Best of Cowboys Bundle

by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Barbara White Daille, Judy Christenberry, Christine Wenger, Shirley Rogers, Crystal Green, Nina Bruhns, Candance Schuler, Carole Mortimer

  “Tell him the truth. I don’t care!”

  Chay blew out a breath of exasperation. “Listen, Ashley, I’m just trying to keep you out of trouble.”

  “Oh! You’re just like my dad, always trying to keep me from having any fun,” she muttered, and lapsed into a sullen silence.

  “Dana, do you mind if I take you home first?”

  “No, of course not.”

  They reached her place a short time later. Chay parked the truck, opened the door for her and walked her to the porch.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “This isn’t exactly the way I thought the evening would end.”

  “It’s all right.”

  He drew her into his arms. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  Tomorrow! If Rick hadn’t deserted her, it would have been her wedding day. “I…I think I’m just going to stay home.”

  He drew back a little. “I see.”

  “No,” she said. “You don’t.”

  “Then tell me.”

  How could she say it out loud?

  “Come on, Dana, you can tell me anything. I don’t want any secrets between us.” He felt a little guilty as he said the last, since he was keeping several secrets from her.

  “Tomorrow was supposed to be my wedding day.”

  He drew her back into his arms. “I’m sorry, honey. I guess there isn’t much I can say to make things better.”

  She hid her face against his shoulder so he couldn’t see her tears. He was right, there were no words to ease her pain, but it felt good to be in his arms, to hear his voice murmuring soft words of comfort. Did she dare trust her feelings for this man? Or was she just asking for another heartache? She had vowed never to love again, but she had been drawn to Chay from the first. Maybe it was fate. Maybe she was just on the rebound.

  “Don’t stay home alone tomorrow,” he said, dropping a kiss on the crown of her head. “It’s the old man’s birthday tomorrow and he’s giving himself a big party. Barbecue, rodeo, dancing, the whole nine yards. Say you’ll come and cheer me on when I ride.”

  She had to admit it sounded a lot better than staying home alone, feeling sorry for herself. “You’re going to ride in the rodeo?”

  “You bet.”

  “Okay, I’ll go,” she said. “What time?”

  He tapped her chin with his forefinger. “That’s my girl. I’ll pick you up around noon. The rodeo starts at one.”

  “What should I wear?”

  “Jeans and a T-shirt are fine, but you might want to bring a dress along for later.”

  “All right.”

  He hugged her and then, no doubt mindful of Ashley watching them from inside the truck, he kissed her quickly. “Sweet dreams.”

  She murmured, “Good night,” and then, as she had so often in the last few days, she stood on the porch and watched him drive away until he was out of sight.

  Chapter Nine

  C hay glanced at Ashley. She had moved as far away from him as she could get. She was staring out the passenger window, her arms folded across her chest.

  “Is this the first time you’ve snuck out to meet that loser?” he asked.

  “What difference does it make? It’s none of your business, anyway.”

  “Did you look at yourself in the mirror before you left the house?”

  “So you really don’t like my outfit?”

  “Not much. What look were you going for? Teenage hooker of the month?”

  “Very funny. Don’t you think I look sexy? Nick does.”

  “I think you look ridiculous.”

  She glared at him. “I do not.”

  “You don’t see Dana parading around like that. What happened to Brandon? I thought you were stuck on him?”

  She shrugged. “I like him okay, but Nick’s…” She lifted a hand and let it fall.

  “Exciting?” Chay supplied dryly. “Forbidden?” He grunted softly, knowing he was on the right track by the look on her face. “You’d better hope we can sneak you into the house before Big John gets a look at the way you’re dressed. If he says anything about your being gone, I’ll tell him Dana and I took you to the movies with us.”

  “What makes you think he’ll believe you? And what excuse will you give for not taking Megan and LuAnn and Brittany?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”

  “Even if he believes you, I’ll still be in trouble,” she said. “He’ll yell at me for not telling him that I was going and then yell at me for going off with you when I had company.”

