Grand-Prize Cowboy

by Heatherly Bell

  Sofia decided she could breathe. The Kentucky Derby comment threw her until Boone slid her a slow smile. He obviously loved to tease, too.

  “Where’s Mom?” Sofia asked. “Are you boys letting her and Camilla slave away in the kitchen?”

  “Not me,” Jordan said. “I was trying to help until Camilla threw me out.”

  “Whatever it is, it smells delicious,” Boone said.

  “Enchiladas.” Her father hooked an arm around Boone’s shoulder. “Why don’t you sit with me, son?”

  Boone handed Sofia the flowers. “Give these to your mom, yeah?”

  “Okay.” Sofia gave her father a look that said he better take it easy on Boone if he ever wanted her to bring a date over again.

  On the way to the kitchen, she ran into Felix coming down the hall. “Hey, sis. What’s new?”

  “Please run interference with my date and Papi. He’s going to put him through twenty questions pretty soon.”

  Felix was the older brother who had watched her and Camilla the most while their parents worked, and as a result Sofia felt closest to him. He understood that Sofia could take care of herself.

  “Consider it interfered.” Felix gave her a quick hug.

  Sofia went on to the kitchen where Camilla and her mother were rolling tortillas.

  “These are from Boone,” she said, showing her mother the bouquet. Then she searched the cupboards for a vase.

  “How kind,” her mother said. “Where is your young man?”

  “Papi took him as soon as we walked in the door.” Sofia found a vase and filled it with water. “I asked Felix to run interference.”

  “Seriously,” Camilla said. “No one is ever good enough for Papi’s little princess.”

  “Is he going to give him a difficult time just because he has money?” Sofia found scissors to cut the tips of the stems and placed them in the water.

  “He warmed to Jordan, didn’t he?” her mother said. “At least Boone isn’t a trust-fund baby. That was a tough one to get past your father. Jordan had to jump through hoops to be accepted.”

  “Don’t you mean jump under hoops?” Sofia recalled the basketball game her brothers had played, Felix recruiting Jordan to his team without letting anyone know he remembered Jordan was a top-notch athlete in high school. “At least it’s too cold outside today to play. Everyone here is too obsessed with basketball. Boone told them he likes the Kentucky Derby.”

  Both Camilla and her mother stopped what they were doing and stared.

  “This sounds like an interesting young man. Brave.” Her mother dropped the towel she’d used to wipe her hands. Then she walked to the doorway that separated the living room from kitchen. “Mi amor, you be good to that young man! He brought me flowers.”

  “Don’t worry, I like this one!” he shouted back.

  Camilla gave Sofia a smile. “Papi likes him. So, how much do you like Boone? More than the tennis dude? More than Brandon?”

  A lot more than either of them, even put together.

  “Shh,” Sofia said, joining Camilla and stuffing tortillas. “I like him...a lot, okay?”

  “How much is a lot? Is this serious?” Camilla pressed.

  “Just because you got married doesn’t mean I’m going to,” Sofia told her sister. “We’re not serious.”

  “Why not?” her mother asked, removing a tray from the oven and putting another one in. “When I was your age, I had two children.”

  “See?” Sofia said to Camilla. “Mention marriage, and children are in the next breath.”

  “Well, that’s what tends to happen,” her mother said.

  Sofia and Camilla exchanged a look. Their mother was old-school Catholic.

  “Do you ever imagine what might have happened if you bought your own salon before you had us kids?” Sofia asked.

  “Bought? What for? I run that place, and no one can do a thing there without me.”

  “But it’s not yours,” Sofia said. “Camilla has her own restaurant. You could have had your own salon.”

  “Bah, I didn’t want all the headaches.” She waved a hand dismissively. “And funny thing is, the salon feels like it’s mine. But your father doesn’t own the post office, so why would I need the salon?”

  Camilla and Sofia laughed. Sometimes it was as if their parents were joined at the hip. They had the same thoughts, the same ideas. Same likes and dislikes for music and everything else. That wasn’t something Sofia would ever understand.

  “I’m going to go and make sure that your brothers set the table.”

  When their mother left the room, Camilla shoulder-checked Sofia. “She doesn’t have the same ambitions we do, and that’s okay.”

  “I know. Maybe I just don’t understand why.”

  “She loves styling hair, but it’s not her whole life.” Camilla shrugged. “Everyone’s different.”

  “How’s married life?” Sofia asked, changing the subject.

  “It’s wonderful.” Camilla sighed. “He’s so amazing. I get coffee in bed every morning, and flowers are delivered to my restaurant every day. He gave me a private office at the cabin—his idea—so that I can easily deal with any business issues that happen after hours.”

  Sofia was happy that her sister’s life was working out. She couldn’t help noticing with some pride when the horrible social media posts that once called her “that waitress” now referred to them as “Bronco Heights’ new power couple. #weddingbells.”

  She looked up from rolling the enchiladas to make sure her mother hadn’t returned. Then she faced Camilla. “Hey, did Jordan talk at all about marriage on one of your early dates?”

