Captivated By A Cowboy (Canton County Cowboys 3)

by Charlene Bright

  “Are you ever going to forgive me for Jessie?”

  “You have never asked for forgiveness, brother.”

  Chase slid his hat down over his eyes and scowled. “You’re right. I haven’t.” With that he walked away and stormed out of the barn. Carissa stared after him, thinking about everything that just happened.

  Now she had a mystery to solve. Who the heck was Jessie?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Trey excused himself from lunch. He’d lost his appetite seeing his brother all over Melody on his desk. What the hell was he thinking? Besides feeling disappointed, he was completely embarrassed that Carissa had witnessed his brother’s bad behavior. “Trey! Wait, I’ll walk with you,” she called after him.

  “No, I won’t be long.” He walked into the woods, swearing softly under his breath. He stormed down the hiking trail, talking to himself as he went. Better to lose it out here instead in front of his entire crew.

  Trey knew he should be back at the ranch but he wasn’t sure he could face his brother right now. He walked a little further and began scanning the ground for arrowheads. He was so mad, he could barely focus. Trey walked another quarter of a mile and began looking again. There—he spotted one! He picked it up and brushed the dirt off the triangular stone. That was a nice one. He slid it into his pocket and stood looking at the top of the trees. He didn’t know what he would do about Chase. Best to leave that alone right now.

  Instead he thought about Carissa—her kind spirit, her lovely face. Why had he gone traipsing off into the woods? He was being an ass! He decided to go back and eat some lunch. If he didn’t go back, Melody would think he was heartbroken over her. There was no telling what kind of crap Chase would stir up, too. Trey was the boss now. He’d have to deal with it. He walked back toward the dining hall. If he hurried, he’d have time to eat and then get back to work. He needed to give Carissa those keys, too.

  He walked into the dining hall where the crew was still eating, talking, cutting up. He didn’t intrude or make a big deal about anything. Chase was eating his meal quietly and Trey noticed that he appeared somewhat reserved. Trey grabbed a plate and dug into the barbecue chicken. He added a bun and some other items to his plate and then sat at the table across from his brother. He hadn’t planned to but he reached into his pocket and dug out the arrowhead. He put the arrowhead on the table and slid it to Chase.

  “Ever seen one of these?”

  Chase looked up at him and stared at the arrowhead. He reached for it and studied it for a minute, turning it over in his hand. “Where did you find this one?”

  “At the blueberry patch, right there were those ash trees are. We’ve been there a hundred times.”

  “The color is cool. I’ve never seen one made of blue stone. Can I have it?”

  “Sure.” Symbolically, this was a peace offering of sorts. Maybe it was time to forget about the past and move on. No, Chase hadn’t asked for forgiveness about Jessie, but he was ready to move on. He felt Carissa watching him and he smiled at her as Chase continued to turn the arrowhead over in his hands.

  “Anyone need anything else? Maybe some dessert? I’ve got two kinds of pie, apple and key lime.” Melody looked at Trey who ignored her but Chase smiled at her as she leaned across the table.

  “I’ll take some apple,” he said. A few other guys chimed in asking for a slice of the pies.

  “What about you Trey?”

  “I don’t like pie.”

  She shot him a go-to-hell look and walked into the kitchen to retrieve the pies. Another woman brought out fresh pitchers of iced tea and the talk continued. “After lunch what’s everyone doing?” Trey remembered what his uncle said, inspect what you expect.

  “I’m going to finish replacing those spigots, Trey. Ames, you still helping me?”

  “Sure, Chase.”

  Trey smiled; he knew his peace offering had been accepted. For how long, no one could know but for now, he wanted it to work out.

  “Hey, Amanda,” Trey called to the lady bringing the tea around. “This is Carissa. She’s getting the empty cabin open—the duplex. She’s going to need some supplies like towels and stuff. Could you help her out?”

  “Sure, that’s not a problem but did anyone get around to fixing that leak under the kitchen sink. We had to turn the water off to it to keep it from flooding the kitchen.”

