A Cowboy's Courage

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “I know. I’ve already adjusted my budget accordingly.”

  “Less vodka?”

  “Absolutely not. I’ll cut back somewhere else. Arnie wasn’t following IRS rules and regs, but he was right. Without those martinis, I would’ve died young.”

  Wednesday afternoon the Whine and Cheese Club arrived in their work clothes lugging garden tools. Planting would be followed by what Kendra had called a cleansing ceremony. After that they’d celebrate the survival of the house.

  Olivia had stocked in food for a buffet dinner and Kendra had assured her the women would bring plenty of wine and their favorite cheeses.

  No kidding. Before they started putting plants in the ground, each member of the club brought in two bottles of wine and various packages of cheese. Deidre, wearing denim overalls and a floppy canvas hat to protect her recently colored red hair, stationed herself in the kitchen and organized the selection of whites and reds.

  “You want to start with the expensive stuff and save the bargain wine for later when nobody cares.” She tucked cheaper whites in the back of the fridge. Then she arranged the good stuff in the front. She managed to find room for all the cheese, too, even though Olivia had filled the shelves with food for dinner.

  She watched in admiration. “I’ll bet you were good at Tetris as a kid.”

  “Oh, honey, I was good at all of them. The Whine and Cheese ladies rock those games.”

  “I can picture that.”

  “You should have seen us when we crashed Zane’s bachelor party last month. We showed those cowboys how it’s done.”

  “They had video games at their bachelor party?” She’d attended Zane and Mandy’s wedding but hadn’t heard about the bachelor and bachelorette party shenanigans.

  “We were all surprised, too, but it turned out to be fun.” Deidre shoved the less expensive reds to the back of the counter. “Same principle here. Good stuff first.”

  “Are you expecting to drink all this?”

  “Probably not, but it’s never a good idea to run low on wine at a Whine and Cheese event.” She glanced at Olivia and laughed. “You look concerned.”

  “I know you do this all the time, but what about driving home?”

  “No worries. That’s where Kendra’s boys come in. Kendra texts Cody, who hops in the van and collects whichever brothers are available. They get us home safely, along with our vehicles.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  “Isn’t it? It’s like those rideshare companies in the big cities, only better ‘cause the chauffeurs are so dang cute.” She pulled her work gloves out of her overalls pocket. “We’d better get out there. Kendra’s hollering at me.”

  Olivia grabbed her gloves from the laundry room and followed Deidre outside. The other four were gathered around the schematic that Kendra had helped her draw up on Monday showing where each of the plants would go. Most were hardy evergreen types, but she’d bought iris and tulip bulbs for a splash of color in the spring.

  Deidre sauntered over to Kendra, who wore jeans and a sweatshirt that had seen better days. She’d pulled her ponytail through the back of an ENHS baseball cap. “What’s up, lady? I heard you yelling at me.”

  Kendra grinned. “Just wanted to make sure you and Olivia weren’t in there sampling the vino.”

  “Would we do that?”

  “Before Sunday night at the GG, I would have said no, but after seeing a new side of Olivia, I’m not so sure.”

  Deidre’s eyebrows arched as she looked over at Olivia. “Dancing on the table, were you?”

  “No.” Her cheeks heated. “All I did was sing along with everybody else.”

  “With gusto!” Kendra said with a wink in her direction. “My no-nonsense accountant, adorable but a wee bit anal, showed up in a bright yellow blouse, a short denim skirt, her contacts in and her hair down.”

  Judy nodded. “I was there.” She smiled at Olivia. “You looked gorgeous.”

  “Thank you.” Her face grew hotter, but despite being embarrassed, she liked the compliment. “It was fun.”

  “And I missed it.” Deidre sighed. “You know how I hate it when I’m not part of the action. Next time I’ll find out what’s going on at the GG before I leave town.”

  Kendra pulled gloves out of the back pocket of her jeans. “So where’d you go?”

  “Jim took a notion we should see a matinee in Bozeman and stay for dinner.”

