Cowboys Can’t Lie (A Lily’s House Novella)

by Rachel Branton

  Finally, Crew freed the cow and they all backed away into the darkness to see what she would do next. Crew purposefully angled Tara away from the others so they could talk alone. After mooing several times, the cow turned and went to her offspring and began licking him.

  “I’m glad she likes him.” This Tara said almost fiercely.

  Crew took her hand, and she didn’t pull away. “They almost always do. They’ll protect them quite loudly, in fact.”

  They watched the cow for a moment. “She acts like nothing happened,” Tara said. “Like it was just another day.”

  “For a breech, this was on the easier side.”

  “Crazy. I thought she was going to rip in two. Marti was impressive.”

  He nodded. “It’s in her blood. Her grandfather worked for my grandfather and on down the line.”

  “So is that how your parents met? Marti told me Isaac is your mom’s cousin.”

  A knot formed in his stomach, but she had had told him her history, and he wanted to be just as honest. “Yep, my mother hated the ranch, but she thought marrying my dad, who was going to inherit part of the ranch, was the way to big money and freedom.”

  “So where are your parents now?”

  He hesitated, feeling the strength of her smaller hand in his. “My mother, I don’t know. She was in and out for most of my early years. My grandparents raised me. After my grandmother died, my mother would be gone for a year at a time. Then one time she never came back.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Like I said, she wasn’t really a mother.”

  “And your dad?”

  How much to tell her? “He was around, but not really involved.” Crew was relieved when Marti joined them, cutting short the conversation.

  “Hey, if you’re wanting a ride home, let’s go, I’ve got school tomorrow.”

  Bidding farewell to Isaac, they headed back to the truck. Marti flew down the road with even more abandon than she’d shone earlier, but Crew didn’t mind as more than once Tara bumped into him, and he had to put his arm around her to steady her. The way Marti threw a grin at Crew suggested the bumping around wasn’t all by accident.

  When they reached the road near the back of his house and Tara had slid from the cab, Marti leaned over and whispered, “I like her.”

  “Me too. Just trying to have more fun like the doctor ordered. Even if my doctor is a vet.”

  Marti laughed. “Good.” She zoomed off down the path as soon as he cleared the door.

  “So,” Tara said as they walked back to his house. “What now?”

  “Now? We go wash our hands, and then we have some double chocolate fudge ice cream waiting for us.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  They got into a tiny bit of a water fight in his bathroom while they washed up, which resulted in damp shirts and a lot of laughter. Then Crew scooped huge bowls of ice cream, stuck two macaroon cookies inside each, and set one on the counter in front of her.

  “Everything is better with coconut,” he said. “Even double chocolate fudge ice cream.”

  She laughed and bit into one of the cookies. “I absolutely agree.”

  “Well, you’ve seen a little of my life here,” he said settling on a stool beside her. “What about you. Do you like advertising?”

  “I love it.” Her face lit up. “I like putting ideas together. And I like being able to work anywhere. I hope to do a little traveling someday.”

  “Where to?”

  “Venice maybe? France? I don’t really care. I just want to see a few places.”

  “Not to live there?”

  She shook her head. “I like Phoenix.” She spooned up a tiny bit of ice cream, and the way she licked it off the spoon with the tip of her tongue fascinated him.

  “Me too.”

  A comfortable silence fell between them as they ate their ice cream.

  “I do have a question,” she said.

  He hoped it wasn’t about his father. “Yeah?”

  “If you’re a cattle family, how did you get into Thoroughbreds?”

  “Because of my grandfather. My grandmother always loved them and she had money from her parents, but she never did anything with it. So a few years after she died, he went and bought Iron Express. That was before the horse had won anything, of course. He was just a colt, barely weaned. My grandfather hired a trainer and jockey, and we went to work.”

  “You liked it. I can tell.”

