Make Mine a Cowboy

by A. J. Pine

  She halted midstep and narrowly escaped knocking a woman straight into the pot of hollandaise sauce she was stirring.

  “Hey, hey, hey!” the woman yelled. “Thanks for the announcement, but do you know anything about kitchen safety?”

  Charlotte winced. She knew exam room protocol and how to administer an injection, but kitchen safety hadn’t turned up in any of her oft-read journals.

  “Um…don’t run?” she said.

  The other woman—maybe a decade older than Charlotte, her brown hair in a net-covered ponytail—rolled her eyes. “That’s a start.” She pulled the spoon from the pot and set it on a nearby plate. Then she turned toward a shelf above the counter opposite the stove, pulled a binder off the shelf, and dropped it into Charlotte’s hands.

  Charlotte pitched forward with the weight of the book but righted herself before she face-planted onto the tile floor.

  “Meadow Valley Inn: Kitchen Procedures and Regulations.” Charlotte read the title on the cover out loud.

  “We appreciate what you’re doing for your grandmother,” the woman said. “But if you want to do the job without harming yourself or others, I suggest you read up. I’m Val, by the way. Not sure we’ve ever officially met.”

  Charlotte shook her head, hugging the book to her chest with her left arm and holding out her right.

  Val shook her hand. “Callahan’s got some eggs and coffee waiting for you in the café. Looks like you could use a little pick-me-up.”

  Ha. Pick-me-up. That was the understatement of the year. Charlotte needed to turn back time and just say no to a second, third, and possibly fourth shot of whiskey. Heck, she’d go so far as to stop before having any at all.

  It had been fun though. Being one of the girls and talking about boys—well, they were men nowadays—it was everything she never knew she missed about high school and college.

  And speaking of boys or men or whatever they were, Ben Callahan waiting for her with breakfast was about as strange as dogs and cats walking on their hind legs and speaking like humans.

  The transition to friends was good. It was what she wanted. But there was an intimacy to friendship that hadn’t been there when they were…well…not friends. Now he was waking her from the depths of a hangover and fixing her breakfast—or having Val fix her breakfast. Either way, it was an adjustment that seemed seamless for him while she was pretty much a hot mess who had answered her door in a T-shirt and panties two days in a row.

  “Thanks,” Charlotte finally said, then headed through the door that led to the café seating area.

  Only one table was occupied this early other than the one where Ben Callahan sat, a cup of coffee in one hand and a pen in the other as he stared intently at the newspaper crossword puzzle.

  She’d been so flustered at oversleeping—and being royally hungover—that she hadn’t had a chance to fully appreciate the view. After all, friends could appreciate another friend’s aesthetic, couldn’t they?

  His hair was a little rumpled, probably from sleep, but oh how that blue shirt hugged his lean torso. He set down his coffee, his brow furrowed, and tapped his pen against his chin.

  In the handful of mornings they’d woken up together, she’d never once seen Ben Callahan read the morning paper or do the crossword puzzle. She remembered not wanting to be attracted to his brain because the physical specimen was hard enough to resist. But the scene before her was pretty darn attractive.

  “Can I help?” she asked as she approached.

  Ben’s head shot up, and his lips parted into a smile when he saw her.

  A strange warmth spread through her at such a greeting. It was nothing more than a smile, something she’d seen him do countless times for countless others. That was Ben Callahan’s charm. He used it for good and for mischief. She’d seen it in action. But something about this smile made her feel like it belonged to her and her alone.

  “That depends,” he said. “Do you know a four-letter word that means speak hoarsely?”

  She dropped the kitchen binder on an empty chair and sat down in front of a plate covered with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Suddenly nothing looked better—not even the cowboy across from her—than the food she was about to inhale.

  She shoved a piece of bacon in her mouth and groaned with pleasure.

  “Rasp,” she said. “The word you’re looking for is rasp, and this might be the best bacon I’ve ever tasted.”

  He scribbled the word, his eyes lighting up.

  “Nice work, Doc. My coffee’s still kicking in, but look at you—completely hungover yet still a whiz with words.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him and shoveled a forkful of eggs into her mouth. But he was right, and the eggs tasted even better than the bacon, which meant she couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed.

  She slumped into her chair and swallowed. “My God, was the food always so good here?”

  He nodded toward the perspiring glass of cola next to her plate.

  “Coffee’s good, but try washing it down with that,” he said.

  She took a sip from the glass. Then another, and another after that. She couldn’t get enough. The abundance of ice in the glass cut the carbonation, making it easy to down the whole beverage before coming up for air.

  When the glass was empty, she wiped her napkin across her mouth.

  “Oh my God,” she said, eyes wide. “Ben Callahan, you’re a genius!” Then, before she even knew it was coming, she let loose a burp the likes of which she’d never heard from her own person before.

  She gasped, throwing a hand over her mouth, and Ben burst into a fit of laughter.

  “Now that,” he said, still laughing, “is a side of Dr. Charlotte North I haven’t seen before.”

  Her cheeks burned, but she was determined to maintain a shred of dignity. So she squared her shoulders and held her chin high, scooping another pile of eggs onto her fork.

