Rafe: (Contemporary Western Romance) (New Horizon Ranch: Mule Hollow Book 2)

by Debra Clopton

  “I’m doing great,” Sadie said, and suddenly realized that she was. She might be a little wary of the posse but otherwise she couldn’t have been better.

  Sheri, had glossy brown hair that she wore short but spiked up in places. Both she and Lacy wore jeans paired with colorful, artsy tops—and like her friend she too was pregnant. She gave Sadie a somewhat cocky grin. “Have the ladies married you off yet?”

  “Sheri,” Dottie laughed. “You are so mean.”

  “I am not. I’m honest. And the way I see it, she should know up front that these three ladies can’t help themselves. They probably already have her future staked out for her.”

  “She might be right,” Sam leaned in and said, chuckled, then headed back toward the kitchen.

  “Oh hogwash,” Esther Mae scolded, laughter crinkling the edges of her eyes. “Y’all stop teasing and let’s sit down and talk about Sadie and her bunny suit going to see the kiddos at No Place Like Home.,”

  They started pulling out chairs and everyone sank into them.

  “I’m glad y’all chose a table,” Sheri said, patting her tummy. “There is no way either one of us…” she waved her thumb between she and Lacy, “…is gettin’ in a booth in our conditions.”

  “So true,” Lacy said, patting her tummy. “Sam, where’s App and Stanley? And everyone else? This place is dead this morning.”

  Sam had come over carrying a coffee pot and five white mugs on each finger of his other hand and a teacup dangled from his pinky. “They went to see the baby.”

  “Oh, sweet!” she exclaimed. “It’s so cool we’re about to have a herd of babies running around here.”

  Sheri hiked a brow at Sadie. “It’s the water you know,” Sheri drawled dryly. “Drink bottled water. And stay away from these three or you’ll end up married and starting a family before lunch is over. Especially since they already have you in their sights. You know you do,” she said, meeting Esther Mae’s green eyed glare.

  “This is starting to get awkward,” Sadie chuckled, but really had begun to need some air.

  “Contrary to what Sheri is telling you, we don’t just chunk two people together for the idea of it.” Norma Sue pushed back her white Stetson causing her short, kinky, gray hair to bush out about her face. “We don’t fix just anyone up. They have to be right.”

  “Absolutely,” Esther Mae added sounding insulted. “There is an art to what we “posse” girls do.” She made quotation marks in the air when she said “posse”. “And that starts with good ole chemistry-special chemistry though. Sheri had several cowboys on a string but we didn’t start pushing until Pace came to town.”

  Sheri gave a teasing smirk. “Y’all just didn’t know what to do with me that’s why.”

  “You know it wasn’t that,” Norma Sue jumped in. “We saw sparks the minute you two got around each other.”

  Sadie listened to the entertaining stories and felt uplifted at the easy relationship these women all had together. There was an age difference she, Lacy and Sheri being in their late twenties to early thirties and Dottie maybe a little bit older. The posse was maybe in their late sixties but acted like they were a decade younger than that with their spunky talking. Sadie thought about chemistry and Andrew. They’d had a decent relationship but her heart hadn’t skipped beats when he walked into the room, at least not after the first little while of the relationship. He was handsome there was no denying that and there was an air of confidence about him that she was attracted to, but she’d known she was settling just so she could start the family she was longing for. She looked at Sheri and Lacy and their rounded stomachs and her heart ached for the fact that it would be years before she would get to experience the joy of her child within her and the blessing of holding her babies in her arms. It was depressing.

  Andrew had been everything her mother wanted and the vehicle for her to get everything she wanted. And that sounded terrible but it was the honest truth. There hadn’t really been great sparks or remarkable chemistry…those two words instantly brought Rafe to mind. She’d known him a short time and told herself that the way she felt when thinking of him or when he walked into the room was merely because knowing him was new. That it would fade.

  “So, you really walked out on your wedding?” Esther Mae asked, pulling Sadie back into the conversation.

