True-Blue Cowboy--Includes a bonus novella

by Sara Richardson

  “Hi there—” Oh. “I know you.” It was the woman from the Italian restaurant. Mateo’s little sister. “Ana Sofia.”

  She grinned. “And you’re Everly.”

  “Florencia and Ana!” Naomi dodged tables and chairs to hurry over. “Hi! So glad you could make it.” She put her arm around Everly. “Flo and Ana are staying at the Hidden Gem for their last few days in Topaz Falls. This morning I was raving about the café while they were enjoying their coffee and I told them it was the perfect place to come for lunch.”

  “Wow.” The shock of seeing Ana face to face again finally started to subside. “Great. It’s so nice to officially meet you both.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Everly hadn’t realized how friendly Ana’s smile was. That could’ve been because she’d left the restaurant too fast to notice anything at all. But seeing her now, she could tell the woman had Mateo’s same wit and mischievous nature. And Florencia…She was every bit as lovely as she’d looked in those pictures. Everly could hardly believe she was a day over forty. “What are you two doing in town?”

  Some of the light in Ana’s eyes faded. “Just here for a visit,” she said quickly. Her wavering smile hinted at pain. Mateo had told them about his brother. He must’ve. Everly wanted to hug Ana, to tell her she was sorry for her loss, but she couldn’t. Not in front of all these people.

  “You know my son Mateo?” Florencia asked.

  Everly glanced at Naomi. Her friend must have neglected to share anything about her history with Mateo.

  “She definitely knows Mateo,” Ana answered for her. Those dark eyes sparkled again as she leaned closer to her mom. “I think Mateo would like to know her better.”

  Recognition sparked in Flo’s eyes. “Everly! The girl with the ducks. He has talked about you.”

  “That’s because he likes her,” Ana said teasingly.

  Everly felt her cheeks flame. “I don’t know about that.” She turned and waved them over to the tables she’d pulled together for their brunch. “Why don’t you both come and sit down? I’ll bring you menus, and you can choose whatever you’d like. On the house.”

  She hurried away to clear more space at the table. It would probably be best if they didn’t talk about Mateo. Her heart already beat a little faster just thinking about him.

  She hadn’t seen him for a few days, not since she’d left him at her house to stay at Darla’s. Dev had been reassigned as her official shadow when she went out to care for the animals on the farm. She would never admit it to anyone else, but she missed seeing Mateo. Missed his sly grin and his humor and his energy.

  “I don’t think we need menus,” Ana said, pulling out a chair at the end of the table for her mom. “We were told you have the best cinnamon rolls in the entire world.”

  “And the egg white frittata,” Naomi added.

  “Definitely,” Darla agreed, greeting the women with a warm smile. “Make sure you put the extra frosting on those rolls.”

  “That all sounds perfect.” Ana sat in a chair next to her mom.

  “Coming right up.” Everly linked arms with Naomi and pulled her back to the kitchen with her. “Does Mateo know you told them to come here?” She prepped the pan for the frittatas and turned on the oven so she could reheat the cinnamon rolls.

  “Nope.” Her friend smirked. “But I wish I could see his face when he finds out.” Naomi pulled out two plates for her. “Wait until his mom hears he kicked you off the farm.”

  “I don’t want them to find out. Not unless he tells them.” The last thing she wanted to do was get Mateo in trouble with his mom.

  “Fine.” Naomi pouted while they prepped the food, but she knew her friend would respect her wishes. When the frittata was steaming and the cinnamon rolls were dripping with frosting, they brought out the plates and set them in front of Flo and Ana.

  Mateo’s sister stared down at her plate with a look of awe. “That’s the biggest cinnamon roll I’ve ever seen.”

  “And smell the herbs in these eggs.” Flo shook out a napkin and smoothed it across her lap.

  “Fresh basil and thyme from the garden.” Everly sat down next to them, marveling at how much Mateo looked like his mom.

  “Delicious.” Flo enjoyed a few bites while Everly’s friends traded looks. Naomi must’ve quietly spread the word that they weren’t allowed to talk about the farm. With that topic off limits, no one seemed to know what to say.

