Designs on the Cowboy

by Roxann Delaney

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING at breakfast, Glory vowed to put the day before out of her mind. She had a job to finish at Dylan’s house, and she desperately needed to get past what had happened to do it.

  “Did you enjoy your ride?” her grandmother asked.

  Sitting at the kitchen table, Glory managed a smile. She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. “It was very nice.”

  Not only was she dealing with Dylan’s parting words, but she was still grappling with the enormity of revealing so much of her life to someone who now ranked their lovemaking as a mistake. She shouldn’t have told him about her father or even Kyle. But at least she’d been given a reprieve for a couple of days and a chance to sort through everything—especially the revelation that she’d been totally wrong about him.

  “You look tired, Glory. Maybe you should take a break. I don’t think Dylan would mind, would he?”

  Glory set her fork down on her plate. “Whether he does or not, he probably wouldn’t say so. I’m never quite sure what he’s thinking.” But that wasn’t true. She’d known exactly what he was thinking the day before. It was a mistake.

  “Still waters run deep,” Louise announced, her attention on the toast she was buttering.

  “So I’ve heard.” Glory focused on her own plate, afraid her grandmother might be able to guess something had happened. She wasn’t sure if she should be more concerned that she hadn’t felt any need for restraint with someone who obviously didn’t feel anywhere near the same about her as she did about him, or that she’d shared things with him that she’d only shared with the counselor she’d seen in Texas at her mother’s insistence. Both were tearing her apart.

  Feeling antsy, she pushed her chair back and stood. “I’d better get busy.”

  “What’s on your schedule today?”

  Glory grabbed her bag from the chair near the door. “Odds and ends, mostly. I shouldn’t be late, but I’ll call if I will be,” she said over her shoulder as she opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  Fifteen minutes later, she turned her car into the lane at the ranch and pulled to a stop in front of the house. Shutting off the engine, she looked around to see if anyone was there, but even Erin’s motor home was gone from the place where it had been parked, although the horse trailer was still there. Glory slipped her bag over her shoulder, climbed out of the car and shut the door. At least it would be quiet, although she expected her three helpers to arrive soon.

  Stepping into the unlocked house, she decided to start with a thorough walk-through to see if she’d missed anything that might need some attention. Flashlight in one hand, small voice recorder in the other, she began in the kitchen.

  While inspecting each of the rooms, she was filled with pride at the work she’d done. She hoped it might lead to more decorating jobs and that if Erin planned a long visit, she might help with a little word-of-mouth advertising.

  Making a final voice note in the upstairs cloud room, her voice cracked. She ignored it and the rush of feelings that made her heart ache.

  There were still things left to be done to the room, so she put her stuff down and got to work. After pouring paint into the roller pan, she went into the closet where she’d found the box of journals.

  Mindless work, she told herself as the paint rolled onto the closet wall, brightening the off-white paint that had yellowed with age. It was good for the soul, her grandfather used to tell her. As she reached toward the ceiling, she missed him even more than she had twelve years before, when he’d died.

  Stepping out of the closet, she pulled the small stepladder inside it with her, determined to put the sadness of the past and the present aside. “The future will be brighter,” she whispered and concentrated on painting as much of the ceiling as she could reach, without dripping paint on the wood floor.

  “It’s time to grow up,” she continued in the silence of the old house. “Time to be strong.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “And just how does one do—”

  The paint roller hit a bump, and a fairly solid one, she guessed. Switching the roller to her left hand, she stretched as far as she could and, with her right hand, tentatively touched the spot that had grabbed her attention. Sure enough, there was something there that she hadn’t noticed before.

  Ignoring the sticky paint, she managed to follow a wide ridge with her fingers and realized she’d just discovered a covered opening to what she guessed was the attic. Why hadn’t she thought about checking for one?

  She’d stepped down from the short ladder when she heard a voice in the hallway. “Miz Andrews, are you up here?”

  “In here,” she answered. Placing the roller in the paint tray, she left the closet.

  Seconds later, Stu walked into the room. “Mark had to run a quick errand, but he’ll be here in a few minutes. Is there something I can do to help?”

  She nodded. “You certainly can. I found an opening to what I’m sure is the attic,” she said, pointing into the closet. “I’ll need a ladder that will reach into it, once I can open the panel keeping it closed.”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I saw one in the equipment shed. If the building isn’t locked, I can get it.”

  “It’ll reach up into the opening in there?”

  He ducked into the closet and quickly reappeared. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Great!” While he left to get the ladder, she continued to paint, hoping it might help temper her excitement. There was no telling what she might find in the attic, if anything. Besides, it kept her from thinking about other things.

  It seemed like an eternity passed before both Stu and Mark returned with the ladder. In no time at all, they had the attic open and the ladder placed so she could climb up and through the opening.

  “Would you hand me my flashlight?” she asked. Tucking it under one arm, she took each rung carefully.