  “That’s right, I’d forgotten that. Chase, since you’re on water detail, do you think you could send Ames up to work on the spigot and check on the cabin for Miss Carissa?”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  “Thanks.” He went down his list, checking off tasks and asking for follow-ups. The first day was progressing nicely except for the one incident that he knew about. He’d talk to his brother privately later if he had to, but hopefully he wouldn’t.

  After lunch, everyone went their separate ways but he caught Carissa before she left with Chase. “Could I talk to you for a minute?” He fiddled with his hat in his hands. How was it that he was nervous? He’d asked a girl out on a date before. They walked off the porch and stood in the dusty yard. “I was thinking … that is, I was wondering, would you have dinner with me tonight? We couldn’t go too far because I have to stay close to the ranch but I’d like to take you to dinner, maybe swing by the hospital to see Uncle Robert?”

  “I thought he didn’t want you to come up?”

  “What’s he going to do, fire me? That would mean Chase would be in charge.”

  “Hey,” Chase complained. “No talking about me. I’m going to get my toolbox. I’ll meet you there, Miss Carissa.”

  “Okay, thanks Chase. And yes, I would love that.”

  “Great, oh and here are the keys. Don’t lose them though. I was informed this is the only set.”

  “I’ll keep them close.” She waved her hand with a smile and walked toward the cabin. Trey smiled after her and then his phone rang. He stared at the screen and tapped on it.

  “Hey Aunt Nancy, how’s he doing?”

  Trey could tell immediately that she’d been crying. Her strong voice wavered on the phone. “He’s not awake yet. He had to have a quadruple bypass. Can you believe this? I can’t believe it.”

  “Aunt Nancy, you need me to come on down there?”

  “No, I want you to stay there but come see me later. I find that I do need the company after all. My prayer group came by a little while ago and that was nice.”

  “Carissa and I planned on coming by around supper time. How does that sound?”

  “That sounds great, Trey. Are you and your brother getting along?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he lied. “All is well.”

  She laughed in the phone. “You can’t lie to me, Trey Lee Montgomery, but okay.” She paused for a minute. “No sign of our daughter, Annette?”

  “No ma’am. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of her. Was she supposed to be coming by?”

  “I left her a message and I hoped she would but I guess not. Must still be mad at us. Kids will break your heart, Trey. Sometimes they just break your heart.”

  Trey had never expected to witness this kind of emotional activity from his aunt. She’d always been a “pick yourself up and dust yourself off” kind of mother and aunt. There had never been time to feel sorry for yourself with Aunt Nancy around. She wasn’t that kind of woman, but now, here she was choking with emotion. He sure didn’t know what to say.

  “It’s going to be alright, Aunt Nancy, we have each other. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. You need anything? Anything at all?”

  “No. Wait. Yes, I need my pillow. I can’t sleep without it and I’m not leaving his side. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.”

  “Roger that. Bring your pillow. If you think of anything else just call me.”

  “See you two kids tonight. Thanks for everything, son.”

  “You’re welcome. Talk to you tonight.”

  Trey walked to the stockyard to see how the inspection was going. He didn’t hav
e any doubts that they were fine but this was procedure. A responsible rancher checked his herd over before he moved them long distances. It felt good to be in charge; it gave him something to do besides worry about Uncle Robert. That old man had to get better. What would life be like without Robert around? He couldn’t lose him and Dad. That would be too much to bear. Not just for him but for Chase too.

  Trey knew that people close to him thought it was odd that he’d given up the ranch so easily. After all, he’d grown up there and it was at his parents’ ranch that he learned to ride, rope, and it’s where he’d stolen his first kiss from Jessie. She’d stolen his heart, but in the end, what they had didn’t mean as much to her as it had to him. If it had, he would have never found her in Chase’s bunk. That was old history now. Trey had almost forgotten how her straight brown hair felt like silk in his hand. How those brown eyes seemed so sincere and trusting. How much he’d love that sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Although, truth be told, she’d always had a streak of wild in her, but that had been another thing he’d been attracted to. She wasn’t afraid to go skinny dipping, to climb mountains, or to kiss in public. He really had liked all those things.

