“Let’s see how I do this year before we etch a schedule in stone. I’ve never done this before.”
“It’ll be great, and I’m helping. So’s Dottie. You think you’ll get to do much yourself?”
“You’re right, not much. Dottie is used to cooking for a group much bigger than ours.”
They’d had good times over the years spending the holidays with the Patterson family. It was hard to believe that soon they’d be family in earnest.
“Did I tell you Renie asked if I’d consider getting the band to play at The Goat Thursday night?” Ben told Liv.
“On Thanksgiving?”
“Yeah, most of them will be here with us for dinner anyway. Will and Maeve said they wouldn’t mind manning the bar. Renie said she’d work too. No one ever has anything to do Thanksgiving night, that’s why movie theaters are so crowded.”
“You don’t mind, Ben?”
“Nah, I’m looking forward to it. We don’t have to serve food, just drinks. Maybe it’ll become a tradition. Thanksgiving night at The Goat.”
Liv had to admit it sounded like fun. Even if it was just family and friends, the place would be packed.
It felt like old times, having the Cochrans and Pattersons with them for Thanksgiving, even if they were in Crested Butte instead of Monument.
They were headed to the ranch. Renie to see Blythe and spend the day with her. Billy was tasked with bringing Willow to the house. He figured no one cared about seeing him, it was his daughter they were dying to get their hands on.
“Billy?”
“Yeah, darlin’?”
“I’m worried about you and Jace.”
“Why? You think he’s gonna challenge me to a duel over you or somethin’?” He picked up her left hand and brought it his lips. “You’re wearin’ my ring, your fate is sealed. I’m not givin’ you up for anyone.”
“It’s just that the two of you are a lot alike.”
“Handsome, charming, lady-killers, that sort of thing?”
“Yeah, that. Stubborn and maybe a little over-confident, too.”
“We’ll be fine. You gotta remember, we’re guys. We handle things differently. We’ll give each other a ton of shit, jabs mired in humor…don’t worry, we got this.”
Renie planned to take Blythe downtown. They’d have breakfast, shop, spend too much money, and things would be fine between them. She hoped.
They hugged when Renie came in the house. Blythe was quiet and sullen.
“We’re going to Izzys. Sometimes it gets crowded and there’s a long wait, but it’s worth it.”
“That’s fine.”
“Come on, Blythe. Are you going to act this way all day? I told you I was sorry.”
“I thought I was your best friend.”
“You are my best friend.”
“Then how come you never told me how you felt about Billy? I feel like such an idiot. All the times I asked you to fix me up with him, and you didn’t say a word. You lied to me, Renie.”
“I didn’t lie to you, Blythe.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I just didn’t tell you. I didn’t tell anyone.”
“That’s bullshit. I distinctly remember you telling me that you thought Billy was serious about someone. Remember that? Was it you?”
That had been before she and Billy went from being friends to being more. Blythe was right, she had lied.
“No, it wasn’t me.”
“See?”
“I didn’t tell anyone. It wasn’t just you. I couldn’t admit how I felt to anyone.”
“That’s the part I don’t understand. Why not?”
“It was too personal.”
“Too personal? I’m your best friend.”
“I’m sorry, Blythe. What more can I say?”
“Maybe we’re not as good of friends as I thought we were.”
“Don’t go there. It isn’t that way.”
“It isn’t? Will you tell me the truth from now on? Will you talk to me about how you’re feeling? Because I’m not sure I’ll feel comfortable talking to you when I know how much you hold back. Do you ever give me your honest opinion, about anything?”
No, not always. There was a reason she didn’t—she never wanted to hurt Blythe’s feelings. It was easier to tell her what she thought Blythe wanted to hear, than tell her what she really thought. That included when Blythe hurt her feelings. It was all part of her life as a doormat. She took on the annoyance, sometimes even the hurt, to spare her friends’ feelings.
“I’m working on it.”
“What does that mean?”
“My mom gave me a lecture about being a doormat the other day. So I’m working on not being one. It isn’t easy. I’ve had twenty-three years practice hiding my feelings.”
“She’s right. It’s time to stop doing that.”
Renie wondered how Blythe would react if she got what she wanted, and she told her how she felt. She doubted their friendship could withstand it. Blythe was used to doing things her own way, and getting whatever she wanted. Especially when it came to Renie. How would Blythe react when she told her to find her own hot skier, and leave her out of it?
When they got back to the house, Liv was sitting at the table and had her feet up on a chair, with a pillow under them.
“Mom, is everything okay?”
Liv laughed. “They’re babying me. Because they’ve forgotten I’ve already had one,” she shouted in the direction of the kitchen.
That’s right, her mom hadn’t told Dottie or Paige she was pregnant before today. She’d wanted to wait until she could do it in person.
“What?” asked Blythe. “What is she talking about?”
“My mom is having a baby.”
By the look on Blythe’s face, you would have thought Renie said Liv was giving birth to alien triplets. “Blythe, be nice.”
