“Hey, get on in here, Rhett. It’s hot out there, and we’ve got sweet tea and cookies,” Polly called from the door.
“Sounds wonderful.” He parked the cycle and headed toward the porch. They wouldn’t be feeding him tea and cookies if they planned on kicking him off Fiddle Creek, now would they?
You could always take Naomi up on her offer, his conscience reminded him.
“Like hell,” he muttered under his breath. “That ain’t about to happen. I’m flat-out not interested in that shit. Me and Dammit will pack up and go back to Comfort before we consider that offer.”
“So how did the dinner go?” Jill asked the minute he was in the house.
“They tried to steal me from Fiddle Creek and Betsy tried to seduce me,” he said.
“And they told you how Leah would be so much better off if she broke it off with you and wound up with Tanner, right?” Gladys laughed.
Rhett nodded. “And like I told Gladys last night, they keep making threats about how they could make Leah disappear.”
“Don’t believe a word of that. Tanner Gallagher is a womanizer, and he will never settle down with one woman. It’s all part of the feudin’ game. If he did talk her into dating or even getting into what you kids call a relationship these days, it would only last long enough for Naomi to gloat like hell about it to Mavis. Then he’d drop her or go out with another woman so that she’d break it off with him,” Polly said. “Come on in here and sit with us at the table. That’s where deals are made in our part of the world.”
“You think Tanner would do that?” Rhett pulled out a chair.
“Don’t think so. Know so.” Polly nodded. “We hadn’t planned on doing this so quick, but Verdie reminded us that Finn and Callie are expecting their baby in October, so we can’t put it off until then.”
“I told them that I have to be in Burnt Boot when the baby comes, because Finn and Callie will need me.” Verdie came from the direction of the restroom and sat down at with them.
“We’re gettin’ old, and we’ve always talked about doing some fun stuff when we retired, so we’re going on a senior cruise in September. And we plan on doing lots more stuff after the new baby is here and Verdie is free,” Gladys said.
Jill picked up a second cookie. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Y’all have worked your whole lives. We can hold down Fiddle Creek while you’re gone.”
“That’s where the next step comes into play,” Polly said. “The man I’ve had doing the work over on my place has given notice. September first is his last day unless I sell the ranch to him. I’ve got a relative up in Oklahoma who wants to buy the bar. Rosalie has run a couple of places like mine up there in the past. Sold out a few months ago and isn’t happy staying at home. She wants to get back into the business. So I’ve sold the bar to her. She takes over on the first day of September.”
“Wow!” Jill said.
“Then we only have night jobs for another couple of weeks?” Sawyer asked.
“No, I reckon you’ll be burning some midnight oil, but it will be on Fiddle Creek because you’ll have full control of the store too,” Gladys answered.
“Yes, ma’am.” Jill smiled.
“I’ve always told you that you’d inherit the bar and my place. Aren’t you disappointed?” Polly asked.
Jill patted Polly on the arm. “Fiddle Creek is plenty for us to handle, Aunt Polly. Sell your ranch and use the money to have a good time while you feel up to it.”
“I don’t need the money. That bar and the ranch have made me a rich woman, but I don’t want you to be disappointed in my decision,” Polly said.
Jill sipped at her tea. “I’m not one bit disappointed.”
“Good,” Gladys said. “Because tomorrow morning, I’m getting in touch with my lawyer and the title to Fiddle Creek, minus this house and the one acre it sits on, is going to be put in joint tenancy for you and Sawyer. You can have this much while I’m living. You can have the last acre and the house when I’m dead. The only thing you have to promise me is that you will never let either the Brennans or the Gallaghers get their grubby little fingers on it.”
“Gladys, are you sure about this?” Sawyer asked.
“Very sure. It’s the way I want to do things. This last scare with Polly has taught all three of us—that would be us two and Verdie, who’s been our lifelong friend—that it’s time for us to get busy and do what we’ve dreamed about before one of us drops dead,” Gladys answered.
“And it wouldn’t be any fun if we couldn’t all go together,” Verdie said.
“Thank you,” Sawyer said softly as he reached for Jill’s hand. “Thank you so much, Gladys.”
“And thank you, Aunt Polly, for selling the bar, so we can have more time to devote to Fiddle Creek and to the store,” Jill said. “Pinch me, Rhett. I’m sure this is a dream.”
He chuckled. “Just don’t throw me off Fiddle Creek or I’ll think it’s a nightmare instead of a dream.”
“That’s where my next proposition comes into play,” Polly said.
“Leah came by this morning before church, and Polly gave her permission to move into the guest room in her house,” Gladys said. “Now go on, Polly. He needed to hear that first.”
“I could have told him. I didn’t have a damn stroke, so there ain’t nothin’ wrong with my brain or my ability to speak,” Polly fussed.
“Get on with it, Polly, and quit your whining,” Gladys said.
“Okay! Okay! I’m going to sell my ranch to you, Rhett, if you want to buy it. You can change the name and brand if you want to. It’s been called Polly’s Ranch for so long that most folks won’t even remember the original name anyway, but it won’t hurt my feelings one bit. I don’t have any idea what you have in the bank, but we’ll negotiate a down payment, and you can pay me the rest of it in yearly installments after you sell off the calf crop each fall,” she said.
