CHAPTER ONE
"Good Lord, ladies. I do believe I've died and gone to cowboy heaven." Carol Tanner glanced around the decorated dance hall at the local cowboys, decked out in their Saturday night best--tight-fitting, starched blue jeans, brightly decorated shirts, hand-tooled leather belts, and boots that probably cost them a week's pay. She deliberately skipped her gaze over Jake Reilly, whose intense gaze hadn't wavered from her face since she stepped into the building. Tonight she'd forget about Jake and enjoy herself, or die trying.
But as hard as she tried to ignore him, she had to admit he did look hot tonight. Pissed, but hot.
"Now that is one fine example of prime male physique." Jean Sutherland sighed as a tall, muscular cowboy passed by.
"Just another reason to love this town," Nancy Phillips drawled, with a wink aimed at the cowboy under discussion. "So why are we just standing here? Let's go see what kind of trouble we can stir up."
Logan and Megan Tanner shook their heads and laughed as the three single women headed into the crowd on the dance floor. Logan took baby Charlie from Megan's arms and kissed his wife's cheek. "I'm glad I married you before that bunch had a chance to corrupt you with their wild ways."
Megan grinned. "Who said I wasn't corrupted? I married you, didn't I?"
"So you did." He turned to his daughter, Katie. "Listen, you can go meet up with your friends, but do not go outside after dark, do you understand? Most of these cowboys are harmless enough, but some are drifters that we know nothing about. And check in with Megan or me every hour."
Katie sighed. "I'm not a kid, Dad. See you in an hour." She hurried off, waving at a group of girls gathered around the groaning buffet tables.
Logan watched her go, wishing she was still young enough that he could keep her by his side. She'd grown into a beautiful young girl. No longer a child, but not yet a woman. "Remind me again that she's still only fourteen?"
"Fourteen going on twenty," Megan said. "It's all uphill from here."
"Logan, Megan. Good to see you stepping out for a change." Jake Reilly handed Logan a beer. "You want me to get you something to drink, Megan?"
"I'd love a root beer, Jake. Thank you."
When he came back with the icy drink, his face was stormy. "That sister of yours is asking for trouble," he told Logan.
"Why? What's Carol up to?"
"Out there on the dance floor, making eyes at those range rabbits. Don't even recognize some of those men. Asking for trouble, I'm telling you."
"She'll be okay. We'll keep an eye on her. Why don't you go ask her to dance? You're the one she wants to be with, anyway, and you know it."
Jake shook his head. "I'm going to sit this one out."
For the next hour, Jake watched from the edge of the dance floor as Carol two-stepped her way across the room with first one cowboy, and then another. Every once in a while, he caught her glancing his way--whether to see if he noticed her or hoping he'd ask her to dance, he didn't know. But he noticed, all right. How could he help it? With her skin tight jeans outlining her curves, the close-fitting sweater accentuating her breasts…
His hands clenched into fists as yet another man cut in and swung her away, out of his sight.
"You'd better go get her, Jake, before you decide to take out half the town with your fists." Logan leaned against the wall with Charlie tucked against his chest. The baby was sound asleep despite the loud music.
"What makes you think she'd dance with me? She hasn't spoken to me in two years."
"You ready to tell me why?"
"No." Jake scowled at Logan. "It's none of your business."
"Maybe, maybe not. She is my sister, so I expect anything that has to do with her happiness is my business."
Megan moved between the two men. "Will you two just stop it? Y'all are neighbors, friends. You work side by side nearly every day. You can't afford to get into a pissing contest and risk that friendship."
Jake ducked his head and nodded. "I don't want to fight with either of you over this. It's between me and Carol. If you want to know so badly, ask her."
"Believe me, I have. She's not talking either," Megan said with a sigh.
Katie passed by, dancing with a young man. Logan scowled. "What's she doing dancing with a boy? She's too young."
Megan laughed. "Would you rather she was dancing with a girl? Relax. That's Dean Neiman. He's a good kid. He brings his horse Dancer into the clinic every once in a while. If he treats Katie as well as he does that horse, you have nothing to worry about."