  “Like I said, I’ll tell him it was just a misunderstanding, that I thought you’d told him, and that you thought I did. I’ll tell him I asked the other girls and they didn’t want to go. When we get home, you hightail it up to your room and wash that crap off your face, then get into bed. I’ll talk to your old man.”

  “All right.”

  “Just promise me you won’t pull a stunt like this again.”

  “I love Nick.”

  “Love! You don’t even know what the word means. Besides, he’s too old for you. Didn’t you ever ask yourself why he isn’t dating girls closer to his own age?”

  “He loves me.”

  Chay swore under his breath. “How long have you known him?”

  “Not very long,” she admitted sullenly.

  Chay took a deep breath. Anger and recriminations weren’t the answer. “Listen, honey, you’re gonna meet a lot of guys before you find the right one. But right now you need to be careful. There are a lot of guys out there who’ll take advantage of you if they can. I don’t want you to get hurt. Or to wind up pregnant.”

  “Is that all you’re worried about? That I’ll get pregnant?”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, Ashley. I don’t want to see you make a mistake that will ruin the rest of your life.”

  “Is that what you think babies do, ruin your life?”

  “They do when you’re fifteen and unmarried. Whether you keep it or give it away, you’ll never be the same. Enjoy being young, Ashley. Don’t get caught up in things you’re not old enough to handle.”

  He pulled up alongside the house and cut the engine. “Get going.”

  He watched her shimmy up the tree that grew alongside the house and made a quick mental note to have one of the men cut off the big branch outside her window first thing in the morning.

  Exiting the truck, he went into the house. He found Big John in the kitchen.

  “Have you seen Ashley?” Big John asked. “She’s been missing all night. Those silly girls said they didn’t know where she was.”

  “She’s fine. I took her to the movies.”

  “The movies! Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

  “I thought she did.”

  “Well, she damn well didn’t! I was just about to call the police. Where is she now?”

  “Calm down. She’s upstairs getting ready for bed.”

  “I’ll be glad when she goes back to school.”

  “I’ll miss you, too, Daddy.”

  Big John whirled around at the sound of his daughter’s voice. Ashley stood in the doorway wearing a bathrobe over a pair of pajamas, her face scrubbed clean. Tears glistened in her eyes. Before Big John could say anything, she turned and ran down the hall.

  Chay heard her footsteps running up the stairs, the slam of a door.

  Big John muttered something under his breath, then stalked out of the room.

  Chay let out a heavy sigh, wondering if Ashley and the old man would ever find a way to get along. As far back as Chay could remember, the two of them had been at loggerheads. Big John had no patience for her, no time to spend with his only daughter.

  Leaving the house, Chay determined that, in the future, he would keep a closer eye on Ashley’s comings and goings whether she liked it or not.

  Chapter Ten

  I t would have been her wedding day.

  It was Dana’s first thought when she woke on Saturday morning. Feeling thoroughly depressed,
she stared up at the ceiling, overcome with a sense of lethargy. She never should have agreed to go to the barbecue with Chay today. She wasn’t going to be good company for herself or anyone else. She hated feeling this way. She wasn’t the first woman this had happened to and she wouldn’t be the last. Why couldn’t she just shake it off and get on with her life? It wasn’t the end of the world.

  She needed to call home. She had called her mother when she arrived at the Hollow, but that had been weeks ago. She had put off calling again because she didn’t want to talk about Rick. Surprisingly, she had rarely thought of him at all, thanks to her infatuation with Chay.

  She glanced out the window. It was a beautiful day. The words happy is the bride the sun shines on drifted through her mind. She wondered if it had been sunny on the day Rick married his new love. Rather uncharitably, she hoped there had been a cloudburst!

  With a sigh, she grabbed a book and went into the bathroom where she took a long hot bubble bath. She didn’t get out until the water was almost cold.

