Come Home, Cowboy (A Clean, Fake Relationship Romance): Wyle Away Ranch Book 4

by Elsa Nickle

  Ethan paused as a waiter walked by. “Wait, you have an art studio?”

  That was not what Laurel expected him to say. She blinked several times. “Since I’m trying to be as honest as possible here, it’s just an abandoned store downtown that I have a key for. I’m paying twenty bucks a week for the privilege of painting there.”

  He shrugged. “Still cool.”

  Laurel’s insides felt bubbly at the two-word compliment. So he was hot and he thought painting in an abandoned store was cool. She laughed. “And here I thought you were going to ask how my mom knew where you were going to be having lunch today.”

  Ethan leaned a little closer. “How did your mom know where we were having lunch?”

  Oh wow. His proximity was having a definite effect on her breathing. She had to repeat his question in her head to get back on track. “This gossip who comes in to my mom’s store told her.”

  “You’re talking about Mrs. Bassencherry, aren’t you?”

  Laurel’s mouth popped open. “You know her?”

  “Who in Bisbee doesn’t? I’ve been gone for a while, but you don’t forget a woman like Mrs. B.”

  Laurel laughed again. “I guess it is a small town. Anyway, I think she’s keeping extra close tabs on your family because of the weddings.”

  Ethan rolled his eyes. “And the famous Malia, I’ll bet.”

  “Probably.”

  He muttered under his breath. “Jax would marry a movie star.”

  Laurel took a big breath. “So, that’s it. I told my mom I was going on a date with you, she drove me straight here, and Jaxon caught me outside and brought me to your table.” She looked down at her shoes. “And thank you, by the way, for not calling me out and telling me to get lost.”

  A smile dawned on Ethan’s face. “You’re welcome, but I can’t pretend it was completely altruistic.”

  Now it was Laurel’s turn to wait for a full explanation.

  His smile deepened. “First of all, I thought Jaxon was pulling something on me, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of getting under my skin. Secondly, I haven’t heard the end of Granny’s complaints about how single I am. So you’re actually doing me a favor. Your presence is giving my ears a much-needed rest.”

  The weight that had been pressing on Laurel’s lungs lifted. This seemed too good to be true that he actually thought of her unexpected presence as a good thing. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you don’t despise me?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  The waiter passed by again, and Ethan stopped him to ask about the extra chair and place setting for the table. Once that was sorted, he turned to Laurel. “Well, I guess we should head back.”

  Laurel couldn’t believe it. Minutes ago she thought she would be washed out of this restaurant on a tidal wave of humiliation, but now she was actually invited to this lunch. Either Ethan was really nice, really crazy, or he really did have reasons to want Laurel there. And if that were true …

  “Wait!” She grabbed his arm to stop him again. “I have an idea.”

  He looked down at where her fingers rested on his arm, and she dropped her hand, hoping the gesture didn’t seem too desperate. She hurried on before she lost her nerve. “Maybe we could help each other out here.”

  Ethan stared into her eyes, and she almost lost track of what she was saying. They were standing mere inches apart.

  He smiled again. “I’m all ears.”

  Laurel took a small, casual step backward. If she didn’t create some space, she wasn’t sure she could remain clear-headed. “I need to fill a quota of dates, and you might need someone to help get your grandma and your brothers off your back.”

  He nodded, which gave Laurel the courage to continue. “What if we pretend to date each other for three weeks? That’s about how long you’re in town, right? I can tell my mom that I’m going on dates with you, and you can tell your family that you’re out with me whenever you need to.”

  Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “But we wouldn’t actually be meeting up?”

  “We wouldn’t have to. I could go paint, and you could do whatever you want.”

  He scratched his chin and was quiet for a few seconds. “That’s a pretty good plan. I accept.” A slow grin spread across his face. “There’s just one thing I want to add.”

  Laurel’s eyes widened. He accepted the idea and had an amendment of his own? Her heart was doing excited, involuntary flips. “What’s that?”

  “We might need to actually see each other every once in a while.”

  Her stomach flipped. “Oh.” Not such a bad thing.