  Sheri, Lacy and Dottie stared at her in dismay.

  “When?” Lacy asked.

  “You go, girl,” Sheri grunted. “If you had second thoughts then hit the road is what I say. Run for the hills.”

  Sadie had to smile at that. “Or Mule Hollow.”

  “True.” Dottie looked genuinely concerned for her. “Are you alright?”

  “How you doin’ with that?” Norma Sue asked and everyone seemed to lean in toward her. Adela gave her one of her pats on the arm.

  “It’s okay. I actually left a week early. The wedding is set for Saturday night.” She told them that she’d found him hugging and kissing on someone other than her the day she’d stopped by to call off the wedding and that brought exclamations and more encouragement from them. “I had been at the hospital doing my rounds in my bunny suit and happened to still have it on when I went to see him. Not thinking on my part. I mean how many women wear a huge hairy bunny suit to call off an engagement. He and Miss Hot Lips probably got a good laugh over that. And well deserved. But the weirder thing is that he didn’t call the wedding off. Me, I just got in my car and started driving and ended up here.”

  “It was meant to be,” Esther Mae beamed, green eyes sparkling with all kinds of excitement.

  “But wait,” Sheri said suspiciously. “If the dude didn’t call off the wedding that means he expects you to come running back on Saturday and do the deed?”

  “My mother does too.”

  “Sheesh,” Sheri growled. “You’re not though-right?”

  “No. My maid of honor is canceling everything today actually. If he shows up at the church it will be by himself.”

  “And you’re staying here?” Norma Sue asked. “At the ranch. Around Rafe?”

  She nodded. “Rafe has been wonderful to me. He recognized I was in trouble in more ways than my flat tire when he stopped to help the other day.”

  Esther Mae grinned. “That’s Rafe. He’s responsible and seems to be a deep thinker. And I’d think that would make him very considerate.”

  She smiled, oh he was. So much so. “I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t showed up. I guess I’d have done something-but this has been such an adventure so far that it’s helping me to cope so much better than I was. I think I was in shock on Saturday when I showed up here.”

  She realized everyone was studying her and that the Posse had very odd glints in their eyes. “This is a wonderful place,” she said. “Y’all have made me feel so welcome.”

  “We try to accommodate.” Norma Sue chuckled. “Ain’t that right, y’all?”

  “So true,” Adela added along with everyone else. “You just keep doing what you’re doing. God has a way of bringing his plans for each of us together in the most unexpected ways sometimes.”

  “So about this hospital visiting,” Lacy said. “Do you have an act? What exactly do you do when dressed up? What is your plan for the women’s shelter?”

  Sadie felt relieved to have the subject changed and began to tell them about what she did when wearing her Flossy suit as Rafe called it.

  Rafe. She thought about all that speculation in the Posse’s eyes and realized that she didn’t really mind it at all where he was concerned.

  Chapter Eleven

  Something smelled good. Rafe stalked into the kitchen driven today to see Sadie. He closed the door and stopped short. The kitchen was a wreck.

  The stove was covered with pots. Pans littered the counters, flour dusted over portions of the counters and what looked like tomato sauce dripped over the edge of one of the pots. Sadie stood near the sink and spun the moment he entered. Her eyes were huge with surprise, he
r rose colored cheeks were dusty white from the flour as well as the red apron she wore.

  “Whoa, did an explosion happen in here?” Just looking at her made him smile. She was beautiful and so out of her element right now.

  “You’re early!” she exclaimed, glancing around then looking sheepish. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “Clearly,” he managed to say while keeping a somewhat straight face. “So, what exploded?”

  She touched a moist forehead with the back of her arm, obviously having had her face over the heated oven for a long time. “Nothing. Not so far anyway. But it’s a miracle,” she said, then beamed. “I made a lasagna. A homemade lasagna. I know it’s a wreck but I think it’s going to be great. Esther Mae Wilcox swears by it. She says it’s no fail and far superior to the one I was going to buy at the store.”

