The Cowboy Way

by Linda Lael Miller

  He was afraid, honest to God, that a blood vessel in his eye was going to burst. Sadie’d circumvented him and Connor, and now he was effectively roped around the balls by the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

  If he tugged too far the other way, he could find himself neutered. And if not anything half that dramatic, he could at least find himself out of the running for sheriff.

  “Thank you, Eli, so much for allowing this to happen on the ranch. I can’t think of a better place, or a better man to host. All things considered, I mean. I’d love to help with anything I can,” she said, looking at him with large eyes. “I can help plan games. I could come by your place and look at different areas that might be of use for the event.”

  He cleared his throat, hoping it would help dislodge the rage ball that was blocking his ability to breathe. “I’ll get in touch with you, Ms. Carpenter,” he said, very purposefully not using her first name, because for some reason he just had a feeling that was asking for trouble. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get on with my day.”

  He turned around to face his patrol car, which was parked against the curb, to see Sadie two blocks down, exiting one of the little shops on the corner, a small paper bag in one hand and a coffee in the other.

  Before he could even think through his next move, his feet were propelling him toward her. And he was pissed.

  She lifted her head and froze when she saw him walking toward her, her eyes widening, before she schooled her expression into an easy smile. “Why, hello, Officer Garrett,” she said.

  “Deputy,” he bit out. “And do not give me that overly innocent face, Sadie. I know what you did.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes, I spoke to Lydia just now,” he said.

  “Ah,” she said, nodding. “Yes. Lydia. She was so excited about the ideas that I had. And very keen to come over and help me get everything in order. And very, very excited to talk to you about it.”

  “What does that have to do with anything? What does it have to do with the fact that you have, yet again, overstepped?”

  “Nothing. I was just making an observation that you have a big fan there.”

  “What?”

  “She likes you,” Sadie said, taking a sip of her coffee. “A lot. And I’m not really sure why, but I sort of assumed you have to possess something that looks like a personality when you’re not around me, or you wouldn’t have half the people in your life that you do. Which leads me to the conclusion that you just don’t like me. But back to Lydia... Yeah, she likes you.”

  “What the hell do you mean she likes me? Who says that anymore?”

  “Fine. She wants your body. Do you approve of that assessment?”

  “No,” he said, frowning. “No, I don’t. She’s just friendly because she’s president of the Chamber of Commerce, and it’s her job to be friendly.”

  Tourism was an emerging industry in Copper Ridge, and it was quickly becoming the heart and soul of the town, which was, in his opinion, the jewel of this section of Oregon coastline. The coastal Old Town section had been totally revamped half a decade earlier, and what had once been dilapidated was now made charming.

  With that had come vacation rentals, small motels and a smattering of bed-and-breakfasts, similar to Sadie’s.

  In addition there were now candy stores, boutiques and shops specializing in crap made of salvaged flotsam that were destined to collect dust on mantelpieces up and down the West Coast.

  The rest was mill and timber towns, run-down fishing communities, all banded together under the header Logan County, so named for its surplus of loganberries that lined the highways and tangled around the trees in the forest. All his responsibility. A responsibility that was starting to feel a little more burdensome just at the moment.

  “Sure. I’m not going to argue the point with you,” Sadie said. “But...you’re a little oblivious.”

  “I find that ironic coming from a woman who seems oblivious to the fact that I don’t want to host a community barbecue...picnic...pie eating contest or whatever the hell it is you’re—”

  “Oh! Pie eating! That would be great!”

  “Sadie,” he said, his tone warning.

  “What? You’re being a stubborn cuss,” she said. “I am working hard to establish my B and B as something special. Yes, there are several in town, but they’re just that—in town. Which, I grant you, provides the ocean view, but if you want solitude, a chance to be surrounded by the mountains. To just...be on a ranch? Well, that’s what I provide. I want people to come and see it. I want people to want to be there.”

  “And you’re going to accomplish that with pie eating.”

  “Argh! I genuinely don’t understand what your issue is.”

  “Because I didn’t tell you what it is,” he said. And he didn’t plan on it. The bottom line was, he was uncomfortable opening the ranch up to the public, and that was all she needed to know.

  “Well, maybe you should.”

  “Do you want me to talk about my fucking feelings?” he asked, the language, in this context and while in uniform, not something he would normally use. But the woman was standing on his last nerve and grinding it beneath the heel of her impractical sandals—and yes, he’d noticed them, since the top of her head was now just above his shoulders, rather than at the middle of his chest. “Because we’re not in your office, and I would not pay for that level of torture.”

  “I would refer you to someone else,” she said. “A specialist of some kind. And anyway, I’m not practicing here. I’m just opening a bed-and-breakfast and trying to bring cheer—and pie—to the community.” Her pale brows locked together, a slight crease forming between them. “Do you hate pie and cheer?”

  “I like both, in the appropriate place, at the appropriate time. I assume you still haven’t run any of this by Connor.”

  “Not as of yet.”

  “Well, his hell no will be even more emphatic than mine.”

  “What about Kate?” she asked.