  “Uh-oh,” Christine said. “She said Jim’s name.”

  “Wait, wait!” Deidre waved her hands. “I only said Jim because Kendra asked me where—”

  “She said it again.” Jo, Mandy’s mom, began to chant. “Jim and Deidre sittin’ at the show. What they did you don’t wanna know.”

  Olivia gaped at her. She only knew Jo as a senior officer at the Eagles Nest Bank. Well, and she’d belly danced during the Labor Day Parade.

  Deidre rolled her eyes and looked over at Olivia. “Sorry. They get like this.”

  Christine, a lanky blond, launched into another one. “Jim and Deidre sittin’ in a car. Jim yells out ‘That’s too far!’”

  “Enough!” Deidre held up her hands like a traffic cop. “Drop it. Olivia doesn’t need to hear this and we have plants to put in the ground.”

  Kendra laughed and slung an arm around Deidre’s shoulders. “Jim and Deidre sittin’ on a chair. Jim says, Deidre’s got a nice—”

  “I mean it!”

  “Aw, Deidre, that was a good one.” Kendra bumped hips with her. “You have awesome girls. Best boobs of all of us.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Deidre smiled. “I admit it. But we have work to do. Ladies, grab your shovels.” She glanced over at Olivia. “You, too. Get a move on, girlfriend. We’re burning daylight.”

  The afternoon and evening were a revelation. Olivia had never known grown women who acted this way. The teasing and jokes continued through the entire planting phase. The comments were goofy, raunchy and hilarious.

  They’d all known each other for years, but that didn’t explain it. Olivia’s mom had known some of her friends for years, too, but they didn’t tell each other dirty jokes. At least not when she’d been there. Maybe she needed to ask her mom about that.

  Despite the horsing around, the work got done. No one quit until Olivia’s shrubs and bulbs were in the ground. When daylight faded, they used the headlights of their vehicles to light the area.

  After the dirt was smoothed over the last plant and the mulch was laid down, Kendra lit her sage stick and led them in a march around the house. Then they joined hands in a circle by the walkway to the porch.

  “Okay, Jo,” Deidre said. “Do your thing.”

  Jo took a breath and spoke in a clear voice. “Bless this house and all who walk through its doors seeking shelter and solace. Protect it from harm, both without and within. May those who gather here live in peace and joy from this day forward.”

  The group murmured Namaste in unison. Kendra squeezed Olivia’s hand and murmured pass it on. Olivia squeezed Deidre’s hand and the gesture made its way around the small circle.

  Gratitude clogged her throat, but then the words tumbled out. “Thank you. Thank you all so much.”

  “Group hug!” Deidre started it off and soon Olivia was surrounded until Kendra declared it was party time.

  Everyone left their shoes and gloves on the porch and jockeyed for a place at the kitchen sink so they could wash up. Olivia got the giggles watching them. She wasn’t glad that the forest had burned, never that, but because of it her whole life had changed for the better.

  She laid out the buffet dinner on the table where she’d made love to Trevor. The mood of the group must have affected her, because instead of being embarrassed about it, she was amused.

  Everyone carried their plates of food and glasses of wine into the living room. She didn’t have enough places for everyone to sit, but it didn’t matter. Some were happy to take the floor. Clearly they were used to informally hanging out together.

  Ke
ndra raised her glass. “To the survival of Olivia’s house!”

  After everyone drank, Olivia raised her glass. “To the brave firefighters who kept it from burning down!”

  Kendra exchanged a quick glance and smile with her before she raised her glass. “Hear, hear!”

  Olivia drank and lifted her glass again. “To all of you for being here. I feel incredibly blessed.”

  “Me, too!” Deidre leaped to her feet. “Olivia, we need music. Got some sort of streaming service?”

  “Sure thing.” She got up and turned on her compact sound system. “Anything specific?”

  A chorus went up from the group. “Thriller!”

  She found it, and before the first notes left her speakers, the five women had lined up. She stepped to the end of the line even though she’d never danced this in her life.