  “I loved everything about Iron Express. Still do. He’s always been my horse, even though I was too heavy to race him myself. When he started winning, it surprised all of us. After that, we got a few more horses and some of them won too. They’re costly to maintain, though, so eventually, my grandfather built the training stables and this house. We retired Iron Express and another horse so we could sell their breeding services. Then on my twenty-first birthday, my grandfather had a cancer scare and deeded the horse to me.”

  For a moment, he was tempted tell to her about Sophie and Jump Start, but a hard knot in his chest refused to comply. “I’ll take you to see him sometime, if you like.”

  “I’d love that.”

  They continued to chat about the ranch and marketing, and even though Crew had to get up early, he didn’t want the night to end. Finally, she scooped up the last bit of her ice cream and sighed. “I’d better start back. I’m not much of a morning person, I confess, but my boss likes me to be in at eight sharp.”

  “I have to be up at five.”

  She groaned. “Good luck with that.”

  He chuckled. “You get used to it. Come on, I’ll walk you out. You are mostly dry, aren’t you? Shouldn’t be too cold even if you aren’t.”

  “I’m pretty much dry.”

  They walked down the path to the parking lot. Tara stared into the sky. “It’s so beautiful here. The stars are much brighter than at my apartment.”

  Crew looked up. “They’re always this bright here, at least on clear days.”

  All too soon they had reached her car. They’d been together hours, but it wasn’t enough for him. “So,” he said, “would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?”

  “I would. Where?”

  He had no idea, but he wanted to impress her. “How about I surprise you? But come hungry.” Dinner was a given.

  “What should I wear?”

  “Casual.” He hoped.

  “Jeans and T-shirt casual or jeans and blouse casual?”

  “Blouse.”

  “Okay. Blouse it is.”

  In a second, if he didn’t move, she’d be inside that car and driving away. He put his hand on her arm, and she looked up at him. “Good night.”

  “Good night,” she repeated.

  He bent over, watching her face as he closed the space between him. She leaned forward, meeting him partway. His lips met hers softly, touching once, twice, and then pulling slightly away, still close, but not touching. Their eyes held and neither drew away. That was a yes if he ever saw one. He slipped his arms around her, gently caressing her back, pulling her closer. Her arms went up around his neck. He pressed his lips to hers again more firmly, closing his eyes, breathing her in, reveling in the sensation of holding her in his arms.

  Easy, boy, he told himself. He ended the kiss while he still could and stepped back. “Tomorrow at seven?”

  “Perfect.” Her lips looked moist and he was tempted to try it again. But she was already opening the car door.

  He shut it after her and remained in the parking lot, watching her drive away.

  A perfect end to the day. He could still feel her touch on his lips and smell her scent. There was only one problem.

  Where was he going to take her tomorrow?

  He jogged back up to the house, found his phone in the bathroom, and texted Marti. Help. I have a date tomorrow and I have no idea where to take her.

  She texted back almost immediately. That’s because you’re lame and are bent on working yourself t
o death.

  I thought you were going to bed.

  I’m too wound up to sleep. Okay, I got it. Take her to Kimbo’s for dinner and dancing.

  Dancing? I haven’t been in years.

  So what? Big baby. If you’re lucky, I’ll stop by and introduce you to the man I’m going to marry.

  I don’t want you horning in on my date. He was rethinking this whole asking for her help idea.

  Too bad. Take her flowers. You are picking her up, right?

  Of course. What kind of flowers?

  What kind does she like?

  No idea.

  Then take your favorite kind.

  He sighed. Thanks.

  Did you kiss her?

  None of your business.

  Ha! You did! Good job. See you tomorrow night.

  Chapter 7

  Rylee looked her over critically, one finger tapping her bottom lip. “Yep, I think you’ll do.”

  Tara stared down at her blue skinny jeans and high heels. “Are you sure the heels aren’t too fancy? He did say casual.”

  “Maybe. But he’s tall enough, right? Where are your black ones?”

  Tara knew exactly where they were—back in Crew’s office. She’d forgotten all about them. “I left them somewhere,” she admitted. “So they’re not an option.”

