Marrying the Cowboy

by Trish Milburn

  “No, that’s the full amount.”

  Elissa shook her head. “That can’t be right. This isn’t enough to do the repairs.”

  Andy gave her an apologetic look. “You had a policy for actual market value, not replacement cost.” She must have looked confused. “The actual market value policy is less expensive, but since this building is several decades old it’s depreciated quite a bit.”

  He said a few other things that went in one ear and out the other. The bottom line was that all her plans had just had a giant hole blasted right through the middle of them.

  “I’m sorry, Elissa. I truly am.”

  “It’s not your fault, Andy.” No, it was hers for not understanding her policy. What the hell was she going to do?

  After Andy left, she didn’t even have time to try to think of a solution. She had plants to load and a booth to set up at the fairgrounds, a rodeo to get through. With the overwhelming need to bring in cash riding heavy on her, she added some clay pots, wind chimes and a couple of small birdbaths to her inventory. Maybe she’d get lucky and sell it all tonight. Since she’d been directly affected by the tornado, she fell into the category of booth runners who only had to donate a portion of tonight’s proceeds.

  Somehow she managed to get through the afternoon of setting up her booth and helping a couple of her neighbors get theirs ready before the gates opened. She had to keep busy or she feared she might fall apart. One more thing just might do her in. And she hated feeling this way, hated that fate had decided to dump load after load of crap on her. Was this payback for having a relatively carefree life until now? If so, she was pretty sure she would much rather have had it spread out a bit.

  She looked up from taking a drink of water to see Pete leading a gray horse out of the back of Charlie’s two-horse trailer. It must be the horse he was going to use to compete. She watched as he rubbed his hand along the animal’s neck. Her breath caught when she imagined that same hand grazing her skin. Though she knew her thoughts were going down a scary road, she couldn’t look away from how Pete moved, how good he was with the horse. It wasn’t until he and Charlie led the horses out of sight that she was able to pull her gaze away.

  With her booth prepped, she was left with nothing to do but think. And she just couldn’t allow herself to think too much right now. After she got through tonight would be soon enough to figure out how she was going to lift her business up out of ruin, and stop lusting after her friend.

  Unable to sit still, she walked down the lane between the various booths. There was everything from old tools and handmade quilts to a caricature artist and Ryan Teague’s carved wooden angels. She almost passed the booth next to Ryan’s, but then a photo album caught her eye. She stepped closer to examine the cover of the album, which had been decoupaged with articles from the Blue Falls Gazette, including one about the high school football team’s regional championship when she’d been in high school.

  Though the conversation with Verona about throwing Pete a birthday party now seemed to have taken place ages ago instead of hours, she suddenly got the perfect idea for his present. “How much for the album?”

  “Twenty dollars,” the woman said.

  Sure, she might not be in the best financial position right now, but she could afford twenty bucks for a friend who’d lost so much more than she had. One who was somehow meaning more to her every day by doing nothing more than sharing pie with her under a starry sky or keeping her from being mowed down by a ticked-off football fan armed with a couple thousand pounds of car.

  Elissa bought the album and then a candy apple because, quite frankly, she was feeling sorry for herself. It wasn’t pretty, but hey, sometimes life wasn’t pretty.

  The gates would be opening soon, so she started back toward her booth by walking up the next aisle over. She was impressed by how many people had decided to contribute their time and wares to the cause. If nothing else made her feel good today, that giving spirit did.

  She was almost back to her booth when she noticed a display of handcrafted jewelry. An orange-and-turquoise necklace shaped like a flower caught her attention and she moved closer to run her fingers over the beadwork.

  “The orange earrings come with it.”

  Elissa looked up to see a petite blonde walking toward her from the front of the car parked behind the display. “It’s beautiful work.”

  “Thanks. I enjoy it.”

  “Do you sell your stuff in shops?”

  “Some, and I have an online store.”

  “I have a friend here in town who has a boutique. If you have anything that might be vintage-inspired, I bet she’d like to carry it.”

  “That sounds great.”

  “She’ll be here tonight. I’ll send her over.”

  “Thanks.” The blonde glanced at their surroundings. “Do you have a booth?”

  “Oh, yeah, sorry.” Elissa extended her hand. “Elissa Mason. I own a nursery, so I’ve got the plants and yard décor up there.” She pointed toward her booth, now manned by Verona.

  “Great. I’ll try to pop by later.” The woman picked up one of her business cards from its holder at the end of the table and handed it to Elissa.

  As soon as she saw the name, Elissa wondered what she had done to tick off fate so much. The words on the card seemed to taunt her.

  Leah Murphy Custom Jewelry, with her name written in a fancy, flowing script. Somehow Elissa found the strength to meet the other woman’s gaze. “You’re Connor’s cousin.”

  Leah smiled. “Yeah.”

  Connor Murphy’s cousin.

  Pete’s date.

  Hello, final straw.

  Chapter Nine

  Pete walked away from the arena after his and Charlie’s ride, glad to be in one piece.

