Make Mine a Cowboy

by A. J. Pine

  She kissed her husband. Wait, was he her husband? Ben had mentioned her leaving and then coming back, so maybe they weren’t married anymore, but they looked every bit the loving couple.

  “I guess it’s my turn, huh?” Ben’s father said. “I’m Nolan, for anyone who doesn’t know.” He winked at Charlotte, and her stomach tightened. Had Ben mentioned her before she arrived? “And heck, I’m grateful I escaped the home for the day to be with you all.”

  “Dad,” Sam said with amusement in his tone.

  “Okay, fine,” Nolan replied. “They let me out. And since I’m sensing my son wants me to share something a little more meaningful, I’ll say this. I may not remember tonight up here in the not too distant future.” He tapped his temple with his index finger. “But sitting here with the love of my life and my two boys—my two healthy boys with their whole lives ahead of them…” His voice cracked on the word healthy. “I will never forget how that feels here.” This time he tapped the left side of his chest but didn’t say any more.

  It was quiet for several seconds until the thirtysomething dark-haired woman next to Nolan threw her hands in the air. “Well how am I supposed to follow that?” she asked.

  Luis nudged her lightly with his elbow. “Just tell everyone how grateful you are for my perfecto blue cheese dressing on the wedge salad, and we’ll call it a day.”

  The woman, who Charlotte now realized must be Anna, responded with a flurry of Spanish that Charlotte didn’t understand, and suddenly the chef and produce supplier were arguing animatedly in another language about salad dressing.

  Ben waved them off. “Ignore them, folks. This is simply foreplay. But if they aren’t going to participate in family time…” he said, his tone teasing but also with a hint of Hey, knock it off.

  The couple stopped arguing and stared at their audience.

  Anna groaned. “I am grateful that my job brought me to this ranch so that I could meet this man who drives me up the wall and down again.” She placed a palm on Luis’s cheek. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  A dopey grin spread across Luis’s face, and he laughed an equally dopey laugh. “What she said,” was his only response. And then it was Ben’s turn.

  “Uh…yeah,” Ben said. “Kind of thought I was going to have more time to put my thoughts in order, but I don’t want to keep you all from dessert, so here it goes.” He took a sip of his beer and then slid his left hand under the table, linking his fingers with Charlotte’s.

  Her heart stopped and sped up all at the same time, which wasn’t possible, but there you go. She was some sort of medical anomaly.

  “Wow, this was easier to do as a kid,” he said with a nervous laugh.

  She squeezed his hand.

  “Something happened a little over a month ago. I found out I’d been given a second chance at a future. And I realized two things. One, that I better make the most of this chance, and two, that I was a selfish ass for the way I’d been living up until then.” He looked at his parents. “I saw what I thought my future might be, and I bailed—mentally and emotionally—when I should have been grateful for whatever time I had to live the life I wanted. I’m not proud of how I behaved as a son…a brother…or a friend.” He glanced at Sam and Colt, respectively. “I’m going to do better. I’m going to appreciate what I have for however long I have it. And I’m going to stop bailing when things get tough.” He cleared his throat. “Okay, so that sounded more like a New Year’s resolution, but there you have it.”

  He raised their clasped hands and kissed hers.

  She gasped.

  “Also,” Ben said, staring straight at her but directing his words to the rest of the table, “for anyone who doesn’t already know, this is Dr. Charlotte North, Pearl’s granddaughter. She’s taking care of Pearl and the inn until just before Christmas, and I plan to spend every second I’m not working the ranch or building the house showing her that I can be the man I think I can be.”

  Wait. What?

  She was prepared for some generic Thanksgiving toast. Maybe something for his parents. But that? He’d never said— That wasn’t what he was really doing.

  Was it?

  And then he answered the questions swimming through her head by kissing her to a chorus of gasps and Aws, which was a good thing because she had no idea what to say after that, and she wasn’t sure three more weeks would be enough to figure it out.

  “Great,” she heard Sam say with a chuckle while Ben’s lips were still on hers. “How the heck am I supposed to propose after that?”

  That shut everyone up quickly.

  She and Ben broke apart to see Delaney with her hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes—and Sam Callahan down on one knee.

  “Sorry to steal your thunder, little brother,” he said to Ben with a wink. “But I kind of had a plan for tonight.”

  “Go get her,” Ben said, then wrapped an arm around Charlotte’s shoulders and pulled her close.

  “Vegas,” Sam said, grabbing her free hand and kissing it. “I had a quick chat with your parents and your sister before I stole you back from your hometown—though you and I both know you’ve always been a small-town girl at heart.”

  She nodded.

  “I told them that if I was lucky enough to win you back that I was going to marry you—if, of course, that was what you wanted too.” He smiled.

  Delaney finally dropped her hand from her mouth. “That was less than two months ago.”

  He grinned. “I don’t need much time to know when something’s right. And we’re right. Even had the ring on me then but wanted to wait for the right moment. Wasn’t expecting my brother to upstage me.” He glanced at his brother, and the whole table laughed. “I messed up once,” Sam said. “And I’ll probably do it again because, let’s face it, I’m still figuring this all out. But I want to figure it out with you—if you’ll have me. I love you, Delaney. Marry me?”

