Tough Talking Cowboy

by Jennifer Ryan

  They cleaned up the dinner dishes and settled into bed with Adria’s laptop, and their favorite childhood movie, Aladdin. Robin Williams as the Genie still made them laugh. Juliana snuggled close and rested her head on Adria’s shoulder. She held Jules close, so grateful to have her home, safe and sound. The echo of fear she felt the night she almost lost her rippled through her, but she held on to Jules and swore that nothing like that would ever happen again, not if she had anything to say about it.

  She loved Jules.

  She needed her.

  They’d grow old together.

  And tomorrow when they opened the shop, it would be the first day of the next part of both their lives.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Adria voided another purchase and reset the register after showing Juliana how to use it. “Does that make sense?”

  Juliana nodded. “It’s easy enough. The computer does most of the work once I scan the bar code.”

  “Exactly. So you’re okay working the register for those who want to shop and go?”

  “I got it. If something goes wrong, I’ll call you over.”

  “Okay. Trinity and I will work the other counter. If you need help—”

  “I got this,” Juliana assured her, a touch of resentment in her tone for being questioned.

  Adria put her hand on her shoulder. “It’s not you. I’m nervous.”

  Juliana hugged her. “Don’t be.” She stepped back and pointed to the door where customers were already lining up. “Once you open those doors and everyone smells this place, they’ll buy everything in sight.”

  The hot food counter was filled with delicious takeout. The mac and cheese Juliana loved last night. Chicken broccoli fettucine Alfredo. Spaghetti. Meat loaf. Side dishes. Yummy desserts. The store looked exactly as she’d pictured it would with small vases of fresh flowers on the tables they’d set up by the windows. The shelves Declan, Tate, and Drake set up were stocked to capacity, along with the refrigerated cabinets. The guys helped box up and return the wrong chairs, then put together the new ones that arrived yesterday and set them around the wood tables.

  Trinity walked over, checked her watch, then pressed her hand to her belly. “It’s time.”

  “Let’s open.”

  Juliana tapped her shoulder. “Check out who’s at the front of the line.”

  Drake, Declan, and Tate stood in front of the double glass doors. Drake held a huge bouquet of red roses. Declan held another bouquet of mixed flowers.

  Trinity took Adria’s hand. “They’re amazing.”

  They walked to the doors together. Trinity glanced over at her. They each reached for the sign hanging on the door and flipped it to Open. Adria turned the key in the lock and they both took a door handle and opened the doors wide.

  Drake smiled. “Congratulations.” He handed Adria the bouquet of roses, then kissed her. “I’m so proud of you.”

  Declan handed his bundle of mixed flowers over to Trinity. “You did it, sis.” He kissed her cheek, then moved inside, so Tate could give Trinity a peck on the forehead, then move out of the way for their customers.

  “Welcome,” she and Trinity called out as people streamed in, helping themselves to the free samples they’d put out on the tables.

  Drake whispered in her ear, “I missed you last night.”

  She leaned into him. “I missed you, too.”

  “How is Juliana?”

  She appreciated that he asked and cared. “She’s settling in and finding her footing.”

  “Good.” Drake watched the customers milling around and checking out the shelves and filling their shopping baskets. “Listen, I wish I could stay for a while . . .”

  She touched his arm. “I’m so glad you came. I know you’ve got physical therapy.”

  “I want to get rid of this cane again.” He’d ditched the crutches after only a couple of days. Although the surgery was successful, it set him back a bit. But every day he got a little better and had settled his mind to the fact it would take time to heal and build his strength again.

  She put her hand on his face. “The swelling is gone and the scar is fading.” The plastic surgeon had delivered and minimized the scars on Drake’s face. It didn’t matter to her as much as it did to Drake. “You can actually bend at the hip now and lift your leg up. That’s progress, Drake. It’s only a matter of time before you can move even better.”

  He slipped his hand beneath her hair and held her head. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. Not today. Enjoy this.” He tilted his head toward the crowd at the back of the shop. “You did this. You’re a success.”

  “If I want to keep it that way, I better get to work.”

  Drake leaned down and kissed her softly, then stared into her eyes. “I really missed you last night.” He paused. “I’d like to talk about our living arrangements.”

  It did her heart good to know he wanted her with him all the time. “Juliana needs me right now, but eventually she’ll want her own space.”

  “I know it’s selfish, but I need you, too. And I don’t mean the next few days or weeks. I’m talking about something more permanent.”

  She tilted her head, completely surprised, but also not, because they’d spent every day together since she made that deal with him. “Um, what are we talking about?”

  “I think you know, but”—he checked his watch—“I don’t have time to get into it right now. This isn’t the time or place, but we need to talk about it.” With that, he kissed her again, then said, “Knock ’em dead today. I’ll see you tonight.” He gave her a look that made it clear he wouldn’t take no or any excuse not to see him tonight, then limped out.

  It took her a second to process his abrupt departure. She stepped out onto the sidewalk and yelled down the street to where he’d parked his truck. “Thank you for the roses!”

