Still a little stunned, Evie followed Miss Leona into a beautiful sprawling kitchen/living room space where there was another surprise waiting. She recognized Sam Pleasant from the pictures Zach had shown her. He stood, feet spread apart and arms wide-open in welcome.
“Wazzup!”
“Oh snap! Oh snap! Oh snap!” Zach laughed as he eased around her and Miss Leona. She watched as he executed an elaborate handshake with his little brother, then pulled him into a tight hug. “’Sup, man.”
“Just thought I’d hop on a flight and see what all the fuss was about. Hey, girl.”
Sam had a combination of Zach and Jesse’s features, all arranged in a sweet, high cheeked face. Evie figured he and Lilah were around the same age. He had Zach’s same charming smile, but he lacked his brothers’ facial hair and their massive height. He was still tall though, at least a whole head taller than Evie. He wasn’t sporting the whole cowboy-in-a-business-suit ensemble that his brothers made work so well, but he still looked handsome in his Rams hoodie.
“Evie, this our brother, Sam.”
“Nice to meet you,” Evie said.
Sam’s expression dropped and his gaze darted between Evie and his brothers and Tilde. “Oh shit—I mean shoot. Okay. So she really—okay. It’s nice to meet you? See you?”
“Either is fine,” Evie said. “I’m sorry I stole your brothers away for Christmas.”
“Psshtt. They were right where they needed to be. Man, I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“How long are you in town?” Jesse asked as he made his way into the kitchen.
“I fly out day after tomorrow. I have to do this thing for Variety on New Year’s Eve.”
“Turning into Senior right before our eyes,” Zach said, his mouth turning up at the corner.
“Checks are already better though.”
“Geez, man,” Zach said with a wince.
“Hey. Chill out,” Jesse scolded.
“All of you go sit down. All in the way. Jamming up my kitchen,” Miss Leona grumbled. “Be useful or move. Corie, can you show Miss Sweetheart here to her room?” Evie realized she meant Tilde.
“Absolutely.”
“Actually, I got it,” Jesse said. “And then I gotta head over to the ranch right quick.”
“It’s the Rock!” Sam shouted. Zach and Lilah laughed. Evie had no clue what they were talking about. Jesse rolled his eyes, then nodded in Evie’s direction.
“You’re in good hands. Listen to Miss Leona. Get some rest.”
“Thank you, Jesse.”
He nodded one more time, then led Tilde down the hall.
Sam laughed when he was out of earshot. “Man, he’s turning into Senior.”
“Said the same thing and then he threatened to toss me out of the plane at thirty thousand feet,” Zach said. Evie must have missed that conversation.
“Evie, baby. Do you want something to eat?” Miss Leona asked.
“We have tons of leftovers, including my amazing chili,” Lilah said.
Evie hated to turn down their hospitality, minutes after she walked in the door, but she was suddenly too overwhelmed. She was still getting to know herself, but she knew if she pushed herself any harder, and tried to force interactions with this many new people at once, she might cry again. And no one needed that. “Chili sounds good, but is it possible to see where I’ll be sleeping? I think I might take a nap. I couldn’t sleep on the plane.”
“Of course, baby. You get your rest. Zachariah, we’re gonna put her in the sunshine room.”
“Excellent choice, Miss Leona. Come on with me.” Zach took Evie’s hand and she couldn’t ignore the small thrill that ran through her the second their fingers laced together. They walked through first floor of the large house and stopped at a room near the end of the hall.
“You’re in here. Miss Leona, Lilah, and Corie are upstairs,” he said, just as Tilde came out of the room right beside them.
“I was going to lie down for a little bit,” Evie said. She shook herself free from Zach’s hand as if they’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Oh good. Let me just check your bandage.”
