The Cowboy's Belated Discovery

by Valerie Comer

  Lauren leaned closer. “What’s so funny?”

  Tori shook her head. “Nothing. Just a random thought.” She shot a quick glance at Garret. He leaned casually against the padded bench, hat tilted back, grinning at something James had said.

  A really stupid random thought. He was far too sweet and easy-going. Whatever he was hiding, it wasn’t anything sinister.

  But what guy their age didn’t seem to have any ambition? She couldn’t go by college degrees — they weren’t that common here. Her brother had been in his second year of business school when Dad’s accident had brought him home to take over management of the ranch. Trevor had taken some agriculture courses at the community college and followed up to get his degree online. Spencer Haviland was an accountant, but then he hadn’t grown up here.

  Neither had Garret.

  She glanced at him again. This time his gaze bounced off hers before he refocused on Lauren.

  Denae turned to Garret. “So, you’re the last guy standing in this bunch. We should get Lauren to turn her matchmaking skills on y—”

  “Hey!” protested Lauren. “It wasn’t like that.”

  Denae’s grin glittered. “No, you’re right. You were busy trying to avoid James, and look where that got you.”

  Tori willed her friends not to include her in this conversation. She’d seen how Lauren’s ploy to get James dating someone else had nearly backfired, even though everyone had plainly seen the two of them were meant for each other. Surely her own infatuation with Garret was much less visible. Although, Denae knew. Tori sent a beseeching look at her friend. Keep me out of this.

  Denae smirked then turned back to Garret. “There are plenty of single women in this town.”

  Don’t name names.

  He glanced coolly at Denae and shrugged. “You may as well save yourself the effort. I’m not planning to ever get married.”

  Tori’s heart stuttered. Why would he say such a thing? Didn’t everyone want to settle down and have a family? She sure did. With him.

  Trevor leaned past his bride-to-be to offer his friend a lopsided grin. “I said the same thing.”

  “And our wedding is in nine days.” Denae smiled softly up at him.

  He nuzzled her hair. “There’s never been a happier goner.”

  Aw. They were so sappy it was adorable. Why did Garret refuse to look at her that way? For once, Tori let her gaze linger. His sandy curls peeked from beneath his cowboy hat, and his perfectly stubbled jaw was angular and strong. The guy was so gorgeous he removed all oxygen from the atmosphere.

  His blue eyes focused on hers and held for a few seconds before he looked away. There’d been nothing to see there. No flicker of awareness, no amusement or disdain. Nothing at all.

  Tori jabbed at the last few scraps of romaine and dragged them through a smear of guacamole. The taco salad didn’t seem to have as much flavor as usual.

  Garret had polished off a twelve-ounce steak, a Caesar salad, and a ginormous baked potato drowning in butter, sour cream, and real bacon bits, all while creating a playlist for church next Sunday with James’s input.

  “Anyone for dessert?” Anna topped off the guys’ coffee cups.

  Garret nodded. “Cherry pie and ice cream, please.”

  “Make that two,” added James.

  “Three,” said Trevor.

  Denae raised both hands and shook her head. “No thanks.”

  “Toffee pudding for me,” said Lauren.

  Tori grimaced. Usually she’d totally be up for the restaurant’s signature dessert, but not tonight. No need to spend money on more tasteless food she didn’t need. “Not tonight.”

  “All right then.” Anna flashed a smile.

  “I hope my brother didn’t offend you too badly.” Trevor studied the waitress.

  “Not at all. He seems like a fun guy.”

  “Fun is all he thinks about.” There was an unspoken warning in Trevor’s words.

  Anna grinned. “No worries. I can handle myself. I’ll be right back with your desserts.” She hustled off, her boots clacking on the wood floor.

  Trevor grimaced. “I tried.”

  “Anything between them won’t last more than five minutes, anyway.” Lauren wiped condensation off the side of her diet cola with a finger. “Anna dresses western because that’s the uniform at The Branding Iron, but she doesn’t ride. Sawyer thinks of nothing but rodeo.”

