His Forever Texas Rose

by Stella Bagwell

  “Sorry, again,” he said. “This must be my day for interruptions.”

  Nicole swallowed and straightened her shoulders. “Please, you shouldn’t apologize. This break room is for everyone. And I—I’m fine—really.”

  She glanced up to see the man was looking at her with those dark green eyes that she remembered from their earlier meeting. At the moment they were regarding her with gentle concern, which surprised Nicole greatly. He looked like a man who wrestled a steer by the horns just for the fun of it, hardly the type to notice a woman’s tears.

  “Well, if anybody gives you a bad time up at the front desk, you just let me know. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing like that. So far everyone has been very nice and understanding.”

  He smiled at her as he crossed the room and pulled a small bottle of water from the refrigerator. “That’s good to hear. But sometimes folks can get irate and start making threats. Especially if they think they’ve waited too long, or don’t get the appointment they want.”

  She watched him twist the cap off the bottle and down half the contents before he lowered it away from his mouth. A very nice mouth, too, Nicole thought, as her gaze slid over the set of chiseled lips. The bottom was just plump enough to make for a nice kiss, while the top was a thin, masculine shape that matched his hooded brows.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “I’ve worked in a public job for several years. I’m used to people being rude and impatient.”

  He gave her a little half smile, which created a pair of charming dimples in both cheeks. The sight had her drawing in a long breath and letting it out. What in the heck was wrong with her? Why was she looking at this man like she was sexually starved, or worse? Was the high altitude of the desert affecting her brain?

  “That’s good,” he said. “I mean—at least it won’t be a shock when a rude one does walk through the door.”

  He was still wearing the same splotched denim shirt he’d been wearing earlier this morning when he’d walked into Chandler’s office. The manure appeared to have dried and the process had apparently taken away most of the odor. Now he smelled more like alfalfa hay, dust and sunshine. The triple combination was totally masculine and not at all unpleasant, Nicole decided.

  She began to unwrap her sandwich, more to give her hands something to do, not because she was hungry. Her appetite had vanished the moment she’d answered her mother’s call. “Have you already eaten your lunch?” she asked.

  “No. I usually just eat twice a day. Once before work begins and then when we quit—whenever that might be.” He gestured to the bottle in his hand. “Would you like a water? Or soda? Doc keeps the fridge stuffed for the staff. Guess you’ve already noticed that, though.”

  “Yes, I noticed. Chandler is not only nice, but he’s thoughtful, too.” She put down her sandwich and rose from the chair. “I think I’d rather have coffee right now. Would you like to have a cup with me? Or do you have time?”

  Nicole didn’t know exactly why she was inviting Trey Lasseter to join her. Except that he was a coworker and she wanted to have a friendly relationship with everyone on the staff at Hollister Animal Clinic. Besides, he was nice to look at and easy to talk to. And anything to divert her thoughts away from Fort Worth was welcome.

  He shoved back the cuff of his Western shirt to peer at a square silver watch on a brown leather band. “Sure. That would be nice,” he told her. “You just sit back down. I’ll get the coffee. I bet you like cream and sugar.”

  Nicole hardly expected him to serve her, but since he seemed to want to deal with the chore, she wasn’t going to argue. “I do. How did you guess?”

  “Oh, most girls seem to like things softer.” He poured two foam cups full of coffee and added sugar and cream to one of them. As he carried the drinks over to the table, he said, “I have to be back at the barns in ten minutes. Jewell Martin is bringing a load of goats to be vaccinated. She’s getting a little long in the tooth to be doing the job herself. I told her I could drive out to her place in a couple of days and take care of the goats there, but she didn’t want to wait. Those goats are her babies.”

  He handed her the coffee before taking a seat in a chair kitty-corner to Nicole’s.

  “Long in the tooth?” she asked with a confused frown. “You mean she’s an older lady?”

  He laughed, but then seeing the blank look on her face, he immediately apologized. “Sorry, Nicole. I wasn’t laughing at you. Jewell is an older lady, but she does have a mouth problem, too. It’s the same problem I have with mine. It’s always running off when it shouldn’t be.”

