Grand-Prize Cowboy

by Heatherly Bell

  “No. I figured that was the problem.”

  “Then what’s up with that? Why can’t I stop thinking about him?”

  “You tell me.”

  “I don’t know. He’s just...more.”

  She thought of the way he spoke of his mother in a nearly reverent tone. He was obviously protective of her. And just seeing him with the sweet dog he’d rescued, and the horses...him so quiet, calm and self-possessed. It was an attractive quality, that confidence, swagger and utter ease about Boone Dalton. He behaved like a CEO of his own company but was a horse wrangler who probably never saw the inside of a boardroom. There were so many contradictions about the man. No wonder he confused her.

  After hanging up with Camilla, Sofia decided she had to get out of the house or risk being the kind of woman who waited for a guy to call. Never going to happen. She hesitated. Should she text Boone and thank him for fixing the heater? How should she say it?

  Thanks for fixing my thermostat. I want to see you. Come over and make my toes curl again.

  Nope, that wasn’t what she wanted to text. What if someone else saw it? Grabbing her coat and stepping out into the frigid evening, she decided a latte sounded good. A short drive later, she was in front of Bronco Java and Juice, watching Cassidy Ware behind the counter, filling orders with a smile. As usual, she was dressed in the green company apron, her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. A few weeks ago, Cassidy’s life had changed irrevocably. Had it been Sofia, she couldn’t have coped with the life-altering accidental pregnancy. But Cassidy seemed to be handling it with her usual grace and tenacity.

  Sofia didn’t know Cassidy all that well, but she seemed like a nice person. Not all that long ago, Sofia had helped Brandon win Cassidy over by telling him about a beautiful red coat she’d admired in BH Couture. He’d bought it for her, and not long after the two were engaged.

  It seemed that marriage was happening with so many people her age. Cassidy was known to be so serious and career-minded that Sofia hoped she’d manage both marriage, motherhood and career. It wouldn’t be easy.

  “Hey, Cassidy,” Sofia said as she walked inside the shop.

  “Hiya!” Cassidy waved hello. “Look what the cat dragged in. How’ve you been?”

  “I should ask you that.” Sofia patted Cassidy’s hand. “Feeling okay?”

  Cassidy certainly seemed fine. Her cheeks pink and eyes bright, her smile huge. Of course, it was too soon for her to be showing. Sofia was amazed at how excited she seemed to be. Then again, she reminded herself that for so many women, motherhood and marriage were wonderful things.

  “I’m great! The morning sickness is gone, finally. Boy, not a moment too soon. I couldn’t even drink my favorite juice because it made me so sick. Brandon was going out of his mind, trying anything to see if I would keep it down. But finally, I’m out of the woods.”

  Sofia nearly snorted. Out of the woods? Ha! Wait until the child was born. The denial was incredible. “Well, as long as she or he is healthy.”

  This was the other thing to say. Realize how much more important the baby’s health was than any kind of upheaval he or she might be causing. This did seem to be true for all expectant parents, and it made sense, of course.

  “Exactly! That’s what Brandon says. And he thinks it’s a girl.” Cassidy had already started making Sofia’s mocha latte, her usual.

  “What do you think?”

  I don’t care as long as he or she is healthy.

  Sofia could recite this stuff by heart now. Sure enough, Cassidy parroted the words.

  “I never thought I’d see Brandon settle down,” Sofia said, and when Cassidy’s shoulders sank a little, she quickly switched gears. “But then you came along and wow. I know he loves you. I can just tell.”

  “Thanks. I had my doubts about him, but he’s really come through.”

  Fortunately, with no one in the line behind her, Sofia was able to chat freely. “So...um, like, when did you know you were in love with Brandon?”

  Cassidy blinked in surprise. Sofia never talked about this kind of stuff with her. They weren’t actually friends, just casual acquaintances. This kind of talk was Camilla’s territory. But Sofia could use a second opinion, because Camilla wasn’t exactly unbiased. Cassidy at least understood what it was like to have new and strong feelings about a man you didn’t even expect to like.

