Grumpy Cowboy: A Hot Single Dad, Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

by Max Monroe

  “Has Joey ever met her? Does she know who she is?” she asks rapid-fire, her mouth moving a mile a minute.

  “She blows through town once a year—twice maybe, if Kanab is on the pro circuit—but when she does, the last thing on her mind is Joey.” I glance at my daughter as she bursts through the doors of the lodge, an ice pack raised high above her head in a proud display. “My Joey’s smart, and I’ve done my best to explain the situation to her, so I’d say she knows. But the last damn thing I’m gonna do is force my girl on someone who doesn’t want her and break her heart even more. Over my dead fuckin’ body.”

  Leah nods enthusiastically. “I agree. As long as she has the tools to make her decision for herself when she’s older and you don’t actively keep her away from her mother, letting the natural pace of contact take shape is the best way to go. I can tell you,” she continues with a tone that reeks of personal experience, “a forced relationship with a parent is definitely not better than no relationship at all.”

  There’s a story there, one I desperately want to ask her about, but I know now isn’t the time. Frankly, today and tomorrow aren’t really the time for much of anything. It’s, hands down, the busiest time of year at Shaw Springs, and it takes more than enough hours and mental capacity on its own.

  I don’t need to be delving into Dr. Leah Levee’s family history—and I need to be diving into the things she’s making me feel even less.

  “I got the ice!” Joey shouts enthusiastically, coming to a panting stop beside us and holding out the medical packet.

  Leah takes it gratefully and smiles at Joey. “Man, that was fast, Jo-Jo! I swear, you’re definitely the fastest person on this ranch.”

  “Really? I kind of felt like it took me a while this time.”

  “Are you kidding? I barely even had time to blink!”

  Joey’s eyes widen in wonder, and if I could see my own, I can’t guarantee they wouldn’t be doing the same.

  Comparison, when it comes to yourself, is the thief of joy. My mama always said it, and now that I’m older, I know she got it from Theodore Roosevelt.

  But what neither of them accounted for in their saying is that sometimes, when you’re looking at two people outside of yourself, comparison doesn’t steal. In fact, it gives the gift of clarity.

  Leah Levee isn’t an uppity girl with a too-good-for-you attitude like Anna Morrow.

  She’s nothing like what I pegged her as when we first met.

  No, Dr. Leah Levee is just the opposite.

  Leah

  This afternoon, after icing Rhett’s knee and procuring his brace from his truck, Joey and I sent him on his way to work on everything for the big extravaganza tomorrow. They have events to set up and seating to stage and a whole number of volunteers to train and assign.

  And although Rhett was poised to take Joey with him, I figured a little bit of girl time and a lunch picnic sounded like a much better idea.

  Which it was. We danced and ate a boatload of cheese and sliced meat from the ranch guest market and laughed ourselves silly until my stomach hurt. But once Jenny showed up on babysitting relief duty before dinnertime, Joey went home with her, and I was left to my own devices.

  And, honestly, after the amount of manual labor I’ve been doing in Rhett’s place to keep him from reinjuring himself, I was kind of looking forward to it. A little R & R. A little recoup. And a few mindless rom-coms on the old DVD player.

  Remote in hand, I lift it toward the small television to hit play, but the soft sound of thumping against my front door stops my finger in midair.

  My eyebrows draw together.

  Who in the world would be here right now? The whole ranch is busier than I’ve ever seen it, and from what I understand, that’s completely unlikely to stop until tomorrow.

  Plus, it’s pretty darn dark outside, and I figured I’d be long forgotten until the end of events tomorrow night.

  When another delicate knock sounds from the other side, I toss the remote down on the couch and head for the door. It’s strangely timid, and pretty much an entire half of me is wondering if wild mountain lions can make that sound to fool unsuspecting victims in the middle of the night.

  Nevertheless, I can’t Google it, thanks to the lack of Wi-Fi I’m actually starting to get used to, so the only way to find out is to check for myself.