  After dressing, she went downstairs and drank a glass of orange juice, then fixed herself a cup of strong black coffee.

  She was stalling, but no matter how long she put it off, sooner or later she had to call her mother.

  She felt a little better when she hung up thirty minutes later. Her mother, bless her heart, had taken care of everything, just as she’d said she would. She had called the guests, canceled the church and the flowers and the caterer, returned all the gifts. Friends and family had been sympathetic, her mother said, expressing their love and their regrets that things hadn’t worked out.

  Dana stared at the phone, thinking that she should just call Chay and tell him she couldn’t make it. She was reaching for the phone when it rang. She knew, somehow, that it was him.

  Lifting the receiver, she murmured a quiet hello.

  “Good morning.”

  A familiar warmth filled her at the sound of his voice. “Good morning. I was just about to call you.”

  “I hope that means you were missing me as much as I was missing you,” he said, and she heard the smile in his voice. “Any chance I could pick you up at eleven instead of noon?”

  She opened her mouth, intending to tell him that she had changed her mind and that she wouldn’t be going, but her heart had other ideas. “I’ll be ready.”

  “Good. See you soon.”

  She hung up the receiver and glanced at the clock. Ten-fifteen! If she was going to be ready by eleven, she had to hurry!

  Chay arrived at eleven on the dot. He was clad in a pair of faded blue jeans, a slipover buckskin shirt with fringe dangling from the sleeves and snakeskin boots. There was no mistaking his Indian heritage today.

  “Hi, cowboy,” she said, opening the door for him.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, just let me grab my bag.” It was amazing, but just the thought of spending the day with him chased all the dark clouds from her mind. Who needed Rick when Chay was here?

  She picked up her bag, which held a sweater in case it got cool, a dress and shoes for later, a brush, comb and her makeup.

  Chay opened the truck door for her, winked at her, then went around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.

  “Ready for a good time?” he asked.

  She smiled at him. “More than ready. Thanks for asking me.”

  “Hey, I usually go to these things alone. Today I’ll have the prettiest girl in town on my arm.”

  She blushed at the compliment. It wasn’t true by any means, but she could have kissed him for saying it. Today, of all days, she needed to feel good about herself.

  “So, you said Big John does this every year?”

  “Yep. Guess he figures no one else could give him a party as big as the one he can throw for himself. It’s something just about everybody in town turns out for.”

  “Amazing.”

  “Yeah, it is that.”

  “Do I sense a note of bitterness in your voice?”

  “Probably.”

  She waited, but he didn’t elaborate. “So,” she said, “are you still baby-sitting?”

  “No. Yesterday was the last day. Their folks are picking them up today. You don’t know how relieved I am that they’re going.”

  “Don’t you like kids? They seemed like pretty nice girls to me.”

  “I love kids but four teenage girls are more than I can handle.” He grinned at her. “I won’t have to worry about them again until next summer. Who knows, the way girls grow up these days, they might all be married by then.”

  Dana nodded, her good mood momentarily shattered. Married. Today was to have been her wedding day.

  “Hey,” Chay said, taking her by the hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “I was supposed to make you forget what day it is, not remind you.”

  “It’s okay, really.” She forced a smile, and changed the subject. “Will your mother be at the party? I’d like to meet her.”

  “I’d like for her to meet you, too. But it won’t be today. I can’t think of anything that would bring her back here.”

  “What about your father?” she asked.

  A muscle worked in Chay’s jaw, reminding her that his father was a topic that he had refused to discuss once before.

  “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “Forget I asked.” But she couldn’t help wondering at Chay’s reticence in talking about his father. Was it because his father wasn’t Indian? Or, horrible thought, maybe he didn’t know who his father was.

  They pulled into the driveway of Big John’s ranch a few minutes later. Chay parked alongside the house, switched off the ignition and stepped out of the truck. Walking around to the passenger side, he opened the door for Dana and handed her out of the cab.