  “How did you make this frosting?” Ana asked, wiping a smear off her chin. “It’s soooo good.”

  “I always add a little mascarpone cheese.” She never minded revealing her baking secrets.

  “I can’t believe Mateo hadn’t brought me here yet.” His sister took another bite and closed her eyes, chewing slowly.

  “I can’t imagine why,” Charity said innocently.

  Everly gave a subtle shake of her head. “How long will you two be in town?” she asked, steering the conversation away from the farm.

  “Only until Monday,” Flo said. “It will be sad to leave after staying at the Hidden Gem and meeting all of Mateo’s wonderful friends. He has told me a lot about you.” She patted Everly’s hand. Not Naomi or Jessa’s. Only Everly’s. All eyes in the room seemed to land on her, including Ana’s.

  Everly simply smiled at Mateo’s mom, wondering how high Hilda had turned up the thermostat that morning.

  “You know, it’s funny.” Darla focused on Everly as she spoke. “Mateo’s a friend but no one seems to know much about him. Do you have any fun stories to tell? From when he was growing up?”

  “Oh, there are so many.” Flo sent down her fork.

  “So many,” Ana echoed, looking like she’d be all too pleased to share them in an effort to embarrass him.

  “I will tell you one of my favorites,” his mom said, not giving his sister a chance to expand. “It was Christmas, when he was eleven.”

  “Of course you’re telling that one.” Ana shook her head. “Come on, Mom. It’s not even embarrassing.”

  Flo ignored her daughter. “We didn’t have money. Those were hard times. Mateo knew I couldn’t buy presents, but he was determined to have something under the tree.”

  “He loves Christmas,” Ana informed them.

  For some reason that came as a surprise. Everly wouldn’t have guessed that holidays mattered much to him.

  “Anyway,” Flo went on. “On the morning of Christmas Eve, I walked into his bedroom and all of his furniture was gone. His bed and his dresser. The few toys he had gotten over the years.” She laughed softly. “Even his pillows and blankets.”

  The room had silenced. No one ate. No one seemed to breathe. At least, Everly wasn’t breathing. Flo didn’t have to finish the story. She already knew what he’d done.

  “He’d gone to the market,” his mom said, dabbing her eyes with a napkin. “And he’d sold everything he had in his room so he could buy presents.”

  “He wrapped all of the gifts in old newspapers and hid them in the closet.” Even Ana had gotten a little misty-eyed.

  Everly had gone way past misty-eyed. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she was powerless to stop them. Powerless to stop that surge of blind love for him, for how he cared for the people he loved. Her heart may have been teetering on the edge before, but that story gave it a final push.

  “I still have that scarf he bought me,” Flo said. “I hang it on my wall right next to his picture.”

  “I still have the bracelet, too.” Ana held out her wrist, showing off a simple beaded leather band.

  The table had turned into a chorus line of sniffles. It seemed even Charity wasn’t immune.

  “He’s a good boy,” his mom said fondly.

  No one argued with that.

  Chapter Twenty

  If he could’ve known how much it would change things, Mateo would’ve told his mom about Andres a long time ago.

  He parked in front of the Hidden Gem Inn, still fired up about the stellar training session he’d had with Amigo
that morning. The last few days, everything had seemed different. He felt lighter. Spending time with his mom, reminiscing, and living in the truth had somehow freed up a space inside of him, giving him a capacity for more. More understanding, more contentment, more hope that he hadn’t screwed things up beyond repair.

  His mom had forgiven him for living a lie. They’d talked a lot about Andres, about what he’d meant to them, and she insisted that she would be the one to tell his older sisters the news when she arrived back in Mexico. But Ana still wouldn’t even talk to Mateo. She’d avoided him, opting to read or watch a movie instead whenever he came by. That had to stop. Today.

  He pushed out of the truck and strode up the sidewalk to the Hidden Gem’s quaint front porch. Ana couldn’t avoid him forever. He wouldn’t let her.

  Prepared to tell her so, he bounded up the steps but stopped when he saw the piece of paper taped to the door.

