Toughest Cowboy in Texas

by Carolyn Brown

  “It was good ice cream but I like your pumpkin pie better,” he said. “How’s the headache now?”

  “Functional now that I had a couple of hours to lie down with an ice pack. Thanks for taking them. Would you please put Silas in his crib for me?”

  Brody carried Silas to the bedroom and gently laid him in the crib. He removed the boy’s sandals and handed them to Kasey.

  “I bet he doesn’t even wake up when I change his diaper and clothing,” Kasey said.

  “I’ll do that while you get the other kids into bed.”

  “She rattles you, don’t she?” Kasey whispered.

  “Little bit,” Brody said.

  “Lila is going to sit with me at the rodeo,” Emma said from the doorway.

  “Well, that sounds like fun. Let’s get you into bed and you can tell me which two books Lila read to you.” Kasey took her hand and led her across the hallway.

  Rustin had toothpaste on his lips when he came from the bathroom. He peeled out of his clothes and tossed them on a chair. “Mama says I have to wear a T-shirt to sleep but Uncle Jace sleeps naked. Do you have to wear a shirt, too, or do you get to sleep without no clothes?”

  Brody chuckled. “We’ll talk about that later on too.”

  Rustin sighed. “I got a lot of growin’ to do.”

  “Yes, you do.” Brody finished with Silas and tucked Rustin into bed. “But don’t get in too big of a hurry, son. Once you’re a big man, you can’t go back and be a little one again.”

  “But bein’ a big one looks like so much more fun.” Rustin yawned.

  “Not all the time.” Brody kissed him on the forehead. “Good night, little cowboy.”

  “Night, Uncle Brody.”

  Back in the kitchen, he found Kasey with a cup of coffee in her hands.

  “You sure you’re all right? You don’t usually drink caffeine this late.”

  “It helps with the headache. I don’t get them often anymore but today is the anniversary of the first time that Adam kissed me. I guess I thought too much about losing him.”

  He opened his arms. “I’m so sorry that you have to go through this, sis.”

  She set the cup on the cabinet and walked into his embrace. “It helps to be here at home with y’all. The kids have grandparents and relatives. It’s just that letting go is so hard. Now, what’s this about Lila sitting with us at the bull riding?”

  He raked both hands through his hair. “I sent her a rose this week, but she made it clear she’s not sticking around Happy for the long haul. Why start something that will just cause both of us to get hurt again?”

  “Do you have any idea what I’d give to have Adam sitting beside me at that bull riding? I’d use every bit of my strength to talk him into getting out of the army and staying in Happy and going into the ranchin’ business with his dad. I’d do anything to keep him with me, even live in a tent under a pecan tree with no indoor plumbing. You’ve got an opportunity here, brother, that might not come your way again.” She laid her head on his shoulder and sobbed.

  His heart broke for her and at the same time for Lila. He couldn’t bear to see her hurt again, and if she went to sit with Emma...well, it could be a damn disaster. Little Emma was already going to be sad when Lila left. Getting even closer to the woman would make it tougher.

  Who are you preachin’ at? Emma or yourself? that aggravating voice in his head asked.

  Kasey took a few steps back and carried her coffee to the table. “The whole time I was growing up, Lila was my idol because she was such a daredevil. I didn’t want to be like her. I wanted to be her. And for your information, that crap about her burning down the old grocery store is just that—a load of crap. The fire department said someone probably threw a cigarette out because they could see a trail from the road to the building.”

  “I didn’t think that she burned down anything. I’m going out for a ride to clear my mind.”

  “Get over her, Brody, or man up and do something about the way you feel.” Kasey swiped a kitchen towel across her eyes.

  His brow furrowed so tight that a pain shot through his head. “I got over Lila Harris years ago.”

  “Yeah, right,” Kasey said. “Like I got over losing Adam.”

  “I’m not having this conversation with you, sis.” He snapped his mouth shut and left her in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a headache.