  I tread gently to the window and pull back the curtain with the kind of hesitation that suggests I actually think it’ll affect a mountain lion’s ability to sense my presence. Like, if I’m too loud, that’s when it would attack and shoot into my cabin like it’s in The Matrix or something.

  Geez, Leah. Get it together.

  Scraping the curtains back all the way, I jump when a cute, toothy smile turns to look at me, and it’s very much not the cute, toothy smile of a mountain lion.

  Scrambling, I drop the curtains back into place and race around to the door to open it as quickly as possible. “Oh my God, Joey! What are you doing here? Where’s your dad?”

  “Still workin’,” she says simply as I shuffle her inside the door, close it behind her, and lock it. She might not be a mountain lion, but for God’s sake, there must be some out there, and she was just standing on my stoop waiting for me to open the door for who knows how long!

  I didn’t even have my freaking porch light on.

  “Does he know where you are? How did you get here?”

  “Oh yeah, he knows.” Joey smiles. “There’s some emergency or somethin’. Bulls broke through the fence, I think. Tiny brought me over after I told everyone you said I could come over here if I needed to.”

  I’m not about to discredit a five-year-old for the sake of being right, but I definitely didn’t say she could come over. I mean, I don’t mind, but I definitely didn’t say it. Maybe, though, that means she actually likes spending time with me, and man, does that feel good.

  “And what? Tiny just dropped you off and left? What if I wasn’t home?”

  “We could see ya movin’ through the curtains.”

  Holy hell, what?

  Suddenly, I’m reconsidering all the naked dancing I’ve done through the living room on my way to make coffee in the mornings. Somehow, I’d just assumed that being so out in the middle of nowhere meant I was invisible. But evidently, I’ve been performing the ranch’s unofficial burlesque show for everyone within a mile radius. Still, I don’t have time to think about that now, so I scrub my hand down my face to clear that idea from my mind and move on.

  “Okay, well, no big deal. I’m glad you’re here, actually. I was just about to pick a movie to watch, and now you can help me.”

  “Yay!” she says with a bounce that makes her hair fall in her face. I reach forward to move it aside and notice the smudges of dirt on her normally pristine skin. It seems that even for five-year-old Josephine, today has been a long day.

  “Maybe you can take a quick shower first, though. Would you like that? I’m sure I have something you can put on that’ll be more comfortable than your jeans and boots.”

  “Can you braid my hair after?” she asks excitedly, rocking up onto her toes and clasping her hands in front of herself.

  “Definitely,” I agree. “That sounds like a perfect plan. And when it dries, it’ll have a pretty wave in it for tomorrow.”

  “Eeep!” she squeals with enthusiasm before taking off down the hall.

  This certainly isn’t the plan I had for the evening, but somehow, it feels as if it’s transformed into something better.

  My T-shirt hangs off Joey’s shoulders and just about drags on the floor, but she looks excited to be wearing the mark of Adam Levine’s face even if she doesn’t know who he is.

  It’s the kind of sleepover magic every girl feels the first time she spends her night doing unexpected and girlie things.

  Over the last hour and a half, I’ve stood outside of the bathroom shower curtain while she shouted questions through it to me during her shower, braided her hair, and painted her nails with
the light pink polish she found on my nightstand.

  And I’ve laughed more than I can remember in the last five years, and I’ve done it with a human who’s only existed for that long.

  I don’t know what that says about my social life of the recent past, but as Joey flashes her nails and spins in a circle in my T-shirt, I can’t really find even an ounce of flesh inside me that cares.

  “Do I look like you?” she asks with a giggle that just about turns my chest into molten lava. I’ve never really meant something to a kid, what with my only sibling taking his time settling down just like me, but the way they look at you with this unconditional reverence…it’s no wonder people decide to have them.

  “Almost exactly. Except way cuter.”

  She giggles again and jumps up onto the couch with a twist. I scroll through the shelves of DVDs and eventually come upon Tangled. I’m not too ashamed to admit this is one of my favorite kids’ movies, and I saw it in the theater all by myself when it came out.

