The Cowboy Says I Do

by Dylann Crush

  The dog sniffed the air and inched closer. Dried blood covered the poor thing’s muzzle. Bodie’s stomach clenched. He’d seen more than his fair share of evil in the way men treated each other. But there was no excuse for mishandling an animal.

  “There you go.” With the dog sniffing the piece of jerky, Bodie slipped the belt around its neck. “We’re going to get you taken care of.”

  He stood, walking the few feet back to Lacey with the dog on the makeshift leash.

  “Poor thing. Who did this to you?” Lacey dropped down, her hands immediately going to the dog’s head. “We’ve got to get this tape off of him.”

  “Her.” Bodie pointed to the pup’s underside. “You’ve definitely got a little girl on your hands there. Hold on to her for a sec? I’ve got a first aid kit in the truck.”

  Lacey took the belt, but it didn’t seem like she’d need to hold on too hard. The pup nudged her nose into her cheek, her tail wagging like crazy. Looked like they’d both found a friend.

  By the time Bodie got the scissors and cut the tape holding the pup’s mouth shut, Lacey had given the animal a complete once-over. She’d also taken it upon herself to snag Bodie’s huge water bottle and let the dog take a drink. He cringed as the dog covered the mouth of his stainless steel tumbler with quick, sloppy laps.

  “We’ve got to get her to Zina’s. She can see if she has a chip and check her over.” Lacey stood from where she’d been running a hand over the dog’s side. “Looks like she’s in pretty good shape besides the obvious.”

  “You’re in charge, Mayor Cherish.” He picked up his water bottle and pointed to the truck. “Should I assume she’s riding shotgun with you?”

  “Absolutely.” The smile she gave him was worth having to sanitize his water bottle when he got home.

  “Let’s go.” The dog didn’t have any problem hopping up into the cab. Once Lacey got settled, the pup climbed onto her lap and covered her face with kisses.

  “Hey, cut that out.” She ran her hand over the dog’s head. “Where do you think she came from?”

  Bodie’s heart constricted. That was the million-dollar question. Ever since For Pitties’ Sake rescue had opened up outside of town a few years ago, they’d been inundated with stray dogs. And not just any kind of dogs. Pit bulls. “I wish I knew. Best guess is someone decided she was getting too big and wanted to find a place to dump her.”

  “But why tape her mouth shut? That’s inhumane.” The dog nudged her head under Lacey’s hand in a demand for more attention.

  Bodie swept his palm over the dog’s side, earning him a couple of licks. “I agree. Just once I’d like to get my hands on one of the bastards.”

  “What would you do if you caught one?” She cocked her head, evaluating him with those big blue eyes.

  The way she stared up at him, her eyes full of sass, made him wish he and Luke weren’t such good friends. There was no excuse for the kind of thoughts he was having about his best friend’s little sister. “Things I don’t feel comfortable describing in present company.”

  “You think I can’t handle it?” She let out a huffy breath. “After all the time we’ve known each other, you still think of me as a weak little girl, don’t you?”

  “What?” He scoffed. It would be best if he let her think that. Nothing good would come out of telling her how he really felt. He hadn’t thought of her as a little girl since she came back to town. Still, he kept trying to remind himself that the bombshell sitting next to him was off-limits. That she was the same annoying kid he’d been forced to tolerate while he hung out with her brother. Even if the sight of her made his pulse ratchet up and his palms sweat.

  “I’m all grown up now, Bodie, and I don’t need you looking out for me.”

  He pulled into the parking lot of the dog rescue and brought the truck to an abrupt halt. “I’m well aware of the fact you’ve grown.” Did she have to keep drawing his attention to that? How could he not notice the way her lanky limbs had given way to curves that didn’t end? Her smile had changed from a loopy, toothy girl’s to a seductive grin that was most definitely all woman.

  “Well, fine, then.” She led the dog from the truck.

  Bodie caught up in time to open the door for her.