"Why don't I know him? I know most of the Neiman clan."
"Because he's only been here a few months, living with his grandparents, Hugo and Leona. His parents are working in Abu Dubai for a year."
"Hmmph. She's still too young for a boyfriend."
"Who said anything about a boyfriend?" Megan shook her head. "It's just a dance, Logan. Don't make a big deal out of it."
Jake smirked as he listened to them. "I can't wait until she goes on her first car date. You planning to deck her first date like you did me when I took Carol out?"
Logan shot him a warning look. "Watch it, Jake. I can still take you down."
"I'd like to see you try." Though the banter was joking, it still rankled that Logan had taken him down with one punch all those years ago.
"No one is taking anyone down tonight." Megan said. "Now, let's just enjoy the party, okay?"
Katie came back to join them. "Want me to hold Charlie for a while? Y'all haven't danced even once since we got here."
Megan smiled her thanks at Katie, then ran a hand up Logan's arm. "Ready to dance with me, cowboy?"
"Always." Logan passed the baby to Katie, then swung Megan into his arms and they moved onto the crowded floor.
Jake watched them for a minute before his gaze strayed back to Carol. She had a new partner now, one that seemed to be holding her awfully close. He wanted to cut in, to stake his claim. But he had no claim. He didn't even have the guts to tell her how he felt.
He'd tried, God knows, he'd tried. But he'd never been good at discussing feelings. He'd been raised to keep them to himself, and he couldn't recall a single time his father had expressed any feelings toward his mother. But Carol was all about feelings. She used to ask him how he felt about everything from a new calf to a summer breeze.
A calf was a calf, money on the hoof. Cute, maybe, but you couldn't let yourself get attached because sooner or later you would have to sell it or butcher it. As for a summer breeze, it kept your blood from boiling under the unforgiving West Texas sun. But those weren't the answers she'd wanted to hear.
So how did he explain the way his chest got all tight when he saw her with someone else?
Katie moved away to sit in a chair, the baby's weight obviously getting to be too much for her. He should offer to help, but he'd never held a baby before. He'd probably wake the child and it would cry, and then what would he do? Even a fourteen year old knew more about babies than he did. He could handle delivering a calf, but he couldn't handle a small boy.
While Jake watched her pat the baby gently on the back, a rough-looking young ranch hand sat beside her. He said something that made Katie visibly uncomfortable, so Jake edged closer. When the man reached out to touch Katie's hair, she jerked her head away and Jake moved in.
As soon as the man saw him, he started to leave. Jake grabbed his arm. "Leave the girl alone."
"Hey, don't mean no trouble. Just wanted to see if she wanted to dance."
Jake's brows drew together. "She's just a kid. Unless you want to deal with me, I'd suggest you go find someone closer to your own age."
The cowboy shrugged his hand off and wandered away after one last look at Katie.
Jake sat beside her. "You okay?"
"Yeah, but he gave me the creeps. Thanks for making him leave, Uncle Jake."
"Anytime, kid. Let me know if he causes any more problems, okay? I'm going to go find your dad and let him know so he can keep an eye out, too."
r />
Katie gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks."
He found Logan and Megan and as soon as he told them what happened, they left the dance floor and returned to the children. Jake continued across the floor, sidestepping when he nearly collided with Carol dancing with the same piece of scum who'd bothered Katie. He had to exert all his self-control to keep from yanking her out of the man's too-tight embrace. He settled for another beer.
After twisting the top off the bottle, he leaned against the wall and crossed one booted foot over the other. From this vantage point, he could see most of the dance floor. If the cowboy got out of hand, he' d take care of it.
Nancy two-stepped past him, hand in hand with a local doctor. Jean was right behind her, laughing at something her dance partner had just said. Jake thought he recognized the man, but he wasn't sure who he was.
Seemed like everyone was having a good time. Everyone but him. Why had he even bothered to come?
