Her Unlikely Cowboy

by Debra Clopton

  “Yes, and I have to say the man knows his flowers. I’m very curious.”

  Tucker’s smile spread wide and his eyes crinkled around the edges.

  “You know who they’re for, don’t you? No, don’t tell me. I’ll wait until he tells me.” Was her suspicion right? Were they for Nana?

  “I wasn’t going to say anything. But yes, I’m fairly certain I know who they’re for. It should be interesting.”

  “That’s what Drewbaker said the day Chili ordered them.”

  He laughed. “Only because it’s true,” he said, just as she saw Drewbaker spot the flowers from across the room.

  She knew he had, because he elbowed Chili in the ribs and pointed straight at them.

  Chili turned, and his head ducked momentarily, as if looking for a table to crawl under.

  “Those must be your flowers, Chili,” Drewbaker roared.

  Chili gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing low. “Maybe so,” he said, glancing around.

  Beside Suzie, Tucker chuckled softly. “Like I said, interesting.”

  Edwina, Ms. Jo’s waitress, had popped in for the party and her gritty voice rose over the crowd. “Well, Chili, you old Romeo, those are beautiful—not that I’ve ever gotten flowers. My four ex-husbands’ idea of giving me flowers was to buy me a roll of flower-printed paper towels. Don’t laugh,” she said, dryly. “I kid you not.”

  From across the room, Suzie saw Nana spin, her thick gray ponytail swinging out like a horse’s mane. Her gaze hit Chili and the little man turned redder than Tucker’s shirt had been during the paint fiasco.

  And in that instant, Suzie knew she’d been right. She glanced at Tucker.

  “Yup. Head over heels for her for years. Poor fella.”

  “I had no idea until moments ago. Would never have dreamed it. They, well, they just don’t fit.”

  “The heart doesn’t always listen to reality,” Tucker said, holding her gaze for a beat too long. Suzie’s knees melted momentarily as her heart bucked. “You’re in the flower business. I’d think you’d know that.”

  While they’d been speaking, Chili pushed his chest forward and marched across the room to her. “You did a fine job on those. May I take them?”

  “S-sure,” she said, hurrying around the counter and handing the flowers over. “Do you want a card?”

  There was startling determination in his eyes. “Nope. No card needed. Ruby Ann McDermott knows everything there is about a flower. She’ll read the message in the flowers themselves.”

  Suzie’s heart skipped a beat. His message: I adore you with lasting affection.

  He crossed the room straight to Nana. “Ruby Ann, if anyone deserves flowers, it’d be you.”

  Shocked though she was, Nana took the beautiful green vase in her arms and studied the flowers. “They’re lovely. And I thank you,” she said. Beside her, Ms. Jo and Mabel were actually speechless.

  Chili thrust his chest out a little more, and beamed. “You’re welcome.” That said, he strode—no, he strutted to the door.

  “Now, don’t go getting ideas,” Nana called after him, and Suzie thought she saw alarm in Nana’s usually calm eyes.

  Was Chili listening? No. He just grinned and continued out the door. It really was a great exit.

  “I have to give him credit. He cowboy’d up on that one,” Tucker said. “Nana needed that.”

  “Really?”

  He looked at her. “Every woman needs flowers. Even if she thinks she doesn’t. I’ve got to go to work.”

  Her pulse skipped at his low declaration. He turned to go.

  “Tucker, wait. How did Abe act when you took them to ride fence at Chili’s?” She’d meant to ask him earlier.

  “It was all right. He’s wound up tight, like you said. I talked to him a little. He asked about Gordon. The good thing was, he did talk some. And he asked a few questions. I take that as a good thing. But he’s expressing his feelings with action. So keep an eye out, and call me anytime, day or night, if you’re worried about anything. You might try to set him up with a counselor. Whether he wants it or not. I think he might need it.”

  “Thanks,” she said.

  His radio crackled to life. “Duty calls,” he said, and tipped his hat.

  This had been a great day, but she would give it all up to have Abe happy again.

  This girl didn’t want flowers, she just wanted her son happy. And she didn’t want to have to call for help—she’d much rather not need it.

  Chapter Eight

  She didn’t have to call Tucker; he called her later that day, right after lunch. He asked what time she was closing, and when she told him two o’clock, he asked her if she wanted to go with him and all the boys to check fences at Chili’s.

  She said no, at first, until he reminded her it would be good to spend time doing something with Abe. Of course she agreed to that.

  Now she was riding shotgun beside Tucker in his truck full of boys as he led the other trucks across the pastures toward a stand of trees.

  It looked as if it was snowing in the middle of May.

  “I thought you’d like to see this,” he said, pulling to a halt.

  Suzie stepped out of Tucker’s truck and stared at the huge trees that he’d parked beneath. Cottonwoods.

  “I’ve never seen this many of them together!” It was a beautiful sight when the cotton tufts floated from the branches in a slow free fall to earth.

  She’d seen one or two in yards, but there had to be fifteen in this shady cluster. “These trees are amazing! And huge,” she said, opening her arms and turning in the midst of the falling cotton.

