The Cowboy and the Girl Next Door: (A Clean, Enemies to Lovers Romance) Wyle Away Ranch Book 1

by Janette Rallison

She hesitated, suddenly second guessing the entire idea. “Is eloping too impulsive? You were the one who said I shouldn’t marry anyone without a long engagement period.”

  “Turns out I was completely wrong about that.”

  She didn’t respond because he began dropping kisses on her lips again. With each kiss, the idea of eloping seemed more and more reasonable.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “You are a horrible liar,” Jaxon said, his hands on his hips.

  “What are you talking about?” Landon didn’t meet his brother’s gaze. He’d come into the den to go through the filing cabinet for his social security card, and Jaxon had followed him.

  Jaxon looked him over. “You just showered, shaved, and doused yourself with aftershave. You expect me to believe you’re about to run some mysterious half-a-day errands when we both know you only wear aftershave to see Kitty.”

  Landon flipped through the file of family records. “It’s not a crime to wear aftershave.”

  “You put your suit in your truck.”

  “One of my errands is dropping it off at the dry cleaners.”

  Jaxon wagged a finger at him. “See, if you’d admitted right off that you and Kitty were going somewhere, I wouldn’t have been suspicious, but the fact that you went with vague, lengthy errands means you’re hiding whatever you’re doing.”

  The problem was that Landon didn’t like lying. It rubbed him the wrong way, so he’d tried for ambiguous omission when he’d told Jaxon he’d be gone for the rest of the day. “I don’t have to report everything I do to my brothers.” Landon found his social security card and plucked it from the folder. “I’m allowed to have a private life.”

  Jaxon straightened. “Your social security card? Why would you need that sort of ID for a date with Kitty?”

  Landon should’ve waited until Jaxon had left the room to go through the file. “One of my errands is getting my passport renewed.”

  “In a suit? Right. Besides, you and I got passports at the same time, which means yours doesn’t expire for another three years. Don’t try to BS on this. I’m too good at lying not to be able to spot it.”

  Jaxon’s gaze landed on the top of the desk where Landon had left their mother’s black velvet jewel case. “What’s the emerald necklace doing…” His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Wait. Are you eloping?”

  Landon held up his hands in a motion of surrender. He really couldn’t keep up the lie anymore. “Okay. You’re right. Kitty and I are eloping. We aren’t telling anyone because we don’t want her parents to find out. After I inherit Coyote Glen, we’ll let them know we’re dating, then eventually announce our engagement and have a regular wedding ceremony. That way they’ll know my motives are sincere and they won’t freak out—or at least they won’t freak out as much.”

  Jaxon nodded. “It’s sort of convoluted, but okay.”

  “After I inherit, I think we should still give Kitty’s parents a modest payment as compensation for the land. You know, just to be fair.”

  “And to buy their approval.”

  “Exactly. Glad you understand.” Landon slipped his social security card into his wallet. “I’ll need you to keep this all a secret.”

  Jaxon tilted his head back to call down the hallway. “Preston, Audrey, get your shoes on! We’re going to see Landon and Kitty get married!” He turned back to Landon with mock innocence. “What? I never claimed to be good at keeping secrets, just at lying. Besides, you need witnesses. Might as well be us.” He pulled out his phone. “I better get Dillon out of work. He’s not going to want to miss this.”

  Landon blinked at him. “You expect Audrey to be able to keep this to herself?”

  “Yes, because when the two of you were dating, she never told anyone about it. And after your breakup, we had a long talk about her not saying anything relating to you and Kitty. You don’t know how bad she felt about that. Now she’ll finally stop worrying you’ll die alone.”

  “Audrey was worried about that?”

  “Well, maybe that was just the rest of us.” Jaxon tapped his finger against his phone screen. “Too bad there isn’t time to fly Ethan in.”

  Yeah, Landon had always expected his older brother to be at his wedding and now that the rest of the family was coming, he felt a pang that Ethan would be missing. But then missing had been Ethan’s new normal since he’d moved out. He would come home for the formal ceremony. That would have to do.

