Cowboy Rebel--Includes a bonus short story Read online

  “We’ve been over this, Mama. If I keep doing everything for you, you’ll never get off the recliner or out of the house,” Nikki said.

  Wilma held up a gloved hand. “Don’t sass me, but you can tell me what you’re doin’ with this hoodlum. My preacher is never going to marry you if you get a reputation with this…” She eyed Tag up and down with an evil look.

  “Mama, this is Tag Baker. Tag, my mother, Wilma Grady.” Nikki made introductions in a tone so cold that it would have put a fresh layer of ice over the North Pole.

  “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” Tag tipped his hat toward her.

  Wilma gave him another disgusted look and turned back to Nikki. “I’ve got things to do. I have to be home by eight to see my show.”

  Nikki reached out and laid a hand on Wilma’s shoulder. “Mama, it’s hot outside. Why are you dressed like this?”

  “Germs.” Wilma shrugged off her hand. “You never know what you’ll catch in a place like this. I’ll take a shower when I get home and use that bacteria-killin’ soap to be sure. It’ll get rid of anything that I might pick up in here. Woman in my condition don’t need to take chances with germs. I’ll talk to you on Monday.” Her rubber boots made a squeaky sound on the tile as she hurried toward the checkout counter.

  “I’m sorry,” Nikki said to Tag.

  “No need to apologize for something you have no control over,” he said. “But now I see why you couldn’t have pets.”

  “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Nikki said. “Let’s go buy towels and try to put what just happened behind us.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He began to study the colors, thickness, and size of each stack of towels.

  She watched him and hoped that tomorrow morning she didn’t find an email with a dozen new shots of people who go to Walmart in weird outfits with her mother among them. In some ways she felt sorry for Wilma. In other ways, she wished that she’d been born into a different family.

  “Need a hamper?” she asked when he put a set of bath towels into the basket.

  “Nope, brought that when we moved into the house, but I do need soap of all kinds. Dish, laundry, and shower,” he answered.

  When they’d finished his shopping, they were lucky enough not to have to stand in line long and got everything loaded into his truck.

  “You had supper?” he asked.

  “I had a sandwich.”

  “I haven’t eaten yet. Barely had time to get a shower after fencing and cutting hay all day. Want to join me for a burger or maybe a pizza?”

  “I’d rather have some of those chili cheese nachos you were bragging about,” she answered.

  It might not be a good idea to be alone with Tag, but he’d met Wilma, and this was probably the last time he’d ever ask her out. After all, she had the same DNA and there was a possibility she could grow up to be just like her mother. Who was it that said if you wanted to know what a girl would look like when she got older, just take a look at her mother?

  Besides, she’d been in the cabin many, many times in the past few months since Emily had moved into it with Justin. It had a homey feel to it, not a one-night-stand kind of aura.

  “That can be arranged. Nachos and beer and ice cream afterwards,” he said.

  “Sounds good,” she agreed. “But are you sure you want to be alone with me now that you’ve met my mother?”

  “We all have skeletons in our closets, Nikki,” he said. “In our part of the world, we don’t hide our crazy relatives. We put them on the front porch with a glass of sweet tea and let them wave at all the cars that go by.”

  She giggled and then laughed and then snorted. “I’m picturing my mother on the porch with one of those beekeeper hats on her head.”

  His laughter was as deep as his drawl. “Why a bee bonnet?”

  The laughter ended as quickly as it had started. “Because she’s afraid to go out without protection for fear she’ll get malaria.”

  “I understand.” He gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

  Was this Tag really the same playboy who’d tried to sweet-talk her into bed the night of Emily and Justin’s wedding? Or was this just a new tactic with hopes that it would lead to a different result?

  She was still pondering the questions when they reached the cabin, but not a single answer had fallen from the sky. “I’ll help unload if you’ll hand the sacks to me. I’m too short to reach over the truck bed.”

  A puppy barked a couple of times from the porch and then ran out to meet them. He found his way to Nikki first and wiggled all over. She stooped down to pet him and got a lick across her face for her efforts.

