The Cowboy's Forever Wish

by Lori Wilde

  Tyler still had the same impact on her he’d always had. And as much as she liked to pretend she was indifferent to him, she wasn’t. Far from it, which explained the kiss.

  Life was so unfair. She shouldn’t still be attracted to the man after everything that had happened. She ought to be able to ignore him. But she’d be lying to herself if she said she could. As much as she hated to admit it, he still made her heart race when he was close.

  “Stupid chemistry,” she muttered, helping Courtney put on her pants and top.

  “Mistry,” Courtney said, looking at her mom.

  “That’s right. Beware of chemistry,” she told the little girl.

  Now if only she could figure out how to heed her own advice. She still felt drawn to Tyler, much in the same way she had been all those years ago. She didn’t want to feel this way, but nothing she did seemed to help.

  And, of course, kissing him had made things so much worse, which was why she’d scooted him out the front door last night once they entered the house from the backyard. The less time they spent together, the better.

  She couldn’t let the attraction she felt toward him cloud her better judgment. She needed to be the voice of reason when it came to expanding the business. Sure, only some of her money came from the ranch, but that was because their small horse farm couldn’t support her parents, her brother, and her. If she had her way, she’d love to spend all her time working with the horses, but that hadn’t been a reality.

  She wasn’t sure it would be a reality with the new arrangement either. Tyler said she would be able to work with the horses, but she’d have to see how things turned out.

  Once Courtney was dressed, Annie carried her into the living room. Brett had promised to drop the little girl off at day care this morning so that Annie could head into Amarillo for a meeting with a bookkeeping client. She placed Courtney in the playpen to wait.

  “Purr,” Courtney said, tugging on Annie’s jacket. She smiled, knowing her daughter was trying to say pretty.

  When the doorbell rang, Annie went over and opened it. Brett stood on the front stoop, a broad grin on his face.

  “Hey, kiddo,” he said, walking into the living room. Like Annie, Brett had inherited their father’s blond hair and blue eyes. “I got the car seat back from Tyler, so I’m good to go.”

  “In a minute,” she said. “I think we should talk.”

  “Uh-oh.” He sat on the sofa, his initial smile replaced by a frown when he saw her expression. “What’s up?”

  She sat next to him. “You tell me. Dad explained to me that he wants to retire, and he’s asked Tyler Nelson to join our ranch with his. What exactly is Tyler buying?”

  Brett’s guilty look told her what she wanted to know. He was involved in this right up to his eyebrows. What she didn’t understand was why. Brett had never been a friend of Tyler’s, so why the sudden urge to go into business with him?

  “Dad should have waited to talk to you about it. Nothing’s definite yet,” Brett said.

  “But you two have been talking to Tyler, right?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I called him a while ago to see if there was anything we could work out. I did it for Dad. He’s tired, Annie. He deserves to retire.”

  Annie knew her brother was right. Their father had slowed down recently, and she knew some days were rough on him. “I know.”

  “Yeah, so I figured Tyler was our best bet. And hey, since his ranch has stopped raising cattle, he agreed he could raise horses. It would only make sense for him to join us. If he buys into our business, then Dad and Mom will have enough to retire.”

  “But what exactly is he buying?” she asked again. “Will he own our ranch?”

  “No. He won’t own it, just like we won’t own his ranch. We’ll use the land on the two ranches, but each family will still own their ranch. What he’s buying is a partnership in our business. I’ll still get to do what I love, work with horses. Tyler loves horses, too, and now he also can work with them. With this much land, we can really expand, and I think we’ll be great together. And you can keep doing what you’ve always done—both working with horses and keeping the books. Except now there’ll be enough money to keep this business afloat. Dad may have an excellent reputation, but his business isn’t big enough to compete with the huge horse farms down south.”

  Annie knew the ranch had a good reputation. She also knew they needed money. But was that enough?

  “What happens if something goes wrong?” she asked.

