The Discreet Cowboy (Cowboys of Nirvana Book 6)

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  “Leave us,” Ethan told his assistant.

  Patterson gave Blake one last glance before he disappeared down the hall.

  With a tilt of her chin, she watched Ethan descend the stairs, trying to put her anger into a more constructive emotion. In school, she, Ethan and Duff had called themselves the Three Musketeers. Things had certainly changed. Duff had left town twelve years ago and Ethan was the slayer of Buttermilk Valley, taking down one business, one farm, at a time.

  She crossed her arms over her chest as he strolled toward her, his boots thumping the polished wooden planks. She slipped her gaze over his clean shaven jaw, tidy plaid shirt, and dark jeans, but all she could see was a man who lost the understanding of small town living. Since his brother, Cooper Branson, the prior sheriff, had been killed last year, Ethan’s terrorizing had only gotten worse. There were a lot of rumors floating around about what happened to Cooper, but Blake knew the whole story—knew that he’d almost killed her friend, Grace Atwell.

  “And what do I owe this pleasure, Blake?” he drawled and smiled, attempting to put her on the defensive. His deep grin showed off a row of even, white teeth, and dimples that probably worked on a few women, but not Blake. Not anymore. She could remember when he was bucktoothed, way before he got braces.

  “Please, stop with the antics. You know why I’m here.”

  He squinted. “Really, help me understand.” He was within a few feet of her now and she caught a whiff of his expensive cologne. She hoped he hadn’t applied it just for her. If he only knew how it made her sick to her stomach.

  “Doogal raised his prices on feed and straw. Are you going to pretend you know nothing about this?” She dropped her arms to her sides, concentrating on the heavy beating of her heart. Why did she allow the likes of Ethan to ruffle her feathers? Maybe because she’d realized he’d do anything to have the upper hand. “What deal have you made with him?”

  “Didn’t Doogal tell you the news? I bought half of his business.” Branson rolled up one sleeve, slowly, then moved to the next one.

  This caught her off guard, but she was quick to gain her logic. “Why would he ever sell to you?”

  He shrugged a shoulder smugly. “Why do you think?”

  “You bullied him?” She raised a brow.

  He chuckled. “No, I didn’t bully him. I made him an offer, a great one, and he accepted. He gets to keep half and work his land. I think that’s fair. We’ve already turned numbers around and are now seeing a twenty percent increase in profits.”

  “Of course you would by jacking up prices. So, you’re making a profit off townspeople who can’t afford the cost increase.”

  “Economy, my dear. In the last ten years, longer in some situations, Doogal hasn’t increased his prices, although the cost of gas alone has gone up. How is a man supposed to make a living this way? If you knew anything about business, you’d understand, but by the disappointing numbers on your farm I see that you wouldn’t.”

  She gritted her teeth. “Admit it, this is just another scheme to get my farm.”

  “I don’t need to use schemes, honey.”

  “You’re not getting my land, Ethan. I promise you, I’ll never let that happen.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Why? Your grandfather’s gone. Your grandmother is in a nursing home. What’s left?”

  “It’s called pride for my land. Of course looking at you, obviously you wouldn’t understand.” She sniffed loudly.

  His jaw tightened some. “I’ve offered you a great deal, sweetheart. You could live anywhere you want. You could get your grandmother out of that half rate nursing home and put her somewhere nice. Hell, you could bring her to live with you and hire a nurse. Wouldn’t that be nice? Imagine how happy that’d make Lita.”

  As much as she hated to admit it, his words enticed her. Oh, how she wanted to bring Grams home, but she couldn’t afford the nursing expense. At times she thought about the money Branson offered. It would be plenty to take care of Grams, and enough left over to buy another house, but when Blake really thought about what her grandmother would want for the farm, Blake knew selling wasn’t right. Ethan’s father had started making offers before Gramps was cold in the ground. Grams had stuck to her guns though, no matter how hard things had gotten, she swore she’d never sell, especially to a Branson. Her grandmother wouldn’t want her to sell either, no matter what. “You’re grasping at straws, Ethan. You know that. It’ll never happen.”

