“What scorpion crawled up your prissy ass this morning, Kinsey Brennan?” Betsy asked.
“You smell like shit and don’t look much better, Betsy Gallagher,” Kinsey growled.
“Shit smells better than that perfume you took a bath in this morning.”
“Ladies, remember where you are,” Sawyer warned them. “You want to fight and argue, take it out in the middle of the road. Better hurry up and grab what you came in for, Betsy, because closing time is in five minutes,” Sawyer said.
“What the hell is that out there?” Betsy pointed. “Is it a motorcycle or a bionic steer?”
Her jeans and boots testified that she’d been working in the hay fields all day. Sweat rimmed the misshapen straw hat shoved down on her red hair, and her knit shirt and tight jeans hugged her curvy body.
“Four minutes now,” Sawyer said.
“Don’t get your undershorts in a wad, Sawyer. I’m not here to buy anything. I stopped by to see what all the fuss is about. I see Honey and Kinsey did the same thing.”
“What fuss?” Sawyer asked.
“This wild biker right here.” Betsy’s eyes did a sweeping scan of Rhett. “I do like the ponytail and the soul patch, and the tat is real nice.” She traced it with her forefinger.
“Oh really?” Rhett grinned.
She was kind of cute, but she was another feuding woman. Too damn bad Leah had to be thrown in the basket with the likes of these hussies. Of all of them, she would have been his choice to get to know better.
Betsy gave him the once-over. “That’s right. I happen to like trouble, so I came to see for myself. I think you might be a handful of fun.”
“Three.” Sawyer pointed toward the clock.
Betsy moved toward the door, brushing past Rhett. “I heard that you’ll be working at the bar. See you there tonight. And leave that cycle at home. I like a truck bed to play around in under the moon and stars.”
Kinsey smiled at Rhett. “You’ll have to overlook Betsy. She’s a Gallagher, and they are a coarse lot. They can’t help it. All those people over at Wild Horse come from moonshiners and probably outlaws.”
“And the Brennans”—Rhett raised an eyebrow—“what do they come from?”
“Preachers and God-fearin’ folks,” Honey said.
“That’s interesting. Halos and horns both right here in a tiny little town like Burnt Boot,” Rhett said.
“You got it.” Kinsey nodded. “We’d best get on out to River Bend. Granny will be throwing a fit if we’re late to supper. Don’t suppose you’d want to join us for a good, hot meal tonight, would you, Rhett?”
“Not tonight. My sister and her husband will be along in a few minutes with the rest of my things.”
Honey headed toward the door. “Will we meet them tonight at the bar?”
Rhett shook his head. “No, they’re going to drop my truck and keep going.”
“Too bad. I always like to meet the family,” Honey said.
Sawyer followed them to the door and locked it behind them. “Well, now you’ve been formally welcomed to Burnt Boot. If I was you, I’d steer away from both of those families. They mean trouble and I mean serious shit, not little, piddlin’ crap.”
“I thought the two families lived in neighboring towns, not on neighboring ranches.”
“River Bend and Wild Horse are ranches, but they’re both bigger than the whole area that Burnt Boot takes up. Their feud might die down, but it’s never ending. Everyone’s been so busy with hay crops and getting summer ranchin’ done that it’s been fairly quiet in town. At least until now,” Sawyer said.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rhett asked.
“New tomcat in town. They are already checking you out. So on first impression, are you going to change your name to Gallagher or to Brennan by Christmastime?” Sawyer teased.
Rhett put up both palms. “I’m an O’Donnell. Born one and plan to die one. None of those hussies appealed to me. Betsy didn’t like my cycle. Honey and Kinsey were far too savage for my blood. The only one that caught my eye was Leah. Now that one, with those light green eyes and sweet disposition, that one I could go for.”
Three lovely women, very different in size and looks, pretty equal in their come-on power, and he didn’t feel the desire for a quick romp in the sheets with any of them. Hell, he didn’t even want to flirt with any of them, only Leah Brennan. That was not like an O’Donnell, especially Rhett, who had a definite way with the women.
Sawyer turned out the lights and headed toward the door. “Leah is the quiet one, and you know what they say about them.”