  “If you use my sister against me I am throwing your cat out into the barn with the rest of the rat traps,” he said.

  “Okay, then, note to self, speak to Kate about this, because she will clearly side with me.”

  “I have work to do,” he said. “Work that does not include playing house on someone else’s property. We’ll have to resume this at another time.”

  “Okay,” she said, lifting her chin in the air, “we will.”

  * * *

  SADIE WATCHED ELI’S retreating back and fought the urge to throw her coffee at him. She imagined it, though. Imagined the cup landing smack in between his broad shoulders and spraying that uniform with dark brown liquid.

  She would mourn the loss of such a gorgeous, well-fitted garment, but it would be a small price to pay for how satisfying it would be in terms of venting her frustration.

  No, she hadn’t talked to Connor yet, but when they’d discussed the agreement—granted, over email—and come to an understanding about the percentage of her income he would be entitled to, they’d also discussed taking steps to ensure that it was a very profitable venture.

  Connor wasn’t the friendliest guy, even via email, but one thing he had talked about was the ranch, and why he was interesting in leasing the house. Ranching was hard and increased restrictions made it even harder. Selling their product wasn’t as simple as it had been when the ranch had first started, and the cost of getting cattle to official USDA stations wasn’t negligible.

  One thing she’d picked up about Connor was that the ranch was the most important thing to him. And she felt like he would be on board with her plans when he saw the merit in expanding what they used their property for.

  Of course, the chance remained that he was as unreasonable as his younger brother.

  She huffed and headed down the street, the opposite direction from Eli, toward the Farm and Garden, where Kate Garrett was currently working her shift. And no, Sadie was not above using the youngest Garrett
in a bid to get her way.

  She pushed the door open, a bell tied to a string resting above the entryway signaling her presence with a soft, pleasant sound.

  Being back in a small town was jarring and strange, but comforting in a million little ways she hadn’t let herself imagine it might be. From gas station attendants who knew your name—and pumped your gas for you, welcome to Oregon—to little bells in doorways.

  “Hi, Sadie, what brings you in today?”

  Sadie smiled at Kate, who was behind the counter, her dark hair in a simple braid, her figure disguised by a plaid flannel shirt that was tucked into a pair of tan Carhartts.

  The urge to strangle your brother is what compels me today, thank you very much.

  “Flowers, actually. I need to get the front flower beds in order and I know absolutely nothing about anything leafy or petally.”

  “Well,” Kate said, coming out from behind the counter, “you’ve come to the right place. Because I know a lot of things about plants.”

  “Good. So...you sort of know where I’m talking about, right?”

  “Just the boxes in front of the porch?”

  “Yeah, um...what can I plant there?”

  Kate laughed. “I’ll help you out. Just come out to the back with me.”

  Sadie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, adjusting the paper bag she was holding as she did so, then took a sip of coffee as she followed Kate out through double, automatic glass doors to the back patio. Plants were hanging from metal scaffolding overhead and more pots were on pallets raised up from the ground. Flats of flowers were stacked into racks, and against the chain-link fence in the back rested bags of potting soil and fertilizer.

  “I’m going to have to have you load up a cart for me, because I don’t know what I’m looking at,” Sadie said, surveying the plant life.

  “I’m more than willing to do that. And I will even give you my employee discount.” Kate looked around, her expression shifty. “Just don’t tell.”

  “Don’t do it if you’ll get in trouble. Otherwise, please and thank you, because I’m not that well-off.”

  “It’ll be fine. It’s for Garrett land, after all.” She grabbed the handle of a flat metal cart and turned it, then stuck a flat of dark purple flowers onto it. “This will get you started. And...” She started hunting through the displays.

  “So,” Sadie said, feeling ridiculously adolescent for what she was about to say, but unable to stop herself from saying it, “what is your brother’s deal?”

  “Which one?” Kate asked.

  She could always deflect now, and say it was about Connor, which should in no way make her feel less awkward, but it did. Probably because, as handsome as he was, in that grieving, several-weeks-old-beard kind of way, she just didn’t want to look at Connor’s butt. Eli’s, on the other hand...

  “Eli,” she said, grimacing at her honesty and thankful that Kate was still eyeballing plants.

  “Uh...” Kate straightened and flipped her braid over her shoulder. “I’m not sure he has a deal.”

  “He doesn’t seem that happy to have me around. Furthermore, he got a little...testy when I suggested we might have some events on the ranch.”

  “Oh, well...he’s private. I guess. I mean, I never really thought about it, but it’s not like we have parties or anything at the ranch. Birthday stuff we do at Pappy’s Pizza, and for stuff they don’t include me in they go to Ace’s. So...yeah, maybe that’s it. Maybe he just doesn’t like to have people out. I never do, but that’s not really a choice. More of a happenstance. Because...you know, this town is really small and everyone knows I have a brother with the power to arrest them. And one who would probably shoot and bury someone with no blip of conscience.” She frowned. “Anyway, I’m sorry about Eli. Usually it’s Connor we all have to apologize for.”

