No Getting Over A Cowboy

“Your great-aunt was married?” Clay asked Garrett.

“No. Not that I ever heard anyway. She didn’t stay here long. According to what my mother told me, my great-aunt moved off after only being here a few months, and then she passed away in the seventies.”

Clay lifted an eyebrow, and Garrett immediately figured out why. Maybe the reason Aunt Matilda had moved was because she’d killed a man and left the body behind. Hell. Not exactly a good thought to settle his stomach.

“I’ll search local records and ask Belle about it,” Clay went on, “but since I haven’t lived around here that long, maybe you can help fill me in. Are there any longtime missing persons that the older townsfolk have mentioned?”

“No,” Lawson and Garrett said in unison. “Anything like that would still be gossiped about,” Garrett added. “Maybe the guy was a repairman or something. He could have slipped and fallen, and Matilda might never have even known.”

Yeah, he was reaching, but he didn’t want to consider the worst. That a man could have been murdered.

“Decomposing bodies stink,” Clay said. “If she was here when he died, she would have definitely known.”

Another round of oh my Gods from the widows.

Garrett heard the footsteps behind him, and for a split second, he thought his mom and Sophie had already arrived. But it was Kaylee making her way into the dining room.

“Mommy puked free times,” she said, and as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she took hold of Garrett’s hand.

He glanced around to see if Loretta or Nicky was with her, but the toddler was alone. “Where’s your mom?” he asked.

“Puking,” Kaylee quickly answered.

Well, Nicky had said something about having stomach issues when body parts and blood were involved so he guessed this wasn’t a surprise. Still, he didn’t want the little girl around all the talk of rats eating blood or rotting bodies. Heck, he didn’t especially want to be around it, either.

Garrett led Kaylee to the foyer, intending to take her back upstairs to leave her with Loretta, but he didn’t even make it to the steps before his mother and sister came hurrying in. Both looked alarmed and were out of breath.

“I tried to keep Mom at home,” Sophie said to him right off.

Garrett silently thanked her, knowing there was nothing she could have done if their mother was hell-bent on coming here. Which she clearly was.

“It’s true?” his mother asked. “Did Matilda really murder someone and put the body in the kitchen closet?”

Maybe his mother hadn’t noticed Kaylee, and Garrett put his hands over the child’s ears for part of that, but Kaylee had no doubt heard things a three-year-old shouldn’t have heard.

“Either hold your questions or speak in pig Latin,” he told his mother.

His mother’s gaze finally landed on the girl. Landed, too, on the way Kaylee had latched on to Garrett’s hand. “Who is she?”

“Kay-wee,” Kaylee answered.

Garrett provided his mother with more information. “She’s with the widows. You know, the ones you gave a lease? A lease that can’t happen because of the expansion I’ve got going on.”

If his mother was bothered by anything he’d just said, she didn’t show it. She stooped down, smiled at Kaylee. “Well, you sure are a pretty little thing.” She gave Kaylee’s pigtail a gentle tug. “And look how you’re holding Garrett’s hand. That’s so sweet. She obviously likes you.”

That was code for his mother letting him know that she wanted a grandbaby. She already had one. Roman’s son, Tate, but he was almost thirteen now so her mother was apparently getting grandbaby fever.

“No,” Garrett said to his mother, and he figured she knew what that no meant. There’d be no kids in his future. Not after... Well, just not after. If he wanted his heart ripped out again, he’d do it himself.

His mother stood, meeting his gaze. “You didn’t used to be so negative, Garrett. Honestly, I don’t know what’s gotten into you.”

Really? He wasn’t about to rehash the last three years and two months of his life. Not when there was something new that needed to be dealt with.

Garrett’s phone rang, and he glanced down at the screen to see Roman’s name. Since he had the lease-signing culprit in front of him, a conversation with his brother could wait. He pressed the button to send the call to voice mail.

“Matilda,” Belle repeated before Garrett could say anything. “I should have known she could k-i-l-l someone.”

That got his attention. And he was thankful his mother had spelled out the key word. “You really think she could have done this?”

“Absolutely. Agoraphobia, my f-a-n-n-y. That woman had secrets, I tell you, and I’m betting the d-e-a-d f-e-l-l-a was one of those.” Belle leaned in to whisper the rest. “Matilda had h-o-t p-a-n-t-s.”

Garrett hoped that was a fashion comment, but he doubted it was. “Did she have men visit her here?”

“Well, of course she did. That’s what women with h-o-t p-a-n-t-s do. Now, mind you, I don’t know the names of those men, but Loretta might remember one or two of them. She was still living in Wrangler’s Creek when Matilda was here.”