Evie turned back to Zach. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, but she felt like she had to say something. She felt like she was running. Miss Leona had already been so welcoming and she wanted to spend time with Lilah and Corie—and Sam, since he would be leaving town again—but between all the new names and faces and the dogs, a wave of exhaustion was overtaking all the energy she’d built up for the three-thousand-mile trip. She swallowed and tried to speak before Zach cut her off. “I—”
“Hey, I’m not going anywhere. The other house, right over there. That’s my place. I’m gonna catch up with Sam, but I’ll be around.” Yeah, but will we ever get some time alone? she thought.
“Okay.” They both hesitated a moment and then a moment longer until it was clear that Tilde wasn’t willing to wait all day for Evie to come along. “Okay, bye.” She followed Tilde into the bright, airy bedroom and sat down on top of the softest bed she’d ever felt. Of course, her remembered experience was thin. After Tilde completed her thorough examination and firmly encouraged Evie to drink a glass of water, Evie kicked off her shoes and made herself comfortable on top of the covers. She just needed a little nap and then she would rejoin the fun.
* * *
Zach knew a nap was probably a good idea, but he was too jacked up on caffeine and the weird effects of two cross-country flights in a few days. He knew he’d crash out as soon as he hit his bed that night, but for now he needed to clear his head. The more time he spent around Evie, the more eager he was just to be alone with her, to talk, to try to . . . he wasn’t sure what exactly. But he knew he couldn’t hang out on his grandmother’s couch with Evie sleeping right down the hall. He walked back into kitchen, back into the chaos of a full house still dressed top to bottom in Christmas decorations. “I’m gonna head over to the office. I left my laptop there. And I have to go say hi to Steve.”
“He missed you,” Lilah said. “I went and brought him some Christmas carrots and he looked me dead in the eye like you’re not my daddy.”
“I’m a deadbeat, I know.”
“Hey, I’m coming with you. I took Majesty out for a long ride this morning, but I’ll swing by the stables again.” Sam hopped off his perch on the kitchen stool and kissed Miss Leona on the cheek. “We’ll be back for dinner.”
“If you go riding—” she started.
“We know. Bathe before we come back in this house.”
“We’ll leave the trail where we found it,” Zach said. “Come on.”
“Miss Leona told me you ditched her on damn Christmas,” Sam said as soon as they stepped out on the front porch. Zach stopped and turned his face to the sun before he slipped his Stetson back on.
“I think checking on Evie was a reasonable excuse.”
“I know why you went—”
“Now, listen—”
“Oh, I know Jesse gave you all kinds of shit. What the hell happened?”
Zach gave his brother the short version of Evie’s accident according to Nicole as they walked back across the property to his house, the house he used to share with both of his brothers. Euca and Clementine followed, pushing their way past Zach’s legs as he unlocked the front door to his place. He didn’t like spending more than a few nights away from Charming or the ranch. Forget leaving town for a medical emergency. His house had that strange stale feeling, like all life had abandoned it, taking any sense of warmth with it. It’d take a day or two to break the place back in, shake off the feeling of plane seats, unfamiliar hotels beds, and shitty plastic hospital chairs. Still, it was good to be home.
“Her agent thinks she was pushed,” Zach said.
“Jesus.”
“Yeah.” Zach walked to his bedroom and Sam followed. He set his Stetson on his dresser, then went right to his closet and pulled out some fresh clothes.
“So she’s hiding out here unt
il—”
“I don’t know. Until she feels well enough to leave.”
“I talked to Mom and Senior,” Sam said as he leaned against the side of Zach’s dresser.
“I have to call them back. We Facetimed them Christmas morning, but they were rushing off to some show.”
“Do they know you brought Evie back here?”
“Sure don’t, sure didn’t tell them. You know what Dad would have said.”
“Usually it’s the moms who want to marry their kids off,” Sam said with a scoff.
“Listen, I don’t agree with him, but I get where he’s coming from. I keep trying to explain to him that those days of everyone getting married and starting a family before they turn twenty-five are over.”
“He might be on to something though. To him, you and Jesse are old as fuck.”
“How is thirty-two and thirty-four old as fuck!?”
