A Real Cowboy Always Trusts His Heart

by Stephanie Rowe

  Heat filled her cheeks at the obvious flirtation. Men never flirted with her, especially drop-dead-gorgeous men, and she wasn't sure how to react. "I grew up here, but I haven't been back for a decade. I'm just in town for a little while."

  He gave her a conspiring grin. "Well, then, I think I'll have to stay in town for a little while as well."

  Lissa kicked him lightly in the calf. "Shut up and go deliver my food, minion."

  Keegan rolled his eyes, winking at Zoey. "As soon as my sister married Lissa's husband's brother, Lissa immediately decided she owns me. I love that." He shot them both a sassy grin, then sauntered out of the kitchen whistling cheerfully.

  Zoey couldn’t help but stare after him. "He seems so happy. Brody was really nice, but he had the same kind of shadows in his eyes as the Stocktons. I figured all the Harts were the same way."

  Lissa shook her head. "Keegan is awesome and hilarious, but don't let the humor fool you. He had the same tough childhood the others did, and that leaves scars." She cocked her head. "Like Travis. Like Ryder."

  Heat flushed Zoey's cheeks. "Ryder can be hilarious as well. He used to make me laugh all the time."

  "Really? He never shows that to anyone." Lissa studied her. "Seriously. What's up with the two of you, Zoey? You and Ryder?"

  "Nothing." She didn't even know how to begin answering that. For so long, she'd loved him. Then for a decade, she'd hated herself for trusting him, and hated him for betraying her. And now…so much of that was gone…and it left her with…what? Her best friend again? But what else? "I don't know. It's complicated."

  Lissa grinned. "I love complicated." She plated a grilled cheese and handed the sandwich and a bowl of chili to Zoey. "Let's grab a drink after work tonight. Have some girl time. We can talk Stockton men. It's been a while since you've been around them, and I'm full of advice that I consider pretty fantastic. What do you say?"

  Zoey hesitated, startled by the offer. She wasn't used to anyone in Rogue Valley reaching out to her, and she felt a little awkward. "I don't know," she hedged. "I was going to do some research on the internet tonight—"

  "Really? You get an offer to hang with the coolest chick in town, and you want to sit home with a computer?" Lissa pointed the spatula at her. "We close at nine tonight, so we'll meet at the Bucking Bull at nine-thirty. I'll get some of the other girls to come. We'll have girls' night out to welcome you back to town."

  Oh, man. Others? A legit girls' night? That so wasn't her thing. She'd come here to sort out her issues alone, not get pulled into girl bonding with women she didn't even know. Yet at the same time, a part of her wanted desperately to go, but she had no idea how to do it. Getting together with a bunch of women who all knew each other sounded like the perfect recipe for feeling more lost than she already was. "I'm not that good at socializing—"

  "No problem. I'm great at it. No buts. It's done. Now go deliver that food to table sixteen. Don't charge them for the meal. Think of a reason why it's on the house. Now go away. I need to create magic in this kitchen." Whistling cheerfully, Lissa turned away and started flipping the burgers on the grill.

  The door swung open, and Keegan walked back in. He grinned at Zoey. "Need some help with that?"

  Heat flushed her cheeks at his obvious interest in more than the food she was holding. "No, I'm good." She quickly scooted past him and hurried out into the restaurant as she heard Keegan ask Lissa what her story was, and if she was single.

  Single? He was asking if she was single?

  She wasn't ready for a man to notice her, or want to date her.

  Men. They were never around when you wanted them, and sniffed at your heels when you didn't. But as she wove around the tables to number sixteen, she couldn't quite keep the smile off her face.

  She might not want to date Keegan Hart, or anyone, but she couldn't lie: it felt really good to be noticed as a woman. It had been a long time since she'd felt pretty, and now Keegan was the third man in twenty-four hours to make her feel attractive, including Brody and Ryder.

  Ryder.

  She glanced at the front door again, but he hadn't arrived yet. Good. She didn't have time for him. She was working, right?

