Toughest Cowboy in Texas Read online

  “Feelin’ feisty, are you,” Jace laughed.

  “Yes, I am.” Brody slipped the rope around the bull’s neck.

  “Hey, I was talkin’ to Sundance, not you. He’s already mad. Just push and let me get him tied to the truck and he’ll come out of there.”

  “I’m going to teach him a lesson.” Brody mounted his back, holding on to the rope with one hand.

  Sundance went completely wild. His back feet shot toward the sky and his nose went straight down into the water. He snorted, slung water and bull snot everywhere as his hind legs hit the water with a splash. Twisting his head toward his tail one way and then reversing the process, he tried to shake Brody off.

  “Hey, we could use him for rodeo stock,” Jace hollered as he removed his phone from his shirt pocket and started recording.

  Brody hung on, getting angrier by the minute as he watched Jace film him rather than checking the time to see if he’d managed eight seconds. Then suddenly, the bull’s back legs reached for the sun and his head went into the water again. His hide and Brody’s jeans were sopping wet, so there was no way Brody could hang on another minute. He slipped into the cold water and his straw hat floated down the stream.

  “Guess your family jewels is a bit cold now too,” Jace laughed.

  “Delete that video,” Brody panted.

  “Okay,” Jace said, and hit a few keys. “Deleted.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But I did send it to Lila before I deleted it.”

  “You…” Brody shook his fist at Jace and ran toward his brother.

  Sundance, now rid of the burden on his back, walked out of the water, his head held high as he strutted off toward the pickup truck and stopped at the rear.

  Brody had Jace in a headlock when he realized that Sundance was staring at them. “Would you look at that crazy fool? He’s waiting for us to tie him to the back of the truck and lead him back to the corral.”

  Jace wiggled free and plopped down on the grassy bank. “Why shouldn’t I send that to Lila?”

  “You didn’t see that guy, Jace. He was everything that she probably needs in her life. All spruced up.” Brody fell down beside him, flopping onto his back. “She deserves better than a crazy old rancher who gets mad and rides a bull out of icy-cold water.”

  “Maybe so, but she put him goin’, didn’t she?” Jace lay back beside his brother. “If that bull moves an inch, I swear this is when he goes to the market to be made into bologna.”

  “That don’t mean she can’t reconsider. He looked at her like she was…Well, he looked at her like I feel when she’s in my sight. Like there’s no one else.”

  “She loved you first and you know what they say about first loves. Let’s get this old cuss back to the corral.” Jace stood up and offered a hand to his brother.

  “Thanks, brother.”

  “Just helpin’ my elders,” Jace teased.

  “Hey, I’m not old yet.” Brody slid into the truck seat.

  “You’ll always be older than me,” Jace said as he headed toward the back of the truck.

  Brody grabbed his phone from where he’d tossed it onto the passenger seat and found a message from Lila: Call me.

  She answered on the first ring. “What was that all about? I was afraid you’d drowned when you went into the water like that. I swear it was worse than the fear in my heart when you rode at the bull riding and fell off.”

  “You care!” he chuckled.

  “I don’t want you dead. And I bet you and that bull both will have to warm up for a long time before…” She paused for a breath.

  “Before what?” he asked.

  “Call me later when your HDTs are thawed.”

  “HDTs?” he asked.

  “Hangin’ down things,” she said as she hung up.

  The screen went dark and he roared with laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” Jace asked.

  “Nothing.” Brody had no intention of sharing the moment. “You going to drive or ride on the tailgate and keep him moving?”

  “I’ll tailgate and then we’re going to the house to get cleaned up. Mama says we’re supposed to be over at her place at six to start helping get things ready for the reunion. I’m steering clear of her. She’ll be fuming or trying to lay a guilt trip on you. I don’t want to hear either one,” Jace said. “And for a man who’s about to get strung up by his mama, you sure got a happy expression on your face.”