“But—”
Renie put her hand over Blythe’s mouth. “I’ll work on telling you how I’m feeling. You need to work on the opposite. We don’t always want to hear what you’re thinking, Blythe.”
“Bravo!” There were claps and cheers from her mother and Paige.
“’Bout time you stood up for something, Renie,” said Paige. “I’ll enjoy finding out how you feel about things.”
Renie rolled her eyes. “It hasn’t been that bad.”
“She never hesitates to tell me when she doesn’t like something,” Billy shouted from the family room. “Never has, never will.”
“Hush up, you,” she answered.
“See? That’s how she talks to me. Tells me to shut up, tells me she doesn’t like what I’m wearin’, hates my cooking.”
“As if you ever cook.”
“I made breakfast once.”
“What time is dinner? I’m thinking about going for a ride. Blythe are you up for a ride?”
“I will be if you let me ride Pooh.” Blythe was skittish around horses. Whenever the two of them rode together, Renie let her ride Pooh, knowing her horse would be gentle.
“Of course. I’ll ride one of Ben’s. He won’t mind.”
“Hey, can I get a kiss before you leave again?” Billy shouted.
“Somethin’ wrong with your legs, cowboy?” she answered.
She went into the family room and saw that Willow was passed out on his lap.
“The boys wore her out—she’s plumb dead to the world right now. I know I should put her in bed, but I miss her sleepin’ on me.”
“I love seeing the two of you this way.”
“She’s usually hangin’ on you lately, not me so much anymore. Thought I’d take what I could get.”
Renie bent down and kissed Willow’s forehead, and then turned to kiss Billy. He put his hand on the back of her neck and held her there. “Give me a real kiss, darlin’. And later, you and me are gonna do some dancin’. Got it?”
“Got it.” She loved to dance with Billy. She had all her life, from the time she was a little girl to the first time B
illy realized she wasn’t a little girl anymore, to now. Soon they’d be dancing as husband and wife. She couldn’t wait for that day to come.
“It’s so weird,” Blythe said on their way to the barn. “It’s almost as though I’m watching a brother and sister kiss. Ew.”
As they were walking in the barn door, someone pulled up in a truck and honked the horn. Renie turned and saw Jace climbing out. The other man looked so much like him, it had to be Tucker.
“Hey, there,” he shouted to Renie.
“Who. Is. That?” Blythe asked.
“Jace. I’ll introduce you.”
“There are two of them? Oh, my God, I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
Here she was, faced with her first test, and she couldn’t do it. She wanted more than anything to tell Blythe to stay away from Jace, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Plus, whoever Jace chose to spend time with was no longer any of her business. Maybe Blythe would end up liking Tucker better, anyway.
Jace picked up Renie and swung her around in a circle. “I hear congratulations are in order,” he said when he set her down.
“Yep. I’m uh, you know, engaged.”
“I’m happy for you,” he answered softly. “Sad for me, but happy for you.”
“Who’s this?” Tucker asked.
“This is Irene,” Jace introduced her. “Irene, meet Tucker. And this is…I don’t know who this is.”
“This is Blythe Cochran,” answered Renie. “Her mom and my mom are best friends. We are too. Have been since we were five years old.”
Blythe blushed as she shook each man’s hand.
Nice to meet you,” she said to the two men.
“You, too,” said Jace, with a look on his face Renie had seen before. But just once. The first day she met him at Black Mountain Ranch.
About the Author
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Also by Heather Slade
COWBOYS OF CRESTED BUTTE
Available Now!
Book One
Fall for Me
Available for Pre-Order Now!
Coming November, 2017
Book Three
Kiss Me Cowboy
BUTLER RANCH
Available Now!
Book One
The Promise
Book Two
The Truce
Coming Soon!
Available for Pre-Order Now!
Coming October, 2017
Book Three
The Secret
Keep reading for a sneak peek at the next
heart-poundingly sexy novel in Heather Slade’s
Cowboys of Crested Butte Series, available in November,
Kiss Me Cowboy
Want more from Heather Slade?
Keep reading for a short excerpt from
The Promise,
the first book in
the Butler Ranch series.
Kiss Me Cowboy
Chapter One
Jace Rice was tired of being the nice guy. What in the hell was wrong with him anyway? He’d been in love, and instead of fighting for her, he handed her over to another man. And worse? He was about to spend Thanksgiving with her.
Today would be the first time he saw her since he decided to be noble instead of smart. He and his twin brother, Tucker, were driving over Kebler Pass from Aspen to Crested Butte to spend the holiday with Ben Rice and his family. And she was Ben’s stepdaughter.
Jace worked at Black Mountain Ranch as a wrangler on and off since he turned eighteen, seven years ago. It provided an income, but he didn’t need the money. His grandparents had invested heavily in land development in Aspen back before Walter Pace founded the Aspen Skiing Company. Jace and his brother Tucker each received an income from the trusts his grandfather set up for them.
