Wild Cowboy Ways

by Carolyn Brown

  Nadine pulled out the fourth chair and patted the seat for Allie.

  Allie fought the blush but she lost. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Mary Jo to ask Sharlene, but she bit her lip to keep from spitting out the words.

  “I think we’ve embarrassed her.” Sharlene giggled. “But we do want to hear more about Blake Dawson and his brother. Blake is hot enough to make a virgin sin and I lost my V-card years ago. If Allie hadn’t interrupted us this morning, I might have more to tell you.” Sharlene went on to tell about how she was about to get Blake in a horizontal position when Allie came out of the bedroom looking like a bag lady.

  Mary Jo laid a hand on the extra chair. “We really do want you to join us, Alora, even if you did upset Sharlene’s plans. You do know she’s got her eye on that cowboy and it’s not a short-term deal she’s lookin’ for.”

  Nadine fanned herself with the back of her hand. “I swear to God, I get hot flashes every time I get a glimpse of him. I needed a fan Sunday in church and it was church! And you got to sit with him when your granny went all wonky. What was that like? Did you feel the heat from all that testosterone? Bobby Ray says that he won’t last at the Lucky Penny and it might be best if he don’t because there’s liable to be a dozen marriages on the rocks if he sticks around very long.”

  “You are in love with Bobby Ray and planning to marry him. How can you talk like that?” Allie asked.

  “I’m not dead. A dieter can look at the candy counter, you know.” Nadine huffed.

  “I work for Blake. End of story,” Allie said bluntly.

  “I’d gladly work under him.” Sharlene giggled.

  “Or on top of him,” Mary Jo said.

  “I’ve got news,” Sharlene said. “Y’all remember Oma Lynn who graduated a year before us?”

  “That tall blonde with braces who had two left feet?” Mary Jo asked.

  “That’s her. Well, she works at the Muenster bank and she says Blake Dawson…God, isn’t that the sexiest name ever? It sounds like a name you’d hear on the CMA awards. I wonder if he sings.” Sharlene sighed.

  Nadine polished off the last of the doughnut and reached for a bear claw. “I bet he could make my body sing.”

  “Ain’t no doubt.” Mary Jo’s laugh was high pitched.

  Allie was torn between wanting to hear what they had to say and hiding in the back room out of sheer embarrassment. They were acting like they were still cheerleaders at Dry Creek High School. She sat down in the spare chair and crossed one leg over the other.

  “Well, anyway, I called Oma Lynn to catch up. She was so happy to hear from me that she didn’t even know I had an agenda.” Sharlene reached for the last bear claw. “So I skirted around the issue and said that some dumb cowboy had bought the Lucky Penny. And she dived right in without me sayin’ another word. She said that they call him the wild cowboy and his younger brother, Toby, is the hot cowboy and the cousin, Jud, is the lucky one.”

  Nadine almost choked on the bite of doughnut. “Good God almighty, you mean there’s one even hotter than Blake? And they’ve got a cousin?”

  “That’s what Oma Lynn said,” Sharlene said as she nodded. “And that his brother is going to show up here in the summer and the three of them are determined to turn that ranch’s luck around. And one more thing, if I don’t land Blake Dawson, then y’all better stand back because I will get Toby or Jud.”

  “Well, I can’t wait to see the other two,” Mary Jo said. “And now we want to hear about Blake. No detail is too small. How does he like his coffee? Black? With cream or sugar? Is he really wild? I heard he and Deke took some woman to Frankie’s this weekend.”

  Allie leaned on the table with her elbows. “Who was the woman?”

  Mary Jo shook her head. “Must’ve been some loose-legged old girl because you know what they say about Frankie’s, but we can’t find out and believe me we’ve tried hard to get someone to tell us.”

  Sharlene shook her head slowly. “I wouldn’t even go there.”

  “Me, either. I’ve heard all kinds of things happen at Frankie’s.” Mary Jo shivered.

  “You got any idea who they were having a threesome with?” Nadine asked.

  All eyes turned to Allie. She squirmed in her chair and said, “You’ll have to ask them. They don’t tell me their dark secrets. Mainly we talk about drywall, paint, and shingles. Oh, and whatever food he brings out of the freezer for dinner.”

