Meant to Be My Cowboy

by R. C. Ryan

  “I’ve heard all about your family, and the fact that all of you have shunned my uncle and his family—my family—for years.”

  “Your family?” He couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around this sudden change in the conversation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Would you mind explaining what I’m missing?”

  “I should have introduced myself properly the first time we met. But then, you should have done the same.” She took in a breath. “My name is Annie Dempsey. I’m here working for my uncle, Des Dempsey, at the bank in town.”

  “Dempsey.” After the initial shock of hearing her name, he slowly nodded. “I see.” In a purely knee-jerk reaction, he opened the door to the cabin and stepped aside. “You’re right. We should have formally introduced ourselves right away. Now that we both know the truth, I think it’s best that you leave.”

  She lifted her chin like a prizefighter as she walked stiffly past him and out the door.

  Jonah stood in the open doorway and watched until Annie was out of sight.

  When he finally closed the door, he could feel a definite chill in the cabin, despite the fire.

  The day, which had started out with so much promise, was now as dreary as the sky, threatening more storms to come.

  Chapter Seven

  Casey and Brand were laughing together as they walked into the barn.

  Seeing the stalls already clean, the two exchanged puzzled looks.

  “This is the third day in a row that Jonah was up before dawn to do our chores.” Casey turned to his brother. “You think he’s having trouble with the new book?”

  Brand gave a shrug. “Must be. What else could be bothering Jonah? Writing takes up his whole life.”

  “Yeah.” Casey turned toward the door. “We need to find our little brother a hobby.”

  “Or a woman.”

  “Hey, we’re talking about the loner in the family. There have been plenty of interested women but you know after a couple of dates, he always moves on. My money’s on a hobby.”

  “The same could’ve been said about us a couple of years ago.” Brand punched Casey’s shoulder and the two shared a chuckle as they made their way back to the house.

  Once in the kitchen, they strolled across the room to join the family.

  Casey picked up a steaming mug of coffee and leaned over to kiss his bride’s cheek. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

  Kirby returned his kiss. “How did you finish your chores so early?”

  “They were already done.” He looked around before asking, “Where’s Jonah?”

  Billy looked up from the stove. “Gone to his cabin. He didn’t want any breakfast. Just took a coffee and headed out.”

  Casey turned to Brand. “Told you.” To the rest of the family he said, “We figure Jonah’s having a problem with this book he’s writing. That’s the only explanation for the way he’s been acting. Up at dawn. Chores finished before we can help. And off to his cabin to brood.”

  Ham set aside his empty mug. “What you’re describing usually means trouble with a woman.”

  “Except we’re talking about Jonah.” Brand nudged his brother. “Casey and I think it’s time to drag him out of that wilderness and back to the land of the living. He’s been spending way too much time alone up there.”

  Liz, who often locked herself away in her studio in the barn for days on end, was quick to defend her nephew. “When a gifted writer like Jonah is distracted, it doesn’t always mean he’s troubled. It could simply mean he’s working out some kinks in his story.”

  Meg nodded her agreement. “Jonah has always had a good head on his shoulders. I’m sure if we leave him alone, he’ll figure things out.”

  Egan laid a hand over his wife’s. “Right you are, Meggie girl.”

  The two shared a smile as Billy announced that breakfast was ready.

  Jonah stepped into his cabin and started a fresh pot of coffee before walking to his desk.

  As he booted up his computer and stared at the screen, he struggled to focus.

  His dark thoughts, as they’d been these past few days, weren’t on his work, but on the woman who’d breezed into and out of his life like a summer storm.

  How could he have misread her so completely?

  The stranger he’d met had been fun to be with. Filled with a kind of innocent wonder about the beauty of this place and its wildlife. She liked hiking and riding, the two things that he’d always enjoyed doing alone because, until now, none of the women he’d dated were willing to accept a life half spent in the wilderness. He’d convinced himself that he would probably never find a woman he cared about who would share this part of his life.

  So here he was. Alone.

  The word that had always defined him now seemed to mock him. Why? What had caused this change in a matter of days?

  Annie Dempsey.

  Everything he enjoyed had been even more enjoyable because it had been shared with Annie.

  But she was the niece of Des Dempsey, his father’s enemy.

  All his life, Jonah had grown up hearing the story of the fire that had burned their ancient ranch house to the ground, killing their mother, Leigh, and leaving their father devastated. To this day, Bo lived alone rather than try to build a life with another woman. He’d buried himself in work and in his family. This land, this legacy, were what helped Bo face a life without the woman he’d loved and lost.

  And though Bo Merrick couldn’t prove his theory, he fully believed that Des Dempsey had started that fire to avenge losing Leigh, jealous of the life she’d built with his rival, Bo. And that just further ignited the feud between the Merricks and the Dempseys, which started when Leigh chose Bo over Des.

  The Merrick family, including Bo’s sons, had carried on the family feud without question.

  They drove more than fifty miles to the town of Stockwell to do their banking, rather than trust their finances to the Dempsey family, the owners of the only bank in nearby Devil’s Door. Though Des and Bo had once been boyhood friends, the Merrick family hadn’t spoken to the Dempsey family since even before that fire.