  Dragging her attention off the front door, she headed toward table sixteen. Seated at it were what looked like a grandpa and his grandson, who was maybe seven years old. The man's skin was quite a bit darker than the boy's gorgeous light brown coloring, but there was a similarity in their smile that made her certain they were related. The grandfather was listening intently to his grandson as the boy talked with great animation, his hands gesticulating excitedly as he spoke. The two of them were so focused on each other that it made Zoey smile.

  That was family, right there, and it was beautiful. It made her think of the family she'd once had. She had only scattered memories of her parents, but the ones she had were of moments like this. Game night. Baking brownies with her mom. Painting with her mom.

  Painting. Like the gift Ryder had given her…brushes and paints that held no magic for her anymore, even though they were from him.

  She neared the boy and his grandfather, and as she got closer, she noticed more details. The old man's boots were worn and old, and his jeans were faded and threadbare. The boy's pants were too short, and he was thinner than he should be. The boy's socks didn't match, and his shoes looked like they'd been found in a dumpster in the eighties. No wonder Lissa hadn't wanted her to charge them.

  The old man noticed her, and he sat back with a warm smile as Zoey hurried up. "Well, hello," he said. "You must be Lissa's new waitress."

  "Good afternoon. I'm just temporary help," she said cheerfully, embarrassed that he'd caught her inspecting their clothes. She smiled at the boy. "I assume the grilled cheese and fries are for you?"

  He stared up at her in silence.

  "We haven't ordered yet," the grandfather said gently, as if wanting to protect her new-waitress-ego. "We just sat down."

  Zoey hesitated for a moment, wondering if she'd gotten the right table. Then she looked at the way the boy was looking hungrily at the grilled cheese and decided that she hadn't made a mistake. "I know, but the chef is experimenting with a new chili recipe and different bread for the grilled cheese, so we need testers. Do you mind? It would be super helpful."

  The old man raised his eyebrows at her. "Is that so?"

  "Absolutely." She set the grilled cheese in front of the boy. "My name's Zoey Wilson. What's yours?"

  He nearly dove into the sandwich. "Liam Eaton," he said, his mouth already full of his first bite.

  She crouched down next to him, remembering the times Ryder had come to her house for dinner, and she'd snuck him food, because they'd had nothing to eat in the Stockton hellhole. He'd eaten like that, scarfing down food like he hadn't eaten in weeks. "Well, Liam, we have several different kinds of grilled cheese we're testing today. If you have space for more after that one, you let me know, okay? It would be super helpful if you would let us know if you like it."

  He sat up a little straighter. "Really?"

  "Absolutely." She glanced at the grandfather, who was watching her carefully. "In fact, Lissa, who owns the café, really wants to make the menu more kid friendly, and she needs taste testers. Do you think you might be interested in the job? You come here, and test some food, and let her know what needs to change?"

  Liam pulled his shoulders back and gave her a serious nod. "I can do that." He looked at the old man. "Pops? Can we do that? Come back and help?"

  Pops raised his brows at Zoey, clearly knowing exactly what she was doing, but he nodded. "We can do that, Liam."

  "Awesome." Liam looked delighted as he dove back into his sandwich. "I'll tell you right now that this bread is a little weird tasting," he said. "And I can see brown flecks in it. Kids don't like whole grain weird bread. We like white bread."

  Zoey pulled out her notepad and jotted his comments down. "Fantastic. And the cheese? Melty enough?"

  Liam took another bite, pulling the
sandwich away slowly so a long string of melted cheese stretched out. He looked at Zoey, then burst out into giggles when it broke and drooped down onto the table. "Yeah, that's good."

  She grinned. "Awesome. What about the flavor of the cheese?"

  Liam chewed his food for a moment, cocking his head as he clearly contemplated how to answer. After a moment, he swallowed. "It tastes like the cheese on those frozen pizzas we get from the store. A little weird."

  "Weird. Got it." She jotted it down. "Anything else? Overall rating on a scale of one to ten?"

  He cocked his head, thinking. "Six."

  "Six." Damn. The kid was a food critic. "That's super helpful. We'll bring out a revised version in a bit. What do you need to drink to do your job?"

  "Root beer—"

  "Milk," Pops interrupted. "Water or milk."

