Rugged Cowboy

by Elana Johnson

  They simply wouldn’t go away, and Jess knew she’d have to address that sooner or later.

  She also knew what day she and Dallas had taken Martha to the treatment facility, and she should’ve been released by now. Jess’s curiosity crept up a little bit more every day, but she didn’t ask anyone.

  Not Ted or Nate. Not Ginger or Emma. No one volunteered any information about Dallas, and Jess kept her mouth shut and her head down and did her job. The end.

  A few days after Valentine’s Day—where she’d worked in the stables until night started to fall and then she’d gone to the West Wing and eaten steak sandwiches Hannah had brought back from town—Jess woke with the sun, as usual.

  She thought about Hannah, and how Bill had been gone to his mother’s for Valentine’s Day, as she’d recently fallen and needed help until her hip surgery. Hannah had still gotten a card and a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates from the cowboy, and Jess had received nothing.

  She showered and got dressed, as usual. She lingered on her cowgirl boots, as they were the pair she’d worn when she’d first met Dallas. They were almost to the point where she needed to throw them away and get new ones, but she’d kept holding onto them for some reason.

  She poured herself a cup of coffee that Jill had likely made, and she buttered a single slice of toast before heading out the door. The ranch was beautiful in the morning, with a golden glow that Jess was convinced could only be seen in Texas. Everything in Montana was blue, but here, this close to the Gulf of Mexico, the sun turned everything to gold.

  She breathed in the crisp air, as February and March were her favorite months in Texas. She felt her lungs expand and her spirits lift. Today was going to be a good day.

  Midnight Madness had made amazing progress since he’d been delivered to Hope Eternal Ranch, and when she looked at the magnificent creature, she understood the meaning of hope. When she looked at herself, she wasn’t sure she had anything left to hope for.

  Pushing away the negative thoughts, she finished her coffee and tossed the paper cup into the recycling bin outside the stable. She almost always arrived first in the morning, and today was no different. She loved the stables when they only held the soft snufflings of dozens of horses and her own footsteps against the concrete.

  Only a few steps inside today, though, and Jess paused. There was something wrong here. She first thought the air conditioner had gone on the fritz again, because everything was too quiet and too still.

  But the cool kiss of air against her skin told her that the air conditioner was functioning. She cocked her head, listening.

  The silence was absolute. There were no horse’s hooves shuffling along in their stalls. No huffs or nickers. Not even any breathing.

  Her heartbeat started to sprint, and that was all Jess could hear now. She hurried past the place where they kept the tack and feed to the first row of stalls.

  All of the horses were gone.

  She sucked in a breath as a scream built in her chest. Running now, she hurried to the next row over. No horses.

  She ran through the whole stable, and she didn’t find a single horse anywhere. Tears gathered in her eyes as she fumbled to get her phone out of her pocket. She didn’t see Ginger in the West Wing anymore, as she and Nate lived in their own cabin now, but Jess knew she’d be awake.

  She dropped her phone, her fingers trembling as the first tears streaked down her face. She’d never heard of a ranch getting robbed so completely, and all she could think about were the horses she’d befriended and trained over the years.

  Diamond Valley.

  Midnight Madness.

  Marshmallow Crème.

  Texas Tyrant.

  Weeping Willow.

  Noah’s Ark—and that blasted horse had finally learned to leave his bandages alone.

  Her chest pinched as Ginger’s phone rang, and once again, Jess cocked her head. She could hear the line ringing in her ear…and nearby. Outside.

  She strode that way, hearing someone say something on the other side of the door just before the call to Ginger disconnected. Jess paused, her heart pounding and sprinting now.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered to herself. Nothing else about this morning had been different or odd. “One way to find out.”

  She squared her shoulders and pushed through the doors that led west, out to the pastures and paddocks, the training circles and the arenas.

  She didn’t have to take more than two steps to find what was going on, and she only took those because of her momentum.

