Her Heart for the Asking (Book 1 - TEXAS HEARTS)

by Lisa Mondello

  It was truly beautiful. The beauty of this ranch was something he'd committed to memory years ago. He’d longed for the comfort of it on many occasions when the road ahead was too long with too many towns in between. There was something about coming home. And even though the Double T had never been his true home, Beau had longed for the calming feelings it evoked when the yearning for home set in.

  "Things aren't as fast down here as they must be up in Philadelphia. I imagine advertising must be a fairly wild ride."

  She nodded her head, tossing him a wry grin. He squashed the familiar zing that always took hold of him when he saw Mandy's smile.

  "Feels good to catch my breath though," she said.

  "I have plenty of time for catching my breath after my butt hits the hard ground."

  She glanced at him quickly, her eyebrows crinkling into an adorable frown, then gave a weak smile at his attempt at a joke.

  She was keeping herself in check, keeping him at arm’s length. She had a lot of her mind, not the least of which was Hank. Drawing a deep breath of hot Texas air, he forged on, giving it another try.

  "The way I see it, we have two choices."

  "And what would they be?"

  "The cabin in the hills needs to be stocked with supplies. One of the hands is going to spend some time up there before the cattle round up. We can either spend the afternoon getting all that squared away..."

  "Or?"

  "Give ourselves a much needed break from the heat and head up to the creek where that old rope swing used to be. It's going to be a hot afternoon."

  "Texas in August, Beau. Every afternoon is hot."

  "Well, it's going to be even more so. I think it's high time we turned our attention away from ranch business and took a swim."

  The flash of pain that crossed her face was instantaneous. She was quick, averting her gaze to look down at the book in her lap, but Beau saw enough to know that memories of them were still very fresh in her mind. He'd had enough memories of his own float to the surface during the last month.

  "If you have your heart set on going for a swim, then go for it. I'll just have to pass."

  "Forget how to swim?"

  "Forgot my bathing suit."

  His lips stretched into a wicked grin. "That isn't a problem for me."

  "Well it is for me." She tried to sound annoyed, glaring at him as if she were about to slap him. But she couldn't fool him. A smile was sitting just beneath the surface, but being Mandy, she was too stubborn to show it.

  He'd work on that. He liked a challenge. And Mandy was about as pretty a challenge as a man could encounter.

  "Then I guess stocking the cabin wins out."

  Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm really not up to it, Beau. Can't one of the other hands get the cabin set? Riding up to the hills will take all day."

  "Which is why no one else can go. The hands have got other duties around here."

  "I don't want to be gone all that long."

  "You know Corrine. She'll make sure Hank rests if she has to hog-tie him."

  She rewarded him with a smile. Hallelujah! It always amazed Beau how strong his heart beat in his chest with one flash of a smile from Mandy Morgan.

  "She would do it, too," Mandy said, giving a soft giggle.

  "It doesn't make sense to hang around and wait for something to happen. Hank's going to be fine."

  If he had his way, everything would be fine for Mandy, too. Despite the tension surrounding their reasons for coming to Texas, Beau could see how much more relaxed Mandy was after being at the ranch for a few days. She'd all but stopped checking her watch every fifteen minutes.

  When he came up on her as she sat on the glider, it was immediately apparent that some of the stress that had tightened her features had eased, smoothing out the lines of worry. Oh, she was still worried about her uncle, but it was different. There wasn't a fast-paced urgency about her anymore. Just taking the time to enjoy the beauty of the horizon was much of an improvement over the nervous energy that had her wearing a path back and forth on the living room rug.

  Still, he could tell she hadn't left all those worries behind. Half her mind was still in Philadelphia and half was here in Texas worrying about Hank.

  "I don't know," she said.

  "I do. Get your hat."

  He turned and strode off the porch, propping his cowboy hat on his head as he moved, before she could utter a word of protest.

