The Texan's Cowgirl Bride (Texas Rodeo Barons)

by Trish Milburn - The Texan's Cowgirl Bride (Texas Rodeo Barons)

  She watched him sleep now, letting herself wonder what it would be like if the weekend didn’t have to end, if she could wake up every morning and see his handsome face, feel his reassuring warmth.

  “Why are you staring at me?” Travis asked without opening his eyes.

  “How did you know that?”

  He opened one eye. “Because I’m just that good.”

  She elbowed him in the ribs, which led to him trying to tickle hers. “Stop it!”

  “Never.” He laughed and rolled atop her and started tickling her unmercifully.

  “Uncle, uncle!”

  Travis dropped his lips to just above hers. “That’s not what I want to hear you say.”

  She nipped at his bottom lip with her teeth. “What do you want to hear?”

  “Just what you want me to do.”

  “Fix me breakfast?”

  He lifted a brow. “Eventually. But first things first.”

  They made love again, slowly, sensuously, as if it were the last time. Fear shot through her at that thought.

  Please don’t let this be the last time. She pleaded with God, the universe, fate—whomever or whatever was in control. Please don’t take this away when I’ve just found out what love really feels like.

  When they lay nestled against each other afterward, she drew lazy circles on his chest with her finger. “I don’t want to go back to the real world.”

  “Me, neither.”

  “Can’t we stay here forever?”

  “I would like nothing more.”

  She sighed, knowing it was a fantasy.

  Travis made good on feeding her breakfast, though he didn’t cook it. When they left the restaurant where she’d indulged in a big stack of buttermilk pancakes with warm maple syrup, she pulled Travis to a stop halfway back to the car.

  “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “To Mama’s Country Cooking?”

  She smiled, even loving the way he teased her. “No, to Galveston.”

  He pulled her into the circle of his arms. “Even though we struck out on the search again?”

  “That wasn’t the most important part of this weekend, at least not for me. I’ve loved every minute with you.”

  “The feeling’s mutual.” He kissed her right there in the parking lot, and she realized that no matter where she was it would always be romantic with him.

  “I’ve got one more thing I’d like to do before we leave.”

  “I’m not sure I have any stamina left, woman, but I’ll do my best.”

  A part of her wanted to take him up on the offer, but if they went back to bed they’d never make the checkout time. “Unless you want some poor cleaning lady to walk in on us, I think you should just take me to the grocery.”

  As they headed away from the cottage two hours and one quick lovemaking session later, Travis drove the short distance to Mrs. O’Donnell’s trailer.

  “I’ll just be a minute,” Savannah said as she hopped out, the warm peach pie in hand.

  When Mrs. O’Donnell opened the door, her eyes brightened. “I didn’t expect to see you again, dear.”

  Savannah lifted the pie. “I thought you might like this.”

  “You didn’t have to bring me anything.”

  “It’s peach. I think you’ll recognize the recipe.”

  Savannah’s heart squeezed when Mrs. O’Donnell accepted the pie, and tears welled in her eyes. And no matter why her mother had left, Savannah was glad she’d had this woman as a friend.

  “Won’t you come in and have a piece?” She looked toward the SUV. “And bring that nice boy with you, too.”

  “I’m sorry, but we’re on our way home.”

  The older woman nodded in understanding. “Just a minute, then. I found something I think you should have.”

  Savannah couldn’t imagine what it might be, but she didn’t have to wait long to find out. Mrs. O’Donnell extended a photo to her. Hand shaking, Savannah took it and looked at the image. Her mother’s face stared back at her as she stood with four other women. Mrs. O’Donnell had been right. Despite the smile on her mother’s face, there was a profound sadness in her eyes. Savannah bit her bottom lip to keep from crying.

  “Thank you for letting me see this, but I can’t take your photo.”

  “Sure you can. I got a copy made down at the pharmacy.”

  Touched by Mrs. O’Donnell’s generosity, Savannah hugged the woman before hurrying back to the vehicle.

  “You okay?” Travis asked when she slipped into her seat.

  “Yeah.” She showed him the picture. “We might not have found my mom, but this at least proves she was here.”

  Travis took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Baby steps.”

  She nodded then looked out the window to wave at Mrs. O’Donnell as Travis headed them toward home.

  When they arrived back at her apartment, Savannah prepared for some teasing from Carly, especially since Travis carried in her luggage. But the look on her sister’s face halted Savannah.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Dad wants to see you.”

  Savannah sighed. “I’m tired. I’ll go see him tomorrow.”

  “No, he was very explicit. He said for you to come to the house the moment you got back from wherever you’d ‘traipsed off to.’” Carly fidgeted with the order pad on the counter, and Carly wasn’t a fidgeter.

  “What? You didn’t tell him anything, did you?”

  Carly shook her head. “No. Your secret is safe. But, he made me bring him the latest financials for the store. He looked like a man on a mission, and I don’t think it’s one you’re going to like.”

