Charming the Cowboy

by Liz Isaacson

  “I’ll get it replaced,” Sawyer said. “And you should also know that Dwayne was just here, askin’ about you and Heather. Seemed a bit on the grumpy side.”

  “All right,” Levi said. “Call me if there’s anything else.” He hung up and looked down the walkway to where Heather stood near a clump of yellow wildflowers. Dwayne wouldn’t be happy if he knew what had just happened next to this river. And Levi had never kissed and told before. He didn’t see why that had to change now.

  So though his stomach writhed, he strode toward Heather and secured her hand in his again. He’d deal with Dwayne when he had to, and right now, he didn’t have to.

  “Oh, brother,” he muttered when he turned from asphalt onto the dirt road that led to his house.

  “Is that my brother’s truck?” Heather peered through the windshield for one moment, and dropped his hand like his skin had caught on fire. She groaned when her right arm hit the passenger door, and while Levi felt bad for her, a sliver of unease slipped through him.

  “So I guess we’re not telling him about the date,” he said as he eased to a stop beside Dwayne’s hulking black truck.

  “No,” Heather said. “He’ll just—” She cut off as Dwayne came down the front steps, his eyes set on angry mode. She opened the door and got out of the SUV, Levi following her much slower.

  “I called you three times,” Dwayne said, switching his glare to Levi for a single heartbeat.

  “Sorry, I left my purse in the car.” Heather fumbled her bag now and pulled out her phone. “Yep, three times. What’s up?” She looked up at him, and Levi found the challenge in her gaze.

  “Mom and Dad wanted you to come for dinner tonight,” he said. “They’re anxious to see how you’re doing.”

  “I called her yesterday,” Heather said. “I broke my arm. I didn’t lose my brain.” She shook her head and moved past Dwayne. “Honestly, from you, to them, to my babysitter here, you’d think I’d broken every bone in my body.”

  Levi’s eyebrows went straight up, but he let her half-stomp, half-limp past him and up the steps to the front door—which would be locked. He called after her to tell her, and her muttered, “Great,” came back. But she didn’t.

  “Where were you guys?” Dwayne asked.

  “I—we—” Levi wasn’t sure how to say they’d gone for barbeque. “We went up to the Rib Shack,” he said. “I had my phone with me the whole time.” He checked it. “No calls or texts.”

  “You’re not invited to dinner,” Dwayne said darkly. He peered closer at Levi, who suddenly wanted to wipe his mouth. He shoved his phone in his pocket instead. “How are you two gettin’ along?”

  “We’re gettin’ along fine,” Levi said. “She’s stubborn, and I can’t cook, but we both like barbeque. Seemed like a good way to pass the time.”

  “She should be resting.”

  “She fell asleep on the way back.” And wow, Levi had liked watching her sleep. The gentle rise and fall of her chest, the peace she exhibited on her face.

  “That’s not rest,” Dwayne said.

  “Why are you cross with me?” Levi said. “I drove her to lunch because there’s nothing to eat here. It’s not my fault she didn’t answer her phone.” Since he didn’t carry keys to the house, he walked over to the garage and punched in the code to open the single door.

  “Sorry,” Dwayne said. “This wedding has me stressed.” He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck and took off his cowboy hat as he sighed. “And Heather. She’s my sister, you know?”

  “Yeah,” Levi said, thinking of how perfectly their mouths had molded together. “I know.” He walked past the convertible and went up the steps and into the house. After opening the front door for Heather, he let his hand linger on hers for a moment, using his body to shield the contact from her brother.

  She looked into his eyes, the spark and connection between them prevalent and perfect. A rush filled Levi at the stolen moment, and then he backed up and dropped his hand. She moved past him, shooting Dwayne a glare. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said.

  “Should I tell Mom you’re coming to dinner?”

  “Duh,” she called down the hall, which prompted a chuckle from Levi.

  “See? Stubborn,” he said.

  “She just hates bein’ fussed over,” Dwayne said, collapsing onto Levi’s couch with a long sigh. “I’m exhausted. Did you know Felicity has commissioned a bluebonnet arch? The whole arch! Full of bluebonnets.”