  “I can open my own doors, you know.”

  “Be my guest.” He let go of the handle. The door closed.

  She let out an exasperated groan as she reached for the handle.

  “What? Do you or do you not want me to open the door for you?” She was sending enough mixed signals that he’d never find his way out of the tiff they’d started.

  As they stood arguing on the concrete pad in front of the building, a guy came up behind them. “Can I get the door for you?” He reached in front of Lacey and grabbed the handle.

  “Thank you.” The smile she gave the stranger overflowed with charm.

  Bodie groaned as he followed her into the building. One thing was certain. He was going to have his hands full with Lacey, even if he didn’t get to experience the pleasure of actually touching her.

  six

  Lacey hiked her jeans up as she held tight to the pup’s leash. She couldn’t help but be acutely aware of Bodie’s presence behind her. Why was he irritating her so much lately? Maybe it was the way he seemed to want to manhandle her, to poke his nose into places it didn’t belong. Or maybe it was because since she’d been back in town she couldn’t help but look at him in a new light. As she waited for Zina to come to the front desk, she let herself consider that possibility.

  For as long as she could remember, Bodie had been a part of her life. Like a second big brother. He and Luke spent all their time together. Especially after her mom passed away and the structure and routine seeped out of their days. If someone wanted to find Luke, all they had to do was locate Bodie. And vice versa. Most of the time she trailed behind them, a little lost while her dad worked all day and stayed out all night drowning his sorrows at the local watering hole.

  While Dad was away it was up to Luke to keep an eye on her. She’d never been much for causing trouble, but she didn’t like to be home alone in their house out in the country, which was why she so often found herself trailing behind the two boys. But when Bodie left for college and Luke reported for basic training she was on her own. By the time Bodie came back to work for the sheriff’s department, she’d been on her way to San Antonio to earn her degree. It had been over eight years since she’d spent any amount of time around him.

  That’s probably all it was. They just needed to get used to each other again. Bodie had always been a bit of a bully, but Luke had been there like a buffer between them. Without her brother in the middle, Lacey would have to manage Bodie on her own.

  Before she could give it much more thought, Zina came through the door leading to the back of the building. “Hey, what are you doing here, Mayor Cherish? Don’t you have a town to save?”

  Lacey rolled her eyes. “Not you, too?” She and Zina had been friends since middle school. Right about the time Luke and Bodie had left town, Zina moved in, finally giving her the friend she’d so desperately wanted.

  “Saw you on the noon news yesterday. You looked really good. Now, where did this gorgeous girl come from?”

  “We found her in the parking lot of Bodie’s office.” Lacey shot a side glance to Bodie. “Our deputy sheriff almost hit her.”

  “Hey”—Bodie’s hands went out, palms facing outward—“that was just as much your fault as mine.”

  Arms crossed over her chest, Lacey glared at him. “How do you figure that exactly?”

  “While you two sort out your story, I’m going to take her back for a quick exam. Do you want to wait here or should I call you when I’m done?”

  “I’ve got to get home. Can I follow up with you later?” Lacey asked.

  “Sure thing.” Zina ran a hand over the dog’s back.
“We’ll get her all checked out. I think with a little love she’s going to be just fine.”

  “Do you have a leash you can use? Bodie thought my belt would make a good substitute but I need it back if I want to keep my pants on.”

  “You sure are a hot mess today.” Zina slipped a nylon leash over the dog’s head before handing Lacey her belt.

  “That’s an understatement.” She slid her belt through her belt loops while Bodie said good-bye to the dog.

  “What will you do with her?” Bodie asked.

  Lacey glanced over at him, wondering if he really was capable of having a soft spot for another living creature. In her experience he’d always been a love-’em-and-leave- ’em kind of guy. She mentally chastised herself. That wasn’t fair. She had no idea what kind of a guy he was now. Too much time had gone by for her to pass judgment.