  Brody peeled the T-shirt over his head and grabbed his last clean pearl-snapped one from the closet. In no time he was back in his truck, heading north to the Silver Spur and hoping that it was jumping with noise and excitement—anything to take his mind off the picture in his mind of Lila sitting on the floor reading to three little kids.

  Two miles out of town he took his foot off the gas and tapped the brakes. He pulled off to the side of the road and sat there for several minutes before he turned around and went back home. He drove straight to the corral where Sundance was kept and sat down on the ground, bracing his back against a fence post. The bull eyed him from across the corral but stayed his distance.

  “I’ve messed up again, old boy,” Brody said. “It was all goin’ good until the kids mentioned the bull riding. I’ve been going by every day so that she can see I’m keeping my word when I tell her that I’ll see her tomorrow. Lila is so different from other women that I think fate or God or destiny is hitting me in the head with a two-by-four and yet I keep thinking about my responsibility for this ranch. I have to make it grow. I have to leave it bigger than it was when it was put in my hands. Lila doesn’t need a man who is already married to a ranch. I work most days from daylight to past dark. She deserves someone better than that.”

  Sundance bawled once at the moon and stuck his head into the water trough.

  “That all you got to say? Well, this ranch pays for your comforts, so you can listen to me,” Brody said. “I don’t like this feeling, so I’m going home. Thanks for the therapy session.”

  The bull snorted and turned his back on Brody.

  Chapter Seven

  Lila stopped by the rodeo’s concession stand and bought a big dill pickle, an order of nachos, and a bottle of root beer. The bottle went into her purse and the pickle in the side of the cardboard container with the nachos. That way she could make it to the top of the stands without dropping anything. She was halfway when she saw the Dawson family all sitting with the grand matriarch, Hope Dalley, down at the other end of the rough wooden bleachers. She kept going until she was at the very top and sat down on the end of the empty row.

  Dust boiled in the arena as the first cowboy lasted all of three seconds on a big bruiser of a bull. The clowns in all their bright, outlandish costumes hurried out to lure the bull away from him so the cowboy could get up, take a bow to the folks in the stand, and swagger back to the chutes.

  A chip covered with cheese and jalapeños was halfway to her mouth when she saw Brody’s tall figure disappear down into the chute. The chip fell from her hands, splattering on the toes of her boots, but she didn’t even look down. Her breath caught in her chest, tightening it into a dull ache.

  When she decided to attend the bull riding, the last thing she expected was such an explosion of emotions rattling around in her heart and soul.

  “Devil Dog is a tough bull to ride, and Daniel has only been riding six months, so let’s give him another big hand.” The announcer’s booming voice filled the place. “Better luck next time, Daniel. You’ve got the makings of a fine bull rider. And now coming out of chute two is Brody Dawson riding Barbed Wire, a young bull destined for great things. Brody is no stranger to riding bulls. He’s been doing it since he was in high school. He is the co-owner now of Hope Springs Ranch right here in Happy, Texas. He’s testing the rope and getting his hat set just right and…” The announcer paused and all noise stopped. Then he yelled, “The chute is open!”

  Yelling and whistling began the minute that the bull came out with both hind feet in the air. Barbed Wire twisted around until his head was practical
ly touching his tail and then he whipped back around, almost putting his big wide horns on the ground. Two seconds down, six to go when Lila clasped her hands together so tightly that they hurt.

  Brody kept one hand in the air but his straw hat flew off after the first two seconds and the bull stomped it into the dirt. Four seconds, halfway through the ride. Lila wanted to shut her eyes but she couldn’t.

  Six seconds into the ride, Brody went flying over the top of Barbed Wire’s head and landed on his side. She jumped to her feet so fast that the rest of her nachos went flying everywhere. Please, God, let him get up.

  He quickly scrambled to his feet and she plopped down with a thud. Then she realized that the bull was right behind him. She was back on her feet, mouth open but no words came out. The noise in the stands sounded as if it were a mile away. The bull got closer and closer. Lila’s racing pulse thumped in her ears, blotting out the whoops and hollers from the crowd cheering him on. Then Brody slapped one hand down on the top fence rail and cleared it in a graceful jump. She let out the pent-up air in her lungs in a long whoosh.

