The Rebel and the Cowboy (The Carmody Brothers Book 2)

by Sarah Mayberry

  “I was an asshole, too,” she said. “You were right, I was out of line, making decisions for you. I should have kept talking to you. I should have trusted in you and us instead of going all white knight and trying to save you from yourself.”

  “I don’t know, it turns out I might have needed saving,” he said. “And I can be pretty stubborn when I have my head up my ass, my sister tells me. It may have been so far up there, I wouldn’t have been able to hear what you were saying.”

  Her mouth lifted at the corners and her face softened. She looked so beautiful to him in that moment, so precious and special, and he couldn’t stop himself from giving voice to the words that had been living in his heart for weeks now.

  “I love you,” he said. “I’m crazy about you. I fucking worship you, Eva King. I have a feeling my life is about to become a really wild ride, but I don’t want any of it without you by my side.”

  It wasn’t going to be easy. They were going to be pulled in different directions by her art and his music, but he was confident they could make it work—if she wanted to.

  If she was all-in the way he was all-in.

  For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hang in the balance—then her eyes lit up, and he saw her answer before she said a word.

  “I love you, too. So freaking much.”

  She launched herself at him, her body slamming into his as she lifted her head for his kiss. Her lips were cool, but her mouth was hot, and she tasted like a hundred different types of sin and a thousand promises all at once. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close as was humanly possible, absorbing her goodness and rightness and feeling like the luckiest man on the planet.

  He’d almost messed up the best thing that had ever happened to him and he would never, ever make the same mistake again, because she was his one and only, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

  He knew it in the same way that he knew the sky was blue and grass was green. It was a fact, simple and immutable.

  They kissed and clung to each other for long minutes, both of them unwilling to let the other go. Then the bright, annoying ring of his phone cut through the stillness, forcing him to lift his head.

  His rear pocket was vibrating, and he pulled out his phone to see Sierra was calling. He showed Eva the screen, and she smiled as he took the call.

  “Call off the hounds. I found her,” he said.

  “What? How? I thought she was going home?” Sierra squawked.

  Eva leaned close so she could be heard.

  “I am home,” she said, her eyes warm on his, and he felt the truth of her words in his blood and bones.

  His sister’s triumphant hoot almost deafened them both.

  “All right, calm down. You’ll hurt yourself,” he told her.

  “I don’t care. Congratulations, kids. I knew you’d work it out.”

  “No, you didn’t,” Casey said, rolling his eyes at Eva because he knew it would make her smile.

  “I totally did. I’m the optimist in the family, remember?” Sierra said.

  “All right, optimist, I’m going now. The woman I love and I are having a Moment.”

  “Oh, Casey, I knew she was—”

  He ended the call, and Eva laughed.

  “She’s going to kill you for that.”

  “I’ll die happy, because I have you.”

  Then he kissed her again and started backing her toward her van.

  “Really?” she asked in between kisses.

  “We’ve done it worse places,” he said.

  She glanced over her shoulder at her beaten-up van. Then she shrugged.

  “What the hell, we’ll make it work.”

  Epilogue

  TWO MONTHS LATER

  “It’s too hot for everyone to be standing around outside,” Eva said. “I think we should do this another time. Andie’s pregnant—she doesn’t need to be out in this. It’s crazy.”

  Casey watched as she fussed with her jacket, brushing lint from the lapels before tweaking the cuffs. He’d seen her nervous plenty of times, but this was taking it to a new level.

  Stepping forward, he gently batted her hands away and smoothed her lapels himself. Then he buttoned the single button and put his hands on her shoulders.

  “It’s only eighty. Andie will be just fine. And, babe, you look great. You always look great.”

  “I don’t care how I look,” she scoffed.

  She’d changed outfits four times, but he did his best not to laugh.

  “This is happening, whether you like it or not. People want to celebrate what you’ve done. They’re proud, and you should be, too,” he said.

  Officially, Eva had finished work on the grain elevator three weeks ago, but the wheels of local government moved slowly, and they were only now getting around to holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Ever since she’d been notified, Eva had been like a cat on a hot tin roof, but today her skittishness had reached new heights.

  “It seems like a lot of fuss when people can just drive out to the site and see the grain elevator for themselves. They don’t need to open it. It’s stupid.”

  Her gaze was wandering over his shoulder as she talked, and she kept tugging on the bottom of her jacket like a kid trying to adjust to her first school uniform.

  “Here’s the deal,” he said. “You turned an eyesore into a piece of art and people want to give you the kudos you deserve. Why is that so hard for you to accept?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “The moment you get there you’re going to be fine. You know that, right?”

  She shrugged, looking genuinely miserable, and he pulled her into his arms.

  “Why is this so hard for you?” he asked quietly.

  She was silent for a moment, and he could feel her thinking.

  “I don’t know. I feel…exposed. I don’t need to be applauded. I just want to get on to the next project.”

  “Well, Belgrade don’t want you for another two weeks, and you won’t be able to start on Gardiner until after winter, so you’re going to have to just suck up this moment of glory.”