  Brett looked at her and raised one eyebrow. “It won’t. Tyler wants to join our business. He’s buying out Dad and joining me.” When Annie frowned at him, he added, “And you. Let’s face it, if we don’t do something, we’ll be out of business soon. We aren’t selling enough horses to let me earn a decent salary. Dad does okay because Mom was a teacher and collects her retirement, but I’m not married. I can’t live on my tiny salary. And you’re no longer even taking a salary from this business. If we join with Tyler, our horse farm will be big enough to compete. We can even specialize if we want.”

  His comments stopped any protest from Annie. She did the books for the business, and she knew how little her brother made. “You’ll earn a good salary?”

  Brett nodded, then told her a number that made her stop. “Why so much?”

  With a grin, Brett said, “See what having money can do? All his ranch hands start at a great salary. Plus, they get benefits. Tyler talked his father into this pay arrangement years ago. That’s why people work for the Nelson ranch forever. Except right now, not much is going on at their ranch. He needs to do something to bring in business and justify keeping the ranch.”

  On the surface, the deal seemed great. But how could her brother not see all the worms he’d let out of the can? Brett would be bulldozed at every turn because he was too nice. Tyler would own the bigger share of the business than they did, so he could make all sorts of decisions.

  “Brett, this has bad news written all over it. Tyler is a lawyer. He knows how to draw up a contract that can really destroy us.”

  “But he won’t. And we’ll have our own lawyer review it. Tyler insists we have a real tough lawyer on our side.” He looked at Annie, then added, “You have to go along with this. The money will let Dad retire.”

  She looked into Brett’s face and knew he wasn’t seeing things clearly. Despite his bulky size, Brett was a sweetheart. He would never trample another human being, and to his way of thinking, neither would Tyler.

  “Brett, I just don’t know . . .”

  Brett leaned forward. “Annie, what choice is there? Dad is tired of working. He can’t retire at the moment because he and Mom don’t have enough money. I do all the work now, but there isn’t enough to support me, let alone Mom and Dad. This idea solves all our problems. I get to stay with the career I love, and Dad gets to retire. Everyone wins. Tyler is saving us.”

  Annie thought about what he was saying. Everything sounded great. Perfect, in fact. Both her parents and her brother would have enough money to live comfortably, which was important. She was happy for them, but she also was worried.

  If everything was so perfect, why did she still feel like this was a mistake?

  She forced herself to take a deep breath and tried a different approach. “I can’t help wondering why he’d even want to get involved with us. He’s a hotshot lawyer.”

  “He wants to give up his law practice and move back home. He wants to make a change. You should talk to him.” When she frowned, he said, “I mean really talk to him. Just sit down and have a long talk.”

  “We talked last night,” she said.

  “Talk to him about the business,” he said. “But also talk to him about the past and what happened. You two need to slay that dragon and put it to rest.”

  Annie couldn’t exactly say why, but the deal really bothered her. Still, talking with Brett wasn’t getting her anywhere. His mind was made up. So was her father’s.

  Which meant she neede
d to find a way to deal with this, so maybe she would have a long conversation with Tyler.

  Maybe it was time.

  **

  “I think something bad is going to happen,” Annie said at lunch. She’d just gotten back from Amarillo and joined two of her childhood friends, Ella King and Blair Collins Wilson, at a small diner on Main Street. Ella had recently moved back to town, and Blair had gotten married a couple of years ago and was expecting a baby. Both of their lives were progressing nicely, but not Annie’s. Her life was a mess.

  “Why do you say that?” Ella asked, peeking over the menu. “It sounds like a normal business deal.”

  “I agree. I bet your father, Brett, and Tyler are putting together a nice deal that will benefit everyone,” Blair said. “Ethan works with problem horses all over the state and when I told him, he said there are lots of opportunities for the business if you all can grow it so you can compete.”