  * * *

  She shouldn't have come. Even as she slid into the passenger seat of Beau's truck, Mandy second-guessed her decision to join Beau.

  But even as her mind waged war with her decision, she had to admit Beau was right. She couldn't wile away the hours hoping Hank would change his mind about surgery. She'd only drive herself and everyone else crazy with nervous energy.

  Sitting on porch, even wrestling with her worrying alone, had done her some good. For the first time in a long time, she felt her muscles ease and her tension unwind. She loved the Double T, loved visiting with her aunt and uncle. She loved being in Texas, despite all the memories that had kept her away all these years. She'd have to make sure she didn't let another eight years go by without visiting.

  She had to admit too, at least a little part of her wanted to be with Beau. Even that little admission set her off kilter.

  "The cattle drive is the one thing I always missed every summer when I went home," Mandy said, helping to load the last of the supplies they'd just purchased into the back of the truck.

  Beau adjusted his straw hat to shield the sun so he could look at her. "That's right, you always had to go back home for school before the cattle were brought in every year."

  She nodded, recalling the disappointment she had always felt when she had to leave. "I used to beg Uncle Hank to convince Mom to let me stay just until then. I figured all those riding lessons ought to be put to good use out here on the ranch."

  She shook her head as she climbed into the truck and slammed the door. She waited for Beau to gun the engine before she went on.

  "Mom would have no part of it. I think she was afraid I'd change my mind all together and not want to come home at all."

  "Did you want that?"

  Mandy lifted her shoulder in an idle shrug. "Sometimes. Aunt Corrine used to paint such wonderful stories about the cattle drive. She's not your typical rancher's wife. I always figured for her to want to go, it had to be a good time, despite the work."

  "There's always a first time. You don't need your mom's permission anymore. You could do it this year. I'm sure Hank would welcome the helping hand."

  "Unless the drive is in a few weeks, I won't be here this year either."

  "Are you planning on leaving soon?"

  She sighed and brushed away the tendrils of hair the wind from the opened window was blowing in her face. "I don't want to. But I can't hang around here forever hoping I can convince Hank to have surgery."

  "Hank doesn't have forever. Any luck?"

  "Every time I bring up the subject, he puts me off. He doesn't want to talk about it. Then Aunt Corrine gets upset and leaves the room. They're beginning to look an awful lot like my parents did when I was a kid."

  They were both quiet a moment. The sound of the wheels running over dry pavement ate into the silence.

  "I was hoping..." Beau started. He didn't have to finish. It echoed her exact feelings on the subject.

  Hank. What was she going to do about him? He didn't have forever to make up his mind about surgery. In the few days she'd been at the Double T, she'd seen how much his condition had deteriorated. Just being out in the hot sun this morning had beaten him to the ground.

  Ever since she could remember, Hank had loved rodeo and ranching. When she was young, she'd seen him in a few rodeos. He'd been off the road for years, but he still entered a few now and then. There was a spark that ignited to a flame in each of those cowboys who entered the shoot to mount a bronc or a bull. She'd seen it in Hank many times when he was talking of r
odeo or getting ready for a ride.

  And she'd seen it in Beau that morning. He loved to ride. Part of her loved to watch him ride, too. Although for the last eight years she hadn't been to a single rodeo, the sudden rush of adrenaline that used to hit her when the shoot opened came charging back. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest she thought it would explode.

  She knew she should have followed Hank back into the house. Instead, it was as though she’d been transformed back to sixteen. She caught the twinkle of pride in Beau's dark eyes and it took her breath away. As it always did.

  All my dreams are about you, Mandy.

  Why on earth did he have to say that? She didn't believe a word of it, of course. Beau had always flirted with her. He had enough cowboy charm to fill the quota for the entire state of Texas.

  She recalled how she'd spun on her heels and charged back to the house with her fists balled merely to hide the fact that she'd actually been flattered by his words. They'd been stupid words said at the exact right time and her heart actually did a flip. She was half afraid she'd humiliate herself further by adding a girlish sigh to it and knew she needed to put some distance between her and Beau.