  “What is this stuff?” B.J., the youngest boy, asked. He immediately began jumping and diving, trying to catch handfuls of the downy fluff. “It looks like snow.”

  All the younger boys joined him in running after the floaters. The older boys, Abe included, were helping unload the trailers of horses.

  “I’ve always liked this spot, this time of year,” Tucker said, coming to stand beside her. Smiling down at her, he plucked a bit of cotton from her hair. “It looks good on you,” he said, holding the small piece of fuzz up for her to see.

  She wasn’t thinking about the cotton any longer. “Which way will we go?” she asked, butterflies shifting in her chest.

  “Which way do you want to go?”

  She stared at him, her insides completely aflutter. “I...” She looked to the left, then to the right and back at him. “I don’t know.” Were they talking about which way to go to check fences? His deep blue eyes were steady and unwavering as they seemed to see every emotional hiding place within her.

  Which way did she want to go?

  Looking at Tucker she was suddenly filled with the longing to be free to feel again.

  She wished, at least for a little while, to be free from the bitterness and the grief that bound her.

  * * *

  Tucker couldn’t tear his gaze away from Suzie in the soft white rain from the huge old cottonwood trees. She was beautiful. He’d enjoyed talking and laughing with her at the grand opening that morning.... Now he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her beneath the cottonwoods.

  Wanted to be more to her than the man she held responsible for making her a widow.

  He wanted to kiss her and wipe all of her fears and worries and sadness away.

  “I better get the horses so we can ride the fence.” Spinning away, he strode toward the older boys. Abe and Jake were leading horses out of the trailer, and Caleb and Tony were busy unloading the other horses from the trailer Tony had driven over. He’d gotten his license the day before and was one proud kid.

  Tucker waved the four over. “Y’all know what to do. I’m sending you east along the line and I’ll take the younger ones in
the opposite direction. Tony, you have the cell. Call me if y’all find anything. I know you’ll do a great job. Abe, I’d like you to come with us—”

  “I’d like to go with the guys,” he said, his expression tight.

  Tucker studied him, then Jake. “You two going to get along? No fighting—and I mean none.”

  Jake nodded. “Fine by me.”

  “Me, too.” Abe rubbed the back of his neck and let out a hard breath.

  “Do I have your word?”

  Both teens nodded.

  “Fine, I’m going to trust that you’ll do this job, and I’m going to hope that you have a good time. I still don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but here’s another chance to prove you’re mending your differences. You both did good work with the stalls.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jake said readily, making Tucker more and more certain that whatever had happened between the two had more to do with Abe than Jake.

  “Yes, sir,” Abe said a moment later.

  “Good. See you in three hours.”

  Seconds later they rode off. He’d watched many men head out under his command, and it felt good to know these boys weren’t riding out into a war zone.

  “I thought I was supposed to be spending time with Abe,” Suzie said, coming up beside him.

  “Yeah, about that. Abe wanted to ride with the older guys.”

  “He and Jake okay?”

  “I think so. They promised they wouldn’t fight.”

  She smiled. “Then that’s a very good thing.”

  “Even if you’re stuck with me and the rowdy bunch?”

  She winced. “I’ll manage.” She chuckled, looking toward the boys playing in the summer snowstorm. “We better head out, or they’ll be trying to ski soon.”

  “True. Thanks for coming,” he said, then called the boys to mount up. They shot up from wrestling in the cotton. It was stuck to them like chicken feathers as they raced each other to their horses.

  “This will be fun,” Suzie said, taking him by surprise. “Thank you for inviting me. I haven’t ridden that much in my life.” She stared critically at the horse he’d untied for her.

  “This is our trusty Cupcake. She’ll do right by you.”

  “I learned on ol’ Cupcake and she’s a good ol’ horse,” Sammy called. “She won’t toss you.”

  “She sure won’t,” B.J. agreed. “I learned on her, too.”

  The other boys all joined in encouraging her as they nudged closer on their horses to encircle them.

  Suzie laughed. “Thanks, boys, I need your support.”

  Grabbing the saddle horn, she stuck her foot into the stirrup and hauled herself up, then threw her leg over. Cupcake stood docile as a kitten, making Tucker proud of the old horse.

  “There you go,” he said, moving to stand at her knee and handing her the reins. “You’ll be fine.” He snagged his own horse’s reins and stepped up and into the saddle. “Okay, let’s head out. You boys can lead the way. Here we go.” Tucker went ahead of Suzie and knew that Cupcake would follow. It wouldn’t take a lot of experience or work on Suzie’s part today. “Just give her a nudge when she slows down too much, or a little pressure with your knees, and that should do it.”

  He held his horse at a slow walk while she got adjusted to Cupcake. “See, you’re doing good.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “And thanks for helping with Abe.”

  “We’ll just keep letting him be more and more a part of the family.”

  “So, how did the party go after I left?” he asked, enjoying her riding beside him more than he should.

  “You saw the highlight. The rest was just friendly chitchat. Much of it was about Nana’s flowers. I’ll confess, the shop makes me a little nervous.”

  “Really, what part?”

  She hesitated. “Not the actual designing. But the actual running of the business.” She took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. “I never finished school. I dropped out right before my senior year.”

