Take the Reins (A Cowboy's Promise Book 2)

by Megan Squires

  “Sure. He’s been talking about it for a few years now.”

  “And you know this is a family run business.”

  “I’m aware. I am part of this family too, Tan.”

  Tanner smirked, then covered his sneer with the lip of his beer bottle. “Sure, but your branch of the family tree stops with you. I’ve got two boys to carry on our family name.” He nudged his head toward his rowdy sons who had traded racing for tackling. They were a tangle of gangly legs and arms as they wrestled on the rolling, green slope of the backyard. “Those boys will be set to take on the cattle business once I’m dead and gone. But you don’t have that, do you?” Tanner angled his head back and drained his drink. He burped loudly and hit his chest with a balled up fist before letting another one rip. “All I’m saying is, it’s kinda convenient that you suddenly have a serious girlfriend. Finally taking that next step into manhood.”

  Convenient was exactly what it was, but Tanner didn’t need to know those details.

  “I think you’re reading way too much into this, brother.”

  “Am I, though?” Tanner grunted as he pushed up and out of the chair. He turned to look down at Seth. “I’m not saying I’m not happy for you. Of course, I am. You deserve to be happy. But if your happiness comes at the cost of me losing my fortune, we’re gonna have a real problem on our hands. A real problem.”

  Tanner was a lot of talk and Seth knew that. Always had been. He was the sort to use his fists first, words second. For a brief time in his teenage years, Seth had learned from his older brother and picked up on those combative ways. As a grown man, however, Seth realized the act of intimidation rarely got anyone anywhere. A level head was an infinitely better asset than a balled up fist.

  Seth watched Tanner’s receding figure turn to shadow, then eventually get swallowed up in the darkening night the further away he got. He could hear Tanner join in his sons’ wrestling match, the grunts and hoots and hollers carrying on the autumn wind like a bird flitting dizzily through the sky. For several moments, Seth trained his eyes back onto the fire, letting the wild flames mesmerize him in a trance that required little focus, which was good because he couldn’t focus right now if his life depended on it.

  Tanner was right. Seth had no real claim on this land or this business. He honestly hadn’t ever wanted it. He liked ranching, but it wasn’t in his blood the way it was in his dad’s or his brother’s. For Seth, it had always been a way to prove himself. Even just this last week when the rest were up in Oregon, Seth took care of things. There was an inherent pride in working hard and working well. Getting the job done. But there were other means of achieving that same goal. Maybe his cattle ranching legacy would end with him. Maybe that was okay.

  He had some thinking to do, no question about it.

  He was mid-thought, in fact, when he was smacked completely out of his introspection by the cookie that ricocheted off of his chest, landing in a crumbly pile in his lap.

  “Well, no one could accuse you of having cat-like reflexes.” Josie thunked down into the deck chair next to Seth. She tore a large bite out of a gingersnap and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then leveled him with a concerned look. “You okay?”

  “Hanging in there.” Seth shook the crumbs he’d gathered in his palm before tossing them into the fire. Only half of the cookie was salvageable but he’d eaten about a cup of the batter that afternoon and wasn’t really in the mood for more sweets. “How about you? My family totally scare you away yet?”

  “Nah. They’re not scary. But your mom does know how to interrogate. She ever have ambitions of becoming a lawyer?”

  “You mean like her son?” Seth chuckled.

  “Hey, if anyone I know ever needs a fake lawyer, I’m passing along your info. You’re unequivocally the best.” Josie brushed her palm on the thighs of her jeans and then grabbed onto Seth’s hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I finally pulled away from your parents because I thought I should fill you in before they got to you first. Here’s the story: we’ve been dating for three years. Met at that country line dancing bar, The Rusty Spur. The one on County Road 44 next to the feed store with that big plastic cow out front. I asked you to dance first. You spilled your beer on my jean jacket. Offered to have it dry cleaned. I said it wasn’t necessary, that I’d just borrow yours. You told me to keep it and the rest is history.”