  And now she was alone with him again.

  "I saw you on that mare this morning," she said. "Aren't you itching to get back on the road, too?"

  "It can wait a while."

  She stared at him for a moment, watching his profile as his eyes remained on the road ahead.

  Dreams. She hadn't been Beau's dream.

  "You always said you wanted to rodeo."

  "Yeah."

  "And no regrets?"

  "Just you."

  Foolish, foolish, foolish. She'd walked right into that one and still she couldn't believe she'd done it. What was she fishing for anyway? Some admission that part of what Beau had said was actually true?

  "I find it hard to believe mine was the only heart you ever broke, Beau Gentry."

  He lifted a shoulder in a lazy shrug. "I wouldn't know."

  "Really? No one special girl who made you turn your head before climbing into the shoot?"

  He turned to her then, flashing her a smile that seemed so sexy and sincere all at the same time. She hated when he did that. "You're the only woman who ever made my head spin, Mandy."

  She sputtered. "You’re so full of it. "

  Beau chuckled, and it made her all the more irritated. "I'm never any place long enough for something special. Who knows, maybe there were a few broken hearts along the way but not because of promises I made. Most girls I meet on the circuit know the life of a rodeo cowboy. Nothing lasts that long."

  Annoyance rose up inside her like bile at the thought of Beau with another woman. Of course, there'd been other girls for Beau. There had to have been. He was young and handsome and strong. He was the perfect cowboy that every woman dreamed of. Even she'd dated other men during the eight years that separated them. Still, she turned away from his probing gaze to hide the stab of jealousy chipping away at her.

  "I told my tale, now 'fess up. What about you?"

  "What about me?" she asked, still averting her gaze.

  "Any one man in your life to make you think of white picket fences and puppy dogs and kids in the back yard."

  "A few."

  She felt more than heard his reaction, as if it were something tangible. His body stiffened in the seat and the air in the cab suddenly seemed suffocating.

  "A few, huh? Special ones or just... guys you knew?"

  Forcing her voice to sound nonchalant, she replied, "There were a few guys that were special."

  Mandy turned her attention away from the scenery to glance at Beau. Why should she let him think she'd spent the last years pining over him? But in truth, a truth she'd only recently realized, she had.

  Beau was brooding. And it didn’t give her any of the satisfaction she thought it would. He had one arm slung heavy over the steering wheel while the other way draped across the open window. There was a sudden droopiness in his shoulders, as if she'd deflated his spirit in some way. Probably his ego, she thought wryly.

  She shouldn't like that mentioning an old boyfriend could turn him a little green, but it did. As green as she'd been. She'd have to work on that. She didn't want to be feeling anything at all for Beau Gentry.

  The brief silence that stretched on made Mandy think talk of old flames had killed the conversation completely. It was just as well. She'd only end up admitting to him that although she'd had many dates, even long-term boyfriends, since she'd been with Beau, they didn't stand a chance. None of them made her feel as special and cherished as Beau had.

  "They didn't have staying power," she finally admitted quietly.

  Beau nodded, but didn't look at her.

  The asphalt disappeared beneath them and turned to dirt as they made their way up the narrow mountain road to the cabin. The truck bounced and bobbed as the tires hit the small ruts in the road left over from a heavy downpour earlier in the season.

  After a few more minutes of strained silence, Beau glanced at the clouds and said, "Looks like a storm might be blowing in. We should get these things unloaded at the cabin before it starts."

  Mandy glanced up at the sky. "The truck has four-wheel drive though doesn't it?"

  "Yeah, but the ground so dry this time of the year it's going to sop up any moisture it can. If the rain is bad enough, the creek will rise over its banks and wash out the road. Might turn into a mud bog before long."

  "How far is the cabin?"