  Slightly panicked, she glanced at Kendra. “What do I do?”

  “Follow me.”

  She did, and it became easier than she could believe. She’d lost her feeling of belonging since Edward had died. But the fire had changed everything. She belonged here.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Thursday night seemed eons away, but eventually it arrived. Trevor packed up what he needed to spend the night with Olivia even though he might not get to stay the whole time.

  His mom was in the ranch house office entering financial info on the computer when he walked in, a duffel over his shoulder.

  She glanced up. “Slumber party?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Have fun.”

  “Thanks.” He started out of the office.

  “Hang on. Come back a minute.”

  “Sure.” He turned and lowered himself to one of two chairs she kept in front of her desk. In years past he’d received lectures while sitting here, often with Bryce next to him, in trouble for the same stupid thing.

  “I sense you’re getting more involved.”

  “Tough not to. She’s great.”

  “I agree. But do you think she’s ready for a new relationship?”

  His mom always did cut to the chase. “I don’t know. Maybe not.”

  She regarded him silently for a few seconds. “Telling you what to do would be presumptuous on my part. You’re an adult and free to make your own choices.”

  “You been reading that Parenting 101 book again?”

  She made a face. “No, smartass. Talking to your Aunt Jo. She gets credit for those words. I promised her I’d say that to you.”

  “I’ll remember to thank her. It’s a good speech.”

  “As far as it goes.”

  He laughed. “Okay, say your piece.”

  “The thing is, I have personal experience with this issue. I’ve tried to reconstruct where my head was three years after your father died. Clearly I couldn’t have conducted a romance. You boys ranged from Cody, who was four, to Ryker, who was eight.”

  “Olivia isn’t in that situation.”

  “No, and I’m aware that her attitudes are changing. She’s growing, opening to new possibilities. But her loyalty to Edward runs deep. Mine to Ian did at that stage, too. Still does.”

  He nodded. Tough as it was to hear, he needed to keep that in mind.

  “We didn’t finish our discussion the other night, but the truth is, I pity any man who makes a play for me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because even after twenty-six years, I’ll compare him to your dad. He had his share of faults and bad habits like all of us. But I can’t remember any of them. All I remember is the good stuff.”

  “Then I’m in a losing battle?”

  “I hope not. I think she’d be a fool to cling to an idealized version of Edward in favor of you, an amazing guy who also happens to be alive.”

  He grinned. “You sound like Bryce. He said that was my strong point.”

  “Yeah, I can hear him saying that. But here’s the catch. Edward is frozen in time, so he can do no wrong. His halo gets brighter every day that goes by. You’re living in the messy present and have a million ways to screw things up.”

  “Gee, I feel so much better, now. Thanks for the pep talk, Mom.”

  “You wouldn’t want me to shine you on.”

  “No.”

  “But like I said, you’re an incredible human being and you have a pulse.”

  “But I have to discount the first part of that sentence because you’re my mom. All I truly have going for me is that I have a pulse. That doesn’t seem like a dynamic game changer. Any guy walking down the street can claim the same advantage.”

  “Oh, wait. There’s something else. You’re very good looking.”

  “Again, you’re my mom. Prejudiced.”

  “I am, but I’ve had plenty of others tell me that my five boys are extremely handsome.”

  “Were they trying to get you to donate to some cause or other?”

  “One was, but the rest were saying it unsolicited, with no ulterior motive. I think we can believe them. Handsome and alive. Good advantages to bring to the table.” She paused. “But…”

  “There’s a strong possibility I’m gonna crash and burn.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “But you’re thinking it.”

  “Some of the time. Other times I tell myself to keep my big mouth shut and let whatever happens, happen. It’s your life.”

  He left the chair and went around the desk to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for caring.”

  “Always.”

  He smiled down at her. “I have another thing going for me.”

  “Yeah?”

  “If I crash and burn, I have you and my brothers to help me pick up the pieces.”