“Oh, yeah, that underneath there is a tiger waiting if some old cowboy is man enough to unleash it,” Rhett said, following him. “I’m starving. Take me home and feed me some of Jill’s good food before we have to go to the bar.”
“Jill can’t cook.”
“Well, shit. What are we having?”
“I made lasagna and she’s heating it up. But believe me, you won’t be disappointed in her abilities. Her baking is to die for. She can make cookies, cakes, and pies that taste better than Granny O’Donnell’s, but don’t tell Granny I said that.” Sawyer turned off the lights and unlocked the door. “Follow me. I’ll go slow so the dust don’t blow back too bad.”
“If she’s that good at baking, why don’t you tell her it’s good as Granny’s?” Rhett asked while Sawyer locked up.
“Keeps her trying.” He laughed.
Rhett’s sister, Katie, driving his truck, and his brother-in-law, Danny, pulling an empty cattle trailer, drove into the lot as Rhett climbed onto his cycle. “We’re all following Sawyer down to the bunkhouse. Just pull in behind us. I understand Jill has supper ready.”
Katie nodded and fell in behind the cycle. When they got to the bunkhouse, she parked beside Sawyer and bailed out of the truck before either of her relatives could open the door for her. She stretched and rolled her neck from side to side. “That was one long ride in a truck all by myself. I’ll be glad to get in with Danny. I wish I’d have had Dammit in the truck with me to have someone to talk to.”
Sawyer threw an arm around his cousin. “Welcome to Fiddle Creek, Katie. Supper is ready, so you can take time to eat with us and work out a few of the kinks before you get on up the road to Oklahoma City.”
The hot summer wind blew her long, blond hair into her face. She tucked it behind her ears and said, “That sounds good. I’m hungry and Danny has called every thirty seconds for the last forty miles wanting to know if there was a McDonald’s in Burnt Boot. I told him I’d rather eat at Olive Garden and almost had him convinced there was one here until he drove into town and saw all there is, is a school, a beer joint, and a general store.”
“You are just plain mean,” Sawyer said.
“Yes, she is. My mouth was watering for Italian food and she treats me like this. I think it might be time for the broom and the pen,” Danny said. He wasn’t any taller than Katie and had a round baby face and clear blue eyes.
Jill opened the door to welcome them inside the bunkhouse where she and Sawyer lived. “Broom and pen?”
“He’s being a smart-ass,” Katie said.
“I’m only returning your words back to you,” Danny told her.
“And?”
Rhett hugged Jill. “She told him at the beginning of their relationship that if she caught him cheatin’, she’d get out the broom and pen. She’ll beat him all the way to the courthouse with the broom and then hand him a pen to sign the divorce papers.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Jill said. “But what’s driving for hours got to do with cheating?”
Danny hung his hat on the rack inside the door and sniffed the air. “The way she had my mouth watering for Italian food and then I find out that Burnt Boot doesn’t even have a burger joint is worse than cheating. But I swear I do smell oregano and chocolate.”
Jill nodded. “Sawyer made a huge lasagna last night, and I made desserts this afternoon—tiramisu, br
ownies, and chocolate pie.”
Danny smiled at Katie. “You’ve been saved from the broom and pen, woman.”
Jill tucked her arm in Rhett’s and led him to the kitchen. “So I hear you’ve already met some of the Brennan women and Betsy Gallagher.”
“I did, but it was only five minutes ago,” Rhett said.
“Honey called Mavis and told her that you were at the store. Mavis called Aunt Gladys, and she called me. Gossip travels fast in a small town. You going to hop the fence to the River Bend or the one to the Wild Horse?” Jill asked.
“Jump the fence?” Rhett asked.
“Fiddle Creek separates the two ranches. Wild Horse is on one side of us and River Bend is on the other. All you’ve got to do is climb over a barbed wire fence and you can be on either side of the feud,” Jill explained.
“I’m not going anywhere, but I might get Leah to jump the fence to Fiddle Creek.” He smiled.
“Aha, so it’s Leah, the quiet one, that’s took your fancy. Too bad, darlin’. She’s had her eye on Tanner Gallagher for years.”