  He gave her a full-blown grin, and the expression caused those adorable dimples near his mouth to deepen even more. Nicole found herself staring at him and forgetting all about her sandwich.

  “Oh, I see. Because Jewell is older she needs a little extra help from you?”

  He nodded. “And sometimes goats can get rowdy as hell—uh, I mean heck. Especially when you’re jabbing them with a needle or squirting meds into their mouth.”

  “Ouch. That sounds awful,” she remarked. “But I guess it’s necessary to keep them healthy.”

  “Aw, it’s not that bad. About like giving a person a flu shot.” He sipped his coffee, then leveled a curious gaze at her. “How are you and Arizona getting along?”

  After taking a cautious sip of coffee, she answered, “Good. It’s beautiful here, and the weather is especially lovely.”

  “This time of the year is spring for us. You’ve come at the right time to get acclimatized. A few more weeks and it’ll be as hot as he—heck. But you’ll get used to it—after a while.”

  After a while. Yes, she would get used to her new home. If her parents would respect her independence and understand that she needed a change in her life, Nicole thought ruefully.

  “Fort Worth can be sizzling in the summer, plus the humidity. I don’t think I’ll have any problem adapting to this drier climate. Actually, I’m still working to get everything unpacked,” she admitted. “I didn’t realize I brought so many things from Texas with me until I took a look at all the boxes stacked around the house.”

  “The first four years after I graduated high school, I lived in the bunkhouse on the Johnson Ranch. Bunking with a bunch of cowboys doesn’t give a guy much room to collect very many things. When I moved closer to Wickenburg, I didn’t have much to box up. But that’s been years ago, and I’ve lived in the same house ever since. I’d hate to think of packing all the junk I’ve collected.” He grinned at her. “I’m too sentimental to get rid of things. I still have the first pair of spurs I ever bought. They’re cheap ones and falling to pieces now, but I wouldn’t part with them. I’ll bet you have things like that, too.”

  She laughed softly, and it dawned on her that Trey had already managed to lift her spirits. Which was surprising. Especially since she’d met him not more than two hours ago. But he seemed warm and friendly. And God only knew how much she needed a kind, encouraging word.

  “I do,” she told him. “I still have the first doll Santa brought me for Christmas. She’s practically bald now, but I couldn’t part with her.” She eyed him curiously as she sipped her coffee. “You worked on a ranch before you hired on for Chandler?”

  He nodded. “The Johnson. I went to work there as soon as I graduated high school. See, my dad is a cowboy, but he moved to Montana when I was just a kid. I didn’t want to live up there, so I stayed here with my mom—until she left for New Mexico. That’s why I ended up bunking on the Johnson. And that’s how I ended up being a veterinary assistant at first and then later I went to college and earned a tech certificate. Mr. Johnson, the owner, said I had a knack for healing animals.”

  When Nicole had first started dating Randy Dryer, she was drawn to him because he’d had a serious, no-nonsense personality. She’d been looking for a man who didn’t view life as a joke, who was
disciplined about what he wanted for himself and his future. Roslyn had called him a stuffed shirt, and if Nicole was being honest, she could admit he’d probably been a bit dry at times, even boring. But he’d been safe and trustworthy. If anything, Trey Lasseter appeared to be the exact opposite. A happy, laid-back kind of guy, who smiled his way through whatever life threw at him. And wonder of wonders, he made her want to smile, too.

  She said, “That’s good—that he helped you find your calling. I get the impression you like your work.”

  His grin deepened. “I’d be lost without it. What about you? Are you an animal person?” he asked, then chuckled. “I guess that was kind of a stupid question—with you working in an animal hospital, I mean.”

  His question was pertinent and certainly nothing to blush about, but Nicole felt a sting of color creep over her cheeks. “Your question wasn’t stupid. But I feel sort of stupid answering it. You see, I haven’t been around animals all that much. My brother—he’s older than me—had a dog when we were little kids, and a few of my friends back in Fort Worth had small pets. But I don’t know anything about cows and horses and goats or any kind of livestock.”