  Before she reached the top of the ladder, she was halfway into the attic. Shining the light around the large, dusty space, she was disappointed that there wasn’t more there. An old lamp that had seen better days had been put in a corner, and a broken rocking chair sat near a small air vent. But it was the box she spied within her reach that claimed her attention and caused her heart to beat a little quicker. Hoping it might contain a small treasure of some kind, she pulled it toward her.

  “I’ve found something,” she said, “but I’m not sure I can get it down.”

  “We’ll get it for you,” Mark and Stu said in unison.

  She climbed down the ladder, eager to see what she’d unearthed. When Stu finally handed her the large box Mark had retrieved, she immediately placed it on the floor and sat next to it.

  “Thank you,” she told them, wanting to open the box alone. “Take the rest of the day off.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll make a list tonight of what last-minute things need to be done tomorrow.”

  Once the boys were gone, she carefully pulled the lid off the box and looked inside. She wasn’t disappointed. The box was filled with pictures of the Walker family, and she knew exactly what she would do with them.

  * * *

  DYLAN ORDERED ANOTHER round for the group of friends gathered at Lou’s to see Erin before she left town again. As he watched, he realized how much he’d missed his sister. He and Luke and Erin had been as thick as thieves when they were kids, but after the accident—and especially after Erin left when Luke turned eighteen—things changed. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he and Luke had taken on the ranch, he had a feeling they all would have gone their separate ways. Erin sure had.

  “So you’re going back to ride the circuit,” Dusty said to her from across the table.

  “It’s what I do best,” she answered, pushing the untouched beer glass away with one finger. “I see you’ve done a
ll right for yourself, since retiring. I could hardly believe it when I heard you’d married Kate, but it’s pretty easy to see that it was supposed to be.”

  Dusty grinned and pushed his cowboy hat farther back on his head with a finger. “She sure beats gettin’ banged up riding bulls.”

  When Kate punched her husband’s arm, Dylan felt a quick stab of envy. If only he could’ve had something like Dusty had. But fearing losing someone else he loved, he’d chosen a different path and learned to live with his solitude. Or thought he had, until Glory walked into his house and everything changed. He just didn’t know what to do about it. Even worse, he suspected he’d probably destroyed any chance he might have had with her, considering what he’d said to her when they left the pond.

  Erin, in the seat next to him, looked around at everyone sitting at the tables they’d shoved together. “Y’all make me feel young again.”

  Luke, on the other side of her, snorted in the midst of the laughter. “Yeah, like you’re some old lady.”

  “I’m older than you,” she pointed out. “All of you.”

  “Hey!”

  Everyone turned to look at Tanner O’Brien, sitting with his wife, Jules. “I can remember when I was in high school and you were in grade school, little miss.” That brought more laughter. “I have five years on you, so let’s not talk about old, you hear?”

  Erin’s face turned bright red as she laughed with the others. “I’ll keep that in mind, especially since you have one of those fancy NRCA Championship buckles.”

  There was more talk and reminiscing between the dozen or so people who’d come to see an old friend whom many had known since childhood. Dylan wished some things had been different for his sister and brother, but they both seemed happy.

  The evening grew later, and one by one the friends began to leave. The stragglers still sat at one end of the table, obviously trying to make the night last a little longer. Luke sat talking to Tanner about the O’Briens’ and McPhersons’ latest sales of some of their rodeo stock, while Erin sat nearby, talking with their wives. When Dylan felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Tanner’s brother.

  “Hey, Dylan, there’s a baseball game planned for the Fourth of July celebration this year,” Tucker said, pulling up a chair next to him and straddling it. “Shawn’s home from college for the summer, and he wanted me to ask if you might be interested in playing on his team.”

  Dylan shook his head. “I haven’t played since—” He still didn’t find it easy to talk about, but he continued. “Not since high school. I’m not sure I even remember how to catch a ball, much less throw one.”

  Dusty joined them and sat on the other side of Tucker. “If I can give it a try, you can, too.”

  “You were never a ballplayer, Dusty. All you ever wanted to do was ride bulls. Are you sure you want to give it a try now?”

  Dusty shrugged and leaned back. “I might as well. It couldn’t be any more dangerous than those bulls were. You need to join us, Dylan. We might not win, but we’ll have a damn good time playing.”

  But playing baseball was something Dylan had sworn never to do again after his parents died, and he was relieved when the others began to head toward the exit. Turning to Tucker, he said, “Tell Shawn thanks for thinking of me, but not this time.”

  “Seems to me you said something similar about the box social,” Dusty said, leaning forward. “That turned out pretty good, didn’t it?”

  Too good, Dylan thought, but he’d made his decision to spend his life as a bachelor. It was safer. And baseball was out of the question.

  “I guess you could say the box social turned out okay,” he said, answering Dusty’s question. “Glory and I are friends.” That sounded kind of lame, so he added, “And if your wives ever want some decorating done, you make sure they get in touch with her. She knows what she’s doing.”

  “Yeah, we’ll do that,” Tucker said, glancing at Dusty.