  Several expressions flickered over his features before the bogus smile was back in place. He brought his hand to her cheek and she pulled back, causing him to squint. He dropped his hand to his side, his jaw softening some. “You know there’s another way, Blake.” His gentle words almost made him sound human, but she could never forget that he had a darker side. She’d witnessed it firsthand during an altercation he had with someone he felt had double crossed him. He didn’t know that Blake was standing close when he was on the phone threatening to take down whomever he was talking to, no matter what it took.

  “My land is not up for debate,” she muttered. “Stop using lowdown strategies to get my home from me.”

  “I remember a time when you liked my touch. We could be that way again. You could keep your land, the house, have your grandmother home with you. I assure you that will happen,” he promised. “I’ll make it happen for you. You could have anything you want. Jewels. Horses. A new truck.”

  Blake took a step back as if she’d walked upon a snake in the tall grass. “Times have changed, Ethan. We can’t go back. We’ll never go back.”

  He swallowed hard. “I still love you. That hasn’t changed.”

  “You don’t know the meaning of love.”

  He chuckled, the cold sound grated her nerves. Any kindness in his face had now been exchanged for detachment. “This is business, honey. I’ll have your land one way or another. You know it.” He held her gaze.

  “Over my dead body, or yours.” She didn’t blink.

  “Are you threatening me, Blake?” His eyes lit. She humored him.

  “I’m only stating the facts. Your daddy might be in a luxurious nursing home a hundred miles away, but I wonder what he’d think of your business dealings? Another son using underhanded business tactics.”

  His skin paled. “Don’t make statements you can’t keep, darlin’. Now, I think our business is done here, don’t you?” he said in a low voice that made the hair on the back of her neck stand.

  The conversation was final and she realized if she didn’t leave on her own, he’d only call his goon back in and he’d manhandle her out the door.

  So, she gracefully turned and walked out.

  ****

  Duff Tyler removed his hat and hung it on the hook on the wall in his new office. He still couldn’t believe he was back in Buttermilk Valley as the new sheriff. After years as a Texas Ranger, this should be a piece of cake, but he had to keep in mind it was never smart to assume anything. Hell, he was ready to handle small misdemeanors and minor disputes, and spend some time with his dad after his heart attack.

  Sitting down at the desk, he eased back into the leather chair and propped his feet on the edge. He adjusted his bottom in the lumpy cushion, but a loose spring popped up and poked him. “Damn!”

  “You’re back. How’d it go?” He looked at the secretary, Sheila, who popped her head around the corner of the doorway.

  He greeted the blonde with a grin. “This town hasn’t changed a bit. People still get a little salt in their sugar container over some of the craziest things. Old man Bennet wanted to make a complaint because the neighbor’s dog came over and crapped in his front yard.”

  Sheila chuckled. “Get used to it. This is small town living and Hershel Bennet has nothing else to complain about, which is a good thing. How did it feel not having to pull your gun out to settle a dispute?”

  He shrugged, still getting used to the short-sleeved uniform shirt that fit him a little too snug. “Oh, I pulled my weapon and told them if
I got another call over dog feces there was going to be hell to pay.”

  Her eyes widened. “You did?”

  “Just kidding, Sheila. We smoothed the issue out without any weapons being drawn, not from any of us.” He dropped his feet to the floor. “Are there any more chairs around here? This one ain’t the greatest.” He shifted and the springs popped, squealing in resistance.

  “I think there’s one in storage. Want me to grab it for you?”

  “No, I’ll take care of it. I could just switch this one out with Daryl. Think he’d notice?”

  “Come on, don’t play pranks with my husband. He’s hard enough to get along with as it is, especially since he’s on this new diet. You’d think he was starving.”

  Duff laughed. Sheila and the deputy had been married for over thirty years, and had worked at the sheriff’s department together for a majority of that time. Their five kids were all grown up and they had a couple of grandchildren. Sheila had mentioned to Duff that she planned on retiring within the next month so she could spend more time with her family. After a little persuasion, she promised that she’d stay on until she found a qualified replacement. Duff knew what that meant. They’d be starting from ground up. Everyone knew that he was the new sheriff, but Sheila was known as the one who actually ran the place. She knew the ins and outs and he needed her to stick around until he was a bit more understanding of how things were done in the office.