  “Those are just for you. I prefer benefiting from buying you pretty things.”

  He did so love to remove the underwear and nighties from her body—the ones he’d bought to replace what he’d ruined.

  He winked, then climbed into the truck. As he drove away, he honked and waved to her. His easy, open smile made her stomach flutter and her heart warm.

  How far they’d come.

  Especially Drake. He had way more good days now than bad.

  “Hey, I know you love my brother and all, but we’ve got customers.” Trinity’s teasing tone broke into her thoughts of Drake and plans for their future.

  She turned to Trinity and beamed her a smile. “We have customers.”

  Trinity’s smile amped up several notches. “Yes, we do.”

  As their workday started, so did the future they’d spent months dreaming about and setting up. Over the course of the day, the packed shelves thinned. Customers consumed all the samples they put out. As soon as one plate was finished, they’d have to set out another, with their customers waiting at the hot food counter for more food to come out of the ovens.

  By the time Adria flipped the sign on the front door to Closed and locked up, they were all exhausted. Trinity disappeared in the back while Adria helped Juliana cash out her register. Pedro and Mike, the two guys Trinity hired to work in the kitchen, came out of the back with their dinner. Perks of the job. Susan, their other cashier and counter worker, had already finished her short shift and gone home.

  Adria marveled that they had employees to pay and customers who wiped out their stock at a steady pace. This was the grand opening—things would slow down to a more even pace over the next days and weeks once the novelty wore off. But if they had half the customers they did today on a daily basis, they’d be busy and prosperous for a long time to come.

  The customer feedback had been great. People loved the idea of good, wholesome food made with quality ingredients that was ready-made and just needed to be baked in the oven or dumped in a pan and heated.

  A few customers had even used the online ordering system. Pedro had put together the orders, left them in the fri
dge behind Juliana’s checkout station, and people had come in and picked up their food and left, happy about the ease of the service.

  It all worked.

  Yes, they needed to make some improvements and simply get used to the processes they put in place, but Adria couldn’t be happier about how the day went. She had real hope they could make this business work and prosper.

  Trinity came out of the back with a tray filled with glasses of champagne. She set them on the table in front of Pedro and Mike. “Come. Take a glass,” she called to Adria and Juliana.

  Juliana eyed her, unsure what to do.

  Trinity caught the look. “This one is ginger ale.” Trinity handed the glass to Juliana.

  Adria took one of the champagnes. “I can’t believe you did this.”

  Trinity held up her glass. “To Almost Homemade and my amazing business partner. I couldn’t have done this without you. I wouldn’t have wanted to. To many more days like today.” Trinity clinked her glass to Adria’s. Before they drank, she said, “To Almost Homemade.”

  “Almost Homemade,” everyone said in unison, then drank to their success.

  Adria couldn’t remember ever feeling this good about anything and hoped this feeling stayed with her. Drake told her he was proud of her this morning. She appreciated it, but it was a much deeper feeling to be proud of herself. It filled her up and made all the things she hoped to have for her future seem even more possible. Like anything could happen.

  Juliana clinked her glass. “You did it.”

  “You can do it, too.” Adria believed that with her whole heart. She wanted Juliana to feel the way she felt right now. “I can’t wait to celebrate at your gallery opening.”

  Juliana’s eyes lit up and a soft smile tilted her lips.

  Adria hoped Juliana believed that kind of amazing dream could come true. Adria saw it. She wanted it for Juliana.

  All Juliana had to do was believe it, too. If she worked hard, she could have it.

  Just like how Adria had opened Almost Homemade.

  Just like she’d pushed herself to open her heart and found something amazing with Drake.

  They’d put their dark past behind them. She wanted both of them to have the bright and happy futures they deserved.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Drake limped into the stables looking for Declan. After physical therapy, his leg ached. He normally went up to the house to ice his hip and eat a late lunch, but Declan texted that they needed to talk. For whatever reason, that sounded ominous. He didn’t know why, but things had been going so well for him lately, in the back of his mind he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  Several horses, including Thor, poked their heads out of their stalls. He gave each one a pat as he made his way down the alleyway toward the office at the back. Declan sat behind the desk, reading glasses perched on his nose, a stack of paperwork in front of him.

  “Hey, man. You wanted to talk.” Drake took the seat in front of the desk and leaned his cane against the old wood chair arm.

  Declan pulled his glasses off and tossed them on top of the paperwork. He took a minute to look at the stacks of papers and folders on the desk before he met Drake’s steady gaze. “I need help.”

  “Sure thing. What do you want me to do?”

  Declan shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. After you joined the military, Dad expected me to pick up the slack.”

  Drake ran his hand over his head. He and Declan had never really talked about how things went down back in the day. He’d blindsided his family. He’d always loved life on the ranch, but he’d wanted something more. He’d wanted to serve his country, see something of the world, and find himself. Well, he’d done all three, but it hadn’t turned out exactly as he hoped. He’d found himself, and then he’d discovered the limits of his body and mind. For all that he’d learned about what he didn’t want his life to be, he discovered what really mattered.