  Allie’s phone rang and she fished it from her pocket. “Excuse me. Y’all need more coffee, help yourselves.”

  It didn’t take a psychoanalyst to know they were talking about her and Blake when their loud voices dropped to whispers when she left the table.

  “Fiona, thank you, thank you!” Allie said.

  “For what?” her sister replied.

  “The gossip triplets are here,” Allie answered.

  “What are they doing at the Lucky Penny?”

  Allie sat down in the metal folding chair behind the counter. “Mama had to take Granny for an evaluation, so I’m minding the store this afternoon.”

  “Don’t they have jobs?”

  “They all called in sick,” Allie answered.

  “Lizzy has called me a dozen times in the past three days tattling on you for being really rude to some guy named Grady,” Fiona said bluntly.

  Allie nodded to herself. “If that sorry sucker was the only man left on earth, I still wouldn’t like him.”

  “And Blake. If he was the last man on earth?” Fiona asked.

  “I’d jump his bones.” Allie laughed.

  “Mama and Lizzy are afraid you are really going to fall for him. You aren’t going to do that, are you? That place has never brought anything but bad luck to anyone who was affiliated with it, so think before you jump,” Fiona begged.

  Allie rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, then looked outside. The sun was still shining brightly in Dry Creek. It was hard to imagine that in a few hours the sky could go all gray.

  “Allie, are you still there?” Fiona yelled.

  Allie held the phone out from her ear. “I’m here. What if Blake is the one?”

  “I hear he’s got a reputation for wild cowboy ways, so he’s definitely not the one for you, sister. After that crap with Riley, you’re too responsible for that kind of relationship,” Fiona said.

  Well, that put the tally up to four who thought she was nothing but a plain old Jane who could never even get a wild cowboy to kiss her.

  “Changing the subject. Remember when I told you when Riley left you that if Greta could break up a marriage, then she’d better watch out because someone could come along and Riley would leave her behind, too? Do you remember Denise Wilson who graduated with me?”

  Allie didn’t want to hear about Riley. He was the old that she’d taken care of that morning. Strange as it was, she’d rather be at the table with the gossip trio than listen to stories about her ex, but Fiona was only trying to help.

  “She had an older brother who was Riley’s friend, right?” Allie asked.

  “That’s the one,” Fiona said. “She works at the dealership and rumor has it that Riley has been sneakin’ around with Denise’s younger sister, Suzanne. The kid won’t listen to a damn thing. She’s quit college and says that she’s ready to settle down and be a mama.”

  “Holy shit! Is she pregnant?” Allie gasped.

  “Not yet, according to Denise, but she and Riley have been going at it hot and heavy for more than a month. I’ve got to get to work now but tell me that even though he’s hot, you’re not interested in the cowboy and I’ll tell Mama and Lizzy. That way they’ll stop calling me,” Fiona said.

  Allie propped her feet on the counter. Crap! She was even wearing work boots and all three of those women at the table had on cute cowboy boots with their fancy jeans. “He’s hot. I’m not interested.”

  “That don’t sound like you mean it.”

  Allie laughed. “Okay, he’s scorchin’ hot. But I’ve got better sense th
an to get tangled up with someone that close to home. He’s my friend and I like him.” No way in hell was she mentioning Frankie’s because her sister wouldn’t only tattle, she’d make arrangements to send Allie off to a convent.

  “You are interested. I can hear it in your voice. Dammit, Allie!”

  “Tell Mama and Lizzy that I’m not interested in him and they’ll leave you alone,” Allie said. “And now I’m hanging up.”

  Allie hit the END button as Lucy Hudson walked into the store.

  “Hey, Miz Allie, where’s your mama?” She made her way to the milk and soda pop case.

  “She had to take Granny up to Wichita Falls for a doctor’s appointment.”

  “Ain’t nothing else wrong with Irene, is there?” She carried two gallons of milk to the counter. “Don’t have to buy this often but my milk cow ain’t makin’ as much as she did a month ago and them grandboys who are stayin’ with me and Herman use a lot of milk. Might have to buy us another cow pretty soon.”

