A Cowboy to Remember

by Rebekah Weatherspoon

  “That’s right,” Lilah added. “If you don’t like it, I’m sure Miss Leona will buy a lifetime supply of wigs.”

  Evie took a deep breath. “You’re right. Okay. Let’s do it.”

  Chapter 19

  At some point in the future, maybe sometime very soon, Zach knew he’d be thanking himself for giving Sebastian Getlier and his family the gold-star treatment, but at the moment all he wanted to do was fall face-first into his bed. He’d been up late with Evie and up early to take Steve for a ride. He had a few calls that he’d promised to handle while Jesse took Evie to the doctor. Jesse had backed off since the three of them had had their chat, but Evie’s health was of course still weighing heavy on Zach’s mind when Getlier tracked him down and asked him to join all the men in the wedding party for lunch.

  He didn’t expect to be the guest of honor, but apparently the groom had been blown away with his riding skills and wanted to know everything about his days on the rodeo circuit. He gave them the short version, leaving out the parts where he’d come up with a brother and father who were now fairly well-known actors, and he definitely didn’t mention Miss Leona. Lunch damn near turned into dinner when they finally listened to Zach’s tenth reminder that there was an actual wedding to get ready for. He ducked out the door in the middle of their “Oh shit” and scrambled.

  When he realized he’d left his own suit back at the house, he contemplated skipping out on the ceremony and climbing right back in bed with Evie. They’d only talk and sleep, get a little of that sweet make-out action they both clearly loved. A nice, slow way to ring in the New Year. In reality it sounded like a perfect New Year’s Eve in. No guests. No calls. No family. Just the two of them.

  Wasn’t happening though. He had just enough time to shower, change, and floor it back over to Big Rock to check in with Delfi and Brit one more time before the ceremony started. God, they had a long night ahead of them: vows, dinner, a barn dance complete with a live band, and the fireworks at midnight. And Zach was already kicking himself ’cause he knew Evie would be a good three hours into a REM sleep cycle by the time it was all over. For once he wished he could switch places with Jesse, be the money behind the scenes, the silent Prince of Charming instead of the face and the mouthpiece.

  Just as he turned down Pleasant Lane, his cell rang. His mom’s international number flashed across his dashboard display.

  “Shit.” He reaches up and hit Accept. “Hey, Mom!”

  “Hi, sweetie! Happy New Year!” It sounded like she was a little lit.

  “Happy New Year, Mom. I think you caught me a little bit early.”

  “It’s midnight in Prague.”

  “I thought it was Paris this year.” He pulled to a stop in front of his place and double checked the time. He had a whole three minutes to deal with this conversation.

  “Change of plans.”

  “Oh, okay. You with Senior?”

  “Of course I am. Jesse, say hi to your son.”

  “Happy New Year, Zachariah.” His dad’s booming baritone shook the inside of his truck.

  “Happy New Year, Pop. Listen, I hate to rush off the phone but I have maybe ten minutes to get ready for a wedding. Can I call you two tomorrow?”

  “Sure, that’s fine. We’ll talk then.”

  “Zachariah, wait,” his mom said.

  “Yes, Mom.”

  “Is Evie still there?”

  Zach closed his eyes and managed not to let an annoyed groan slip out. “Yes, ma’am. She is. She’s probably with Lilah right now.”

  “Oh, good. So you two made up?”

  Zach swallowed, knowing what was coming next. They hadn’t had this conversation in years. Not since he made it clear that he’d ruined things with Evie and that she wouldn’t see him again if she could help it.

  “What makes you ask, Mom?”

  “Oh, your dad and I were just wondering how long she’s staying in town.”

  “Not sure yet, but you know she had a serious accident. I think she’s just happy to have some place quiet to rest.”

  “Oh. You think she’ll be sticking around for a while?”

