How to Rope a Real Man

by Melissa Cutler

  Jenna prided herself on being the kind of mom who didn’t give in to tantrums or care if she seemed cool in her kid’s eyes, but if she changed her mind now about going to town, Matt would want to know why and, damn it all, Jenna couldn’t think of a single viable excuse she was willing to share with him.

  Tommy’s world was going to be turned on its head soon anyway, with the move and starting kindergarten, and he’d been such a trooper with the drives to and from Santa Fe that it was tough to deny him anything as basic as a sweet treat and an extra hour of awake time.

  She took comfort in the theory that Carson would wait until the rodeo on Wednesday to put on any public display. From Bunco she knew he hadn’t paraded himself around town in an overtly public way so she wasn’t all that worried about him showing up. What she was worried about was running into Patricia or Kate Parrish, Gayle, Marti, Charlene, or any one of the Bunco ladies or their families. She’d be happy living the rest of her life without coming face-to-face with any of them, especially Patricia.

  She’d felt that slap tingling on her cheek for the rest of the night, long after she’d changed into pajamas and made up a bed on the sofa in the big house. She had no regrets about calling the women of Catcher Creek on their misdeeds, even though she was still a bit stunned that she’d been so forward. She was tired of sitting on the information like it was shameful. She’d never been one to court conflict, but it’d felt cathartic to stand up for the Carson she’d loved, that sweet boy who’d been her best and only true friend for so many formative years.

  Downtown Catcher Creek was jumping, or what qualified as jumping for a town with only four thousand residents. The Catcher Creek Café was located on the corner of Del Zorro and First Street, right in the heart of the four-square-block downtown district that boasted a single stoplight.

  They parked in the lot behind Catcher Creek Café and immediately spotted Rachel’s truck.

  Inside the café, the ice-cream counter was crowded. They were in the dog days of summer in the desert and the day’s heat had finally cracked enough that people had ventured out of their air-conditioned homes. Many of the farmers and ranch workers headed for Smithy’s Bar, but those who had families were at the café, kicking off the weekend with ice cream.

  Jenna was proud to have Matt with them. She liked the idea of tongues wagging about how cozy she looked with her new man. She took his hand as they waited in line. Tommy raced ahead to peer through the glass at the ice-cream flavors.

  They stood in line at the ice cream and pie counter, separate from the dining area, and scanned the tables for Rachel. Matt spotted her first, coming out of the hallway that led to the restrooms.

  “Hey, you. What are you doing here? Where’s Vaughn?” Jenna asked.

  “He and I had plans to come here for dinner together, but he got called in to work a shooting in Devil’s Furnace. He knew I’d probably just eat cereal for dinner without him there, so he made me promise I’d come get some dinner anyway. While I was here, I figured I’d drop off a slice of pie at his office because he’ll probably be there doing paperwork late into the night. I thought it’d be a nice surprise.”

  “Rachel, you do so much manual labor every day, you know you need more nutrition for dinner than cereal. We’ve talked about this.”

  Rachel flashed a scowl. “There’s nothing wrong with cereal.”

  It was no secret that Vaughn and Rachel had zero skills in the kitchen. Ever since Amy had moved in at Kellan’s ranch and her sous chef, Douglas Dixon, had taken up with Kellan’s mom, hot meals were a daily challenge for those two. Jenna and Tommy ate at the big house with them a couple times a week, with Jenna cooking, but they were left to fend for themselves most of the time and ended up eating out a lot. That was one aspect of moving Jenna didn’t like. Rachel and Vaughn would be left on their own in the kitchen on days the inn’s restaurant wasn’t open.

  “We’re here for the ice cream,” Tommy exclaimed.

  “Nice. That sounds delicious,” Rachel said.

  “Did you eat dessert yet?” Matt asked. At her shake of the head, he added, “You should stay and have ice cream and pie with us before you hit the road for home.”