  “You know, that actually sounds believable enough.”

  “I thought so. Tried to keep things vague, but realistic. Your mom’s relentless, though. She wants all the details.”

  “I suppose we should come up with some, then. Just to keep our stories straight.” Mindlessly, Seth’s thumb began to trace the back of Josie’s hand. For a minute, he caught himself, but when their eyes met and he read the quiet approval in hers, he continued, hoping it was okay. Her hands weren’t soft and smooth like most women’s. There was nothing masculine about them, but there was a slight roughness that hinted at honest, hard work. Josie was a capable woman. Capable of taking care of herself. Capable of providing for herself. And capable of confusing Seth’s heart on levels he hadn’t experienced in a long, long while.

  “It wasn’t so much that she wanted to know details about our past. More like she wanted to know the plans for our future.”

  Josie’s amber eyes glimmered the same intense hue as the fire that flickered just feet away and they mesmerized Seth in a similar, intoxicating manner. He shook his head to train his thoughts back onto their conversation. “Right. Plans.”

  “I’m not sure how serious you want this to be. I’m up for whatever, but I need some direction.”

  Seth wasn’t sure, either. Playing pretend had sounded like a reasonable, if not fun, thing to do. And there was no denying the tangible shift in his father’s demeanor tonight. When Seth had arrived with Josie in tow, the handshake his dad gave was not the authoritative, knuckle-crushing grip Seth had readied for. It was friendly. Congratulatory, even. Man to man, not father to son. Was this really all it took for his father to finally view him as an adult? The thought made Seth equally as frustrated as it did relieved now that he was on the receiving end of his father’s elusive praise.

  “What kind of plans would we have?” It had been so long since Seth had been in a relationship where a future was even a possibility. With Bridgette, it was about the here and now. And maybe that was why things had ultimately ended between them.

  “I don’t know…like, have you ever thought of marriage? I mean, are we supposed to be heading that direction? How far off from an engagement should we be?”

  Marriage wasn’t a word Seth had ever associated with his future. Some men were meant to be perpetual bachelors. He always assumed he fell into that category. If he couldn’t land on a job he would be content working for the remainder of his days, he didn’t figure he’d have any easier a time finding someone to share those days with.

  “I honestly don’t think it would be believable that I’d ever marry,” Seth admitted. He pretended not to notice the way Josie’s hand stilled at the confession. “My family would never buy that.”

  “Isn’t that the whole thing, though? Aren’t we trying to make the unbelievable believable?”

  When put that way… “I guess. I mean, maybe.”

  “I’m committed to this fake relationship, Seth. I’d just like to know how committed I should be.”

  He had to chuckle at the preposterous sound of it all. Committed to something entirely made up. It really was laughable.

  “Let’s just take things one step at a time. See how it plays out and figure out where to go from there.”

  “I can do that.” There was that confidence in her tone again. This woman was a force, no doubt.

  “Hey.” Seth acted on impulse. “Why don’t you come over here and sit with me for a bit?” He tipped his chin toward his family before bringing his gaze back around. “Give them something to talk about.”

  For a split second, Josie’s eyes f
lashed in surprise, but then she quickly regained control over her expression and just nodded. She left her chair to join Seth on his, sliding onto his lap with her good arm looped loosely around his neck, the other casted one resting lightly across his chest.

  Seth couldn’t keep his hands from pulling her closer. The feel of a woman pressed up against his body, the soft, warm light from the fire pit in the distance, the hushed murmur of ongoing conversation from the opposite end of the deck—it was a calm in the rising storm of emotion Seth felt after his chat with his brother. Was it Josie that did this to him? Was it this pretend relationship?

  It didn’t matter. Whatever it was, he wanted to hold on tight and never let go.

  10

  Josie

  Cedar, cinnamon and smoke. When Josie would lay her head against her pillow later that night, those would be the combinations of smells to accompany her memories of this particular autumn evening. She didn’t know if it was all Seth or the mixture of his spicy cologne and the campfire scent that swirled around them, but it was a heady combination.

