The Cowboy's Forever Wish

by Lori Wilde

  “Man Man,” Courtney said loudly, apparently unhappy that Tyler had stopped paying attention to her. “Ink.” She plopped down on the floor to try on some of Annie’s shoes.

  “That means she wants something to drink,” Annie explained before he could ask. “I probably should start dinner.” She glanced briefly at him, wondering if he expected her to invite him to stay. But she wasn’t going to. She needed some time to think through what kept happening between them. She also needed to decide how she felt about it.

  Tyler shut the door to her closet and then leaned back against the wall. She watched him make a slow perusal of her bedroom, his gaze lingering longer than she liked on her queen-sized bed. She braced herself for some comment, but he made none. Instead, after a moment, his gaze returned to her face.

  Annie felt another jolt of awareness and knew she wasn’t imagining it. Whatever had existed between Tyler and her all those years ago still existed. In fact, it seemed much stronger now that they were adults than it had when they’d been a couple of kids necking in Tyler’s car. This was the reason he made her so mad, the reason she’d been avoiding him whenever possible.

  Because whether she liked it or not, the bottom line was that she was every bit as attracted to Tyler Nelson now as she’d been when she’d been a naive teenager in love with the school’s most popular boy.

  Annie forced herself to glance away, breaking the spell that had settled over the room. “I need to make dinner for Courtney,” she mumbled.

  Tyler placed his hand on her arm. “We should . . .”

  She looked up at him, willing him to understand that this spark between them wasn’t something she wanted in her life. It wasn’t something she could deal with at this moment.

  Tyler must have seen the hesitation in her eyes because he dropped his hand from her arm and stepped away. Wordlessly, Annie picked up the shoes Courtney had dragged out of the closet and put them back. Then taking her daughter’s hand, she headed toward the living room.

  “Now what about those papers you need me to read?” she asked, sitting on the sofa and placing Courtney next to her. The little girl immediately squirmed off the couch and went to play with some toys. Left without her handy distraction, Annie looked at Tyler.

  For a moment she thought he would push her about what had almost happened in the bedroom, but he didn’t. Instead, he pulled some papers from the pocket of his jacket.

  “These papers pertain to the sale. You need to look them over, so you’ll understand exactly how the sale is set up. Take your time. Read them over. Then show them to your brother and father plus an attorney. I want everyone to be happy about this deal.”

  Annie nodded. She would take her time, and she and her family would talk to an attorney.

  “I’m going to head out,” he said, walking over and giving Courtney a hug goodbye.

  Manners then forced Annie to stand and lead the way to the front door. Once there, Annie looked at him, trying to guess what he was thinking. For a second, she felt the same tension she always felt around Tyler. Automatically her gaze dropped to his mouth. It was full and firm, and she remembered too well the feel of it against her own.

  Tyler lifted his hand as if he intended to cup her face, and for a moment, Annie wanted him to. She wanted him to kiss her again.

  Tyler leaned toward her. “I won’t hurt you,” he said.

  Then he left.

  Annie slowly closed the door, hoping this was a promise she could trust.

  **

  Tyler knew there had to be a way to make this work. He’d honestly thought his offer to sell back his part of the business would give Annie all the reassurance she needed. He knew she wasn’t upset about the past anymore. Annie was a fair person, and even though his stupid mistake might have left a bad taste in her mouth, she wouldn’t hold it against him after all these years.

  If she wasn’t holding the past against him, then she was holding the future . . . or at least the future she thought might happen.

  “What are you doing sitting in the dark?”

  Tyler turned and looked at his mother for a second before she turned on the light in the study. He blinked against the sudden brightness.

  “I’m thinking,” he said.

  Judith walked into the room, her dark-blue floor-length satin robe making her look regal. She sat on the cream sofa facing his chair. “Is this something you can discuss with your mother?”

  He smiled. It was nice being home, having someone care if he was worried. He’d spent so many years in a city filled with unknown faces that it felt comforting to be somewhere where he had connections.

  “I’m pretty sure Annie’s still not happy that I’m joining the business,” he said.

  His mother nodded. “Which you knew would happen.”

  “True, but I thought she wouldn’t want me to join because of the past, but that’s not it. She doesn’t want me to change things.”

  “Which you will,” Judith said.

  “Which I will.” He sighed and rested his head against the back of his chair.

  “And that bothers you?”

  “Well, I don’t want to upset Annie.”

  His mother’s brown eyes narrowed. “And why is that? Why do you care if this upsets Annie?”

  Now there was a good question. He thought about it for a moment, floundering for an answer. Finally he gave his mother the only answer he could think of. “Because I like Annie.”

  “Like her how?”

  He chuckled. “Not the way your tone is implying. I just mean that I like her as a person, so naturally I don’t want to upset her.”

  “But this is business.” His mother’s words were clipped and brisk, a fair imitation of the tone his father had always used when he’d discussed business.

  “I think you listened to Dad too much,” Tyler said with a chuckle.

  Judith folded her hands across her lap, looking every bit as elegant as she had years ago when their house had been filled with corporate officers and politicians. “Your father was an excellent businessman.”