  “We’ll get her checked over and make sure she doesn’t have anything going on besides the superficial injuries. Then we’ll test her for temperament.” Zina leaned over, earning a sloppy kiss from the dog. “Based on initial observation, I think she’ll be eligible for adoption. She’s a cutie.”

  “Keep us posted, will you?” Bodie scratched the dog behind the ears.

  “Sure will. By the way, if she doesn’t have a chip, what do you think we should call her?”

  Bodie cocked his head and looked to Lacey. “She sure enjoyed riding in the front seat. I say you call her Shotgun.”

  “All right. Shotgun it is. I’ll give you a call later.” Zina disappeared through the door, taking Shotgun with her. The poor pup looked back, reluctant to follow.

  “She likes you.” Lacey nodded toward the dog. “Not sure why.”

  “I’m a likable guy.” Bodie gestured for her to go ahead of him. “It wasn’t that long ago you might have said the same thing.”

  “Why, because you and Luke tolerated me?” She pushed the door open then held it for him as he followed.

  He gave his head a slight shake as he passed. “Can you answer one question for me, Lacey?”

  Shrugging her shoulders, she shot him some major side-eye as they made their way back to his truck. “Shoot.”

  He stopped as they reached the bumper. “Just how big is that stick you’ve got up your ass?”

  Her jaw dropped. Her eyes popped. Her hands clenched into fists. “Excuse me?”

  “You’ve done nothing but bust my chops since you’ve been back. I’d like to know how much longer I can expect that to last.”

  “You can’t talk to me like that.” Heat flooded her face. She wanted to hobble him with a scathing comeback, wanted to slap him upside the head, wanted to knee him in the groin and leave him writhing on the ground. But under all of that animosity, another kind of desire simmered. She wanted to kiss him. And that scared her the most.

  “I know things aren’t going like you planned.” Bodie leaned against the back panel of his truck. “You thought you’d take over as mayor, spit shine the family name, and add a nice bullet point to your résumé.”

  The glare she gave him should have curdled his stomach and wiped that smug grin off his face. Instead, he kept going. His words pinned her to the pavement.

  “I’m sorry it’s not working out like you wanted. But if we’re going to figure out how to save Idont, we’re going to have to work together in some capacity.” He nodded, finally meeting her gaze. “And I’d rather we keep things civil.”

  Civil. She could do civil. She’d be so freaking civil he’d be wishing and hoping for something to break up the sheer politeness of her properness.

  She swallowed the urge to spite him, nodding instead. “That sounds great, just great.” She even thrust her hand out, figuring they’d officially seal the deal.

  He hesitated, probably figuring she was going to try to undermine him in some way, before reaching for her hand. “All right, then. Can I give you a ride back to your truck?”

  “Yes, please.” She squeezed his hand as hard as she could. His expression didn’t change. He probably couldn’t even feel it. But she sure could. A sizzling awareness zinged through her, snapping along every nerve ending from the tip of her toes to the ends of her hair. For all she knew her wavy locks might possibly be standing on end.

  Bodie released his grip. “Let’s go.” He rounded the bumper, leaving her standing in place.

  Smoothing her hands over her hair, she forced herself to move to the cab. She didn’t have time to think about Bodie Phillips in any capacity other than someone who could help her find a way out of the quicksand sucking her down. And before he’d even be willing to do that she had to figure out what kind of stick she had up her butt and how the heck she was going to remove it.

  * * *

  * * *

  They drove in silence the rest of the way back to the sheriff’s office. He pulled into the spot next to her truck, expecting her to jump out before he even stopped moving. But she sat there instead, her back to him.

  “Lacey?” He reached out to touch her shoulder then thought better of it. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She nodded as she turned to stare straight ahead. “I am going to find a way to save this town though.”

  He rested a hand on top of the steering wheel. “I have no doubt you will.”

  “With or without your help.” Her eyebrows lifted, like she’d asked a question she wanted him to answer.