  “They wouldn’t match as well as these pink ones anyway. Besides, if anything isn’t casual, it’s that blouse.”

  Tara touched the gauzy ruffles on her dusty pink blouse. Tiny silver sequins were set at intervals and maybe it was a little fancy, though the shirt had been less than fifteen bucks at a retail discount store. They matched her heels perfectly. “You think it’s too much?”

  “Who cares? You look fabulous, and he did say blouse.”

  Tara smiled at her roommate gratefully. “Thanks, I needed that.”

  Rylee tilted her head, her blond locks swaying outward. “You really like this guy, don’t you?”

  “I do.” Tara took the few steps to their couch and sat down. “You know how it is when you first kiss someone and you’re trying to get it right? You’re moving around and back and forth a bit, trying to find a good position. Well, it wasn’t like that. It was perfect. We just knew how we fit. And what a kiss!” She’d been up half the night thinking about it.

  Rylee made a face. “At least one of us is getting some meaningful kisses. I swear, something’s wrong with most men I meet. They don’t want a relationship, they just want to make out—or more. I’d like to at least know I’m going to see them again before I get to that point.”

  “They’re blind, is what,” Tara told her. Rylee was model gorgeous with a slender figure, great hair, and smooth skin. While Tara was always trying to drop a few pounds, Rylee had the metabolism of an athlete, never mind that she hated to exercise. She worked at a mortgage firm and was well on her way up the corporate ladder. She was also fun to be around.

  The doorbell rang, but before Tara could rise, Rylee sat down next to her and took her hand. “Look, you give him a chance. Really get to know him. Trust your heart.”

  “But—”

  “No, you know what I’m talking about. You always give up too soon. Like with Steven from downstairs, or Dennis, that guy Lily set you up with.”

  Tara’s protest died on her lips. Steven was an owner of two restaurant franchises and a really nice guy, and Dennis, a pilot, had made her laugh. Both had seemed to really like her. But she’d broken it off with both after only three dates because neither had seen their families in two years. They had families and discarded them, while she, who never had a family of her own, clung to the one Lily had given her. Men like that didn’t commit or stick around, in her opinion, and she saw the “ending” with each man as them walking away. At least that was what her gut said. Better not to risk her heart. Now Steven was married and Dennis was engaged. Tara didn’t know if that meant her “ending” sensor was off or that they’d found women who’d changed things for them.

  The doorbell rang again. Tara pulled her hand away. “Of course I’m giving him a chance. I kissed him, didn’t I?”

  Tara bounced up from the couch and hurried to the door, sweeping up her house key on her way and putting it into her pocket next to a few bills. She’d thought about taking a purse, but she didn’t want to be stuck carrying it all night.

  “Hey, bring him in so I can meet him. I don’t want to hover.” Rylee gave her an eager smile.

  “Fine.” Tara opened the door, and her breath caught in her throat. Crew stood there, looking striking in black jeans, a white western shirt, and a black cowboy hat. In his hands, he held a vase of beautiful wild flowers.

  His eyes gleamed and his smile widened. “You look amazing.”

  “Thank you. So do you.” She was glad for the blouse and high heels now.

  He handed her the flowers, and her hands barely fit around the bottom of the vase. “These are beautiful,” she said. They reminded her of spring, of camping with the girls from Lily’s house, of morning and sunshine.

  “I didn’t know your favorite kind. These are mine.”

  “They’re perfect.” No one had ever given her wild flowers before. “Come on in while I put these inside.”

  He followed her into the apartment. “This is my roommate, Rylee,” she said. “Rylee, this is Crew.”

  Rylee arose from the couch and came toward them. “Nice to meet you.”

  Tara could tell from her voice that she was impressed. Crew was probably just as impressed. Men usually loved looking at Rylee. In fact, she was starting to wish she hadn’t invited him inside or introduced them.