  It was mostly because, as a child of my generation, I loved Mandy Moore.

  But I left the stadium seating of the AMC 15 in Salt Lake City with a whole hell of a lot more than I bargained for and a forever love for Rapunzel.

  “Have you seen Tangled?” I ask, holding it up so she can see the case.

  “Yes! It’s one of my favorites!”

  I smile. “Mine too. How about you load it up in the player, and I’ll make us some popcorn?”

  “Ohh! Yes! Extra butter!”

  “You got it. Extra butter coming up!”

  If I were this child’s mother, I’d probably need to concern myself with including some sort of healthy option along with the fat-smothered popcorn, but I’m not. And plus, this is a sleepover. If this isn’t a time to eat your weight in junk food, I don’t know what is.

  I skip-run into the kitchen and grab two of the biggest bowls I can find from the cabinet while Joey bounds over to the DVD player and gets it going.

  Next, I grab the popcorn packs and place one in the microwave, dig in the fridge for some beverages, and when I spot a lone cucumber on the shelf from my most recent well-intentioned grocery run, glance back at Joey. She’s got the movie cued up and is waiting patiently, but she also looks like she’s had a pretty long day.

  Mayyybe it’s not such a bad idea to include something nutritious.

  With a huff, I grab the cucumber and a knife from the drawer and make quick work of cutting it into slices.

  “Okay, this is weird, Leah,” I mutter to myself quietly. “You’re officially doing weird things because of weird, compulsion-like feelings. This should probably be assessed by a mental health professional at your earliest convenience.”

  “What did you say?” a tiny voice suddenly asks from my side, making me jump what feels like ten feet in the air and almost drop the knife. I glance down at Joey, wide-eyed and excited, and I toss the knife into the sink before I can come close to slicing off my finger again.

  “Nothing, sweetie,” I lie, hoping to all hell that she didn’t actually hear what I was saying. “Is the movie ready to go?”

  “Uh-huh,” she agrees with a nod. “All we need is the popcorn.”

  “Here, why don’t you take this glass of lemonade in there for yourself, and I’ll bring in the popcorn and cucumbers when the microwave goes off.”

  “Popcorn and cucumbers?”

  I nod, licking my lips. “Yep.”

  “Is that…like…something you normally eat together?”

  “Definitely,” I find myself lying. God, Leah. “It’s something everyone eats in Salt Lake City.”

  “Oh,” she accepts with a nod. “Okay.”

  I smile as she tiptoes into the living room while holding the glass of lemonade with two hands, and I finish up everything for the food.

  I grab the rest of our movie snacks and follow her into the living room.

  I set everything down on the coffee table next to her drink, and she bounces forward immediately to grab one of the popcorn-filled bowls.

  In an effort to be a good influence, I take a slice of cucumber from the plate and pop it into my mouth before grabbing a bowl of my own. Before I know it, she moves forward to do the same.

  “Tasty, isn’t it?” I say around a mouthful, making her laugh almost uncontrollably. “What?” I ask around my chipmunk cheeks purposefully. “Do I sound funny or something?”

  She giggles some more and points to my mouth. “You’re not supposed to talk with your mouth full!”

  “I’m not?” I ask, still not chewing my food. “Am I being rude?”

  Her peals of laughter only intensify, and I can’t help but join in. Seeing her like this, spending this time with her, brings me to life and settles a lead ball in my stomach at the same time.

  Because I’m blessed to be here, but after today, I know firsthand there’s a woman who’s had this privilege for five whole years and hasn’t even bothered to take it.

  How? I wonder to myself. How on earth do you not fall in love with a little girl like this? How don’t you give your life, your blood, your sweat to making sure her dreams come true?

  I didn’t understand it with my parents and the way they resented Sam and me, and I don’t understand it now.

  This little girl deserves a mother who wants to lay the world at her feet.

  Not someone who hardly acknowledges her existence.

  If I ever start a family, have a family of my own, I’ll make damn sure I’m ready to be the mother my child deserves. The kind of mother Joey should have.