  So far, Eva had only signed up two more communities for her Montana art trail project, aided and abetted by Jane McCullough from the Chamber of Commerce, but Casey was confident there would be more. Once prospective towns saw the kind of traffic Eva’s work generated, they would want in. He was certain of it.

  Eva’s hands curled into the fabric of his shirt, then she pushed herself away from his chest, a resigned expression on her face.

  “Okay. Obviously you’re right and I can’t get out of this, so let’s just do it.”

  He was pretty sure he’d never seen anyone look so unhappy about being lauded, but he figured she’d come around to the experience once she was basking in the warmth of the crowd. She’d spent so long on the sidelines, she wasn’t used to being center stage. What she didn’t fully comprehend yet, he suspected, was that she was a superstar, and the art trail she was in the process of creating was going to make her career.

  He was confident she’d work it out eventually, however, and he was glad he’d be around to see it happen, because he loved her more than life itself and watching her succeed made him happier than he ever thought he could be.

  His family were waiting patiently in the living room, all dressed in their Sunday best. CJ and Jesse had made a special trip home to be here this weekend. It would be the first of many, since the Shots were due in Nashville in a week’s time to record their first album, and they’d be picking up the slack on the ranch while Casey was gone.

  None of them knew how long he’d be absent yet—Jimmy Borman had said “how long is a piece of string” when Casey had asked for hard and fast dates—but they’d sorted out a number of contingency plans and Casey was as confident as he could be that his absence wouldn’t be the deciding factor in the Carmody ranch’s survival.

  “We ready to hit the road?” Jed asked.

  “I believe we are,” Casey said, and E
va nodded with grim determination.

  “Let’s get this over with,” she said.

  CJ laughed. “Clearly, we do not need to worry about Eva getting a big head over all of this attention. Good to know.”

  “I’ll be happy if we can just get her there,” Casey said.

  “Are we doing this or not?” Eva asked, not appreciating being the butt of the joke.

  He led her out to his truck, the others following in his wake. Jesse’s pickup trailed them during the short drive to the grain elevator, where they had to park in the housing development due to the elevator’s lot already being full.

  “Why are there so many people?” Eva asked anxiously as they walked back to the site.

  “Because what you created is literally breathtaking,” Casey said, waving a hand toward the mighty structural canvas that towered above them.

  Every time he saw it he got chills. Eva’s finished portraits were emotional, evocative, and stirring, and he knew he wasn’t the only one who was filled with pride for their small community whenever he stood and contemplated the past, present, and future of Marietta as depicted in the mural. Somehow she’d captured the grit and determination, the connection to the land, the hope for the future that had helped forge a home for generations in the shadow of Copper Mountain, and he still marveled that the petite woman beside him could have created this epic piece all on her own.

  “It’s astonishing, Eva,” Sierra said, awe in her voice. “Every time I’m here, I see something new.”

  Their arrival created a small stir, and a couple of people broke into spontaneous applause when they saw Eva. A few locals came forward to pat her shoulder and congratulate her personally, and then Jane and Andie were there, drawing her forward to where a large red ribbon had been installed across the width of the mural and a small dais offered speakers a few feet of elevation.

  “There she is, the woman of the hour,” Andie said.

  She was wearing a pair of elegant tailored pants and a blue shirt, and Casey could detect the gentlest of baby bumps starting to round her belly. Pregnancy clearly agreed with her—he was pretty sure he’d never seen her looking so well and happy.

  He stood beside Eva as they quickly explained how it was all going to proceed, then Jane patted Eva on the shoulder and stepped up onto the small dais.

  “Excuse me, everyone, can I have your attention, please?” she called, and gradually the crowd quietened.

  “Thank you. And thank you for coming today for this very special occasion. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are proud and honored to be the first town to boast an Eva King mural.”

  She had to pause then because the crowd broke into spontaneous applause. Casey slid his arm around Eva’s shoulders and felt her tremble in reaction.

  “You okay?” he asked quietly.

  “Yes. Thank you for making me come.” Her eyes were swimming when she looked at him and he kissed her briefly.

  “You deserve this,” he said simply. “Get used to it.”

  She smiled and nodded, and when it was her turn to step up to the dais she spoke confidently and emotionally, thanking the people of Marietta for trusting her with their stories and having faith in her work. Then it was the Mayor’s turn, and he talked for far too long, to the point where people were shuffling their feet and starting to talk among themselves.

  Finally it was time to cut the ribbon, and Eva stood with the Mayor and smiled for countless photos before the Mayor wielded the scissors with showy flair, slicing the red satin ribbon in half decisively.

  Everyone wanted to talk to Eva afterward, and it was a full hour before they were walking back to his truck. Andie and Heath were having another lunch at their place to celebrate the opening, and he pointed his truck in the direction of Riverbend Park as they left the housing development.

  “That’s done. Thank God. Your turn next,” Eva said, unbuttoning her jacket.

  “We’ll see,” he said, because even though the Shots had landed a recording contract after the showcase they’d played a month ago, nothing was guaranteed in the music industry.