  Liam made a face, and Zoey giggled. "Milk and water, it is." She stood up. "I'll be back in a few. Let me know how the chili is…" She paused. "What is your name?"

  "Frank. Frank Eaton."

  She smiled. "Great. Thank you both for your help." She stood up and headed back toward the kitchen, feeling a deep sense of peace that she'd been able to help them. If Lissa didn't want to give them free food forever, she'd give Lissa the money for it.

  "Zoey."

  She turned around as Frank shuffled up to her. He was old and a little bent, but there was a sass and fire in his eyes that said he was a force to be reckoned with. She tensed, worried that he was going to be annoyed that she'd given them free food. "Yes?"

  He said nothing. He just walked up to her and gave her a huge hug.

  For a moment, she just stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do, and then she slowly put her arms around him and hugged him back.

  "This is for leaving Liam and this old man with some pride," he whispered gruffly into her ear. "Thank you."

  Her throat tightened and she nodded. "I've been there," she said.

  He pulled back, studying her face. "Sorry to hear that. Sorry indeed."

  Tears unexpectedly sprung into her eyes, and she quickly blinked them back. "It was a long time ago. It's all good."

  "Is it?" He gave her a long look. "Because I'm not sure it ever becomes all good again." There was a sadness in his eyes that made her heart turn over, but he turned away and headed back toward Liam before she could say anything more.

  For a moment, she just stood there, watching as Frank sat down across from Liam, smiling at his grandson. They were strangers, and yet now, she had a connection with them. Something real and personal. Something that mattered.

  She'd never had that in Boston. It felt…special. Healing. Beautiful. She realized that maybe she was the one who owed them the thanks.

  "Hey, Zoey." Ryder's voice was low and deep, whispering over her shoulder as he slid his arms around her waist.

  She closed her eyes for a split second, letting herself lean into his strength. God, it felt good to feel his arms around her…too good. The kind of good that would make her forget that she was here to learn how to stand on her own two feet, not weaken herself by letting him hold her up.

  With a silent groan of how sucky it was to have to be strong, she untangled herself from his grasp and turned to face him. "You can't go grabbing me while I'm working. It's much too difficult to carry plates and drag you along behind me."

  He grinned, a sparkle in his eyes that made her heart leap. "Yeah, well, I'm sure you could handle it. How's the day going?"

  She narrowed her eyes. "You came here to ask me how the day's going?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Keegan walk out of the kitchen carrying several plates of food. He looked right over at them, and then headed straight for them.

  Ryder didn't appear to notice Keegan. "I came here to invite you to go canoeing with me on Monday. The café is closed, so you'll be free."

  She blinked. "Canoeing? Seriously?"

  "Yep. The river runs right by the house, and the house came with a bunch of canoes that have never been used." He shrugged. "I thought it might help inspire you to paint."

  She tensed. "I don't paint anymore. I just—"

  "Hey." He set his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay. No painting. Just canoeing. And a picnic. What do you say?"

  She hesitated. Monday was day five of being in town. She was committed only for four days to Lissa. She was planning to be gone by then, but the idea of spending a day hanging out with Ryder was so tempting. Now that their relationship had started to heal, she was deeply tempted to stay long enough to rebuild their friendship. When she left again, it would be beautiful to keep connected to him this time.

  "Hey, Ryder, back off. I was going to ask her out." Keegan walked up. "Lissa said she was single."

  Ryder's face went from relaxed to dark instantly. His shoulders tensed, and his jaw tightened. Uh, oh. She'd seen that look on his face before. It was a look of fury that masked pain, the pain he never shared with anyone. She was shocked by the expression on his face. It was raw, and visceral, too strong for him to hide behind the mask he usually wore.

  He didn't look at Keegan. He just stared at the wall behind Zoey, fighting for control.

  Was it his protector mode? Something about Keegan that he wanted to protect her from?

  "What do you say, Zoey?" Keegan smiled at her, so charming and gorgeous. "I'd love to treat you to dinner tonight. It's the only night I'm in town, but I'll be back again in a week or two."