  “You might as well go on and get a Catahoula now. This isn’t ever going to be anything but a pet.” She picked him up, and he fell over to lie in her arms like a baby.

  “You pet him and I’ll unload all this stuff,” Tag said. “Might as well bring him on in the house and rock him. That’ll keep him out from under my feet.” He set two bags on the porch beside the door.

  His phone rang, and he fished it out of his hip pocket and opened the door for her at the same time.

  “He was waiting on the porch for us, and, no, I won’t spoil him by letting him start staying in the house.”

  A long pause while he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.

  “It’s not like that.”

  Another pause as she sat down in the rocking chair.

  “I’ll bring him back over in the morning. See y’all bright and early, and yes, I’ll be there in time for breakfast,” he said before he shoved the phone in his pocket.

  He tossed the bags on the bed and went back outside, returning this time with three in each hand. They must’ve been heavier than the first ones because his biceps strained the fabric of the light blue knit shirt he wore. Nikki couldn’t tear her eyes away from him and wondered how it would feel to wake up with Tag’s strong arms around her.

  “One more load,” he said. “And then I’ll make nachos while you take care of the baby.”

  “You got a deal,” she told him.

  He put away the groceries and then opened a can of chili and added several kinds of spices to it. Then he arranged chips on a platter that he’d bought that night and topped them with the chili and grated cheese. He nuked it all to melt the cheese and heat the chili, then added diced tomatoes and jalapeno pepper slices.

  “Onions or not?” he asked.

  “Not for me,” she answered.

  “Leaving the onions off,” he said. “I’m not a big fan of them either.” He put the platter in the middle of the table and opened two bottles of beer. “Dinner is ready, Your Highness. Red can nap on the sofa or go outside. His choice.”

  “But what about coyotes? Or hawks? Don’t you worry that they’ll kill him?” she asked.

  “Not a redbone hound. He’ll set up a howl and chase a coyote. That’s his nature. And he’s way too big for a hawk to carry off. I’d guess him at two to three months old,” Tag said.

  She set the dog on the floor, and he ran to the door. “That makes me feel better about him going outside. Give me time to wash my hands.”

  While Tag let the animal out, she went to the bathroom and washed the puppy smell from her hands and arms. She tiptoed to see her reflection in the mirror, and there was the same Nikki that she’d seen a month ago staring back at her. But this one had more questions in her eyes than the previous one—like even though the chemistry between her and Tag was undeniable, did she really want to take the next step with him? Was she setting herself up for heartbreak? And the biggest question of all was would it make things awkward with Emily?

  She dried her hands and left the bathroom to find him holding a chair for her. “My first guest in my new home. Thank you for all your help and for coming over. It would be a sin to have to eat alone this first night.”

  “Well, when you get to the pearly gates, you be sure to let them know that I was the one who kept you from sinnin’ tonight,” she said.
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  “Well, dammit! I was hoping that since we broke bread—as in nachos together—it would wipe out the sin that will come after we get through supper.” He grinned.

  They were sure back on familiar ground now. “In your dreams, cowboy. Besides, Emily told me that she’d kick you out of your little piece of heaven here if you brought a woman home for the night. Last time I checked, I am a female.”

  “Yes, you definitely are, darlin’. I’ll make a mental note to never attempt to date one of my sister’s friends again, no matter how sexy and funny they are, because best friends share everything,” he said. “Now, while we eat, tell me about yourself.”

  “Hasn’t Emily already told you the Nikki Grady story? God, these nachos are fabulous. Better than any I’ve ever had at a Mexican restaurant,” she said as she picked up another chip.

  Tag shook his head. “All Emily’s told me is that y’all worked together for a long time, and then you passed your RN test and went to work at the hospital. That was about the time that her Fab Five elderly buddies left the retirement center, right?”

  The nachos were addictive. Like that commercial on television about potato chips, there was no way to eat just one. “Pretty much. That was when Emily decided to move to the ranch too. We all made a big change.”

