COWBOY TAKES A WIFE, THE

by Milburn, Trish

  “Okay, fine, I find him attractive,” Devon said, not sure if she should be relieved that she could admit the truth to someone. “But it’s under control.”

  “Why?”

  Devon pointed toward the front door. “You heard what I said to Barbara. Cole isn’t the least bit interested in a romantic relationship.”

  “But you wish he was.”

  “Would I be opposed? No. But if I want my mother to respect my wishes, I’ve got to respect his.”

  “You’re playing with fire here.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Thankfully a couple of women, tourists judging by the fact that Devon had never seen them before, came into the store, saving her from further interrogation. But it didn’t prevent her mind from racing, imagining what it would be like to date Cole for real. To have him hold her in his arms, kiss her, make her forget all about the pressure her mother constantly put on her.

  Dang it. One fake date and already she was losing the battle to think of Cole as a friend and nothing more.

  * * *

  COLE LIFTED THE welding helmet and wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. After a morning of checking on the herd and installing a new water trough, it was nice to be in the shade of the barn despite the fact that he was still hot. He examined the seam where he’d welded two pieces of rusty scrap metal together to form the back of the horse’s leg. Not too bad, if he did say so himself. Loads better than the mess he’d made on his first several attempts at sculpting six months ago. Maybe the anger had gotten in his way then. Lord knew he’d had enough of that banked inside him.

  He looked toward the entrance of the barn when he heard footsteps. When he saw Devon, he wondered if she was here to request a second fake date already. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed himself as they’d eaten pizza. He had. She was more talkative than he remembered. And there wasn’t the pressure of expectation when he was with her. Sure, they might have different views on finding “the one,” but he didn’t begrudge her wanting that. At one time, he’d wanted it, too.

  He stepped through the open stall door. Devon caught sight of him and yelped as she stopped so quickly she nearly tripped. Her eyes widened in surprise.

  “Sorry to startle you,” he said.

  She looked away, beyond him, and waved off his concern. “I was looking for your mom but didn’t get an answer at the house.”

  “She’s gone to deliver a quilt. She ought to be back soon.”

  “I guess I should have called ahead.”

  “Something I can help you with?”

  She still didn’t make eye contact, and he wondered if she’d endured another unpleasant run-in with her mother. Though he was sure Devon was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, he had the oddest urge to protect her. Not that he should be surprised. After all, his dad had instilled chivalry and a protective instinct in him and Cooper from the time they’d been able to walk and talk. Despite his less-than-successful love life, that ingrained instinct remained.

  “No, I’ll just wait for your mom. She wanted some design help setting up her space for the Arts and Crafts Trail. Though honestly I think it’s a thinly veiled ploy to get the two of us in the same general area.”

  “And you went along with it?”

  At that she finally met his gaze. “Hey, I tried setting her straight, but I don’t think she believed me.”

  “Maybe you weren’t persuasive enough.”

  She looked startled at his words, and he realized it might have sounded like an accusation.

  “That didn’t come out right, sorry. I’m just saying when my mom gets an idea in her head, it’s hard to dislodge. I’m normally all for her determination, but this is one thing she needs to let go.”

  “I’ll try again.”

  “Thanks. In the meantime, why don’t you come in for something to drink? I could use something, too.”

  “I don’t want to impose.”

  He actually laughed at that. “Accepting a soda is far from imposing. Not like requiring dates.”

  Devon’s mouth fell open, making him laugh again.

  “You could have said no,” she said.

  “I could have. What can I say? I’m a good guy.”

  “And modest, too.”

  He smiled at her sarcasm as he grabbed his shirt where he’d hung it on a hook and pulled it on over his tank undershirt. “Come on. I feel like I could drink the town water tank dry.”

  Devon fell into step beside him. He shortened his strides to match hers.

  “Heard from your mom?”

  She shook her head. “No, and I don’t know whether to be thankful or worried.”

  “That’s what you wanted, her to back off.”

  “Yeah, but I know my mom well enough to know that it won’t last long. She really likes getting her way.”

  They stepped inside the house. “I don’t get it. Is her goal of picking your husband more important than you being happy?”

  “She honestly believes that she knows what’s best for me, that if I would just go along with her choice, then I’ll be happy.”

  “Sounds like your mom has some control issues.”

  “Ya think?”

  Cole crossed to the fridge and asked, “What kind of drink would you like?”

  “Water is fine.”

  “You sure? We’ve got Cokes, lemonade—”

  “I actually prefer water.”

  “Okay.”

  She’d had a Coke with dinner the night before, but maybe she made exceptions for pizza. Water with pizza was just wrong on so many levels. It required Coke or a cold beer.

  As he placed their drinks on the table, he noticed the storage container his mom used for cookies in the middle.

  “Looks like Mom made cookies.”

  “She told me yesterday she was going to.”

  “Yep, she’s trying to get you to switch to her side, all right.”

  “I can’t be bought with cookies.”

  “You’re a rare woman indeed.”