  Levi thought of his wedding. Johanna had been meticulous too, and it wasn’t until the week before the wedding that she’d asked him if his family would be coming. He should’ve known then how selfish she was, but he didn’t. Or he did, and he didn’t care. He didn’t want his family at the wedding, and sharp regret lanced through him as he sat across from Dwayne.

  “I didn’t know you could even make an arch out of bluebonnets.”

  “The arch is wood,” Dwayne said, closing his eyes. “I built it. She’s braiding or weaving bluebonnets into it. Or something.”

  “You built an arch?”

  “I’m handy with a hammer.” He opened one eye and looked at Levi.

  “Yeah, I know, I just—you’re not running the ranch?”

  “I do that too.” He closed his eye and took a deep breath. “Which is why I’m exhausted.”

  “Felicity is great,” Levi said. “You’ve never said anything bad about her.”

  “Is he saying something bad about Felicity?” Heather joined them in the living room, her good hand on her cocked hip.

  “No.” Dwayne opened his eyes and sat up. “She is great. I love her; we’re getting married. She’s just…particular about this bluebonnet arch. She adores bluebonnets, and she won’t get married without them.”

  “So she’s a bluebonnet bridezilla,” Heather said.

  “I don’t even know what that means.” Dwayne looked at Levi blankly. “Do you?”

  Johanna had definitely been a bridezilla, so Levi had had some experience with the term. “A little, I guess.”

  “Did you pick the cake?” Heather sat beside her brother, and Levi missed the shape and smell of her next to him. He smiled at her, unable to stop himself.

  “The tasting is on Thursday.” Dwayne looked back and forth from Levi to Heather. “At least I’ll get to try five different cake flavors.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Heather said. “I have that food vendor tasting tomorrow night. You can take me into town, right, Levi?”

  “Sure thing.” Maybe he’d said it too emphatically. Or maybe he still hadn’t wiped the boyish smile from his face. No matter what, Dwayne leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at Levi.

  “So you like her, huh?”

  “I’m sitting right here, Dwayne.”

  “Yeah,” Levi said though a hot coal burned through his blood.

  “It’s my duty as the older brother—ouch!”

  “Stop it,” Heather said through gritted teeth. She whacked him again on the bicep. “You’re so embarrassing. I’m thirty-two-years-old, for cryin’ out loud. I can date whoever I want.”

  Dwayne made a choking sound. “So you’re dating him now?”

  “No,” Levi said at the same time Heather said, “Yes.”

  Her eyes flew to his. “No?” She lifted her chin, and if she could cross her arms, they’d have been cinched across her chest. “So you go around—”

  “Heather,” he growled, and Dwayne’s gaze flew to him.

  “You kissed her, didn’t you.” He wasn’t even asking.

  Levi stood. “I’m not having this conversation.” He rounded the coffee table and swept a kiss along Heather’s forehead, drawing a gasp from Dwayne. “I’m going to check on Genie.”

  “I’ll come with you,” she said, but Dwayne’s hand clamped down on her knee. “Hey—”

  “Can we talk for a sec?”

  Levi left them to gossip about him, partly angry with her for challenging him in front of her brother. She was the one who
’d dropped his hand at the mere sight of Dwayne’s truck in the driveway. As if he’d be able to see into the SUV.

  She was the one who said she didn’t want him to know. Levi hadn’t done anything wrong with his denial. A bit of frustration filtered through him, as did a profound sadness when Heather didn’t join him straightaway.

  He did like her. He had kissed her. And he would do it again, no matter what Dwayne thought, because he was thirty-four-years-old, and he didn’t need his best friend’s permission to date his sister.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Don’t you dare ruin this for me,” Heather said, swinging her full attention back to Dwayne as soon as the French doors closed behind Levi.

  “Ruin it? What is there to ruin?”