  “I know that wasn’t fair.”

  “We always knew growing up that we were expected to help run the ranch. I just never thought I’d be the one responsible for carrying on the business and taking care of the land on my own.”

  “You’re not alone. Tate and I are here to help.”

  “With the chores and the herd, but I’m the one who does everything else, including making the decisions. While I’m glad to have you home and finally doing well, it’s clear the ranch isn’t your priority.”

  “I’ve been trying to step up and help out more and more as I’m able.”

  Declan held up his hand. “I appreciate it. I really do. I’m happy that the three of us are working together again. I hope that doesn’t change. But I want to ask you something, and I’d like you to be honest. Do you want to work here full-time?”

  Drake hadn’t expected the question. He’d been trying to focus on getting better, but in the back of his mind he’d been thinking about what came next. As the oldest, Drake had been expected to take over the ranch. Instead, he’d rebelled and gone another way.

  He hadn’t cared what his parents thought and never considered what it meant for Declan when he had to step up in his place.

  “There’s no right or wrong answer here, Drake. I’m asking what you want to do with the rest of your life.”

  Still, Drake felt obliged to acknowledge overlooking and dismissing any of Declan’s resentments. “I never asked you before I left if you wanted to take over this place.”

  Declan shrugged that off. “Neither did Dad. It’s just the way it went.” Declan’s nonchalance didn’t cover his underlying resentment.

  “I’m sorry, Declan. That wasn’t fair.”

  “Fair or not, I run the ranch now. Unless you plan to take over.” Declan sounded conflicted by which one of those he really wanted.

  Drake would never take the job from Declan. He believed in his brother. The ranch had prospered under his watch.

  “I have no intention of taking your place here. I’ve simply been trying to do what I can to help. I know it’s not much. Not yet, but I’m working on getting better. I get stronger all the time.”

  Declan shook his head. “That’s not what I’m concerned about. I’m happy you’re making progress, of course, but what I’m trying to get at is—are you planning on working the ranch the rest of your life? Or, down the road, do you see yourself doing something else?”

  Drake took a breath and thought about the one thing he knew for sure was in his future. Adria. While he loved working with his brothers on the ranch, he still wanted something different. And thanks to Adria, he’d found something else that appealed to him. “The truth is, I’ve been looking into buying my own business.”

  Surprise lit Declan’s eyes. “Really? Doing what?”

  “Security systems. I really enjoyed planning and installing the one at Adria and Trinity’s shop. I’m good with the electronics and rigging everything up. The guy I bought the system from talked about retiring soon. He’s got three good guys working for him. I’ve been looking at my finances, considering my options, and I’m thinking about making him an offer.”

  “Okay. Then, that makes this easier.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m going to hire someone full-time.”

  That stung. “I haven’t bought the business yet, nor am I going to stop helping out around here.”

  “That’s great. We always need the help, but I need someone who is dedicated to doing the job long-term.” Declan held up his hand again. “That’s not a dig at you. This is your home and ranch, too. That will never change. Your place is here, and there’s work as long as you want it. But Tate and I needed help, even if you had decided to work with us full-time. If we’re going to be supplying beef to the shop, we need to run more cattle. Trinity even asked about us getting some chickens.”

  News to him, but good business for the ranch.

  He liked the idea of keeping business in the family.

  Drake still felt the sting of not living up to his obli
gations. He didn’t want to leave his brothers hanging.

  “Drake, seriously, hiring on someone new has been on the back burner for a while. I’m spread too thin. I spend all my time working this place. The days are flying by and blend from one to the next. If I’m honest, it’s because of you that I’m moving on this now.” Declan held up his hand again. “Not because you can’t help out the way I need, but because of seeing you with Adria. I barely have time to eat three meals a day, let alone head into town for a date. And being out here all the time, who would I meet?”

  “Spend some more time at Almost Homemade. There were lots of good-looking women coming and going from that place.”

  “I’ll tell Adria you said so.” Declan’s teasing smile annoyed Drake.

  “Please don’t. I barely see her anymore as it is.”

  “You mean that wasn’t her sneaking into your room last night?” Declan’s teasing tone made Drake’s face turn a bit warm.

  “Between the shop and her sister, we barely get a few hours together.”

  “I thought Juliana planned to move into the apartment above the shop soon.”

  “It’s only been like ten days since the shop opened. They’ve been overrun with customers and the demand for their products keeps growing. They’ve signed up to do two other farmer’s markets in the state, too. Adria hasn’t had time to really work on setting up the apartment aside from having the contractor fix up the kitchen and bathroom. It’s got a new bed, but nothing else.”

  “She got the most important thing for the two of you.”

  “That place is way too small for the two of us. The cabin is good for now, but I’m thinking about hiring a contractor to expand it by a room or two.”

  “Planning on adding on to you and Adria?”

  It took Drake a second to catch on to Declan’s meaning.

  “Not anytime soon.” But he wanted kids. He wanted everything with Adria.

  Declan’s mouth dropped open. “But someday? You’re thinking about marrying her?”