  Every single horse the ranch owned stood there, forming half of a box, all of them facing her. Instant relief painted her insides, and she quickly wiped her face clean of the evidence of her tears. She saw Spencer, Jack, Bill, Nick, Rich, Nate, Ted, and a few other cowboys. They were spaced every three or four horses. Hannah stood next to Noah’s Ark, and Ginger had her hand on Midnight’s neck. He nickered as if saying good morning to Jess, and through her confusion, she managed to smile.

  “Why are all the horses out here?” Jess asked, but no one attempted to answer her. And not all the horses were out there. Diamond Valley was missing, as was Marshmallow Crème and one named Scalloped Potato.

  She realized that almost every horse had been dressed up too. They wore ribbons and flowers in their manes, and a few even had neckties hanging from their necks.

  The soft beating of horse’s hooves met her ears, and Jess turned away from her horsed-off left and looked right, toward the sound.

  More than one horse and rider were approaching, and if Jess had to guess, she’d land on the number three. Sure enough, Diamond Valley came into view, and her rider immediately pulled her to a stop.

  Dallas sat in the saddle, wearing jeans, a bright blue shirt, and that delicious cowboy hat. Marshmallow Crème carried Remmy, and Scalloped Potato held Thomas.

  Jess’s throat closed, and she lifted her hand to it, as if she could knead it back into working order.

  “Jessica Morales,” Dallas said from atop that magnificent black and white horse. He’d somehow braided yellow and pink ribbons through the horse’s mane, and Jess loved it. Marshmallow bore red roses, and they looked amazing with her creamy coat.

  “I’m in love with you,” he said next, and Jess sucked in a breath while several people standing by all the other horses sighed in happiness.

  “You were right, you know. I wasn’t ready for our new normal before. But I am now. I’ve been going to therapy and getting my priorities in line. My ex-wife is with her sister in another state.” He glanced at Remmy first and then Thomas. They both looked at him, and then all three of them focused on Jess again.

  “I don’t have a whole lot to offer you,” he said. “Just me and my kids. We found a really nice house, but we’re afraid to buy it, because we want you to be happy in it.” He swallowed, and his nerves struck her straight in the chest. “I’m hoping that you’ll be like these amazing horses you tend to, and forgive me. Give me another shot. Let’s try for our brand of normal. I promise you, Remmy, and Tommy will always be at the top of my list, and I promise you I’m ready for this.”

  He looked at Thomas, and the boy raised his hand. Jess watched as all the men and women Dallas had persuaded to go along with his plan reached into their pockets and pulled out hard candy. They crinkled the wrappers for the horses, and that really set some of them to talking.

  They huffed and nickered, creating an applause of sorts that made Jess start to laugh. They got their rewards too, and Remmy called out, “Show ‘er what you’ve got, horses.”

  The few she’d trained to go down on their front knee did, while others stood still while their humans slid signs from their backs to hang down from their necks. Each one had a letter on it, and together, the horses had made a sentence.

  I’m sorry. We love you. Let’s all try again and see if we can build a fam—

  Jess had started on her far left and turned as her brain put the letters into words. She could fill in the last
few letters, but then as she faced Thomas, Dallas, and Remmy, she didn’t have to.

  They each held up the last three letters, Remmy grinning like she’d just won a trip to Disneyland.

  Thomas smiled too, but Dallas looked one second away from throwing up.

  Jess sobbed, unable to keep her emotions in check for another second.

  “Get to her,” someone said, and the next thing she knew, Dallas gathered her into his arms and held her tight. He was strong when she was weak, and she’d been strong when he’d been weak. They complimented each other, and she didn’t want a life without him.

  She’d been living that life, and it was miserable, constrained to stables and a single bedroom. She wanted to live, and be out in the world, and experience everything with him at her side.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sure you were panicked when you didn’t find any horses inside.”

  She just shook her head and looked up at him. His light eyes searched hers, the hope burning in them so bright and so wonderful. “I really am ready,” he said.

