The Cowboys Heart 1

by Helen Evans

  I stood by the front door and watched as they climbed into their pickup truck and left, dust and dirt swirling behind their tires. I shook my head and went back inside, locking the door and the deadbolt. I was probably being paranoid, but Buck’s parting words swirled in my mind. One you’ll come to regret. Was that a threat? It sure sounded like one. I forced myself to forget about it and went to take a shower. Jamie would be home from school in an hour, and I promised my parents we’d go over for dinner tonight.

  The shower helped to calm me, and by the time I was dressed and ready, it was almost three in the afternoon. I yawned, hating how tired I was all the time lately. Granted, working nine to five in that office made me tired, too, but that was mental exhaustion, which was so much different than physical exhaustion. Every muscle in my body ached.

  With just under an hour to kill, I started to clean up the kitchen. When I was a little girl, I’d stand on a chair near the sink and help Grandma bake cookies and breads. The kitchen here was so much different than the one in my old house. This wasn’t nearly as updated or pristine, and still had that distinct fifties look to it. It definitely needed a major upgrade, but that would have to wait until the funds were available, if I even decided to remodel. I kind of liked the rustic, nostalgic look. The memories alone made it worthwhile to leave it as it was. It had an open floor plan and great functionality. I would’ve killed for a refrigerator that size at the old house.

  “Excuse me, Miss Heather?” Richard came in through the back door, hat in hand, and a sad look on his face.

  I sighed, knowing whatever he was about to say wouldn’t be good. “Hey, Richard. How’s it going?” I tossed the dish cloth into the sink and gripped the edge of the counter.

  “Well, uh, me and the other hands were talkin’ and we were wondering what you’d like us to do?”

  I raised a brow. “What do you mean?” An edge of panic slipped into my voice, and I cleared my throat to try and hide it. “You guys can just keep doing whatever it is you do, whatever my grandmother always had you do.”

  “You see, that’s the thing, Miss. Your grandmother always gave us direction, told us what to do from one moment to the next.” He shook his head. “She shore worked us hard, but we knew from minute to minute what we were supposed to do. And now… Well, we’re all a little lost.”

  Breathing became difficult, and I gripped the counter tighter, my knuckles turning white from the force. I had no idea what to tell him. I had no idea what I was doing and had been relying on them to teach me, to keep this place running smoothly. If they didn’t know what to do then I was in some really big trouble.

  “Okay, um, so maybe you guys could come up with a list of things she used to have you do, and we could go over it and delegate tasks that way?” This is why I wasn’t ever in a management position. I hated telling people what to do. I wasn’t any good at it. “Or…” I pushed off the counter and paced in front of the sink. “You’ve been here the longest? I mean, you’re the first hand my grandmother hired, right?”

  “Yes ma’am.” He smiled proudly.

  I smiled back at him, hoping my somewhat brilliant plan would work. “Okay, then how do you feel about a promotion?”

  “Excuse me?” He took a step back, the idea seeming to scare him.

  “A promotion, you’ve been here the longest; you know this ranch better than I do. So, I’m officially making you a supervisor.” I frowned, wondering if that was the right title to give him, but figured it didn’t really matter so long as he could do the job. “You can be in charge of the other ranch hands, give them tasks, and ensure the chores are done. And I’ll still be here, so it’s not like you have to do it all on your own.”

  Richard began to shake his head. “Oh, no, I don’t think I can do that. It’s a nice offer, Miss Heather, but I’m in no position to—”

  I stepped toward him and clutched his hands in mine, my eyes pleading with his. “Please, Richard. It’s no secret I’m struggling here. I don’t know what I’m doing, and if I don’t have someone to help me, this place is going to fail.” Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t fail. Grandmother would never forgive me. “Please. I’m begging you. Help me.”

  He let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “All right, I’ll help and be the supervisor, but we need to sit down and go over some things. Noreen was very clear on what she did and didn’t want us doing. I need to know the same from you.”

  I squealed with delight and smiled. “Deal! First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll sit down and go over everything. Be in here at six a.m. I’ll have breakfast on the table.”

