Never Say Never Again

by A. E. Easterlin

  “Look-ee there.” Cocky joined in the fun. “Ain’t she the prettiest thing you’ve seen around these parts in a long while?”

  His companion took a long draw off his longneck and hunched over the bar as he stared her way. “Shore is, buddy.” The two sniggered. “She ain’t actin’ like she’s interested.”

  “That’s just ’cause she don’t know us yet,” he insisted. “Come on over here, darlin’, and let’s get to know each other.” He reached his arm around her shoulder.

  Maddie sighed out loud and glanced toward the trio on the other side of the room. No help from Loretta—she was still talking to Mr. Very Nice. Stan had returned to the grill—from the smell of it, the burgers were definitely going to come out well done. It was going to be up to her to put the cowboys in their places.

  Wishing they’d just go away, she shrugged off Horny’s arm. Having less than no interest in a guy like him, she moved over a saddle. “Back off, dude,” she warned.

  His buddy, elbowed aside as she moved, frowned. “That’s not nice. We just want to get acquainted. No need to get all huffy about it.” Again Maddie moved away a notch. Across the room, Loretta’s voice quieted, as did the deeper tones of her friend.

  These two were getting on her last nerve, while her mind was buzzing. Reminder to self: Next time, if there is a next time, I will only consider a real man. Real being defined as someone older, wiser, ready to give as well as get. Real as in not afraid of marriage, and not inclined to run away at the mention of the “L” word. Real as in honest with a capitol “H.” Steady, protective, reliable. A salt-of-the-earth kind of guy like her Pap. Like her dad had been before he and her mom were killed. Maddie would never let herself fall for another guy who only knew what he wanted, not who he was.

  And as long as she was enumerating requirements, he should be tall and have lots of muscles, and something to hold on to in the bedroom. Maybe blue eyes or gray, the kind that grew heavy-lidded and dark with desire when he kissed her. And he had to have a sense of humor, laugh at all her old jokes even if they weren’t that funny, and not take himself too seriously.

  Does such a man exist? Back to reality, Maddie. In three years you’ve only met guys like the two jerks beside you.

  Loretta must have noticed her situation. She sashayed next to Maddie with a wide conspiratorial grin and bumped her shoulder. Cocky and Horny backed off.

  “Well,” Loretta drawled, “I see you helped yourself to another brown bottle.”

  “Thanks,” Maddie murmured. “Those two were getting a little out of hand.”

  “They’re harmless,” Loretta replied. “I saw you talking and hoped you were taking a step in the direction of something male for a change.”

  “I might be considering it. But not in their direction.” Maddie gave a fake shiver.

  “Praise be!” Loretta exclaimed, ignoring the cowboys as she helped herself to a bottled water and took a drink. “I think that’s a great idea. Does that mean you’re open to something else new…like a new man and a new romance?”

  Maddie widened her eyes. “You and Stan just won’t give it up. Between you guys and Pap, you’d think I’d turned into a man hater, which I’m not. I’m open to meeting the right sort of man, just not interested in the ones who’re all hat and no cattle,” Maddie said.

  Stan must have been listening from the galley. “That’s progress,” he called, leaning over the steaming grill with a grin for the girls. “Means there’s hope for us good guys yet.”

  Loretta raised a brow. “Watch it, handsome. Remember, you’re taken.”

  “And how, baby.” He winked at his wife.

  Loretta blew him a kiss and turned back to Maddie. “So? You have anybody in mind? Because I can think of a few.”

  “Not from around here, you can’t.”

  “Can too.” Loretta’s grin spread from ear to ear. “Got the perfect guy in mind.”

  Maddie winced. “I hate that word. There’s no such thing as perfection…”

  Loretta quirked one corner of her mouth. “I know…in an imperfect world. You need new material, friend. Now, about you being open to meeting the right sort of man…”

  “Not so fast. Nothing’s definite—I’ve just been thinking maybe it’s time to sample some of the possibilities of life again. Not that Snowy Range has much to offer in the way of available men. But I’m thinking about it. This time, if there is a ‘this time’ ”—she gestured with hand quotes—“I’m only interested in the real thing. I want a man who knows what he wants, and when he sees it, it’s me.”