“I don’t make the rules, man. I’m just saying. And there won’t be any Pleasants from our line to leave this place to if one of you don’t meet a woman at some point.”
“Yeah, I’ll ask Evie how she feels about the concept of heirs as soon as you fly Natalie over to—”
“Natalie and I . . .”
“You what? Oh! That’s why you came back.”
“Yeah, that’s over. It was my first time meeting her parents, and the second we get off the plane she tells her mom she’s expecting a proposal any day.” That stopped Zach in his tracks. “That’s what I’m saying!” Sam said, throwing his hands up in the air. “I very calmly told her that I wasn’t there yet.”
“You guys have been dating for three months.”
“I know, man.”
“Well, she tripped herself up there. Did you know Jesse was Evie’s emergency contact?” Zach knew he should let it go, but the fact that his brother and Evie had been in touch this whole time was still working his nerves. What else didn’t he know?
“No.”
Zach pulled a fresh T-shirt over his head, then turned back to Sam. He knew when his brother was up to something. “But you’ve kept in touch with her too, haven’t you?”
“Yes . . .”
“What the fuck?”
“Listen, that beef was between you two. We’ve been friends on Facebook and then Instagram this whole time, and then I ran into her at this thing in the Hamptons last year. She asked about you, but you know Evie. It was mostly shit-talking, and then she had to go kiss some network ass. What do you want me to say?” Sam laughed.
“Nothing. Just like your ass did this whole time. You and Jesse. Man, I swear.”
“Oh, come on. What? We were keeping you from the love of your life?”
Zach spun on his brother and pointed a finger right in his face. “Exactly.”
Sam laughed, shaking his head. “So you going to give it the old college try now? After how many years of acting like the idea of you and her was big nay-nope? Now that she can’t freaking remember you?”
“One, she does remember me. Sort of.” Zach told him about how he accidentally made her cry and she told him about the dreams. “She remembers parts of me.”
“Yeah, ’cause she was in love with you.”
Zach sat on the edge of the bed and tugged on some fresh socks. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”
“You don’t know how badly I wish I could stick around and watch you fuck this up.”
“Yeah, she’ll come around and stab me with a fork any day now. But in the meantime, let’s ride.” Zach clapped his baby brother on the back, then the two of them headed over to the ranch.
Chapter 8
A ride, even a short one, was just what Zach needed. He and Sam saddled their horses, then set out on Cooper’s Trail, the wider, smoother trail that made it easier to ride Majesty and Steve side by side. Sam had stories and jokes, but they were both quiet after a while. Zach was indifferent to Natalie, but he couldn’t pretend his brother hadn’t just gone through a breakup, even if Sam had jumped off the subject faster than he’d brought it up. Natalie meant something to Sam if he’d agreed to go meet her folks for Christmas, and the breakup had to have been brutal enough for Sam to hop on a flight right back home. Zach made a mental note to check up on Sam over the next couple of weeks, even if his brother was busy doing his Hollywood thing.
They turned back as the sun started to set, and as they headed back to the stables, Sam told him more about some projects his management had lined up for him. It was a good distraction, hearing about his brother’s career. It kept all his thoughts about Evie at bay for a little bit longer.
“I know I won’t win shit, but I do want something I can get a nomination for,” Sam said as they finished rubbing their horses down. They stopped their conversation as a few guests kicked up a fuss, wanting to see the horses even though all equine activities were done for the day. He saved Kurt, Felix’s right hand, the stress of persuading the guests to head back for dinner by offering to give them a quick tour himself.
Kurt finished up with Steve and got him settled in his stall while Zach took his sweet-ass time introducing the couple to nearly half of the over seventy horses they housed at Big Rock. He loaded the couple from Portland down with so much horse-related information they were anxiously eyeing the exit as he launched into the breeding history of draft horses and why, though they weren’t as exciting as thoroughbreds, they still did an important job at the ranch, providing the literal horsepower to cart visitors on the extra-fun hayrides. He did this whole song-and-dance in a fake Southern accent, mind you.
