Cowboy Undone

by Mary Leo

  She pulled her gaze away from him for an instant, and instead stared out at the mountainous view in front of her. Wild Cross bordered green-forested mountains on one side, and the dry, red-clay desert on the other. The deck faced the lush mountainside.

  “If that’s what it takes to help get you through this day, then yes.” She continued to eye the surrounding hills, needing a distraction from her intense attraction to him. “Otherwise, I’m here to deliver a letter from a friend to Catherine Cooper. Is she your mom?”

  She turned back to him, now more able to control her erratic emotions. He drank down his whiskey in one gulp and handed her the empty glass. His face reflected the soothing powers of the seduction of alcohol. He seemed less intense, less sad, almost as if her job here was nearly complete, and she’d managed to distract him from his pain . . . all good.

  “She is, but first I’d like to know if you’ve corrupted the ‘friend’ who gave you the letter as well?”

  “He’s already corrupted and doesn’t need my help in that category. You’re my target at the moment.”

  He took another long drag on their shared cigarette, then slowly blew out the smoke, as if contemplating the situation. “Is this corruption thing an occupation of yours, or merely an afterthought?”

  It frightened her that he somehow knew how her mind worked.

  “Believe me, nothing I ever do is an afterthought. I’m a highly calculating woman.”

  “So you designed this encounter? But I don’t even know you.”

  His eyes, encircled by thick long eyelashes, burned through her. He was clean-shaven, kept his hair short and layered against his scalp. A strong chin, a perfectly shaped nose . . . but two significant lines across his forehead told her that he’d been carrying a heavy emotional burden for some time.

  Whatever it was, she wanted to help lift it from his shoulders. She didn’t understand why or how, but there seemed to be a strong bond between them, a bond that had begun long before they’d met.

  “But that’s where you’re wrong. We’re old souls,” she said, then took a last drag on their cigarette, crushed it out, pulled the letter out of her purse and handed it to him.

  He took it.

  “Then you know me. We’ve met before . . . in a different way,” he said, though he looked as though he was holding back details.

  She had no idea what he was talking about, but the connection between them was unmistakable. Maybe they had met before, but it seemed impossible that she could ever forget the moment.

  “I don’t know if we’ve met or not . . . I can’t seem to remember if we have. The bartender told me who you were. I was told to deliver that letter directly to your mom, but I don’t want to bother her. If you could do the honors, I would be forever in your debt.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  She couldn’t help the grin that tugged on her lips. “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

  She knew she would be seeing more of Reese Cooper, she just didn’t know when or how, and now was not the time to try for answers. Instead, she abruptly turned and headed for the door, pulling her hat off as she went, allowing her hair to cascade down her back.

  “Wait!” he called. “How will I find you?”

  She heard him call to her and for a brief moment she turned to face him. It was at that moment when everything became clear, when she knew for certain whom she’d been flirting with, whom she’d been desperate for. It was right there all along in his emerald eyes.

  She immediately turned back around and headed for the exit as fast as her legs would take her. There had been something about Reese that had captivated her right from the beginning, something she couldn’t dismiss, something that, if she allowed it, had the potential to change the course of both their lives, and now she knew why . . . Reese Cooper Jr. was, in fact, Chuck Starr’s biological son.

  REESE JUST ABOUT fell to his knees as he watched Avery Templeton walk away. He’d known from the first moment he’d seen her haunting face, that glint of red hair tucked under her hat, that not only was she the woman he’d seen on the trail the day his dad collapsed, but she was the woman from his dreams who had sung to him when he was a child . . . the woman he was meant to love.

  She seemed to feel it too.

  The realization frightened him like no other. He had tried his best to crush the concept before it took root, but he’d been powerless against its force. Was she real or had he just dreamed her?

