The Cowboy Who Got Away

by Nancy Robards Thompson

  Sitting here with Juliette while this girl thrust her breast in his face was just...straight-up wrong. It felt disrespectful and sleazy.

  He leaned back, away from the girl. Then he pointed to the cuff of the long-sleeved T-shirt. “I’ll sign it here.”

  “No, really, here is better.” She tapped her breast again.

  “No, really. This is better.” He tapped the sleeve with the marker.

  Looking a little disappointed, she took a step back and offered him the inside cuff.

  He signed and said in his most professional voice, “Thanks for your support, Shari.”

  Thank God the girl simply turned and went back to her table. After she was gone, Jude said, “Sorry about that.”

  “Hazard of the job, huh?”

  “Something like that.” His voice was an apology.

  While he was signing the shirt, Juliette had dumped some coins on the table, separating three nickels from the rest of the money. Jude reached into his pocket and pulled out the little bit of change he had. It wasn’t much, but he added five more nickels to the pile. Juliette fed them into the machine and punched in some numbers. The first tune that played was Luke Bryan’s “To The Moon And Back.” He had the CD in his truck.

  “If you’re serious about selling, couldn’t you have negotiated the sale through lawyers?” she asked after she’d finished choosing the music.

  He blinked at the change of subject, but was relieved that she seemed unfazed by Shari—or at least was willing to move on.

  “Yes, but I need to see the property again. My real estate agent said the buyer had some questions. Plus, I need to talk to Ethan face-to-face.”

  She nodded. “Probably a good idea. Something tells me he might not take this very well.”

  Juliette got it. She still understood his family dynamics. Sometimes she’d gotten it better than he had.

  He was just opening his mouth to say as much when the door chime sounded again and his old high school buddy Tony Darcy walked in with two little kids in tow.

  “Hey, Tony,” Jude called. “What’s going on, man?”

  “Campbell? What the—What are you doing here?”

  The two shook hands and exchanged quick man hugs. Tony greeted Juliette.

  They made small talk, doing the cursory catch-up. Tony said he’d been following Jude’s journey on the PBR circuit.

  “I’m living vicariously through you, bro,” he said.

  Tony said he was teaching math at Celebration High School. He’d married his high school sweetheart, Janet Hayes, five years ago. They had two kids and Janet was ready to give birth to their third any day now.

  “I’m glad I got to see you because with the baby on the way, Janet and I probably won’t make it to the reunion. That’s why you’re back in town, right? How long are you in town?”

  Jude shrugged. “That’s up in the air right now. It just depends on some things that I have brewing.”

  “If you do end up staying for a while, would you be willing to come and talk to the high school’s rodeo club? I’m the sponsor and I know they’d all love to hear from a champion. You’re kind of a big deal around here. But don’t get a big head or anything.”

  “Sure, I’d love to come and talk to them. Let me see what I have going and I’ll give you a call.”

  They exchanged numbers, and by that time Dottie delivered the blueberry pie and coffee and Tony’s to-go order, which he’d phoned in earlier. Tony paid and was out the door, but not before promising that if he didn’t hear from Jude he’d come looking for him.

  “Remember that bonfire party we had out by the lake on your property?” Juliette said, her eyes sparkling with humor. “Oh, my gosh, remember when Tony and Isaac Oppenheimer were being jackasses and decided to go skinny-dipping to embarrass all the girls?”

  Jude laughed. “And someone went to hide their clothes and ended up dropping them in the fire by mistake.”

  Juliette was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. “And we had to make sandwich boards out of the beer boxes and bungee cords so that they didn’t get arrested for indecent exposure. It would’ve served them right if they’d spent the night in jail. That makes me sound old, doesn’t it?” She shook her head. “We had some good times out there, didn’t we?” A faraway smile softened her features as she picked up her coffee cup.

  Jude swallowed a bite of pie. “Remember that time my dad was drunk when he was keeping watch out by the barn looking for those coyotes that kept trying to get after the horses? He almost shot me thinking I was an animal when really I was just sneaking in late for curfew.”

  “You were an animal.” She laughed again and the sound washed over him like balm. “That’s when I started calling you Wylie,” she said. “Oh, and remember that tree we planted by the cabin? I wonder if it’s still there.”

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you come out there with me and we’ll find out?”

  Chapter Two

  Juliette should’ve said no when Jude asked her to come with him to the lake cabin. Reminiscing over coffee was one thing, but returning to the scene where they’d made most of their memories was entirely another.

  Yet here she sat in his truck, right next to him in the very place that had been her spot. Of course, it was a different truck. It was newer and more expensive than the old beater Ford he’d driven in high school, but if she closed her eyes, she could see the two of them just as they were.

  That’s why she needed to keep her eyes wide-open and her head firmly in the here and now.