  “You’ve already said too much. Telling him not to hurt me. You might as well have written ‘She likes you, Levi!’ in the sky.” Tears pricked her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. “I told you all of that in confidence, Dwayne.” She swatted at him again, but he yanked his arm away. “The last person you’re supposed to tell is the guy I’m crushing on. Geez.” She looked away, out the windows at the back of the house, a heavy sense of exhaustion weighing her down.

  Several seconds of silence passed before Dwayne said, “I’m sorry, Heather. I’ve handled it all wrong. I just…I didn’t want him to hurt you.”

  She didn’t want to get hurt either, but…. “Honestly, Dwayne, getting hurt by him is better than being alone. At least I can have him for a little while, you know?”

  Dwayne gently turned her toward him, and she had to look into his face. “Why just a little while? He told me he likes you too.”

  A half-sob, half-laugh came from her mouth. “You’re really bad at keeping a secret. Does Felicity know this about you?”

  He chuckled and folded her into his chest. “Don’t be mad at me, Heather. I hate it when you’re mad at me.”

  “Don’t be so dumb, then.” But she stayed in the safe embrace of his arms, trying to figure out why she thought she’d only be with Levi for a little while. The man had kissed her like he meant it, and that was a kiss she wouldn’t soon forget. She knew he liked her, but deep down, she just couldn’t believe that he could like her for very long.

  “He thinks I’m a control freak,” she said.

  “Heather, you are a control freak.” He chuckled, and Heather couldn’t help joining in. They laughed together, and Heather straightened and wiped her eyes, glad when her fingertips only came away a little bit wet.

  “I really am sorry.” Dwayne wore a genuine look of remorse on his face.

  “I know you are.” She sighed and looked out those windows again. The peach tree leaves waved in the perpetual breeze. “I just wish I didn’t like him so much.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because, then when he breaks up with me, it won’t hurt too badly.”

  “You still haven’t said why you think he’ll break up with you.”

  Heather thought about all the things he’d told her that he hadn’t told anyone else. Maybe he truly did like her. He trusted her with that information. Maybe things would work out. But she had a seething desire to know more about his ex-wife, his life in Kentucky beyond the horse races, and why he wouldn’t tell his family about the years he’d spent there.

  “I don’t know,” she finally said. “He keeps a lot of things close to the vest.”

  “Maybe he’s been hurt before,” Dwayne said. “I can try to find out.”

  Heather rolled her eyes and slapped him again. “I’m not fourteen, and I don’t need my BFF to find out if the boy I like likes me back.” She stood, testing her weight on her ankle before committing to it. “I think he’s been hurt before.”

  But so had she. She was willing to take the chance, get her heart shattered for all of Grape Seed Falls to see. Because if the single women in town didn’t know about her and Levi yet, that would be a miracle.

  Dwayne stood too, and they faced the backyard. “He’s about a thousand times better than Gene.”

  Heather nudged Dwayne with her shoulder. “I think so too.”

  “Have you told him about Gene?”

  “He lived in town when that whole thing happened.”

  “Doesn’t mean he knows.” Dwayne stuffed his hat on his head properly. “All right, I have to get over to Mom and Dad’s and help with the retaining wall in their backyard. I guess something’s happened to it. You can bring Levi to dinner if you want. Felicity will be there. Five-thirty.”

  “Five-thirty,” Heather echoed to him, and he exited through the front door. Part of her wanted to go out onto the farm and talk some more with Levi. Maybe kiss him in the stables. But another, louder, part of her needed a nap before she could face dinner with her parents.

  So she turned toward her bedroom instead, sending a text to Levi that she was going to lie down. Then she sent a text to her mom, expressing her gratitude for the dinner invitation. While she was handing out thank you’s, she texted Felicity to tell her thanks for taking care of the cats. Longing for Ashes’ little gray body curled up next to her, purring, rumbled through her.

  No problem! Felicity texted back. Her mother sent a smiley face. Heather let her phone drop to her lap, her eyes straying to the artwork above the desk. Tomorrow would be her last day with Levi. Then she’d be back at work, back with the kids, back with her cats.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Levi’s voice startled her, and she spun to find him leaning in the doorway, seemingly without a care in the world.