  And his ego. But Tori didn’t say it.

  For some reason Garret sat watching her, like she cared what Sawyer did or didn’t do. What, because the guy had flirted with her? Tori raised her chin and looked straight back at Garret.

  He shifted to focus on James.

  Whatever that was about. For a few seconds here and there, something seemed to pass between her and Garret, but then he shuttered his face, time and time again, and blocked her right out. He might as well hide behind a medieval castle wall, complete with moat and drawbridge, for all the chance she had.

  But… why? What was wrong with her that a man this amazing found her distasteful? If only she knew.

  Chapter Four

  “Garret? You home?”

  His mother’s voice sounded weak, and he frowned as he strode through the house to her studio toward the back. “Mom?” He found her huddled under a blanket in her easy chair, though it didn’t seem cold in here. “You okay?”

  She blinked up at him as he flicked on a reading lamp. “I don’t feel so well.”

  He knelt beside her and wrapped her hands in his as he searched her face. “What kind of not well?”

  “It’s probably nothing. Just a summer flu.”

  “Where’s Dad?”

  Mom squeezed Garret’s hands. “Gone off to bed already. He was pretty tired after helping the farrier all day, but I wanted to wait up for you.”

  She made it sound like it was the wee hours, but it was barely ten. But they’d always been early-to-bed, early-to-rise people as far back as he could remember.

  “Can I fix you a cup of tea or get you a snack?” So long as it didn’t require him actually cooking. “Have you taken anything for the fever?”

  Her trembling hand touched her forehead. “I have a fever?”

  “You feel a little warm. Maybe it’s just because you’re all bundled up.”

  “Tea would be nice, but I can make it.”

  “Or you could let me do something for you for a change.” Garret didn’t often let himself get sentimental, but he owed this woman everything.

  “I can do it.” Mom pushed against his hands as she struggled to stand. “Let’s go in the kitchen.”

  Garret followed her. She seemed steady enough, though so slight it seemed even a breath of air might topple her. She’d be seventy-three this summer. How would he handle it when she or Dad passed on? Even at the thought, a chill passed over him.

  He pulled out a chair at the table. “Here, sit. I may not be able to cook, but I can boil water. What kind of tea would you like?”

  “Chamomile, at this time of night.” She skirted the chair and headed for the fridge. “Would you like a bowl of soup?”

  “I just finished a steak dinner at The Branding Iron.” It had been only an hour since he’d had the last bite of the cherry pie that followed, and he’d be stuffed until morning.

  “Oh.” She peered into the fridge then removed a container of the hamburger soup they’d been eating all week.

  It wasn’t bad, but enough was enough. Didn’t she used to have a larger repertoire of recipes? Garret watched her trembling hands scrape the contents into a small saucepan — no microwave for her — and set it on a front element as he filled the kettle from the tap.

  “I’ll get it from here.” He turned her toward the vinyl-covered chair by the table.

  She didn’t protest as she sank onto the seat. “Thanks, son.”

  Garret pulled two cups from the cupboard, dumped a teabag in each of them, then gave the soup a stir while he kept a surreptitious eye on his mother. “M
aybe you should teach me to cook,” he said at last. Not that he’d ever been particularly interested. Still wasn’t, but he did like to eat.

  Mom shook her head. “You need to find some pretty girl who can take care of you.”

  Been there. Done that. “Lots of guys my age can cook. We’re supposed to be self-sufficient, not dependent on someone else to do everything for us.”

  “She won’t do everything, of course. She’ll take care of your home and your children.”

  Garret pushed aside his memories and raised his eyebrows at her. “You do know a lot of women in my generation have careers. Lauren Carmichael is still a full-time veterinarian, even though she’s married to James.”

  She frowned. “Maybe that will change when they have children.”

  “Not everyone wants to have kids. Not everyone can.” Oops. He shouldn’t have said that. Shouldn’t have reminded her. He turned off the soup and poured boiling water over the teabags.

  “We wanted babies,” Mom said softly. “But I’m glad God gave you and Kellen to us.”