He worked at the ranch because he loved being around horses, and the guests too, to be honest. For many, coming to a dude ranch had been a lifelong dream, an item on their bucket list. Some rode their whole life. Others had never been on a horse. The ranch embraced both ends of the spectrum, and everything in between.
The day he met Irene Fairchild, he was on his way to the barns, hoping to go for a long ride. Guests would begin arriving the following week, and then there would be no time for afternoon pleasure rides.
When he saw the car come barreling down the dirt road, his first inclination was to yell to the driver to slow the hell down. But when the car came to a stop, and he saw her, he changed his mind.
Out stepped a very beautiful woman putting her long blonde hair up into a ponytail. He wanted to tell her to leave it loose. He didn’t intend to walk over to her, but his feet took on a mind of their own.
“Hi,” he said, tipping his hat. “Welcome to the ranch. Can I help you with your bags?”
“Uh, sure. Thanks.”
“What’s your name, cowgirl?”
“Irene Fairchild,” she answered.
“What cabin are you assigned to, Irene?”
She pulled out her welcome letter. “Fourteen.”
It was one of the few single cabins. Jace wondered how a newbie scored it, but the thought of her sleeping alone every night made the temperature of his blood go up. The ranch management frowned on romances between employees, but as long as both parties were discreet, they looked the other way.
If anyone asked him, he would’ve said he had no interest in a summer romance with someone he worked side-by-side with, day in, day out. But Irene Fairchild made him change his mind. Something about her got under his skin. She was beautiful, but there was more to it.
Her blue eyes sparkled in the sun, and she had an easy laugh. He saw worry lines around her eyes though, which meant she might not be as shallow as a few of the cowgirls the ranch hired. They were after a good time. Irene came here for something else. He wondered what.
“Thinking about her isn’t going to help,” said Tucker.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re thinking about her. It’s over. Move on.”
“Not that easy.”
“It is that easy, quit dwelling on it.”
“Wait until you meet her. You’ll understand.”
“I don’t need to meet her to understand she’s engaged to another man. What else is there?”
“You’ll see.”
Blythe Cochran and Irene Fairchild, who everyone called Renie, met in kindergarten, and had stayed best friends ever since. The last few months had been rocky between them. Blythe hadn’t talked to her since January.
When her parents told her they were invited to spend Thanksgiving with Renie’s mother and her new husband, Blythe tried to beg off and stay home.
“I’m not speaking to Renie,” she told her mother.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she answered. “Once the two of you are together again, it will be as though no time has passed at all. The same way it is between Liv and me.”
Paige Cochran met Liv Rice the same day Blythe and Renie met. A single parent at the time, Liv became fast friends with both Paige and Blythe’s father, Mark. Their families always spent holidays together, along with Renie’s fiancé, Billy Patterson, and his parents, Dottie and Bill.
This year they were spending Thanksgiving at the Flying R Ranch. Liv moved to the ranch in Crested Butte when she married Ben Rice a year ago.
Renie’s fiancé was the main reason Blythe didn’t want to go. For the last couple of years, Blythe pestered Renie to fix her up with Billy. Renie made one excuse after another why she couldn’t, but none were the truth. Blythe recently discovered Renie was interested in him herself. More than interested, she was in love with him.
Blythe told Renie she was hurt m
ore than angry. She thought they were best friends, but maybe she’d been wrong.
When Renie begged and pleaded with her to come for Thanksgiving, she couldn’t say no. If she had, she would’ve spent it at home alone. Her parents told her they were going no matter what.
She noticed the change in Renie’s attitude immediately. And she didn’t like it. Instead of being her usual fun-loving self, she criticized her, non-stop.
The two went to Downtown Crested Butte for breakfast, and Renie started in on her almost immediately.
“Come on, Blythe,” she said. “Are you going to be pouty all day? I said I’m sorry.”
As if that was enough. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“You are my best friend.”
If they were such good friends, why hadn’t Renie turned to Blythe when she needed her? Renie told her she hadn’t talked to anyone about Billy. She’d shut herself off.
“I’m working on being more honest and open about my feelings, Blythe,” she told her. “You might want to consider being less open and honest with yours.”
What? That stung. Instead of confiding in her, which is what Blythe wanted, Renie chose to use her newfound freedom of speech to criticize her. She’d had about enough. Why had she agreed to come in the first place?
Blythe might be a little outspoken, but wasn’t that what people loved about her?
She took after her dad. Her mother was far more diplomatic. Her father had retired years ago, but before he did, he toured with an internationally-known and very successful band. He found out he had cancer when she and her two older sisters were young. He immediately quit touring, and never went back.
The stage persona lived on, however. Her dad was hysterical—everyone said so. He was also outspoken, and he didn’t always think before he spoke. It was part of his charm. He had an acerbic sense of humor, and would say the things everyone else thought, but never said.
When Renie suggested she tone things down a little, Blythe’s own mother agreed.
Dance with Me (Cowboys of Crested Butte Book 2) Page 24