  “At least we didn’t come in dead last,” Charlie said as he walked beside Pete.

  “Glad I got a day job, though.”

  “You and me both, buddy.” Charlie glanced back at the arena, where the bull riders were getting ready for their turns in the spotlight. “Must be like all that Spanish I learned in high school, use it or lose it.”

  Pete snorted. “Come on, let’s get a drink and watch these crazy fools.”

  The honest truth was he needed a beer to relax. He was nervous about his date with Leah, and he had a distinct suspicion it had nothing to do with Leah at all. Well, other than he was going to feel guilty taking her out when he couldn’t get his mind off the dream he’d awakened from that morning. The one that had him nearly bolting from the house before he could possibly run into Elissa and not be able to explain why he couldn’t look her in the eye.

  While he slid onto the end of the bleachers and tried focusing on the bull riders, his traitorous brain kept replaying how very real that dream had felt. The softness of Elissa’s skin, the way she’d smelled like the flowers she was around all day, the warmth of her lips as he’d captured them with his own. And then... He couldn’t think about what had come next or he was going to get very uncomfortable really quickly.

  He thought back through everything that had happened since the night of the tornado, and he couldn’t point to any one thing that had shifted his thinking about Elissa. It was almost as if it had always been there, and living under the same roof had simply flipped the “on” switch. Was that possible? Had that long-ago crush not really disappeared but simply gone into a long hibernation?

  It didn’t matter where it had come from or when. It was there now. What had once passed between them without a second thought now camped out in the front of his brain, playing over like a video clip on constant repeat. The pie on the front porch, dancing with her at the music hall, that night they’d fallen asleep together on the couch.

  Pete only halfway watched the riders competing in the arena. All he wanted was to get the rodeo over with so
he could get his obligation to Connor fulfilled, too.

  And then do what? It wasn’t as if he was going to tell Elissa one iota of what was going on in his head. He’d likely freak her out so bad she’d fly off to whatever remote corner of the world her parents were currently exploring just to get away from him.

  No, if he were smart he’d focus on Leah and having a good time with her. She’d seemed nice enough when she’d stopped by the sheriff’s office earlier and Connor had introduced them.

  After the bull riding was over, Pete stood and took a fortifying breath. Calling himself an idiot for dreading a date with a pretty woman, he headed toward the market booths to find Leah’s. As luck would have it, he came upon Elissa’s first and saw her trying to wrestle a big pot into the back of her SUV.

  “Here, let me help with that,” he said as he stooped beside her and gripped the bottom and top edge of the pot, planter, whatever she called these big things people filled with flowers.

  “I can get it.”

  “Yes, I can see that.” He smiled at her, but it only earned him a snarl in response. “What’s with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “And my name’s Scooby-Doo.”

  “Hush and lift, Scooby.”

  Something was definitely bothering her, but he didn’t miss the fact that she wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. And when his dream from that morning picked that moment to pop into his head again, he made his escape.

  When he found Leah, she was putting the last of her boxes in the back of her car.

  “Oh, hey there,” she said when she saw him. The big smile on her face made him feel good and guilty at the same time. “I heard you made it through your ride.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll be taking the rodeo circuit by storm any time soon.”

  She lifted a bamboo wind chime that he recognized.

  “You do some shopping, too?”

  “Yeah, met a nice gal who runs the local nursery. Elissa, you probably know her. Bet you know everyone in a town this small.”

  “Close to it.” He didn’t feel like mentioning that not only did he know Elissa, but he was also bunking at her house and having really hot sex dreams about her that made him want to take an ice bath.

  “Listen, I appreciate you being willing to hang out with me tonight while Connor is off making his moves, but you don’t have to.”

  Part of him wanted to take her up on the easy out, but a bigger part knew he’d feel like a giant heel if he did. “Nah, we’re going to have a good time. Have you ever been to our music hall?”

  “Once, a few years back. It still the most happening place in town?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, but there’s not much competition.”

  She laughed. “I don’t know. I hear if you sit at the Frothy Stein long enough, you’ll see either a fight or someone nearly lose an eye in a darts game.”

  Okay, so tonight wasn’t going to be a chore after all. Leah was funny on top of being pretty. Maybe she was just what he needed to rid himself of thoughts that were going to get him into a heap of “can’t explain myself” if he wasn’t careful.

  A few minutes later, they parked next to each other at the Blue Falls Music Hall. He offered her his arm and escorted her into the crowded building. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Not now. I think I feel like dancing. Come on.” Leah grabbed his hand, and the next thing he knew he was on the dance floor. And Leah kept him there for several songs.

  Even though he was having a good time, he found himself searching the crowd for Elissa. After he and Leah had been dancing for a while, he spotted Elissa at the bar with Greg Bozeman. A shot of stupid jealousy shot through him, and he refocused his attention on Leah. But after a couple of minutes, his gaze wandered in Elissa’s direction again. Now she was talking to India, Skyler and Keri Teague. When India caught him looking their way, she had a serious look on her face. Was something wrong?