  For the first few hours at his parents’ place, she hardly spent any time with the man that was supposed to be her boyfriend. Donna had monopolized much of the night, pelting questions at every turn until Josie needed a break and politely excused herself to track down the person she came with. She found him sitting alone in an Adirondack chair on the deck and she stood there a long moment, Seth’s focus entirely engaged by the fire that popped and crackled in the pit. She had said his name a few times before finally chucking one of her cookies at his chest to commandeer his attention. There was no other way to break him from whatever thoughts preoccupied his mind.

  One conversation later and here she was, snuggled up to him, breathing in this manly scent that she would never be able to scrub from her brain or detach from her thoughts associated with that night.

  Josie’s life was sure a series of unexpected—often bewildering—events.

  “You smell good.” Seth’s nose pressed lightly into her hair.

  “I showered.” Josie felt stupid the instant the words left her mouth. “Not that I don’t usually shower. I do. Often. It’s just that I smelled worse than a fat pig in a muddy barnyard after working with the horses earlier today. I was in desperate need of a good bathing.”

  “It couldn’t have been that bad.” His chest vibrated with a laugh she could feel rumbling against her. “But I’ll take your word for it.”

  How weird was it to be so close to a person that you could smell them? Breathe them in and out. Inhale. Exhale. Josie wondered if all couples did this or if they were just in this new phase of exploring one another, all the way down to their scents. It nearly had her dizzied.

  “I was just thinking that you smelled good, too,” she admitted.

  “I probably smell like a gingersnap. I’m kind of a messy baker and tend to get the ingredients all over me when I’m in the kitchen. I should’ve changed first.”

  That did explain the spicy notes she’d picked up on. “There are much worse things than smelling like a cookie, Seth. Do you mind me asking what the whole deal with the cookies is, anyway? Why all the baking?”

  “It’s something I used to do with Gramm back when she still lived at the ranch. You’ve heard the saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?” Josie nodded, which prompted Seth to continue. “Well, Gramm used to say the way to a woman’s was through her sweet tooth. When I was in eighth grade, I had the biggest crush on this girl named Chrissy Denton. I tried all school year to get her to notice me, but it wasn’t until I showed up on Valentine’s Day with a dozen frosted, heart-shaped, sugar cookies that she paid me any attention.”

  “The lengths a man will go to be noticed,” Josie interjected in jest.

  “Right? But it worked. For a while, at least. But then summer break came and her family went on a big RV trip so I couldn’t really send her cookies or anything after that. Things just fizzled out from there.”

  “So she only hung around for the sugary treats? You alone weren’t sweet enough? That’s really sad, Seth.”

  “Well, when you say it like that, it is.”

  “I’m only kidding…sort of.” Josie laughed but stopped suddenly, unable to keep from wincing.

  “What’s wrong? You okay?”

  She vigorously shook her arm with the cast as a pins and needles sensation shot clear up to her shoulder. “Dang thing keeps falling asleep. I’m telling you, three weeks cannot come soon enough.”

  “I know you said you broke it in an accident, but do you mind me asking just how?”

  “You can ask, but it’s not really anything I care to answer.”

  Understanding clicked across Seth’s face, filling his chestnut eyes with a compassion Josie felt in the pit of her stomach. “Fair enough. We’re all allowed our secrets. I respect that.”

  “It’s not so much a secret as it is a reminder. One I’d like to forget.”

  Seth just nodded and didn’t press it further. Comfortable silence enveloped them while they continued playing the role of a couple in love cozied up by the fire.

  She could see why he had picked this particular spot to occupy for the night. It was the best vantage point, by far. From this chair, one sweeping gaze could take in the entirety of the deck, the yard, the rolling foothills now highlighted by the burgeoning glow of the risen harvest moon. Seth was an observer. An introspective man. Quiet in confidence but a leader, nonetheless. If Josie was able to recognize this after only knowing the man a few short days, how could his family go an entire lifetime without that acknowledgment?