  Zach tried to not to sigh too loud, but failed. The last thing he wanted to think about was Evie leaving town again. Next on that list of do-not-wants was his parents trying to get involved in his love life from a whole hemisphere away. He loved his mom and dad, but they’d decided to take off and leave him and Jesse to run the ranch, and lead their own lives. He wished they’d follow through on the latter.

  “What’s on your mind, Mom?”

  “I just know how busy you and Jesse are and I know how you two are when you get consumed by work. I just hoped Evie could convince you to come up for air for a moment.”

  “If you are on speaking terms—” his dad chimed in, but Zach cut him off. A flash of annoyance he hadn’t felt in years rushed over him. His parents had found each other and fell in love instantly. They were a good match and set an even better example for Zach and his brothers for what a healthy partnership could look like. For some reason they couldn’t understand that not every relationship came together so easily.

  “We are on speaking terms again, but things aren’t that simple.”

  “I don’t see why not. You still pretending you don’t love the girl?” his dad said.

  “I—”

  “You won’t let us set you up. You won’t get online and find someone for yourself. What’s wrong with the woman who’s right in front of you? Is she seeing someone?”

  “Listen, I gotta go. I love you guys. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “There’s no reason to be upset, sweetheart,” his mom said. “We just know how you two used to feel about each other and now that she’s back, maybe this is God’s way of giving you a second chance.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. I have to go.”

  “We love you. Happy New Year,” his mom said.

  “Love you too.” They said their goodbyes. Zach might have hit the End Call button a little too hard. Slammed his door a little hard too when he got out of his truck.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Jesse called from across the driveway. He jogged over, Clementine at his heels.

  “Nothing. Just got off the phone with Regina and Senior. They were on one, talking about Evie. Walk and talk. I gotta change.” Zach felt like that’s all he’d been doing the last three days. Jumping on and off horses and running back and forth for showers and a change of clothes. He was taking a day off. Soon. He opened his front door and Jesse and Clementine followed him to his room. He toed out of his boots and immediately started loosening his tie.

  “What they say this time?” Jesse asked.

  “Nothing, they just—what is their deal?! Seriously. We can’t just take a wife.”

  “You think I don’t know that? They are just a notch above Uncle Gerald with this archaic bullshit. I’d say they want grandchildren, but that’s not it.”

  “This is why—” Zach stopped himself.

  “Why what?”

  “Nothing. I—” He picked up his Stetson and hung it on the hook beside his bed. “Dad thought he was so cute trying to push me and Evie together, but that’s basically the reason Nana Buck told me to stay away from her.”

  “And she didn’t want you to accidentally get her pregnant.”

  Zach sighed in confirmation. He’d never forget the afternoon Nana pulled him aside in the barn and read him the riot act. He wasn’t gonna fuck up Evie’s life. Didn’t matter how badly her granddaughter had it for him. He thought she was just being protective, keeping them from making teenage mistakes, but the warnings didn’t stop.

  Finally Nana straight-up told Zach’s parents she didn’t want the two of them together. She had plans for Evie outside of their small town. His parents thought Nana was overreacting, but the words had sunk in, and Zach feared and respected the old woman too much to cross her. He’d buried his feelings deep and done his best to convince Evie to do the same by putting her deep in the friend zone.
And it had worked, for over ten fucking years.

  “I know, but shit, man. She just started speaking to me again and she doesn’t even remember me. Can we wait five minutes before I ask her if she wants to be a rancher’s wife?”

  “Is that what you want?” Jesse asked. Zach could tell his brother was holding back from giving him another lecture about playing games with Evie’s heart, but it was a valid question.

  “Can I take the Fifth for now?” Yeah, they were both old enough to make their own decisions, but there were plenty of reasons for them not to rush.

  Jesse shrugged, giving in. “Sure.”

  “Were you gonna ask me something? Why were you waiting in the driveway?”

  “I didn’t know if Evie texted you, but she got her hair cut and she’s really nervous about it.”

  “How’s it look?”

  “Fine. I mean, you’ve seen Evie. She’d look good in a clown wig. I just figure since you two are, I don’t know, a thing, I’d give you a little brotherly advice.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “When you see her, don’t fuck with her. No sarcasm, no jokes.”