  No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a shiver of pure anticipation ran down her spine, and she caught a movement from the corner of her eye. Her attention was drawn to the man sitting in the booth by the door.

  Blue-gray eyes clear as the Wyoming sky and steady as the Snowy Mountains themselves pierced the distance. Silently, he inserted himself into their conversation as if he’d heard her discussion with Loretta and was interested in what she had to say.

  For a brief moment, their gazes met and locked. Maddie froze, pinned by the connection. Bar sounds faded. Time suspended. The slightest hint of a smile tickled the side of his mouth, and a flock of butterflies took flight in her belly. More than a physical touch, the message relayed by that smile set her pulses spinning, leaving her confused and a little unsettled. Her own words echoed in her brain. When he sees it, it’s me.

  “Maddie, did you hear me? I said it sounds like you’re ready to start dating again.” Loretta’s voice sounded very far away. Maddie swallowed and forced her attention back where it belonged, severing the connection, leaving her off kilter.

  “Yeah, I think I might be,” she murmured. “But I’m done with the games. This time I want a forever kind of man or nothing at all.”

  She spared another quick glance in his direction. Holey moly, those blue eyes were dead-on steady.

  Almost like he knows what he wants, and it’s me.

  “Good for you, honey.” Loretta patted her hand. “That’s progress. Don’t worry, when the time is right, the right one’ll come along. That’s what my granny always said, and she was seldom wrong.”

  “Your granny was married more times than Elizabeth Taylor.”

  Loretta widened her eyes. “Which only goes to prove my point. Look at me and Stan. I’d just about given up hope, and this big guy came my way. Lord knows, you’ve paid your dues. It’s your turn to catch a break in the romance department.”

  “Yeah,” Maddie agreed distractedly, wondering why she’d started this conversation. She made a supreme effort and shook herself. This was Wyoming, and the man she could feel from across the room was just another cowboy. They were a dime a dozen out here where everybody wore a Stetson and old, scuffed boots.

  Yeah. But did they stand a mile tall and look like this guy? And did they make her feel like she was sitting on a fault line with a 6.0 earthquake starting to rumble under her feet?

  Lost in her musings, Maddie jumped when Cocky and Horny decided to make their move. Cocky stayed left, while Horny edged Loretta out on her right. Not liking the feel of being caged in by two yahoos looking for a good time, Maddie slid off the saddle and started to leave. The men closed in, the odor of their beer christening her face.

  Cocky leaned in close, drunkenly brushed against her shoulder, and curled a strand of her hair around the tip of his finger. “Anybody ever tell you your hair is right pretty? Like spun gold or sunshine or something.”

  Did he think he was being poetic? His putrid breath washed over her, and Maddie jerked her hair from his hand, drawing herself up to her full five-foot four.

  “Boys,” Loretta warned and inserted herself between Maddie and the patron who’d touched her friend.

  “Aw, come on now, Loretta, we ain’t hurtin’ nothing. Are we, darlin’? Just gettin’ better acquainted. Um-um, you shore do smell nice.”

  Cocky lifted the bottle she’d set aside and scrunched up his eyes in an effort to read the label
. “Shit,” he drawled with a laugh. “Root beer.” His astute observation prompted a gale of laughter from the pair.

  Maddie sighed. Two clever dudes—they cracked each other up. “My favorite brand of root beer, dripping ice from the cooler. Always hits the spot. I don’t like the taste of beer, and a sugar rush does as good a job as alcohol. You should try it sometime. Might make you less of a jerk.”

  Horny didn’t take the hint and eased a little more in her direction, blocking her exit. “Hey, don’t be that way. We just want to be friends. Sure I can’t buy you a real drink? It looks like you could use one. Might loosen you up some.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks.” She dismissed him by turning toward Loretta in what she hoped was an obvious brush-off.

  Not to be dissuaded by her body language or her words, the two men persisted, bookending her.

  “You know, it’s almost Happy Hour. Two for one, if you’d like to stick around.” Cocky grinned at Horny, while his finger ran suggestively from her wrist to her shoulder causing an involuntary shiver of revulsion.

  Okay, that’s it. She’d had about enough of these two would-be Romeos. Maddie’s eyes narrowed, her lips thinned, and her jaw tilted. Inhaling, she prepared to unload on Cocky and Horny.