  She knew better than this. If she was tempted to forget why letting down her defenses with Jude was a bad idea, all she had to do was remind herself what happened with Shari at the Redbird Diner. Witnessing that girl fawning all over him had conjured the same feelings someone throwing a bucket of ice water in her face would have. It had been enough to shock some sense into her. Of course, it wasn’t Jude’s fault that women found him irresistible. She had to give him credit for handling Shari as well as he did. The girl seemed to offer herself to him the same way that Dottie had offered free pie—it was his for the taking. That was the life of an unmarried bull riding champion. Jude and his groupies were a package deal. She needed to keep that in mind when she found herself getting swept up in the current of his charisma.

  She stole a glance at his profile as he steered his truck off the gravel drive and down the dirt path that led to the lake. The problem was, all she had to do was spend a little time with him and all of yesteryear’s feelings threatened to flood back, making her feel like she was a teenager again and so in love that she couldn’t tell her own wants from his. She couldn’t distinguish the boundaries between his life and hers.

  Because back then, there had been no boundaries.

  She wasn’t in love with him anymore, but that chemistry, that electricity that had been the hallmark of their relationship, was still there, stronger than ever. She was pretty sure if she reached out and touched him that the air would sizzle.

  And that’s why she needed to watch herself.

  The truck bumped along the grooves that had worn into the carpet of green grass. They passed groups of skinny pine trees and the occasional cluster of rocks and boulders. Finally, Jude stopped between the big live oak where the two of them had carved their initials on one of those endless summer nights and the old cabin that had served as their lakeside cabana.

  They used to sneak off down here and disappear into their own little world. Everything else would fade away, except for them. God, they’d been two crazy teenagers who had been so hot for each other they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. But even before that—when they were younger and more innocent—they’d always been drawn to each other. They’d rode horses together on his family’s ranch. He’d taught her how to barrel race and she’d taught him the difference
between a salad fork and a dinner fork. He’d held her and let her cry on his shoulder when her dad died. She’d given him advice about how to make his relationship with his own dad better. She was his girl. He was her guy. She couldn’t even remember when exactly they’d made their relationship official. They just always were.

  Jude and Juliette.

  Juliette and Jude.

  Juju.

  Juju was interchangeable for them collectively or for each of them separately—one of the sickeningly sweet pet names they’d had for each other.

  It had all been great. Until it wasn’t anymore and ten years of silence had stretched between them like an endless ocean cloaked by night.

  “The place looks good,” Jude said, leaning forward to look out the windshield and glance around. “Ethan has been looking after it for me.”

  Juliette took off her seat belt and shifted so that she was facing him. It would’ve felt so natural to slide over next to him and tuck herself into that nook under his arm where she’d always fit so perfectly.

  But no. That was the danger zone.

  “Did you not make arrangements to have someone else take care of the place?”

  Jude nodded. “Of course I did. I paid the upkeep bills. He just offered to help. You know Ethan.”

  She hadn’t meant to sound judgmental. Even though she felt proprietary, the place wasn’t hers and whatever arrangement Jude and Ethan had agreed to wasn’t her business. As an only child, she didn’t know the luxury of leaning on a sibling. She certainly hadn’t been out here to look after the place. Not since...that night.

  That fateful night. It had all unfolded in the cabin. She hadn’t realized when she’d come out here searching for Jude that her whole world would change. Or maybe she had. Maybe having a big blowup was the only way she could’ve left.

  No, she wasn’t going there. The best way to get herself back on track was to make a joke. “I mean, think of all the hooligans who might come out here and party and skinny-dip and get into all kinds of trouble.”

  Jude nodded. “Exactly. I’m sure they’ll thank me later.”

  Playing along, Juliette rolled her eyes. “I’m sure they will.”

  They got out of the truck and started walking down toward the lake.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Juliette said, pointing to a tall tree near the lake bank. “Is that the sapling?”

  “It has to be,” Jude said. It was the only tree between the lake and the cabin that wasn’t ancient. “Looks like it not only survived, but it’s thriving.”

  “I’m so glad it’s still here,” she said. “We planted that, Jude. You and me. Look at it. It’s beautiful.”

  He was looking at her like she was an angel. “At least we did something right. I think it’s a sign.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “A sign of what?”

  He smiled a knowing smile. “A sign of good things to come.”

  She wanted to make a joke and ask him if he meant a sign of good times to come. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. A comment like that felt like she was offering more than she could deliver. There was a lot to sort out.

  She was rarely at a loss for words, but as she stood there trying to figure out what to say, he turned and started heading toward the lake.

  The warm breeze played with her hair and danced on the water, creating gentle ripples. It was the perfect day to be outside. Closer to the spot where the grass gave way to a dirt embankment, the rustling leaves of the river birch whispered a sweet welcome-home greeting. The grass looked as if it had been freshly mowed and the water weeds were so neat, they must’ve been trimmed recently.

  A few feet in front of them, a black snake slithered by.

  Juliette let out a little yelp as she jumped back and grabbed onto Jude’s arm. The move was a reflex and she pulled away as soon as she realized how good he smelled.

