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

by Rachel Branton

  “You are such an idiot!” Marti’s voice carried across the grass.

  He dragged his eyes up to look at his cousin, who was striding toward him. What was her problem? “Tara found Sophie.”

  “I know. I’ve been working with her. And I just got a weird text from Tara saying you didn’t take the news very well.”

  He gave her an exasperated look. “Why would you do this?”

  Marti reached the table and sank into a chair. “Because you bred her a foal. Because she’s alone out there. Because she’s family.”

  Her words haunted him, reminding him of what Tara had said. Do you know what I’d give to have any family?

  “Why are you so stubborn about this?” Mari leaned forward and placed her hand over his.

  He stared up at her, wanting to both pull away and to grip her tightly. “What if she doesn’t want to see me?”

  “Then you tell her you’ll stay away until she’s ready. Come on. I’ll go with you.”

  Crew didn’t move. “I don’t mean Sophie.” Because as much as it hurt that Sophie still might not want him back in her life, the idea of never seeing Tara again terrified him.

  Marti drew her hand away and sat back in her chair. “The sooner you apologize, the better.”

  His mind kept replaying the conversation with Tara. “Why didn’t she tell me she was looking?”

  “Maybe she didn’t tell you because she was afraid you’d go all werewolf crazy on her,” Marti said with a smirk. “Like you apparently did.”

  He blew out a frustrated breath. “Great. Now she’ll never trust me again.”

  Marti seemed like she wanted to say something more, but she clenched her lips and remained silent.

  “What?” he demanded.

  “Nothing.”

  “Tell me.”

  She leaned forward. “Okay, it’s just . . . Tara mentioned feeling Sophie out to see if she was open to us contacting her. I said that was stupid, but Tara was worried about you being hurt. I got the impression from the text she just sent me that she’d been out there several times.”

  “She should have told me,” he growled. “You should have told me.”

  “Uh-uh.” Marti shook her head. “You don’t get to make the rules. But my point is that Tara went through a lot of effort to try to make things right for you with Sophie. That means she cares about you—a lot. And if you don’t do everything you can to make up with her, you’re stupider than I thought. Now, come on. Let’s go see Sophie before she finishes her shift. We need to talk to her before she decides to disappear again.”

  Marti was right about that, at least. Crew came to his feet, the decision made. “Okay, let’s go. Assuming she’ll talk to me at all.” But he knew he had the one thing that would get Sophie to listen. Dervin King had called from High Vista and was eager to seal the deal for Iron Express. He’d sent over the contract today, but Crew hadn’t taken it to his attorney yet.

  Once in his truck, Crew drove fast, but he didn’t go to the Monkey Pants Bar & Grill. Instead, he ended up parked outside Tara’s apartment. But would she agree to see him?

  Marti peered through the window. “This isn’t a bar.”

  “It’s Tara’s place.”

  “Really?” She rolled her eyes.

  “What? You said to apologize as soon as possible.”

  “Well, hurry then!”

  He ran up the stairs and banged on her apartment door, but no one answered. Belatedly, he remembered her last words to him, that if he wouldn’t do anything to help Sophie, then she would.

  Marti was looking at her phone as he climbed back in the truck and started down the road. “She’s not there,” he said. “I think she’s gone to see Sophie.”

  “Actually, I know that. She just texted me. She says some guy she’s worried about is there, but that Sophie has been ignoring him.”

  Crew felt like a class A jerk. If something happened to either Tara or Sophie, he’d never forgive himself.

  By the time he reached the Monkey Pants Bar & Grill, Crew’s nervousness had grown to huge proportions. What if Tara wouldn’t forgive him? What if his sister called the police when she saw him? What if Sophie was in a relationship with a man who abused her?

  The place was crowded and large enough inside that it was difficult to see everyone at once. Music filled his ears, barely heard over a loud group that was shooting pool. Anxiety cranked up inside him. Where was Tara?

  “There,” Marti said, tugging on his arm.

  Crew’s eyes fell on Tara, who was sitting at a table with her roommate, Rylee. Tara was talking in that open way of hers, and Rylee was laughing. It should have been with him.