  Rachel surveyed the line for ice cream, then smiled. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

  They were waiting only a moment before the bells on the door jingled. Out of the corner of her eye, Jenna spotted Vaughn coming into the café, dressed in his sheriff’s uniform and looking worn to the bone. She started to wave, but he warned her off, indicating with a finger over his lips that he wanted to surprise Rachel. Jenna was all for that. Little else warmed her heart as much as seeing Rachel happy and in love. After the decades she’d spent caring for Jenna, Amy, their mom, and the farm, she deserved it more than anyone.

  Vaughn slid his arms around Rachel from behind and nuzzled her neck. Rachel didn’t exactly squeal with delight like Jenna might have, but her whole being lit up. “What are you doing here?”

  “My deputy took the shooting suspect to jail and I’m getting a head start on the paperwork. I saw your truck, so I thought I’d come and say hello before I anchored myself to my desk. Hey, Jenna, Matt. Hiya, Tommy.”

  “It’s going to be hard for me to surprise you with this slice of pie since you’re standing right here.”

  He took it from her. “Tell me you ate a real dinner.”

  “I did. Like I promised you I would.”

  He kissed her cheek. “Good. I hate the idea of you sitting at home alone eating cereal.”

  “How long have you two been engaged?” Matt asked.

  Vaughn screwed up his face, thinking. “Three months. Right, Rach?”

  “Sounds about right.”

  “Any wedding plans?” Matt asked. Jenna had been holding off on asking, figuring they were letting Kellan and Amy have their moment in the spotlight. She wagered they were going to wait until after the newlyweds had returned from their honeymoon before making the announcement about their wedding date, but she was glad Matt had gone down that road because she was dying of curiosity.

  Vaughn and Rachel shrugged simultaneously. “Not so far,” Vaughn said. “We move slow. Hell, it took me twelve years to figure out she was my person.”

  Rachel patted the arm he had wrapped around her middle. “I’m not in a hurry, though I wouldn’t mind getting a ring on your finger.”

  Vaughn looked stunned by the pronouncement. “Yeah? That’s news to me. I guess we’ll have to work on that. What does your calendar look like next month?”

  “Next month’s wide open,” Rachel said with a grin.

  Vaughn beamed at Jenna and Matt. “See? There you go. Wedding plans.”

  Jenna was spellbound by the easy confidence they had in each other’s unwavering love. She and Matt weren’t there yet, but she felt their bonds strengthening with every passing day. The time together at his house had been good for them. In a few days’ time, they’d be only a short car ride apart. No more three-hour hauls to be together.

  She reached out to Matt, but just then, Tommy galloped to their place in line and grabbed Matt’s hand, dragging him up to the counter to discuss flavors.

  Rachel wagged a finger at Jenna. “Don’t you dare get it in your head to turn it into a circus like Amy’s wedding.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Of course, she was going to need to figure out what day they were thinking of tying the knot. Jenna’s graduation was in a month, on a Saturday. Her pulse quickened as she realized that, by then, everyone would know the truth about her schooling. She wished it didn’t scare her, thinking of her secret getting out. After all, she’d nearly spilled Carson’s secret to the world the night before.

  Tommy and Matt returned to the line, and Tommy was so excited about the bubblegum ice cream—“it’s candy and ice cream all in one!”—that he dragged Vaughn and Rachel by the hands to show them.

  As soon as they were out of earshot, Matt leaned close and kissed Jenna. “How’d it go with yo
ur sister today? Did you tell her about UNM?”

  The frustration she’d felt earlier that day at her failed attempt to get Rachel alone wrapped around her heart as she shook her head. “I’d planned on sitting Rachel down around lunchtime. Psyched myself up and got nervous and everything.” She and Tommy had walked over to the main house, armed with a cartoon DVD to occupy Tommy’s attention while they talked, only to discover that Vaughn and Rachel had gone on an all-day trail ride. “But I couldn’t get her alone. Vaughn had the day off. He’s working all weekend, so I was hoping you might be able to watch Tommy so I can talk to her.”

  A shadow of disappointment flitted across his face before disappearing. “Of course. I was thinking of taking him with me to visit Jake and Max tomorrow anyway, to give you a break so you can pack in peace.”

  “Tommy loves spending time with you. He’s still talking about your picnic on Wednesday. He asked me if the two of you could go camping soon.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  He looked anxious about her response. She smoothed a hand along his collar. “I told him that’d be up to you. I think he took that as a yes.”