  He produced a small blue box and opened it to reveal a beautiful princess-cut diamond solitaire ring.

  Charlotte’s throat went dry as Delaney burst into tears with an emphatic “Yes!”

  She should be happy for her new friend. And she was. But Ben wasn’t the only one realizing two things about his life tonight. Charlotte had come to two conclusions as well. One, that she’d never get a proposal like that from a Callahan cowboy. She couldn’t. It was impossible. She understood that. But then there was that terrifying number two.

  Maybe she wanted the impossible.

  Everybody rose from their seats and erupted into applause as the newly engaged couple kissed.

  Charlotte downed the contents of her champagne flute, but it didn’t help.

  “I need some air,” she said, stepping around her chair and striding toward the door.

  She hoped everyone was focused on Sam and Delaney so as not to notice. She wasn’t trying to make a scene but simply looking for room to breathe.

  It was colder outside than she’d remembered, and she regretted leaving her coat behind. But when the cool air filled her lungs, she no longer felt like she was suffocating. Her heart stopped threatening to pound straight out of her chest.

  When she finally had the guts to turn and see if anyone noticed her abrupt exit, the only one looking back was Ben.

  “I’m sorry,” she mouthed through the glass.

  And then she headed toward Pearl’s car and the only safety she knew—being alone.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ben offered his brother and new fiancée his congratulations as more bottles of champagne were popped open and glasses were filled. But when he saw the headlights of Pearl’s car turn on, he slipped out of the melee and into the night.

  He wasn’t sure what he was going to say if he made it in time to stop Charlotte from running off, but he understood why she’d left. He’d promised her no pressure, and then he’d gone and kissed her there in front of everyone, which would have been enough. But Sam with that damned proposal—not that he wasn’t happy for h
is brother, but a heads-up would have been nice.

  She’d already put the car in drive by the time he got there, so he slapped his palm against the windshield. He knew all too well how easy it was to run when things got too real. They’d both been doing it the whole time they’d been “together.” As long as they called it make-believe, they could ignore the truth—that somewhere along the way, their friendship had grown into something much bigger than either of them had bargained for. And rather than stop it, they’d run from the truth—right into each other’s beds.

  Ben didn’t want to run anymore. If she did, fine. But at least he was going to grow up and face it.

  She startled, slamming on the brakes, barely avoiding rolling over his boot, and somehow turned on the windshield wipers at full speed. If it wasn’t for his quick reflexes, he might have had no choice but to become a righty.

  She put the car in park and threw her hands in the air, shouting something that sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher through the muffling of the glass.

  He tapped his ear and shook his head, then crossed his arms and waited.

  Finally, the engine went silent, and Charlotte threw open the door.

  “Are you crazy?” she asked as she hopped out and slammed the door. “I could have run you over!”

  “And sliced off a finger or two,” he said with a laugh.

  She glanced at the windshield, wipers stalled sticking straight up over the glass.

  She gasped, but when she turned back to him, her jaw was tight, eyes narrowed.

  “I didn’t ask you to come after me,” she said, voice even now. “I just needed some air.”

  He nodded. “There’s getting air and then there’s taking off with your coat still inside.”

  She squinted at the dining hall window and then shrugged. “I’ll get it tomorrow.”

  “Come on, Doc,” he said softly, taking a step closer. When she didn’t run for the hills, he blew out a relieved breath. “I know this evening turned a bit more dramatic than I’d anticipated, but it’s not like I proposed. I promised you no pressure, and I think I’ve kept up my end of the bargain. So what’s got you spooked?”

  She blew into her hands, then rubbed her palms up and down her arms.

  “You’re freezing,” he said, wanting to wrap her in his arms, but since she was already spooked, he hesitated to make another move.

  “I am not,” she lied, rubbing her palms together and then dropping her hands to her sides when she was caught in the act.

  “Do you really need air?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “Well, you’re not going to get it inside a car. If I run back inside and grab your coat, I can take you somewhere you can really get some space—even from me if that’s what you need—but do you promise not to run off?”

  She skimmed her teeth over her top lip and then nodded again.

  He narrowed his eyes at her and held out his palm. “Keys,” he said. “I feel like I need a bit of insurance.”

  She rolled her eyes but handed him the keys.

  “Ninety seconds,” he promised, wrapping his fingers tight around the keys. “Tops.”

  She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “I can still walk. Fast,” she threatened, but she was finally smiling. “Eighty-nine, eighty-eight, eighty-seven…” She raised her brows, and Ben started backing up toward the dining hall. Fast.

  He made it back in less than a minute, barely having to make an excuse for his exit amid the celebration going on inside. He kissed Delaney on the cheek and congratulated her, gave his brother an equally congratulatory slap on the back, and then grabbed Charlotte’s coat.

  “Just taking a quick walk!” he called over his shoulder on his way back to the door.

  It was mostly the truth.

  When he made it back outside, he held Charlotte’s coat open, and she eagerly slipped her arms inside. He took the opportunity to wrap his arms over her shoulders, kiss her softly on the cheek, and whisper in her ear, “Let’s head to the stable.”