When they finally excused themselves for dinner, Zach felt like he’d given them their money’s worth. Distracted them from possibly recognizing Sam too.
When they got back to the truck, they picked up their conversation where they left off as they started the short trip back to the house.
“As I was saying before. There’s nothing wrong with you wanting awards. Listen. If Miss Leona can do it, so can you. And I don’t mean to downplay Senior’s accomplishments. He’s good. And he’s got plenty statues of his own, but you’ve got that it that Miss Leona has.”
“You’re just—”
“No, I’m not just saying that.” Zach pulled his truck to a stop in front of his grandmother’s front door. They’d missed Jesse when they stopped by the office to grab Zach’s computer, but he could see the lights on in Jesse’s house. “I watched Inferno five times its opening week. You are fucking brilliant in it. You went from stunt rider to scene stealer in actual features, and you didn’t use Miss Leona’s name to do it. You made this happen.”
“Man, I guess—”
“No ‘I guess.’ You know I’d clown you into next week if you were stinking up the screen. You’re only twenty-six. You’ll get there. You’ll get that statue.”
Sam was quiet for a moment before he looked over at him. Their relationship was built on 97 percent comedy, but neither of them had any issues telling the truth, and Sam knew it. “Thanks, man. I wish I could get you in front of the camera. I can’t believe you do that accent with guests.”
It had been a joke when they were on the rodeo circuit with Senior when they were kids. One way to cope with good ole boys who were still pissed that slavery had ended and even more pissed at how much prize money Jesse Pleasant Sr. and his sons used to walk away with every year.
“Hey, you know how it goes.” Zach slid into the accent again. “You come all this way for a slice of country living, you expect a show.”
“Shit, I’m glad Jesse decided to the raise rates.”
“You and me both. Now get the fuck out of my truck. I need to shower.”
“You coming back over for dinner?” Sam asked as he stepped down from the cab.
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a bit. Don’t eat it all.”
“No guarantees.”
Back at his place, Zach undressed and got right in the shower. He knew if he sat down or even looked at his bed he’d be out for the rest of the night. He needed to eat and, of course, he’d
taken it upon himself to make sure Evie was settling in okay. It was nice to spend time with his baby brother, a nice break from Jesse’s stone-faced demeanor, but as soon as Zach stepped under the hot spray he only had two things on his mind. His empty stomach and a certain chef.
Now that he was back in Charming and Evie was out of immediate danger, Zach couldn’t stop thinking of all the what-ifs and what-could-have-been scenarios that might have popped up over the last ten years. Yeah, it pissed him off to no end that his brothers had carried on some type of relationship with Evie while he was left thinking she’d written off the whole family. As recently as a week ago Evie Buchanan still hated his guts, but he couldn’t undo the truth of where they were now and what part he’d had in getting them there. Seeing the way she’d reacted to him in the hospital, the way she’d taken his hand as he’d shown her to her room, their almost-kiss, Zach couldn’t give up on this.
As he rinsed the conditioner out of his hair, he had to wonder what would have happened if he had just taken a chance over the last decade. He would have altered Evie’s career in some way, but would he have ruined it? There was no way for him to tell. All he knew for sure was how badly he missed her, how much downplaying not having her in his life had wounded him. He lost Nana Buck and Evie all at once, and he didn’t handle either loss well. But he had to handle the situation right this time.
Zach knew he’d fucked up. He could still hear the way Evie’s voice broke, still clearly remember the tears running down her face when he told her to go back to culinary school. He wished he’d said the right thing, even though he was too young to know what the right thing was at the time. It just never occurred to him that his brothers would carry on whole relationships with her and not say a word about it. Not even a single I checked in on Evie. She’s doing fine. Nothing. A shitty voice in the back of Zach’s head thought they might have been trying to protect Evie from him, but that couldn’t be true.
A Cowboy to Remember Page 8