Her Kind of Cowboy

by Dylann Crush

  “You ready?” She glanced up at Zeb.

  “Let’s get this over with.” He didn’t even try to pretend he didn’t hate the required therapy sessions he’d agreed to attend as part of Semper’s placement.

  “Hey, I met someone you used to face on the football field today.” Maybe Zeb remembered Alex. She hadn’t planned on mentioning it, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask, just in case he could provide some background info that might give Lacey an edge. Yeah, for Lacey’s sake, she told herself.

  “Oh yeah, who’s that?” Zeb’s hand shook slightly as he climbed into the front seat of the truck.

  “Alex Sanders. Ring a bell?”

  A hint of a smile cracked his lips in two. How long had it been since Zeb had worn anything but his usual frown?

  “Sanders. Hell yeah. He rang plenty of bells in his day, if you know what I mean.”

  Zina held the door open for Semper to hop into the back seat, then huffed out a breath as she slammed the door. So the lickable man candy was probably a manwhore. Figured.

  “What’s he doing back?” Zeb asked. “Last I heard he dropped out of college, hopped a plane, and no one’s seen him for years.”

  “I don’t know. He stopped by the Phillips House while I was over there today and wanted to talk to Lacey about the warehouse. I think his sister was with him.”

  “Well tell him I said hi next time you see him, okay?” The trace of a smile still hanging on his lips, Zeb gripped the door, probably trying to prepare himself for the nerve-racking five-minute drive to the therapist’s office.

  “You ready?”

  At his nod, Zina shifted into gear. She had no plans to see Alex Sanders again. He’d probably be in and out of Ido before the dust settled around his boots. No one who escaped the doldrums of small-town life and had any say in the matter ever came back for good.

  four

  Alex ran a finger around the inside of his collar, trying to loosen its choke hold. It had been years since he’d worn anything but a thermal undershirt or a T-shirt this close to his skin. Char suggested he dress up a bit if he wanted to pitch to Lacey. She was the mayor now after all.

  The mayor.

  What the hell had been going on around here since he’d been gone?

  His sister filled him in on how Lacey’s dad had to step down amid a cloud of controversy and Lacey had taken it upon herself to step up. The gal had gumption, that was for sure. But would she be willing to take a risk on his wild plan? He stepped into the mayor’s office, figuring there was only one way to find out.

  “Alex Sanders here to see Mayor Cherish.” He stopped in front of the receptionist’s desk.

  “Take a seat, I’ll let her know you’re here.” The woman gestured toward a set of worn leather couches.

  Alex sat down and leaned back against a cushion. He glanced at the magazines spread out in front of him. An issue of Texas Times stood out. He recognized the image on the cover—the Phillips House. As he scanned the article it gave him some hope. Seemed Char’s version of events was right on the button. Lacey had rebranded the entire town to become a mecca for high-profile brides. The demands the oil baron had for his daughter’s wedding ought to fit right in. Before he had a chance to finish the article, Lacey appeared in the doorway to her office.

  “Alex?”

  He stood, holding on to the magazine. If she showed any resistance to his idea, he might need it to remind her how big a risk she’d taken before.

  “Mayor Cherish, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Don’t you dare pretend you don’t remember me.” She brushed his hand away and gave him a hug. “You used to TP my house when we were younger.”

  He returned the embrace as he let out a laugh. “I wasn’t sure you’d remember.”

  “Remember?” She pulled back and met his gaze. “I ought to have my husband take you into custody. I think there are still some pieces of toilet paper stuck in the branches of the old pecan tree my dad’s got out front.”

  For half a heartbeat he didn’t know if she was kidding. But then she shot him a dazzling smile and stepped aside. “It’s good to see you again.”

  He let out a breath. Wouldn’t do him any good to get arrested for pranks he pulled over a decade ago before he had a chance to make his pitch. “I hear congratulations are in order. You and Bodie got married last year?”

  “That’s right. Come on in.”