  Jess nodded, tipping up onto her toes. She just needed to kiss him right now. Thankfully, he let her, and all the humans in the area started to cheer and clap. Jess laughed, so she didn’t really get her kiss, and she tucked herself back into Dallas’s chest.

  He kept her close, his hands so big and so warm on her hip and shoulder. “All right, guys,” he called. “I think it worked.” The men in the crowd whooped again, and Dallas laughed. “Let’s get the horses back where Jess wants them, okay? Thanks, everyone.”

  Jess looked at him again, marveling at his good heart. “You don’t really play fair,” she said.

  “Don’t I?” he asked innocently.

  “No,” she said as Ginger grinned at her and led Midnight Madness into the stable. “Using my horses against me. And your kids. Your kids on horses. That’s so not fair.”

  “I miss you,” he said, not seeming to care that other people could overhear him. “Do you really think we have a shot at a second chance?”

  “Yes,” she said without any hesitation. “I absolutely do, because I kinda fell in love with you too.”

  He blinked a couple of times before a smile filled his whole face. “Well, that’s great news.” He laughed, and so did Jess. He gestured for his kids to come over, and both Thomas and Remmy ran toward Jess.

  She received them into a double-hug, telling them how much she missed them and loved them.

  “So you’ll come see the house, right?” Remmy asked, peering up at her. “It’s so nice, Jess, and I think you’re going to like it. Dad says there’s this—”

  “Remmy,” Dallas said only a couple of feet away. “You agreed not to tell her.”

  “Oh, right.” Remmy grinned at Jess. “You have to come see it though. Thomas is getting a dog, and it’s got this huge yard, and they’re going to build a big run back there for it. It’s so big that Dad says I can get a cat too, and the dog won’t even be able to find it.”

  “Wow,” Jess said, grinning because so much hope and joy had filled her, and that made not smiling impossible to do. She met Dallas’s eyes, and he shook his head.

  “We’re still working on how much Remmy talks,” he said, drawing his daughter away from Jess. But Jess loved that Remmy loved to talk. She always had something interesting to say, and she found joy and cheer in the simplest of things.

  “You two go take our horses to Rich,” he said, going with them over to Diamond, Marshmallow, and Scalloped Potato. He gave two pairs of reins to Thomas and plucked a few roses from Marshmallow’s mane.

  With the kids gone and everyone else scattering with their horses, the world narrowed to just Jess and Dallas in the golden glow of the Texas sun. He fiddled with the roses in his hands, his head ducked down so the brim of his hat concealed his face.

  “Everything I said was one-hundred percent true,” he said. “I’m in love with you, and I’m ready to build a family with you.” He looked up, the sincerity in his expression matching that in his voice. He handed her the small bouquet of red roses.

  Jess took them, delicately smelling their sweet scent. “What I said was true too.”

  “The kinda fell in love part, or the part where you nodded and tried to kiss me.” He smiled at her. “You didn’t do a great job at that, by the way.”

  Jess smiled back at him. “I better fix it.” She stretched up to kiss him, thrilled when he met her halfway. She took her time and really tried to tell him that there was no kinda involved in how she felt about him.

  She pulled away several seconds later and said, “I love you, Dallas. I love your kids. I want to see the house, and I want to build a family and a future with you.”

  There was no kinda about that.

  “Great,” he murmured just before he kissed her again.

  Jess realized as she kissed him back that she’d been right—today was a really great day.

  When they parted this time, she asked, “How long did it take you to dress those horses up?”

  “Hours,” he said with a yawn. “So whether it was fair or not, it was definitely worth it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Dallas herded his kids up the steps that went into the Annex, saying, “Don’t do that, Tommy. The wedding is in fifteen minutes, and then you can take the tie off.” His son had been tugging on his collar for the past thirty minutes since Dallas had helped him with it.

  The noise inside the Annex hit Dallas like he’d run into a brick wall. All the men participating in Ted and Emma’s wedding were gathering here, and cowboys weren’t known for being terribly quiet when they got together. Because of that, no one paid much attention to Dallas as he entered the kitchen.

