Strong-Willed Cowboy (The Buckskin Brotherhood Book 5)

by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Stephanie Bond

  Chapter Eleven

  While everyone fussed over Kate, Rafe took off his coat and laid it with the others piled on the picnic table. The blazing logs in the fire pit kept the area warm enough that nobody needed them.

  The group’s enthusiastic response to Kate pricked his conscience. She needed this connection and she’d denied herself because of him. No sugar-coating that truth.

  When Jake left to heat up Kate’s serving of chuck wagon stew, Rafe went with him. He’d claimed they needed a couple more bags of chips and Jake couldn’t carry everything. Not a plausible excuse, but nobody questioned it.

  As they walked back to the house, he lowered his voice, although the group’s rowdiness would likely drown out whatever he said. “I feel like a first-class a-hole, bro.”

  “Why? You’re the hero, the guy who’s agreed to—”

  “It’s the least I can do after the way I’ve acted the past two months. She tried to hang out with the gang after our big fight, remember?”

  “She did, but I figured it became too awkward for her.” Jake took the steps quickly and went through the back door to the kitchen.

  Rafe followed him in. “Which is my fault. “Whenever she showed up, I sulked.”

  “You were upset. And rightly so.” Jake dished stew into a small pan, set it on a burner and turned on the heat.

  “Yeah, and I wanted her to know it.” Rafe scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’ll bet she stopped coming because of my standing in the group. If I was unhappy because of her, she was the one who should bow out.”

  “Maybe. If that’s what she figured, she read the situation right. Our first loyalty is to you.” Grabbing a wooden spoon, Jake stirred the contents of the pan. “And she’d bid aggressively to get you. We all thought that was a promising sign.”

  “I could have started an affair with her that day.”

  Jake kept stirring.

  “You knew that, didn’t you?”

  “She told Millie. Millie told me.” He glanced at him. “Wish you had?”

  “Sometimes. Except it would have been on her terms. No sleeping over, no leaving my stuff at the cottage. She wanted me in her bed but not in her life.”

  “That ex must have been a piece of work.”

  Rafe grimaced. “I wouldn’t mind going a few rounds with Enrique Caputo.”

  “That’s his name?”

  “Yeah. Saw it on the divorce decree today.”

  “You’d really like to punch him out?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s big, coming from someone who wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  “I hate him.”

  “I get that. But if he’d been a model husband, we’d never have met Kate.”

  “Which would’ve been sad for us, although we wouldn’t know what we were missing. But she’d have the life she’d expected and the kids she wanted.”

  “She wanted kids?”

  “Just found that out a few minutes ago.”

  “Huh. I thought she and her famous chef husband were focused on making names for themselves in the restaurant world.” Jake got down a bowl and a plate. “Would you grab me a box of crackers?”

  “Sure.” He got one out and handed it over. “She probably wanted that, too, but being famous doesn’t rule out having kids. She wanted them bad enough that she researched sperm motility.”

  “Sperm whatzit?” Jake put the bowl on the plate and piled some crackers around it.

  “It’s a measure of how fast those little dudes swim to the finish line.”

  “You can measure that?”

  “Evidently.”

  “How?”

  “I didn’t ask. It’s the sort of discussion that could strike a match, if you know what I mean.”

  Jake laughed as he scooped the stew into the bowl. “Oh, do I ever! When I want to get Millie hot, I bring up sperm motility. Works every time.”

  “Okay, not the term itself, but the concept of how sperm moves into—oh, hell, never mind.”

  Grinning, Jake picked up the plate and handed it to him. “See if you can deliver this steaming bowl of stew to your lady without striking any matches. I’ll snag the potato chips.”

  “Oh, right. Forgot about those.”

  “Understandable.” Jake pulled two bags of chips from the cupboard. “When a guy’s fixated on sperm motility, he can’t be expected to—”

  “Make jokes if you want, but your motility peaked at twenty-five.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Statistics, bro.” He turned and headed for the back door. “That’s the average age it happens. Since all of us have either turned thirty or are fast approaching it, we—”

  “Tell that to CJ. His motility may have peaked five years ago, but his aging sperm got past that condom, no problem.”