  He stepped past her and entered the mayor’s office. Pictures of bridal bouquets, decorations, and wedding dresses covered the walls. He’d expected some sense of grandeur. Instead, he walked into wedding central.

  “Sorry, I’m kind of in the middle of a big project. Grab a chair. Tell me, what brought you in today? My assistant said you were pretty cryptic on the phone and wouldn’t tell her exactly what this visit is about.”

  Alex took a seat and set the magazine down on the desk in front of him. If he’d been unsure of Lacey’s commitment to positioning Ido as the wedding capital of Texas, his worries were dashed by the sheer quantity of wedding pictures she’d posted on the walls.

  “I have a proposition for you, Mayor Cherish.”

  She plopped down into the chair behind the desk. “Oh, call me Lacey. And fill me in. What do you have going on?”

  He cleared his throat, wishing he’d opted for a damn T-shirt and not this noose Char had knotted around his neck. “I’m looking for a place to hold a wedding.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’re getting married?”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. Tying the knot was the farthest thing from his mind. “No. But I’ve been put in touch with a man whose daughter is. They’re looking for a place to hold her wedding and have a few particular requests.”

  Lacey squinted as she leaned back in her chair. “So you’re a wedding planner now?”

  “Not exactly.” Alex swallowed, forcing the lump in his throat past the tight collar.

  “I’m not sure I understand what you need.”

  He leaned forward, putting his palms on the desk. “I’ve been working at a research station in Antarctica studying penguins for the past several months.”

  “Penguins?” Lacey crossed her arms over her chest, and a deep furrow bisected her forehead. “What’s this got to do with weddings?”

  “I spoke with an attorney last week who wants to hire me. He needs someone to care for some penguins that need to be rehomed while the aquarium renovates their habitat.” He was royally botching this. The look on Lacey’s face proved it. If her eyebrows dropped any lower over her eyes, she probably wouldn’t be able to see out of them.

  “I still don’t get what this has to do with the warehouse.”

  “That’s where the wedding bit comes in. You know who Tad Munyon is?”

  “The oil guy?”

  Alex nodded.

  “Everyone in Texas knows who the Munyons are. What’s he got to do with penguins?”

  Alex cleared his throat but before he could get to the heart of the problem, the intercom on Lacey’s desk buzzed.

  “Mayor Cherish, you’ve got Cyrus Beasley on line one. He has a few questions about an upcoming wedding.”

  “Thanks, Chelsea. Tell him I’ll be with him in just a moment.” She disconnected, then leveled her gaze at Alex. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to take that call. Our local newspaper photographer’s trying to convince me to let him do all of the wedding pictures at the Phillips House. Can you tell me real quick exactly how I can help you today?”

  “I need a place to rehome some penguins. Just for a few months. And Munyon wants somewhere to host his daughter’s wedding.”

  Lacey shook her head.

  “Her winter wonderland wedding.” Alex paused. “With the penguins.”

  A peal of laughter tumbled from Lacey’s lips before she clamped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, did you say she wants
a wedding with penguins in it? We’re talking about live birds, right?”

  Alex nodded.

  “The birds who live where there’s ice and snow?”

  Alex nodded again. He was starting to feel like a bobblehead doll.

  “In Texas?” She pushed back from the desk and stood. “I mean, I’ve fielded some odd requests since we started this venture, but this takes it to a whole new level.”

  “I know, it’s strange.” Alex got to his feet. “Caught me off guard, too, when I first heard it. But he’s offering a ton of money to make this happen. I was thinking, if you’re not using the warehouse for anything, maybe I can create a temporary habitat for them there.”

  “For the penguins?”

  When she said it out loud it sounded even crazier than when he’d first heard the idea over the phone.

  “It’s an odd request—”

  “Oh, you have no idea what kind of requests I’ve had. I had two trapeze artists who wanted me to rig a whole circus setup so they could get married in the air, then I had a guy who makes swords call and ask if I could set up an entire Viking encampment for his wedding, complete with a forge.”

