Crazy About a Cowboy

by Dylann Crush

  She tugged her lower lip into her mouth. “It is.”

  He felt like jumping to his feet and executing a few fist pumps into the air. But he was naked. With the woman he’d been waiting for nestled in his arms. So, he settled for letting a wide grin spread over his lips as he bent down to kiss her again.

  By the time they got half-dressed, kissed a bit more, finished their cups of wine, kissed some more, and finally settled in the cab of the truck, Buster hadn’t returned. Jasper put his fingers to his mouth and let out a low whistle that usually had the dog racing to his side.

  Several minutes passed and finally, Buster loped over the crest of the hill, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

  Jasper climbed out and moved his seat forward so the dog could get in the back. “What the hell did you get into out there?”

  Buster hopped into the truck, his tail wagging, his entire head covered in burrs.

  “He looks like he had a good time.” Delilah swiped away a sloppy wet kiss Buster managed to surprise her with.

  “He won’t think that when he’s getting a bath tomorrow.” Jasper got back behind the wheel and started the truck.

  “Hey.” Delilah put her hand on his arm, her touch already so familiar.

  “What?”

  “When are you going to tell me what you wished for? You said you could prove that wishing on a shooting star worked. How will I know if your wish came true?”

  He turned to face her, the taste of her still on his lips. “It already did.”

  thirteen

  Delilah tiptoed into Abby’s room and pulled the door closed behind her. She might have spent a magical evening with Jasper, but she wasn’t quite ready to announce it to the whole wide world. By the time she’d changed into her pajamas and got settled on the trundle bed, she couldn’t fall asleep. The night’s events kept playing through her head like a loop stuck on repeat.

  She’d been in Ido for just over forty-eight hours, but she already felt like she was part of the town. Even more disturbing, she felt like she was becoming part of the Taylor family, which might make it hard to stay impartial when it came time to make her recommendations to the contest committee. If Jasper resigned as the hospitality host, she might not feel so conflicted.

  As she wrestled with herself, trying to get comfortable, her phone vibrated. Stella’s picture lit up the screen. Why did her mother only call late at night? She dismissed the call, figuring her mother would call back in the morning. But then her phone vibrated again. Stella wasn’t the kind of person to give up, not when she needed something. So, Delilah pulled the blanket around her shoulders and crept out of the room. By the time she made it downstairs and out onto the porch, her mother had hung up and called back twice.

  “Hello?” Delilah answered as she pulled the front door closed behind her, then slipped into a rocker on the porch.

  “Were you asleep?” Stella asked.

  “Not yet. Is something wrong?”

  “Walter and I broke up.” Her mother sniffled. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  Delilah let out a sigh. The dramatic rise and fall of her mother’s love life never seemed to end. “You’re probably better off without him.”

  “He was my last chance at a happily-ever-after. I’ll never find true love now, not at my age.” When her mother got like this, it was better to stay quiet and offer emotional support than try to get her to face reality. Delilah had learned that lesson too many times to count.

  “I’m sorry. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

  “I wish you were here. How am I supposed to get through this without you?” Stella had a history of relying on Delilah to help her through the series of breakups.

  “I wish I was, too. But you’ll manage. You’re a beautiful, strong, brave woman.”

  “If I’m so beautiful, why did he leave me?” Stella moaned.

  Delilah pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I’m sure it’s him, not you.”

  “He said I was too demanding. Can you believe that? Me? Too demanding?”

  It wouldn’t do any good to tell the truth, not in a situation like this. “That’s crazy. See? He doesn’t deserve you.”

  “That’s right. I feel so alone right now. Can you come home for a few days?”

  “You know I can’t do that. How would it look if I left now? When all of this is over, I’ll be back.”

  The muffled sound of Stella blowing her nose came through the phone. “One more pageant, sweetheart? Can we do one more run for the big title?”

  Delilah hated that her mother seemed to use her to make herself feel better. But it had been just the two of them for so long. What was she supposed to say? They’d talked about this more than once. The Miss Lovin’ Texas pageant was supposed to be her last. She didn’t want to be one of those pageant queens who didn’t know when it was time to move on.

  “Can we talk about it when I get home?” If she could put Stella off for a few weeks, it might buy her some time.

  “But I’m feeling so low. It would give me something to look forward to if I knew we had another competition coming up.”

  “It’s late. How about we pick this up again tomorrow? You need to get some rest and I’ve got a full schedule.”

  “I saw your post on social media. I can’t believe they had you traipsing around grapevines in that gorgeous dress. And did you really go to a movie and sit in the dirt tonight?”

  Part of Delilah’s job was to keep her social media updated with pictures and posts of her experience with the contest. Of course Stella would be stalking her accounts. “It was fun. I learned a lot about wine this afternoon and the movie was . . .”

  “What?” Stella asked.

  Delilah tried to think of a way to sum up the feelings she had about sitting next to Jasper on a blanket as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman fought against the love between them on the side of an antique barn. “It was nice.”

  “Hmpf.” Stella’s voice hardened. “When you get back home you won’t have time to take part in ridiculous stunts like that.” Delilah didn’t want to open up a whole other can of worms by telling her mother how much she’d enjoyed her time so far in Ido.