  Dylan felt someone behind him put a hand on his shoulder, and looked back to see his brother.

  “The party’s breaking up,” Luke said. “Erin’s ready to leave. I’ll meet you both outside.”

  Dylan nodded and got to his feet. After telling his friends goodbye, he looked for his sister, and the two of them left the tavern together.

  “Did I hear Tucker and Dusty ask if you’d play on some baseball team?” she asked as they headed for Luke’s truck.

  Dylan didn’t want to talk about it, but if he didn’t answer, Erin would badger him all the way home. “Something like that, yeah.”

  “You’re going to do it, aren’t you?”

  Instead of being truthful about it, he answered with, “I’ll think about it.”

  “I certainly hope so,” she announced in her big-sister voice. “Don’t let me find out you didn’t.”

  “Right.” But he had no intention of becoming involved in anything resembling baseball.

  Luke joined them as they reached the pickup and they all climbed inside. They were on the road that would take them back to the ranch when Erin, sitting between them, let out a long sigh.

  “What?” Luke asked, glancing at her.

  Looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary, she smiled sweetly at Dylan, and then at Luke. “I’ve done a pretty good job, don’t you think?”

  Luke looked over the top of her head at Dylan before answering her. “What do you mean?”

  “Why, look at you, Luke Walker,” she said. “You found the right woman for you and the perfect mama for your son.”

  In the darkness of the pickup cab, Dylan heard his brother grunt. “I knew you were playing matchmaker, big sister, and you’re just lucky it worked out, that’s all.”

  “You think so?” Still smiling, she turned to Dylan. “I didn’t do so bad for you, either, did I?”

  Dylan looked at her through narrowed eyes as his blood chilled in his veins. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about Glory. Admit it. You have a thing for her, and I know she has one for you.” Her chuckle was soft and tinged with wickedness as she glanced from one brother to the other. “You two really should thank me for the women in your lives.”

  Over the top of her head, Dylan caught Luke’s attention. No words passed between them, until they arrived at the ranch, and Erin told them both good-night before disappearing in the dark as she walked on to her motor home.

  “She set us both up,” Luke said.

  Dylan shook his head, his anger at her making him want to punch something. “She’s going to regret this. I’m going to make sure of it.”

  “Yeah,” Luke said. “She needs to be taught a lesson about meddling in other people’s business.”

  “Agreed.”

  “But how?”

  Dylan shook his head. “I don’t know, but we’ll find a way.”

  “The sooner the better.”

  “Damn straight.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Are you sure you’ll be delivering it today?” Glory asked the man on the phone.

  “Yes, ma’am. In fact, I saw to it myself that it was loaded on the truck.”

  She wasn’t convinced. She needed that delivery today so she could finish the gift she’d started for Dylan. After the incident at the pond, she’d been sorely tempted to forget about it and cancel the project, but she couldn’t. In the grand scheme of things, what had happened that day didn’t matter.

  Now the question had become if her order would arrive on time. Fifty miles from the city could mean being at the end of the list, but the man seemed sure there wouldn’t be a problem. “All right. I’ll hold you to that.”

  After saying goodbye, she ended the call just in time to make the turn onto the ranch property. To her immense relief, she didn’t see any sign of Dylan and hadn’t seen
him since they’d ridden to the pond, five days before. For that she was thankful.

  Instead of getting out of the car, she stared at the house in front of her and thought about how well she’d been able to keep things she didn’t want to think about locked away. She’d learned at an early age, thanks to her father, and had honed the gift to perfection during her marriage. It had served her well, and the only time the lock hadn’t held was one night when she was on the phone with her mom.

  Learning that Kyle had a mistress had been bad enough, but discovering that his infidelity had been going on since early in their marriage, she’d been devastated. She’d never meant to bare her tattered soul to her mother, but, just as it had with Dylan, the truth had all come spilling out when her mother called from Texas one night to say hello. A week later, a check for a thousand dollars arrived from her mother, with a note inviting her to live in Texas whenever she decided to leave. Another week later, Glory had shipped her things to her mother and was on a plane to Dallas.

  The only thing Glory regretted was not doing it sooner. Although she and her mother had never been very close when she was a child, that changed, too. Together, they found common ground, happy to finally be not only a real mother and daughter, but friends.

  If only she could lock away the memories of the horseback ride she’d shared with Dylan. She didn’t want to, but he’d made it clear that he didn’t feel the same as she did and was now wishing it hadn’t happened. But she finally had faith in herself that she would not only survive, but handle it without letting it get in the way of her dream.

  Pulled from her reverie by the sound of a vehicle, she turned to see whom it might be and recognized Luke’s fiancée driving the car that pulled up and stopped beside her. Getting out of her own car, she waved to Hayley before removing a box from the backseat.

  “Looks like you came prepared,” Hayley said, walking up to Glory’s car.

  “I try.” Smiling, Glory nodded toward another box. “There’s a smaller one. Would you mind bringing it in?”