  And the dozen foster kids that had come and gone. “Have you heard from him?”

  A shadow crossed her face as she closed her eyes. “I’d tell you.”

  He knew she would. Speaking of his older brother — adopted from different situations, but still brothers — was all but taboo. Unlike Garret, Kellen had chafed under the Morrisons’ rules. He’d drifted into a life of drugs and alcohol as a teen and hadn’t been heard from in years. Who knew if he was even still alive?

  Drugs were no temptation to Garret. He’d seen firsthand what they did to a person. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing away the memory of his mother’s lifeless, wasted body. She’d been the second person to leave him — his father had been first — but her death had set the pattern for his life.

  He’d thought he could break it, but he’d been proven wrong. Everyone left, either by death or more creatively. That’s just how it was. Sooner or later, Tuck and Nancy Morrison would leave him, too. They wouldn’t do it on purpose like some others had, but the result would be the same. He’d be alone, this time for the remainder of his life.

  So, yeah. It was probably time to learn how to cook.

  Tori swung a saddle to Coaldust’s back. The gelding shifted away, but she knew his tricks and moved with him to settle the tack in place. “Easy, boy.”

  His ears flicked, and she rubbed his velvety nose before looping the end of the cinch strap through the D-ring and tightening it.

  “I’ve got Pippi and Domi saddled and in the corral,” came Tori’s sister’s voice from the alley. “Off to get Luna.”

  “Thanks.” Tori straightened. “I’m glad you’re coming on the trail ride today. Seems like I never get to see you.”

  “I feel like I never get to ride! When Dad offered to keep the kids, I jumped at it.” Meg shook her head. “I only hope he’s up for it. Sophia is into everything these days.”

  “Aiden will do whatever running Dad needs,” Tori called after her. “They’ll be fine.”

  Their father had suffered a debilitating accident nearly a decade back when some moron had flipped the switch on a piece of farm equipment while Dad was trying to clear the auger. His legs had been caught and mangled. He was lucky to have survived.

  It had been a near thing, changing the lives of everyone in the family. James had come home from college and shouldered the responsibility of the man of the house, and he and Mom had devised the plan to transition the Flying Horseshoe from a working ranch to a ranch resort. They’d used insurance money to build the first few guest cabins.

  Meg, the second-born, had taken the opportunity to indulge her wild streak. She’d pretty much gone off the deep end for a few years. Thank the Lord — and Eli Thornton — she’d eventually come to her senses. Eli adored Meg and had married her, stepping in to be Aiden’s daddy. Sophia Grace had joined the family two years back. Meg had done everything wrong, yet somehow landed on her feet, restored and forgiven.

  Tori had little in common with her sister. Like James, she couldn’t imagine purposefully hurting her gentle parents or bucking their plans for her. Sure, she’d once dreamed of heading off to college to become a teacher, but she’d still been in high school when everything changed.

  Now, she taught kids and adults to ride the mountain trails, taught them western lore, including plant and animal identification. She’d been telling herself her time would come, but she was beginning to wonder if her dream was only a mirage. Twenty-seven years old and still working for her parents. She’d managed to escape as far as moving into the end guest cabin after James vacated it for his and Lauren’s new house.

  Unlike her siblings, the Flying Horseshoe was the only life she’d ever known. She’d drifted into it, first from family need, then from lack of anything to jolt her out of her rut.

  But, now, Dad was stable. The Flying Horseshoe had found its place as a tourist destination. They didn’t need her anymore. Any hired hand could do what she did.

  The clopping of horse hooves roused Tori, and she grabbed Coaldust’s reins and led him out of his stall toward the corral. He tossed his head at the sight of Luna, being led by Meg, but stayed settled.

  Meg laughed. “He’s ready for a good run.”

  “He sure is. Is today’s group up for it?”

  “Supposed to be intermediate to advanced riders, so here’s hoping.”

  Tori scanned the group milling around just outside the corral.

  Several young teen boys with shiny new cowboy hats watched eagerly from atop the rails. One pointed at Coaldust. “Can I ride that one?”