  “Maybe he’s the exception or just got lucky.” He went out the back door and left it open for Jake.

  “Oh, he got lucky, all right. Isabel adores him. He’s at the top of his game. Even plays that guitar better than ever.” Jake shut the door behind him.

  “I agree with you there.” CJ had launched into Chattahoochee, one of his favorites. “Anyway, this motility issue is a wake-up call if you want kids. I figure you and Millie do.”

  “Eventually.”

  “But if you wait too long, it might be more difficult for Millie to get pregnant.”

  “Meaning we’d have to have sex more often to accomplish the task?”

  “I suppose that’s logical, but—”

  “Then I don’t see a problem.” Jake chuckled. “My sperm can take its own sweet time.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” He could use Jake’s argument with Kate, except another discussion along that line would be unwise.

  “Like Charley used to say, there’s always two sides to a situation. Unless there’s more than two.”

  “I was missing him today at the Teton Tasty Treats.”

  “Bet you were. We’ll schedule that trip. Just have to get this wedding over with and we’ll have time to plan it.”

  “Sounds good.” Except once the wedding was over he wouldn’t have all these great excuses to spend time with Kate.

  She glanced up with a smile as he approached with her dinner. “That looks and smells delicious.”

  “Sorry you’ve been missing out for weeks.”

  “No worries. I’m here, now.” She took the plate and balanced it on her lap.

  “How’re you doing on cider?”

  “Still have half a bottle.”

  “Then I’ll get myself one and be back.” He walked over to the ice chest and pulled out a chilled bottle as CJ finished playing Chattahoochee and paused for a gulp of cider.

  “Great job, bro,” Rafe said.

  “Thanks.” CJ smiled. “It’s fun. This next one should get everybody on their feet.” He launched into Kip Moore’s Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck, the gang’s new singalong favorite.

  “The truck song!” Isabel pushed herself from her chair, belly and all, and started dancing solo. Eva wiggled out of Nick’s lap, singing the bouncy lyrics as she pulled him to his feet. Matt and Lucy joined them, followed quickly by Millie and Jake. Leo and Garrett took turns dancing with Isabel.

  Kate remained seated, her dinner in her lap. Kate in wallflower mode startled and saddened him. She used to be the life of the party.

  Made sense that she was still in her chair. The truck song was a recent tradition and she likely hadn’t learned the words.

  Leo and Garrett felt comfortable dancing with Isabel, whose partner was providing the music, but they’d hesitate to invite Kate to dance after he’d made a point of fetching her from the dining hall. Getting her on her feet was his job.

  Threading his way through the dancers, he set his bottle on the ground by his chair. “Come on.” He took away her stew, leaving the plate on the arm of her chair. Pulling her up, he started singing and moving with the music.

  With a bemused smile, she danced with him, tentative
at first, as if they’d never done this before. But the lyrics were easy and addictive. She began singing along, getting into it.

  Gripping her firmly around the waist, he twirled her around in a dramatic show of strength like he used to when they’d danced as friends. She laughed.

  Much better. Gradually she shed her hesitation and became the Kate he used to know. Giving herself up to the rhythm, she added a few wiggles and shimmies that made his mouth go dry.

  When the song ended, she was breathing hard. “Thanks. Guess I’ll need to learn all the words if the truck song is a thing, now.”

  “It’s a thing.” His heart was thumping like an engine that had thrown a rod.

  “What else has changed since I was here last?”

  I’m more in love with you than ever.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rafe had saved her from being odd woman out. Kate was grateful, but the episode showed her that weaving herself back into the fabric of the Buckskin gang would be tricky. What was that old saying? You can never step in the same river twice.

  Chuck wagon stew night was the same and not the same. Adirondack chairs had replaced most of the chummy stumps. CJ had learned a new song and everyone had picked up the lyrics. Isabel’s belly had grown bigger.