  “No, don’t...apologize for him. But...is there, like, a plant I could get him?” she asked. Maybe a peace offering was the way to go. Right now she seemed to just be going the Purposefully Ruffle His Feathers Route, which was honestly really stupid and wasn’t going to solve anything.

  “Well, sure...you could get him an azalea,” Kate said.

  “An azalea?”

  “Yeah, it’s a flower, but they grow native here so it’s less...groomed and more...manly. A manly flower.”

  “Okay,” Sadie said. “A manly flower. I’m down with that. I’ll get him an apology azalea. And then maybe we can try to talk again. Like adults instead of sniping children.”

  Kate winced. “Was it that bad?”

  “I don’t know. But some of it was my fault. We just...rub each other the wrong way.” And she had a feeling that a lot of her annoyance boiled down to the strange tightening in her stomach whenever he was around.

  Of course, putting it like that made it seem like she didn’t know what that was, when she knew full well what it was. It was just...unusual in this context.

  Usually she felt that level of excitement, that sort of low, giddy tug, when she was about to have sex. A brief little flash of anticipation. If she remembered right. It had been an awfully long time.

  She was not used to it in regards to a man she wasn’t interested in. Was not used to it being connected to a man she didn’t like, much less a man she wasn’t in a relationship with.

  She was something of a serial monogamist. She’d meet a guy, they’d go on a few dates and they’d have fun while it lasted. And when things got...un-fun, they’d stop. There was no second-guessing, or yelling at each other. There were no question marks. She liked it straightforward and simple.

  Her most recent ex, Marcus, was a classic example of that. They’d met at her gym. He was hot. He was fun. They’d gone on some dates, and then slipped easily into a physical relationship. And then, he’d gone and screwed it up by asking for a drawer. The man had never spent the night, and he wanted a drawer in her dresser.

  It had been, to Sadie at least, a clear sign that they wanted two different things. And while her instinct had been to placate him or string him along, she knew that it wouldn’t benefit either of them. And a lovely time in their lives would only be remembered for the discord in the end. She said a big no-thank-you to that.

  It was always better to let someone go too soon than to hold on too long.

  She liked it clear. And she liked it simple.

  There was nothing simple about the way Eli made her feel. And there was nowhere for it to go. So, it could just stop.

  But then, even when she’d been a teenage miscreant, loath to deal with his presence, she’d found him hot. So, if she knew anything about herself, it was that her body was die-hard stupid for Eli.

  “Well, Eli really is a decent guy,” Kate said, adding a plant with fuchsia flowers to the cart. “So I’m sure once you get on the same page he’ll be reasonable.”

  “You think?”

  “I don’t know. But I’m just his sister. So often he’s not reasonable with me, but I tend to think that’s genetics at work.”

  “Right. Well, I’m an only child, so I’m not really up on the dynamic.”

  “That must have been lonely,” Kate said.

  For some reason, her words hit a sore spot. “Uh...” Sadie cleared her throat. “I had a lot of friends.” Friends she hadn’t spoken to in a decade. Were they here? Were they gone? She had no idea.

  She didn’t hold on. It wasn’t healthy. And she was a bastion of positive mental health and good feelings. And stuff.

  “Well, that’s nice. I have...minimal friends, actually,” Kate said. “But you know, the ones I have are good. People who love horses as much as I do.”

  “Hey, that’s important. And it’s better than lots of crappy friends anyway.” Her friends hadn’t really been crappy. Sure, they’d been terrible influences on each other, but they’d all had sucky lives. Smoking in the woods, drinking beer and making out were the best they could do since their homes were in such a sorry state.

  “Yeah, I’m sure that’s true,” K
ate said, putting a few leafy greens onto the cart. “Do you want some basil or mint or anything?”

  “Oh, yeah!” she said. “Any. All. Can I put those in the windowsill in the kitchen?”

  “Yep. I’ll grab herbs on our way back inside and you can wait for me at the counter.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “For your help and the discount and...not hating me.”

  “Eli doesn’t hate you,” Kate said, shoving the cart in through the door, her petite frame obviously a lot more muscled than it appeared at first glance. “He doesn’t hate anyone. He’s really very decent down to his core.”

  Sadie went to the front of the counter and set her coffee on the rough-hewn wooden top, digging in her back pocket for her credit card. “He seems like he is.”

  “He took care of me for most of my life. Our mom left when I was little. You probably knew that. Everyone knows that.” She reached around and tugged on her braid, the gesture so childlike and sad it made Sadie ache a little bit. “Anyway...” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and went about grabbing the scanner and checking the plants. “Our dad... Things were hard for him after that and someone had to take care of the ranch—that was Connor. And someone had to take care of me and the house. And... Eli did that.”

  Sadie cleared her throat, strange, aching emotion pressing in and making it feel tight. “Well, then it’s a good thing I plan on extending an olive branch. Apology azalea. Whatever. I mean, since he’s such a good guy.”

  The total flashed up on the screen, and Kate tapped away on the ten key, bringing the amount down by almost half, and Sadie sighed in relief. “Really. Really, thank you.”

  “Really, no problem. Maybe...maybe we could hang out sometime?”