  “And everything was business to Dad, wasn’t it?” Tyler didn’t mean his question as an accusation, but when his mother stiffened, he knew she’d taken it as one.

  “Henry worked hard for everything he received. When success doesn’t come easily, one tries harder to hang on to it.”

  He suddenly knew where this was going. “And success came easily to me, didn’t it, Mom?”

  She smiled slightly. “Well, let’s just say that we invested a great deal in silver polish to keep your spoon shiny.”

  Tyler laughed. “It’s nice to know you think I was spoiled.”

  “Your father and I wanted the best for you.” Her smile slowly faded. “Maybe we didn’t make all the right decisions, but our intentions were good.”

  This conversation had taken an unexpected turn, but Tyler had supposed it would have been only a matter of time before they discussed the past. “Do you think I blame you for something?”

  “Don’t most children blame their parents for past mistakes?”

  “Maybe. But I’m sure once they have their own children, they realize how difficult being a parent is.” He leaned forward and said, “I know you and Dad meant well. I’m grateful for everything you did for me while I was growing up. My life is easier because of you.”

  Judith blinked several times, and Tyler knew her eyes had filled with tears. “Now how did we get on such a serious topic?”

  Tyler leaned back. “Annie. We got here because of Annie.” He was sorry he’d made his mother cry, but they needed to talk about this since he was now in business with Annie and her family. “Does it bother you that I’ve bought into the Lee business?”

  Her mother stared at him. “Of course not. Why would it bother me?” Before Tyler could answer her, she said, “I see. Because of the past. But you’re not the only one who has grown wiser with age. I’ll admit your father and I made some mistakes, and I now know we shouldn’t have interfered
in your relationship with Annie.”

  Tyler couldn’t stop himself from asking, “So why did you?”

  “Because you both were so young.” She sighed. “We wanted you—and Annie—to explore the world and go to college before you made an enormous decision, such as marriage.”

  Tyler thought about what she’d said, and she was right about one thing—they’d been very young. “Well, it was a long time ago.”

  “Yes, it was. But I want you to know I like Annie a lot, and her family. I think your buying into the business is a terrific idea,” his mother said.

  “I just hope Annie eventually thinks so too,” he admitted.

  “Dazzle her like you do the juries. You wouldn’t have done as well as you have if you hadn’t learned how to get people to see your viewpoint,” his mother said. “Let’s face it, you’re a good lawyer because you’re good at convincing people to change their minds.”

  His mother definitely had a point. He seemed to instinctively know how to read people and figure out what they needed to hear to make them understand his way of thinking.

  And it was easy to see what Annie needed—she needed security; she needed consistency. She needed something to believe in.

  So he had to show her he was that something.

  “Now I know where I got my brains,” Tyler said to his mother with a smile.

  Judith stood and headed toward the door. “Not only your brains. I’m also responsible for your good looks.” She waved at him as she walked out the door, leaving her son laughing behind her.

  Chapter Seven

  “Hasn’t everything worked out great?”

  Annie glanced at the door. Brett leaned against the jamb, his wary expression belying the humor in his words.

  “I guess so, if you—” She stopped when he answered his cell phone.

  As she waited for him to end his call, she decided that her brother was right. Things had turned out well. After reading the papers Tyler had given her a couple weeks ago, the deal had quickly gone through. Everyone, including their lawyer, agreed it was a great deal. In fact, everything had been signed quickly, and Tyler had bought out their father immediately.

  Even though everything had worked out, working together still felt odd. She’d hardly seen Tyler at all the last couple of weeks while everything progressed, and as much as she hated to say it, she missed him.

  After finishing his phone call, Brett came back into her office and dropped into the chair across from her. Leaning forward, he placed his hands on his knees and stared at her.

  “Dad isn’t coming in today. He told me last night that he and Mom are going to the travel agent to plan a trip.”

  A sadness crept through Annie. Although she was happy for her parents, she’d miss having her father at work each day. This part of her life was over, and she was uncertain as to what the future held. “Did you tell him he can do it online himself?”

  Brett raised one eyebrow. “Dad? With that level of technology? Might as well tell a dog to tap dance.”

  Annie laughed. “Yeah, well, you’re right. But Mom could do it.”

  “She could, but she’ll go along with whatever Dad wants,” Brett pointed out.

  Annie knew he was right. Unless it was something really important, their mother was a peacemaker. She avoided confrontation if possible. “Are they going to Tahiti?”

  “Yeah. I think so.”

  Drumming her fingers on the wooden top of her desk, Annie studied her brother. “So what happens now? We’ve moved the three horses we had into Tyler’s barn and turned our old barn into a medical center and storeroom. What do we do next?”

  Before Brett could answer, Tyler appeared in the doorway looking tan and fit and unbelievably handsome. Annie shifted her gaze to him. “What do you think?”

  He moved farther into the room, his penetrating brown gaze making a slow flush creep across her cheeks. The more time she spent around him, the more intense her attraction for him became. He made her feel alive, something she hadn’t felt in years. Her heart raced so fast, she felt like she’d just sprinted around the parking lot. A slow smile crept across his lips, and seemingly without will, she smiled back.