  “Just tired.” She gripped her phone a little harder. “I think I might take another day off,” she said. “I’m going to text Barry and see if I can get Rocki’s number. She’s subbing for me.”

  Her fingers flew over the screen and she sent the text. Levi didn’t so much as twitch. She glanced back up at him, her smile coming a little easier now.

  “What time’s dinner?” he asked.

  “Five-thirty. You’re invited.”

  “Oh, I’m not going.”

  “No?” She tried to hear more in his words, but they were so salty that was all she could decipher. “Dwayne was kidding.”

  “He doesn’t like us dating.” He stepped into the room and sat in the desk chair. “Sorry I said we weren’t. I thought that’s what you wanted me to say.” He gazed back at her, not an ounce of emotion on his face.

  She marveled at his ability to shutter everything off behind his bearded jaw and perfect eyes. No wonder he’d been able to keep his marriage a secret from his mother.

  “Dwayne is just overprotective,” she said. “I really do want you to come to dinner. Otherwise it will be me and my parents, with Dwayne and Felicity.”

  “How are you going to introduce me?”

  “Do you need an introduction?” She watched him, but he simply blinked. “You’ve been to our place to eat tons of times.”

  “With Dwayne.”

  “My mother thinks of you as a fourth child.”

  “Which is weird, considering what we did by the river earlier.” He finally allowed a smile to touch his lips. It only stayed for a moment, though, and then it was gone.

  Her phone chimed, and she had Rocki’s number and Barry’s best wishes for her to get better. When she looked back at Levi, he said, “You’ll have to tell them we’re together now.”

  “So I get to use the word boyfriend?”

  He lifted one strong shoulder in a sexy shrug. “If that’s what you want to call me.”

  She did, and she hid her satisfied smile by bending over her phone and texting Rocki to see if she could sub for her another day. Two days, she put in her text. Maybe the rest of the week.

  She’d get Dr. Croster to write her a note, and she had the sick days. A yawn stretched her mouth, and she put her phone on the nightstand. “I think I have time for a nap.”

  “I’m glad you’re taking more time off,” Levi said, standing. “Do I need to send Elle to get more clothes?”

  “No.” Heather gazed u
p at him as he moved to stand in front of her. “I’m going home on Wednesday, as scheduled.”

  He crouched in front of her and took both of her hands in his. A twinge moved up her injured arm, but it wasn’t painful. More like excitement. He played with her fingers and said, “I don’t think that was the schedule.”

  “Yes,” she said. “You brought me here for the first three days. Tomorrow’s the third day.”

  “I don’t want you to go,” he said, his voice hardly more than air.

  “Levi.” She waited until he looked up at her, and now she found the desire, the hope, the…loneliness in his expression. Her heart twisted and thumped, pounded and pirouetted. “I can’t live here with you.”

  “Maybe just a few more days,” he said. “You’re not well, and you can’t drive or anything.”

  “You were going to come pick me up and drive me,” she said. “But I don’t need to be here, making a mess of your house, past tomorrow.”

  “You don’t feel well enough to go to work,” he said. “You should be here until you do.”

  Her phone brightened and sounded, and they both looked at it, sitting on the nightstand. Rocki had said, I can do the whole week. No plans needed. I’ll just keep going with what you left.

  Heather ripped her good hand from Levi’s fingers and tried to flip the phone over. But he’d already seen it.

  “See? She’ll take care of your class for the whole week.” He leaned closer, nuzzling his face into her neck. Excitement raced through her, and she leaned back with a sigh. “Stay until Monday,” he whispered. “You stay until Monday, and I’ll go to dinner at your parents’ place tonight.”

  “So we’re haggling?”

  He tracked his lips along her jawline, getting dangerously close to her mouth. She wanted to dip her head and receive his kiss now, but she’d kissed him at the river, and she really wanted him to initiate the union this time.

  “You make my house seem less empty,” he said. “Smaller.” His eyes met hers, and his vulnerability struck her full in the chest. “I like you here. Please stay until Monday. Then I’ll drive you to work and take you home afterward.”