  Then she and Chase had gotten together. He swears it was just the once but Trey didn’t know what the truth was. Jessie had given herself to Trey; she’d been his first and she’d been his and there she was with Chase. She’d cried so hard when Trey found them. “Please, Trey. Try to understand. We didn’t mean for this to happen. I should have never been drinking. I didn’t mean it!”

  It hadn’t moved him. Trey had been less mad at his brother, not just because he was his brother but because Chase was hugely immature. He had barely had any girlfriends, just a few clumsy encounters with some girls at school. He didn’t seem to want a relationship, just sex. Trey couldn’t understand that. They had both been raised by the same parents. Having a bunch of sex with different people wasn’t the plan. They saw how beautiful marriage could be and now Chase wanted to use himself up on a string of women. Jessie had been a sweet, lovely girl that had been just for him—until she wasn’t.

  Trey climbed out of the Beast and walked into the stockyard. It was time to move on. He knew somehow he trusted Carissa—she was trustworthy. He could walk to that cabin right now and never catch her doing anything inappropriate. Suddenly he knew what the difference was. Carissa was a lady. Not a girl looking for a good time wherever she could find it. It’s funny—the thing that had attracted him to Jessie, her spontaneity and zest for life, was in the end the thing that turned him off.

  On the other hand, Carissa had life experiences that demanded that she grow up and make more mature decisions, even at a young age. He shook his head just thinking about what she must have been through. If it had been his sister that had been murdered, he didn’t know how he would react, but Carissa handled it with so much courage. She was a beautiful woman but also a brave one. She’d put herself outside her comfort zone just to try and make a difference.

  He hung around for a minute, checking the paperwork and examining cows, but his mind wasn’t on the task at hand. He had to go. He wanted to see Carissa, just in case she needed him. Then he could come back and check on the cattle. It was ironic that just a few days ago he had called himself a stodgy bachelor who’d probably never worry with trying to find a life partner. Now he was thinking a little differently.

  “This looks good, guys. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Keep up the good work. Oh by the way, Uncle Robert came out of the surgery. He’s in recovery, they’ve got him sleeping it off.” The cowboys whooped and hollered for Uncle Robert. Trey smiled and said a silent prayer. He climbed back into the Beast and headed toward the Audrey House cabin. He had one stop to make first. He was going to fire Melody. She’d been an experienced hand but she had to go. She was inappropriate, to say the least, but assaulting a guest and hooking up with hands? Even if that hand was his brother. That’s not the kind of thing you’d want to see at the Easy R.

  He pulled the Beast in the barn and walked to the dining hall. Ten minutes later, Melody Hough was cleaning out her cabin and leaving the ranch under a cloud of swear words. He didn’t care; he’d been called worse. He’d tell Aunt Nancy eventually. She had enough to worry about right now. He was pretty sure that once she heard about what happened today, she would agree with him. If she didn’t, well, she’d just have to trust him on this.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Carissa opened the door to the cabin. It was a little stuffy but that was because the ceiling fans weren’t on, and it was quite warm outside—and inside. She slid the keys back into her pocket remembering Trey’s warning and opened a few windows in the living room. She was happy to see that there was a small air conditioning unit in one of the windows. It could get hot out here, and she wanted the Audrey House guests to feel comfortable. These were basically “city folks” who weren’t used to life without air conditioning.

  The furniture in this cabin was similar to hers. The cabin had rustic wooden furniture, tanned sofa cushions, and quilted pillows. On the walls were deer and bear metal artworks and lots of photography that might have been taken a hundred years ago—probably local cowboys. So interesting to see those forgotten cowboys, posing uncomfortably for a forgotten photographer. She’d have to ask Nancy later about these. Photography was a hobby of hers but one that she’d abandoned for a little while. Somewhere in the family storage unit were boxes of photographs that she’d taken as a child. Pictures of interesting things she’d spotted on a nature walk. Dozens of pictures of Audrey sticking out her tongue at her. She loved doing that—always determined to ruin her photos. Then there were the ones she’d taken when Audrey had starred in her first play. She’d tried out for the part of Cinderella but ended up playing the Fairy Godmother. Audrey hadn’t been happy at first but she was determined to be the best. She was—absolutely the best. Nobody even looked at Cinderella when she was on stage.