  “Jimmy thinks you guys are going to be a hit,” Eva reminded him.

  “That’s Jimmy’s job, though, right?” Casey said dryly.

  As Jimmy had predicted, they’d had approaches from other record labels and management groups off the back of the exposure the radio competition had given to “Song For Eva,” but the band had chosen to go ahead with the showcase in Nashville because they’d felt as though it offered the broadest opportunity. They’d had no less than three recording companies wanting to talk that night, and Jimmy’s advice had helped them sort the wheat from the chaff. Casey would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited about the opportunities opening up for the band, but he wasn’t about to be swept off his feet by any of it, either.

  “I don’t need Jimmy’s prediction, because I’ve got my own. I know how good you are. I’ve seen the way audiences respond to your music.”

  She sounded so sure, so certain and it made him sit a little straighter. Eva’s faith was a gift, a force to be reckoned with, and he thanked the universe that she was on his side every day.

  He glanced across at her, struck by the realization that all the good things happening in his life right now were a direct result of the day he’d walked out of the barn and been introduced to a sexy, challenging blonde with bright blue eyes and attitude to spare.

  She’d opened up his world and his heart, made him believe in broader horizons, and taught him to fly.

  She made him stronger. She made him smarter. She made him braver, and he hoped he did the same for her.

  Reaching across the console, he took her hand in his.

  “I love you, Eva King,” he said.

  Her hand gripped his, strong and tenacious. “Back at you, Casey Carmody. I love you so much it hurts.”

  “Tell me where it hurts and I’ll kiss it better,” he said.

  Her smile was slow and more than a little provocative.

  “It actually hurts in a few places. I’ll point them out to you later.”

  “You do that,” he said.

  Then he concentrated on the road ahead.

  The End

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  Thanks for reading The Rebel and the Cowboy by Sarah Mayberry!

  Discover your next romance at TulePublishing.com.

  If you enjoyed The Rebel and the Cowboy, you’ll love the next book in….

  The Carmody Brothers series

  Book 1: The Cowboy Meets His Match

  Buy now!

  Book 2: The Rebel and the Cowboy

  View the series here!

  Book 3: More Than a Cowboy

  Coming soon!

  Enjoy an excerpt from

  The Cowboy Meets His Match

  Sarah Maryberry

  Book 1 in the Carmody Brother series

  Keep reading below or buy now!

  Cassidy Jane Cooper sat a little straighter behind the wheel as she spotted the sign on the side of the highway. “Welcome to Marietta, Montana, home of the Copper Mountain Rodeo.” Her pickup sped past the tall billboard and the knowledge that she was only minutes from her destination sent her heart into overdrive.

  Dumbass, she told herself. No point getting wound up yet. Save it for tomorrow.

  It didn’t make any difference—her pulse continued to pound in her throat as she spotted the motel she’d booked for the next three nights. A faded sixties’ complex, it was located on the outskirts of Marietta, its No Vacancy sign indicating they had a full house. A lot of visitors would prefer accommodation in town, she suspected, but this place was perfect for her, since it was just five minutes from the rodeo grounds.

  She pulled into the driveway and parked, taking a moment to wipe her suddenly damp palms down the sides of her jeans before making her way into reception to collect her
room key. Five minutes later she was driving past rows of dusty pickups, most of them plastered with bumper stickers extolling the virtues of cowboys in general and rodeos in particular. She pulled into a spot in front of her room, then got out and spent the next few minutes calming herself with the mundane act of unloading her gear.

  Only when her saddle, riding gear and luggage were safely in the room did she let herself sink onto the end of the bed and flop onto her back. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she punched in a quick text home: Arrived safe and sound. All good.

  Her mother’s reply was almost instant: Thanks for letting us know. Make sure you eat something and get a good night’s sleep. I’ll try to call tomorrow. xxx.

  Duty done, CJ let her hand fall to her side and closed her eyes. It had been a long drive from Plentywood in the state’s northeast, but she was finally here.

  This was really happening.

  Her stomach gave a nervous-excited lurch and she sat up abruptly. If she stayed in this room staring at the ceiling, she was going to think too much and start second-guessing herself. Her decisions had all been made weeks ago. Now all that was left was for her to ride her best and show the world—well, Marietta, at least—what she was made of.

  She went into the tiny bathroom and washed her face. Her hair was too kinked from being tied up in a ponytail to leave it down, so she tied it back up again and grabbed her car keys. There were a bunch of cowboys leaning against one of the trucks a few doors up when she exited her room, and she felt more than one of them give her the once-over as she made her way to her truck. She kept her gaze straight ahead, having learned the hard way that giving some of these rodeo-circuit cowboys even the minimal encouragement of eye contact or a polite smile was considered a resounding invitation to much more.

  The last thing she needed was that kind of noise this weekend.

  GPS took her to the rodeo grounds by a direct route and she parked among the scattering of other cars and trucks. This place wouldn’t get busy until tomorrow, when the rodeo kicked off, but she wanted to do a bit of re-con so she could hit the ground running. Plus she needed to pay her entry fees, and collect a schedule.