  “Granny may get suspicious if she never sees you. And it will be more believable for your mom as well.” He took a step closer, and this time Laurel didn’t back away.

  “I agree. Alright, it’s settled.”

  “Then let’s shake on it.” He reached out his hand, and Laurel only hesitated a moment before taking it. His grip was strong and firm but also reassuring. For some reason, it was getting hard to breathe again.

  Laurel pulled her hand away. “I’ll need your number at some point so that we can text and keep our stories straight.”

  Ethan laughed. “Okay, but we’d better get back to the table before we have to come up with a story about why we’ve been gone so long.”

  Laurel turned away to hide her blush. “People aren’t going to talk to me too much, are they?”

  He tapped her playfully with his elbow. “Naw. You can barely hear the person sitting beside you over all their yapping. And now that Granny can’t shout at me for being single, I’m sure she’ll turn her attention to Malia. You’ll be fine.”

  Laurel tried to think calming thoughts as they made their way back to the busy table. Part of her was satisfied and relieved at how everything had worked out, but another part wondered if she hadn’t just made her life a heckuva lot more complicated than she could handle.

  Chapter Six

  Ethan woke up to the sound of his phone buzzing on the pine dresser next to his bed. He rubbed his face and yawned, then reached over to take a look at who the devil would be texting so early in the morning.

  Laurel?

  He untangled himself from his flannel blanket and sat up, swiping the screen to see the whole message.

  Hey, Ethan, sorry this is so early.

  …

  They were just words on a screen, and yet Ethan couldn’t help but smile. They had texted back and forth a few times now, and yet those three dots still made him nervous. He was kind of proud that he had been the first to text. Granted, it was to ask her how her burn was. He wasn’t used to texting beautiful girls, but the doctor in him wanted to make sure it was healing.

  But just a heads up that I told my mom we’re headed to the Bisbee Coffee shop.

  Did she want to meet him there? Then again, now that she mentioned it, a nice cup of hot coffee and a warm beignet sounded good right about then anyway. It had been a year since he went to New Orleans for a conference and a friend introduced him to beignets. One bite was all it took for them to take the lead as his favorite dessert. It was a pleasant surprise to find the coffee shop in Bisbee made them as good as Café du Monde. Well, almost as good.

  He typed a quick response. Sounds good.

  Ethan got up and stretched the sleep from his bones. If he managed to dress quickly and quietly enough, maybe he’d be able to avoid his brothers. He slipped his pants on, jumping a little to get the snug Wranglers up and buttoned. He still hadn’t found his Hollister ones yet. Then again, he hadn’t really looked much. Not in a million years would he ever admit to it, but he was starting to like the fit of his old jeans.

  After putting his shirt on, taking a wet comb to his hair, and brushing his teeth, he opened his door and was met with the smell of bacon and coffee. Too late to sneak out then.

  He jogged down the stairs and went into the kitchen, hoping to quickly grab his keys and leave before anyone could say anything. It wasn’t as
if he hated his brothers, it was just that he never knew what they were going to say. He could do without the remarks Landon made under his breath about how if Ethan had only stayed, he’d know how to actually do the chores the right way. Then there was the way Landon looked at him, the threat of a fight always lingering behind his eyes. And then, of course, there was the disappointment and the way they all judged his career. Making fun of how he had given up the family business to treat the lap dogs of rich ladies.

  The first thing he saw when he got downstairs was Preston sitting at the table, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth. Ethan had forgotten just how much teenage boys could eat. When Ethan entered the kitchen, Jaxon turned from the bacon he was cooking on the stove.

  “Hey there, Hot Stuff!” Jax smiled. “Want some bacon? Eggs? If so, you’ll have to fight off Preston.”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Where are you headed off to looking so handsome? Pro tip, the cows don’t care if you smell nice.”

  “Uh.” Ethan froze, scrambling for an answer. He didn’t have his excuse ready and wasn’t used to lying. “I’m headed to the coffee shop.”

  “Oh, yeah? Now that you’re a big city boy our homemade coffee isn’t good enough, huh?” Jax winked to let Ethan know he was joking.

  “Actually, I’m meeting Laurel.”