  “No, sorry.” Tori smiled to soften the sting. “He’s mine.”

  He and his buddy elbowed each other. “I could handle him.”

  “Possibly, but you won’t get the chance.” She stared him full in the eye. “He’s off limits to guests.”

  “Aw, lady...”

  She hooked Coaldust’s reins to a post in the middle, out of easy reach. She and Meg still needed to grab two more horses before they could get this group on the trail. She had half a mind to assign the kid to Aiden’s mount, Nellie. It would serve him right to put him on a geriatric mare suitable for a six-year-old.

  Nah, he was just trying to impress his friends with his bravado. So long as he didn’t get carried away with it, they’d all be fine.

  “I’ve got Snowball,” said Meg as they returned for the last two.

  Tori nodded. That left her with Tawny, a docile mare that picked up her pace only when the herd did. They returned a few minutes later to find James leaning on the fence next to the boys. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Are you a real cowboy?” asked the kid in wonder.

  James angled a glance at him. “Your name’s Ryan, right?”

  The boy nodded eagerly.

  “Guess it depends on what you think a real cowboy is, Ryan. I live on a ranch, I’ve got my own horse, and I ride nearly every day.”

  “Do you rope calves? Brand them?”

  “I’ve done it. I still get in on roundup with friends at a nearby ranch, but we don’t raise calves on the Flying Horseshoe anymore.”

  “Why not?”

  James chuckled. “No cows.”

  “Then it’s not a real ranch, and you’re not a real cowboy.”

  James tipped his hat. “Whatever you say.” He met Tori’s gaze across Tawny’s back with a little smirk. “Ready to mount up? Ollie sent over the saddlebags containing lunch.”

  Tori nodded. “Okay, everyone.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket to look at the list of guests who’d signed up for this ride. “I’ll assign horses first. No trading.” She eyed Ryan. “I’ll be taking the lead, then you’ll follow in single file. My sister, Meg, will take the rear.” She pointed to the path around the lake. “We’ll be taking that trail back up the valley there, and we’ll stop for lunch at a breathtaking waterfall before continuing a bit further. And we’ll be back to the ranch in time for supper. Any ques
tions?”

  Ryan’s hand shot up.

  “Yes, Ryan?”

  “Which horse is mine?”

  “I’ll get to you in a minute.” Tori scanned the group gathered against the rails. Thankfully most were older teens and adults, including a couple of men who looked to be in their forties. Hopefully one of them was Ryan’s dad.

  Behind her, James clipped the padded bags to the back of Coaldust’s saddle.

  “Okay, then.” She glanced at the list. “Drake Jones, you’ll be on Domi. Come on through the gate, and Meg will introduce you. Colin, you’ll be on Luna. James will give you a hand.”

  Ryan’s buddy hopped over the fence, a big grin on his face.

  “Aw, man, I wanted that horse,” mumbled Ryan. “She’ll probably give me some old nag.”

  Some days Tori couldn’t remember why she’d wanted to be a teacher, but it had been Ms. Sorenson who’d piqued her interest in biology in seventh grade. An interested teacher at that vital age could make all the difference. So, as much as she felt like putting Ryan in his place, she’d resist.

  “Want me to get Nellie?” Meg murmured.

  “Such a temptation, but no. I’ll put him on Snowball. It’ll be fine.”

  “If you say so.”

  It took a few more minutes for all the guests to be mounted up, stirrups adjusted, and questions answered, and then James swung open the corral gate. “Have fun, everyone! Ollie’s got a heap of ribs in the smoker today, and they’ll be waiting for you on your return.”

  Tori led the group past her brother. “I’ve got my mobile phone,” she assured him.

  “Good to know. Hopefully you won’t need it. You and Meg will be fine.”

  Of course, they would. Tori had been leading groups into the back country for the past seven years. She’d only had to call for help a couple of times.

  “How fast can we go?” Ryan nudged Snowball up beside her before they’d even reached the lakeside kayak rack.