  Her eyes grew moist and she nodded. “That’s a biggie.”

  “Sure is.” Giving her shoulder a squeeze, he walked out of the office.

  The discussion stayed with him as he drove to Olivia’s. On Sunday when he’d said I love being with you, she’d responded with Same here. Seemed like a deliberate dodge away from the L word.

  Had he imagined her flinch when he’d used the word? After talking with his mom, he didn’t think so.

  He let out a breath. Maybe he was expecting too much, too soon. That would be typical, wouldn’t it? Impatience had plagued him all his life.

  Funny thing was, he thought she might be falling for him. That special glow in her brown eyes when they made love, the tenderness when she’d touched his cheek the first time he’d been deep inside her, those were the building blocks of something meaningful.

  But if she wouldn’t admit it to herself, let alone to him, what good was that? Part of the joy in loving someone was being able to say it. A lot.

  Instead he’d better watch himself. If he jumped the gun and blurted it out, she might show him the door. Like his mom said, he had so many ways to screw this up.

  When he pulled in, she ran out to meet him, her hair loose and flying behind her. She looked like a woman in love. Was she?

  Jumping down, he swept her up in his arms and knocked his hat off in his desperation to kiss her. Her mouth was so sweet, so soft and supple. Their separation seemed like weeks, not days. He couldn’t get enough.

  When he shifted the angle, he nudged her glasses. He started to pull away so she could take them off, but she clutched the back of his head and held him right there, her mouth warm and eager.

  Splaying his hands over her cute little ass, he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He started toward the house.

  She broke the kiss and took a gulp of air. “Wait.”

  “Don’t want to.” His cock strained against his fly.

  “Let me show you the plants before it gets dark.”

  “We’ll grab a flashlight later.”

  “You won’t get the full effect.”

  “I know, but I need—”

  “Just take a minute. They did a terrific job.”

  Not to mention his mom would expect him to comment on the planting effort next time he saw he
r. He pressed Olivia’s hot body closer. “And then we can do this?”

  “I promise.”

  He reluctantly lowered her to the ground and stood back while he sucked in air and tamed his bad boy. “We fogged up your glasses.”

  “Yep, sure did.” She sounded out of breath, too. She pulled off her glasses and polished the lenses with the hem of her knit shirt.

  Now that he wasn’t kissing her, he paid more attention to the shirt. Swirls of deep pink reminded him of her painting. “Is that a new top?” He hadn’t felt a bra under it either. Excellent.

  “I bought it today after my kickboxing class. I thought you’d like it since you like the painting.”

  “You got it so you could wear it for me?”

  “I did.”

  “It looks great.” Happiness flooded through him. She must care if she’d do something like that. “I like the pants, too. Soft material.”

  “It was a set. I decided to deviate from jeans for a change.” She put on her glasses. “Where’s your hat?”

  “I guess it’s on the ground next to the truck.” He glanced over there. “Right below the door hanging open.” That was a first. “Maybe I should fetch my hat and close the door.” He headed back.

  “Good idea.” She sounded amused. “Did you bring a change of clothes?”

  “Yes. Yes, I did. Thanks for reminding me.” He’d been ready to charge into her house and dive into her bed without his duffel, which contained the all-important package of condoms.

  But she’d run out to meet him, which had altered his brain chemistry, temporarily making him stupid. That was his excuse and he was sticking to it.

  He dusted off his hat and crammed it on his head. If he didn’t get a grip she was liable to figure out he was addle-pated over her. He’d heard an old cowhand say that about a younger guy mooning over his sweetheart. He’d vowed that would never happen to him. He would keep his wits about him.

  Yeah, right.

  Grabbing his duffel from the passenger seat, he walked back to Olivia. “The plants look good.”

  “Don’t they?” She slipped her hand into his. “I’ll give you a tour.”

  Walking hand-in-hand was something they’d never done before. He liked it.

  “So everything’s some sort of evergreen shrub except the iris and tulip bulbs. You’ll have to wait for spring to see those.”