  Richard chuckled. “I can see why your grandmother adored you so much. You’re just like here.” With another chuckle and a shake of his head, he left.

  I blew out a breath, feeling mildly relieved. I knew things were getting behind around here, but I had no idea how to fix that. Hopefully now, with Richard’s help, we’d get this ranch back on track. In the distance, I heard Jamie’s bus coming down the road. I flung open the door, intent on meeting him near the car so he couldn’t lock himself in his room, when I came face to face with a man on a horse, a cow on a rope trailing behind him.

  “I believe this belongs to you, ma’am,” he said, his voice deep and velvety.

  Chapter Four

  I was dumbstruck by his handsomeness, unable to form a coherent thought let alone speak any actual words. So I stood there, staring at him for far too long, but I just couldn’t help it. He was all man with muscular arms, tanned skin, a strong jaw and deep, penetrating eyes. A large, black Stetson sat atop his head, strands of dark brown hair curled around his ears.

  “Ma’am?” He dismounted from his horse, and I watched his long, lean legs as he hit the ground, that rope still clutched in his hand. “Found your cow wandering through my pasture. It has your ranch tag on it, so I’m just returning her.”

  “Uh, that’s my cow?” Of all the things to say, I had to say that. I was so stupid at times. Heat crept up my neck and face. I fanned my cheeks with my hands then quickly dropped them to my sides, feeling like a jerk.

  The man smiled, and each side of his face caved in with two of the most gorgeous dimples I’d ever seen. The effect they had on me was surreal, and they should be illegal. My heart raced, and my breaths were shallow.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He held out the rope, and I took it, unsure what else to do.

  “Thanks.” I glanced around, hoping one of the ranch hands were nearby, but of course they weren’t.

  He nodded, tilting his hat in her direction. “I noticed a large hole in your fence over by my property line.” He turned and pointed off to his left. “Pretty sure that’s where she escaped. You’ll want to get that fixed.”

  “Yes, of course.” I clutched the rope tighter, and the cow picked at the grass, chewing aimlessly, oblivious to me or the sexy stranger who’d brought her home. “Thank you.”

  Jamie’s bus pulled to a stop at the end of the driveway. He walked with his head down, ear buds tucked in his ears, completely ignoring everyone. He walked by with a quick glance at me and the cow, a slightly longer look at the stranger, then he bounded up the porch steps.

  “Don’t forget, Jamie, we have dinner plans tonight,” I called after him. He didn’t give me any indication he’d heard me. I sighed. Great. Now I’d have to fight with him to get him out of his room. Maybe I should call my parents and invite them over here. It’d be easier.

  “Well, I won’t keep you.” The man turned back to his horse and slipped one foot into the stirrup.

  “Wait,” I said a little louder than necessary. “I didn’t even get your name.”

  He graced her with another amazing smile. “Hudson Lyle.”

  “Hudson.” I smiled. “I’m Heather Walsh.”

  “It’s a pleasure.” His gaze moved between me and the cow. I felt foolish for standing here, holding a roped cow. “Would you like some help putting her away?”

  I sighed with visible relief. “That would be g
reat.”

  Hudson took the rope from me. “Where would you like her?”

  I looked around. I knew which barn the cows were kept in, but I wasn’t sure if they were in there or out in the pasture. “Um, in that faded red barn over there, the one with the broken door.” Talk about a mess. A hole in my fence, a broken barn door, this place was falling apart.

  He tugged on the rope, and the cow began to walk with him. I fell in step beside him, my hands tucked in my back pockets. There was an air of quiet arrogance to him, and I found that so attractive. My ex, Phillip, had been much too needy, always asking for reassurance. It’s no wonder he found a young thing to make him feel good about himself. But in the very brief time I’d known Hudson, I had a feeling he wasn’t like that, he didn’t need a woman or anyone to validate his self-worth. That was a refreshing quality.

  “So, you said you saw the cow near your property line. You live nearby?” I asked.