  Savannah’s heart sank to the floor. Would her father really close the store against her wishes? Why would he push her away like that? A rush of determination propelled her toward the door. Fine. If he wanted to have this conversation, they were having it. But she wasn’t about to be a meek little daughter acquiescing to his every wish. She wasn’t giving up without a fight.

  Travis, proving he was a wise man, didn’t say much but also didn’t let her get behind the wheel of her car, either. In her current agitated state, she’d probably mow someone down without realizing it. When they reached the house where she’d grown up, she started to storm inside until Travis caught her by the arm.

  “You don’t want to face him like this,” he said.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “It’s been a while since I’ve seen your dad, but I don’t think attacking him is the best way to win the day.”

  Savannah growled in frustration. “Why do you have to be smart and sexy?”

  He shot her a crooked grin. “Sexy, huh?”

  “Not that you need ego stroking, but yeah. I didn’t exactly spend the weekend in bed with you because you’re butt ugly, you know.”

  Heedless of who might be watching, Travis pulled her to him and kissed her as if he meant it. The feel of him, firm and solid and still tasting like the vanilla cone he’d had on the trip back, made her want to drag him off to the nearest bed. But first she had to deal with her father.

  With a slightly cooler head, she headed into the house. Her dad might wonder at Travis’s presence at her side, but she wasn’t about to push away the man she loved. Her resolve faltered momentarily as she stepped into her dad’s office to find him sitting on the couch with his broken leg propped on the ottoman, papers and file folders scattered around him.

  “So you’ve finally returned, I see,” her dad said even before he looked at her. He’d always done that, and she’d always found it unnerving. She wondered if he used the same tactic in his business dealings, disarming others in order to get what he wanted.

  When he finally did look toward her, his eyes narrowed on Travis.
Her heart rate quickened as she imagined her father deducing why Travis was there.

  “I see you brought a guest.” His voice was tight, a sure sign that he didn’t appreciate the audience.

  Yeah, well, she didn’t like being ordered to his office as if she was still a child. At that moment, she felt as if a lifetime of holding her true feelings inside was about to erupt.

  After a long, assessing look at Travis, her father adjusted the reading glasses on his nose and picked up a file that she suspected held all the store’s financials.

  “You’re spending too much on the store. I’ve tried to warn you about this before, but you wouldn’t listen. We’ll be shutting it down by the end of the month and concentrating on selling the farm’s products to food processing companies.”

  Savannah saw red and suddenly realized how often her father had handed down edicts from on high and how much she hated it. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and sensed Travis was about to jump to her aid. No, this was her fight. She held up her hand, stopping him before he could say anything. Then she took a couple of slow steps closer to her dad and crossed her arms.

  “No, we’re not. I’ve put too much work into it, and I have a lot more plans.”

  “Plans that no doubt cost money. I know you didn’t have to worry about money when you were a kid, but it doesn’t grow on trees.”

  Her temper flared. “And I’m not a child anymore, so don’t speak to me like I am. I am well aware of what the store’s financials are, and they are not out of line with what they should be for a growing small business.” That’s when she realized something else was behind her father’s opposition to the store. Even for him, he was being too harsh about the whole situation. “What’s really going on here?”

  “I told you.”

  “No, Dad. You’re not telling me something, and if you’re determined to take away my dream I deserve to know why.”

  He tossed down the thick file folder holding her accounting. “Because it reminds me of your mother.”

  Savannah didn’t think he could have said anything that would have stunned her more. She stared at her father, thinking he would surely give her the real reason any moment. “What are you talking about?”

  Her dad shifted his gaze toward the window on the opposite side of the room. He remained quiet so long that she thought he wouldn’t answer her.

  “It was her idea to expand the roadside stand into a store.”

  Savannah cocked her head to the side. “No, it wasn’t. That was my idea.”

  “It was hers first.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Simple. She suggested it. I said no.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she didn’t need to be responsible for something like that. Hell, she couldn’t even be responsible enough to stick around to raise her kids.”

  Savannah jerked back as if she’d been slapped. “So, what? You pushed her away?”

  Her dad turned his gaze to her, and this time he was the one who looked hurt. “No, she did that all on her own.”

  Savannah took a slow, steadying breath, understanding his anger but not how he was taking it out on her. “I’m sorry she hurt you, Dad. But I’m not her. I may have come up with the same idea, may even use her peach pie recipe, but I’m my own woman. And I’m good at my job. You put me in charge of the farm side of the family business. Now you either let me run it, or you hire someone else and I will find a place to live in Dallas and a new job. I’m done with full-time racing, and I have no interest in the energy business. I’ll find my own path.”

  The stunned expression on her father’s face told Savannah she’d finally gotten his full attention, made him realize she wasn’t going to be a pushover.

  The shock changed to pointed suspicion, however, when he looked at Travis. “You planning to move in with him?”