  Thomas stayed right by his side, but Remmy went right into the fray, catching the attention of Nick, who scooped her up and handed her a baby carrot. She smiled at him, and he her, and Dallas was so glad he’d landed at Hope Eternal Ranch. Everyone here treated him like family, and they’d accepted him and his kids into their fold, no questions asked.

  “Hiding out at the back of the room?” Nate asked, settling against the wall next to Dallas.

  “Mm, yep.” Dallas looked around at the other men in the kitchen, and he was surprised they’d been left alone with so much tasty-looking food on the trays littering the counter. No one tried to take any of the desserts though, and a roar rose up when Ted walked into the room, wearing a handsome tuxedo—and a cowboy hat.

  Dallas grinned at him, and he waited his turn to hug Ted and wish him well. Once he’d gone around the room, he lifted both hands above his head. “All right, all right. Settle down, you lot. Are we ready?”

  Another cheer went up, and Dallas took his son’s hand and wove through the bodies to the back door. Nate and Connor joined him, as they’d be the first two to walk out behind Ted. They weren’t having a very traditional wedding, just as Nate hadn’t. At least they were having their meal after the nuptials had been completed.

  Ted squeezed past Dallas and Nate and opened the back door. He went out onto the deck and looked left, toward the West Wing. The men continued to line up behind Dallas, and while the kitchen here was fairly big, he was starting to feel claustrophobic.

  “Here we go, boys,” Ted said over his shoulder. They quieted down, and Ted moved forward, freeing up some space for Nate to move into. Dallas followed him, still holding onto his son’s hand.

  “Remmy,” he said over his shoulder, and the little girl skipped toward him. He took her hand too, just before they stepped onto the deck.

  Ted kept his pace even and strong, and Dallas watched as a line of women walked across the cement and toward the Annex from the West Wing. Emma led them, carrying a massive bouquet of flowers in pale pink, coral, and yellow.

  Ted met her at the bottom of the steps, and they linked arms. Right behind them walked Missy, along with the man and woman that had been raising her while Emma kept her hidden from her crime lord father.

  Ginger was third in l
ine, and she met Nate with a grin and a high five for Connor. They linked arms too, not breaking the processional as they continued across the grass toward the cabin where Emma lived.

  A beautiful carved altar waited for them, half of the wood cleared of bark, polished, and gleaming in the spring sunlight. The other parts were still wild, with craggly bark where someone had stuck in a few more flowers that matched the ones in Emma’s bouquet.

  The pastor stood there, and empty rows of chairs waited for all the guests to arrive.

  Dallas reached the bottom of the steps and looked at Jess. His beautiful, patient Jess. He was nowhere near ready to propose to her, but they’d been getting along really well in the past few weeks since he’d dressed up all her horses and used them to make up with her.

  They’d gone to see the house he and the children had found, and she liked it as much as they did. Dallas had put in an offer on the house, and it had been accepted. He’d close in another ten days, and then, finally, he felt like a new brand of normal could begin.

  Even as he thought it, he resisted. There was no normal. No set date for when it should begin. No event that would mark the end of abnormal and the beginning of something new. He just had to keep living each and every day to the best of his ability.

  A wedding and marriage had been implied when they’d walked through the house with Jess, but he hadn’t bought a ring yet. He was still getting to know Jess and all the things she liked and didn’t like.

  Ted and Emma reached the altar, and the rest of the crowd flowed around them, offering congratulations and shoulder pats as they did. They took their seats on the other side of the altar, and then the pastor and Ted and Emma switched places.

  Dallas tried to imagine himself standing up in front of everyone and pledging himself to Jess. He’d been married before, and he knew what it took to get ready for a wedding. He knew what it felt like to have hundreds of eyes on him—heck, he’d endured that with the horse show he’d staged. He knew what it felt like to be so helplessly in love and to believe that the future held only rays of sunshine and magical unicorns.