  “Friends take the good with the bad,” she said haughtily. “If you want to be friends with me, you have to accept the prim and proper along with…other stuff.”

  She went for it and inhaled her next bite. With her mouth full, she could pretend she hadn’t failed miserably at the whole dignity thing. Come to think of it, after the morning started out with her hungover and half dressed, dignity didn’t have a chance from there on out.

  She downed half the glass of water that sat beside the glass once filled with Coca-Cola, and even the water tasted like the nectar of the gods.

  Finally, because he was still laughing and it was contagious, she laughed too. Soon, her belly ached she was laughing so hard, but it was an odd sort of ache, one that felt good even when it hurt.

  “See, Doc?” he finally said. “You let loose, learn how to laugh at yourself, and life is good. Bet they don’t teach you that in medical school.”

  He was right. Maybe this whole squad thing—Delaney, Ivy, Casey, and now Ben too—was exactly what she’d been missing in her life. Too bad she couldn’t bring the whole squad back home with her when she left California.

  “You ever been to New York?” she asked, not sure where she was going with the question, but it just sort of came out.

  He shook his head. “Never even stepped foot in L.A. and never been farther east than Carson City. I’m quite happy in my little corner of the world. You like the big city, huh?”

  How different their life experiences had been, yet how similar the two of them were. Charlotte spent a semester at Imperial College in London studying biology and had completed a summer internship at a research facility in Rome. She’d seen parts of the world Ben seemingly had no interest in seeing, yet hadn’t she done the same thing in settling into her own little corner out east? Aside from still being famished and epically dehydrated, Charlotte was as relaxed in his company as she was with Gran. She wasn’t sure she could say that about anyone she knew back in New York.

  “I grew up in L.A., which is a big city, but it still has that sunny California vibe. There’s a zen to it e
ven when it seems larger than life. New York is gritty and real and loud and perfect. It’s everything I never knew I was missing in L.A. But I didn’t see that until I accepted that it was home. Then everything sort of clicked into place.”

  He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “And how about Meadow Valley, Doc? Is it your home away from home? Are things clicking into place on your first day?”

  She laughed. “No. But after hanging with three amazing women last night…” She cleared her throat. “Thank you, by the way, for setting that up. Even though it was a less-than-stellar morning after, last night made it easier to admit to myself that I’m here for the long haul and that even though it scares the pants off me, I’m going to be okay.”

  And maybe this friendship thing with Ben helped too. He’d already proven he had her back by getting her hungover butt out of bed this morning, which further proved they’d made the right decision to keep things platonic from here on out.

  “Taciturn!” he shouted, grabbing his pen and scribbling down another word. “It was on the tip of my tongue. Whew! Wouldn’t have gotten that one without your rasp.”

  Charlotte scoffed. “I give you the closest thing to an emotional outpouring, and you’re still doing your crossword? Also since when are you left-handed?”

  Ben slapped his pen on the table and held up his hands. “I was listening, Doc. My eyes were on you the whole time. If we’re splittin’ hairs here, I guarantee you are much more fun to look at than a bunch of words. But when genius strikes, it strikes without warning.”

  Charlotte balled up her napkin and tossed it at him, nailing him square in the chin.

  He chucked it back—again with his left hand—catching her on the cheek.

  “Okay, okay. Truce,” she said.

  “And to answer your question, I’ve been a lefty all my life, darlin’. Looks like you were the one not paying attention to me.” He stole her last piece of bacon and popped half of it in his mouth, even though he had three on his own plate.

  “Hey!” she said. “What was that for?” She stole a piece back from him for good measure.

  He shrugged. “Every time you break a little piece of my heart, I’m collecting a tax. Being left-handed is part of my identity, and it’s painful to know you never noticed.”

  She opened her mouth to throw a barb back at him, then second-guessed herself.

  “Wait, really? If I hurt your feelings—”

  He burst into laughter, and she pelted him in the chest with the napkin.

  “Wow, Doc,” he said between full-on belly laughs. “These next two months are going to be a hell of a lot of fun.”

  She stewed in her embarrassment, but only for a few seconds. Soon they were eating and chatting like it was something they did every morning. And by the time she finished her last sip of coffee—because one Coke did not equal her daily requirement of caffeine—and Ben’s last piece of bacon, she’d moved to the chair next to him, the two of them hovered over the crossword puzzle in a race to see who could solve the clues faster. Not that anyone was keeping score. Okay, maybe Ben figured out one or two more words faster than she did, but she wasn’t going to admit that out loud.

  This was good. Comfortable. Nice. A warmth spread through her that hadn’t been there the first time around. Sure, the guy was good-looking—drop-dead gorgeous if she was being honest—but he was a good man. Maybe even a better one than she’d initially given him credit for. She was glad she got to see this side of him now. And despite the lingering attraction that was maybe, possibly, still there, she knew now that if they didn’t cross that line again, their friendship might even last after these next several weeks.

  Sure, that welcoming smile might make her stomach flip, but it would pass. Her body was simply working from muscle memory. In time it would catch up with her brain, wouldn’t it?

  “You really saved my butt this morning, Callahan. I owe you one,” she finally said.