  “It’s a yes.”

  The bells on the door jingled again. The woman in line in front of them turned to look with a glance, then did a double take, her eyes huge. “Carson Parrish? Is that really you?”

  Jenna’s heart plunged to the floor. Her body tensed and it was all she could do to keep breathing. Maybe he hadn’t seen her. Catcher Creek Café had a back exit down the hall from the restrooms. She could grab Tommy, fake a sudden bout of stomach flu, and leave. She didn’t have her car, but they could hide out in Vaughn’s office until they could catch a ride back to the farm.

  There’d be questions from Matt, but those she could face. She’d even tell him the truth if it helped keep her and Tommy safe from Carson, Bucky, Kyle, Lance, and anyone else who might hurt them.

  “It’s really me. How ya been, Lanie?”

  “Doin’ real good,” Lanie answered. “Hey, listen, it’s great to see you but you can’t be in here without a shirt on.”

  Jenna’s mouth went dry. Shirtless? But . . .

  “No shirt, no shoes, no service—is that right?” came Carson’s glib response. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to eat. Jenna, don’t play the coward. I know you heard me come in.”

  She was vaguely aware of Matt watching her, Lanie, too.

  Hands clutching her sides and her teeth chattering, she turned and looked into the steel-blue eyes of the last man on Earth she ever wanted to see again.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Carson was indeed shirtless, dressed in low-slung, faded jeans and wearing a hard, goading expression on his face. Behind him, café patrons stared blatantly at him. Or rather, they were looking at his back, whispering to each other.

  It was a testament to how much Carson had changed that he was parading his scars in public, without care who learned his intimacies. Jenna couldn’t imagine what that would be like, living with such an ugly word carved onto her skin, unable to escape the memory of being hurt or the reminder of how hateful the world could be.

  How many times as a Marine had Carson needed to defend himself against bigoted fellow soldiers and his superiors? How many times had he been forced to either deny who he was or come out to friends and strangers alike every time he took off his shirt, whether in the barracks showers or at a doctor’s office? Your past was always chasing you, no matter how badly you wanted it to leave you alone.

  There was poetry in walking through the heart of Catcher Creek like that, turning the act of hate he’d endured into a fearless proclamation about who he was. She would have admired his boldness, if only she wasn’t so scared of what he could do to her or Tommy.

  “I paid a visit to Bucky and Kyle last night. They’d already heard I was here. And they’d already heard why. I got the impression you had something to do with that.”

  “Oh,” she answered in a quavering voice. What did you do to them? She wanted to ask. Did you hurt them?

  Matt must’ve sensed her agitation because he wrapped a proprietary arm around her waist. He studied Carson, then pulled his face back, blinking. “Wait . . . Lynch?”

  Carson looked Matt up and down, moving his head in a slow nod. “Right, I remember you. The champagne killer.”

  Champagne killer? “You two have met?”

  “Yeah, we met.” He nodded in Matt’s direction. “When you said you had a girl to see, you didn’t mention it was Jenna.”

  Matt shifted, his hold on her waist tightening. “I didn’t realize you two were close.”

  “Jenna and I go way back. In fact, we got reacquainted on Sunday night, didn’t we?”

  Jenna closed her eyes, grinding her molars together as anxiety set in. Of all the things Carson could’ve said to Matt.

  Next to her, Matt stiffened and dropped his arm from her waist. “Sunday night?”

  “Tommy wants to know if he can get a double scoop,” Rachel said somewhere behind her.

  Jenna’s mouth flew open and she bit back a howl of fear at the sound of Tommy’s name in Carson’s presence. Light-headed, she couldn’t wrap her brain around the idea that this was happening—everything was crashing down around her at once. If they would all just go away, she’d have the breathing room to figure out what to do.

  She pivoted toward the ice-cream counter in time to brace her hands in front of her as Tommy bounded up. “There are too many flavors to decide. Please, can I get a double scoop, Mommy?”

  She fought to keep the panic off her face. Blocking Carson’s view of Tommy with her body, she tried to smile. “I thought you were set on bubblegum.”