  One of the clowns grabbed Brody’s hat and made a big show of popping it back into some kind of shape. Another one stole it from him and ran toward the fence. On the way the third one snatched it and took it straight to Brody, who settled it on his head and took a bow to his screaming fans.

  With her heart doing double time and the only one in the whole stands still on her feet, she lost sight of him as he rounded the arena and headed toward the chutes. The announcer was introducing the next rider when she finally slumped back down into her seat. The next rider came out and it was an exciting eight seconds, but it didn’t produce nearly the adrenaline rush of Brody’s ride.

  When Brody reached the chutes, Jace handed him a cold beer. He rubbed it across his forehead before he washed the dirt from between his teeth with a long swallow. “That Barbed Wire is one mean hunk of bull.”

  “But he could help a rider rack up the points. He’s pure evil,” Jace said.

  “So when is it your turn?” Brody asked.

  “Last one on the docket. They’re saving the best until last,” Jace teased. “Lila is in the stands.”

  “When did she get here?” Brody located his family. There was Emma in her pink cowboy hat and Rustin pointing at the clowns but no Lila. His eyes swept the stands a section at a time until he located her at the very top.

  “She saw you ride, if that’s what you’re askin’.” Jace grinned. “Now she knows you aren’t perfect.”

  “She’s known that for years,” Brody said.

  “Yeah, right.” Jace air slapped Brody on the arm. “All I’ve heard since this morning from Rustin and Emma is Lila’s name. I heard about the ice cream and the reading but mostly they talked about how they wished she lived on the ranch with them.”

  “She was really good with the kids last night.” Brody nodded.

  Jace nodded. “I’d better warn you. Granny was not happy about you taking the kids to the café. She didn’t mind if Kasey did, but not you.”

  “I’m thirty years old and both Granny and Mama can mind their own business and let me take care of mine,” Brody growled.

  “I hear you and so do they, but they don’t believe it like I do. Granny told Kasey that the two of you were going to have a long talk,” Jace told him.

  “Please tell me you’re kiddin’,” Brody moaned.

  “Wish I was but she said she was coming to our house tonight right after the riding. You might want to offer to do a second ride so you’ll have an excuse to soak the soreness out of your muscles until she gets bored and goes on to her house,” Jace said.

  “I’ll give you a hundred dollars for your ride. You can say that you decided to get into your clown gear and help the guys out,” Brody said.

  Jace laughed. “If you got hurt, she’d sit beside your hospital bed all night. You’ve always been her favorite.”

  Brody swiped sweat from his forehead with his palm. “I’d thought about going to sit with the family after my ride, but I think I’ll stay down here and help with the chutes. And I’m not her favorite. I was just the firstborn, so she’s had a little longer to smother me.”

  “No gripe from me. I’ll let you be the favorite because you have to endure the consequences. And you’re welcome for the warning, brother.”

  Brody clamped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

  Jace handed him a second can of beer. “Anytime. We learned a long time ago when it comes to Granny’s meddling that we have to stick together.”

  Brody found an old metal folding chair behind a chute and popped it open. He sat down and propped his boots on the rails of the chute where Barbed Wire was still penned up.

  “Don’t you snort around at me. You won that battle, but this isn’t the last time we’ll cross paths this summer, and next time I’ll win.” Brody raised his can toward the bull.

  He could see Lila at the top of the stands all alone. She was sipping on either a bottle of pop or a beer. When she finished, she got to her feet and started down toward the concession stand. A couple of cowboys stopped her, their body language saying clearly that they were hitting on her and hers leaving no doubt that they’d been refused. She waited in line at the concession and exchanged a few words with a couple of women, using her hands as she talked to them like she’d done back in high school. He remembered telling her once that if he tied her hands behind her back she wouldn’t be able to say a word.