  When the coffee was ready, Jonah poured himself a fresh cup and turned to stare out the window.

  A herd of deer drifted past, foraging as they went. For the first time in his memory, the beauty of those creatures didn’t stir him. The chipmunk was back, stuffing his cheeks with peanuts. Even his silly antics couldn’t snag Jonah’s interest.

  He stared morosely at the rays of sunlight sifting through the dense foliage and felt no warmth.

  Why did he have to spend so much time thinking about the one woman who could never have a place in his life?

  Too frustrated to even think about his work, he dumped the coffee down the drain and stalked out the door. He would hike the hills until exhaustion forced him to stop. Maybe that would help him exorcise Annie Dempsey from his mind.

  The sun had made its arc across the sky, bathing the clouds that hovered around the peaks of the Tetons in shimmering shades of gold.

  Jonah’s long day of hiking hadn’t helped him clear his mind. After hours of mulling over the situation, he’d had more questions than answers. But one thing was clear. He’d decided to let Annie know that, despite the fierce loyalty he felt to his family, he didn’t consider her a part of their family feud.

  He walked past his cabin without stopping and made his way home. Once there, he headed to his room for a long, hot shower. When he was dressed, he stepped into the kitchen to greet his family.

  “Another long day, bro.” Casey handed him a chilled longneck. “I hope you got a lot of work done on that award-winning novel.”

  “It’s got a long way to go before it can win anything.”

  Brand shared a grin with his wife. “Cut the humble act. Knowing you, it’ll be another blockbuster.”

  “From your lips.” Jonah took a long drink before setting aside the half-full bottle.

  Turning to Billy, he said, “I won’t be staying for supper. I’ll s
ee you all later.”

  When he was gone, the family shared puzzled looks.

  Brand turned to his great-grandfather. “You think he’s heading back to the cabin to work?”

  Ham smiled. “In case you didn’t notice, boy, Jonah’s hair was damp from the shower. And he was wearing a clean shirt. That doesn’t say work to me. I still say his trouble these days may be with a female.”

  As they gathered around the table, Ham’s words were greeted with scoffs and jeers from his great-grandsons.

  Brand nudged Casey. “Jonah’s always been all work, little play. Why should this be any different?”

  Chapter Eight

  As Jonah drove to town, he kept going over what he would say when Annie opened the door.

  Hey. I just happened to be in town and…

  Hi, Annie. Sorry to bother you but…

  Good evening. Can we talk…?

  Nothing rang true. Maybe he ought to try a little honesty.

  Ever since you left, I’ve been miserable…

  I wonder if we could start over…

  Don’t slam the door until you hear what I have to say…

  He pulled up behind Julie Franklyn’s hair salon and parked. Thankfully there was a back stairway to the second-story apartment, so at least he wouldn’t have to go through the salon, where he’d have to face Julie and her customers. Anything and everything that happened in public in Devil’s Door became fodder for gossip enjoyed by the entire town.

  Jonah wasn’t in the mood to be this week’s featured player.

  The outer stairway led to a large, open balcony and double sliding glass doors for easy access to and from the apartment. The outdoor lights hadn’t been turned on, leaving the exterior in darkness. Drawn draperies hid the view inside the lighted apartment.

  Jonah lifted a hand to knock on the door. His fist paused in midair when he heard a man’s voice inside, raised in anger.

  Hearing it, Jonah stepped back into the shadows of the balcony, intending to leave. He certainly hadn’t come here to poke his nose into Annie’s business.

  Before he could make his getaway, the door opened and a stranger stalked out, unaware of anything but the stairs, which he took two at a time before slamming a car door and driving off with a squeal of tires.

  Jonah turned back to the apartment to see that the draperies were drawn aside. Annie was outlined in the doorway seconds before she flipped a switch, bathing Jonah in light.

  For a moment she stiffened, and the fearful look on her face spoke volumes.

  When she realized it was Jonah and not the stranger, she slid open the door and threw herself against him, pressing her face to his chest for the space of a moment before practically dragging him inside.

  “Jonah.” His name came out on a breathy sigh before she seemed to realize what she’d done.

  Just as quickly, she stepped back and avoided looking at him.

  “Hi. I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just stopped by to…” He caught her by the upper arms and studied her. “You all right?”

  “No.” She looked around wildly. “Yes. I’m…”

  “Your first answer sounded more sincere. You’re not all right. You’re shaking.”

  She released another deep sigh before she turned away. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She crossed to the small galley kitchen, as though hoping to put some space between them while her nerves settled. “Would you like a drink?”

  “If you’re having one.”

  She opened a cupboard and selected a bottle of red wine. “Is this all right?” She rummaged in the cabinets for a corkscrew and a couple of glasses.

  “It’s fine. Want me to open it?” Without waiting for a response, he went over to her, took the bottle and the corkscrew, opened the bottle, and poured the wine into two glasses.

  He waited until she’d taken a sip before saying, “Want to talk about it?”