  Jax started down the hallway, calling to his daughter. “You can’t wear your evil villainess gown to a wedding. Go put on a regular dress!”

  Well, the elopement was already not going as planned. Kitty probably wouldn’t be too upset. She realized what sort of family she was marrying into: pushy, bossy, and sometimes villainous, but always loyal.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Kate expected a wave of nerves to hit her on the drive to the courthouse. It didn’t happen. Instead she and Landon discussed the details of their life, and she felt a soaring sense of happiness and relief. Landon loved her. She had absolute proof of that now. If he’d just been after Coyote Glen, he would’ve dumped her once it became clear she wouldn’t inherit the ranch. But instead, he was marrying her. Staying with him in Arizona seemed like such a lovely future.

  They’d already decided that after the will was settled, they would combine the ranches, and since she no longer had to worry about keeping Coyote Glen in the black, she could hire help immediately instead of trying to do everything on her own.

  Her parents couldn’t even be mad at her for losing the ranch. They’d been the ones who’d doomed her efforts when they’d employed Gary.

  “Once we combine the ranches,” Landon said, “you can help out when you want, but you should think about starting your own design business.”

  It was so nice to be able to consider those sorts of things. She had options. All the pressure of the last few months disappeared, evaporated like water in the desert. Perhaps she could partner with someone in Tucson and do design work online. Or perhaps she could carve out a boutique business in Bisbee. She discussed those ideas with Landon, but kept another to herself. Maybe she would just concentrate on renovating Coyote Glen and the Wyle Away. One of the guest rooms would make a lovely nursery.

  As Landon pulled up to the courthouse, he said, “I have something to confess.” He paused, clearly reluctant to get on with his confession. “Turns out, I’m a bad liar.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a particularly bad thing.” Kate would have been more shocked to find out he was a good liar.

  He parked the truck and explained that Jaxon had figured out they were eloping and had insisted on bringing the rest of the family. “Sorry, it won’t be a secret.” Landon slid the keys into his pocket. “I waited until now to tell you so you’d be less likely to call off the wedding.” He gestured to her hair. “You can’t waste a fancy updo.”

  Of course Landon would want his brothers to be witnesses. She should’ve realized that before and suggested it. “I think it’s nice that they’ll be here, and it’ll be easier not to have to hide our relationship from them.”

  “You can move into the Wyle Away right away, or I can move into Coyote Glen.”

  A definite bonus. She grabbed their clothes from the back seat and handed Landon his suit. “When we hold the official wedding ceremony, your family will have to pretend it’s the only wedding they’ve seen.”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. They’re all better liars than I am. Well, except for Audrey. But if she slips up, people probably won’t believe her. She also claims to have spotted the Easter Bunny.” Landon got out of the truck and came around to help Kate out. Instead of walking toward the courthouse, he held her hand, keeping her by the truck.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I need to practice kissing the bride. I’ve got to make sure I get it right.”

  In her opinion, he was the sort of kisser who didn’t need improvement, but she didn’t protest. Practice was nev
er a bad thing.

  Finally, he lifted his head. “Ready to take my name?”

  She nodded solemnly. “I’ve been doodling Mrs. Wyle on my notebook paper. I think I have it down.”

  “Good. Ready to take on a few new brothers and a niece? Fair warning, children can be intrusive, tactless, and whiny—and that’s just Preston, not Audrey.”

  Kate nodded again. “We’ll get along somehow.”

  “Ready to—”

  She stopped his next question with a kiss. “Yes.”

  Jax’s truck revved into a spot near them. Preston’s window was down, and he was half hanging out. “Are you two gonna get hitched or just stand there making out in the parking lot?”

  Landon took Kate’s hand. “Welcome to your new life.”

  “I’m ready,” she said and walked beside Landon to the courthouse.

  Note to readers: I know what many of you are thinking right now. “What was the deal with the emerald necklace? You introduced it in the second chapter, ignored it for most of the novel, and then just sort of threw it into the end of the story. Why was it even in your book?”