  “We need a good stallion for starters,” he said. “All we’ve got at the moment is three mares.”

  Brett grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

  “We also should buy more mares,” Tyler said. “And hire at least two more stable hands.”

  Things were happening so quickly that Annie said, “Whoa. Slow down a little. We need to take a look at our money and figure out the best way to use it. We don’t want to overextend ourselves.”

  Both Tyler and Brett nodded, but Annie wasn’t quite sure they truly agreed. “I’m serious. A quality stallion will cost a fortune. We could inseminate instead, at least for a while.”

  Tyler walked into the office and sat in the other chair. “We can use that as a backup, but I still think we need a stallion.”

  Annie swiveled in her chair and pulled the financial documents up on her computer. “Let’s take a look at the financials and let them decide.”

  Neither man seemed particularly thrilled with her idea, but once Annie started running through the figures, they both joined in. Not only did they examine what money they had on hand, they also looked at what supplies they had, and what supplies they would need.

  Once that conversation was over, Tyler suggested they spend more time exploring their market as a way to help them make the right choices.

  The entire conversation was long and involved, and Annie’s head hurt by the time they all agreed they had at least the beginning of a plan.

  “I’m glad we all were part of this decision,” she couldn’t help saying.

  Brett drew a cross on his chest. “Cross my heart. I promise we’ll never leave you out of a business conversation again.”

  Annie shifted her gaze to Tyler. “What about you?”

  “I promise. Have you changed your mind about the ten weeks?”

  She shook her head. “No. You made the offer, and I plan to take you up on it.”

  Brett glanced from Annie to Tyler and back again. “What are you two talking about?”

  Tyler’s gaze never left Annie’s face as he answered, “I promised her that I’d sell my share of the business back to the two of you if either she or you or I are unhappy with the deal at the end of ten weeks.”

  Brett made a choking noise and rose to his feet. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?” His gaze flew to his sister’s face. “Annie, you can’t promise that. We need him—”

  “Actually, you only need my money, Brett. You don’t need me.”

  Brett ignored Tyler. “Annie, you’re ruining everything. This is the chance of a lifetime for the two of us. We’re incredibly lucky that Tyler was even willing to consider joining the business. I’m sure a lot of other people in this town would have given anything to have him as a partner.”

  Her brother was right, so Annie admitted, “I know. And I appreciate this opportunity.” She glanced briefly at Tyler. “I’m sure everything will go well. All three of us want to succeed.”

  Her words seemed to calm Brett. “Okay. That’s what I want to hear. Let’s not talk anymore about giving up. Let’s focus on what we can do to make this a success.”

  When neither Annie nor Tyler said anything, he added, “At least nod your heads so I know we’re all on the same page here. I don’t know about the two of you, but I need this to take off. I have rent to pay, and I don’t think they’ll accept my good looks as payment.”

  Annie rolled her eyes. “You’re right there.”

  With a chuckle, Tyler added, “What good looks, buddy?”

  “Good one. Seriously, though, I’m a drowning man. This needs to work.”

  His comment made Annie look at Tyler. “So in reality, you’re a life preserver, right?” Annie asked him.

  Tyler held her gaze as he said, “What’s good about this deal is we all get something out of it. Brett may
need the income, but I also needed something. I wanted to find a business in Falling Star that I could be part of.”

  She looked at Tyler, then at her brother, appreciating their honesty. Other than the natural squabbles between siblings when they were growing up, her brother and she had always gotten along well. She couldn’t remember a time when Brett hadn’t been on her side. He wouldn’t start misleading her now.

  “Then let’s make this work,” she said. “But just so you two know, I’m not about to promise to stop fighting you.” When both Brett and Tyler frowned, she continued on. “Not if you suggest something I think is wrong. But I will agree to work with both of you to reach solutions to our problems.” She turned her attention to Tyler. “I know now that we need to make some changes, but I’m not willing to make any until we do some real research. I think we need to know what we’re up against before we start changing things.”

  When they both frowned again, she said. “I know you two think I’m saying I don’t want to even consider changes, but that’s not true. I want what we do to help. If we choose the wrong actions, we might make things worse.”

  “Brett and I have done some preliminary work,” Tyler said. “We can meet tomorrow to go over it with you.”

  Annie nodded. “I have some time this afternoon if you want to go over it here.”

  “Truthfully, this afternoon is bad for me.” A small smile hovered around Tyler’s lips. “Why don’t you both come to dinner tonight at my house? Mom would love to see Courtney again.”

  His offer caught Annie off guard. She hadn’t expected him to ask them to dinner. “Are you sure? Courtney’s a handful, and your mother’s been sick.”

  Tyler shook his head and took a deep breath, as if steeling himself to press on. “Mom’s feeling better these days. She has been hounding me to have you both over, so I know she’ll be thrilled. After dinner we can take a few minutes to go through what I’ve found out so far.”

  “Fine. What time should we come over?” Annie asked.

  “How about six?” he said.