  He resisted the urge to go check. He could talk to Elissa later, maybe tomorrow.

  Try as he might, he couldn’t keep his attention from slipping back toward the group of women. Only Elissa wasn’t with them now. He scanned the crowd and noticed her talking and laughing with some cowboy he didn’t recognize. If he’d thought that crazy stab of jealousy he’d experienced when he saw her laughing with Greg was strong, it was nothing compared to what slammed into him now. Thankfully he still had enough sense to know that he shouldn’t give in to the irrational urge to go punch the guy.

  He refocused on Leah and some story she was telling about when she and Connor were kids, something about him getting pushed out of a tree house that was the domain of the female cousins.

  “He broke his arm. I felt bad, but he could have avoided the whole thing if he’d just read the sign. It clearly said No Stinky Boys Allowed.”

  He made himself smile and laugh at all the appropriate spots in her story, but it was hard to concentrate when his interest lay elsewhere. Despite trying not to, his gaze wandered back toward Elissa. Only she was gone again, and not with the cowboy she’d been talking to since he was leading another woman onto the dance floor.

  He caught sight of Elissa heading toward the exit. For some reason, he got the impression that she had never been more tired.

  “You like her, don’t you?”

  Pete shifted his attention back to Leah. “Excuse me?”

  “Elissa. You like her.” It wasn’t a question this time, and oddly she didn’t look upset. Instead, she was smiling.

  “No, we’re just friends.”

  “Liar.” Leah laughed. “Don’t look so shocked. Anyone with half a brain should be able to see how you can’t keep your eyes off her.”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “But you want it to be.”

  “Listen, Leah—”

  She held up her hand. “Don’t you dare apologize. There’s no need.”

  He stopped dancing and stared at her. “Do you mean that, or am I going to regret it if I don’t go ahead and apologize?”

  Leah gripped his upper arms. “You’ll only regret it if you don’t tell her how you feel.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “Have you been talking to her aunt?”

  “Who?”

  He shook his head. “Never mind. I’m sorry I was such a crappy date. Don’t tell Connor, okay?”

  “If you’ll introduce me to the hottie at the bar, it’s a deal.”

  He glanced toward the bar and knew instantly that she had to mean Greg. That dude was a serious chick magnet without even trying overly hard.

  After introducing Leah to Greg and sending them off to the dance floor, he turned to find India close to him.

  “Hey, India.”

  “Pete.” Uh-oh, something was not right with the way she said his name.

  “Is Elissa okay?”

  “You should ask her that.”

  He opened his mouth to ask what she meant but then thought better of it, especially when he saw Verona approaching. Instead, he let someone pushing past him to get to the bar give him the excuse to turn away and head for the door.

  Even after he got outside and was able to take a deep breath, the world still felt as if it had tilted a little off its axis. If he were smart, he’d go back inside and find someone to dance with, or maybe drown his thoughts about Elissa. But he didn’t. Rather, he found himself walking to his truck and driving the short distance back to the house.

  When he pulled into the driveway, his headlights revealed that Elissa’s half of the garage sat empty. He knew her well enough to know where she would go if she was upset. It didn’t happen often, but whenever she’d been angry or sad in the past, she’d buried herself in work at the nursery. She’d once said that surrounding herself with plants and inhaling the earthy sce
nt of potting soil calmed her.

  He backed out of the driveway and drove the three miles to the nursery. He expected to see more lights on than the ones that always burned for security purposes. At first he thought maybe he’d been wrong, until he saw her SUV parked in the lot.

  He parked next to her and slid out of his truck. When he tried the side door, it was locked. The front door was in the part of the building that was damaged and currently blocked off by temporary fencing to keep out animals and anyone who got the idea to loot the place.

  “Elissa?”

  He got no response, which set his nerves to buzzing. He was about to call out more loudly when he heard a shuffling sound in the dark.

  “I’m over here.”

  It was Elissa’s voice, but it didn’t sound right.

  Pete saw her then, sitting on a bench cloaked in darkness. “Are you okay?”

  She didn’t immediately answer, which only served to make him more anxious. Then he heard her sniff. She was crying, and he wanted to do incredible violence to whomever or whatever had made her cry.

  “No,” she said. “I’m not.”

  Those words broke his heart more than seeing his home wiped from the face of the earth.

  * * *

  ELISSA HAD LOST track of how long she’d been sitting and staring at the rubble that was the front of her nursery, feeling helpless and alone and confused. When she’d realized that being here wasn’t giving her the comfort she sought, that was when she’d lost the battle with her tears.

  Pete kneeled in front of her. “Elissa, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

  She wanted so badly to lift her hand and rest it against his cheek, but she slid it under her leg instead before she could embarrass herself further. “Not physically.”

  His stance stiffened. She couldn’t see it, but something about the air around him told her his muscles had tightened the same way they had when he’d confronted the driver who’d almost plowed into her.

  “Did that guy at the music hall say something to you?” Pete sounded as if all she would have to say was yes and he’d make the guy wish he’d never set foot in Texas.