed from day one, and the therapists on staff had the chance to work on everything from celebrities with pulled muscles to pro bono cases for children born with congenital abnormalities.

  “Have a seat.” Rob gestured to the chairs facing his desk, and T.J. sat as he did the same.

  “How are you liking running the show while Michael’s in Ireland?” she asked, giving him a grin. She’d heard him bitching loudly about the project management system the day before. She didn’t think superstar Rob was used to doing much more than stroking celebrities’ egos, and certainly not doing his own admin work.

  He snorted. “You mean have I figured out how to use the five thousand and one different software applications that Mike has installed to run this place?”

  She laughed.

  “I’m slowly getting the hang of it. By the time he gets back next month, I should be proficient.”

  He shuffled some papers aside on his desk, then pulled one out. “So, Vaughn Jenkins…”

  T.J.’s heart thumped once—hard. “He’s a former client,” she said, even though he hadn’t asked anything yet.

  He raised an eyebrow at her for a moment, and she clamped her mouth shut.

  “He was by yesterday and explained to me that he’d been giving you a hard time. Apologized and said he’s ready to continue with his therapy.”

  T.J. blinked at him, a voice in her head protesting so loudly, she almost couldn’t hear his next words.

  “I’ve put him into your schedule four days a week. You can cut back on his strength and conditioning sessions to twice a week and move to water work the other two days. I suggested the pool here at the rehab facility, but he wants to start off in the open water, so we set up a beach meet for you. He said the cove on the north end of town is relatively calm, and given how young he is and what good shape he’s in, I’m sure he can handle it.”

  T.J. continued to blink at him, synapses in her brain simply fizzling in the face of her disbelief.

  “Is…all that okay?” he asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

  “No. No it’s not,” she answered finally.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m done with Vaughn Jenkins. We grew up together,” she tried to explain. “And it’s been a rocky relationship. He was really resistant to his therapy, and I’m done with him.” She nodded as if that would seal the deal, insure that Rob understood the very complex history she shared with Vaughn.

  “Has he done something specific to you? Gotten abusive, or harassed you in some way?” His eyes grew hard, and she saw his fist clench on the desktop.

  Rob was a very fit man, tall, strong, and intimidating if he wanted to be, and it made T.J.’s heart rate speed up at the thought of him taking issue with Vaughn on her behalf. No, siccing Rob on Vaughn wasn’t on her list of ways to handle this whole thing. She’d rather die than be responsible for Vaughn getting hurt, no matter how mad she was at him.

  “No. No, nothing like that. It’s just he didn’t like therapy, and he made that clear every session we had. His attitude was crap.”

  “Yeah.” Rob chuckled. “He might have mentioned that, and he apologized for it. It’s not uncommon with amputees. That kind of thing tends to piss people off. Especially young, athletic men. But I know it’s hard when the client is a friend, it can seem more personal than it really is.”

  She rubbed at her temple. “I’m just not sure—”

  Rob stood and smiled down at her, his perfect white teeth disarming as charm poured off him. “It’ll be fine, I promise. I can tell he wants this, and he’s a perfect case for you to push with. My guess is he can handle just about anything you throw at him, and with his improved attitude, I bet he’s one of your biggest success stories by the end of the year.”

  “Um, I don’t think—”

  “Great!” He moved toward the door, obviously ushering her out of the office. “I really appreciate you giving him a second chance. I think his story and the progress he’ll make could be a big boon to the practice. With his family connections, it can only be great PR for us to have him on board, and maybe he’ll enter some amateur surf events or triathlons eventually and really show what amputees can do when they get the right therapy and training.”

  He held the door open, looking at her expectantly, and damn if T.J. didn’t stand, give him a tight smile, and mutter something about “Sure, that sounds great” before she walked out the door and down the hall to her desk. When she got there, she sat down hard and stared at her computer screen saver, as she tried to process what had just happened.