  Everyone stopped talking for a minute when a waiter came over. While he was talking to the other two, Annie tried to put her feelings into words. She just couldn’t find a way to capture her emotions in a way that she could express to other people. She was scared and a little hurt about the business deal. She also was nervous about the attraction she felt toward Tyler, and she was worried that her attraction would distract her from what mattered—protecting her family.

  After the waiter left, Annie said, “Something bad could happen.”

  Ella laughed. “Something good could also happen. Wish on a falling star. There should be a shower tomorrow night.”

  “Yes, be sure to do that,” Blair said. “Ethan and I both made wishes the last time there was a meteor shower, and I know we’ll make wishes tomorrow night as well.”

  “Me, too,” said Ella.

  Annie laughed. “No offense, but that’s just silly. Wishing on falling stars doesn’t do anything. We all know that.”

  “Hey. Who knows that?” Blair said with a shrug. “Besides, it can’t hurt.”

  Annie was about to say something negative when the waiter appeared with the food. It was ridiculous that her friends suggested this as a possibility. Sure, all three of them had been part of a group of friends who’d hung out when they were teens. They called themselves the Falling Star Stars, and each time there was a meteor shower, they’d gotten together and made wishes. But then they’d grown up.

  “I can tell from your expression that you think it’s phooey, but you never can tell,” Ella said. “Give it a try for us.”

  Annie sighed. “If I say okay, can we talk about my problem?”

  Both women nodded. “Sure,” Blair said, “But I don’t see where there’s a problem. Have a good lawyer look at the documents and make sure there aren’t any surprises. Then encourage your father to sign.”

  “Yep, I agree,” said Ella. “This deal with Tyler is going to be great for your whole family. Wish upon a star tonight that the deal goes through.”

  Anything Annie wanted to say at this point would come across as being bitter. She wasn’t. She was just cautious. And no offense to Ella, but wishing on a star wasn’t going to ensure this deal worked out.

  Keeping a level head would.

  **

  “I don’t think Annie is happy,” Tyler said dryly. He walked over to the corral fence. Brett was watching a ranch hand exercise a horse. “So, what do you think I should do to change her mind?”

  Brett sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s against this. I thought she might be. That’s why I put off telling her about it.”

  “So how do we change her mind?” Tyler asked again.

  “I don’t know. I know I don’t stand a chance of convincing her. I’m just her brother. She never listens to a thing I say.” He gave Tyler a long, assessing look. “But maybe you can bring her around.”

  “How? She doesn’t trust me.”

  Brett stopped the ranch hand and gave him a few directions. Then he looked at Tyler. “This morning when I talked to her, I got the sense that what really bothered her was that we worked this out behind her back. Maybe Dad and I were wrong. Maybe we should have talked it over with her.”

  Tyler admitted, “She would still feel the same way even if you had. I’m not sure she likes me anymore. Just when I start to think she does, something happens that makes me think she doesn’t. It’s . . .”

  “Annoying? Frustrating?” Brett suggested.

  “Yes.”

  Brett chuckled. “For a smart man, you’re pretty dumb sometimes.”

  Tyler wanted to argue the point, but he didn’t have a lot to defend himself with. He did feel dense when it came to dealing with Annie. If there was a wrong way to handle the situation, he’d pick it.

  “So what should I do now?” he asked.

  Brett shrugged. “I told her that the two of you should sit down and talk about the past. You need to tell each other how you feel.”

  Tyler sighed. Of course that was the best way to handle the problem, but he was very reluctant to do that. Last night hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped, but he wanted this deal to work out, for lots of reasons, so he had to try. He looked at Brett. “I’ll do what I can.”

  “Spoken like a brave man,” Brett said.

  **

  When the doorbell rang, Annie glanced out the window and saw Brian, the husband of the couple who owned the local floral shop standing on her front porch. She opened the front door, stunned to see the bouquet he was holding. Small, delicate pick roses were interspersed with white lilies and baby’s breath. The flowers sat in a stunning pink glass vase.