  “I met those old folks at the wedding, and I’ve seen them at church the past couple of weeks, but I’d love to get to know them better. Emily says they’re a hoot,” he said.

  She was sure that Bess, Patsy, and Sarah, the three elderly ladies from the retirement center, had already been swooning over him. That, and the fact that dogs loved him, too, had to be good signs, right?

  “Have y’all adjusted to the change of not seeing those senior citizens every day?” he asked.

  “Pretty much. Emily and I stop by the house the Fab Five bought together every couple of weeks and catch up on all their shenanigans. And, of course, she and I talk every day, except weekends when I’m working. How are you adapting to this big change in your life, Tag?”

  “What did Emily tell you?”

  “About?”

  “Our talk this morning.” He narrowed his eyes.

  “Nothing except that you had one and that she forbade you to use this place as a brothel,” she answered. “Let me tell you something, Tag Baker. Your sister would take a bullet to the head before she would betray a confidence. She told me what she said about you not bringing women here, but whatever else you told her is between y’all.”

  “Thank you.” A smile covered his face. “And this cabin is not a brothel. You have to pay for sex in those places. I’ve never charged.”

  She blushed at the idea of putting money on the bedside table as she left.

  “As far as changes, darlin’.” He leaned forward and his drawl got deeper. “Buying a ranch has been the biggest responsibility I’ve ever faced. I’ve never worked so hard or been as happy with the results or had dreams this big. Sometimes it overwhelms me.”

  She was almost as shocked by his admission as she’d been by her mother’s appearance earlier that evening. “I thought you were ten feet tall and bulletproof, like Travis Tritt sings about. I didn’t think anything would ever be an obstacle for you.”

  “Keep thinkin’ that, darlin’.”

  It was after ten when he took her home and held her hand as they climbed the stairs side by side. She unlocked the door and turned to find him staring right into her eyes.

  “I had a good time tonight, Tag,” she said.

  “Me too. When can I pick you up for a second date?”

  “This wasn’t a date,” she told him. “It was a friend helping a friend move into his cabin and then having supper with him.”

  His hands cupped her face, thumbs brushing her cheeks. His palm felt like feathers dancing across the sensitive place on her neck. He leaned in for the kiss, and Nikki went up on her tiptoes.

  She had been kissed before. She’d had long-term relationships. She’d had her heart broken more than once since she’d lived on her own. She’d made mistakes and learned from them. But nothing prepared her for the way she felt whenever Tag’s lips met hers. The whole world disappeared in a flash, leaving only the two of them standing on a small upstairs porch with the moon and stars above them.

  When the kiss ended, Tag took a step back and braced himself on the railing. “If that affected you the way it did me, then, darlin’, this was definitely a date. Good night, Nikki.”

  He turned and walked away without looking back.

  Normally she would have called Emily and confided in her about her evening, about the kiss and how it left her wanting more. But she couldn’t tell Emily all that when she’d be talking about her brother. She threw herself on the sofa and finally called Patsy.

  “Hello, Nikki. Are you all right? Do I need to get the other four up?” Patsy asked.

  “I’m fine. I shouldn’t be callin’ this late, but I had to talk to someone,” Nikki said.

  “Darlin’, I’m a night owl. You know that, and I’m here for you anytime you need me. So talk.” Patsy was part of the Fab Five, as the five friends had dubbed themselves, and she was possibly the wildest one of the lot. She was a twin sister to Bess, and Sarah was their friend, right along with Otis and Larry. They were more like parents or grandparents to Nikki and Emily than just mere friends.

  “I kissed Tag Baker tonight, and I liked it, and I can’t talk to Emily about it. I can’t like him, Patsy. I’m twenty-nine years old and ready to settle down. He’s wild and never wants to be any other way, I’m afraid. Why am I attracted to the bad boys?”

  Patsy giggled. “Because where’s the fun in taming a sweet little preacher-type boy? You come on up here to Sunset and us girls will have a real face-to-face talk about this. And you’re right, Emily would freak out, so don’t tell her. Can you come tomorrow?”