  “Yes. I live just over there.” He pointed off toward the left, same place he had before. “My ranch is just beyond that tree line over there.”

  “We’re neighbors. Lucky me.” I laughed nervously.

  He glanced over and smiled, which sent my heart racing again. “Or lucky me.” He winked then stopped at the barn door, opening it with little effort. “Lead the way,” he said, motioning for me to go in ahead of him.

  I took a deep breath and walked inside. While I knew the cows were housed in this barn, I had no idea where this one went specifically. As we walked down the center of the bar, I stopped at the first empty spot. “Here is fine.”

  Hudson expertly guided the cow into its spot and secured her. Then he grabbed the rake leaning against the wall and gathered some hay from the neighbor stall. He put it in front of her then rubbed her head. I watched in amazement. He truly cared about her even though she wasn’t his.

  “There.” He replaced the rake. “You really should get that fence fixed as soon as possible. You’re lucky I found her. Some of the other ranchers around here aren’t as honest. You could lose quite a bit of livestock that way.”

  Memories of the men who’d visited earlier flashed through my mind, and I suppressed a shudder. I wanted to do something nice to thank him for his kindness, but I didn’t have any money to give him. Living in the city, the primary way to show gratitude was to give a tip, but I was positive that didn’t work around here.

  “Would you like to go back to the house and come in for a drink? It’s the least I can do for you bringing back my cow.” I smiled, silently wishing against all odds that he’d say yes.

  He shrugged, showing the first signs of indecision and embarrassment. “Sure.”

  “Great.” We headed back to the house, and I led him in through the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable.” I nodded at the kitchen table and made my way to the refrigerator. “I have lemonade, sweet tea, water. I have some diet pop. Or I have coffee.”

  “Some sweet tea would be great,” he said, his voice taking on a deep, southern drawl. The sound sent a shiver down my spine.

  I pulled the pitcher from the fridge and filled two glasses then carried them to the table. I handed him one and sat in the chair across from him. He took a long drink, and I watched with fascination at the way his throat worked up and down, and the way he licked the excess liquid from his bottom lip.

  “This is some mighty fine tea. Did you make it?” he asked.

  I nodded. “It was my grandmother’s recipe.”

  “You’re Noreen’s granddaughter.” He tilted his head to the side, studying me. “Yeah, I can see the resemblance. Noreen was a wonderful woman. Sad to hear she passed.”

  “Thank you.” It warmed my heart to know so many people had admired my grandmother. Despite refusing to move here while she was alive, it was nice to know she had people around who cared about her. “She left this place to me,” I said, looking around at the interior of the house.

  “You’re running it alone?” Hudson’s face turned a light shade of pink, and I smiled, averting my gaze to my glass.

  “Yes. It’s just me and my son, Jamie.” It wasn’t the smartest or safest thing to tell him, but I had a good feeling about Hudson. He didn’t give me the creeps like those other guys had. “Do you know anything about the Jennings’ brothers?”

  Hudson’s face went stoic, and if I wasn’t mistaken, anger clouded his eyes. “You’d be best off to avoid those boys. They ain’t nothing but trouble.”

  I sighed. It was nice to know my suspicions and instincts were still accurate. Now, more than ever, I was glad I’d declined their offer. Even if they had come through with payment, I was sure doing business with them would’ve been a nightmare.

  “Do you have help around here?” Hudson asked, disrupting my thoughts. “This is one of the largest ranches in the area. Your grandmother was a strong woman, but even she had a lot of help.”

  “I have about six men who stayed on to help, but I’ll be honest, I have no idea what I’m doing.” I laughed.

  Hudson smiled and took another drink of his tea. “Well, if you need an extra pair of hands, I’d be happy to help out. Until you’re on track with things, of course.”

  I raised my eyebrows in shock. “You’d do that?” People in the city were never this friendly, and most of the time they wouldn’t volunteer to help out unless they expected something in return. “I can’t pay you.” I frowned.

  He chuckled, the sound like a virtual caress. “Good because I’m not looking for a job. I’m just being neighborly, helping a pretty woman in need.” He winked.