  At that moment, Rylee looked and spied them. Her smile vanished as she leaned over to talk to Tara.

  Chapter 12

  “Don’t look now,” Rylee whispered over their small table, “but isn’t that him?”

  Tara’s gaze followed hers in confusion, because they’d already spotted the big, bearded man they dubbed “Sophie’s stalker” at a corner table with four other cowboys.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she spied Crew standing near the doorway with Marti, looking in their direction.

  “Who’s the woman he’s with?”

  “His cousin.”

  So Marti had convinced him to come see Sophie, as she hadn’t been able to. Tara thought about that for a moment. He’d been angry and hurt—maybe even unreasonably so—but he had come after all.

  Because of Marti? Or had he simply changed his mind?

  More importantly, what should she do now? Maybe nothing. It wasn’t as if he was here for her, though he was still staring right at her.

  Tears stung her eyes at the memory of their fight, but she didn’t let them fall. She’d cried all the way here after calling Rylee to meet her, and there were no more tears left.

  “He’s coming over!” Rylee hissed as Crew started to walk toward them. “What should we do?”

  Tara knew from observation that when it came to family, sometimes all reason flew out the window, but the last thing she wanted at that moment was to talk to him.

  “Tell him I’m not up to seeing him,” she told Rylee. She stood, calculating the steps to the bathroom. Could she hide out there until he left?

  Rylee popped up from the table, jumping in front of Crew. “What do you want?” she demanded icily.

  “I just want to talk to Tara.” Crew’s voice carried easily to Tara’s ears, despite the noise in the bar.

  “She doesn’t want to see you.”

  Tara half expected him to shove past Rylee and come to the table, eyes flaming, and she almost wanted him to because she was angry beneath the hurt and that would give her every reason to lash out.

  “Please,” he said. He was no longer talking to Rylee, but over her to Tara. “I just want to say I’m sorry.”

  He wanted to say he was sorry? Suddenly hiding out in the bathroom seemed childish—so not the image she wanted to portray.

  Tara nodded and then Crew did push past Rylee, coming to stand in front of her. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “Really sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I knew I should have told you from the beginning.” It wasn’t really okay, though. She felt as if there were an ocean between them.

  He dropped his hat onto the table and took her hands. He felt so warm, so good, so right, and his closeness made her want to melt into his arms. “Please forgive me.” His expression was earnest.

  The lump in her throat was too big to speak past. She believed he was sorry, but there was a numbness in her chest right now that she hadn’t felt since she’d arrived at Lily’s House. She hated how helpless it made her feel. She’d let him get too close. “It’s fine,” she said. “Forget it.”

  He smiled. “Okay. So can we sit?” He indicated the table.

  Tara was going to tell him she’d have to ask Rylee, but her friend was now at the bar with Marti. Apparently, they’d both decided she and Crew needed some privacy. The p
hone in her pocket buzzed with a text, but the women were grinning at her and she knew it had to be from one of them, so she ignored it.

  Crew and Tara sat at the table. “You came to see Sophie.”

  He nodded. “You were right. I need to try to talk to her.”

  Her heart plunged, which was silly because of course he’d come for Sophie. He hadn’t even known Tara was there. And Tara wanted him to resolve things with his sister, so she should be happy he’d come.

  “But I’m . . . I’m afraid she won’t listen,” Crew added. “That she won’t want to see me. Is she even still here?”

  This vulnerable side of him was something she’d never seen before, but she understood what it felt like to be rejected, abandoned, especially by someone who was supposed to love you.

  “Left side of the bar, serving that group of women.”

  He turned and stared behind him for a long time. When he turned back, there was a glistening in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “It’s really her. She looks different.”

  “Of course she does. It’s been three years.”

  The conversation felt stilted, with none of the ease that normally flowed between them. They never stay, she reminded herself. Yet here Crew was, going to face his sister.

  Tara stiffened when she saw the bearded man in the corner come to his feet.

  “What is it?” Crew asked.

  “The man who threatened Sophie just stood up.”

  Crew scowled and looked over his shoulder. “Where? I’ll definitely have a talk with him before we leave.”