  Hi Mateo—Naomi told us we had to go to the café for lunch. (And a cinnamon roll. You know how I feel about pastries.) We were going to wait for you, but we got hungry. Meet us there? Love, A

  Mateo crumpled the note in his fist. Well, there went his plan to take Ana and his mom to the highway diner that was located outside of town for a quiet lunch away from the dirty looks and muttered insults he’d gotten lately courtesy of random strangers around town.

  He lumbered away from the Hidden Gem’s main entrance and climbed back into his truck. Mom and Ana knew nothing about the farm or his plans to develop it. At least they hadn’t known yesterday. They likely knew now, seeing as how he’d heard that had been the topic of conversation at the café lately.

  He hadn’t been anywhere near Everly since the night he’d called out the search party. He had this idea that when he finally did talk to her, he’d have everything figured out. He’d be sure that what he had to offer her would be enough—everything she deserved. But mostly he’d avoided her because he didn’t want to watch her walk out on him again. He couldn’t. Then he’d lose hope that she’d see the change in him. Hope was all he could grasp at right now.

  The short drive over to the café didn’t boost his confidence. Neither did the sight of the cars in the parking lot—looked like Darla’s, Jessa’s, Charity’s, Naomi’s, his sister’s rental, and a few others he didn’t recognize. Other members of the book club, most likely, and he was most definitely still on their shit list.

  This ought to be fun. He might’ve turned the truck around and peeled out of there if he didn’t want to see Everly so badly. It was time. He might not have things figured out, but everything in him seemed to hum at the prospect of seeing her. There were no doubts about how much he wanted her. He could be what she needed. He would be. And if he had to face the fury of her friends, so be it.

  The dining room silenced when he walked in, but the only thing he saw was Everly, sitting with his mom and his sister, the three of them smiling like they were old friends. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She always looked so radiant, the brightest spot in any room.

  “You finally made it.” His sister patted the empty chair next to her. Mateo walked over feeling the glares of Everly’s friends, but he didn’t acknowledge them. He kept his eyes on her. Only on her. He loved her hair pulled back that way, loose and carefree. Loved her pink-tinged cheeks and the flicker of passion in her eyes. “Hey,” he said, everything in him begging for another kiss.

  “Hi.” She didn’t look away, either. The air between them seemed charged with unspoken words. “Are you hungry?” She stood abruptly. “I could get you something to eat.”

  He almost said no, but if she got him something to eat, maybe he could talk to her alone. Right now, all he wanted to do was talk to her alone. “Actually, a cinnamon roll would be great.”

  Everly nodded and tucked some of the stray hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear.

  He let her get partway across the room and then stood up. “I think I’ll give you a hand.”

  Ana raised her eyebrows at their mother, and Mateo just smiled as he walked away. His sister could read him like no one else. She’d picked up on his feelings at the restaurant weeks ago, before he would even acknowledge them himself.

  When he got to the kitchen, Everly appeared rushed. She’d already pulled a tray of cinnamon rolls out of the refrigerator. “I’ll heat it up and frost it. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

  A few minutes. That was all she had to give him. And he’d make every one of them count. “I’m surprised your friends didn’t launch an offensive when I walked in.”

  “Oh. They wouldn’t.” She busied herself with doing a few dishes that sat in the sink. “And no one said anything to your mom and sister about the farm. I don’t want you to think we were conspiring against you.”

  “That’s good to know.” Mateo grabbed a towel and dried the clean pan she’d set on the counter. “I told them about Andres.”

  Everly’s hands froze. “I wondered.” She set down the pan she’d been holding in the sink, and turned to face him. “How’d it go?”

  “It was…hard. But good. Freeing.” Jesus, he’d spent all this time thinking about what to say and now it was like he’d forgotten how to use words. “It’s changed things for me. I know we don’t have time to talk right now with everyone else here, but I’d like to tell you about it.” When it was only the two of them. When he could sit across the table from her and focus on everything he wanted to say. “Maybe we could hang out sometime.”