  Jax raised his brows in astonishment. “Oh, really?” Jax held up a piece of bacon as if to make a toast. “To the new ladies’ man. May you one day take my crown.”

  Preston took a large bite of his toast. “Not possible,” he said with his mouth full.

  “So, tell us more about this Miss Laurel of yours. You guys were gone an awfully long time at the restaurant …” Jax leaned over the counter as if he were a school girl waiting for Ethan to spill the tea. Ethan wondered why none of them had brought it up the day before, more than likely because they were trying to behave in front of their girlfriends.

  “There’s nothing really to tell. And she’s not property, so she’s not mine.”

  “Mhmm …” Jax and Preston exchanged looks just as Landon walked in.

  “I guess you two really hit it off the other day, checking on the cows, huh?” Landon opened the fridge door and looked inside.

  “It was those Wranglers.” Jaxon winked and then turned back to flip the bacon.

  “Man, it takes some serious talent to hook a girl while you’re checking on cows.” Preston tilted his head in respect and then chugged the rest of his orange juice.

  Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing what to say. Maybe he and Laurel should have gone over the finer details of their little arrangement. “I’m running late, guys. I should be home in time for lunch.” He took the few steps to the back door and grabbed his keys that were dangling from the hook beside it, waved a quick goodbye, and then rushed outside.

  Only when he was at the gate did he stop to take a breath. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to go along with Laurel’s plan. Then again, this teasing was better than what they usually did. And besides, it got him out of the house, didn’t it?

  Twenty minutes later, he pulled up to The Bisbee Coffee Company and swung his car door open. There was a slight chill to the early morning air and a hint of wood-burning fireplaces. He walked up to the café, pulled open the door, and was instantly hit with warmth and the rich aroma of coffee and cinnamon and spice. The barista turned his head in Ethan’s direction and gave a quick nod. Ethan reciprocated as he went up to the counter, searching for Laurel as he walked. But only one of the round marble tables was occupied, and that was by a little old man reading a newspaper. His eyes scanned the corners of the room where mugs, bags of coffee grounds, and an assortment of teas were piled high on rough, wooden shelves.

  His heart sank when he didn’t see her, and he almost laughed. Why did he even care? It’s not like he thought she would actually be there. The whole thing was a ruse, and this was exactly what they had agreed on. She was most likely out painting somewhere. Besides, he wasn’t there for her, but for beignets.

  “Two beignets, please.”

  “We only have one left.”

  “All right then, one will do. Oh, and a coffee. Black, please.”

  “Sure thing. Name?” The door chimed open and Ethan glanced back to see a few middle-aged women walking in.

  He turned back around. “It’s Ethan.”

  The barista gave another nod and went to work on the order while Ethan ambled over to the nearly empty dining area. He pulled out a chair by one of the small round tables, the legs scraping along the concrete floor, and sat down to get to work. He should have pulled up his spreadsheet to go over the business plan he’d been working on for the past three months. He should have called Jason to make sure the tables and equipment had arrived on schedule. Instead, he plugged his laptop into the café’s Wi-Fi and instantly fell down a social media rabbit hole. It took mere seconds for him to be entranced by an animal rescue video.

  He heard the bells on the door chime, but didn’t look up. His attention was focused on Rosco, the mangy terrier who’d been abandoned and was now in the process of getting a puppy makeover.

  “Ethan?”

  His head shot up to see Laurel standing beside his table. The early morning sunlight lit her blonde curls from behind. He quickly snapped the laptop screen shut. She looked at him with suspicion but didn’t say anything.

  “Why hello, Miss Laurel.” A smile spread across his face. “I didn’t think you’d be here. Aren’t you supposed to be painting?”

  She tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “Yeah, I’m on my way. My studio’s down the street a little ways. I just stopped in really fast for a beignet but some jerk stole the last one.”

  “A jerk, huh?”

  “Okay, jerk is a strong word. I just really wanted a beignet.” She gave a half-shrug and then scanned the pastry display. Ethan was suddenly glad the café was so slow. That is, until the barista, who must have had a sixth sense for bad timing, walked over and slid the plate with the last warm beignet onto his table and set down the mug of steaming black coffee.