  "Not too far. Do you carry that cell phone of yours with you?"

  She thought back to the last time she'd had her cell phone. It was at the airport when she'd first arrived. She recalled her frustration over not being able to use it to call for another ride. Normally her link to her job and her life, it seemed strange that she’d barely picked it up since.

  "Ah, no, I left it on the nightstand in my room. Why?"

  The worried look on Beau's face made her stomach drop.

  He just shrugged.

  "My truck doesn't have a radio in it like Mitch and George's do. I didn't think much about it until we hit the dirt road. If it does wash out and we have to turn back to the cabin overnight, it'd be nice to be able to contact the ranch to let them know."

  Overnight? With Beau? No, that definitely couldn't happen.

  "We should probably turn back now then," Mandy said.

  "It'd be a waste of time. We've got everything in the back. It'll get soaked if we get caught in a downpour. Better off unloading at the cabin. We'll be back soon enough."

  "But if we get stuck..." She let her words run off, unable to say them aloud. What would they do if they were stuck together in inescapably small quarters? If her memory served her correctly, the cabin was nothing more than one room with a potbelly stove, a handful of bunks and a small card table. Much too small for her to spend any length of time alone with Beau.

  He had taken her there once long ago. Mandy knew she shouldn't be there alone with Beau, not with the way they were feeling about each other. It was too easy, too tempting to give it to their feelings. They were both too young.

  They hadn't stayed long. Beau knew Uncle Hank would have shot him if they'd been caught together. Beau held a deep respect for her uncle, or so she'd thought at the time. He'd said he respected her too much for a quick thrill. At the time, it had made her feel incredibly special and loved despite the adolescent longings she had to be with Beau.

  But she wasn't an adolescent any more. And no matter how hard she tried to tell herself that she was over Beau Gentry, it was becoming increasingly hard to keep lying to herself. She wasn't over him at all. And being trapped alone with him would only bring that realization crashing down upon her like a tidal wave until she'd drown it in.

  #

  Chapter Seven

  Less than fifteen minutes later the truck pulled up in front of a small one room cabin in the high country. It had been quite a feat for Beau to navigate the dirt road given th
e fact it had been washed out in places and gouged with ruts from past storms. But they'd managed to make it with thanks to four-wheel drive.

  Mandy stepped out of the cab of the truck and looked at the rolling gray sky. The sky was still black with clouds hanging low and ominous and getting darker still. Every so often the sky would flash with a zing of lightning and be chased by a rumble or crack of thunder. The torrential downpour hadn't come yet, but the light drizzle that had started promised it was just on their heels.

  Most all the supplies were tucked underneath a tarp in the back of the truck. They left everything in the truck and went inside.

  Beau wasted no time at all in lighting a gas lamp set on a small table in the center of the room. The light cast an amber glow against the room. Mandy hugged herself to keep the chill of the cabin from making her shiver. But she did anyway. Wet clothes, cold cabin didn't make for warmth.

  She pushed past the thought that only being in the warmth of Beau's arms would chase away the chill.

  "We'll drop everything inside first and unload it later."

  She looked around the compact cabin. It was only meant for a few cowboys while the herd was in the high country. Certainly not meant for a romantic interlude.

  The sturdy wood table sitting in the center of the room was about all the furniture the small cabin had. A small kettle wood stove stood at one end of the room while on the opposite side four bunks were built into the wall. They were bare of bedding, just clean, bare mattresses.

  She needed to get out of there. Following Beau outside, she felt a drop of rain on her cheek and then another. Looking up at the dark clouds, she sighed. They needed to work fast to unload the truck so they could head back. The rain made her work quicker and it was better to put this anxious energy to physical work rather than allowing her mind to wander to thoughts of Beau.

  The clouds were practically sitting on their shoulders as they unloaded box after box of supplies that the hands would need for the cattle drive. Half way through unloading the sky opened up and swallowed them in a downpour.