  He reached over and gave her forearm a reassuring pat. “Don’t worry a bit, Miss Nelson. After you’re here awhile, you’ll learn more about animals than you probably want to know.”

  Rising from the chair, he tossed his cup into a trash basket. As Nicole watched him walk to the open doorway of the break room, she realized she was disappointed to see him go.

  “There’s no need for you to call me Miss Nelson,” she told him. “Nicci will do just fine.”

  Pausing with a hand on the door facing, he glanced back at her. “Okay, Nicci. And you be sure and call me Trey. That’s the only name I know how to answer to. Unless Doc gets mad and calls me something worse,” he added in a teasing voice.

  “Okay, Trey. Thank you for the company.”

  Her remark appeared to catch him off guard for a moment, and then he winked and pointed to the sandwich lying on the table. “Better eat your lunch. We have a long day ahead of us.”

  He disappeared out the door, and Nicole thoughtfully picked up the sandwich and began to eat.

  We. Strange how Trey’s one word made her feel as though she belonged, as though she was a part of something meaningful.

  The idea made her smile, and for the remainder of the day, she didn’t allow herself to think about her parents, or Randy Dryer or any other miserable thing she’d left behind her. Instead, her thoughts kept returning to the twinkle in Trey’s green eyes and the way those mischievous dimples carved his cheeks.

  He was a happy guy. And Nicole needed some happiness in her life in the worst kind of way.

  Chapter Two

  “Ros, just tell me if you don’t have time to talk. I realize it’s probably getting close to the kids’ bedtime,” Nicole said as she sat curled up on one end of her couch with the phone pressed to her ear.

  “I still have a few minutes before their bath times,” Roslyn told her. “What’s up?”

  With a husband, two babies and a part-time job at Hollister Animal Clinic, Roslyn Hollister was a very busy woman and nothing like the young woman who’d left behind her plush life in Fort Worth more than three years ago. When her friend had first fled to Arizona, Nicole had been more than upset with her—she’d been downright angry. She’d believed Roslyn was crazy for leaving the security of her father’s wealthy home. But now Nicole could see that Roslyn had been the sane one all along. The woman had followed her heart and ultimately found love and happiness. If only Nicole could be that brave and make the same wise choices her friend had made, she thought.

  “Nothing, really. I’m still trying to find a place for all this stuff I packed in the U-Haul. I must have been crazy. Half of it I could do without. In fact, I think some of it I’m not going to bother unpacking—I’m going to donate it to charity.”

  Roslyn chuckled. “And I’m sure most of it is high heels, handbags and fashion jewelry.”

  Nicole laughed along with her friend. “Well, a girl has to accessorize, you know.”

  “Hmm. Yes, and you do it so well. But think about it, Nicci—where are you going to wear all those things around here?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, then let out a wistful sigh.

  Roslyn groaned. “Oh Lord, don’t tell me you’re already homesick and that you think you’ve made a mistake by moving out here. I do not want to hear it, Nicci! I—”

  Grimacing, Nicole interrupted, “Do you think I’m really that wishy-washy and shallow, Ros?”

  “Well, not exactly, but you sound—”

  “Forget about the way I sound! I’m tired, that’s all. And anyway, what I’m actually calling you about is—Trey Lasseter.”

  “Trey Lasseter,” her friend repeated in a blank voice. “What does he have to do with anything? Uh—unless—did you two have a run-in or something at the clinic? Did he insult you?”

  “Oh, great day, no! Quite the opposite,” Nicole assured her. “I only met him this morning. And—well—I’m curious about the guy.”

  There was a long pause before Roslyn asked slyly, “What kind of curious? Like is he a good employee or is he married?”

  Nicole let out a soft, knowing chuckle. “Listen, if Chandler keeps someone around as his right-hand assistant for eleven years, I don’t have to ask if he’s a good employee. I’m just—well, yes, is he married?”

