Cherished Embrace (Cherish Cowboys Book 3)

by Charlene Bright

  Kelsey was almost feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for the new friendships she’d found since being in Cherish. Everyone was so kind and they made her feel so welcomed. Any barriers she experienced were of her own doing, and she knew that, but there was a lingering fear in her. If she tried her hand at love again and something went wrong, she couldn’t keep running from town to town and just starting over. That was impractical, but with a small town like Cherish, you didn’t get a lot of chances to even start a relationship, much less have opportunities for second and third chances. It was a thought that had appealed to her before moving there, but now, it seemed like it was a barrier to true happiness. Not everyone was as fortunate as Colton and Olivia seemed to be, or as in sync with their futures as Wade and Mal were.

  “Hey, where you at?” Brayden asked in whisper, his breath tickling her ear.

  “I, uh, Sergio’s,” she sputtered out and then smiled softly. It was a smile meant to hide what she’d been thinking, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t working with Brayden.

  “Well, Sergio’s a lucky guy to have your attention like that, Kelsey.”

  “It’s my code name for you,” she said, trying to bring out the flirt. She felt silly doing it, but didn’t think she did too bad of a job.

  “I like that.”

  “I’ll change your name in my contacts to it, then,” she said.

  He smiled. “I’m really enjoying our little game.”

  She nodded. “We’re so good that I’m forgetting it’s a game,” she said, and then her face turned to stone. That had come out completely wrong. “I mean, uh, I mean … you’re a nice guy.”

  “Two nice people playing games. That’s what it’s come down to,” he replied.

  She gulped. Was there some hidden meaning underneath his words? Was he really not as reserved as she thought he was? Misreading him certainly wouldn’t be a surprise, because she’d lost all confidence in her ability to judge a good character—especially a handsome, male character.

  “So, are you two going to the fundraiser together?” Mal asked, looking over at them.

  “We hadn’t even discussed it,” Brayden said.

  There was silence. He looked at everyone.

  Kelsey looked at everyone.

  “Would you like us to discuss it in front of you?” he asked.

  In as serious a voice as one could get, Mal said, “Yes.” Then she smiled. She was ready to play right along with him. The woman was fearless.

  “Okay, then. Now I know,” he said and then turned to Kelsey. “May I escort you to the fundraiser in two weeks, Ms. Jackson?”

  “If your intentions are pure, I’ll think about it,” she said.

  “I assure you, I am a man with no ill intent,” he chided.

  “Then I shall accept, assuming that chaperones to make sure we behave are present.” She looked at Olivia and then Mal and waited, smiling innocently.

  “I’m too young to be a chaperone,” Olivia said.

  “Well, I’ll be the matron,” Mal said. “Glad to see you two took care of business with us present.”

  Kelsey had to hand it to Mal. She never failed to surprise and had an amazing skill of turning everything around to look as if she’d planned it that way. Must have been the attorney in her. If she’d stuck with practicing law, she’d probably be the most winning trial attorney ever.

  After that, the conversation was a bit mellower—bellies were full and people were getting tired.

  “Wade, I’m set to go. It’s been a long day,” Mal said.

  “No problem, busy day ahead tomorrow, myself. Brayden and I have to make a trip to Deer Run and then get to work tapping that well point,” Wade said.

  “Which means that we should get going too,” Kelsey said. She felt a slight pang of disappointment, as she was having fun and could have stayed out longer.

  “I’m good,” Brayden said. “Unless you’re tired, that is.”

  “Well, I think you two will be on your own. I’m tired, too,” Olivia said.

  Colton and Wade shook Brayden’s hand. Mal and Olivia hugged them. And then they were gone, leaving the two alone.

  Brayden was excited for the opportunity, glad to have Kelsey to himself to talk with in a bit more casual setting. He liked the way it felt to have an easy conversation with her. They had grown more comfortable with each other, and it was pretty nice.

  Two hours later, by the time he pulled up in front of her house, he was feeling good, but hesitant. He hadn’t expected that he’d start to buy in to his game, because he was off the market and on the mend. But he seemingly had, and the way Kelsey looked at him made him wonder if she had too.

  “Well, goodnight. I’ll see you this week sometime, I’d imagine,” he said. He extended his arms out to hug her and she let him.

  The way his arms wrapped around her took out all the chilliness of the night air and Kelsey loved the way he smelled, the way his arms wrapped around her protectively. It was so nice.

  “I’m sure we’ll see each other. After all, there may be more ‘urgent’ business that Mal and Olivia have for me.”

  “That can only be delivered by me,” he said. Not that I’m complaining, he thought.

  Chapter Seven

  The past two weeks had been very busy for Kelsey. The shop had a lot of customers, which was great, of course, and all the time it took to coordinate the final details for the hospital fundraiser were quite time consuming. As a result, she’d gotten only four hours of sleep each night. When she wasn’t actually out and about taking care of business, she was tossing in her bed, thinking about it. And strangely enough, those moments led her to thoughts of Brayden. When her arm flopped over to the right side of her full-sized bed, she felt nothing there and was reminded of her aloneness. The bit of warmth and hope that Brayden had given her seemed to be a tease, more than a promise of something better.