  “The what?” she asked, spinning around to face him. “It’s forty degrees out here.”

  He raised his brows. “Thirty-eight last I checked. But we’ll get you in some thermal riding gloves, and you’ll be good to go.”

  Her brow furrowed, but when he wrapped her hand in his, she nodded and let him lead the way.

  Black Widow nickered softly when they approached her stall.

  “I think she remembers you,” he said.

  Charlotte’s lips parted in a smile as she gave the mare a scratch behind her ear.

  “I rode her the day we met,” Charlotte said.

  Ben nodded. “You almost beat me around the arena.”

  Charlotte laughed. “That seems like a million years ago,” she said wistfully. “Hey, girl,” she said to the mare that had been as taken with the good doctor as he’d been back then. “I think she does remember me!” she continued, her enthusiasm building. “But…isn’t she tired? I don’t want to give her a workout after a long day.”

  Ben shook his head. “No guests until Saturday, which means all horses had the day off and then some.”

  She worried her lip between her teeth. “Are you and Loki coming out there with me?”

  Ben laughed, realizing they’d both dressed up as the horses’ alter egos for Halloween. He couldn’t tell if that was an invitation or quite the opposite, but he guessed she needed a bit of time on her own.

  “Thought I’d let you warm up the arena first. On your own.”

  Her smile widened, and whatever else happened from here, he’d consider tonight a win.

  “You want a saddle?” he asked, but Charlotte shook her head. “All right, then. I’ll grab you those gloves and a bridle while you two get ready.”

  He strode toward the tack room, realizing that he was grinning about as big as she was. All those things he’d said at the table before Sam went and proposed to Delaney? Ben had meant them. He wanted to be a better son, a better brother, and a better man. Maybe finding out he was healthy was the catalyst for his change, but he’d turned over plenty of new leaves in years past and gone right back to the man he’d always been—one who looked out for himself above all else.

  But this time was different. Charlotte was different than any woman he’d known. And he was different with her.

  He grabbed the bridle and gloves and an extra pair for himself, just in case, and headed back to find Charlotte already on Black Widow’s back, ready to head outside.

  “She’s all yours, Doc,” he said, handing her the gloves and then bridling the horse.

  She put them on and nodded. “Thank you—for knowing what I needed.”

  He lifted a lever on the wall next to the open doors, and the arena lights lit up the night.

  He heard her breath catch in her throat, and then she tapped her heels lightly on Black Widow’s sides, and they were off.

  He climbed onto the arena fence, taking a front row seat to the event.

  Good Lord the woman could ride. She sped past him, her body low against the mare’s, the two of them finding a rhythm he rarely saw with ranch guests. That kind of connection only existed for those who truly loved both the sport and the animal. And as much as he’d planned on taking Loki for a spin—maybe challenging her to a rematch—for the first time in the arena, he was enjoying being a spectator more than a rider.

  She and the horse cantered for several more laps while he remained perched on the fence, the rider’s only—yet biggest—fan.

  They slowed to a trot on the next lap, and by the time she made it back to Ben again, she was tugging the reins, bringing the horse to a halt.

  “You get all the air you needed?” he asked.

  Charlotte nodded. “I’m sorry about in there.” She motioned toward the dining hall.

  He laughed. “Doc, if the tables were turned, and you’d ambushed me with your whole family, including bearing witness to an unexpected proposal, I’d have peeled out of that dusty drive so
fast the tires would have left burn marks in the dirt.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’d have believed that a little over a month ago, but I don’t know, cowboy. What you said in there? And goodness I could feel the love oozing out of everyone’s pores. I don’t know what to do with that. I mean, I’m not equipped—” She groaned. “Do you want to know what Thanksgiving was like at my house growing up?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Do I?”

  She let out a bitter laugh. “If we were in town, I’d beg my parents to make the drive to Meadow Valley. But because they worked most weekends, it barely happened. When I got older, they started using breaks from school to book jobs out of town. Many Thanksgivings we spent in motels in other states eating fast food and watching whatever cable station we could all agree on. They called it an adventure, but I don’t know. I always felt so disconnected. And now I’m here tonight with your family, who is back there talking about being grateful for second chances or proposing or saying they’re going to be better men when they’re already one of the best men I know. I felt…I felt connection, Ben. It’s bad enough I’ve grown attached to you. I don’t want get attached to them too.”

  And here he thought he was the one ready to admit the truth.

  She averted her eyes after that last remark, and Ben had to grab the fence beneath him. This woman threw him off balance at every turn, and it was time she knew.

  “I didn’t ask you to come here tonight to ambush you, Doc.”

  She nodded. “I know. But sometimes the best of intentions can only go so far.”

  He hopped off the fence and dared to approach her and Black Widow. The mare snorted and took a couple of steps back.

  “Looks like you’ve got yourself a bodyguard,” he said.

  Charlotte cleared her throat. “Do I need one?”

  He rested a hand on her thigh, and neither she nor the mare protested, so he took the sign as encouragement.

  “Do you think I’m going to hurt you?” he asked warily. Because if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that she had the power to obliterate him.