  Sofia took out her wallet and paid. “I’m just curious. You and Brandon dated in high school, but you weren’t in love back then. Something changed.”

  Cassidy slid over the mocha latte in its sleeve. “He’s different now, but so am I. And I know what you’re thinking. This baby isn’t exactly what either of us planned, but I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  Still, Cassidy probably didn’t have a plan for balancing marriage, motherhood and her business. Up to now, as far as Sofia understood, she’d been primarily a businesswoman. She even had plans to open another shop in Lewiston soon. Sofia didn’t know how Cassidy would be able to give equally to both the baby and her career, not to mention Brandon. She’d have to keep him happy, too. It seemed that all of her friends who’d been married and were on their way to have children had lives that were forever changed. That’s how it happened. No matter what, something had to give.

  Of course, Brandon was wealthy, so they could hire nannies to help. But Cassidy, like Sofia, wasn’t the type to give anything she loved less than 100 percent. How could Cassidy realistically give everything 100 percent? Clone herself?

  “But...how did you know?”

  “Why? Is this about a special guy?”

  Sofia laughed, hopefully not too loudly, and waved a hand dismissively. “Are you kidding me? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m asking for...a friend. Of mine. You don’t know her.”

  “Well, you know Brandon had a reputation. The time we dated in high school we were both so young. You were the one who told me recently that you thought maybe he had a lot more going on than he let most people see. I finally saw who he was, beyond the rich playboy.” Cassidy wiped the counter. “I fell in love with that guy. He’s sweet and loving. He takes care of me. I know he’d do anything for me. And our baby, of course.”

  “That’s great. But don’t you ever—” Just then Sofia’s phone buzzed, and she nearly dropped hot coffee all over herself trying to pull it out of her purse.

  Cassidy gave her a look, her eyes wide. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m just...expecting a call... Can’t miss it...”

  She juggled her latte, buzzing phone, Kate Spade purse. Finally, she had the presence of mind to set everything but her phone on an empty table. Had she ever in her life made such a fool out of herself over a guy? Not to mention she didn’t even know if this was Boone. It could be someone else.

  But a closer look at her phone showed a text message from him:

  Have you missed all the great text?

  Pure delight slid through her. Maybe he’d really been giving her the time she’d asked for and nothing more. Boone wasn’t trying to rush her into anything. She’d been wrong about him and quite possibly a little paranoid. Typically, she’d overreacted. He simply liked her, maybe nearly as much as she liked him. She replied:

  Life has been very boring without all the text.

  Chapter Eleven

  After three days, Boone was nearly jumping out of his skin to see Sofia. He’d had no more excuses to drop by the boutique, and only briefly considered going back to return all the clothes. He’d already decided to donate them to the holiday clothing drive at the Bronco Heights Community Center next month. But even if he never wore them again, they would always remind him of Sofia. The care she’d taken to select every piece of clothing for him. The way she’d touched him, her hands around his neck fixing his tie, coming so close. Her sweet scent, so warm and unique.

  M
an, he had it bad.

  “That has to be the shortest nap in baby history,” Morgan said, coming down the winding staircase, holding his baby daughter, Josie.

  The moment that Josie saw Boone, her legs kicked and she reached her chubby little arms toward him.

  “Hello, my best girl,” Boone said, taking her from Morgan.

  At almost one-year-old, she couldn’t yet talk, but she certainly made a lot of sounds and pointed to what she wanted. And for a baby, she had a lot of things. Stuffed animals, dolls, a high chair, playpen, bottles, pacifiers, diapers and clothes galore. Everything seemed to be strewn over the great room of the cabin. Morgan said no matter how hard they worked, it was impossible to keep up.

  Yet Boone couldn’t wait for the day when he had this kind of mess take over his life. As much as he loved working with horses, lately he found it was even more enjoyable spending time with little Josie and with his nephew, Robby, his brother Holt’s son. Kids were so perfect. Innocent and sweet. New. He wanted to have about six of them, give or take, now that he could afford that many.