He pushed away from the wall and headed outside. He needed to clear his head, get some perspective. What right did he have to be jealous because Carol was dancing with other men? He couldn't give her what she wanted, what she needed, so he couldn't blame her for looking elsewhere. He had no idea what she did and with whom back in Austin. He was just pissed because he knew most of these men, and they knew Carol was his.
Or should be.
He stormed to his truck and yanked the passenger door open. He kept a pack of little cigars in the glove box for those times when he felt like his blood pressure was about to shoot through the roof. Yeah, they were bad for him, but he figured one every once in a while wouldn't kill him. But his rising blood pressure might.
He lit the cigar and inhaled. The tension started to ease almost instantly. The music spilled out into the parking lot and Jake hummed along with Willie Nelson until the door opened and Carol stepped outside with Nancy and Jean. They laughed about something, their voices carrying on the cool evening breeze. Nancy and Jean went back inside. Carol leaned against the wall and looked up at the sky.
A minute or two later, that same sleazy cowhand that had come on to Katie stepped outside. He said something to Carol, and she shook her head. When she turned her back on him, he grabbed her arm and spun her around.
With a curse, Jake turned off the light inside the cab and sat sideways on the seat, boots planted firmly on the running board, ready to vault himself out of the truck.
He watched as the man backed Carol up against the building and tried to kiss her. She turned her head away. But it looked like the cowboy might have had a drink or two too many and didn't take no for an answer. When he shoved his hand up Carol's shirt and moved in for a second try, Carol shoved him away. The cowboy backhanded her across the face.
He didn't get a chance to do it again. Jake was on him like fleas on a dog in two seconds flat. He smashed his fist into the cowboy's face, once…twice. Carol screamed for him to stop, but Jake couldn't stop. Not until Logan yanked him to his feet and pushed him towards the building. Strong hands grabbed his arms and held him still while Logan helped the cowboy up.
"He was assaulting your sister, Logan. He's the same scum who was hitting on Katie. You should have let me finish him off," Jake yelled.
"Shut up, Jake." Logan's face was grim. "You'd better leave before the sheriff gets here."
Jake shook off the restraining hands and swayed on his feet. Damn, he hadn't had that much to drink. Had he?
Carol took his arm and reached into his front pocket. "I'm driving," she said, pulling the keys out of his pocket.
He muttered under his breath, but he let her lead him to the truck and help him inside. "Sorry I messed up the party."
"It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have stayed outside alone. It was hot inside and I just wanted to cool off. I wasn't planning to stay out much longer. I didn't think it would be a problem." She rubbed her cheek where the man had hit her. "Guess I was wrong. There's no telling what would have happened if you hadn't been there."
Jake reached over to touch her face, but when she flinched, he dropped his hand, leaned his head back against the seat, and closed his eyes. Maybe if Carol thought he was asleep she wouldn't try to make him talk. The last time she'd tried hadn't ended so well. But she remained silent as they drove through Morris Springs and turned onto the county road leading to his ranch--and Logan's.
Jake had lived there all his life, but Logan had left right after high school, only returning for the occasional holiday. When Logan's father had a stroke a couple of years earlier, Logan had returned at Carol's insistence and stayed until Charlie passed away. Carol had stayed, too, and Jake thought they might have a chance to rekindle the romance they'd started in high school. But when Logan moved back to Dallas, Carol had chosen to go with him to help with Katie instead of staying with Jake.
It was the second time she'd chosen a life elsewhere rather than a life with him, and he wasn't the kind to give second chances, much less a third.
They pulled into the driveway, and Carol rolled the windows down and turned off the engine. The only sounds this far out in the country were the yip of a coyote in the pasture and the muted roar of the train on its way to Lubbock.
Now that they were here, Jake wasn't sure what to do. He had her beside him, in his truck, for the first time in two years. In fact, tonight was the first time she'd spoken to him since she'd stormed out and gone to Dallas with Logan. He should say something, do something. "Come inside and I'll get some ice for your face."
Carol shook her head and opened her door. "I'm fine. Can you make it inside okay?"