“Mavis Brennan would string her up and see her die before she’d let her marry a Gallagher,” Sawyer said.
“The heart will have what the heart wants,” Jill said. “Now come on into the kitchen and let’s eat. I know y’all want to make Oklahoma City by night, so we can visit while we have supper.”
* * *
The Burnt Boot Bar and Grill was not exactly what Rhett expected. The parking lot was gravel, or at least it had been at one time. Now it was thinly distributed gravel on top of dirt with only one streetlamp to illuminate the whole place. The building was weathered wood that didn’t look as if it had ever seen a drop of paint applied. Hell, it might have even been petrified, as old as that sign swinging above the entrance. The roof was rusty sheet metal, and the only window in the place was the one in the door.
“Not what you thought it would be?” Sawyer asked when Rhett got out of his truck.
“Looks more like a barn than a bar,” he said.
“The inside is better—air-conditioning, jukebox, and even paint on the walls.” Jill laughed.
“I like the air-conditioned part best of all.” Rhett followed them inside.
The bar itself was only eight stools long and had a small area for grilling burgers and making fries behind it. There were no pool tables, which surprised Rhett. But not as much as the shelves holding loaves of bread, hot dog and hamburger buns, and a small assortment of prepackaged pastries, or the refrigerated section beside that, with milk, beer, wine, and soda pop behind sliding glass doors. The other end of the long, rectangular room sported a jukebox, a few mismatched tables with chairs around them, and a small area for dancing.
“After the store closes in the evening, folks can get milk and bread or beer in here,” Sawyer answered the unasked question.
“And I thought Comfort was a small town. I’m not sure this qualifies as a town.” Rhett chuckled.
Sawyer clamped a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll get used to it. Besides, you know what Grandpa says: To be a town, the place has to have a church and a place to buy beer or get a shot of whiskey. So by the O’Donnell qualifications, Burnt Boot passes the test.”
At nine o’clock, he’d filled a few pitchers of beer for folks who’d drifted in and out, and Sawyer had shown him the process of making burger baskets. Sparks danced around Jill and Sawyer every time they brushed against each other. It damn sure didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that their honeymoon wasn’t over.
Two lonesome old cowboys sat in a back corner drinking beer and telling tall tales. The jukebox had gone quiet and Rhett had wiped down the bar so often that it was shiny clean. If every night was like that, he’d have to bring some rope to make a bridle or something to keep himself from dying of complete boredom.
“Why don’t y’all go on home? I can handle it for the next couple of hours,” Rhett said.
“If you’re sure, we won’t argue.” Jill removed her apron and hung it on a nail.
Sawyer didn’t waste a bit of time hanging his apron right beside hers. “We damn sure won’t. Can’t remember the last time we got to go home before midnight. Sweep up and put the chairs on the tables. We don’t do mopping unless there’s major spills. Here’s the keys. Be sure to turn off the grill and the lights.”
“Will do.” Rhett rolled the sleeves of his white T-shirt and wiped down the bar one more time.
Jill and Sawyer were gone less than five minutes when the door flew open and suddenly the bar was crowded to capacity. Someone plugged money into the jukebox, and in seconds it was going full blast, playing “Boys ’Round Here” by Blake Shelton. Folks wasted no time getting out onto the dance floor and making a long line to do a line dance. The noise level went from zero to one hundred so quick that it took a while for Rhett’s ears to adjust.
“Hey, Rhett, we need three pitchers of beer and about six red cups,” Kinsey yelled from the end of the bar.
He quickly filled the pitchers, set them on the bar, and stacked up six plastic cups. Kinsey handed him a bill and he made change.
“And when you finish that, I need two longneck bottles of Coors,” Betsy said from the other end of the bar.
It kept him hopping, keeping the beer orders filled, the money straight, and making a few pitchers of margaritas. Then there was a lull, and there she was, sitting on a bar stool, her light green eyes watching him. His heart threw in an extra beat and his chest tightened.
“Well, hello, did you just fall from heaven?” he asked.
“I’ll have a double shot of Jack on the rocks, so the answer is no. I don’t think angels drink whiskey, but it is a fine line,” she answered.
“So you are a Tennessee whiskey lady?” he asked.