  “Let me get her a bottle,” Morgan said. “Then I’ll change her.”

  Josie pointed toward the other end of the great room, and Boone, her transportation, took her there. He set her down on the leather sectional and she reached for her stuffed bunny.

  “Gah! Meep!” She buried her face in the bunny’s fur.

  “She really loves that thing,” Morgan said. “And you know she crawls, so you don’t have to carry her everywhere she points.”

  “Are you saying I spoil Josie?”

  “Something like that.”

  A few moments later, Boone’s phone buzzed, and he realized he’d left it at the other end of the room.

  On his way to the kitchen, Morgan picked it up. “Um, do I even want to know? ‘Life has been very boring without all the sex’?”

  “Hey, a little privacy, please?” He caught the phone when Morgan threw it to him and read Sofia’s message. “Not sex. Text.”

  “Seriously? I’m so sleep-and sex-deprived I read sex instead of text?”

  His and Sofia’s subtext notwithstanding, Boone would have to agree. Close enough. “What? No sex?”

  “Not enough. Forget I said anything.” Morgan returned a few minutes later with a bottle, which he handed to Boone. “So, is this text from Sofia? Or are you seeing someone new?”

  “Still Sofia. Did you hear about Dale and Shep’s latest prank?”

  Boone assumed the position, and Josie cuddled into his arms grabbing hold of the bottle with both hands. Pretty soon she’d be drinking from a cup, and he didn’t know about her parents, but Boone would miss this bonding time with her.

  “You mean entering you into a contest at the boutique, so you’d get a brand-new wardrobe you’ll never wear?” Morgan sat and leaned his head back, shutting his eyes.

  Boone half wondered if he’d take a nap in the middle of their conversation again as he’d done last week.

  “Yeah, well, we’ve been on a few dates. It kind of worked out for me. Things are good.”

  “She seemed pretty pissed at you at the wedding, if you don’t mind me saying. What did you do?”

  “It’s what I didn’t do. I didn’t let her know that I’m one of those Daltons with money. I sort of...pretended that I didn’t have any.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “I came to the store ready to tell her there had been a mistake, and that she should choose someone else for the grand prize. But then I saw her, and...”

  “Kablammy?” Morgan opened his eyes and cocked his head.

  He often referred to the “kablammy” and sparks he’d felt when he first laid eyes on Erica Abernathy, before she’d turned to him and revealed her swollen belly. Fast-forward a year, and now Morgan was the only father that Josie would ever know. He’d found a ready-made family.

  “Boom! Bang! Kablammy!” Boone said with animation for Josie’s sake, and she kicked her chubby legs in delight, giving him a sweet smile. “I wanted the real prize. Figured it couldn’t hurt to spend some time together, get to know her before she found out the truth. We started going to DJ’s Deluxe for dinner every night. I told her right away that my entry had been a prank. She took it well. Then she asked me to the Taylor wedding. I was going to tell her then who I was, but you beat me to it.”

  Morgan grimaced. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to out you, but why would you keep that from her?”

  “She had assumptions based on what I wear. She assumed I was poor, and I didn’t exactly correct her.”

  “You wore your usual uniform of boots you’ve had for a year, jeans, leather jacket and flannel shirt?”

  “Why would I replace perfectly good boots? When these wear out, I’ll get a new pair.”

  “Well, brother, on the other hand, if she had those kinds of assumptions maybe she needs to check herself.”

  “What do you mean?”

  A tug of uneasiness slid down his spine. Sofia wasn’t one of the many women he’d met who cared that he had money. He’d proven that. Whether she realized it or not, she had a lot more going on than her beautiful exterior. If she didn’t know that already, he’d make certain to teach her.

  “Maybe she needs to understand there’s more to a man than the clothes he wears. The appearance he projects. All the tooled leather, lariats, flashy diamond rings and ornate belt buckles. We’ve both experienced how appearances can deceive.”