  “Did that cowboy with the deep voice take care of that little cricket that was bothering you?”

  “It’s a work in progress.” Her mother would freak out if she knew Delilah had spent the night at Jasper’s, or that she was currently staying at his family’s home. And she’d lose her shit completely if she knew what had gone on in the back of Jasper’s truck bed. “I need to get some sleep. I’ll give you a call tomorrow. How does that sound?”

  Stella sniffled. “It’s been good hearing your voice. You get a good night’s sleep. I’ll try to find something on TV to distract myself.”

  Usually Delilah would offer to stay up and talk to her mother. Maybe even stay on the line while Stella fell asleep. But the events of the past few days had worn her out. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good night.”

  She pressed the button to end the call. The wind rustled the leaves high in the trees and she sat in silence, letting her conversation with her mother play back through her head. She was about to get up and go back inside when something moved in the darkness. The Taylor property was out in the country, but not so isolated that she worried about wild animals. Whatever it was came closer. She stood, ready to make a dash for the front door if necessary.

  A bell jangled. She’d heard that sound, pretty recently too. Tie Dye, the colorful goat, meandered into the clearing. He didn’t appear to feel out of place at all, even though it was well past midnight.

  “What are you doing out here?” she whispered.

  He came close enough to nibble on the edge of the blanket. Delilah didn’t know much about goats, but Abby said Tie Dye was a crafty guy and sometimes worked his way out of the gate. She could cal
l Jasper, but she didn’t want to bother him. Maybe she could just return the goat to his pen without bothering any of the Taylors.

  They’d been so kind to her, the least she could do was to take care of putting the goat back. But how would she get him to stay on the porch while she ran upstairs to throw on her jeans? She glanced back and forth from where she gripped Tie Dye’s collar to the door. There wasn’t anything nearby to secure him with. But there was a pair of tall cowboy boots sitting just outside the front door. She shoved a bare foot into one and then the other. Pulling the blanket tight over her shoulders, she led the goat off the porch and down the path she and Abby had walked earlier that day.

  Tie Dye willingly followed as he continued to chew on the edge of the blanket. She didn’t dare jerk it away. If she did, she wasn’t sure he’d follow her. They got to the edge of his pen and he balked, raising up on his hind legs and pawing at the air. She held tight to his collar while she worked the latch of the gate. Holding it open with one foot, she tried to coax the goat into the pen.

  “Come on, buddy. It’s too late to be out gallivanting.”

  He settled, falling back on all fours and she pulled him through. The gate slammed shut, the two parts of the latch clanging together so loud she winced. Tie Dye reared back again but instead of catching air, one of his front hooves collided with her cheek.

  Pain exploded across the right side of her face. Her hands went to her cheek as she raced to the fence line, away from Tie Dye’s reach. The side of her face throbbed like the time she’d been struck below the eye by a flying stiletto during the Miss Potato Princess contest when she was fourteen. She’d ended up with a bruise on her cheek and had to withdraw from the competition. Based on how her cheekbone throbbed, she was afraid she might have suffered a fate far worse.

  Hobbling toward the gate, she tossed a look back at Tie Dye. He stood chomping on the blanket that had fallen off her shoulders, unaware of the injury she’d just sustained. No wonder Jasper said he was a pain in the ass. She made sure to clasp the gate behind her. Her injury would be for nothing if he got loose again. Then she wrapped her arms around her middle and walked as fast as she could back to the big house. Why did she ever allow herself to think she might be able to make a wild place like this her home?

  * * *

  * * *

  Jasper stopped the truck on the gravel drive. His older brother, Colin, sat on the edge of the porch. Squinting through the windshield, he tried to confirm what he saw was real and not a figment of a bad dream.

  “I wondered how long it might take you to show up.” Colin stood and shuffled his feet, drawing Jasper’s attention to the custom-made boots their dad had given him on his last birthday they’d celebrated together. That had been three years ago. Had it really been that long since he’d set eyes on his older brother?

  Jasper moved toward the porch with Buster right behind him. Where the hell had Colin come from? What was he doing creeping around when he’d promised to stay far away? “What do you want?”

  Buster crouched down, letting out a low growl.

  “Hey, buddy. It’s okay.” Jasper reached out to calm the dog.

  “I’m in trouble, bro.” Colin shook his head and winced. He held a rag to his arm. “I need some help.”

  “We had a deal. You aren’t supposed to come around here again.” Jasper shot a glance at the door. Thank goodness he’d locked it for a change.

  “I’m telling you I need help,” Colin said, repeating himself. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

  “What’s wrong with your arm?”

  “I cut myself. Can you stitch me up real quick? Like you used to?” Hazel eyes, the same as Jasper’s, stared at him from under the brim of Colin’s hat.

  “I haven’t done that in years. If you need help, you should go to the hospital.”

  “You know I can’t do that.” Colin’s jaw clenched as he tightened his grip on his arm.

  Jasper looked for a truck or car. “How did you get here?”

  “I had someone drop me off.”