  She understood not fitting in with your own kin, though. It had been that way for Josie, too. She loved her sisters—all three of them—but she wasn’t quite like them. Where they were flowers, Josie was a stubborn weed. Where they were graceful, Josie was undeniably awkward. Where they were kind, Josie was sometimes not so understanding. Her temper was short. Her opinions were strong. Her words were often spoken without fully thinking them through.

  But her father had understood her. Or he had tried to, at least. And there was something to be said about a father’s approval. Josie knew Seth was ultimately after that. And it was why she had no hesitation in helping him achieve it.

  “You about ready to call it a night?” Seth leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Josie to give one quick squeeze before nudging her off of his lap. “I think we’ve put on a sufficient show for the evening, yeah?”

  “I definitely think we did. I’m ready whenever you are.”

  They said their goodbyes, hand in hand, and Josie made sure to keep hold of Seth’s until they were a good distance from his parents’ house, just for believability’s sake. Only then did she loosen her grip first, then felt Seth’s fingers relax to let hers slip through.

  Instantly, a shudder skittered up her spine. It was cold and she hadn’t registered just how cold until she finally stood apart from him. Throughout the last hour as the temperatures had dropped, she’d been warmed both by the fire and by Seth’s arms, and without that comfort, she felt the true chill of the night air.

  “Here.” Josie sensed the weight of his Sherpa-lined jacket lower onto her shoulders before she could process the words accompanying his action. “Take this.”

  “Thank you, Seth.” She pulled the collar close around her neck and burrowed into its warmth. “See? We’re not all lies. Now you actually have let me borrow your jacket.”

  “I guess we could try to make a little more of our story come true.”

  Josie’s eyebrow quirked up. “How so?”

  Seth’s hands were deep in his pant pockets when he shrugged his shoulders to his ears in this uncertain, tentative gesture. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe go line dancing at The Rusty Spur for starters.”

  “You a big country line dancer, Seth?”

  “Not sure. I’ve never tried.”

  Josie whirled around so fast, Seth’s jacket almost spun out and fell from her shoulders.
He reached out to fit it back on before it slipped off completely. “You’re kidding!”

  “I’m not.”

  “But you at least know the Electric Slide, right? I mean, everyone knows the Electric Slide.”

  “I don’t know the Electric Slide.” His mouth curved up in a grin. “Is this something I should be ashamed to admit?”

  “Not ashamed. But maybe a little embarrassed.”

  “Oh, Josie, it takes a lot more than that to embarrass me.”

  “Noted.” She snickered, packing that knowledge away for later. “You know—you don’t have to walk me all the way to my trailer. I can find my way around the property just fine.”

  “Umm, yes, I do. You are my girlfriend.”

  That word was like a zap of electricity through Josie’s veins. In all her years, she’d never been called that, and even though she knew it was all a façade, the feelings she experienced in hearing that were as real as the hairs on her head. It was like her senses suddenly weren’t all on the same page. Like they hadn’t been given the memo that this was one big, manufactured relationship. They hadn’t been warned not to react. She needed to get them all up to speed so her heart didn’t continue to race in excitement upon hearing silly words like girlfriend.

  Seth read Josie’s hesitation wrong. “Unless you don’t want me to walk you back. I totally understand if that’s the case.”

  “That’s not it at all. Contrary to what I said the other day about not needing any new friends, I actually kinda enjoy your company, Seth.”

  “Actually kinda.” He chuckled. “I’ll take it.”

  It was more than actually kinda. A whole lot more. Seth was the first person Josie hadn’t felt judged by in a long while and she had certainly given him a whole host of things to judge.

  “So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” She looked down at her boots as they walked, careful where she placed her feet on the gravelly road. There were a myriad of tripping hazards and with only one good arm to break her fall, she didn’t feel all that confident. Maybe it was a good thing that Seth insisted on accompanying her home, after all.