  Before, Zach would have been annoyed. Now, though, he knew his brother was coming from a good place. He was looking out for him and Evie both, trying to help them protect this thing they were trying to find between them.

  “Thanks, man. I hear you. Let me get ready.”

  Jesse and his dog left him to it. When he was wedding-ready, Zach took a quick detour over to Miss Leona’s. He was running crazy late now, but he wanted to see Evie before he went back to work. For once he found her alone in the kitchen, whipping up something that smelled absolutely amazing.

  “There’s so much cream and cheese in this recipe, I can see why she had it listed on her blog as a main dish.” She did a double take when she saw him. “Oh, hi. I thought you were Vega. I’m making macaroni and cheese.” She watched him as he crossed the terracotta floor. Evie set down the wooden spoon in her hand and turned to face him. Her delicate fingers touched the side of her head. “What do you think?”

  Zach twirled his hand, motioning for her to turn around. She spun slowly, showing off her fresh fade. He appreciated Jesse’s warning. She looked amazing, but Zach wasn’t expecting the scar on the side of her head to be so big. God, that must have been one hell of a fall. She faced him again, a hopeful smile touching her lips. “Well?”

  Zach closed the distance between them and pulled Evie into his arms. He couldn’t help but smile at the adorable way she pushed her glasses up her nose.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  “Be serious for a moment, Zach. How does it look? Really.”

  “I am being serious. It looks perfect. When we were in high school you begged Nana to let you cut your hair this short, like Halle Berry, but she wouldn’t let you. I think it looks dope as fuck.”

  “Thank you. I’m still getting used to it.”

  “What did the doctor have to say?”

  “So far so good. There’s obviously still some concern about the whole memory loss thing, but Dr. Zordetski is very happy with where I am physically. She referred me to a therapist. Vega is going to help me make an appointment later this week and I get my MRI results in a couple days, but in the meantime . . .”

  “What?”

  “I’ve been cleared for more adult activities.”

  That was all she had to say for all the blood in Zach’s brain to rush to his dick. “I know you need your rest, but man, I’d love to be with you tonight.”

  “I could wait for you at your house. Like, in your bed.”

  Zach didn’t hesitate slipping the key to his front door off the ring. He pressed it into her palm. “You don’t have to wait up for me. I just want to be with you.”

  “Oh,” Evie said, her tone very serious. “I’m waiting up.”

  * * *

  Evie couldn’t sleep and it wasn’t the nervous anticipation that had swirled in her stomach earlier that day when Zach eagerly handed over his key. She’d waited for Jesse and Lilah to leave for a black-tie charity event at the mayor’s house before she let Vega know of her plan to spend the night at Zach’s. She felt bad for ditching Vega at first, but she handled the news very well.

  “Just remember what the doctor said. Take it easy. I’m sure Zach is a wild ride, but keep the sexual acrobatics to a minimum.”

  “I don’t remember what sex is even like. I’m going slow for sure.”

  When a final wave of exhaustion hit her a little after eight p.m., she changed into her pajamas, packed up some of the leftover mac and cheese, said goodnight to Vega, and made her way over to Zach’s house. Once she was settled in bed, she took her time figuring out how his remotes worked. She figured she’d find a movie or another interesting cooking show to binge-watch while she waited for her cowboy to arrive. She clicked a button and brought up what turned out to be his DVR menu.

  The menu was filled with only one thing, episodes of The Dish. She started to scroll, and when she thought there couldn’t be more, there was. Every episode of Supreme Chef, season seven. The season she’d won. She’d watched so much Supreme Chef, but she hadn’t seen a moment of The Dish. She pressed Play on the first episode.

  The tone was completely different from the chaos of Supreme Chef. She watched herself engage in playful back-and-forth with her cohosts, take questions from the audience about the best way to cook steaks. By the time the hour ended, Evie felt strangely numb inside. No memories came to the surface. No recollection of her banter with Troy.