  “You really think that’s a good idea?” Crew was as tall as the bearded man but had nowhere near his bulk.

  “It’s a great idea.” His voice was a protective growl that touched something in Tara’s numb heart. Even if her actions had destroyed their relationship, at least she’d helped reunite him with his sister. If it worked.

  “Is he the guy at the bar?” Crew sounded murderous.

  She looked again at the bearded man, and saw that in the seconds she’d been talking to Crew, he’d gone to the bar and had replaced the women Sophie had been helping.

  “Yeah, that’s him. And Sophie looks upset.” Before she could stop herself, Tara jumped to her feet and hurried to the bar. Crew called after her, but she didn’t wait to hear what.

  As she arrived at the bar, Sophie was glaring angrily at the bearded man. “Go away!” she hissed. “I swear I’ll call the police!”

  “You heard her,” Tara said, bumping up against the bar in her hurry. “Get lost!”

  The man rounded on her, cursing under his alcohol-laden breath. “No, you get lost! This is between us.”

  Tara looked at Sophie. “Call the police. He’s not going to leave you alone.”

  More cursing and then from the corner of her eye, she saw the big man’s fist coming at her. She started to cringe.

  Smack!

  Crew’s open hand stopped the fist. He stepped between the bearded man and Tara, forcing him back. The bearded man swung, but Crew was faster. His fist slammed into the man’s face. Then he grabbed the front of the drunken man’s shirt and bent him backwards over the bar. “Stay away from my sister! Stay away from both of them.”

  He yanked the man upright and propelled him toward the exit. “Now get out of here.” With a fiery backwards glare, the man fled.

  Crew turned around to face Tara. “Are you okay?”

  Tara had to admit that she was shaking. She tried to speak, but Crew’s arms went around her, pulling her to his chest. “It’s okay.” His hand kneaded the back of her neck, and she closed her eyes a moment, feeling pure bliss.

  “I take it you two know each other?”

  They broke apart to see that Sophie was staring at them from behind the bar.

  “Sophie?” Crew said. There was his sister, staring at him, looking so different, yet not different at all.

  “Hi, Crew.” Sophie looked back and forth between him and Tara, as if waiting for an explanation. She didn’t look angry, though, so maybe that was a good sign.

  “Please,” he said. “Can we talk? And before you ask, I’ve found a way to get Jump Start back for you. I know it wasn’t right what happened, but I didn’t know how to fix it then. I do now.”

  Sophie’s fingers gripped the bar. “And how’s that?”

  Crew stood taller, taking a deep breath before he spoke. What he was about to say would hurt, but it was the only way. “I’m trading Iron Express for him.”

  Beside him, Tara gasped. Did she know how much Iron Express meant to him? While he might ride another horse for work every day, Iron Express was his friend.

  But Sophie was his sister. Family.

  “Are you crazy?” Now Sophie did look mad. She hurried around the bar, resembling a small tornado. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the end of the bar, next to the door leading into the back.

  “No, I’m not crazy. Dervin’s been hounding me to get Iron Express, and he seemed pretty happy when he called me back about my offer.”

  Sophie looked horrified. “You didn’t sign anything, did you?”

  “Not yet. But I thought you’d be happy to get Jump Start. What’s up with you?” Would anything he do make her happy?

  “High Vista is on the brink of collapse,” she said in a rush. “It’s inevitable. You know how hard it is to make a breeding farm successful, and they thought spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in marketing would mask the fact that Jump Start is really their only high caliber horse. Plus, the breeding fees are being mishandled and aren’t making it back to investors, so all of them have pulled out except the owner’s father, and even he’s cut off any more funds. But if you give them Iron Express, they might be able to recover. Iron Express’s breeding fees are triple those of Jump Start’s. That’s why they made the deal with Dad in the first place. They thought they were getting Iron Express. I don’t think Dad knew Grandpa had deeded him to you already.”

  Crew stared down at her, emotions running through him. Anger at his father, hope that what she was saying might be true. Hope that they’d go back to being friends. “How do you know they’re failing? I mean, Dervin’s been hot to get Iron Express for years, but that doesn’t mean he’s in financial trouble.”