  “Snake.” She grimaced. “You know how I feel about snakes.”

  He smiled. “I remember. But don’t worry, that black snake is harmless. Even though there are other creatures around here who aren’t. Did we really used to take off all our clothes and swim in that water? At night—?”

  “Were we stupid or what?” she agreed.

  And crazy for each other.

  They’d done a lot more than swim in that lake, but she wasn’t going to remind him. She probably didn’t need to.

  The look that settled on his face told her that he was right there with her.

  As if reading each other’s minds, they smiled knowing smiles at each other. He was a gentleman and he didn’t bring it up. She knew she should be grateful, but the teenager in her was disappointed.

  “I need to check on a couple of things while I’m out here,” he said. “This is one of them. The buyer’s Realtor said the water level of the lake was way down and it was close to drying up. Looks fine to me. He also said there’s a problem with that old foundation slab that my dad poured. Remember how he wanted to build an outbuilding to house the mowers and equipment? The buyer’s agent is using the lake and the slab as reasons to undercut the offer.”

  As they walked toward the place where Don Campbell had poured the foundation for the project he hadn’t been able to complete, Juliette said, “It sounds like they’re playing hardball, Jude.”

  He shrugged. “You know, that’s just how it goes in business.”

  “What kind of a business is the buyer in? Is it another rancher? Did Zane tell you that he sold his ranch to Bridgemont Farms? They’d been after him for a while to sell and when Dorothy got sick he needed the money to help her out with her medical bills.”

  Zane Phillips was engaged to Jude’s little sister, Lucy. The pair was expecting a baby in a few months. If Juliette was a true romantic, Lucy and Zane’s story might have made her believe that there was still hope for her and Jude. Lucy and Zane had been lifelong friends and had finally taken that friendship to the next level. Now they were expecting a baby.

  But they had done things the right way. They had been friends before they became lovers. They knew each other inside and out and understood each other. Sure, she and Jude had history, but they also had a whole lot of standing water underneath their own bridge of years. Too much water, Juliette feared, to be able to bail themselves out and get to the other side without drowning if they decided to shed the superficial and dive into everything that had gone wrong.

  When they got to the concrete slab, Jude stepped up onto it and then offered his hand to Juliette, helping her up onto the foundation. The block was weathered and cracked as expected for something that had been exposed to the elements for nearly a decade.

  “It’s not ideal, but it’s not going to cost them twenty thousand dollars to remove it,” Jude said.

  “Twenty thousand dollars? Are you kidding me?”

  “Like I said, they’re playing hardball. They’re saying that because the lake dried up it shouldn’t be considered lakefront property. Since I don’t live in Celebration anymore, I guess they thought I wouldn’t check, which is pretty ridiculous.”

  “The lake is perfectly fine. Who are these con men?”

  “I’m not altogether sure. My Realtor is dealing with them through their Realtor. She’s the one handling the specifics. It’s some corporation I’ve never heard of. I haven’t had a chance to check them out because I’ve been so busy. I just haven’t gotten to that point yet. And I wanted to check out their claims before I invested too much energy. But now that I’m back, once I get settled in and I can take a breath, I’ll do my research.”

  Juliette nodded. At least he wasn’t 100 percent set on selling to this buyer. She knew it was crazy, but the thought of him letting go of the property made her sad. It would feel as if he was divesting himself of the last bit of them. And that was selfish. Because if he had no use for the property, he still had to p
ay property taxes and such. Even so, the thought of it made her heart feel heavy. This was their place.

  “Let me pull up the email from my Realtor.” Jude took out his phone. “I think she mentioned who they are.”

  He tapped and scrolled the screen, then handed Juliette his cell.

  “Here it is.”

  She took the phone, ignoring the way their hands brushed.

  The email said:

  Hi, gorgeous, the offer for the Celebration, Texas, property is attached. Call me if you have any questions. Or call me, even if you don’t have any questions. Just call me. Smooches, Afton

  “Smooches?” Juliette said before she could stop herself. “What kind of real estate professional signs her email ‘smooches’?”

  Jude laughed. “That’s just Afton.”

  “Oh, well, Afton sounds like she likes you. Isn’t there some sort of professional code of ethics she’s violating? Like how doctors aren’t supposed to get personally involved with their patients?”

  “Afton and I are not personally involved.”

  “Really? Sounds like she thinks you are, gorgeous.”

  He laughed. It was a full-bodied belly laugh. “You’re jealous.” Even though the familiar sound of his laughter soothed her, she still felt heat blooming on her cheeks.

  “I am not jealous.” She raised her chin. “Why would I be jealous?”

  “Because you still love me.” He was teasing. She knew he was, the same way he used to always tease her. Since every word that came out of her mouth seemed to make it worse, she didn’t answer him. Instead, she turned her attention to his phone. “Do you mind if I pull up the attachment that Smooches sent?”