  You are astute, dear reader, and you’ve obviously heard Checkov’s dictum that if a writer puts a gun in the first act of a play, it had better go off by the third.

  The emerald necklace never went off.

  But there is still a good reason for its mention. The necklace plays a large part in Melinda Carroll’s novel The Cowboy Who Stole My Heart that tells Dillon’s story. I figured readers of that book would think, “Wait a minute—when the brothers needed to raise money to buy Coyote Glen, why didn’t they even mention selling the emerald necklace? It’s worth a ton of money.”

  So I was left with the choice of either messing with the story logic of Melinda’s book or adding a seemingly unnecessary detail in mine. Story logic has to win.

  You should definitely read that book, by the way. Read all of the Wyle Away Ranch Series. And while I’m talking about the other books, I’ll add the following:

  1) I still have no idea why we let Torsha Baker have Jaxon, the funniest character in the series. What magic did she work that we were all like, “Sure, he’s yours. We’ll have no trouble in our novels ensuring our heroes don’t suffer by comparison.”

  2) The benefit of writing the first book in the series is that when Elsa Nickle and Jamie Hixon told me that Ethan left the ranch for veterinary school and didn’t come back, I could say, “Fine. Then my character is mad at yours for abandoning the family and practically forcing him to run the ranch and raise Preston on his own.” And that’s how that relationship happened.

  3) I’m glad Kelly Oram decided to play in our world and write Preston’s story. I admit that I didn’t give her much to work with. In my book, Preston is the sometimes-surly teenager who doesn’t take school seriously. Good luck making him into a likable character, Kelly! You’re welcome!

  Working on this series has been a blast. Really, this is the most fun I’ve ever had writing a book, and that’s not just because we all went to Bisbee for vacation research. I loved having ranching compatriots. Plus, Melinda and Torsha kept sending the rest of us pictures of hot cowboys and images of Henry Cavill. Jax and Dillon’s appearance is based on him. As I recall, Melinda and Torsha reached that decision with lightning speed.

  Let me tell you, there’s nothing like starting your writing day with Henry Cavill staring dreamily back at you. The guy nails the come-hither look. I mean, I think I speak for women everywhere when I say, If Henry Cavill gave you a come-hither look, you would totally come and hither all the way there.

  Anyway, writer friends are the best. I love you guys!

  Reader friends are also the best and if you want to be on my newsletter so you know of new releases, sales, and cool inside information (who knows, maybe one day I’ll have cool inside information) please sign up for my newsletter at www.JanetteRallison.com

  Also, you would be my absolute favorite reader if you left me a review. It doesn’t have to be long or five stars. You can write about Henry Cavill if you want. People are more likely to buy a book with lots of reviews so each one helps.

  And if you’d like to get a sneak peek at the next book in the series, Love Me Again, Cowboy, here is Jax’s story!

  Sneak Peek

  Love Me Again, Cowboy

  MALIA:

  My fake boyfriend is cheating on me. This cannot be happening. I glare at the TMZ picture on my phone and read the caption, Looks like Trey is done with Malia’s outbursts and controlling ways. It was only a matter of time before he left her.

  Outbursts and controlling ways? That’s completely made up. It’s just Hollywood rumors I haven’t fought because my agent, JulieAnn, convinced me not to. When they first started up, JulieAnn said I should be happy that gossip sites were drumming up interest in my role as the infamous Veronica Chase. Everyone loves to hate a villain, after all. And that’s what my character was. But I left that show six months ago, and it seems that my villainous reputation is following me.

  The party around me carries on, oblivious to the fact that my life is being ruined. No, not ruined, destroyed. Or at least my career is—which is practically the same thing.

  It’s my sister, Ala’s, party. She and her husband, Ben, are having their first child after years of infertility, and I offered to throw them a Hollywood-based gender reveal party. It’s the latest trend among the elite, and my sister deserves only the best. A party at the Ritz with actual Hollywood celebrities present (I had to call a few favors in to get them here) might be a bit extravagant, as Ala pointed out over and over again. But I’ve missed so many birthdays and Christmases because I’ve been so career-focused that I wanted to do something big to make it up.