  Sophie thumbed at the exit. “That man you just threw out works for them. I made friends with him so he could get me in to see Jump Start. And he did.” Her face turned bleak. “You should see what they’ve done to him. All penned up. Excessive breeding. I mean really over the top. He looks miserable. But if they fail . . .”

  “Jump Start comes home.”

  Sophie nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. “Even if they don’t fail, I would never expect you to give up Iron Express. I know what he means to you.”

  “But when you left, you said—”

  “I was hurt. I wanted everyone to hurt like I did.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “It means a lot that you’d give up Iron Express. Really, a lot. But I don’t want that.”

  “I’ve missed you.” Crew held out his arms.

  That was all the invitation Sophie needed. She launched herself at him and he swept her off her feet in a hug. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was just so angry, and then . . . I didn’t know how to end it.”

  Crew fought back tears, but they came anyway. In that instant, the weight he’d felt since his family had fallen apart was lifted. “It’s over now,” he said as he put her down.

  Sophie’s face was wet with tears. “I hear you have a foal for me. Is it true?”

  Tara must have let something slip. Could that have prepared Sophie for this moment? “Yeah. Jump Start’s his grandsire and his sire is Iron Express. I know he’s not Jump Start, but . . .”

  Sophie reached up and shushed him with her hand. “I’ll love him.” Her eyes went beyond him to the bar. “Who’s the girl? Someone special?”

  Crew nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know if she’ll have me. I’ve been a bit of a jerk. She’s the one who fou
nd you. She and Marti.” He turned around and as if by cue, Marti was already heading their way. Sophie gave a little squeal and ran into Marti’s arms.

  Crew watched them for a long moment, as they talked, heads close together. Why had he waited so long to try again?

  He turned to thank Tara, but she was no longer at the bar. He scanned the room, only to find that new people had claimed their table and she was nowhere to be seen. Rylee was still at the bar, talking with a man.

  Crew fought panic. There was still so much to say. He had to find her.

  Tara slipped from the bar, happy it had all worked out for Crew and Marti. She brought out her phone to text Rylee that she was leaving. Meeting here in separate cars did have some advantages. Outside it was dark, though the lights in the parking lot made it feel safe, especially because the bearded man and his tan truck were nowhere to be seen.

  She unlocked her car, threw in her keys, and read the text Marti had sent her earlier: I know he’s clueless, like most guys, but just FYI, Crew did go to your house first before coming here. If that matters.

  Tara stared at the text. It did matter. It mattered an awfully lot, though she knew it probably shouldn’t.

  A shout made her turn toward the building. Crew was jogging across the parking lot, and her heart leapt in her chest before she could tell it to behave. “Why are you leaving?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “It’s been a long day. I think you need some time alone with your sister.”

  “I’d really like you to stay.” His eyes looked warm and pleading in the darkness. “Or we can go back to the house and finish our dinner.”

  “Look, Crew, I really like you.” Too much. “But we come from different worlds.” The next words were harder. “I don’t think this will work out between us. I don’t know that I can ever . . .” Trust anyone to stick around. Some of the numbness must have worn off her heart because her words made it break.

  “So you’re a liar.” His eyes flashed.

  That stung. “What do you mean?”

  “You said you did well with challenges. Well, I know we hit a bump in the road tonight, and I was a jerk, but I’m falling in love with you. I may never have known hunger or what it’s like to be shipped off to yet another foster family, but I know what it’s like to be abandoned. I know what it’s like to cry because your mother didn’t want you and your father cared only for himself, even to the point of destroying his family’s future. I also know what it’s like to stand and fight, and Tara, make no mistake, I’m fighting for you. I learned something tonight—that you can’t give up on relationships when they mean everything. They’re worth every effort even when it seems all is lost. I need to fight for them like I did my ranch. So you can go ahead and leave right now, but I want you to know that I’ll be calling tomorrow and the next day and the next day. Unless you tell me you really don’t want to see me again. Because it doesn’t matter how long it takes, where you go, or what you do, I’ll be here when you’re ready to pick up where we left off. I can’t promise I’ll never be stupid again, but I’m certainly going to try.”