  Fifteen minutes later, she hadn’t made any progress, but she knew for damn sure she wasn’t going to let him get away with this. No, Vaughn might have sweet-talked her temporary boss, but no way was she going to let him get away with this. She was moving on, she’d had lunch with Drew, she was texting with him while he traveled this week. They were planning to go see a movie when he was back in town over the weekend. And if things didn’t go anywhere with Drew, she was going to join an online dating service, start taking clients in Monterey, let friends set her up. Mr. Just Right was out there, and she was going to find him.

  She was also going to start saving up money to buy her own house—maybe a little cottage in town—because she wasn’t ever going to marry Vaughn and move to Big Sur Ranch, so it was time to stop wasting time in her parents’ guesthouse. The rest of her life, the life that was without Vaughn, was beginning, and he wasn’t going to interfere, no matter what underhanded, manipulative tricks he tried to pull.

  She reached into her gym bag and pulled out her cell phone. Ignoring the texts from both her mother and Drew, she pulled up Vaughn’s name.

  I need to talk to you. Meet me at my house in fifteen.

  There. She was going to make it clear who was in charge here from the beginning. She’d let Vaughn’s mercurial moods lead for far too long. It was time for him to come to heel. He needed to understand that she was a professional, and a grown, independent woman who was in charge of her own life. Not the weak-willed teen he’d left all those years ago. Not the hopeful young woman who was willing to put up with half a relationship if that was all she could have.

  Her phone chimed, and she looked at the screen, a scowl forming between her eyebrows.

  Do I need to bring Katie for protection?

  T.J. almost smiled, but caught herself. He wasn’t cute and funny. He wasn’t.

  Just be there, she shot back before tossing her phone in her bag and scooping it up. Without a backward glance at the receptionist or any of the other coworkers she passed, she marched to her car, determined that this time her head was going to rule her heart. Vaughn wasn’t going to put her through this again. She was moving on and he couldn’t stop her.

  11

  They’d been making out for hours. Tasting, touching, exploring each other’s bodies with a yearning that had been years in the making.

  “God, T.,” he gasped as he ran a hand over her breast that, thanks to the convenience of her strapless formal dress, was now exposed. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  She pressed her breast into his hand, unashamed of how much she wanted to feel his skin on hers.

  “I didn’t think you wanted me,” she whispered. “Not like this.”

  He kissed her lips softly, then her cheek, her jaw, her delicate earlobe. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t ready. I knew that once you and I were together, it would be forever, and I wanted to be ready.”

  “So you’ve wanted all those other girls
instead of me?”

  He cupped her face in his big hand, staring deeply into her eyes. “No. They were only substitutes, every one of them. I lie in bed at night, and you’re all I can think of. Sometimes I can’t sleep, I miss you so much.”

  “Then what do you mean when you say you weren’t ready? I don’t understand all this.”

  He leaned back a touch, idly rubbing a thumb over her lip. “I don’t have anything to offer you yet. I haven’t finished school. I don’t have a job. I’m seventeen, and in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m kind of an idiot.”

  She laughed, the sound clear and bright in the moonlit car. After he’d dragged her out of the dance, they’d made their way to a secluded spot on the Jenkins property; one of the perks of being the son of a big property owner, Vaughn knew all the back roads and hidden copses.

  “The only idiotic thing about you is that you thought I care if you have a job or an education. I’m only seventeen too, Vaughn. I don’t expect you marry me tomorrow. We live with our parents, and we’re still in high school.”

  “But I want to live with you and take care of you and do all those things. I want to marry you, T.”

  She looked up at him with so much trust, so much devotion and faith, it nearly undid him.

  “And you will. I know you’ll take care of me, and I know we’ll be together like that. But I can wait. And in the meantime, you can be my boyfriend, and we can make out in the car. How’s that?”

  His heart leaped with joy, and along with it his poor aching cock. “I love you,” he whispered, pressing his lips to hers again.

  “I love you too.”

  Vaughn lounged on the front steps of T.J.’s little house. The sun was close to setting, and the sky was turning shades of orange and pink when she came pulling up the long driveway in her little VW Beetle. The cheerful sky-blue car fit her perfectly, and Vaughn couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face as he watched her roar to a stop right in front of the porch.