  That’s silly, she thought. Rylee was her best friend and had been since they’d met at Lily’s house ten years ago. She wasn’t going to make a play for Crew.

  “Nice to meet you,” Crew said, offering his hand.

  Rylee smiled as she shook. “I didn’t expect a cowboy.”

  Tara hoped she wouldn’t say anything about how she normally avoided any guy with boots or a hat. She filled the vase with water and set it on the counter, then hurried back to Crew, who wasn’t staring at Rylee, but watching her instead. A breathless feeling started in her chest, the same feeling she had right before he kissed her last night.

  “Bye Rylee,” she said, waving at her roommate.

  “Have fun.” Rylee gave her a smirk. “I won’t wait up.”

  Crew’s silver truck awaited them downstairs. “Ah, good to see I merit the nice truck.”

  He opened the door for her. “Only the best for you.”

  The truck was rather large, and he offered a hand to help her inside, and though she didn’t need it, she accepted his offer.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, once he’d started the engine.

  “Kimbo’s. You ever been there?”

  “No. Never heard of it.”

  “Then you’re in for a surprise.” He started the engine. “Uh, I think I should probably warn you that Marti and her boyfriend might be stalking us tonight.”

  She laughed. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I think she wants to make sure I don’t scare you away.”

  “You’re not scary.” But he was. Really scary. Because her heart was working overtime just being close to him, and she wanted more than anything to scoot over and snuggle with him as he drove.

  “But I don’t mind,” she added. “Marti’s nice.” It might be easier having someone around in case they ran out of things to say.

  Kimbo’s turned out to be a dinner and dancing place, and most everyone wore western attire, including boots and cowboy hats. But enough of the women wore high heels, so Tara didn’t feel out of place. For all their height, these high heels were the most comfortable she owned after the black ones.

  “How’s the calf?” she remembered to ask as they were led to a table that was one of several dozen bordering a huge dance floor.

  “Doing great. And eleven more were born today, all without help. The numbers should go up from here on out until al
l of them are born.”

  Tara scarcely noticed what they ordered because he was telling her about how calves were normally birthed earlier in the year and sold in the fall, and how he hoped a summer crop would lead to larger profits the next year. She was fascinated with the concept of switching things up, and it gave her ideas for more social media posts. She’d already scheduled two weeks out on both Facebook pages, designed one ad, started two twitter accounts, an Instagram, a Google+, and a Pinterest. It was a simple matter of resizing and posting the same images, so it wasn’t that much more effort.

  “So enough about me,” he said, as the waiter brought their steaks. “Tell me about what you do at work.”

  “Well, I do all aspects of digital marketing, including optimizing websites for conversion. I do a lot with SEO, which is basically dealing with posts and key words. I also design ads.” She took a bite of her meat. “Wow, this is great.”

  He grinned. “It’s from the Silver A.”

  “And they just happened to carry your beef?”

  “Actually, I used to come here a lot and the steak was awful, so I went to see the owner.”

  “Good initiative. I wonder if he’ll give us an endorsement for your website. That’s one thing I noticed you didn’t have.”

  They talked on about her job and the ranch and how Kate and Brin were doing with their new assignments. When Marti showed up with her boyfriend, there hadn’t been one lull in the conversation, and Tara regretted their appearance.

  “Hi guys. Sorry we’re late,” Marti said. “This is Trevor Hadfield. Trevor, this is my cousin Crew and his date, Tara . . .”

  “Levine,” Tara supplied. “Nice to meet you.” Crew stood to shake hands with Trevor before they both sat down.

  Marti and Trevor wore plaid shirts and cowboy boots, and Trevor wore a brown cowboy hat over his blond hair. “We already ate at Trevor’s parents’ house,” she said, stealing a french fry from Crew’s plate, “but I’ll have one of these.”

  “She’ll do anything for fries,” Trevor said.

  Marti stole another one. “Crew’s finished anyway. They always give too many here.” Everyone laughed, and the next minute they were talking about food and school and Trevor’s family.