  He strode to her then, unable to keep his distance. He gently moved a strand of hair from where it had stuck to her damp cheek. “If you cooked it, I’m all in. This is amazing. You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

  “I am. I never really took the time to bake or cook but with nothing else to do and also knowing this is my job I’ve been surprised at how much I do love it. But I want to do a good job.” She was rattling the words out at a rapid clip, breathless as if she’d run a mile. He fought a smile because judging by the mess all around them it looked like she’d cooked for an army.

  He loved her.

  Yeah, it was crazy and he knew it...

  He’d known her a week but he’d basically been hooked the moment she’d rolled over in her ridiculous hairy suit and he’d first looked into those green eyes. It was the craziest thing he’d never believed would happen to him-it sounded like the first thing Cliff had said about Maddie. Literally.

  Sure, it might not be love at first sight but if it wasn’t it sure felt like it. He hadn’t been able to think about anything from the moment he’d seen her on the side of the road. Sure it had happened to Cliff and though they were twins he’d never believed they’d share something like this. Cliff had fallen in love with Maddie at first sight but Rafe hadn’t believed it at first. Hadn’t believed something like that was possible but Cliff had told him when it happened, it happened. And that was true.

  Rafe had been through a lot in his life-a past he didn’t think about often, didn’t let himself think about because there was no changing it. He’d had a no-good father who beat his mom when he and Cliff were growing up and a mother who’d refused to leave him. It had been a bad and regretful childhood and when they were barely seventeen his mother had gotten ill and died. His dad had stopped raising his hand to their mom after they’d gotten old enough to warn him off but no amount of begging had gotten her to leave the man. With her dead, he and Cliff had nothing to stay for and had left home and never looked back.

  They’d both had dreams of rodeo fame. Cliff on bulls and Rafe in calf roping. He’d also had dreams of falling in love and having a happy future…a misplaced foot on a dismount had ended his rodeo future and that had ended his engagement and the only thing that had saved him from falling apart was winding up here on New Horizon Ranch with a boss who believed in him and showed him that there was contentment and happiness apart from dashed dreams. But until now, until Sadie had walked into his life, he’d never known completely what a future could look like.

  Looking at her now, rumpled, flushed and as sexy as all get out with flour on her cheeks and Italian sauce on her apron Rafe saw exactly what he wanted. She stood very still as he brushed the flour from one cheek with the pad of his thumb then with all the will power he possessed he dropped a very restrained kiss to her lips, testing the waters to her feelings. Would she push him away? She’d said she wasn’t ready for what was happening between them the day at the stream but he couldn’t help pushing her resolve.

  Not when he knew that if he had his way he’d go down on one knee right there in the kitchen and ask her to marry him if he had it his way.

  She wasn’t ready though.

  If he said anything she’d run like…well like a rabbit.

  She stepped back, held up a hand between them. “Hold on, stay right there.”

  He grinned. “Ok. But it’s sure hard to do with you looking so beautiful right now.”

  She laughed shakily. “Right. I’m a terrible mess.”

  He shook his head, looking down her. “Nope. Not at all, you’re perfect. And you look plum edible actually.” He arched a brow and her eyes dropped to his lips and he smiled his best smile wanting with everything he had for her to want him as much as he wanted her.

  She took a breath as she seemed to sway slightly his way.

  He dipped his head, intent on getting that kiss, tasting her tempting lips. Not touching her with anything but his lips he brushed his over hers, felt her rise on her toes to meet him-and everything in his life seemed to click into place.

  Sadie sank into Rafe, mesmerized by his words, the look of desire in his eyes when he looked at her blindsided her. Holy-maca-doo the man knocked the breath right out of her.

  Her hands wound around his neck, she wanted his lips on hers again, wanted his arms wound tightly around her. Wanted his lips, warm, firm and fantastic as they claimed hers. Fire sizzled through her. She stepped closer, meeting him-bells started ringing! It was like nothing she’d ever experienced. Bells, alarms. Her pulse quickened, her heart leapt-

  “There’s a buzzer going off,” Rafe murmured against her lips.