  “Really? So penguins aren’t so off the wall then.”

  “No, it’s bizarre.” Lacey rounded the desk and perched on the edge. “I’ve never had anyone ask me to turn my warehouse into living quarters for marine life before.”

  “It would just be for a couple of months. And he’s willing to pay.”

  “How much are we talking about?”

  “Name your price.” Alex shrugged. He’d been given the authority to negotiate with Lacey when he agreed to take the job. Munyon didn’t care what it cost, he just wanted his daughter to be happy.

  “Five grand.”

  “No problem.”

  “Seriously? To use my empty warehouse for a couple of months?”

  “Actually, I may need it for three or four. The wedding isn’t until August. You know, winter wonderland with the penguins and all that. But for five grand a month, I think that’s fair.”

  “A month?” Lacey’s jaw dropped open. “You’re going to pay me five grand a month to house some penguins?”

  “Yeah.” He finally allowed himself a smile since it seemed like things were going to work out. “He’ll cover all of the costs to create the habitat and then return the warehouse to its original state when we’re done.”

  “Naturally.” Lacey tucked her hands in the pockets of her dress pants and circled the desk. “And when is all of this supposed to start?”

  “Well, if the wedding’s in August, I’d say we need to move them in by sometime in May or June.”

  She nodded. “That’s only a few months away. And you’re going to oversee all of this? You know how to handle penguins? I won’t have to do a thing?”

  “That’s right. In addition to my time in Antarctica, I used to work with penguins in the summers over at the big marine life park in Houston. I’ll handle everything, assuming I can get full access to the property so I can keep the penguins in check.”

  “The penguins who will be living in my warehouse . . .”

  “I’m sure they’ll want to have the wedding there, too. If you could touch base with the wedding planner they’ve hired to get plans rolling for that . . .” He reached into his wallet and pulled out the piece of paper he’d scrawled the wedding planner’s name on. “Here you go.”

  Lacey took one look at it and started to fan herself. Her cheeks turned red as she flipped the tiny piece of paper back and forth. “You’re kidding me.”

  “What?” The way her face flushed, like she had a hot rash marching up her cheeks, made him wish he hadn’t requested a private audience with the mayor. He couldn’t let her pass out. What would her assistant think?

  “It’s . . .” Lacey wheezed. Her chest heaved and she looked like she couldn’t catch her breath.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Alex wrapped his hands around her upper arms. “Take some slow breaths, nice and easy.”

  She met his gaze, her blue eyes wild. “But it’s . . . Chyna . . .”

  “Yeah, weird name, huh?”

  “You don’t understand . . .” She drew in another deep breath. “Wedding planner . . . famous . . .”

  Alex nodded, his pulse spiking as he tried to get her to calm down. “Breathe in . . . one . . . two . . . three . . .”

  Lacey blinked fast as she broke away from his grasp. “She wants to come here?”

  “Yeah, what’s the big deal?” he asked.

  Before she could answer, Lacey collapsed to the ground. Alex stood, totally paralyzed for a long beat, every part of him frozen in place. What if he’d just killed the mayor?

  Then he dropped to his knees next to her. “Mayor Cherish?”

  * * *

  * * *

  Zina pushed the curtain to the side as she entered Lacey’s hospital room. Her friend sat propped up in bed, her back against a fort of pillows.

  “Are you all right?” She moved closer to the bed and reached for Lacey’s hand.

  Lacey gritted her teeth, not meeting Zina’s gaze. “I’m mortified is what I am. How did you hear about this? Please tell me there’s not a photo of me sprawled out on the floor of my office that’s gone viral on social media.”

  Zina bit back a laugh. “Bodie called me from the road and asked me to check up on you. He sure sounded worried.”

  “He had to do some training down in Austin. I told him I was fine and not to come back. Can’t have him hovering around, makes me nervous.”