  “I’m doin’ now what I should’ve done in high school. I just hope it’s not too late.” Brody got inside the truck and started driving slowly back to the barn.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The pile of clothing grew on Lila’s bed as she tried on outfit after outfit. Who would have thought that she’d have so much trouble picking out an outfit for a family reunion? Jeans and a shirt should do fine but thinking about a first official date with Brody had her insides twisted into a knot. She was checking her reflection in the mirror when Daisy pushed her way into the room. She handed a cup of chamomile tea to Lila and then sat down in the rocking chair.

  “Thought that might calm your nerves,” Daisy said. “This is not a date with the governor. It’s just Brody Dawson.”

  Lila set the cup on the dresser. “Thanks, Mama, but I’d be less nervous if it was the governor. Does this look all right? Is it too short?”

  The bright red sundress left her shoulders bare. The waist fit snug and the skirt lay in gentle folds, stopping at the top of her knees. She’d shaved her legs, put a few curls in her long, black hair, and applied a minimum of makeup.

  She was every bit as nervous as she had been when she dressed for her first date with Brody twelve years ago. Her mother had brought her a cup of tea that night, too, and then held her while she wept when he didn’t show up. She glared at the tea, refusing to take a sip for fear it would jinx the whole night.

  “You look beautiful. But, honey, I’m sure the almighty Dawsons wouldn’t take too well to you comin’ to their affair in your bare feet, so you better find a pair of shoes to match that dress. Or, you could just blow this silly notion off and go to dinner with Laura, Teresa, and me,” Daisy said.

  Lila slipped her feet into a pair of leather sandals and groaned. “Molly was right—I really should have gotten my hair trimmed and my nails done. My toes look horrible and I don’t even have time to do them myself now.”

  “Wear cowboy boots. Those fancy ones I bought you for Christmas a couple of years ago. They’ve got that red inlay in the front,” Daisy suggested.

  “Oooh, good idea.” Lila pulled the boots from the closet and shoved her feet down in them.

  “Now that completes the outfit,” Daisy said. “Wipe off that light colored lipstick and put on clear red. It’s on my dresser.”

  Lila checked the mirror. Daisy was right. The outfit called for red lipstick.

  “I hate to see your heart broken again, but I guess you’ve always had to learn your lessons the hard way,” Daisy said. “It’s tough on a mama to see her kid hurting.”

  “Sometimes the only way to get past the pain is to wade through it to the other side.” Lila raised her voice as she crossed the hall. “Right now I’m standing right in the middle of the river, not knowing what to do. Behind me is the past. Ahead is the future and the water is rising.”

  “That sounds like something your father would have said,” Daisy said. “Now you’re ready. I hear his truck driving up. I’m going to play the mama card even if you aren’t a teenager. You will not go rushing out there to meet him and if he honks rather than coming to the door like a real date should, then I’m going to shoot the tires out of his truck.”

  “That’s a step up.” Lila extended a hand and pulled her mother to her feet. “You would have shot him, not the tires, when I was younger.”

  Daisy led the way down the hall to the living room. “The mama of a grown daughter can only do so much.”

  The phone rang at the same time that Brody knocked on the door. “You answ
er that and I’ll get the door,” Daisy ordered.

  Lila grabbed the phone and said, “Happy Café. Lila speaking.” Lila held up a finger to give her a moment. “Yes, ma’am, we are interested in selling the café. You heard right and I’ll be glad to see you tomorrow morning at ten-thirty. Bye now.”

  She turned to find Brody standing in the middle of the floor. He held a bouquet of wildflowers tied with a bright red ribbon in one hand and a black cowboy hat in the other. The top button of his blue and white plaid shirt was left undone, showing a tuft of dark hair. Her eyes had trouble moving away from the belt buckle engraved with a bull rider.

  “You look amazing.” He stuck the flowers out toward her. “I picked these for you.”

  “Did I hear that you were meeting someone about the café?” Daisy asked.

  “Yes. They’re coming tomorrow morning.” Lila smiled. “Thank you so much for these, Brody. Give me a minute to put them in some water.”

  “I’ll do it for you and they’ll be on the dresser in your room when you get home this evening. I’ll shut the door to keep the cats out.” Daisy took them from him.