  His jaw set, his pulse ticking away at the base of his throat. When he didn’t respond, she opened her door and climbed out of the truck. He waited for the door to close behind her before he let out the breath he’d been holding.

  He knew Lacey would do whatever she had to do to fix things in Idont. The only time he’d ever seen her give up at anything was during a heated game of Monopoly. She must have been about eleven years old. When the game stretched into the early-morning hours, Lacey had wanted to take a break and pick up again the next day. He and Luke had pushed and pushed, telling her if she went to bed she’d lose. Finally, she dozed off, her face landing in the pile of Free Parking money in the center of the table. While Luke had danced around the kitchen table, celebrating, Bodie had carried her out to the couch in the living room and covered her with a homemade quilt.

  Reconciling the determined-but-vulnerable eleven-year-old Lacey with the strong, grown-up version had him reeling. He’d always held a soft spot in his heart for her, thinking of her like the little sister he’d never had. But recently the kind of thoughts he’d been having about her were anything but brotherly.

  In fact, they might be the most polar opposite kind of thoughts he could possibly have. Thoughts that included running his hands over those filled-out curves, nipping his teeth along the column of her neck, and, God help him, getting to know the grown-up Lacey in the most primal way known to man.

  Yeah, Luke would kick his ass to next Tuesday if he had even an inkling of the kind of ideas Bodie had been entertaining about Lacey. Once he got this whole warehouse business sorted, he’d be doing them all a favor if he started seriously looking for a deputy job in a bigger county. Maybe even a different state.

  Before the whole day got away from him, he ought to try to do something productive. He snagged his phone and pulled up his dad’s number.

  “Hello, Son.” His dad’s deep, rough voice came across the line.

  “You around? I’d like to stop by.” The sooner, the better, too.

  “How about tomorrow morning?” A horn honked. The sound of passing traffic served as background noise.

  “Where are you?” Dad couldn’t be in town. Idont had one stoplight and even then, it worked only about 25 percent of the time.

  “Working a deal over in Houston but I’ll be back tonight. Stop by tomorrow morning and we’ll have ourselves a nice, long chat.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Bodie didn’t particularly care if it was nice or long, but they’d be chatting,
all right. And he wouldn’t give up until he had the answers he needed.

  “See you tomorrow.” Dad disconnected.

  Bodie stared at his phone for a long moment. He’d chat with his dad, settle things with Lacey, and put together an action plan of steps he needed to take to get serious about finding a new job.

  He’d become complacent. This latest stunt from his dad and pops was just another sign that he needed to separate himself from their unsavory way of doing business.

  Before it was too late.

  seven

  The next day Bodie wiped his boots on the outdoor rug before knocking on the door and entering his dad’s office.

  “Son, glad you could stop by.” His dad sat behind a massive desk, a cigar on the edge of the ashtray in front of him. Mom wouldn’t let him smoke in their showplace of a house, so Dad spent the majority of his time in the office he’d had built onto the side of the family home.

  “You said it was important.” Bodie crossed the Mexican tile to where the desk sat, centered between two giant picture windows overlooking the three hundred acres they’d had in the family for generations.

  Dad gestured to one of the leather chairs. “Take a seat. Your pops and I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Oh yeah?” Bodie settled in the chair. “Like how the two of you decided to shut down the warehouse without even mentioning it to me?”

  “Bygones.” Dad picked up the cigar, taking a few brisk puffs. “You said you weren’t interested in the family business, remember?”

  Yeah, he remembered. He’d always dreamed of carrying on the family name. For a brief period of time he’d considered following in the footsteps of his dad and his pops. But then he found out some of their business practices leaned toward the dark gray side of his black-and-white world. He couldn’t embrace the way they followed the laws that benefited the business and found a work-around for the ones that didn’t.

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to know when you’re making decisions that affect the town. People depend on you for jobs, to feed their families.” Bodie’s pulse ratcheted up at the thought of all of their employees going without a paycheck.