  “If I was, it wouldn’t be any of your business. I’m a grown woman, have been for some time now.” Savannah took a few steps and leaned one hand against the top of her father’s desk. She picked up the carved wooden bull he’d been given when he’d been named North Texas Rancher of the Year. “You know one of the first things I can remember you ever saying about being a good businessman?”

  Her father sighed. “Are you about to tell me it was something arrogant?”

  “No. You were standing in this room, talking to someone from the company’s board of directors. You said that you had to spend money to make money, and that well-planned investments pan out if there’s a lot of hard work and passion behind them. I put both of those things into the Peach Pit in spades. So unless you fire me, I’m not giving up on it. In fact, I’m going to make it such a success that you’re going to want to claim it was your idea all along.”

  For what must have been the longest moments in the history of the world, her dad just stared at her. He was probably in shock. She couldn’t really believe what she’d just done, either, but she knew this was a huge turning point in her life. Either she was going to be given free rein to grow the store as well as the overall farming operation, or she was going to pack up and start a new life in a different place.

  It hit her that doing the latter would make her even more like her mother. Only Savannah wouldn’t sever all ties to her family. She glanced at Travis, who leaned against the floor-to-ceiling bookcase next to the door. He gave her a little smile, and she got the feeling he was proud of her. Well, good, because she was proud of herself for standing up to her dad, and not just in a token way to get him to refocus his energies elsewhere.

  When she began to think she could no longer stand there in the middle of her father’s office bearing the intensity of his scrutiny, he did the oddest thing. He nodded. Then smiled.

  “You’re right.”

  “I am?”

  He laughed. “Don’t lose your nerve now. You just won an argument with your grumpy ass of a father.”

  Savannah stood up taller. “Good. Because I’m right.”

  “I believe that’s what I said.” Her dad picked up the folder and extended it to her. “Go on now. You’ve evidently got a lot of work to do, especially since you lost a couple of days.” He shot Travis a piercing look again, but Travis acted as if it didn’t bother him one bit.

  Savannah had to hide a smile as she took the folder. “Thank you.”

  Her dad gave her a quick nod and waved her toward the door. She’d won. She’d really won. Things were definitely looking up. If she made it outside before breaking into a happy dance, she’d be lucky.

  She saw the twinkle in Travis’s eyes as she neared him. He pushed away from the bookcase to follow her.

  “Not you, Travis,” her dad said. “I’d like you to stay behind for a few minutes.”

  She’d evidently thought about celebrating too soon. What did her dad want with Travis? She spun back around. “Dad—”

  Travis caught her gaze and winked at her. “It’s okay.”

  As she hesitantly stepped through the doorway, she wished she could be as certain.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Travis waited until Savannah had closed the door before he turned back toward her father, wiping any emotion off his face.

  “I hear you’ve been coming around the ranch a lot lately.”

  Travis didn’t say anything in response, forcing Brock to get to his point.

  “Why have you come back into Savannah’s life?”

  Brock Baron was used to being able to rattle people, but Travis wasn’t easily intimidated. Once you’d survived boot camp and nearly getting blown up on a daily basis, facing down an overprotective father was a piece of cake.

  “You know we ran into each other at the rodeo in Mineral Wells.”

  “I appreciate you taking her to the hospital, but what about since then? Our ranch isn’t exactly on
your commute to work.”

  Travis wasn’t the least bit surprised that Brock not only knew where he worked but where he lived. “No, but it’s worth the drive.”

  “Worth the drive to Galveston?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “So it’s more than rekindling an old friendship?”

  The intensity in Brock’s eyes had probably made teenage boys wither before him and reconsider asking out any of the Baron girls. Travis resisted the irrational urge to laugh.

  “Yes, sir, it is.”

  “Any kind of professional relationship?”

  Travis rested his hands on his hips. “I don’t discuss my clients. So if there were a professional relationship, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  Brock tensed. Even at his age and with his injured leg, he looked like a ticked-off bull ready to charge. But the longer he stared at Travis, with him staring right back, the more Brock’s expression changed to one of grudging respect.

  Sensing that Brock’s line of questioning had run its course, Travis turned and headed for the door.

  “You better be good to my girl,” Brock said behind him. The way he said it, Travis had no doubt that, broken leg or not, Brock would find a way to take a pound of flesh out of him if he hurt Savannah in any way.

  Travis halfway turned toward Brock. “That you don’t have to worry about.”

  As he left the room, he fully realized that he’d fallen deeply in love with Savannah and would do anything in his power to make her happy.

  * * *

  SAVANNAH COULDN’T KEEP STILL. Instead, she paced the walkway that led to her father’s front door.

  “You’re going to dig a trench to China.”

  Savannah looked up to see Julieta, who was more a friend than stepmother because of the slim difference in their ages. “Oh, hey.”

  “What has you so agitated? Did your father say something to upset you?”

  “No. Well, yeah, but I handled it.”

  “But...?”

  Savannah gestured toward the front door. “I think he’s giving Travis the third degree.”