Then, Clay would need to talk to both Loretta and his mom. And speaking of Loretta, that was Garrett’s cue to turn this conversation in a different direction. Yes, the body was top priority, but Garrett had a priority of his own.

“Why did you give these women a lease?” he asked Belle at the same moment his mother asked, “Are the widows upset because of the d-e-a-d b-o-d-y?”

He huffed. “Of course, they’re upset,” he verified. “I’m upset. And you’re not getting out of explaining to me how you could sign a lease without talking it over with me first. These women can’t be here.”

His mother patted his arm in a “there, there” gesture. “It was the right thing to do. They needed a place to stay, and it’ll be so nice to have someone living here again. The house needs that. It needs some cleaning and repairs, too,” she added, glancing around. “That cleaning crew I hired should have been here by now.”

It took Garrett a moment just to form words and rein in his temper. He loved his mother, most days anyway, but this was not one of those days. “You’ll have to break the lease. I’ll pay—”

But that was as far as he got because his mother’s attention was no longer on him. Smiling, she moved away from him and walked to the stairs. Kaylee did, as well, and that’s when Garrett saw Nicky making her way down the steps. Judging from the tight grip Nicky had on the railing, she still wasn’t feeling too steady.

“There you are,” his mother said, and the moment Nicky reached the bottom, Belle hugged her. “Nicky Henderson, you look beautiful as always.”

It shouldn’t have surprised Garrett that Belle felt as if she knew Nicky well enough to hug her. After all, they’d probably talked face-to-face to make arrangements for the lease. Later, Garrett was sure he’d hear all about how those arrangements had come to pass, but now that he had both of them together, he could get this sorted out.

“This has to be so upsetting,” Belle said. She broke the hug but kept her hands on Nicky’s shoulders. “I had no idea about the b-o-d-y being here.” She shuddered. “But Clay will sort this all out. He’s the police chief, and he’s marrying Sophie, you know? You remember Garrett’s sister, Sophie, right?”

“Yes.” Nicky’s voice sounded as unsteady as she looked. “Congratulations on your engagement.”

Sophie scrounged up a smile, nodded, thanked her and then excused herself so she could make her way to the kitchen, no doubt to check on Clay. Garrett would have liked for her to stay as his ally, but he could remedy this on his own.

Kaylee finally let go of Garrett and hurried to her mother. Or rather to Belle. She caught Belle’s hand.

“You and your daughter are both pretty as pictures.” His mother glanced around. “Where’s Loretta?”

“Upstairs, cleaning. She’ll be down in a minute.”

“Can’t wait to see her. We’ve got so much catching up to do.”

“Catching up will have to wait. Clay is bringing in a medical examiner,” Garrett explained to Nicky and his mother. “All of us are going to have to clear out.”

“Of course,” Belle agreed.

Finally, they were getting somewhere. But it wasn’t the direction Garrett needed them to go.

“Look at you,” his mother added to Nicky. Heck, Belle was smiling again. Definitely not a good sign. She leaned in, put her mouth closer to Nicky’s ear. “There’s a bond between people who were as close as Garrett and you were. I can see the way you look at him.”

Everything inside Garrett went still. He wasn’t sure how his mother had known about Nicky and him, but obviously she did. Things suddenly got a whole lot clearer. This wasn’t about providing a place for widows.

Belle was matchmaking.

And he was about to stop it.

“I’ll call some of the hands to get out here and help move the women’s things,” Garrett offered. Actually, it was more than an offer. It was a demand. There weren’t any hotels in Wrangler’s Creek, but there were some on the interstate back toward San Antonio. They could make their way there.

“No need. I’ve already taken care of that,” Belle assured him. “The men are on the way here now.”

Garrett blew out a breath of relief. But the relief didn’t last. Because he saw the look on his mother’s face, and he just knew in his gut that she was about to contribute to the shit storm.

“What did you do?” Garrett came right out and asked.

His mother patted his arm again. “Nothing that any other kindhearted woman wouldn’t have done. I called Roman and cleared it with him since the ranch house belongs to him and all.”

And then Belle added something that put the icing on this shit storm.

“The widows and Kaylee will be staying with us.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“HAVE YOU LOST your sonofabitching mind?” Garrett asked his brother the moment Roman answered the phone.

“Some would say that I never had a mind to lose, sonofabitching or otherwise,” Roman calmly answered. “And now that we’ve gotten the profanity out of the way, I guess you’re calling about the widows?”

“You bet your ass, I am.” Garrett wasn’t through with the profanity just yet, and he shut the door to his office just in case some of those widows were around to hear him chew out his brother. “What the hell were you thinking when you told Mom she could let those six women stay here?”