  His intentions were obvious. Even though he was charming and handsome, and clearly adored by Lissa, the thought of dating him made Zoey panic. She was so not in a place to build trust with any man. "I'm so sorry, but I can't."

  He raised his brows. "Tonight? Or ever?"

  Ryder glanced at her, his face an unreadable mask. There was something in his gaze, something stark and raw that grabbed at her heart.

  She looked over at Keegan, and for a split second, she saw a flash of vulnerability in his green eyes, vulnerability that belied his easygoing manner. This man was like Ryder and the rest of the Stocktons, carrying a load of pain and loneliness, held together by the bond he had with his siblings.

  Two men, both of them so strong, so handsome, and so confident…with so many scars buried deep inside, scars that they showed to no one…except the people who could see them despite their best efforts to hide them.

  Keegan was waiting for her answer, and the longer he waited, the more she saw his shields go up, expecting rejection, preparing for it. Her heart turned over. "It's not you," she said softly.

  He raised his brows. "I'm getting the 'it's not you, it's me' speech already? That was fast."

  His tone said that he clearly understood that it was him. He was a man who, in his own eyes, would always be the homeless kid who no one thought was worthy, and damn if she was going to let him believe that she was one of those people who would judge him.

  She'd been judged brutally enough once her parents had died that she'd be damned if she'd let someone else feel the way she had.

  Ryder had always made her feel valued, even at her worst. There was no way she could do less for Keegan, and there was no chance a man like him would believe that she just had a shitload of emotional intimacy issues. He was too ready to wear the label he'd been saddled with since he was a kid. "No, it's really not you. It's…it's Ryder." She said it before she thought about it, and both men's eyebrows went up.

  "Ryder?" Keegan looked over at him. "What about him?"

  "He's… I…" Crap. What was she supposed to say now?

  Neither man helped her out. They both just stared at her, waiting.

  Dammit. "Ryder and I are dating," she finally said.

  Ryder grinned, but Keegan looked skeptical. "You and Ryder? Really?"

  "Hell, yeah." Ryder slung his arm around her neck, hauled her over to him, and, before she realized what he was about to do, he kissed her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ryder had dreamed about kissing Zoey pretty much every night since she'd left. He'd been prett
y damn certain that he remembered exactly what it had been like to kiss her.

  But he was wrong.

  All his memories, all his fantasies, were absolutely nothing compared to what it was like to feel her lips under his once again.

  Her mouth was pure angel and heaven, a taste of beauty and peace that he'd never found anywhere else. Her lips were soft as a dandelion mist, and they tasted like the deep, comforting taste of apple pie.

  Ten years ago, he'd kissed her half-afraid of what he was doing, of what door he was opening.

  This time, the kiss with her was everything he wanted, and he didn't hesitate. This was the chance he never thought he'd get again, and he knew it might be his only one…so he gave her everything he was, everything he had, everything he could offer her.

  Yeah, he knew that she'd claimed they were dating just to get Keegan to back off, but he was going to take the opportunity and make the move he hadn't thought he'd ever get the chance to make.

  For a split second, she stiffened, her body rigid against his, her hand on his chest, as if she were going to push him away.

  So, he deepened the kiss, sliding his hands through her hair, cradling her head in his palms as he coaxed a response from her. He whispered her name into the kiss, barely a breath, before kissing her again. "ZoeyBear."

  It was her name that did it. The moment he said it, the resistance drained from her body. She sighed deeply and she relaxed into him, the weight of her body leaning into his chest as she parted her lips and kissed him back.

  She was kissing him back.

  For a moment, Ryder was too overwhelmed to respond. This moment, what he'd dreamed of for a decade, was really happening. It was happening.

  He felt her hesitate, so he quickly focused on the kiss again, sliding one hand across her lower back and drawing her to him. She sighed into the kiss, an adorable little Zoey sigh that made him smile as he kissed her, teasing her with little kisses meant to make her laugh.

  She giggled, and drew back, her eyes sparkling. "You're such a dork."

  "I know. I'm fantastic that way." Her lips looked so tempting that he brought her in and kissed her again, this time a slow, decadent seduction that sent heat rushing through him, the kind of heat that was pure need and desire, for her, simply for her.