  “Ugh,” she said, rolling over. She’d had enough of lying there. She might as well get up and do something. The week’s receipts and bookkeeping needed to be done for the shop. Might as well get that done. Although it had been offered in a joking tone, she really did love the idea of Brayden doing her books and her helping him with marketing—even if logistics once he was back in Helena, or wherever he ended up, were a hindrance. A girl could still wish.…

  As she sat doing her books, enjoying a cup of the piping hot coffee she’d just made to give her a much-needed caffeine boost, Kelsey heard her phone buzz on the counter, and her heart stopped. Messages in the middle of the night were never good.

  She got up quickly and grabbed the screen and then breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was from Brayden.

  Just remembered, have a cash donation for you. $100. Registered it in books already. Will leave under your front door mat on the way to Deer Run in the AM.

  Great, thanks.

  You’re up?

  Couldn’t sleep, doing some work. How about you?

  Couldn’t sleep, either.

  We won’t have much life in us at the fundraiser tonight.

  Second wind—that’s what I’ll rely on. What time should I pick you up?

  4? Give time to make sure everything’s in place.

  See you then.

  Bye.

  She stared at her phone, definitely not wanting to go back to bookkeeping. Brayden was awake where he was. She was awake too. Fleeting thoughts about him were a part of her insomnia that evening. Did he get insomnia a lot? Was he thinking about her as well?

  ***

  Brayden had noticed how wonderful Kelsey looked the instant he saw her. The emerald silk blouse had brought her fascinating eyes to life and the curves that her jeans revealed were very alluring. He could have just stared at her all night if it had been an option. Instead, he would settle for having fun with her as they worked the bar together. The couple who had volunteered for that duty had had a family emergency and couldn’t make it.

  “I cannot believe how many people are here,” Brayden
said, his eyes open wide in surprise. They had said over and over that the turnout was always good for the event, but it looked like every person of every age from every town around had made their way to Millberry Farm to celebrate.

  “Well, thanks to an excellent record keeper, I know we sold forty more tickets for the event ahead of time than we’ve ever done before. And that line by the door that’s paying here, well, it’s pretty long. So maybe,” Kelsey replied. “Heaven knows that I’d feel lousy if I made the event less successful than it had been.”

  “You couldn’t do that,” he said.

  Just then, a young man walked up to them and asked for a beer. Kelsey and Brayden looked at each other and tried to hide their smiles. The kid was clearly younger than twenty-one.

  “I’ll need to see an ID,” Brayden said, smiling at him.

  “I don’t have it on me,” the kid said. Then he added, “It’s for my dad.”

  “Sorry, I may not be the sheriff, but I’ve still got to uphold the law,” Brayden said. Then he tilted his cowboy hat that he’d put on that night, which made Kelsey almost burst into tears.

  She had been instantly awed by how handsome he had looked in that cowboy hat. He’d purchased it that week, he’d said, and it was the first time she’d seen him in one. He looked really good and his hair, which had grown longer since being in Cherish, now had slight curls that peeked out from underneath the hat. Very, very handsome.

  Finally, the kid turned bright red and turned to walk away.

  “So, how many times did you try that same thing as a kid?” Kelsey asked, smiling at him.

  “At least a dozen. But I even looked like I was about fifteen when I was twenty-one, so I batted a zero-percent success rate,” he said, laughing and shaking his head. “Feels strange to be the guy on the other side of the bar.”

  “I only tried that once,” she said. “It was a church picnic, happened to take place in a grotto. My grandpa was sitting far away from the beer stand, listening to some music, and I went right for the bartender because I actually knew the person selling beer. I told him I was getting my grandpa a beer. He looked at me and smiled and was about to hand it to me, actually, when—” She paused for dramatic effect.

  “When what?” he asked, tapping his hands on the bar top like a drum roll.

  “When the bartender realized that I ordered a different kind of beer than what my grandpa had always drank. Busted by the details,” she said, laughing loudly.

  “That close to getting away with it,” he said, putting his two fingers just a bit apart to emphasize the point.

  “Probably the only time I acted off the cuff and didn’t plan everything out, and just a bit of planning would have made the difference. Of course, I probably would have gotten busted by my parents and grounded for a good while,” she said.

  “Your parents strict?”

  “Kind of, nothing extreme, but they had expectations. Sneaking beer at the church picnic wouldn’t have quite fit in to them.”

  “Well, you two are the happiest bartenders ever,” Olivia said, walking up to them and smiling.

  “You need a drink?” Kelsey asked, trying to bring out her Gunsmoke’s Miss Kitty voice and failing.

  “In fact, I do. Beer please,” Olivia said.

  “Not without me,” Colton said, walking up behind her.

  Brayden got the beers and Kelsey stood there. “I think this is turning out great. Don’t you?”

  “Everyone seems to be having fun and the party’s just barely starting,” Olivia said. “Poor Mal, though, I think she must be really wiped out because the usual ‘bundle of endless energy’ is yawning away.”

  “She gives her all into everything, that’s for sure,” Kelsey said.

  “Here you go,” Brayden said, making his way back with two beers.