  “Thank you, Mama,” Lila said, but her eyes didn’t leave Brody’s. “They are beautiful.”

  “Not as beautiful as you are. Does she have a curfew, Miz Daisy?” Brody asked.

  “Only if I do,” Daisy said.

  Lila hugged Daisy and whispered, “Wish me luck.”

  “Never, not with that guy,” Daisy told her.

  “Ready?” Brody asked.

  “As I’ll ever be. Excited but nervous.”

  He settled his hat on his head and held the door open for her. “You have a good time, Miz Daisy.”

  “I’m sure I will,” she said.

  When they were near the truck, he put both hands on her shoulders and turned her around. His gaze started at her toes and traveled slowly to her hair and then back to settle on her lips. “You take my breath away, Lila. You’re stunning.”

  “You clean up pretty good, cowboy, but I got to admit, I kind of like a little dirt on your shirt.”

  His lips landed on hers for a brief, sweet kiss as he helped her into the truck. “I like you in your tight jeans and tops, too, but, darlin’, you look like something out of a movie in that outfit.”

  She flipped the visor mirror down and checked her lipstick as he rounded the hood of the truck and took his place behind the wheel.

  “Brody, I’m really stressed about this.” She put the mirror back up and fastened her seat belt.

  He drove to the highway and turned right. “Would you have been if we were still in high school and I’d asked you to our reunion?”

  “Of course, but I bluffed my way through things better in those days,” she answered.

  “I’ve got a confession. I felt like a kid tonight when I knocked on your door. My hands were sweaty and I almost threw the flowers behind the garage. I should have thought to go to Amarillo and get you roses. You deserve something more than wildflowers picked from our back pasture.” He parked the car at the end of a long row of other vehicles in the pasture beside the ranch’s sale barn. “Ready?”

  She shook her head.

  “Hey, any woman who would be willin’ to climb on a bull that refuses to get out of Hope Springs and ride the critter with me isn’t afraid of anything.” He grinned.

  She hit the button to undo the seat belt and threw open the door.

  “Whoa, darlin’,” he said. “You see all those cowboys around the barn door? They need to see me bein’ a gentleman or I’ll have to beat them off with a stick all evening.”

  She sat still until he made it around the truck and held out his hand. Putting hers into his turned the whole world around. The jitters in her stomach settled. Her heart stopped racing.

  “Is that your cousin Toby with Jace?” she asked.

  “It sure is, but he’s married now so I don’t have to worry about him.” With an arm slung around her shoulders, Brody led her toward the barn.

  She tried to take it all in with a glance but it was impossible. A group of cowboys had gathered around Toby and Jace, and they were all staring at her. Kids were running around everywhere, but she didn’t see Emma or Rustin. Country music was playing. The aroma of smoked brisket filled the air.

  “A band?” she asked.

  “Just a local group. It’s not Blake Shelton,” Brody said. “But I’m askin’ right now for every dance.”

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation.

  “Lila Harris?” Toby smiled. “Is that you?”

  Toby was a Dawson—tall, sexy, great angles to his face and gorgeous eyes. But in Lila’s eyes, he fell far short of Brody when it came to looks and charm.

  “It is really me,” she said. “You haven’t changed a bit, Toby Dawson. And I hear that you’re married.”

  “I am,” he said. “You’ll have to meet my Lizzy. We’re expecting our first baby in a few months.”

  “Congratulations! And Blake?”

  “He and Allie are here somewhere. They have a little girl already.” Toby nudged Brody on the shoulder. “You’d best keep her close, Brody. We still got lots of cousins who’d just love to steal this one from you.”

  “Don’t I know it!” Brody nodded. “We’ll see y’all later, I’m sure.”

  “Lila?” Hope was suddenly right there in front of them when they walked inside the barn. Her eyes started at Lila’s red lipstick, then traveled to her boots and back up again.

  “Doesn’t she look beautiful tonight?” Brody flashed a smile.