  I felt my face flush with warmth, and I was again diverted my attention to something else. Looking at him for too long was like staring at the sun – exciting but dangerous. “Well, thank you. I’m meeting with my ranch supervisor tomorrow morning to go over a list of chores. Could you come for that? It would be nice to have someone else here who knows what’s supposed to be done.”

  “What time?”

  “Six in the morning.” I scrunched up my face expecting him to tell me I was crazy. But all he did was smile.

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Really?” Did I sound too excited about that? I cleared my throat. “Thanks. Again.” I laughed. “I can pay you for tomorrow with eggs and bacon.”

  “Now that’s the best form of payment.” He chuckled and finished his tea. Then he stood. “I’ll be heading back now. I recall you saying you had dinner plans this evening. Don’t want to hold you up.”

  I was surprised he remembered that considering I’d said it to Jamie in passing. I stood as well, searching for a reason to get him to stay. I was enjoying talking with him – and staring at him – and I desperately wanted him to stay longer. “Oh, those plans.” I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture. “They weren’t anything too important. In fact, I’ll probably just order a pizza. You’re welcome to stay and join us.” I chewed on my bottom lip as I waited for him to answer.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” I smiled. “It’s the least I can do.” I felt like I owed him a huge debt for how nice he’s been to me. And I couldn’t deny I was physically attracted to him. I hadn’t been on a date with anyone since my divorce. There hadn’t been anyone I was interested in – until now. I glanced at his left hand. No wedding band, and no tan line to indicate he’d had one and removed it. That was good.

  “All right. I’m going to take Carter home then I’ll be back. He doesn’t do so well at night.”

  I gave him a confused look. Carter? Oh, right. “Your horse.”

  He laughed. “He’s more like my trusty sidekick, but he’s getting up there in age. I won’t be too long.”

  “That’s okay. Take your time. I’ll order the pizza.”

  As soon as he was out the door, I rushed to find my cell phone. I texted my mom first to let her know I wasn’t feeling well and to ask if we could reschedule dinner. Thankfully she didn’t ask any questions or give me a hard time. Next, I called the local pizza joint and ordered two large pizz
as. I forgot to ask Hudson what he liked, so I went with the standard cheese and pepperoni.

  “Jamie!” I shouted up the stairs.

  “What?” he hollered back.

  It stopped me in my tracks. Normally he ignored me. “I ordered pizza for dinner. Our neighbor will be joining us.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  I sighed. He was always hungry, but he was probably angry at me over something again. He was always angry lately. “You can eat in your room if you want.”

  “Fine.”

  Then I heard the sound of him turning up the radio. I had half a mind to march up there and throw that damn radio out the window. Instead, I turned and walked away, trying to remember he was struggling with this change just as much as I was. Hopefully, with time, he’d come around and realize it wasn’t so bad around here. With a resigned sigh, I headed down to the basement. On top of everything else she did and was, Grandma was a wine connoisseur, and she had an impressive stock of wine. I thought a nice red wine would taste perfect with the pizza. I stopped halfway down the stairs. Wine? What in the hell was I thinking? If I brought out a bottle of wine, Hudson might think I thought this was some sort of date. And I didn’t think that. I mean, it would be nice if it was, but it wasn’t.

  I turned and went back upstairs just in time to hear a pickup truck pulling into the driveway. I peeked out the front window. Hudson was getting out of a rugged looking black Dodge Ram. It its better days, it was probably a pretty sweet looking truck. But it had certainly seen better days. I went to the door and opened it. “That didn’t take long at all.”

  “Told you it wouldn’t.” He laughed and held up a brown paper bag. “I brought a bottle of wine. Hope that’s okay. It was given to me as a gift, and I’m generally not a big drinker…”

  It was my turn to laugh. Apparently Hudson and I thought the same way. I nodded. “That’s perfect.” I stepped aside to let him enter, and took the bottle of wine. “I’ll chill this in the fridge until the pizza arrives. Would you like something to drink in the meantime?”