  The guilt and grief he’d been feeling over the loss of his dad had colored his every waking moment for the past two weeks. He’d tried his best to get through each day without weeping like a kid, but the tears fell like rain when he least expected them. He hadn’t been able to work, or to think properly. Until Avery had walked up to him, deliciously distracting him, he’d felt lost and out of control, as if he could never again be the man his father had raised him to be.

  Somehow, in their brief encounter, Avery had managed to restore his confidence. He felt whole again.

  Reese blamed himself for his dad’s untimely death, for not having insisted he not come on the cattle drive, for allowing Chuck Starr to confront him that day out by the fence, for not paying more attention to his dad’s health, for not being a better son.

  Guilt plagued him like a chronic disease, with no relief until he saw Avery walking towards him on the deck. At once he’d felt calm, almost relieved of his guilt. As if a tide of compassion had begun to wash over him.

  Reese had wanted Avery to stay, wanted to thank her for being there when he needed her most, but he didn’t quite know what to say. He’d called out to her, but when she released her hair from that haughty hat, an all-consuming fire raged through him. He knew he needed to let her go or his ordered life would never be the same again.

  “Reese, there you are,” his mom called as she came towards him from the open doorway. She was dressed in a gray blouse, dark blue jeans, and her best spit-shined cowgirl boots. His mom still wore a size six and was proud of how good she looked in a pair of jeans. Her graying hair was pulled back, showing off a pair of long silver earrings that his dad had given her this last Christmas. She always wore a little eye makeup and a richly-colored lipstick. Catherine Virginia Cooper had been born a natural beauty, and that hadn’t changed since she crossed the early-sixties mark with her last birthday. His dad had referred to her as his “fetching wife,” and her friends described her as ruggedly stunning. As she aged, her face had taken on some of the ravages of Arizona sunshine, but she’d never lost her inherent beauty.

  “Yes. Sorry. Needed a little downtime,” he told her, reluctantly shaking Avery from his thoughts.

  “That’s fine, but people are beginning to leave. Maybe you should come on inside. They’ll want to say good-bye to you.”

  She gazed down at the letter with her name written across the front, and her face paled as laughter floated out through the open doorway.

  “Mom, are you all right?” He put an arm around her waist to steady her. She’d had a tough time over the last couple of weeks, and he worried about her health. Getting her to eat had been a concern, and her loose-fitting clothing reflected her lack of calories. He thought that now perhaps she might be experiencing low blood sugar and needed food or something sweet to stabilize her. “Can I get you some juice or candy?”

  “I’m fine. Was he here?” Her voice sounded thin and shallow, almost as if she were afraid of something. She gazed around the empty patio.

  “Who?”

  “That envelope. Was he here?”

  Reese held up the envelope. “You know who sent this?”

  “I recognize the writing. Where is he? Did he say anything? Did he want to talk to you? I was afraid this was going to happen. Did he go back inside?” She strained to see through the open doorway.

  “Mom, I don’t know who you’re talking about. A woman delivered this. She said she was delivering it for a friend. She never said if that friend was a man or woman.”

  “Where i
s she now? Who was she?” A soft breeze swept over them and Reese picked up his mom’s perfume. She always smelled sweet, like daffodils in spring.

  “She just left, but her name is Avery Templeton. I’m sure you don’t know her. I only saw her . . . well, she said she’s visiting a friend.”

  He didn’t want to tell his mom about his dreams of her or seeing Avery on the trail the day his dad collapsed. His mom looked at him as her eyes softened and she pulled away, now able to stand on her own two feet. As he watched her, he could tell she was building up to her normal feisty self, getting ready to fight the bull that had reappeared in her kitchen. Ready to ward off any threat that might be approaching.

  He looked at the handwriting on the front of the letter more closely, thinking he might recognize the scribble like his mom had, but he didn’t. Then he flipped it over and stared for a moment as his eyes and mind came to terms with the embossed brand on the flap.