  “Thanks,” Colton said, leaning over and handing him some money.

  “Oh, honey, I’ve got to go. The Zanders family is here; I’m hoping to get them to donate some things to the historical society that they found in their attic,” Olivia said. She waved and was gone.

  “You two need a break or anything? Glad to step in,” Colton offered.

  “I’m doing great,” Kelsey said. She was having such a great time—mostly due to her company behind the bar.

  “Me too,” Brayden said, putting his hand over hers briefly and then quickly pulling it away.

  “Just let me know then,” Colton said and walked away.

  “We do good team work,” Brayden said.

  “Agreed. It’s rare for me to meet people who think the way I do, take things in the same order,” she said. “Not that I’m hard to work with, of course.”

  “Of course,” he said.

  A small, frail voice barely that could barely be heard over the music spoke. “The event is beautiful, dear.” Mrs. McMurray stood there, short and petite as could be with gray hair that still showed some streaks of copper. Her lipstick matched the color her hair used to be, and she had so much wisdom in her eyes that it was hard not to stare into their light-green depths.

  “Thank you, Mrs. McMurray,” Kelsey said. She’d met her formally at Carrie’s wedding the week before. A dateless wedding, she thought.

  “Who are you here with?” the woman asked.

  Kelsey was not unaccustomed to bold questions from curious people in Cherish, but they still managed to startle her every time, just a bit.

  “I have the honor of escorting this fine, young lady,” Brayden said. He put on his Marshall Matt Dillon swagger and nodded at her.

  “Are you that Maxwell boy?” the elderly lady asked, looking closely at Brayden.

  “I am indeed.”

  “I’ve heard good things about you. Could you make me a brandy old-fashioned?”

  “Sorry, we have wine and beer only,” he said.

  Kelsey watched him and was enjoying his amused expression as he talked with the sweet lady.

  “Well, then I’ll have wine, but don’t make it a half glass. Fill it up, okay?” she said. She put her hand on the table and slid over a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

  Brayden turned around while Kelsey was having a hard time keeping a straight face. The old lady was quite spirited, obviously, but it seemed liberating to be that way and Kelsey briefly tried to imagine if she could ever be like that.

  “Here you go,” Brayden said, holding a very full glass of wine. “Would you like me to carry this over to a table for you?”

  “That would be nice,” she said, smiling at him.

  Kelsey knew she was just taking advantage of a handsome, young escort, because she was rather spritely.

  Brayden walked around the bar, wine in his left hand and his right arm looped out. She put hers through it and led him to a table, the one that just happened to be the furthest one away. Kelsey watched, completely entertained, and saw that her sons were by the table with her.

  “Hi,” someone next to her said with a deep voice, startling her

  She turned back and saw a handsome gentleman smiling at her. It was one of those lazy smiles; it made him look relaxed, but also like his face might not be able to support a full smile.

  “Hi, can I get you something to drink?” she asked.

  “A beer, but maybe a dance later,” he said.

  She was taken aback. “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure how long I’m working. Might be manning the bar all night.”

  “Is that an excuse or the truth?” he asked. He was very mellow about it and his question seemed more like simple curiosity, no hidden intent behind it.

  “I might be. I don’t know for sure,” she said. “But thanks for the offer.” She turned around to get his beer and was happy to hide her expression. Then she turned back around. “Okay, here you go.”

  The man took the beer and said, “You can find me over there if you change your mind.” Then he walked away.

  “Change your mind about what?” Brayden asked, looking back and forth between the two. Was that guy someone
of significance in her life?

  “He asked if I wanted to dance,” she said, shaking her head softly. “I said no.” Not that she owed an explanation, but one came out of her mouth, nonetheless.

  “If you wanted to, I’m sure I could handle bar duty for a bit. Colton said he’d help if he needed to,” he said.

  “I didn’t want to, though,” she said. Her voice was very soft and she looked at him, feeling completely vulnerable.

  “Well, maybe we can have a dance later so neither of us forgets how. It’s been a long time since I’ve danced. Probably a few years.”

  “Me too. Not even sure I remember how,” she replied.

  “You ever see the movie Wild Hogs?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I think so. The motorcycle trip, right?”

  “That’s the one. I’m like the William H. Macy character in there. He talks about how the music moves him, but moves him ugly.”

  She started laughing. “Well, maybe I will take you up on that dance offer. I’d like to see just what that looks like.”

  “That devious side to you pokes through every now and again, doesn’t it?”

  “It has a mind of its own when it’s ready to come out.”

  “Remind me to be careful,” he said. Careful with my heart, he thought, because he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Kelsey that night. He really did want to dance with her and move around the floor slowly, his hand pressed against her back and her cheek pressed against his chest.

  Things started to get busier and the two were on the hustle now, not having much time for casual conversation. “This job is a dream if you like to people watch, which I do,” she said, walking past him to the wine.

  “Agreed. I could just kick back and watch everyone do their thing,” he said, walking past her toward the beer.

  They met at the counter at the same time, delivering drinks.

  “Maybe we should stop observing so much and living a bit more,” he said. His voice was bold and he meant what he said.