  “Granny is going for a routine checkup. That all you need today?”

  “That’s it. No, wait a minute. I’d better get a pound of bologna to make sandwiches for the boys tomorrow if the weather is fit.”

  “Won’t take a minute. You sure a pound is enough?”

  “Best make it two pounds. Them boys can put away the groceries,” Lucy said.

  Allie sliced and wrapped the order in white butcher paper, wrote the items on a yellow sales pad, and Lucy scribbled Herman’s name on the bottom. Allie filed it under H with the rest of the Hudson bills for the month.

  Lucy leaned over the counter and whispered. “I hear Sharlene is making a fool of herself with Blake and that Mary Jo ain’t far behind her. Them two ain’t cut out for ranchin’. It takes a strong woman to be a rancher’s wife and them two are all about themselves, not helpin’ a man make a livin’. You need to warn him or talk to Deke and get him to talk sense to that boy.”

  Allie was about to say it wasn’t her place to warn Blake but Lucy inhaled and went on. “I like Blake and I hope he makes a go of it on the Lucky Penny. I’d hate to see him fail because he wound up getting roped by a woman with dollar signs in her eyes.”

  Allie nodded.

  “Tell your mama and granny hello for me. I hope they get home all right. It’s going to get slick out there,” Lucy said.

  “I will.” Allie nodded.

  Lucy winked, gathered up her bag of groceries, and hurried out to her truck.

  “Well, that’s done,” Deke said, and looked up at the ceiling rafters. “All ready for her to start beddin’ and tapin’ come morning. Let’s go to the store and get a cold soda pop. I bet Allie is bored to death on a day like this and she’ll be glad for the company.”

  “Sounds good to me. Do they let dirty old cowboys like us in the store?”

  “I expect we can go without shinin’ our boots,” Deke said.

  The first flakes of snow were drifting down from the sky by the time they arrived at the store. Deke removed his weathered old cowboy hat and yelled, “Allie, if there’s any doughnuts left put my name on them and bring them to the…” he cleared his throat and coughed, “back room where me and Blake are going to have a cold soda pop.”

  Allie cocked her head to one side. “What are y’all doin’ in town?”

  “We put in some hard work so we came to get a cold drink, darlin’.” Blake grinned. “I could’ve cut more wood, but me and Deke decided to surprise you. The new drywall for the ceiling is up. Looks like hell but Deke tells me your magic touch tomorrow will do wonders. We’re going to take the ceiling out down the hall and the living room this afternoon. Herman and his boys are still cutting wood but they’ll have to quit pretty soon.”

  Blake noticed Sharlene at the table and was that Mary Jo?

  “What is going on?” Blake asked when he and Deke had passed through a curtain into a back room. A twin bed was set up on one side with a recliner beside it facing a small television. Four chairs surrounded a table for four in the middle of the room. The blinds had been raised to let as much natural light as possible into the room.

  Deke set two bottles of Coke on the table and explained the situation. “Irene stays in here part of the time, so they made it comfortable for her. But your question is about Sharlene, Nadine, and Mary Jo. Don’t never encourage them with even a smile. Steer clear of them. If you need any help call me. They are trouble.”

  “Is this the voice of experience I hear?” Blake grinned.

  “It’s the voice of my older brother’s experience. I learned from his mistakes and I’m passin’ that bit of information down to you. Not only are they on the prowl most of the time, they kiss and tell, and they are Dry Creek’s biggest gossips. And I heard Sharlene has already said that she’s going to marry you, by hook or crook,” Deke answered.

  “Allie, darlin’, we need to pay our bill. We’re going to Wichita Falls for a spa afternoon. You want to go with us?” Nadine called out.

  “Got to keep the store for Mama. Y’all have fun and be careful. You might get stuck up there if the weather gets really bad,” Allie said from behind the counter.

  Nadine giggled. “That is exactly what we are hoping and why we packed our bags in case of emergency.”

  Mary Jo handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “Are you sure there’s nothing goin’ on with you and Blake? I’m paying for everything today so take it all out of this.”