  The ballroom of the Ritz Carlton is split in half with Pink tulle, flowers, and lights on one side and blue tulle, flowers, and lights on the opposite side. The walls are covered in mirrors, making the event feel as if it goes on forever. Partygoers crowd the dance floor, moving to the music of the top paid band in Beverly Hills, while others talk and laugh with crystal flutes of either blue or pink sparkling juice in their hands. Wait staff in black-and-white tuxedoes carry hors d’oeuvres on platters through the crowd.

  If you ask me, the party is a success, if a peculiar mix: Hollywood’s elite, decked out in Armani and Valentino, mix and mingle with my family who wear colorful Hawaiian prints and with the residents of my sister’s small town who have on either cowboy hats and boots or eccentric hippy clothing. If I weren’t dealing with the Trey problem at the moment, I could better appreciate the strange awesomeness of it all.

  But instead of being here with me, like he said he would, one of the industry’s top paid movie actors, Trey Wentworth, is in a tangle of limbs with some blonde woman. I can’t see the blonde’s face, not with Trey’s big head blocking the way, but they are engaged in what looks like a rather raunchy make-out session on his yacht. My hands shake, blurring the image on the screen. I work to take calming breaths, but all I can see is Trey and the blonde and wonder what this will mean for my reputation and my plans to be in Trey’s next big motion picture.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” my Auntie Tutu says over my shoulder. I quickly press my phone to my chest, spinning around to face her. She’s wearing a floral muumuu with one of her signature cat sweaters over it. This one has two kittens, one with a blue hat and one with a pink hat, in honor of the evening. She wrinkles her eyebrows in concern. “You must be heartbroken, Lia-girl.”

  If Trey and my relationship hadn’t strictly been a publicity stunt, then maybe. But no, this is much worse than a broken heart. Trey is jeopardizing my career. Heartbreak you can get past (I should know), but Hollywood is unforgiving. Trey is America’s hero, and I’m remembered for my five-season role as Veronica Chase, where my character basically went around making people’s lives miserable. People love to hate me. It’s not exactly the reputation I want when pursuing new acting opportunities.

  “You betta kick him to da curb
. Did I eva tell you ‘bout the time William Tucker broke my heart? Well, let Auntie tell you—”

  “I’m really sorry, Auntie,” I interrupt her, “but I just need a moment to myself. I’ll be right back.” I turn and make a beeline for the double doors that lead to the kitchen. I get smiles, and a few people try to stop and talk to me, but I feign sickness with an apology and escape into the kitchen. The hot air, filled with the smells of garlic, simmering butter, and spices, meets me like an edible Sonoran Desert. I jump out of a chef’s way just before he hands a tray full of scallops to a waiter. The kitchen is bustling with the clatter, clang, and sizzle of hors d’oeuvres being prepared.

  I find a quieter, less busy part of the oversized kitchen where a multitude of desserts wait in giant refrigerators to be presented later in the evening. I glance at the picture again and whisper, “Trey, you idiot. You horny idiot. You couldn’t just hold out a few more weeks?”

  I knew there was a risk working with him. He might be America’s favorite hero, but this past year he’s gotten quite the reputation for being a man-whore. Every week he seems to have a new girl on his arm or is locking lips in some shady nightclub.

  That’s why my publicist, who happens to be friends with his, suggested we could offer each other something. Trey needed to show America he was able to keep a relationship for longer than a week, and I needed an audition with Henry Wilson for Trey’s upcoming film. Trey and Henry Wilson have been making films together for years, winning Oscars along the way.

  But now Trey and his stupid overactive male hormones had to go and ruin it all. Trey and I are supposed to be marketed as a power couple, which would help promote the movie.

  My phone rings. It’s my publicist, JulieAnn.

  “I’m going to kill Trey,” I say as a greeting. “What are we going to do?” I lean against a fridge. The glass doors are cold against my back, but it feels good in the hot kitchen.