  When CJ had started playing the truck song, Eva had pulled Nick out of his chair so he’d dance with her. Two months ago, she wouldn’t have been here. Now she was an accepted part of the gang, more secure in her role than Kate was.

  The bachelor auction had changed everything, including this group she loved. She and Rafe were still considered a couple, but their dynamic had become way more complicated since August. Nobody knew how to treat the new entity that was Rafe and Kate. How could they? She didn’t know, either.

  “Hey, everybody!” Millie clapped her hands like a teacher on the playground. “The truck song just gave me an idea. Who’s up for musical chairs with live music?”

  Jake gazed at her. “We’ve never done musical chairs.”

  “Wouldn’t it be fun, though?”

  “Depends on what you mean by fun.” Matt smiled. “There’s a reason we’ve never played. The guys will be eliminated first because a cowboy is hard-wired to give up his chair to a woman.”

  “You’d have to set aside your training just this once,” Millie said. “I’d be fascinated to see if you can do it.”

  “I’d love to play,” Kate said, “once I finish my stew.”

  “Oh, right.” Millie glanced her way. “I forgot you still have food. Isabel, I didn’t think about you, either. This might be the wrong game for—”

  “Are you kidding? It’s the perfect game for me. I’m a pregnant lady, so I’ll be treated like I’m made of glass. I do think Matt has a point. They won’t fight us for the chairs.”

  “But if you want to try it,” Matt said, “I’m willing. We’ll all lose, but that’s okay.”

  “Maybe one of us could win.” Jake had a gleam in his eye. “This game is more about strategy and finesse. If we can get over our instinct to give up our chair, we might have a chance.”

  “That’s a big if,” Matt said.

  Nick looked confused. “We have to take chairs away from women? That doesn’t sound like a very good game.”

  “You’ve never played?” Eva gave him a surprised glance.

  “No, ma’am.”

  “It’s a classic. We should do it at least once, just so you can see what it’s like.”

  “It’ll be an adventure in social dynamics,” Millie said. “Is everyone willing?”

  “Sure.” Jake gave his wife a quick kiss. “Set us up.”

  “Okay, then. Kate, we’ll arrange the rest of the chairs while you finish your dinner. We’ll put yours in last.”

  “Ladies, stand down, please.” Jake cast a glance around the semi-circle. “The men will arrange the chairs. Let us demonstrate our cowboy manners before we turn around and blow them to smithereens.”

  “We won’t blow them to smithereens.” Matt grabbed two chairs. “But it’ll be fun to see which of the ladies wins.”

  “We need to fill in with chummy stumps.” Lucy picked up one.

  “Two will do it.” Eva took the stump Nick had been using as a footstool.

  CJ strummed a few chords on his guitar. “What tune do you want?”

  Everyone shouted the truck song except Kate. But at least she was in the know.

  And she’d made it here for the first, and possibly the one and only, game of musical chairs. Chances were good it would become a memory everyone referred to later.

  By the time she finished her stew and most of the crackers, the circle was complete except for her chair. She picked up her plate and empty cider bottle and stood. “You can have mine, now.”

  Rafe came to fetch it and Jake took her plate, bowl and empty cider bottle. She joined the group that was gathered around Nick.

  He listened intently as Millie explained the rules.

  “And no shoving.”

  He stared at her in horror. “I would never shove a woman.”

  “What about jostling?” Lucy grinned at Matt. “We can all jostle each other, right?”

  His eyebrows lifted. “There’s a fine line between shoving and jostling.”

  “There’s a very substantial line, Matt,” Millie said. “You shove with both hands and put your whole body into it. That’s not allowed, since you guys have more upper body strength than we do. You jostle with your hip and try to scoot someone sideways.”

  Jake laughed. “I’m all for hip action. Jostle away, Millie.”

  “So body contact is okay?” Nick still looked reluctant.

  “A friendly nudge is allowed,” Eva said.