“I was thinking the same thing I’m thinking right now with you. What’s the fastest way to get this person off the phone? Because I don’t have time for this. I’ve got a business to run, and I’m stomping out fires left and right while raising a tweenager with a bad attitude.”

That was the pot calling the kettle black. Roman had had a bad attitude since birth. According to their mother, when he’d come out breech, he’d immediately kicked the doctor in the balls.

Garrett wasn’t completely immune to Roman’s problems. Yes, his brother had them, but at the moment so did Garrett. “You need to call Mom back and tell her you made a mistake, that the women can’t stay here.”

“Now, you see, that would take time because Mom would plead her case for the women. I’d have to dig in my heels, and that would only make her plead more. That would then lead to multiple phone calls, and if she didn’t get her way, she’d show up here. Like I said, I don’t have time for that.”

Garrett was glad he’d shut the door because he cursed some more, throwing in some really bad words and insults. He cursed again when he looked out the window and saw some of the women pulling into the driveway behind the house. They had already started to arrive. And the first person out of the SUV was Nicky, of course.

“If you don’t rescind your offer, it’ll result in multiple phone calls from me,” Garrett threatened. “And at least one ass-kicking visit. I’m still your big brother.”

He couldn’t be sure, but he thought Roman chuckled. “Look, think of this as getting a lap dance. Just sit back, relax and enjoy it.”

That was the worst advice in the history of bad advice. “I can’t enjoy it. There’ll be six women in the house and a toddler. I can’t go to Z.T.’s place because it’s a crime scene.”

“Yeah, Sophie just called and told me all about that. Seems I can’t get off the phone today with people in my gene pool.”

“Well, you’re staying on the phone with me until we get some things straight. Do you have any idea how crazy things are here right now?”

Roman huffed. “I have an inkling. Sorry about the crime scene, the widows, the toddler and the inconvenience this will cause you and those plans you have to extend the ranch. But I’m not rescinding the offer because (a) it won’t be for very long, (b) Mom said some of the women don’t have any other place to go and (c) you can move to the guesthouse if you want to get away from them.”

“Sophie has her office in the guesthouse,” Garrett quickly pointed out. As CEO of Granger Western, she had an office in Austin, a huge one, but since getting engaged to Clay, she spent far more time at the ranch than she did in the city.

“Sophie’s not using the bedroom in the guesthouse since she’s sleeping at Clay’s. So, there’s your solution. Sorry that I can’t fix the delay on the ranch improvements, but it’s my guess that Clay’s not going to let you bring in digging equipment until he’s processed the scene.”

Roman was right about that. Nothing anyone could do about it. That still didn’t soothe Garrett any. There were only a few things he could control in his life, and the ranch was one of them. At least he had been able to control it until today.

“My advice?” Roman went on. “Since Nicky’s there, burn off some of your orneriness by having sex with her.”

That brought on more cursing. “How’d you even know Nicky was here?”

“Mom and Sophie told me. Plus, I ran into Nicky a few months ago at a rodeo in San Antonio, and she asked about Z.T.’s place.”

Garrett couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “A few months ago? You’ve known about it all this time?”

“If you were an engine, I’d say you were about to blow a gasket. No, I didn’t know she wanted to lease the house, but she did ask about it. Apparently, she’s always had a soft spot for the place.”

Hell. He hoped that wasn’t because she’d lost her virginity there. But what else could it be? He didn’t like the answer that came to mind.

“Did you take Nicky to Z.T.’s?” Garrett asked, and even though he didn’t add it, Roman knew what he was implying.

“No.” Roman stretched that out a few syllables. “You have a dirty mind, you know that? I liked Nicky, and I always felt a little sorry for her.”

“Because of what happened between me and her?” Garrett didn’t let him answer. “I’m tired of explaining myself when it comes to that. I met Meredith and fell in love with her. What was I supposed to do—stay with Nicky just because we’d had sex?”

“Again, you’re in dirty-mind territory. I didn’t feel sorry for Nicky because of what happened with you two. It’s because she always had this sad look in her eyes. Even before you, she had it. It reminded me of a wounded bird.”

Garrett tried to think back to those days, and yes, Nicky hadn’t always been the happiest of people. He always figured that was because she had seemed so anxious to get the heck out of town. His classmates had fallen into two categories—those who were planted in Wrangler’s Creek and those who thought it was a smelly Texas armpit. Nicky had fallen into the latter category. At least he thought she had until today.

“By the way, Mom’s matchmaking with Nicky and you,” Roman went on. “If you want to ease your suffering and rile Mom at the same time, then just start seeing one of the women in town. Sophie said half the eligible women in Wrangler’s Creek want to have sex with you. Half of the ineligible ones, too.”