  “Really? What happened that caused you to drop out of school? That doesn’t fit.” He was shocked she’d done such a thing and knew there had to be a reason.

  “It was just my mom and me. And Mom got really ill. She was in and out of the hospital and we needed the money, so I went to work full time as a waitress.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her doing that fit with the kind of person he’d come to know her as. “How’s your mom?”

  “She passed away at the end of that year. I met Gordon not long after she died and we got married. I could have gone back to school, but I got pregnant.”

  “So you didn’t go back.”

  “No.”

  “That happens a lot. So, now, trying to open your own business makes you nervous.”

  “It does. But I’ll make it. I just feel like I’m faking it or something. Does that sound odd?”

  He studied the fence and glanced at the boys ahead to make sure they weren’t getting too wild. “Have you ever thought about going back to school? Maybe get your GED and then some college courses. It would eliminate that fake sense that you have, and it would also be a positive move for you with Abe. It’s always good for kids to see their parents work for a goal and accomplish it.”

  She grew quiet and stared ahead, deep in thought. “I honestly have toyed with that idea, especially since Gordon’s death.”

  “You know,” he added, “Jolie is a good person to ask about that, I’m sure.”

  “I’m sure she would be a help.” Suzie smiled. “I think I’ll talk to her. And find a place to take the course.” Reaching across the distance between them she touched his arm. “Thank you.”

  Her touch was warm, and Tucker wanted to place his hand over hers and hold tight. “No thanks necessary,” he said, his voice tight with wanting things he could never have.

  “Suzie,” he said, gently. “Gordon would be proud of what you’re doing. You should know that. Everything you’re doing is for Abe’s welfare.”

  She raked her fingers through her hair. “I hope so. I was so very proud of him.”

  “We found it!”

  The whoop and excited yells came from the boys.

  “I better go see what they’ve found.” Tucker urged his horse into a trot and headed toward the boys, though his thoughts were not on finding the donkey escape route anymore. He was thinking how his skin still radiated with the touch of Suzie’s hand. And wondering what it would be like for Suzie to be proud of him.

  To have that soft edge to her eyes when she thought of him, the way she did when she thought of Gordon.

  It was wrong to even think about wanting that.

  But he did.

  He was in so much trouble.

  * * *

  The remodeled barn that housed Lucy’s paint studio was full of silk flowers, lace and ribbons. They’d been having a great Girls’ Night, as they were calling it, while they worked on decorations for Lucy’s upcoming wedding. Suzie had enjoyed the first Monday of business at her flower shop. There’d been a lot of traffic. She’d sold several gift and home decor items, and filled a few orders for flowers. It had been a very encouraging day.

  And now she was enjoying helping with Lucy’s decorations. Lucy had tried to pay her for her services but she’d refused. They’d finally come to an agreement that she would do the flowers for the wedding party and her bouquet for a price. Lucy had been adamant about that and so Suzie had agreed. After all, as Lucy had pointed out, she was running a business and had to show a profit. Suzie knew she was right.

  Still, looking at the room, satisfaction and joy filled her to be pitching in as a friend on this part of the decorating. It was her way of paying back some of the goodness they’d shown her and Abe.

  And it was beautiful. Greenery wra
pped around wreaths with small daisies scattered throughout them were garnished with ribbons in silky cream and soft fern colors. To add sparkle and romance, the women were also decorating twig balls with tiny lights and ribbons. These would hang suspended throughout the reception hall.

  Suzie and Jolie were working together to attach tiny strings of lights to large twig balls.

  Suzie decided now was a good time to ask for help. Being a private person, opening up about her past was hard, especially to someone as accomplished as Jolie. But she trusted her new friend.

  “Jolie, I never finished high school and I’ve been thinking I’d like to get my GED. Can you help me with that?”

  Jolie’s eyes lit up like fireflies. “I would love to help you! It’s wonderful you’ve decided to do this. So many people never finish for a wide array of reasons. Trying again will be a good example for Abe.”

  “That’s the major determining factor. Tucker, actually, is the one who pushed me to do it. We were talking, and I told him I hadn’t finished school. And that I felt a little intimidated, opening my own business. He suggested I might feel better if I had that certificate. And I might go on to do some community college courses.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. I’ll check into it first thing tomorrow. What grade level were you at?”

  Suzie said she just lacked twelfth grade when she’d had to quit. “I don’t regret what I did. I’m glad I was able to help out with my mom being so ill. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t.” With no other family, it struck her again how important it was to have Abe here, at the ranch.

  “Raising a child on my own is no easy task and there is that fear that if something happened to me, if I were to get ill, like my mother did, what would happen to Abe? I’m glad he has you and everyone here at the ranch to count as family.”

  Jolie leaned across the table and grabbed her hand. “We’re so glad y’all are here.”

  They worked and talked about what getting the GED would consist of. After a while Jolie asked, “Do you ever think of remarrying?”

  The question took Suzie by surprise. “I haven’t.” Tucker flashed before her and her insides tilted uneasily. “I’m not sure I can risk it, for one. It’s scary thinking about falling in love and running the risk of losing him again.”