  His eyes widened in awe. “I was, but then I saw peanut butter cup.”

  “That’s a difficult choice. Yes, you may have a double scoop. First, let’s go wash your hands.” Her heart hammered so hard that her ribs hurt. She reached for his hand.

  He retreated, bumping into Vaughn’s legs. “But it’s our turn to order. Can we please buy our ice cream first? I promise I’ll wash afterward.”

  Mechanically, she handed Vaughn a twenty-dollar bill. “Will you help him?”

  But Vaughn was staring past Jenna, recognition settling on his face. “Carson Parrish. I got a tip that you’d come back to this town, but this is the first we’ve seen of each other. Where have you been hiding?”

  A malicious grin spread over Carson’s face. “If it isn’t our old friend, the sheriff. Looks like you two are pals now. What’s up with that?”

  She and Carson had been hell-raisers together, both of them drowning their sorrows and pain in mischief and chemicals. As many times as Jenna had gotten herself brought home in the back of Vaughn’s squad car, Carson had too.

  “Yes. He’s going to be my brother-in-law soon.” Which was more proof that God had a soft spot for irony. Then again, Jenna could at least take some credit for Vaughn and Rachel falling in love seeing as how they’d first made eyes at each other across the doorway when Vaughn had delivered Jenna’s drunk, drug-addled self to Rachel nearly every week.

  The revelation caught Carson’s interest. His eyebrows bobbed in a flash of surprise. “That must have cramped your style.”

  It hadn’t occurred to her, not for one second, that Carson believed she hadn’t changed since the days they rolled together. If she could just get Tommy that ice cream, she knew she’d buy his compliance so they could escape without him throwing a fit.

  She set the twenty on the counter. “Sweetie,” she said to Tommy, “order whatever you want.” She forced herself to meet Matt’s hard stare. “Do you want an ice cream?”

  He leaned into her. “Sunday night?” His tone was a harsh whisper. “Was he why you didn’t want me to come over?”

  She hated to lie to him, but what else could she say? Yes, he was the reason, just not in the way you’re assuming? She shook her head. “Just . . . let’s get Tommy an ice cream and get out of here. Please.”

  Vaughn r
epositioned himself even with Jenna, his right hand resting on his gun holster. “You go by Lynch now?”

  “You like it, Sheriff? Let’s just say I earned that nickname fair and square and leave it at that.” Though Carson was behind her, she could hear the smirk in his voice.

  “Lanie already told you that you can’t be in here without a shirt on,” Vaughn said. “I suggest you leave before I make you.”

  Jenna flicked a glance at Carson over her shoulder. His eyes narrowed and his grin disappeared. He rolled his shoulders forward, flexing his back muscles, then his biceps. “I learned a thing or two in the Marines, Sheriff Cooper. You can’t push me around like you used to. I’m the one who does the pushing now.”

  Jenna swayed, dizzy.

  “Mommy, look how big my ice cream is.”

  She scooped Tommy up and tried to angle his face out of view of Carson. Everything had gone so horribly wrong, so fast. She never stood a chance.

  “Who’s he?” Tommy pointed at Carson.

  Bile rose in Jenna’s throat. She flattened her tongue against the roof of her mouth and tried to keep her soothing smile from faltering. “That’s . . . that’s Carson. He’s somebody Mommy knows from when she was a little girl. Come on, sweetie. It’s time to go.”

  “Hold on a second.” Carson stepped sideways, blocking her progress. His focus was riveted to Tommy’s face; then he blinked. His jaw tightened. “This is your kid?”

  “Yes,” Jenna breathed.

  Carson paled, swaying as Jenna had not a few minutes earlier. “How old is he?” he ground out from behind clenched teeth.

  The world seemed to freeze. Her heart beat loud in her ears and she stopped breathing. Then, as if someone had hit the play button again, her system jolted back to life. Panic gave way to steely resolve. Her vision tunneled and her mind cleared as her life came into stark focus. Everything she’d ever gone through, everything she held dear in her life, all boiled down to this one moment. Her sister didn’t matter, and neither did Matt. Not school, and not what happened to her next. Only Tommy.