  “Oh. Sure.” Everly whirled back to the sink and finished washing the pan. “We can hang out sometime. Probably after the big farewell on Saturday. Things are pretty busy right now getting ready for that.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Was she putting him off? Was this one of those times when she’d say sure, let’s get together and it would never happen? He couldn’t let it be. “I’ll give you a call next week so we can set something up.” And if she didn’t call him back, he’d keep calling.

  Her hands stilled. “You’re not coming to the farewell?” She looked at him over her shoulder.

  “I thought it was best if I didn’t.” Everyone knew he was the reason for the farewell. “I doubt anyone wants me there.”

  “I do.” One corner of her mouth rose in a shy smile, much like the one she’d flashed when he’d spoken to her in Spanish.

  There was his glimpse of hope. “Then I’ll be there.” Even if the crowd wanted to stone him. He’d be there.

  Mateo wolfed down his cinnamon roll without saying one damn word. He knew when to be quiet.

  Everly’s friends were being polite enough to his family—asking Ana questions about school, and showing a genuine interest in his mother’s recipes, but they completely iced him out with their frosty stares. All of them except for Everly, who was more gracious than he deserved.

  Mercifully, his mom finally reached over and patted his hand, telling him she was ready to go. Her smile had grown tired. They bid everyone a quick good-bye—him without making eye contact with anyone—and Everly walked them to the door.

  “I’m so sorry to run out like this,” his mom said to Everly. “I always get tired in the afternoon.”

  “It’s the altitude,” Mateo said, giving his mom a stern look. “She doesn’t drink enough water. It happens every time she comes for a visit.”

  “It got me, too, when I first moved here.” Everly hurried to the small refrigerator by the cash register and pulled out a water bottle. “Drinking water does help.” She handed it to his mom. “And a nap always helped, too.”

  “Thank you.” Mateo’s mom hugged Everly. “It was so wonderful to meet you. I hope we will see more of you.” She smiled at Mateo, not bothering to disguise her approval.

  “I might see more of you tomorrow when I come for another cinnamon roll,” Ana said. “I’d have to agree with Naomi. They’re the best cinnamon rolls in the entire world.”

  “Thank you.” Everly beamed. “You’re welcome to come back anytime.” Right as she said it, her bright s
mile dimmed. “I guess I should start cleaning up. Hope you all have a great afternoon.”

  She ducked away before Mateo could get a good look at her face, but he’d heard the sadness in her voice. Mom and Ana couldn’t come back to the café anytime. The next time they were in town there would be no café. Not if he signed the contract that had been sitting in his inbox for two days. He’d read it multiple times, sent it to a lawyer Levi knew. Everything about it appeared rock solid—a great investment, the lawyer had said.

  And yet Mateo hadn’t signed it.

  He got into his truck and followed Ana and their mother back to the Hidden Gem. Once they arrived, he walked them to the door. “I thought we could take a walk down by the river while Mom goes in to rest,” he said to his sister.

  Ana narrowed her eyes with suspicion, as though she knew he had an ulterior motive, but after a second she shrugged. “Sure. I could use a walk.”

  Once they got their mother situated in her room, he and Ana made their way around to the back of the property. The wide river flowed at the edge of the expansive lawn, bordering the mountain on the other side. With the sun shining, the cloudless sky radiated an unfathomable blue.

  “It’s beautiful here,” Ana said as they walked along the riverbank side by side. “I can see why you’re finally putting down some roots.”

  “It’s actually starting to feel like home.” He hadn’t said that about any place he’d lived since he’d left Mexico. Not even Gunner’s place. He’d been so aware that it didn’t belong to him, that he was simply passing through on his way somewhere else. But that didn’t feel true here.

  They walked in silence for a few minutes until they reached a small wooden bench at the bend in the river.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t invite me to go on a walk so we could talk about the scenery.” Ana took a seat, looking up at him expectantly.

  Busted. He sat down next to her. “I wanted to talk about Andres. You haven’t said much since I told you the news.” He’d been giving her space, but she would be accompanying their mom back to Mexico soon, and he couldn’t let her go without knowing she was okay. “I just wanted to know what you think about it all. How you’re handling it.”