Jake nodded. "Yeah, my head's clearing pretty fast. Don't know what came over me tonight. I don't usually drink enough to feel it."
She turned to look at him. "When did you eat last?"
He thought about it for a minute. "Breakfast. Got busy with the cows and forgot lunch. I figured I'd eat at the dance, but I never got around to it."
"Well, there's your answer. You shouldn't drink on an empty stomach." Carol stepped out of the truck and shut the door, leaning back inside the window. "You'd better go inside and fix yourself a sandwich before you get sick." She started walking down the driveway toward the road.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to Logan's. They'll be home soon."
"I don't want you to walk back by yourself." He climbed out of the truck to follow her.
"I'm a big girl, Jake, and it's only half a mile."
Jake fell into step beside her. "Might only be a short walk, but it's late and this is a lonely road. Wouldn't be right to let you go alone. Why don't I drive you home?"
"I'd rather walk. It's a beautiful night, the moon is bright, and the weather is perfect. I don't get many opportunities for a midnight walk in Austin."
"Why do you stay there, when your family is here? You should move back."
She gave him an exasperated look and kept walking. "You know exactly why I don't move back. And I don't want to talk about it."
Here was his opening, but he was too afraid of making her mad again to take it. At least she was talking to him again. So until he figured out what he'd done wrong the last time, he should probably keep his mouth shut.
They covered the distance between the two houses in just a few minutes, but Jake's head was completely clear by the time they arrived. Too bad that clearing didn't help when it came to talking to Carol. He still had no idea what to say.
He followed her onto the porch, where she turned to thank him. But he didn't want thanks. It was his fault she'd had to leave the party early and drive him home. So he silenced her the only way he knew how. With a kiss.
***
"I could deck Jake for ruining our night out," Logan said as they drove home. "We don't get many opportunities to get out these days."
Megan kissed his cheek, and then leaned her head against his shoulder. "He didn't hurt anything more than that cowboy's face. I was about ready to leave, anyway."
"Did you ask Carol what started the
fight?"
"No. She whisked Jake away before I had the chance." Megan stifled a yawn.
"Why don't you give her the third degree while I go have a talk with Jake?"
"Not a chance. It's late, and you aren't going anywhere except to bed. With me."
Logan weighed his choices. Going to bed with his beautiful wife definitely sounded more appealing than dealing with Jake. "Okay, if you insist."
She swatted his leg. "Watch it, cowboy."
"Hey, I heard that." Katie said from the back seat. "You might scar me for life, talking like that in front of me."
"You watch too much television," Logan said. He turned the truck into the driveway and the headlights lit up two figures on the front porch in what looked like a serious lip lock. "Speak of the devil…" He might have to deck Jake after all.
"Logan, you leave them alone. I mean it. Not a word. I don't know how they got from not speaking to kissing, but it's their business, not yours. Quit being such an overprotective big brother." Megan squeezed his hand, hard, as Carol and Jake sprang apart like an overstretched guitar string snapping on the down beat.
He sighed. He was itching for an excuse to have this out with Jake. Carol had been miserable for months after she'd left the ranch. He'd wanted to talk to Jake about it a half dozen times, but both women had threatened to emasculate him if he said anything. "I'll let it go for now, but I'm not going to hold back much longer."
Logan helped Megan out of the truck, eased the sleeping baby from his car seat, and they casually strolled to the porch as though they hadn't seen that kiss. The relief on Carol's face when she realized he wasn't going to say anything about it made him glad he'd listened to his wife once again. Megan had a sixth sense when it came to timing, and this definitely wasn't the right time.
"Logan, Megan." Jake tipped his hat, then ducked his head. "I, uh, was just seeing Carol home. Didn't want her to walk in the dark."
"Appreciate that." Logan shook Jake's hand. "Why don't you come in for a cup of coffee before you head back?"
A deep rumble of thunder rolled across the night sky and lightning flashed in the distance.
"Looks like I'd best head back home. Forecast is calling for some serious rain for the next few days. God knows, we need it."
"That's for sure. Okay, you be careful going home."