  Camilla shook her head. “No. Remember, I didn’t even want to date him at first. He asked me to give him a chance. Six dates. Pretty sure if he’d mentioned marriage anytime in there, I might not have made it through. Remember, I was just like you. I didn’t want to get married and have children. But everything changes when you fall in love. Jordan and I are on the same page about children, though. No rush. We’re going to wait.”

  “So...what do you think about a guy who mentions marriage and having a family on a fifth date?”

  Camilla met her eyes. “I’d say that’s a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to tell you.”

  Yeah. Sofia was afraid of that.

  Chapter Ten

  Boone thought the evening went well, despite the fact that he’d sat sandwiched between two men who seemed to think of basketball as some type of saintly pursuit. He hadn’t been joking when he said he enjoyed basketball, even played varsity in high school. But he didn’t worship at its altar. Not that he let the Sanchez men know.

  Boone was relieved when dinner was ready. The enchiladas were cheesy and delicious, and people were allowed to eat instead of talk. Still, he fielded a few questions about Dalton’s Grange, his parents, his brothers. He took it in stride, with the growing and unnerving feeling that this was the family he should have had growing up. They were down-to-earth, easy and real. If Neal Dalton had been more like Aaron Sanchez, less concerned with gambling and drinking than raising his family, maybe Boone would be closer to the man.

  “My father likes you,” Sofia said as they drove back to her apartment.

  “Well, don’t sound so surprised. I like him, too.”

  “No, see, you don’t realize how rare that is. My father has never liked anyone I dated. Poor or rich. Although they were all perfectly nice guys, just like you. Once I even dated a pizza delivery guy.”

  “And I’m a simple horse wrangler.”

  “On a million-dollar ranch.”

  “Fair enough.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “Are you going to hold that against me forever?”

  “I wouldn’t do that. I’m not holding it against you now. Watching Camilla and Jordan taught me that two people from very differe
nt backgrounds can get along fine.”

  “But actually, you and I had similar upbringings. Growing up, we weren’t wealthy at all. Sometimes I think that makes a family closer.”

  “You’re close to your mother. How about everyone else in the family? Are you all close?”

  He considered holding back, but Sofia was so honest and open with him. “I’m close to my brothers. Morgan in particular. But as for our father, well, we’ve all had issues with him. I guess Morgan and Holt are getting along with him now. Not me.”

  “No?”

  “Growing up, my father just wasn’t a great role model for me. He’s like Cornelius except without all the judgment about people who didn’t inherit money.”

  “Boone, your father is nothing like Cornelius.”

  “Maybe they’re just two older men I don’t much get along with. At least he’s stayed with my mother, but he wasn’t always good to her.”

  He considered telling Sofia about the cheating, but if his mother had forgiven Neal, then Boone knew this might just still be his issue. But when he thought of the way she’d been disrespected, he wanted to punch a hole in the wall.

  “He seems to be very good to her now.”

  “He has a lot to make up for with my mother. Years.”

  Sofia went quiet, as if digesting that information. Boone pulled into the post office parking lot and turned the truck off. When he faced her, Sofia was studying him.

  He smiled. “What?”

  Instead of answering, she unbuckled her seat belt and slid as close to him as she could, given the console between them. He longed for the days of his old Tahoe with the bench seats. Her hands in his hair, she kissed him. Sweetly at first, and then the kiss grew in intensity. Heat curled through him, and he tried to pull her onto his lap.

  She broke the kiss first. “I would ask you to come inside, but I think I need to slow us down.”

  Not what he wanted to hear, but he respected that. “Any reason why?”

  “We went at it so hard and fast because there’s this magnetic pull between us.”

  “Yeah. I feel it, too.” He pressed his forehead to hers.

  “I usually date a guy for six months before I even think about sleeping with him. You...you and I are combustible. Please, just let me have a little time to...get my bearings. You swept me off my feet, and this all happened so fast.”

  “What? No one has swept you off your feet before?” He rested his hand on the nape of her neck.

  “Not like this. Never.”

  He chose to feel gratified about this moment, instead of believing she’d just tried to give him the kind brush-off.

  “That’s good. I’ll give you a little time, but don’t be surprised if you hear from me soon.”

  “I’d be disappointed if I didn’t.”

  And with that, Boone walked Sofia to the door of her apartment, where he gave her one last kiss and then forced himself to walk away.

  If she wanted a little time, he’d give it to her.

  * * *

  Three days later, Sofia hadn’t heard a word from Boone. Not a text. No calls. Nothing. Had he simply ghosted her? She’d wanted a little time to catch her breath, but she hadn’t asked him to stop calling. After texting with him every day since the day they’d met, this seemed odd. She missed his funny texts.

  She got through the days working at the boutique, fitting some of the gentlemen who had come in after hearing about the new men’s clothing line. Photos of Boone had been uploaded to their website and Facebook page. Needless to say, women brought their husbands in, but the ones who came in on their own wanted the “Boone special.” Mostly older gentlemen, some her age, but not one of them tempting her to touch more than she had to.

  Every single day, she looked for an opportunity to take Alexis aside and show her the portfolio she’d worked on for years. Each time she found a reason why she could hold off a little longer and make sure every design was perfect first.