  Dazed and confused, Sadie tried to comprehend his words. “Buzzer,” she murmured, drowning in the feel of him-“Buzzers!” she jerked, away. Spun. “The lasagna!”

  The buzzer was sounding the alarm-that sounded nothing like the ones exploding in her head from Rafe’s kiss. She snapped the button off and fumbled for the hot pads.

  Rafe chuckled behind her, and that didn’t help the way her hands shook as she clutched the hot pads. The man did something to her mind, her heart-the man made her crazy.

  In a wonderful way.

  A very, unbelievable, undeniable way.

  She pulled open the oven door, heat flashed over her as she carefully reached for the cookie sheet. This was her first ever lasagna and she was really excited and horribly nervous about it. She tried not to think about the hot cowboy behind her and concentrated on the hot dish in front of her.

  Goodness it felt heavier than it had when she put it in. A lasagna to feed all these men was huge. She’d just about gotten out, the cookie sheet slid from the wire rack then suddenly dipped-the large metal pan Esther Mae had suggested she bake it in slid toward the edge. “Oh no!” she exclaimed horrified at what she was seeing. She tried to straighten the edgeless cookie sheet but that didn’t save the casserole on its kamikaze slide instead, her jerking the cookie sheet caused the lasagna to flip-

  “It’s go-gogo-ing!”

  “Whoa-” Rafe yelped as they both watched it flip over and land upside down on the crack between the door and the oven. Sadie and Rafe looked at each other in disbelief and the only sound in the room was a very odd slurping sound that drew both of them to stare back at the pan.

  “My lasagna,” Sadie squeaked.

  Rafe grabbed the hot pad and lifted the pan-hoping maybe some of it was still in the pan and could be salvaged since she looked so stricken. But-the pan was empty and there was no lasagna in the oven.

  Sadie gasped. “Where’s the lasagna.” She gasped again. “But-where?”

  The only sign that the lasagna had been there was a little bubbling sauce lining the thin crack between the door and the oven.

  Sadie was shocked but the expression on Rafe’s face was pricelessly adorable.

  She knew hers had to be just as comical as she quickly closed the door expecting to find a gooey mess on the floor but no, there was no lasagna on the floor either. It had disappeared.

  They stared at each other totally baffled.

  Rafe hiked a comical brow then reached for the oven drawer and pulled it open.

 
And there in all its globby glory lay her lasagna in the bottom of the drawer.

  Sadie’s hand went to her chest and she gasped. Then burst into laughter.

  Rafe’s shoulders were shaking he was laughing so hard and struggling to hold back but once she started laughing so did he.

  “The hot noodles just slid through both cracks!” Sadie giggled. She wasn’t a giggler but had to try to catch her breath as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

  “I don’t know how but that’s what it did.”

  “It just went slurp,” she mimicked the sound they’d heard and caused him to laugh more.

  “What was that sound again?” he asked, his eyes glittering with mirth.

  She giggled again, she never giggled but she couldn’t stop. She made the sound again and he threw his head back and laughed heartily-and Sadie knew that she would never, ever forget that moment.

  “Dinner is ruined,” she said. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him. “Forget-about-it,” he growled, holding her close. “I’m taking you out to dinner tonight.”

  “But-”

  “No buts. I’m going to clean this up and then we’re heading out after I grab a quick shower. It’s the only thing to do after a sign like this-you worked hard on this meal and then to have something this weird happen-it’s a sign that I am surely supposed to take you out.” He chuckled again, “That would probably never happen again even if we tried it.”

  “I have to agree. I’ll clean it up.”

  “Nope. I will.”

  She looked around the kitchen. “Then I’ll clean up the kitchen while you do that. Thank you.”

  He grinned. “I’m glad it happened. I’ve been wanting to take you out since the day you got here.”

  Sadie was not going to argue about it-not when she wanted to go out with him more than she’d ever wanted to go anywhere with anyone…she decided right then and there that lasagna was now her favorite food-not to eat!