  Devon punched him lightly on the shoulder before she took a seat at the table.

  Cole popped the lid off the cookie container and found his mom’s delectable chocolate-chip cookies, the kind that when you ate them, you could literally taste the butter.

  “You’ve got to have one of these.”

  “I’m not hungry. Still full from lunch.”

  “You don’t have to be hungry to eat my mom’s cookies. There’s a separate corner of your stomach reserved for them.”

  She laughed, and it hit him again that Devon was pretty, with a little more force this time. Well, of course he was aware she wasn’t ugly by any stretch, but the laughter and the smile that accompanied her pretty features made it obvious that she was attractive in that natural, effortless way.

  She accepted the cookie he offered her and bit into it. And proceeded to close her eyes and savor that flavor he knew so well.

  “I think I just gained ten pounds with that one bite,” she said.

  “Mom’s cookies are worth every pound, too.”

  He watched her hesitate before taking another bite. Cole devoured the rest of his cookie then grabbed another.

  “I know your mom gives you a hard time,” he said. “What about your dad?”

  “He’s too busy with work to notice what I’m doing. He doesn’t push like Mom does, but he doesn’t stop her, either.”

  Cole glanced at the cookies then around the homey kitchen that had been part of his entire life. In this room, his mother had cooked for her family. They’d all sat around this table eating, joking and laughing, and discussing decisions about the ranch countless times. If he had to venture a guess, there hadn’t been many warm-and-fuzzy family dinners in the Newberry house. Devon
hadn’t even had a sibling with whom to commiserate.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t have the type of childhood I had.”

  “It could have been worse. I mean, I never had to worry if I’d be able to eat or if I’d have a roof over my head. I had friends who did.”

  “Still, money can’t buy happiness.”

  Devon placed the uneaten half of her cookie on her napkin. “Not many people believe that, at least in my experience. And it’s hard to feel sorry for the kid who can have whatever she wants.”

  “I’d guess there were things you wanted that you still haven’t gotten.” Like unconditional love and support, the kind of priceless things his parents had given him and Cooper despite some lean years during droughts or illness in their cattle herd.

  Her gaze caught his and it felt as if she was examining his mind to see if he meant what he’d said.

  “You’re perceptive. Nobody but Mandy has ever gotten that. At least not that I know of.”

  “Is that why you do all the homemade and sustainable stuff, to differentiate yourself from your parents?”

  “Some, yes. Initially that was probably the impetus, but it all spoke to me like nothing else ever has. It just feels right. I enjoy it.”

  “I understand that, going after the thing that is just who you are. You hang on to it.”

  “I’m really sorry you had to give up rodeo.”

  The sympathy in her voice didn’t bother him like the well-meaning words of so many others had. While he hadn’t doubted the sincerity of most people when they’d said it, there hadn’t been depth to their words. But Devon, it felt as if hers came from the deepest part of her. Maybe she’d imagined her shop and farm being ripped away, leaving her floundering and wondering what to do with the rest of her life.

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you still like to go to rodeos, or is it too difficult?”

  “I haven’t been to one since I’ve been home. Been too busy.”

  That was only partly true, despite the fact that he had been busy making repairs and updates to things his mom hadn’t been able to handle on her own since his dad’s passing. She’d had part-time help with the herd, but other things had gone by the wayside. But if he were being honest, he’d admit that he didn’t know how he’d react if he was around all those familiar sights, sounds and smells again but as an outsider, no more than a spectator.

  “We should go to the one this weekend. The proceeds are going toward Christmas presents and a Christmas carnival for kids and their families who might not have Christmas otherwise.”

  “Well, I guess I’d be a jerk if I said no to that.” He supposed he couldn’t avoid going to rodeos for the rest of his life. Might as well pull the bandage off the wound and be done with it.

  The front door opened, making him realize he’d been so involved with his conversation with Devon that he hadn’t even heard his mom’s car pull up outside.

  “Sorry I’m late, dear,” his mom said as she hustled into the kitchen and patted Devon on the shoulder. “I took a quilt over to Martina Rutherford, a gift for her daughter’s wedding shower, and we got to talking and time flew by. Oh, you should see Shailene’s wedding dress. She’s going to look like a princess on her big day.”

  Talk of weddings—that was his cue to leave. He stood, drawing his mom’s attention.

  “I didn’t mean to run you off.”

  “You’re not. Got some fencing to replace out on the west side of the pasture.”

  “Well, thanks for keeping Devon company while I was gone. That was nice of you.” The little gleam in his mom’s eyes had him refusing to comment. Instead he headed toward the great outdoors, where he’d be free of anything remotely resembling walking down the aisle toward inevitable failure.

  * * *

  “YOU TWO LOOKED like you were having a nice time,” Barbara said the moment the door closed behind Cole.

  “He just offered me a drink and one of your amazing cookies while I waited for you.” She’d already told Barbara there was nothing romantic between herself and Cole, so either the older woman would believe it or not. Despite what she’d told Cole, Devon didn’t think repeating herself was going to change Barbara’s opinion. It might instead seem as if Devon was protesting too much.