  Rhett’s knock against the front door is strong and true, entirely different from his daughter’s knock just five hours ago. It’s the middle of the night, and Joey’s sleeping form is tough to scoot off my lap, but I make sure to manage it quickly in the hopes that I can stop him from knocking again and waking her up.

  Once I gently set her head atop a cushion on the couch and sweep the small piece of hair that’s escaped her braid out of her face, I rush over to the door.

  Unbolting the lock, I turn the knob and quickly open it, only to put a gentle hand on Rhett’s chest, push him back, and pull the door loosely shut behind me.

  His eyebrows draw together at my actions, but I drop my voice to a whisper, put a finger to my lips, and smile. “Sorry. Jo-Jo’s sleeping on the couch. I don’t want to risk talking in there and waking her up.”

  The corners of Rhett’s lips curve up affectionately, and my heart skips a beat in my chest.

  Quiet, girl, I tell it sternly. Calm down.

  “That’s sweet, darlin’. But my Joey could sleep through an earthquake and a tornado at the same damn time. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone sleep as deep as she does.”

  “Oh,” I mouth, and he chuckles, reaching out to smooth my jaw back into a smile with his thumb. My back straightens at the rough feel of his callused skin against my smooth, and a jolt grabs my arousal by the horns and refuses to let go.

  My breath feels shaky in my chest, but I do my best to cover it up.

  “You wanna let me inside now?” he asks with a smile that borders on sexy. “I’ll get her out of your hair, and you can get some sleep.”

  Before I even know what I’m doing, I shake my head, and his forehead pinches together.

  “No?” he contests softly, something in his aqua-blue eyes I’m terrified to inspect.

  “No,” I say through a hard swallow. “I mean, yes.” I shake my head again and start over. “I was just going to say, why don’t you leave her here? She’s already asleep, and you’re going to be just as busy in the morning as you were tonight, right?”

  He nods. “Probably.”

  “Well, I’m not. So, just let her sleep here, we’ll eat breakfast in the morning, and then go on the guest ride over at the lodge barn. She’s been begging me to ride horses with her for a while now, so I think it’s time. And then we can just meet up with you afterward for the exhibition and everything.”

  “Are you sure?” he asks, almost
disbelievingly.

  “Yeah.” I smile. “It was really nice having her here tonight. She’s a great kid, Rhett, and it’s no trouble at all. This way, maybe you can actually get some real rest and recharge for another busy day tomorrow.”

  Tension crackles between us, and I swear, for one short instant, we actually consider kissing each other. I can’t really explain how I know the feeling is mutual, but I do know that I feel it.

  In the end, though, reason prevails, and I step back so hard I bump into the unlatched door and almost fall right through.

  Rhett catches me, thankfully, sending us both into laughter we don’t expect. The quick movement, however, reminds me to be a pain in his ass and doctor his knee.

  You know, Leah, the actual job you’re here to do.

  “Don’t forget to do your stretches and brace up tomorrow, okay? I don’t want to see you without it.”

  He shakes his head and sighs, but what he doesn’t do is fight me on it.

  Well, that’s a first.

  Backing away slowly, he tips his hat and then turns to walk gently down the stairs. When he gets to the bottom, he glances up at me over his shoulder, the perfect picture of the grumpy cowboy I know and…actually kind of like.

  Except this time, all the grumpiness melts into a downright sinful smile.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Leah. Take care of my girl.”

  “I will,” I promise with a nod, and then I thank God that she’s here. Because as I watch Rhett Jameson climb into his truck and drive away, I know without a shadow of a doubt that if she weren’t, I’d be nursing my arousal to sleep with a hand in my pants and a sexy, rugged cowboy on my mind.

  The last thing I need to do is give these strange feelings and fantasies any encouragement.

  July 3rd, Saturday

  Rhett

  “Okay,” I tell Tiny over the radio, taking a swig of my second travel mug of coffee for the day. “I’ll take care of it when I get over there.”