  At first, it was as if he couldn’t see it, couldn’t quite make it out. As if a film lay over it, concealing the truth. Then it became clear, like a beacon in the night, a thick circle with a star emblazoned over it. Chuck Starr’s brand. The envelope addressed to his mom . . . the envelope the woman he was meant to love had just delivered, a message from his father’s enemy.

  Suddenly the guilt he’d been feeling threatened to strangle him.

  “If you cared about your dad at all . . .” his mother began, then paused. “If you care about me, your brothers and sister, and our ranch, you’ll burn that letter and promise me you’ll never see that woman again.”

  THREE

  Avery had heard Reese call after her. She had stopped momentarily and turned back, and as soon as she did, she recognized his eyes. Those dazzling green eyes were unmistakable. The realization had stunned her, stopping her from returning to him and instead propelled her forward. Some type of instinct she didn’t understand had told her to keep walking.

  When she stepped outside of the restaurant and headed to her car, she knew she’d done the right thing. Knew if she had lingered even for a moment longer, she wouldn’t have been able to walk away. Reese Cooper Jr. had a power over her like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Never in her life had she felt so drawn to another human being as much as she had standing out on that balcony. Almost as if he were a magnet and if she lingered even for a heartbeat longer, any resistance would be futile.

  She’d driven back to the Circle Starr on autopilot, not really thinking about the streets or the other vehicles around her. When she pulled her car around to the side of the main house, she basically had no recollection of the drive itself, and could only remember her encounter with Reese Cooper Jr. Even as she showered and dressed in casual clothes, jeans, a tee and cowgirl boots, all her thoughts had remained focused on the man in black with the emerald green eyes. Her desire for him had been all-consuming, but those eyes had secretly warned her to keep her distance, to stay away, to proceed with caution.

  Now, as she sat at the dinner table, waiting for Chuck to join her, there was only one question that burned in her mind . . .

  Why didn’t Chuck tell me that Reese Jr. is his son?

  Kaya had set the table with what had to be Chuck’s finest china, white plates with the Circle Starr brand embellished in the center while gold filigree encircled the edge. There were matching bowls, cups, saucers, platters, and stemware. Even the heavy silver flatware boasted the Circle Starr brand. The long, impeccably polished mahogany table could easily seat twenty, but at the moment had been set for two.

  Avery had taken her seat on the right of Chuck’s place at the table promptly at six-thirty, expecting him to be on time, as promised. However, it was now almost seven, and Chuck still had not shown.

  “I’ll be leaving in a few minutes,” Kaya said as she walked into the room. “Everything is on the stove. It’s hot now, but I just turned it all off. Do you want me to serve it before I go?”

  “I don’t think he’s coming home any time soon,” Avery told Kaya, her disappointment coloring her voice. She thought for sure he’d keep his word, especially after she delivered the envelope for him. Didn’t he want to know all the details?

  “He’s a busy man. I can put everything on the table for you. I have a little time before my daughter picks me up. It’ll only take me a couple minutes.”

  “Sure. Can I help?” She pushed her chair back and stood, ready to assist in any way she could. After Avery’s mom died, her dad hired what seemed like a battalion of women to manage the house, cook, clean, and babysit. Avery was used to someone taking care of things, but Kaya seemed to go over and above with her genuine kindness. Very few of the women Avery’s father had hired ever showed her more than respect and courtesy.

  There were times when Avery thought her dad had purposely instructed them to be cold and distant, but she could never prove it. Her dad had tried his best to shield her from any further hurt, as if that was even remotely possible. Losing her mom had been a torrential downpour of constant pain that had never really left her. Trying to keep her from getting attached to a nanny had always seemed silly. Still, her dad had hired and fired them routinely every six months.

  “No, you sit and enjoy the wine. It’s quicker if I do it. But thank you. I’ll be right out.”

  Avery sat back down in her chair as Kaya disappeared through the door. She poured a second glass of red wine, a smooth Pinot from Napa, also one of Chuck’s favorites, according to Kaya. For all the time Avery had spent at the house in the last couple of weeks, she wished more of that time had been spent with Chuck.