  “How’s the old homestead?” she asked.

  “Dad is as stubborn as always. He refuses to let me hire a few more workers to help with the place. He keeps adding more horses, but no more helpers.”

  “That’s Ross for you. He loves his horses. That’s what keeps him going, along with your sister, Kelly, and the twins. Since they moved in, he’s been wearing a bigger smile.”

  “Yeah, you say that, but I think my sister’ll be the death of him.” He rubbed his jaw. His sister and her kids had moved in a few months ago when she separated from her husband. Half the time, Kelly was out doing her own thing while Ross was watching after the six-year-old boy and girl that were as excited about being around the horses as Duff was at their age. He’d been doing his best to help out with Justice and Jasmine, and he liked the kids well enough. He loved his sister too, even if she made poor choices at times. He thought his father liked the idea that he had both of his kids and grandkids under one roof. Hell, Duff had even been pondering the idea of a wife and his own kids, living as a family on the ranch. At thirty, he guessed most people started thinking about their future.

  “Guess who I saw while I was out?” Sheila asked.

  “Elvis Presley?”

  “Someone better.”

  “Than Elvis?”

  “Blake McKenzie.”

  His chest tightened. He didn’t have any desire to talk about his childhood sweetheart with anyone. “I guess that’s always a possibility in a town this size.”

  “Have you seen her?”

  He swallowed against the constriction in his throat. “Twice since I’ve been back.” Once as she almost smashed into the back of a vehicle then took off like a bat out of hell. “Any calls for me while I was gone?” Changing the subject was the best.

  “Ethan Branson called. He wants you to call him back. He said it has something to do with Blake.”

  Why would Ethan be calling him about Blake? “Interesting.”

  “Well, call me if you need anything.” Sheila smiled and left him alone.

  Duff leaned his elbows on the desk and rubbed his temples. He closed his eyes for a mere moment and his mind conjured up an image of dark, chocolate-reddish curls framing a porcelain, oval face, with an upturned nose and vibrant violet eyes. Full, plush lips that begged to be kissed, and slender fingers that were meant to bring pleasure. Of course, this was all from a glance he’d gotten of her coming out of the market two nights ago. Blake hadn’t seen him because he hid behind a rack of potato chip bags while she was checking out. What the hell was wrong with him? Why hadn’t he just gone up to her and said hello? He’d never been afraid of her before.

  Then he saw her again, in her truck, but she’d flipped him off.

  Unfortunately, he knew, no matter when they finally saw each other again, she wasn’t going to be full of sweet, southern hospitality and pulling out the welcome wagon. After graduation, when he’d told her he’d enlisted into the Marines, he’d seen the pain that he’d caused her. He’d wanted her to understand that he felt obligated to fight for his country. Before she walked away from him standing there on that high school football field, she swore if she saw him again, she’d sucker punch him for leaving her.

  Damn. He swiped his palm down his face. He’d tried to explain to her that he wasn’t leaving her, and that once he got settled in, he’d send for her to come visit, but she didn’t want to hear one word of explanation.

  Hell, he didn’t have one memory of Buttermilk Valley that didn’t include her or their shenanigans as kids.

  Growing up, they’d been stuck together at the hip and it was only natural that he had developed a crush on her. She had a fighting spirit, even back then. He’d been weak in the knees due to Blake McKenzie. That’s why one summer evening, behind the barn, he’d asked her to marry him and placed a bubble gum machine ring on her finger, promising that he’d spend forever with her. Of course, they’d been young. In fact, both of them had gone on to date others until one day in high school when he’d asked her to be his girl.

  He gave his head a slight shake. He’d left town, writing her a few times, but each letter was returned. Each unopened, his apology unheard. Obviously, she never wanted to see him again. Well, he was here to stay and he hoped the town was big enough for the both of them.

  He’d call Ethan and see what the man had to say.