  Instead of responding, she gestured toward two bar stools at the small counter.

  As they sat, he saw the way her hands shook. He put his hand over hers. “You’re cold.”

  “It’ll pass.”

  “Who was the guy?”

  “He said his name is Park. He said he was sent by…a man I knew in California. He had a message from…him. He was to let me know I couldn’t hide from him.”

  “This guy in California have a name?”

  “Arlen.”

  “Arlen…?”

  At his prompt, she said, “Arlen Lender.”

  “Why would you hide from him?”

  “Because I’m in trouble.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He set aside his wine. “If you don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in, how do you know you’re in trouble?”

  She took a deep breath and turned to face him. “It’s a long story. How much time do you have?”

  “As much as you need.”

  She perched on the edge of the seat, as though poised to run. Nerves had her practically twitching.

  Watching her, Jonah thought she seemed so different from the relaxed, easy-to-be-with woman who’d hiked and rode the hills with so much joy.

  She was silent for a long minute before saying, “Because of my family’s connections in banking, I grew up learning the trade. I was working in the financial sector in San Francisco, and through my work I met Arlen. He was handsome and charming, and he made me feel special. In no time at all he was talking about a future together, though I wasn’t nearly ready.” Her tone hardened. “Now I realize it was all a con. He never cared for me. He was only using me for whatever scheme he was involved in.”

  “And that was…?”

  “I don’t know what the scheme was, only that I’d been marked to take the fall.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “When I uncovered a bank account in my name with one million dollars—”

  “Wait.” He lifted a hand to stop her. “A million dollars?”

  She nodded. “I told Arlen about it, saying that I planned on going to the authorities. You can imagine my shock when he calmly told me that if I contacted the authorities, I would go to prison for years for accepting stolen money. That the bank account was set up for that purpose alone.”

  “So you ran.”

  Another nod. “That night. Without any plan, other than to get as far away as I could from San Francisco, from Arlen, and whatever scheme he was involved in.”

  “Does your uncle know why you’re here?”

  “Not all of it. I told him I was in trouble and needed a job and a place to hide.” She closed her eyes as the horror of it all washed over her. “And now I’ve brought whatever trouble I’m in to my uncle’s door.” She looked at Jonah. “I know your family hates mine, but you have to believe that my uncle Des is a good man. He has spent a lifetime building a reputable banking business. He doesn’t deserve to be involved in this.”

  “Neither do you.”

  Her eyes widened. “How can you say that? You don’t know anything about me. How do you know I haven’t made this whole thing up to cover some criminal activity?”

  “The woman I met at my cabin is a good person.”

  She looked at him with gratitude. “Thank you.” She spoke the words in a whisper as she twisted her hands in her lap. “When Arlen realized that I’d run, he sent me a text message, warning that I’d be sorry and that he has enough damning evidence to send me to prison for years.”

  “If this guy is as dangerous as he sounds, prison may be the least of your worries. Now that he’s found you, what’s to prevent him from eliminating you altogether?”

  Seeing the shiver that passed through her, he touched a hand to hers. “You know, now that this guy has found you, you can’t stay here.”

  “I know. But it won’t take me long to run, since I’ve barely unpacked.”

  “Run? Where?”

  She shrugged. “Somewhere even more remote than Devil’s Door. I should have known that so
meone would find the connection between Uncle Des and me. This time, I’ll go where I don’t know a soul, and hopefully I can start over with a new identity.”

  “I have a place where you can be safe while you work with the authorities to clear this up.”

  “You heard what I said. Arlen warned me not to go to the authorities.”

  “Criminals always say that. But the authorities are your only hope of clearing your name.”

  “Even though he didn’t know what trouble I was in, that’s what my uncle said. When there’s trouble, call the authorities.”

  “Your uncle’s right. In the meantime, let me keep you safe.”

  “Jonah, I know your cabin is remote, but if this guy has been trailing me without my knowledge, he probably knows every place I’ve been.”

  “Not necessarily. He found you here because you signed a rental agreement. You probably didn’t even bother to use a phony name.”

  “This is so far from San Francisco it never occurred to me to hide my identity on the lease.” She closed her eyes. “I need to leave. Tonight.”

  “My ranch is big, and so is my family. Big enough that you never have to be alone or afraid.”

  “Your family?” She was already shaking her head. “You’d ask me to stay with the very people who have a grudge against my family?”

  “It’s not personal.”

  She gave a huff of disapproval. “It is to me. If they hate my uncle, they hate me, too.”

  “Hate is a strong word. And that’s actually why I’m here tonight. After giving it a lot of thought, I came here to say that the family feud shouldn’t involve us. Whatever history my father has with your uncle, it’s between them.”

  “Those are nice words, Jonah. But I’m sorry. I have enough trouble in my life without adding to it.”

  “All right. Then consider this. You need a place to hide right now. Tonight. The guy who raced out of here has no doubt already contacted Arlen Lender and is getting his marching orders.”

  She put a hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp.

  “Annie, let me take you home to my family, at least for tonight. If, by morning, you still feel the need to escape, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”