  Now, suspecting that Reese Jr. was Chuck’s son, she regretted they hadn’t been able to discuss this before she had met Reese Jr. Obviously, this was a monumental moment in both men’s lives and she’d unwillingly been dropped right in the middle.

  Exactly what was in that envelope she didn’t know, but if she knew Chuck, it might very well have had everything to do with Reese Jr.

  “Can you pour two, please,” she heard Chuck say as he entered the room through the door directly behind her. “Sorry I’m late. Been thinking about this dinner all day.”

  “Me too. Glad you made it. For a while there, I thought you blew me off.”

  He took a seat, not at the head of the table, but across from her. He pulled the glass of wine she’d poured in front of him, took a few long swallows, then sat back in the chair. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Just running late, is all.”

  Kaya came in, pushing a small cart with platters of steaming food. Avery immediately got up to help her serve. When everything had been transferred to the table, Avery and Chuck thanked her and she left for the night, closing the kitchen door behind her.

  “I met Reese Harrington Cooper Jr. today,” Avery began, taking her seat. She didn’t know how else to say what she’d been thinking, but to simply come out and say it. “The resemblance is subtle, but his eyes are a dead giveaway. Why didn’t you tell me the truth, Chuck? Why didn’t you tell me that Reese is your son?”

  Chuck held his wine glass in mid-air, as if he’d become one of those stop action figures. He didn’t even blink for what seemed like a long time. He merely stared at Avery, his thoughts obviously churning with her last statement. She wondered if he would come clean or deny what she knew to be the truth.

  “Because he doesn’t know, and I couldn’t take the chance that somehow he would learn the truth before I was ready.”

  She resented that statement, as if he couldn’t trust her.

  “Until today, I didn’t know Reese Cooper Jr. existed. My loyalty lies with you, Chuck. What made you think I would ever betray your trust?”

  She picked up her glass of wine and swirled a sip around in her mouth, savoring the musky flavors with deep cherry undertones. She loved a good red wine, and this one was superb, as was all the wine she’d tasted on the Circle Starr.

  “I don’t. But I’ve kept that secret close for so long I’d become fearful of saying the truth out loud. Somehow, if I did, i
t might get back to Reese and jeopardize my plans for him. That’s why I wrote that letter today, and asked you to deliver it without telling you its contents.”

  She plunked her glass down on the table. The sting of betrayal burned through her veins. “Jesus, Chuck, you lied to me and used me blindly to do your dirty work when I could have guided you through this. What did you say in that letter?”

  His face paled as he tipped his glass up to his mouth finishing off the contents. Then he put the glass down and leaned an elbow on the table.

  “I can’t even remember everything I said. I wrote it early this morning when I was half-cocked with fatigue and filled with years of resentment. Now, I’m more scared than I’ve ever been. I don’t know if what I said to Cathy will turn her against me. I wouldn’t be happy if she turned on me. Not now. Not when I have so many plans for Reese.”

  The back of Avery’s neck tightened as deep concern for Chuck’s reckless action took hold of her legal mind.

  “Try to remember the essence of the letter. What point were you trying to make?”

  “I threatened her.”

  “How?”

  “I told her if she didn’t tell Reese the truth, I would.”

  Avery’s heart broke for Chuck. She knew he was desperate to finally come clean, but he’d done it all wrong. “You know I would have counseled you differently. A threat is never a prudent move. There were so many smarter ways to do this, Chuck.” She took in a deep quick breath, then let it out in a sharp burst of frustration. “None of that matters now. Was your threat sufficient that once she read the letter she would tell Reese the truth?”

  He nodded and pressed his lips together for a moment. “Yes. I told her if she didn’t tell him, that I would. I’m sure she didn’t want it coming from me.”

  “What held you back from simply telling him yourself years ago?”

  “It’s complicated, but in essence, I promised Cathy that I wouldn’t.”

  “Did you sign anything?”