  He grinned that Ben Callahan grin, and she silently willed the butterflies in her belly to stay dormant.

  “I’ll hold you to it, Doc,” he said.

  And she hoped he would.

  Chapter Eight

  Ben, Sam, and Colt and their horses emerged from the trail into the clearing. The horses whinnied, and Ben knew all three were ready for a snack. So the men hopped down and tied them off at the short expanse of fence they’d installed for this very purpose. Then Ben pulled the bag of apples from his saddle pack and tossed them on the ground for the animals to feast.

  A little over a week ago, this had simply been a clearing at the end of a short trail with the abandoned beginnings of a new home. Now it had the potential to be the place where Ben truly started his new life.

  “Well,” he said to his brother and friend. “This is it. I mean, not right here, but down the hill toward the road. The foundation’s already there, ready to go. I’m thinking a small stable so I can ride Loki back and forth. And I don’t know, three bedrooms? Four? What do you think?”

  Sam took his hat off and swiped his forearm across his brow. “Who’s going to be sleeping in all those rooms?” his brother asked. “You’re going from a guy who only needed a bed—whether it was yours or someone else’s—to someone who wants to build what sounds like a family home. I’m just trying to wrap my head around this one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn you’re doing here.”

  Colt gave Ben’s shoulder a good-natured squeeze. “I get it,” he said. “When the time is right, I’m going to build a place big enough to be spilling over with kids of my own.”

  Sam laughed. “I’m assuming there’s going to be a woman involved in all this baby-making? Because I can’t recall the last time you introduced any of us to—”

  Ben backhanded his brother on the upper arm. “Give the guy a break. It’s only been five years since Emma turned him down. A guy needs at least a decade to get back in the game.” He stifled his own laugh.

  But Colt shrugged it off. “Dish it out all you want, Callahans. I’m the only one here who has any clue how to commit to a woman, and I sure as hell am not apologizing for taking my time before I do it again.”

  He had them both there. Colt had proposed to his high school sweetheart after they’d dated for nearly a decade, only to find out she no longer wanted to have children. He respected her choice, but for a guy who grew up bouncing from one foster home to the next—separated from his sister until she was eighteen—it wasn’t the life he wanted. He wanted the family he never had and had been holding out for it ever since.

  “Hey now,” Sam said defensively. “I went all the way to Vegas to tell Delaney I was ready to commit to her. One day—when we’re ready—we’ll expand my place to include room for a family. But baby steps, Morgan. Give a guy some credit for moving in a new direction.” Then he narrowed his eyes at Ben. “But you? I feel like maybe you’re taking these steps out of order.”

  Ben shrugged. “Look. I’m the first to admit I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. But I’ve been going with the flow for so long that I feel like I gotta commit at least to my life here in Meadow Valley, and what better way to do that than with a home?”

  Colt raised a brow. “And this has nothing to do with you having coffee with Pearl’s granddaughter this morning? Trudy Davis said she saw you two looking pretty cozy in the restaurant. Walked by with one of her dogs.”

  Sam’s eyes widened. “She’s leaving again,” his brother said. “You get that, right? I’m as happy as you are at the reversal of your test results, but I hope you’re not building a home for a woman you barely know who lives on the other side of the country. Because if you are, you’re setting yourself up for a world of hurt.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. “We’re just friends,” he said. “Don’t you think I can be friends with a woman I slept with and not set myself up for a world of hurt?” He made finger quotes around the last part.

  The other two men burst out laughing, and Ben immediately regretted his decision to tell them anything at all regardi
ng Charlotte or the house. Okay he had to discuss the house because he needed their help building it. But the rest was none of their damned business if they didn’t think he was capable.

  Sam shook his head. “I’ve got enough on my plate with getting this animal shelter up and running. I’m more than happy to stay out of your personal business, but I hope you’re not fooling yourself into believing you can do something you’ve never done before.”

  Ben groaned. “Look. Now that my future looks a little brighter than I’d thought, maybe, someday, I might be looking for something more real with the right woman. And maybe figuring out how to be friends with one will teach me how to do that. If I can commit to a friendship with Doc, a woman I’m attracted to, maybe next time it’ll be the real deal.”

  “Doc, huh?” Colt said. “Nicknames are pretty personal, aren’t they? But if you say you won’t get attached—or that you aren’t already—then I guess you’ve got this under control.”

  Ben wasn’t going to let their ribbing get to him. What did they know anyway? Sam was in his first serious relationship as an adult, and Colt hadn’t really dated in five years. They were no more experts than he was. At least Ben was going to learn how to get it right before he let his heart get involved.

  “The land?” he said. “It’s at the edge of our property, so technically it could be an extension of the ranch someday if we wanted. I know we can’t all work on building the place at once, but I figured I’d get ’er started, and whenever you have some free time…”

  Sam groaned. “Of course I’ll help. It’s not like I expected you two to live in the guest quarters forever. Guess I figured we had more time before you went all family man on us.”

  Colt narrowed his eyes. “You sure about this, Callahan?” he asked Ben. “Because if I say yes, and you start half-assing this job like you’ve been for the last six months…If you’d have told us about the first test results, we’d have cut you some slack, given you time to work through it.”