  “Glad to know I raised the boy right.” Barbara motioned for Devon to follow her. “Well, we better get to it. I appreciate you coming out.”

  “No problem. Happy to help.” Even if she was still recovering from the sight she’d seen in the barn. When Cole had stepped out of that stall wearing jeans and a white tank-style undershirt, his skin shiny with sweat and a few streaks of dirt, she’d darn near swallowed her tongue. If she’d managed to hide her reaction from him, it was no small miracle.

  Her first thought after the fact that the man was so damn sexy she’d been in danger of her very bones melting was that she’d made a huge mistake in delving into their fake romance. How could she pretend with him when her body screamed for it to be real? Even now as she followed his mom out toward a small garden shed, Devon couldn’t stop replaying over and over that moment he’d stepped into her line of vision.

  “What do you think?”

  Devon jerked her attention back to Barbara and realized she’d missed whatever the other woman had said. “I’m sorry.”

  When Barbara gave her a knowing grin, Devon realized she had to talk her way out of this, for her own sake and Cole’s.

  “I’ve been distracted by some things my mom said the last time I saw her.”

  “Maybe letting your mom get to you just perpetuates the cycle,” Barbara said. “I know she’s your mom and you probably love her, but your mother is a bully and a snob. Always has been. And the only way to win with people like that is to not feed the beast. Instead of arguing with her, pretend like what she says doesn’t bother you. It will drive her up the wall.”

  “That is much easier said than done.” But the memory of how Mandy had responded to her mother popped into her head. Devon had very nearly seen steam come out of her mother’s ears when Mandy had replied to Devon’s mom in that flip “I don’t care what you think anymore” way. Maybe her best friend had been living and breathing the answer right in front of Devon and she hadn’t noticed it.

  “Most things are, sweetie, good and bad.”

  While Devon helped Barbara decide on a pale shade of yellow to paint the interior of the shed, suggested she plant flowers along the front and gave her opinion on how best to display the quilts, part of her mind was fixed on determining how to deal with her mother. If a new tactic worked better than how she’d been reacting up to now, then she could call off the fake relationship with Cole. She was surprised by how much she hated that idea, but that told her it was probably the best plan.

  Again, thinking it and actually going through with it were two different things. The truth was she liked spending time with Cole, even if she’d have to work harder not to let her very real attraction show.

  Chapter Six

  Devon spent the final few minutes of the store being open on Saturday brainstorming ideas for her anniversary celebration. Her task served a dual purpose—she needed to nail down the details and it kept her from being nervous about that night’s “date” with Cole at the rodeo.

  Okay, so the latter half of that wasn’t working so well. It hadn’t helped when she’d seen him drive through town earlier in the day, pulling a cattle trailer behind his truck. Seriously, how could a guy look so good just driving a pickup?

  She’d considered calling him and canceling, but she hadn’t been able to force herself to do it. She knew that with each minute she spent with him it was going to be that much more difficult to end their arrangement, but she evidently was a glutton for emotional punishment.

  She refocused on the list of ideas she had written down but glanced up w
hen the door opened. Cole stepped through looking every delectable inch the rodeo cowboy. A Western-style, button-up shirt covered what she knew were some truly fabulous arms and chest. That seemed a shame, but then she found she didn’t want every woman in Blue Falls ogling him, either. Sure, that was a tad possessive, unwisely so, but the truth was the truth.

  “I thought we were meeting at the fairgrounds,” she said, amazing herself at how normal and unaffected she sounded. Too bad she hadn’t gone into acting. She’d be a shoo-in for major awards.

  Cole leaned his forearms against the front counter across from her and glanced around the store before fixing his gaze back on her. “If we were really dating, we wouldn’t always be driving separately.”

  This was it, the perfect opportunity to tell him he didn’t have to pretend to date her anymore. He had enough on his plate running his family’s ranch and working on his art without having to make time for her. But then the image of her mother with a satisfied smile popped into her head. Followed quickly by the depressing thought of not having an excuse to spend time with Cole anymore. Would they go back to just exchanging a quick hello when they happened to bump into each other in town? After even the little time she’d spent with him recently, the idea of losing their budding friendship hurt.

  “I guess you’re right,” she said. “What’s next? Bouquets delivered to my door?” She laughed a little, trying to play off how the idea of him sending her flowers for real made her heart speed up.

  “You never know,” he said with a teasing smile. “Something huge and expensive. Wouldn’t that surprise your mom?”

  “Sure would.” Not to mention Devon. Cole didn’t seem like the type of guy to spend a shameful amount of hard-earned money on something that would wither and die in a few days.

  Cole pushed away from the counter and stood to his full, impressive height. “You about done here?”

  “Yeah.” She grabbed her purse and shoved her notepad inside, then hopped off the stool, her turquoise cowgirl boots clunking on the polished wood floor. She smoothed her brown and turquoise broomstick skirt and rounded the counter.