  Maybe she should reconsider taking up her old hobby. She needed something to help her relax.

  She heard a tap on the open door. “Hello, come in, Chase. I imagine you know this place better than I do. It looks like the kitchen is just through there. Thanks for taking a look at the sink. I’d hate to put guests in a cabin without water.”

  He laughed and carried the heavy toolbox with him. “I do know where everything is in these cabins, ma’am. I helped my uncle build them when I was just a kid. I agree with you. The water needs to work properly, that’s for sure.” Chase went straight to the kitchen but paused before he left. “I am sorry about this morning. I didn’t plan on anyone walking in there.” Carissa wondered how much truth was in that statement. Chase undoubtedly knew that he was “romancing” Melody in Trey’s office. It’s not like there weren’t plenty of places on the ranch to hide out and be alone with someone, if they wanted to. She wasn’t sure that what he was saying was accurate and there was a chance that Chase had done so subconsciously, but in her opinion, that was doubtful.

  “I didn’t see anything, really.” Carissa was anxious to move this conversation along. “I’m going to check out the rest of the cabin.” She gave him her most gracious smile and walked down the hall, peering into the bedrooms. There were two, each with two beds in them. The furniture in the bedrooms was similar to the living room only these rooms had green plaid curtains and forest-green comforters on the beds. It looked cozy with kitschy black-bear lamps and deer-antler hooks on the wooden closet doors. She couldn’t help but smile. Okay, she thought, I’ll put Fortunate and Ernesto in this room and Holly and Fallon in this one.

  She went to the linen closet. Yep, it was empty. She took out her phone and typed a reminder to herself to ask for those towels and sheets. There was a small media closet with plenty of family-friendly DVDs, a tidy bathroom, and a good-sized closet in the hallway for storage. She took a minute to wipe down the bathroom counters and tub with disinfectant she found in a canister under the bathroom vanity. Carissa walked back to the larger bedroom and
flipped on lamps to make sure they all worked. Whoever had kept up this place had done a great job.

  She was deep in thought when a tall, handsome cowboy walked up behind her. When she felt his hand on her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “Is this going to work for y’all?”

  Startled, she laughed. “Oh yes, it’s perfect. They will love it, I’m sure. I cannot thank you all enough for allowing us to be a part of the ranch. I guess we could not have picked a worse time with Robert being sick and all, but I am truly grateful, Trey. Truly I am—so is Clare.” She hadn’t expected tears to spring up but there they were. How embarrassing, she thought.

  “Stop that, Carissa. No crying.” Trey looked nervous—women who cry always made him nervous. “This is supposed to be a good thing.”

  She smiled and wiped at her eyes. “The funny thing is, I’m not really a big crier.” She laughed, amused at her emotional state. “Besides, I thought you were supposed to be working. Everything okay out there? You haven’t fired them all already, have you?”

  “No, I just wanted to make sure that the repairs got done. I saw Chase working in the kitchen when I came down the hall. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me. I’m wearing boots.”

  “I know, I was just thinking and not paying attention. I’m really okay, though. I’m sure I’m in good hands with your brother.”

  “I don’t know if I’d go that far.” He frowned, his hands on his narrow hips. Trey had muscular shoulders that looked even firmer with his trim middle. Gosh, he was one handsome man, she mused. However, the idea that he could be insecure about her didn’t appeal to her. She didn’t like not being trusted. Even though he wasn’t out and out saying it, that’s what this was about. Trey didn’t trust her or Chase. She could understand the latter, but they barely knew one another. She’d given him no reason to be so tense. “I mean, you saw him earlier. He’s got no brains when it comes to women.”