  “Nah, that’s not Sofia. She likes nice things. I think she likes to stand out, and she does.”

  “You’re telling me it’s her nice clothes that made you want to ask her out?” Morgan snorted.

  Not even close. It hadn’t even been her looks exactly. Boone had dated beautiful women who were ugly on the inside.

  “It was the way she treated me when she thought I had nothing.”

  “Ah, well, that’s something.” Morgan took Josie from Boone and carried her into the other room. “I have to change her.”

  Boone glanced at his phone again. He missed Sofia, but if he wanted a life like Morgan’s and Holt’s—a wife, children—he had to confirm that Sofia understood what Boone believed was important. Family, traditions, connection, heritage. Boone may not have come from a legacy of ranching in Bronco, but from the moment he’d landed in this beautiful area, he’d made a decision. He and his wife would start their own legacy. At thirty-one, Boone was tired of dating and temporary relationships. He’d been ready for the real deal since he’d arrived in Bronco. He only needed to find the right woman, and he thought he’d found her the moment he first laid eyes on her.

  Now he wanted to see how Sofia would do around his family, and around children. He thought of the perfect place.

  “Hey, Morgan, are y’all going to the Harvest Festival this weekend?”

  * * *

  Sofia couldn’t say yes fast enough when Boone called and asked her to meet him and his family at the Harvest Festival. She looked forward to hanging out with his family, and the festival was a favorite part of her memories growing up in Bronco. And after all, he’d hung out with her family last Sunday. Besides, Sofia knew Morgan in passing. He seemed like a super nice guy, who’d wound up falling for Erica Abernathy even though she was already pregnant when he met her. These Daltons sure weren’t living up to their reputation as so-called “bad hombres.”

  Felix had dropped by the boutique a day ago to check in. While he liked Boone, he’d also heard that those Daltons weren’t the nicest guys in town. He didn’t care whether or not they were accepted into the Bronco cattleman’s association, but just wanted to make sure Boone was treating her right.

  She assured him that he was.

  The Harvest Festival was held annually on land near Bronco’s largest local pumpkin spot. Sponsored by some of the wealthiest ranching families, it’d been going on for as long as Sofia cou
ld remember. The local schools included one weekday field trip during October, where busloads of kids would descend on the place. There were rows upon rows of orange and yellow marigolds, and heaps of pumpkins of every size for sale. In the middle, a pyramid of pumpkins was around twenty feet tall. As a child, Sofia had loved the train ride that traveled the entire farm, going around the pumpkin patch, past stuffed scarecrows and the corn maze. The hayride on a wagon was another attraction, but there were also plenty of carnival-style games and food exhibitions.

  It had rained two days ago, so the ground was still soft and muddy in places. Sofia got out of her car and stepped carefully around it all, though she’d worn her favorite snazzy rain boots today, the ones printed with pink umbrellas. At the entrance, Sofia caught sight of Boone, waiting, hands stuck in the pockets of his jacket. That leather looked comfortable, worn in all the right places, and a sudden memory hit her swiftly. She’d loved a blue-and-yellow cotton dress with a pattern of sunflowers when she’d been a child. She’d loved it, not just because it had looked so good on Camilla before she handed it down to Sofia, but because the material was soft and gentle on her skin. Comfortable. She had begun to think of Boone in the same way.

  Plus, the jacket Boone wore gave him an attractive, kind of bad-boy vibe, even if he was clearly no such thing. This cowboy might dress down, but Sofia understood there was a lot more depth to Boone than she’d realized.

  As she approached, a couple of teenage girls descended on him, tossing their hair and licking their lips. She understood, because as a teenager she’d gone for the bad boy too. Those guys who never wanted to settle down with just one girl made it safe to date them. Nothing ever got too serious.

  The girls might have asked him for directions, because Boone pointed and spoke, until Sofia caught his eye. He smiled then, seemed to excuse himself from the girls and walked toward her. The girls stared dreamily after him, somewhat crestfallen when he walked away.