  In his other hand, he held a white box.

  “These are for you,” he said, handing the bouquet to Annie. He looked at Courtney, who was standing next to her mom. “And this is for you.”

  “Who sent these?” she asked.

  “Read the card,” he said, then with a wave, he headed back to his truck.

  Annie was pretty sure she knew who had sent the flowers, but she nudged Courtney back inside and set the arrangement on the dining room table. She snagged the card before joining Courtney on the couch.

  The little girl was trying desperately to open the white box, so Annie took it from her and helped her pull off the lid.

  Inside was a flowing purple cape with sparkling silver stars. The card on top said it was a princess cape.

  “It’s a princess cape,” she told Courtney, taking it out of the box.

  “Nincess,” Courtney said, then she squealed and climbed off the couch. “On Ma. On Ma.”

  The cape was beautiful, indeed fit for any princess. Annie had no idea where Tyler had found it—or how he’d even thought of it.

  But her daughter was in heaven. Annie helped put the cape on Courtney, who then raced around the living room, the shimmering cape flapping behind her. She was giggling and hooting and having an amazing time.

  Smiling, Annie grabbed her phone and took a lot of pictures. Then she opened her card. As expected, the gifts were from Tyler. The card said, “Have dinner with me tomorrow night and we can talk.” His cell phone number was at the bottom.

  Annie sat for a moment, looking at the card. Then she picked up her phone. Rather than call, she took the coward’s way out and sent him a text that simply said yes.

  Then she wandered over and looked at the flowers. They were stunning. The pink roses especially touched her. When they’d been a couple, Tyler had bought her flowers a few times, and they’d always contained pink roses. He’d known they were her favorite.

  And apparently, he hadn’t forgotten.

  The kind gesture got to her. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had done something so sweet. She and Paul hadn’t really been together very long. They’d had a whirlwind romance that had ended only a few weeks after the wedding when he died. Still, she’d loved him.

  But she’d also loved Tyler. Tonight showed that he still knew how to get to her, and she suddenly realized she really needed to be careful around him. He hadn’t lost his ability t
o break through her defenses. All those years ago, he’d been everything she’d imagined, funny and smart plus kind and caring. He’d had everything a woman wanted in a man.

  Everything except the ability to make their love last forever.

  **

  As Tyler drove to Annie’s house, he refused to listen to all the self-doubt floating through his head. His intentions were good, and all he had to do was get Annie to see that. He could do a lot for her entire family, and Brett really would be an asset to his ranch. All he needed to do was convince her to forgive him for the past . . . and trust him in the future.

  Which sounded easy but was probably a tall order.

  His little inner pep talk did nothing to raise his confidence. Once at her house, he parked and walked up to her door. He tapped, then waited impatiently, unsure of the reception he’d get.

  Annie opened the door. She was wearing a pretty flowered dress and had a smile on her face, which was a good sign.

  “Thank you again for the flowers,” she said, leading him into the living room. “And the cape. I’m certain Courtney feels you are the most wonderful person she’s ever met. I had problems getting her to sleep last night, and just so you know, I bet she’ll want to wear it tonight to dinner. I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t get a sitter.”

  Tyler didn’t mind at all. In fact, Courtney would give them something to talk about if the conversation lagged. “I’d love for her to come.”

  After Annie sat on the sofa, he dropped into the pale-blue chair facing her.

  “Great,” she said. “We can drive by day care and pick her up, then head to the restaurant.”

  He nodded, unsure how to approach this evening. “Okay.”

  She gave him a somewhat skeptical look. “Okay? You seem very agreeable tonight.”

  “I’m always agreeable,” he said, but when she gave him a knowing look, he chuckled. “Okay, mostly I’m agreeable. And I’m glad you’re willing to go to dinner. I think it’s a good thing that we’re talking about the past.”

  For a few seconds, she just looked at him. Then she said, “I’m not really sure what there is to talk about.”