  Maddie saw Stan stick his head out from behind an order of burgers and fries, a concerned frown marring his handsome face. With raised brows, he shot her an inquiring glance. She responded with a slight shake of her head. She could handle the situation. Two drunk cowboys were not much of a challenge.

  Loretta sought to alleviate the confrontation she saw brewing in Maddie’s stormy eyes. With a thin smile, she slid another two longnecks their way. “Move on back to the bar, fellas; these are on the house. Finish your business and be on your way.”

  Cocky and Horny were buzzed enough not to take offense, but not enough to know when to give up.

  “Aw, we was only funnin’, Loretta. Why don’t you introduce us to your friend? Pretty girl like her might like us a little better with a recommendation from you.” Cocky smiled and gazed down his chin, trying to catch a glimpse of what hid beneath the neckline of Maddie’s T-shirt.

  She squinted her anger, fisted the front of her top, planted her feet, and let go. “Did you know that the name ‘cowboy’ used to be two words, not one? It was actually a term of derision. ‘Cow’ because of what they did for a living and how they smelled doing it. And ‘boy’… Well, I’m sure I don’t have to explain that one. Appears to me not much has changed in one hundred fifty years or so. Since you can’t take a hint, I’ll spell it out for you. You’re drunk. You stink. And between the two of you, you don’t have the brains God gave a mule. I’m not interested, okay? And I’m not going to be—ever. Why don’t you boys go back over there and enjoy your beer, and leave me and Loretta to our conversation.”

  “Aren’t you a stuck-up little bit…”

  “That’s enough.” The command came from the direction of the stranger.

  Cocky and Horny frowned at each other, not budging an inch, and dug in their heels. “This don’t concern you.”

  About that time, Stan appeared from the kitchen, and as usual the sight of his burly, six-foot frame discouraged further discussion. The cowboys finally processed their predicament, but not before Cocky reached out for Maddie and mistakenly grabbed her breast instead of her arm.

  Her mouth opened like a baby bird waiting on its momma’s worm as she gazed at the big hand on her chest.

  Cocky’s jaw dropped, and his glazed eyes looking every bit as shocked as everyone else.

  Loretta gasped. Stan growled. The stranger erupted from his chair and charged toward Maddie.

  The belligerent cowboys held their ground as if confused by the unfolding confrontation.

  “Take your hands off the lady—now.” He knocked Cocky’s hand from Maddie’s chest.

  “Mind your own business, buddy.” Cocky recovered, but dropped his arm. “We saw her first, and we ain’t hurtin’ nothin’. Just invitin’ her to share a brew, take the edge off.”

  “The lady doesn’t have any edges that I can see, and I don’t think she’s interested. That’s what ‘no’ usually means. How about you finish your beer and move along, like Miss Loretta asked?”

  “Why don’t you find your own girl, mister, and leave ours alone?” Horny stepped to his friend’s defense, reinforced with courage born of potent hops.

  The stranger glanced at Maddie. A heated gaze traveled her body, gentle yet hard as forged steel as it shifted to the drunken cowboys giving her a hard time. Getting full in the face of Cocky, he met him nose to nose. An aura of command oozed from every pore. This man had the kind of presence that screamed authority, demanded respect.

  Maddie felt the hair stand up on her nape. As if he sensed her reaction, the stranger glanced her way again, and their gazes met and held. Invisible and undeniable, a current sparked between them. It struck deep inside, in a part of Maddie she hadn’t known existed but, once detected, could never deny. Riveted to the floor, unable to break the spell, she waited until he loosed her.

  His attention returned to the two men who’d insulted her. “Not going to say it again, boys. Back away. You two finish your business, pay your bill, and skedaddle. She doesn’t want any of what you have to offer, and neither do I.”

  She could see Cocky and Horny wanted to argue, but the hard look in his eyes brooked no argument. The stare-down lasted only a few minutes, and after a lot of meaningless muttering, the two slapped a few dollars on the bar and turned to leave.

  “You fellas forget something?” he demanded.

  “What?” Cocky asked, striving to focus, weaving on unsteady legs.

  A chin lift toward Maddie answered the question. The stranger glared his answer.