  “Have to work tomorrow. How about Thursday?” Nikki asked.

  “That’s even better. We’ll send Otis and Larry to the store so we can have some time by ourselves. And, honey, if you liked that kiss, just imagine how he’d make you feel in the bedroom.” She giggled again. “Or the hayloft.”

  “Patsy!” Nikki gasped.

  “It’s okay to dream, and thanks for callin’. It’s been kind of dull around here since Emily and Justin got married. See you on Thursday at one o’clock. Don’t eat a big lunch. We’ll have snacks.”

  “Thanks, Patsy.”

  “Oh, no, baby girl. Thank you!”

  The call ended and Nikki threw herself back on the sofa. Why couldn’t Wilma invite her to have cookies and coffee or lemonade and treat her like a daughter instead of a liability?

  When he got back to the cabin, Tag did what his sister had told him. He stretched out on the king-size bed and imagined always being that wild child he’d been since he and Duke got their first motorcycles. He closed his eyes and thought of the wind in his face, the dust boiling up behind him, and the thrill of going ninety miles an hour down a dirt road. He even thought about calling Billy Tom and asking if they could meet in Dallas some Saturday night so they could hit some biker bars.

  Then he turned over in bed, pulled an extra pillow up next to his body, and put all those thoughts aside. He opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling; then he closed them again. He imagined that the pillow was someone he loved dearly, a woman like Nikki who’d be there waiting for him at the end of a long day on the ranch. Who would listen to his fears and share in his joys when the first new calf was born on the ranch, and at a later date when they could add more acreage to Canyon Creek. Who would cuddle with him before they went to sleep each night. The image was so real that his hand reached to stroke her long, dark hair before he remembered that what he was holding was just a pillow.

  His eyes snapped open and he threw the pillow across the room. “Why is this so hard?” he asked himself.

  No answer came.

  Chapter Eight

  By the time Nikki reached the ER waiting room that evening, she was
wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Once inside the cool room, she grabbed a fistful of tissues from the admitting clerk’s desk and did a proper number on her face. Then she hit the hand sanitizer pump on her way back into the ER.

  “Well, look at you,” Rosemary said. “Is that twinkle in your eye because you’ve spent time with the sexy blue-eyed cowboy you were seen with last night at the store?”

  “If anyone thinks they can hide anything in Bowie, Texas, they’d better think again. And what are you doin’ here?”

  “Same thing you are. The hospital is short staffed, so we both got called in. Let’s hope we don’t get it before we get our hours in,” Rosemary said, and then whispered, “Is he as delicious as he looks?”

  A deep crimson filled both of Nikki’s cheeks. Good Lord! She hadn’t blushed this often in her whole life combined.

  “Aha, he is, isn’t he?”

  “I wouldn’t know, and we’ve got to get to reports.” She whipped around and made a beeline for the break room.

  The first name that popped up on her tablet was Sue Ann. Nikki covered her eyes and sighed. Talk about a buzzkill.

  “She just got here a few minutes ago. I tried to assess her, but she told me to get the hell out and get you, Nikki. She’s floating around and seeing spiders on the ceiling,” the nurse who’d been on the eight-to-four shift said. “I hope you can do something with her.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Nikki said.

  “There’s a little boy from Nocona in number four. Leukemia in its last stages,” the nurse said. “Dr. Richards said to give him whatever he needs to make him comfortable and ask his mother again if she wants to admit him. If she takes him home later tonight, then we should call hospice.”

  “I’ll take that one,” Rosemary said. “I can’t do anything with Sue Ann.”

  Tears welled up in Nikki’s eyes at the thought of a child dying. She knew this day would come someday, but she’d hoped that she’d have a harder heart when it did arrive.

  “That’s all we’ve got, ladies,” the second nurse said. “Hopefully it’ll be as slow for you as it has been for us. A heads-up—you’ll probably be asked to pull a double, so get ready for it.” They were both yawning when they left.