“Tonight I am,” she said.
A tall, blond-haired cowboy with blue eyes propped a hip on the bar stool beside her and nodded. “Hello, Leah.”
She nodded. “Tanner.”
“I guess you’re the new O’Donnell in Burnt Boot. Brett, is it?” Tanner eyed Rhett like he was trash left on the curb.
“Not Brett. My name is Rhett, after the hero in Gone with the Wind. My mama loves that book,” Rhett corrected him.
“Well then, hero Rhett, we need two more pitchers of beer over at our table.”
“Be right with you. And you’d be?”
“Tanner Gallagher of Wild Horse. Betsy’s cousin. If you’ve got any notion of asking her out, don’t. Granny wouldn’t like that.”
“And if I didn’t have any thought of asking her out?” Rhett set Leah’s whiskey in front of her on a white paper coaster.
“Then you’re probably crazy or gay. Which one is it?” Tanner asked.
“I like women.” Rhett grinned. “As for the crazy, that’s debatable. Some folks would agree with you, but no one has been brave enough or big enough to have me committed yet.”
“Smart-ass, are you?” Tanner asked.
Rhett filled two pitchers with beer and set them on the counter. Tanner handed him a bill and Rhett made change.
“You didn’t answer me. Are you a smart-ass, or do you back up your words with actions?” Tanner pushed the issue.
“No, I didn’t answer you.”
Tanner picked up the pitchers. “Are you going to?”
“Not today.”
“You don’t like us Gallaghers?”
Rhett picked up a bar rag and wiped down the bar where the pitchers had been. “Don’t know you Gallaghers.”
Tanner raised his voice loud enough so that everyone in the area could hear him. “Well, we know your kind, and we’d be happy to see you ride that motorcycle on back to where you came from.”
“What is my kind?” Rhett asked.
“Tanner, stop being a jackass and go talk to your little buddies,” Leah said.
Tanner scowled. “So the Brennans are going to take in this stray coyote?”
“Whether we do or not is none of your business, but you don’t have
to be rude,” Leah answered.
“I thought you were different from the rest of them,” Tanner said.
“I thought you were different from the rest of the Gallaghers,” she shot back.
“Guess you really can’t change a leopard’s spots,” he said as he walked away.
“Or a skunk’s stripes,” she mumbled.
Rhett filled the beer pitchers, collected the money, and then moved down the bar to Leah again. “That line about the skunk’s stripes was far better than mine. The way he looked at you when he sat down, I thought maybe y’all were a couple, but I guess you aren’t?” Rhett asked.
“Tanner? He’s a Gallagher,” Leah said.
“And Gallaghers and Brennans don’t play well together, right?”
Leah sipped her whiskey. “That would be an understatement.”
“Then we won’t talk about it. So, you are a schoolteacher. What do you do in the summertime?”
“Help out on the Brennan ranch, River Bend. Not that I actually do much ranchin’. Mostly, I take care of the book work for Granny and help with the garden some. I like to cook, so I do some cannin’ while the garden is producing and when the fruit ripens in the orchard.”
“When does school start back?”
“Pretty soon. We don’t have to adhere to the state-mandated rules, since we’re a private school, so we usually start classes in August.”
“Private school?”
“The Brennans have a school on River Bend. The Gallaghers have one on Wild Horse. Then there’s the public school right here in Burnt Boot,” she explained.
“Hey, Rhett, darlin’.” Honey popped up on a bar stool at the other end and yelled over the loud music, “We need two more pitchers of beer.”
Leah threw back the last of her whiskey and slid off the stool. “See you around. Maybe in church on Sunday?”
“You going to be there?”
She nodded.
“Then I’ll be there.”
Chapter 2
It was dusk on Saturday night when Rhett rushed back to the bunkhouse to clean up after he and the summer crew of high school boys had replaced fence all day. It involved getting the posts set, stringing barbed wire, then removing the old, rusty wire from the decaying wooden posts and pulling them out of the hard dirt. Lots of sweat, a fair amount of cussin’, and a ton of energy went into the job, so he was already tired when he stepped into the shower. The cool water felt good on his body and he had to admit, he did smell a lot nicer afterward.
One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas) Page 2