  “Thanks for suggesting Geoff Burris,” Alexis told her one night at work. “A few phone calls, a little begging, and he’s agreed to sign on as the face of our new men’s clothing line.”

  “That’s great.”

  “What about our grand-prize cowboy? How’s he doing?”

  Sofia shrugged. “How should I know?”

  “Oh, c’mon! You think I didn’t notice the sparks between you two? The way you’d head out of here hand in hand every night?”

  “We went out a few times.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing, Alexis.”

  But there was something. Something so powerful and intense that it scared her a little bit. He was far more serious about relationships than any other guy she’d ever dated. He seemed to know exactly what he wanted. She didn’t want to get too serious with anyone. Certainly not marriage, for which Boone seemed primed. Still, the one night they’d spent together said the opposite. They were very much in sync on a physical level. And obviously, it went deeper than the physical because she really liked Boone. Liked how he was kind, patient, fearless with horses. He’d rescued a lost dog, obviously adored his mother and had a gentleness about him.

  She glanced at her phone. Still no text messages. He listened well. She’d give him that. But this weekend was the start of the annual Harvest Festival. It would have been nice to go together. To drink hot cider and go on the hayride. Of course, she could ask him. Maybe she should.

  When she got home that evening, she went straight to the thermostat, rubbing her hands together for warmth. She both conserved and saved money by leaving the heater low while at work, which meant sometimes her apartment did a good impression of an icebox.

  “Brr!”

  She prepared to do battle with the thermostat, surprised when it came on immediately. She heard a rattle and a hiss, but her heater worked! Hand to the grate, she felt warm air wafting out. Her landlord had finally come through.

  Sofia picked up her phone to dial Al. “Thanks for fixing the thermostat.”

  “I wasn’t able to get to it. I thought you had hired someone. Mack from Heating and Cooling came by earlier today, said it had been paid for. I was going to tell you that he always overcharges. You mean it wasn’t you?”

  “No, Al, it wasn’t me. I was waiting for you to fix it, like you said you would.”

  She hung up and called her father to ask if he’d fixed it himself.

  “You mean to tell me you’ve been freezing all this time?” Papi boomed. “I’ll have words with Al!”

  Sighing, she hung up with her father after talking him off the ledge.

  And Sofia now had a pretty good idea of who’d hired Mack to fix her heater. She couldn’t be sure, but her suspicions were strong. Her brothers didn’t even know about the finicky thermostat, but if they did, they’d expect her landlord to fix it.

  So, what could one say about a guy who fixed what needed to be fixed and didn’t want to take the credit? Did he think her too proud to appreciate the gesture, or was this Boone’s issue with his wealth? He had to know that she didn’t think of him any differently now that she realized he had plenty of money.

  Later that evening, she sat alone at home after cooking a frozen food entrée. Boring. Questions were rolling through her mind on fast forward. Why hadn’t Boone called her yet? Finally, she could take it no more and phoned Camilla.

  “Okay, fine!”

  “Hello to you, too,” her sister said with a laugh. “What’s up?”

  “I need some romantic advice, but if you tell anyone I asked, I’ll deny it.”

  “My little social butterfly sister needs romantic advice? I mean, I’m sure you’re not calling for fashion assistance. And you’ve never expressed an interest in learning how to cook. By the way, those cooking lessons from our master chef are still available any time you’re interested, just say the word.”r />
  “Why learn to cook when my sister owns a restaurant? Yes, it’s relationship advice. And I hate even asking, so don’t make this hard for me.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  She sighed and covered her eyes, even if no one could see her humiliation. “Boone hasn’t called me in three days.”

  “Why? Did something happen?”

  “After Sunday, I told him that I’d like to slow things down a bit. It’s just...hot and intense between us.” Sofia began to pace the length of her apartment. Back and forth she went.

  “Okay, and...?”

  “Also, he wants to get married.”

  “To you?”

  These phone calls to her sister really helped. Camilla asked all the right questions. She’d just figured out the root of the problem.

  “Maybe not to me, but he mentioned it to me. And I don’t want to get married!”

  “I know, that’s what you keep saying. I guess we’ll engrave it on your tombstone. ‘Here lies Sofia Sanchez, she didn’t want to get married!’” Camilla snorted. “But do you want to fall in love? The two are not mutually exclusive.”

  “It might be nice to fall in love. I never have.” She took a breath. “But Boone hasn’t called or texted in three days!”

  “You know, you could always call him. Maybe he’s left it up to you. The ball in your court kind of thing.”

  “Hmm, I guess that’s a good point. You’re saying I should call or text him?”

  “I don’t see why not. This is probably not something you’re used to doing, but you’re the one who asked him to back off.”

  “I did not!”

  “That’s what I heard.” Camilla’s tone was calm, fully in her “big sister” mode.

  “Well, it’s not what I meant.”

  “Then I guess you better straighten that out.”

  This meant calling him first. Sofia never did this.

  “So, you really like this guy?” Camilla said after a pause.

  “He doesn’t just want to fall in love. Boone is so serious. He wants to get married and have a family. Do I have to say any more?”