  Allie rang up the amount in the cash register and made the right change. “Smart ladies to go prepared.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Nadine said.

  “Like I told you, I work for him. Deke helps me out when he can like he does on all jobs.” If there was something going on, those three would be the last people on earth that Allie told.

  “Good. I’d hate to see you get involved with the wrong person again like you did with Riley. Y’all never did go together. And believe me, honey, that cowboy is way too much for you to handle, especially since you couldn’t handle Riley,” Nadine laughed.

  Tally was growing. Now it had five people on the list.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Allie had been working all day Tuesday cutting and putting up insulation and she itched from her scalp to her toes, some of it real but a lot of it was imaginary since there was no way the insulation had gotten down into her socks and work boots. But still, it would be nice to take a quick shower before supper so she dropped all those itchy clothes on the floor and pulled the curtain around the tub.

  Blake had taken a pan of pulled pork barbecue from the freezer and had invited her to stay for supper. Her mother, sister, and grandmother were at a ladies’ meeting down at the church and they’d be there until well after nine, so no one would even know she’d spent the evening with Blake.

  “Hey, throw your clothes out here in the hall and I’ll put them in the washer. They’ll be clean and dried by the time we finish supper.” Blake’s deep voice carried through the thick bathroom door. “My robe is on the hook on the back of the door. You can wear it until your stuff is ready.”

  She stood behind the door and shoved all her things out to him. Dammit! Now he’d know she wore plain white bras without a bit of lace and matching cotton bikini underpants. Nothing sexy about her; not one thing to catch a wild cowboy’s eye.

  The robe smelled like a mixture of Blake’s shaving lotion and soap so she pulled it closer and inhaled deeply. Making sure it was securely belted around her waist and nothing was showing that shouldn’t be, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

  She felt totally naked even though she was covered from head to toe. The woman in the mirror with no makeup and wet hair wore white cotton underpants and a white bra and Blake would know it by now. There wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it so she took the first step toward the kitchen.

  “Come on in, Allie. I’m putting the food on the table,” Blake called out.

  She opened the door and sniffed the air. “Smells good.”

&nbs
p; Everything was normal when she got to the kitchen. Supper was on the table in disposable aluminum foil pans. A washer was running in the background and the coffee pot gurgled out the last bit of water. It was merely another meal at Blake’s place but without Deke there and Allie wearing nothing but a robe—well that changed things a hell of a lot.

  “Beer or sweet tea? I made a fresh pot of coffee for after with dessert, which is peach cobbler that came with the church ladies.”

  “Sweet tea,” she answered. She didn’t want a damn thing that Sharlene had brought into the house. “I love peach cobbler. I bet it’s Ruby’s recipe. That’s what she always brings to church suppers.”

  “You look downright adorable in my robe and I bet you feel a hell of a lot better with all that insulation washed off you,” Blake said. “After your things get washed and dried let’s go outside and build a moon snowman.”

  “A what?”

  “A snowman by the light of the moon.”

  She smiled. “That sounds like fun. It’s wet enough to pack good and solid and there’s enough to make a good snowman.”

  “You look beautiful,” he said abruptly.

  “I got to admit, I feel more than a little vulnerable, so you might want to keep your wild ways under wraps,” she said honestly.

  How did the conversation go from snowmen to her so quickly? She felt a blush coming on but she wasn’t the only one with high color in her cheeks. Grown men did not get flustered, but Blake did. Then he laughed. “And what makes you think I’ve got an ounce of wild in me? I’m only a rough old cowboy trying to turn a ranch around and get the town of Dry Creek to accept me.”

  Allie sat down. “Oma Lynn. You ever heard of her?”

  Blake’s heavy dark brows drew together until they became one long line. “You mean the sweet lady who works at my bank in Muenster? Why are you asking about her?”

  Allie dipped into the pot and filled up her bowl with pulled pork. “She grew up right here in Dry Creek. Sharlene, Mary Jo, and Nadine have gotten the scoop on you from her. She spilled the beans about you being the wild Dawson, your brother being the hot one, and your cousin being the lucky one.”