  She glanced around, awed by what she saw. A huge two-story white house sat on a small rise. A wide veranda stretched across the front. Dark green shutters hung at the windows upstairs and down. Tall trees grew along both sides of the house. Colorful flowers bordered a well-manicured lawn. There were cars and trucks parked everywhere. She guessed there were already close to fifty. Music filled the air, growing louder as Chay took her by the hand and led her around to the rear of the house.

  Dana blinked at what she saw. There were men, women and children everywhere, most decked out in jeans, cowboy shirts, big hats and boots. There were four bounce houses for the kids, as well as a snow-cone machine and a cotton-candy machine. A man wandered around making balloon animals for the youngsters. A clown was entertaining old and young alike with a magic show. A couple of fiddlers stood off to one side playing country music.

  A ways off in the distance, a group of men were throwing horseshoes. There was also a baseball game in progress. What looked like a whole side of beef was slowly turning over an open pit. Colorful canopies shaded two dozen long tables and another dozen round ones, all of which were laden with food. Galvanized tubs were filled with ice and every brand of beer and soft drink known to man. A large arena had been set up on one side, complete with bleachers.

  Dana shook her head. “Wow.”

  Chay grinned at her. “Pretty impressive, huh?”

  “I’ll say. How many people is he expecting?”

  “Oh, about two hundred, I guess, not counting kids. Do you want to get something to eat or drink?”

  “Sure.”

  She had never seen such a spread in all her life. There were bowls of fresh fruits and vegetables, a variety of dips and sauces, trays of bread and rolls, cheeses, pickles and chips, salsa, barbecued chicken, Swedish meatballs and cocktail wieners, as well as hamburgers, hot dogs, shrimp cocktail and every kind of salad you could imagine, as well as carrot and celery sticks.

  It all looked so good, Dana took a little of everything. “You gonna eat all that?” Chay asked incredulously.

  “Just watch me,” she replied, grinning.

 
He laughed out loud. “I like a girl with a healthy appetite. Come on, I see an empty table over there.”

  Sitting down, Dana took a good look at her plate and wondered if maybe she’d taken a bit more than she needed.

  Chay put his plate on the table. “Best save some room,” he warned. “This is just a snack.”

  “A snack?” she said in disbelief. “You mean there’s going to be more?”

  “Sure. Dinner will be served after the rodeo.”

  The food was excellent and she ate way too much, considering there was more to come. She was looking forward to sitting in the shade, relaxing, when Chay stood and took her hand.

  “Come on,” he urged. “It’s rodeo time.”

  “Already?”

  “Yep.”

  He led her to the arena and found her a seat in front. “How about a kiss for luck?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but swooped down and kissed her.

  “Be careful,” she admonished.

  “Always,” he said, winking at her.

  Before long, the bleachers were full. Dana was feeling a little out of place until Ashley and her friends dropped down beside her.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself,” Dana replied, glad for the company. “Nice to see you again, girls.”

  LuAnn, Megan and Brittany grinned at her as they sat down.

  “I love to watch Chay ride,” Ashley said, munching on a hot dog. “He’s the best.”

  “I’ve never been to a rodeo before,” Dana said.

  “Never?” Ashley looked at her as if she had just admitted she had never seen a horse before.

  “I’m a city girl, remember?”

  “You’ll love it,” LuAnn said.

  Ashley grinned. “Chay wins every year, you know.”

  “’Cause he’s the best.” The words were spoken simultaneously by Megan, Brittany and LuAnn. The way they said it led Dana to believe that the girls had heard the same thing from Ashley many times before.

  “Well, he is!” Ashley said.

  Just then the loudspeaker rumbled to life. “Afternoon, ladies and gents, kids of all ages. Welcome to Big John’s birthday bash and rodeo. I sure hope you’re ready for some excitement ’cause we’ve got some top broncs this year and they promise to give our cowboys a run for their money. The rider who scores the most points this year will win a cash prize of two thousand dollars and one of Big John’s prize heifers. First up is saddle bronc riding…”