  “Great. So not only did you come back after you swore to stay away, but now your asshole friends have been here, too?” Jasper thrust his hands through his hair. He had to get Colin out of there, and fast. Before Dad or one of his brothers came by. “Let’s go inside. I’ll put on a pot of coffee and we’ll figure out a way to get you out of here before someone sees you.”

  “I don’t want to stay away anymore. I’m ready to come home.” Colin didn’t move, but stayed as still as one of the beams holding up the porch.

  The fact his brother had the balls to stand there after everything he’d put the family through made Jasper see nothing but red. “Get your ass in the house or I’ll call the sheriff’s department. I’ve got enough info on you to put you away for a good long time. Is that the way you want this to go down?”

  “No. I need to figure out what to do.”

  “Don’t say another word until you’re sitting at my kitchen table.” Jasper cast a glance around, not trusting his brother that he didn’t have someone watching them from the woods. How had the best night of his life suddenly turned into the worst?

  Colin shuffled his feet, eventually following Jasper through the front door. “Can you leave the dog outside?”

  Buster had followed them in, continuing to growl.

  “I’ve never seen him act like this.” Jasper glanced back at his brother, then motioned for Buster to go out front. He grabbed a clean rag and tossed it at his brother, then threw a pot of coffee on to brew. By the time they finally sat down at the table, two fresh-brewed mugs of coffee between them, he gritted his teeth and gave his older brother a long, hard glare.

  “Show me what you did to your arm and tell me what the hell you’re doing back.” He’d pulled the small sewing kit his mom had given him from a drawer. It had been a good long while since he or Colin had stitched each other up, not that either one of them had ever been very good at it.

  Colin lowered his arm, revealing a deep gash on the underside of his forearm. “I didn’t mean for things to go this way.”

  “How did you manage to cut yourself?” The edges of the wound were jagged, not like he’d sliced it clean with a knife.

  “Doesn’t matter. Can you put a couple of stitches in?”

  “I can try but it’s going to hurt like a bitch.”

  “Good. I deserve it.” Colin dabbed at the cut and tipped his chin toward the cabinet where Jasper kept his whiskey. “Got a shot I can use to dull the pain a bit?”

  Jasper grabbed a bottle along with a short tumbler.

  Colin’s hand shook as he downed the shot. He nodded and Jasper cleaned out the wound, less concerned about being gentle than he was about making sure he wiped away all of the blood.

  “Shit.” Colin made a fist with his other hand and bit down on his lip.

  “Change your mind about going to the hospital?” Jasper asked.

  “No. Keep going. I need help.”

  Jasper gave a slight shake of the head. “Tried that once. As you’ll recall, it didn’t go so well.”

  “It’s the dog-fighting ring. At first all they wanted me to do was move some money for them. But it’s gotten out of hand. Folks come in from all over. Big names, Jasper. I’m trying to get out, but I’m in too deep.”

  “Don’t tell me you were stupid enough to go back to them after the last time I bailed you out of trouble.”

  “I tried to get a job somewhere else. Nobody wanted to hire a guy with a record. What was I supposed to do?”

  “Uh, stay clean, keep your nose out of trouble—you could have started with that.” Jasper squinted as he threaded the needle he’d soaked in whiskey. Why now? Why did Colin have to show up when they had so many things riding on getting Ido named the most romantic small town in Texas?

  “I tried.” He reached for his mug and took a
gulp of coffee.

  “What the hell do you want me to do?” Jasper knotted the thread. “Dad’s struggling to hang on to the orchard. The whole town’s trying to schmooze a beauty queen who’s here to judge the Most Romantic Small Town in Texas contest. I’ve kind of got my hands full already without taking on your bullshit as well.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have been here for you.” Colin scrubbed a hand over his face.

  Jasper took in a breath through his nose. “Here comes the sting.”

  He pierced Colin’s skin with the needle, taking his time to try to make the stitches as even as he could. As much as he wanted to help his brother, he’d been there done that so many times he could have written a sad country song about it. Colin never wanted to change his ways; he just wanted help getting himself out of whatever hot water he found himself in. As soon as the problem was solved, he’d make all kinds of promises he never intended to keep, then go back to his old ways.

  When Jasper finished, he’d put twenty-two stitches in his brother’s arm. He tied off the thread and cut it. “Not quite as good as new, but it will do.”

  “Thanks. And for what it’s worth, it’s going to be different this time.” Colin glanced up. Something odd shone in his eyes. For the first time in a long while, Jasper found himself wanting to believe his brother.

  “Hypothetically speaking, what the hell would you need me to do?” Jasper asked as he cleaned off the needle and tucked everything back into the case.

  “I’m ready to talk to Bodie. Tell him everything I know so he can finally catch those sick bastards. They’re planning something big at the end of the month. I’m not sure of the details yet, but I’m willing to find out.” Colin’s gaze didn’t waver. Either he meant it, or he’d gotten a hell of a lot better at bullshitting people.

  “You’re telling me if I call Deputy Phillips and have him meet us somewhere, you’re ready to spill the beans on the whole operation?”

  “That’s right.”