Rhett’s hands went clammy. His heart thumped around so hard that it hurt his ribs and his pulse raced. He’d been saving for years while looking for a ranch the size of Polly’s operation—a good solid start that would support a few hundred head of cattle.
“What’s your asking price?” he whispered.
“I’ve got a section of land, six hundred and forty acres. Prime is selling for about three thousand an acre, but—”
“I’ll take it,” he said.
“Hey, barter with me a little here. I’m prepared to let you have it for two thousand an acre and throw in what cattle is on the land right now. That’s three hundred head of Angus.”
“I’m not arguing with that price. I can give you half down and pay you the rest out in ten years,” he said. “I could pay for all of it, but I need working capital for the first two years.”
“Smart man,” Sawyer said.
“Whoa! Wait a minute! That means we’re losing our foreman on Fiddle Creek in two weeks,” Jill said.
Rhett grinned. “There’s lots of O’Donnell cousins who’ll jump at the chance to move up here and work for Sawyer.”
Polly stuck out her hand. “Deal! I’ll tell the lawyer to draw up the papers tomorrow when me and Gladys go to town. Now, this business with Leah—I told her this morning what I was offering you. If you got a problem with havin’ her for a roommate, she can either live in one room of the house, or Jill can give her your old room until she can find a place to live.”
“I don’t have a problem, but if she does, then she can talk to Jill,” Rhett said.
What if after today, she doesn’t want to live in the same house with you? the voice in his head said.
Then I guess she’ll have to find another place to live.
“Oh, and one more thing goes with that deal,” Polly was saying when his mind stopped arguing with his heart. “I’m not able to clean out the house, so that’s up to you three to do for me. You can store it all in the barn down at the back of my ranch until I feel like going through it and having an auction.”
“That’s only w
hat’s in the house, right?” Rhett asked. “The equipment does come with the sale?”
“Lock, stock, and barrel. Just not the household things. Most of them are pretty sentimental,” Polly answered.
“Then I’ll be more than happy to move it all out.”
“Good. All except whatever is in that guest room. That belongs to Leah now, and it never meant much to me anyway,” Polly said. “You can have the house with all the appliances plus the freezer that’s in the utility room and whatever is left in it. The rest goes to storage.”
* * *
Leah threw herself onto her bed. There was work to do and lots of it. Her personal things had to be boxed up to move to the new house. Clothing could be taken downstairs on the hangers and piled in the backseat of her truck. Not a single person had stepped up to help her, so the job was all hers.
That plus what Tanner had said about ending the feud had put her into a terrible turmoil. All she wanted to do was run away, maybe back to the beach, alone this time, to think about this emotional roller coaster.
She sat up and reached for her purse and the letter she’d written to Rhett fell out on the floor.
“Dammit!” she exclaimed. “He doesn’t have any idea that I didn’t have access to a phone or a vehicle. I wonder what went on over at Betsy’s. Dammit! I bet she tried to wow him with all that Wild Horse could offer him, right along with her body. I’d like to cover her with honey and stake her out on a fire ant bed.”
“Hey, Sis.” Declan knocked on the door and poked his head inside. “I hear you’re leaving us tomorrow after your first day of school.”
“I am.”
He crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “You realize that means no one to clean your room, make your bed every day, and cook for you. It means taking care of yourself.”
“Just like college, right?”
His dark blue eyes darted around the room. “This place is all either of us has ever known except for those four years at college, and then we came home every weekend.”
She sat down and threw an arm around him. “I’ll miss seeing you every day but, hey, I’m only a few miles away. Polly’s house sits a quarter of a mile back behind the bar, as you well know, and you can come visit anytime you want.”
“How was it today with Tanner?”
“I don’t know, Declan. He says that the two of us could end this feud if we got together.”
“He’s lying. He’ll leave you with a broken heart if you trust him. And, honey, it’ll take more than you and Tanner to end this crap. It will take the deaths of our granny and Naomi.”
Leah’s eyes misted. “But if he’s right, I could end it, and we’d all be free of this damned curse we were born into.”
Declan wiped her tears away with his palm. “Would you be happy with him?”
More tears flowed down her cheeks. “Wouldn’t we all be happier to get away from this constant war? One person’s happiness seems so small compared to everyone being happy after more than a hundred years of fighting.”
He pulled his sister over, so her head was on his shoulder. “Not if it’s your happiness, Leah. You deserve your soul mate. Don’t cry. If you’re determined to move, I’ll help you pack things up.”
“You’ll be in big trouble if you do.” She managed a weak smile.
“You’ve got a house and I can always crash on your sofa.”
Chapter 24
Kinsey, bless her heart, took Granny Mavis to Dallas on Monday to shop and kept her out until Leah’s dad and brother loaded everything into her truck. The backseat was full of her clothing still on hangers and the bed of the truck was stacked from back to front with boxes.