  “But that doesn’t seem fair.” Nick frowned. “I can nudge with more force than you can.”

  “But you won’t use that extra strength against a woman,” Matt said, “which is what I’m saying. The ladies are sure to win because we can’t go all out.”

  Millie, Lucy and Eva insisted that wasn’t necessarily true, while Nick and Rafe backed up Matt’s statement.

  Garrett raised his voice above the hubbub. “We can do a second round with just the guys, no holds barred.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Millie said. “We can have one with just the women, too.”

  “No need for that,” Matt said. “That’s what this first round will turn into.”

  CJ tapped a quick ba-DUM-dum on his guitar. “I want in on the guys-only version.”

  Leo turned around. “But we need music, bro.”

  “We could use the extra-long extension cord to plug in those speakers you bought for your phone.”

  “Good thinking.”

  “But you’ll play for the coed round, I hope,” Millie said. “That’ll make it way cooler.”

  “Oh, I’m definitely doing that. Let me know when you’re ready.”

  “First, I want to mix up the couples.” Millie took charge, as she often did.

  She was the lynchpin of the group. The past few weeks without chuck wagon stew night, bunkhouse poker games and outings to the Moose, Millie had been Kate’s lifeline with phone calls and chats over afternoon tea. Tomorrow she’d be the maid of honor at Kate’s peculiar wedding. Couldn’t have a better friend than that.

  “Kate, you get between Leo and Garrett.”

  “Aye-aye, cap’n.” She took her place in line behind Leo.

  He turned to smile at her. “Good to have you back.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You up for poker next week?”

  “Sure. Just let me know.”

  “Nick’s available when Eva has girls’ night with her friends. Probably Wednesday, but I’ll find out for sure and let you know. That’ll give us five players for a change.”

  “Count me in.” Rafe would be there, of course. By slightly turning her head, she had a view of him across the circle of chairs.

  He laughed at something Eva said. Then she made another comment and he totally lost it. She u
sed to make him laugh like that. Damn, she missed those days.

  “Ready, CJ!” Millie called out.

  He started playing and Kate followed Leo around the circle—eleven people for eight chairs and two chummy stumps. The music stopped and Kate plopped right into the chair next to her. Leo got a chummy stump. Isabel grabbed a chair behind Kate, leaving Garrett standing, his smile resigned.

  He lifted both hands. “Matt’s right. Couldn’t do it, especially to a pregnant lady. I’ll go keep CJ company.”

  Millie removed the chummy stump Leo had used and adjusted the circle before calling out to CJ again. When the music stopped, Kate dodged right and stole the chair from Leo, but he slid neatly into the one Jake was going for.

  Jake sat on his lap and grinned at Kate. “This counts, right?”

  “Afraid not, Skippy.”

  “Then it’s the losers’ circle for me.” He walked over to stand next to Garrett.

  Rafe was the next one out, followed by Matt. Nick was eliminated, and finally, Leo.

  Matt swept a hand toward the row of guys. “Did I call it or what?”

  “Admit it, though,” Millie said. “You had fun.”

  “Big fun,” Jake said. “It’s not every day I get to sit in Leo’s lap.”

  “Looks like it’s down to us girls.” Lucy said. “May the best woman win.”

  “Tough competition.” Millie grinned. “But I can take you guys.”

  “Hang on,” Kate said. “I need to stretch.”

  That got her a laugh as she did a couple of quick lunge poses. Two months ago, she would have given her all to this game. She’d always been competitive and proud of it.

  But Millie was her best friend. Lucy had given her a raptor sketch for donating so much money to Raptors Rise. Isabel was taking time from her just-opened coffee shop to attend the wedding. Eva was styling her hair and painting her nails for free tomorrow.

  CJ launched into the truck song, and the five of them circled four chairs. When he stopped playing, she made a show of battling Millie for a chair, but even Millie knew she wasn’t trying very hard. Millie claimed the chair, but then she got up and hugged Kate. “Go get some cider. I’ll be there soon.”