  She bought something at the concession stand and then headed off toward the gate. He pushed out of the chair and leaned on a rail so he could watch her disappear into the darkness.

  Lila set the nachos on the passenger seat in her truck beside two cans of cat food. She’d thought she’d pass plumb out when Brody hit the dirt, but the next two riders, though exciting, didn’t affect her like those six seconds had when she’d watched Brody try to hang on to the rope. When her heart finally slowed down, it was time to go on the mission that she’d planned after the bull ride. One would involve being a Good Samaritan and giving a black and white cat a good home. The other would mean she was blowing the bottom out of that commandment about stealing because she wasn’t going home without a cat.

  She drove to the cemetery and parked in front of her father’s grave. “Daddy, I want something to talk to and to cuddle with me while I watch television at night. If you’ve got any connections with a cat whisperer up there—” She tilted her head back to get a better view of the full moon and stars. “You might tell that homeless critter to show his face or else I’m going out to Henry’s old barn and I’m stealing that big white cat. You going to keep me on the straight and narrow or let me fall back into my wild ways?”

  She got out of the truck, pulled the tab from the top of the can, set it on the ground, and propped a hip on her father’s tombstone. Eating a few of the nachos while she waited, she saw the black and white cat slink out from behind a floral wreath not far away. He sniffed the air and warily made his way to the cat food. Careful not to make a fast move and scare him off, she set the nachos to the side and, speaking in a calm voice, took a step toward the cat.

  When she was two feet away, he took one more bite and was nothing more than a blur as he took off into the darkness. She slapped her thigh. “I tried to do it the right way, so I don’t think I should be punished for stealing. Besides, Paul might not even know that cat is in his barn. I might be doing him a favor.”

  Carrying her food back to the truck, she frowned at the stars. She started the engine and drove straight to Henry’s old barn. She parked the truck and made her way across the floor—nachos and cat food in a wooden crate in her arms.

  “I’m here to get a cat and I’m not leaving without one,” she muttered as she sat down on a hay bale, opened the can of food, and dumped it into an old pie pan she’d brought from the café.

  She chewed on nachos as she waited. The white cat came out first but it wasn’t long before she was surrounded
by four kittens. Two black ones, a white one, and a yellow one with four white feet. Lila captured one of the black ones by the scruff of the neck. It clawed and growled, slinging its paws all the way to the crate. In the commotion, the mama cat and two of the other kittens skittered off to hide behind a bale of hay. But the fearless white kitten kept right on eating.

  “And you will keep Mr. Feisty here from whining because he has no one to play with.” She scooped it up and put it in the crate with the black one and they howled out their anger together. “You’ll have a good home and lots of food and I’ll pet you every single day. Hawks won’t swoop down and carry you away, so stop your bellyachin’.”

  The big mama cat came back out after a bit and rubbed around her legs. “Good thing those babies came out with you. I’d feel terrible if I took you away from them when they were too young. Are you thanking me for giving them a good home? Well, you’re welcome. Now I have something to talk to other than a broom, so thank you, mama cat, for letting me adopt two of your babies.”

  She put her nacho trash on the top of the crate, and carried the whole thing to the truck, where she set it on the passenger seat. She had driven down to Tulia right after work and bought litter, a pan to put it in, and a dozen cans of cat food. The kittens were going to love their new home once they got used to it. And she’d be willing to bet that Paul would be glad to get rid of the kittens. But to be on the safe side and not get into trouble with that business of thou shalt not steal, she would ask him the next time he came into the café.

  Her phone rang as she turned the key to start the engine and she dug around in her purse until she found it. “Hello, Mama. I wasn’t expecting a call from you tonight.”

  “You’re in Texas and for the first time in years, I’m homesick. Where are you right now?”

  “Out at Henry Thomas’s old barn stealing kittens. Paul McKay leases this place and I don’t reckon he’ll mind. He probably doesn’t even know how many there are,” she answered.