  “There you go. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  Laurel, who’d cast her gaze down when she realized he was in fact the jerk, snapped her eyes up to look at him when the barista left.

  She raised a brow and grinned. “So you’re the thief, huh?”

  “Guilty as charged.” He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.” He gave her a playful smile. “You can have it if you want.”

  “No, I couldn’t possibly.”

  “Really. I wasn’t even all that hungry. Just asked for the first thing I saw.” Ethan slid the plate over to her, a little sad to see it go, even though he liked seeing the way her eyes lit up. She bit her lip as if considering whether or not he was being sincere. Her eyes met his and he gave a nod, so she pulled the chair out and took a seat.

  “So what are you working on?” she asked.

  “Oh, ya know … the usual: dog videos.”

  She gave him an incredulous look.

  Ethan shrugged as if it were totally normal for a grown man to be looking at baby animals. “What, a guy can’t watch animals being rescued?”

  She leaned back, beignet now in hand. “I mean, I guess, but I’ve just never heard of anything so …”

  “Sad?”

  “No. Not sad. I think it’s cute,” She took a bite of her beignet which left a spot of powdered sugar on the tip of her nose.

  Speaking of cute. “Here …” He motioned for her to lean forward. She complied, even though she looked confused. “You’ve got a spot of sugar on your nose.” He reached out and wiped it off. Her face flushed pink, making her even more adorable.

  She set the pastry on her plate and brushed the powdered sugar from her hands. “So, Mr. Eastwood, do you always frequent cafés to look at puppies?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” He quirked an eyebrow and she laughed. “No. I actually came here to work.”

  “Why the big sigh?” she
asked.

  Ethan hadn’t even realized he had sighed. “Well, I guess I’m just not as excited as I should be to be on this particular path.”

  “Oh? And what path is that?”

  He sat back and crossed his arms, wondering how to explain twenty-eight years of history in a single conversation. “My buddy convinced me to open a vet clinic in Santa Barbara.”

  “What? That sounds like you’re living the dream!” she said, eyes wide.

  Ethan shrugged and gave a nod. “You’d think.”

  “If that’s not your dream, what is?” She picked up the beignet to take another bite, careful this time to wipe her face after.

  He wasn’t sure how much to say because he wasn’t sure how much she really wanted to know. Maybe she was asking just to be polite. Ethan wasn’t used to opening up to people like this. He barely talked to his best friend, but there was something about Laurel that made him want to tell her everything. The look in her eyes, the focus on him, the small smile she wore—she looked genuinely interested. “Well,” he said, “When I was little, my dad gave me a calf, Bessy.”

  “Such an original name,” she said.

  “Hey, I was eight. Cut me some slack.”

  “All right, all right. Bessy is a great name. Please continue.” She waved her hand, motioning for him to go on.

  “I fed her, I brushed her, I did everything with Bessy.” That calf had been so loving toward Ethan, a boy who’d always had a hard time making friends, the boy whose brothers overshadowed him even though he was the oldest. “I loved that calf. But it grew.”

  “As cows do,” she interjected.

  He nodded in response. “And one day, it was gone.”

  “What? Where’d it go?” She sat up a little straighter, genuinely confused.

  “Um, well. I work on a cattle ranch …”

  “Oooh.” She cringed. “I see.”

  “Needless to say, I was crushed. That was the day I decided I wanted to work with animals, to help them. Then …” Ethan sighed, stealing a glance at her to see if she was bored. But she was still focused on him, her eyebrows drawn together in concern, intently listening. “I had this cat, Luna. She was a barn cat, meant to catch mice. My mom warned me not to bring her inside, but I still did every chance I got. I even snuck her in my bedroom so she could sleep on my bed.” Ethan chuckled remembering the look on his mother’s face when she found the cat snuggled up with him the next morning. She made him clean out the horse stalls for a week. “Every night, I’d curse the cat because she’d lay right by my legs so I couldn’t move or get comfortable, but man I loved her. She was mean as tar to everyone else, but I was her favorite.