  “She’s always been a pretty girl. I do like those boots and I’m a sucker for red lipstick,” Hope said. “Girls today ain’t got a bit of style with all them browns and pinks on their lips.”

  “Thank you.” Lila nodded.

  “You should wear more red.” Hope looped her arm through Lila’s. “Brody, you go on and visit with your cousins a little bit before Jace says grace and we’re turned loose on the food. I’m going to take Lila around and show her everything.”

  Rustin appeared out of nowhere and tugged at Hope’s hand. “Granny, I’m hungry. When are we going to eat?” Then his eyes grew big and he yelled, “Emma, Lila is here!”

  Emma squealed and she ran across the barn toward them.

  Lila dropped down to a squat and hugged both kids at the same time. “This looks like a great party. What’s your favorite thing on the food table?”

  “The baked beans,” Emma said.

  “Chocolate pie but you got to eat everything on your plate before you get any,” Rustin said seriously.

  “You’re not my boss, Rustin, but you can dance with me.” Emma pulled him out to the dance floor.

  Hope wrapped her hand around Lila’s upper arm. “They’re cute kids. We’d like to have a dozen more on Hope Springs.”

  Lila was stunned speechless. Hope might be telling her that she wanted her to produce twelve little Dawson kids or else she was being nice to lure her to her death in a dark corner of the barn. Lila wasn’t ready for either one of those options right then.

  “Hey, Valerie, look who I found,” Hope called out to her daughter, who was in the midst of several women.

  Valerie’s quick glance said that she’d rather be home with a migraine than attending a reunion with Lila.

  “We’ll be around to introduce you later.” Hope waved as she kept walking toward the stairs leading to the buyer’s balcony. “Now it’s your turn to hold my arm. My knees ain’t what they used to be.”

  Lila took the steps slowly and waited for Hope to get a firm stand on every one before she moved on. Was the old gal going to push her over the top railing to her death or did she have a gun hiding between the bleacher seats?

  “I used to sneak up here with my boyfriend,” Hope said when they reached the top. Three layers of wooden benches ran the length of the balcony. During the fall livestock sale, the buyers could have a bird’s-eye view of the cattle being offered.

  Without thinking, Lila glan
ced to the top bench on the far end—the one where she and Brody always had a making-out sesssion.

  Hope giggled. “That was our favorite spot, too, but we’ll sit right here on the bottom seat because my legs need to rest.”

  Lila waited for Hope to get comfortable before she removed her hand from her arm. Then she sat down beside her and looked down at a barn full of people. There was Valerie still visiting with a group of women that Lila didn’t know.

  From the way Kasey was motioning with her hands, she was giving the caterers their last orders before they took all the lids off the food dishes. Kids were running every which way and the band was playing one country music song after another.

  Then she spotted Brody talking to Jace and Toby. He kept scanning the barn and finally as if a sixth sense got a hold on him, he looked up. She waved and he grinned—she had no doubt that they were sharing the same memory. Her cheeks filled with high color but she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  “Looking down from here puts a new perspective on things. Getting away from the forest so you can see the trees. Henry was my neighbor, you know. We grew up right across a barbed-wire fence from each other. Even graduated from high school together.”

  Lila shook her head. “I guess I did know that but it never dawned on me that y’all were the same age.”

  Hope sighed and blinked a few times. “We were very different.”

  Lila sucked in a lungful of air when she realized why Hope was talking and why they were sitting in the balcony. Henry Thomas had been her boyfriend at one time. Holy crap!

  “Do you love my grandson, or are you going to break his heart to pay him back for the way he treated you?” Hope changed the subject so abruptly that her question shocked Lila.

  “I’m not that kind of person.”

  “Okay, then do you love him?”

  “I’ve been terrified of you in the past, Miz Hope. I respect you in the present but that is something I’m not going to discuss with you. It’s between me and Brody,” Lila answered.

  Hope giggled. “Yep, I knew I was right. You’ve grown into a responsible woman who would do good on Hope Springs. Now if you can stand up to Valerie like that, you’ll be fine.”