  “You really passed out in your office?”

  “Flat on my ass.” She finally turned her head, her eyes searching out Zina’s. “And right in front of Alex Sanders.”

  “So he managed to track you down?”

  “Yeah. He wants to use the warehouse as temporary housing for . . . wait for it . . . penguins.”

  Zina stepped back, her hand still clasping Lacey’s. “Penguins?”

  “Can you believe it? Tad Munyon’s daughter is getting married and wants a winter wonderland wedding.” She rolled her eyes.

  “With penguins?” Zina asked.

  “A half dozen of them.”

  “So that’s what Alex is doing back in town.” Zina nodded to herself. Things were starting to make sense. A little.

  “It’s a great opportunity. They’re even bringing in, get this, Chyna Daniels as the wedding planner.” Lacey let out a little squeal as she said the name. “Chyna Daniels . . . she’s one of the hottest wedding planners in LA. In the world, really.”

  “And I’m supposed to be impressed about that, why exactly?” Zina tilted her head, suddenly very much aware of how Lacey’s life had taken a different turn. While she was wrapped up in celebrity wedding planners and the lifestyles of the rich and famous, Zina had been trying to get by, keep her head above water, and ensure her dog shelter stayed dry.

  Lacey sat up straighter, her eyes taking on a little bit of a wild shine. “She could put us on the map. I’m talking big weddings. The six-figure kind. The kind that could—”

  “The kind that could make this town even more crazy than it already is.” Zina shook her head.

  “What are you talking about? This is good news for all of us.”

  Zina clucked her tongue, a trick her mother used to pull on her when she’d done something and should have known better. “Lacey, who’s going to do your million-dollar wedding’s cake?”

  “Well, Jojo’s been doing a great job so—”

  “The flowers?” Zina leaned over the bed. Before she gave Lacey a chance to respond, she fired again. “The food? The people in this town aren’t prepared to handle zillion-dollar weddings. They can barely handle the day-to-day business they’ve got.”

  Lacey pushed herself up, her eyes burning bright, apparently ready for a verba
l throwdown. “Oh yeah? What’s our unemployment rate since we started the wedding venue from where it was when the Phillips Imports business shut down? Those weddings you seem to hate are giving the good people of this town jobs, paying to put food on their table, and keeping the economy afloat.”

  Zina hung her head. “I just think you’re setting them up for disappointment. What’s going to happen when Jojo’s cake receives a scathing review from one of those celebrity rags? Or there’s nowhere to stay because the Sleep Tight Inn is all filled up? Are you going to set up some luxury campground for guests?”

  “You know”—Lacey tapped her lip—“that’s not a half-bad idea.”

  “Oh, give me a break. This whole thing is getting out of hand. First you wanted puppies, now you’ve moved on to penguins—”

  “Puppies and penguins could be cute together.” Lacey reached for a notepad on the side table.

  “Can you even hear yourself?” Zina asked.

  At that moment, the curtain shifted. Alex stood there, a paper cup in one hand. “Sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting anything but I got you some fresh water.”

  Zina’s cheeks heated as his gaze roamed over her, probably trying to figure out how she fit into the day’s events. “What are you doing here?”

  “He followed the ambulance over.” Lacey tossed a pearly smile his way. “I see the two of you already know each other. Have you had a chance to get all caught up?”

  Zina gritted her teeth as she faced Lacey. The tone she’d used was a dead giveaway. Now that she’d found her happily-ever-after with Bodie she couldn’t wait for Zina to settle down with her own Mr. Right. But the problem was, Ido was only so big and there weren’t a whole lot of misters to choose from. It didn’t take someone with a PhD in matchmaking to figure out the kind of ideas Lacey must have whirring around in her head.

  “I don’t think now is the time for catching up.” Zina smoothed her hand over the crisp hospital sheet. “We need to make sure you’re okay. Maybe you need a painkiller”—she leaned closer to Lacey—“or a sleeping pill.”