Russell hugged her and pointed toward the southeast. “You’d best get going if you’re going to get all this into your new place before that storm hits. It’s going to be a toad strangler from what the weatherman says.”
“We need the rain, so we’re not complainin’.” Declan opened the door for her. “You sure you don’t want me to go with you and get all this inside?”
“No, Rhett promised he’d be there. Y’all come on over and see me regular. I’m going to miss seeing you every day,” she said.
“Go, before you make me change my mind and chain you to the porch post,” Russell teased.
She got into the truck and rolled down the window. “Thanks for making this…” Her voice cracked.
Declan popped the fender and said, “Move ’em out. Wagons, ho!”
She wiped away the single tear that had escaped and drove away. She thought she might have a panic moment when she pulled out onto the highway and turned north, leaving River Bend behind her. She inhaled deeply and got ready for her chest to tighten. After all, she’d left what she knew behind and was going forward to a shaky future. But all she felt was a sudden burst of pure joy.
Rhett was sitting on the porch with Dammit beside him when she parked in the driveway. He waved and stretched when he stood up, and he had a smile on his face. She hopped out of the truck and opened up the back doors to take out a load of clothing.
“You really did it.” He smiled as he lowered the tailgate.
“And it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be,” she answered.
Suddenly his arms were around her waist and her back was against his chest. He buried his face in the hollow of her neck and held her for several seconds before he loosened his hold enough to turn her around. His eyelids fluttered shut and she stood on tiptoe at the same time he leaned toward her. His lips found hers in a scorching-hot kiss that left her knees weak. She tangled her hands in his dark hair that fell free that evening and pressed her body against his.
“I was afraid you’d change your mind,” he whispered.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t be here,” she said.
He took a step back and took her hand in his. “Don’t unload anything until you walk through the house. It could change your mind about living here.”
“I don’t think anything could change my mind,” she said.
He led her onto the porch and swung open the door. Light poured in from the bare windows. Two lawn chairs sat beside a wooden crate with a mason jar full of wild flowers in the middle. The kitchen was bare except for a folding card table with four metal folding chairs around it.
She stopped in the middle of the hallway, almost afraid to open the guest bedroom door for fear she’d find it swept clean of everything too. But when Rhett swung the door open, the bed and dresser were still there. No sheets, pillows, or throw rugs, but at least she had a bed to sleep on that night.
“And now…” He swung open the door to the room across the hallway. She recognized the bed they’d shared in the bunkhouse and the dresser. Again, no sheets but the closet doors revealed his clothing and there were a few things on top of the dresser. “I bought this ranch and I’ve moved into this room. If that’s going to be a problem, then Jill says you can live at the bunkhouse. And I will understand. No questions asked. I’ll even go with you and help you move in. I officially take over duties on September first, but I wanted to get moved in now so the man who’s been taking care of the place could show me around.”
He sucked up a lungful of air like he was going to keep talking, but Leah put her fingers over his mouth. “I have no problem with you living across the hall from me, Rhett. And I love what you’ve done with the place. Thank you for the flowers in the living room. Anything else we should talk about?”
“Lots, but right now we have to get your things in the house before it rains. Then we have to go to Gainesville to buy groceries. We’ll make a list on the way.” He tipped her chin up for another kiss that glued her feet to the floor.
No, she didn’t mind him living across the hall or sharing the one bathroom in the house with him, but were they roommates, lovers, or had she moved in with him on a much higher plane?
He stacked the boxes against the wall in the living room and helped her hang all her clothing in the closet in her new ro
om. She’d organize the closet later and unpack the boxes when she had time. Today, they had to concentrate on basics because tomorrow, Rhett would be still working at Fiddle Creek while learning what he could about his new ranch. She would be at school all day. They needed to be able to eat and go to bed in that order. While he drove, she took a pad and pen from her purse and started a list.
“I’ve written down sheets and pillows for two beds,” she said.
“Bath soap, towels, and a shower curtain, and maybe a rug to go in front of the tub,” he said.
She wrote that down and said, “Laundry soap, fabric softener, and spray starch.”
He nodded. “Ironing board and iron if you liked pressed clothes.”
She finally looked up and asked, “What else?”
“Food,” he said. “Do you know how to cook?”
“A little,” she said. “This reminds me of the list I made when I went to college.”
“Me too, only I like being thirty better than being eighteen. Besides, you’re prettier than my roommate was back then. He was a nerd who kept losing his glasses and accusing me of stealing them,” he said.
“Mine was a red-haired cheerleader who was seldom in our room. She liked to party and she liked the cowboys,” Leah said. “Paper plates for now?”
Rhett nodded. “But I want a real coffee mug.”
“Me too.” She made a note on the pad and turned the page.
“Leah,” he said seriously, “my eyes got opened really wide yesterday when I was on Wild Horse Ranch. I realized what you could have, what you deserve, and I don’t ever want to stand in your way if you and Tanner really have something in the past you have to settle. I’m not saying I’ll like it if the chips fall in his favor but hell, I’m not stupid. The Gallaghers are a force,” he said.
One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas) Page 23