  Nothing to explain the expression on her face when she did her best to cover what had to be the horrible taste of Leslie’s seasoned snack mix. She thought about being in Miss Leona’s kitchen. Cooking with her, cooking with Lilah, sharing the fruits of her labor with Jesse and Vega, and she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to return to The Dish after all that had happened and was still happening. Would she have the same enthusiasm for the work?

  The sudden and insistent sound of her phone vibrating like crazy shook her out of the trance of it all. It was midnight in New York and it seemed like everyone she knew in her former life was calling or texting to wish her well in the New Year. She’d screenshot the texts in the morning and ask Raquelle and Blaire who she should respond to. She silenced her phone and fell into a marathon of a softer, more pleasant show featuring British amateur bakers competing for a prize. A little before midnight, she heard the front door open. Zach crept into the bedroom. He seemed surprised to find her awake.

  “You’re back?” she said just as he leaned over the edge of the bed and kissed her on the lips.

  “The bride and groom tapped out, so I made my escape. I’ll say goodbye to them tomorrow during their brunch. I wanted to ring in the New Year with you.” Evie looked into his deep brown eyes before she looked back down at the remote. She brought up the DVR menu.

  “Why have you been saving these?” she asked. Zach froze, his hand on his bow tie. After a moment, when the air between them refused to budge an inch, he sank down on the bed beside her. The heat she felt whenever she was near him filled her body again and suddenly she knew whatever he had to say could wait.

  “I wasn’t ready to watch them. I wasn’t ready to watch you.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged, then ran his thumb just along the strap of her tank top. She could feel the goose bumps springing up all over her skin. “Because I missed you too much. And I knew if I watched them it would mean admitting that I knew you were never coming back.”

  Evie had no idea what to say.

  “How many episodes did you watch?” he asked.

  “Just the one. I—I don’t . . .” She wanted to tell him about the numb feeling that had washed over her earlier in the night, but something stopped her.

  “You don’t what?”

  “Nothing. Let’s talk about it later.”

  “Can I hold t
hat for a second?”

  Evie handed over the remote and watched Zach click to the New Year’s Eve countdown show Vega had recommended. A very loud woman and a very shiny man were very excited for midnight, which was just minutes away.

  Zach tossed the remote back on the bed and finished undressing, down to his boxers. Evie didn’t realize she was staring until he flashed that smile that made her cheeks heat. What seemed like miles of lean muscle covered in dark brown skin she was dying to caress, his body was a thing to behold. And so was the large bulge just aching to push through the slit in his shorts. She wanted him, so badly her core soaked at the thought of taking him inch by inch. At least her body remembered what to do next.

  “Do you want me to put my hat back on?” He was joking, but she didn’t care.

  “Yes.”

  He chuckled a bit, then grabbed his cowboy hat off the hook near his bedroom door. He slipped it on his head, then climbed in the bed. Evie eased onto her back, grateful for the soft sheets and thick blankets that covered the mattress.

  Zach wasted no time climbing over her body and she wasted no time reaching between them so she could slide her underwear down her legs. Zach stopped her though. She held her breath, body shivering as he smoothed the rough palm of his hand over her skin, easing the fabric away, exposing her wet slit to the warm air of his bedroom.

  He looked up at her from under that hat, his heated gaze traveling over her face, and he gently spread her lips apart with his thumb. She somehow managed to keep her eyes on him as he teased her clit, teased her opening, spreading her juices around. She wanted this, every slow, deliberate moment. She wanted him to be the one to show her how this could be like the first the time, all over again. All she had were her dreams and her diaries to remind her how long she’d been waiting for this moment, and it didn’t seem right to make herself wait any longer.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Don’t make me wait.”

  “I got you,” he replied, his voice thick and rough. He stood from the bed and shed his boxers, exposing the impressive erection between his legs. Evie almost drooled watching Zach stroke himself for a beat as he reached for a box of condoms in his nightstand.