  Cocky swallowed; Horny cleared his throat. “Sorry, ma’am,” the cowboys said in unison and grudgingly tipped their hats.

  As the two shuffled out the door, Maddie relaxed and exhaled a long, slow breath. Crisis averted, thanks to the gentleman now facing her. Opening her mouth to offer her thanks, the same weird sensation as before came over her. Time slowed, the room faded in a shadowy haze, and that supercharged current sparked again. She stared; he stared. Only her, only him, and it seemed to last for eternity.

  The protective wall she normally erected to keep men at bay failed her. As if he could see all the way inside, the most intimate part of her on display for this stranger to explore, he paused without wavering.

  Then the strangest phenomenon occurred—without hesitation, she let him in, let him see. The tender heart so painfully damaged, the loss and loneliness, the resentment, the stubborn refusal to put all of it behind her. The fear of allowing another man to hurt her again. Everything—all of it.

  What just happened?

  Stan cleared his throat and broke the spell, as he clapped the man’s shoulder and held. “Thanks, buddy. You back to stay this time?”

  Maddie blinked, and reality returned.

  The stranger transferred his attention to Stan. “Yep, back for good. Just stopped in for a quick bite. Hankered to taste one of your burgers again. Still the best in the West.”

  “Good to see you,” Loretta said with a smile and leaned into Stan, slipping her arm around his waist. “A burger on the house is the least we can do for helping with those two yahoos. This one’s on us.” She refused the money he held out.

  “Glad to help.” He suddenly seemed anxious to leave. “Well, best be on my way. So long, Loretta, Stan…ma’am.” The ‘ma’am’ was pointed. Significant—a secret shared. He touched the brim of his hat and trapped her gaze, holding it for a fraction of a second. One twinkling blue eye winked before he made his way to the door. It felt like the light had gone from the room.

  An irreverent thought grazed her mind as she watched him leave.

  Lord, but that man sure can fill out a pair of jeans.

  Out loud, she quipped. “Who was that masked man?”

  Stan cocked a brow. “You didn’
t recognize him? If I’d realized, I would have introduced you. That’s my buddy Gideon Branch, your boss and neighbor.”

  “That was Gideon Branch? Arthur’s grandson?” she exclaimed. He didn’t look like the gangly Gideon Branch she remembered.

  Stan nodded. “Yeah. Heard he was headed home to stay. Glad he made it and back where he belongs. Gideon deserves to be in a place where people respect him. Man’s a genuine hero. Everybody here in Snowy Range knew it before he enlisted, but he proved it on the battlefield.”

  “What happened?” she asked. Curious. Interested.

  “The Branch boys and I grew up together in these mountains. I joined the Navy, they served in the Marines. You may not remember, but Gideon, the oldest, left first. He was a loner—more serious than the other two. Left here a skinny kid—came home, well, like he is. Probably why you didn’t recognize him.”

  “I remember seeing him around, but nothing more.”

  “Not surprising. You’re younger than Gideon and Zack. Eli is closer to your age. By the time you hit high school, Gideon had already enlisted. You were back east by his first rotation home. Anyway, his unit was on ground patrol outside Kabul, clearing the road around the compound and looking for insurgents, when a buddy tripped and heard a click. Gideon didn’t think twice. Knocked his man off the IED and saved his life, but it took Gideon’s leg from just below the knee. He’s been doing rehab at Walter Reed the last few months. Now that he’s better, he’s moving into his grandpappy’s place. Going to ranch, raise cattle, and breed horses, like his old man.” Stan glanced her way with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Be good to have a man like that as a neighbor.”

  Maddie ignored the innuendo. “He’s the Branch ‘boy’ whose house I’ve been taking care of?”

  “Yep. After Arthur died, Gideon and your Pap became close friends. Pap saw to it the place was kept up. You sort of inherited the duty when you came home.”

  “If they’re so close, why haven’t I heard of him? Pap never mentioned a Gideon Branch to me.”

  Stan shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe it slipped his mind. Maybe he figured Gideon wouldn’t come back to Snowy Range. Arthur and his son, Gideon’s dad, had some problems between them, so it wasn’t until after his son died that the boys came to stay with their grandfather. He kept them pretty busy. Time you were old enough to notice, the older boys had gone to college, then service. Remember Eli?”