  “No. He’s never been married. As far as I know, he’s never been engaged. Chandler mentioned that he had a steady girlfriend once or twice, but that was years before I moved out here. I think now Trey just has women friends. You know what I mean? He dates, but none of those dates are serious.”

  Nicole pushed a hand through her hair as she tried to picture him with his arm around a woman’s waist and giving her the same charming smile that he’d given Nicole. It wasn’t exactly an image she liked. “Oh. Well, I was just curious. He’s really cute.”

  “He’s also really not your type.”

  Nicole’s lips pursed into a disapproving line. “How do you know that?”

  “Because Trey is country. His life is simple, and that’s the way he likes it. You, on the other hand, love bright lights, big city, shopping, traveling—”

  Nicole interrupted with an annoyed groan. “There’s nothing wrong with a girl enjoying those things. And I hardly see what Trey has to do with any of that.”

  “Well, if you can’t see what kind of problems that might create, then I can hardly point them out to you.”

  Scowling, Nicole asked, “Why are you bringing up that sort of thing, anyway? None of that was ever an issue between me and Randy. He was a city guy—totally different than Trey.”

  There was a long pause before Roslyn finally said, “You’re certainly right about that. The two men are nothing alike. And the way I remember, there never was much of anything between the two of you—other than boring acceptance. Maybe now that he’s finally out of your life, you’ll realize you need some sparks. A man that will remind you that you’re a woman.”

  Nicole stifled a gasp. “Ros! Randy was dependable, thoughtful, responsible. I could count on him to—well, not make a mess of my life.” The way her father had made a mess of her mother’s life, the way he’d ruined any and all chances for Nicole to make a future with Randy.

  Oh Lord, she didn’t want to think of that now or ever again.

  Roslyn’s voice broke into her gloomy thoughts. “Randy was boring. And more interested in keeping his muscles bulked up than making you happy. Be glad you didn’t follow him to California. You made a great escape.”

  “That’s easy for you to say, Ros. You have a husband who’s insanely in love with you and two beautiful kids. You have a wonderful family—your future is all mapped out. Mine is—”

  “Yours will take shape if you let it,” Roslyn
finished for her. “But it won’t if you keep looking backward, nursing your regrets. Frankly, Nicci, that would be another huge issue between you and Trey. He’s a happy-go-lucky guy. Your negative outlook would turn him off.”

  Nicole started to argue that point but quickly bit back the retort. She’d not thought she’d turned into a negative person, but she could admit to herself, at least, that the past year and a half had changed her. And not in the best of ways.

  She let out a weary sigh. “Am I really that bitter, Ros? Give me an honest answer instead of this syrupy stuff my mom throws at me.”

  There was another pause before Roslyn said, “Okay, I wouldn’t call you bitter, Nicci. But you’re not the fun girl I knew back in Fort Worth. Before—”

  “Before the divorce and Mom’s breakdown,” Nicole finished the sentence. “Before Dad twisted off and ruined our family.”

  This time her friend was the one who let out a long sigh. “Listen, Nicci, take it from me. Blaming your dad for your misery isn’t a good thing. Nor is it right. I learned that the hard way.”

  Even though her friend couldn’t see her, Nicole shook her head. “Your father was an ogre, Ros. He made your life a living hell. You had every right to blame him.”

  “No. He made my life hell because I allowed him to. When I finally realized I was strong—that I could stand on my own—my life changed for the better. And thankfully it opened his eyes, too. It hasn’t been easy, but we finally have a meaningful relationship.”

  “Yes, everything has worked out for you,” Nicole replied. “And I’m glad. But it’s different with me. I’ve made all kinds of silly mistakes. Not to mention my parents divorcing and then remarrying. They act like they’re deliriously in love now, but I can’t help but hold my breath. I often worry this newfound happiness with them is all an act and that it can’t last.”

  “You have to quit worrying about your parents and think about your own future. You’ve taken the first step by moving out here and away from them. Now get a backbone and make the most of it.”