Good grief. His sister and Mom were regular chatterboxes today. “No, those women want marriage and commitment. You’re the one they want to have sex with.” Roman couldn’t argue with that, and Garrett gave it one more try. “Will you call Mom?”

“I will if and when you break your sexual dry spell with Nicky.” And with that, Roman hung up.

Garrett stood there, staring at the phone, and he considered all the bad things he would like to do to his brother. He didn’t want any word of what Roman had said to sink in, but Roman was right about one thing. He was ornery and had been since this whole mess with Meredith. A shrink would probably tell him that he was depressed about failing.

The shrink would be right.

The shrink would probably also say that he was overcompensating for that failure by throwing his heart and soul into the ranch.

The shrink would be right about that, too.

At least there was no need for therapy now since he’d diagnosed his own problems. Too bad, though, that there wasn’t an immediate fix for this shit storm.

Garrett shoved his phone back in his pocket and started gathering up his things from his desk to take to the guesthouse. There wasn’t a box, but the trashcan was empty so he used that. He also grabbed his spare jeans and shirt from the closet, and he draped those over his arm. He kept a clean set there just in case someone dropped in for a meeting. Of course, he’d have to eventually go to his room and pack some toiletries and other clothes, but that could wait.

“I’m busy,” he snarled when there was a knock at the door.

But it opened anyway, and Sophie came in. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm.

“Failed marriage. The six widows in the house. The dead body. You had to put your extension plans for the ranch on hold.” By answering that seriously, Sophie was adding her own sarcasm. “You haven’t had sex in months.”

“I’m not talking sex with you. Just had a little chat with Roman about that very subject.”

She flexed her eyebrows. “I would have thought you already knew about the birds and the bees.”

He was so not in the mood for her attempts to cheer him up. Garrett intended to wallow in it while he came up with a fix for this. “Don’t you have some other place to be right now?”

Sophie gave a smile that only a kid sister could have managed. “Nope.”

“Well, I do. I’m moving to the guesthouse. That means you’ll be inconvenienced until those women leave.”

She shrugged, started to help him gather up his things. “FYI. Mom’s trying to hook you up with Nicky.”

Apparently everyone in the known universe was aware of that. Well, maybe everyone but Nicky. Maybe if he mentioned it to her, she’d go running. It was worth a try anyway.

“Mom thinks you and Nicky have this permanent spiritual bond since the two of you had sex,” Sophie continued. “I told her if that were true, then Roman would have spiritual bonds with half the county. She didn’t like that.”

“I’ll bet. How the heck did she find out about Nicky and me anyway?”

“Gossip. She has selective acceptance when it comes to the things she hears, though. If it’s about me having sex, then it’s a vile rumor. If it’s about you, then it’s true. She believes you’ve had sex with the other half of the women in the county that Roman missed.”

“Not even close,” Garrett grumbled. He tossed his laptop charger and some files onto the stash, then added his laptop on top of the pile.

“It was pretty sucky, though, what you did to Nicky,” Sophie added.

Garrett lifted his head, looked at her. Or rather glared at her. “How do you know what I did to Nicky?”

“Please. I’ve got ears, and I might be four years younger than you, but I still heard the gossip.”

Yeah, and he was betting none of that gossip had painted him in a good light. Not that it should. But there were things about that whole encounter that the gossips hadn’t known.

Well, one thing anyway.

But Garrett didn’t intend to share that with Sophie.

Grabbing the filled trash can, Garrett headed out. Part of him felt like a riled kid who hadn’t gotten his way and was now running away from home. But it was more than that. He wanted his privacy, didn’t want to have to face anyone new who would give him “poor pitiful Garrett” looks.

Sophie picked up some of the books on his desk and followed him out. Maybe to resume a chat he in no way wanted to resume. In fact, right now he needed to focus on work, and that meant contacting the work crew and rescheduling. Contacting Clay, as well, to find out if he had a timeline for this investigation. Also calling the cattle broker to postpone delivery of the Angus he’d bought.

He encountered no widows along the way, but as soon as Garrett made it to the backyard, he spotted Kaylee. Hard to miss her since she was right there just a few inches from the steps, and she was holding a cicada shell in her hand.

“Boog,” she announced. Clearly, she wasn’t a squeamish kid since the shells always looked a little creepy to Garrett. “Mama twit puking.”

“That’s good.” He heard himself say the words, but it didn’t actually register in his head. But what did register were some bad flashbacks. Bad because they were good. Memories of Meredith being pregnant. Of the ultrasound where he’d first seen his daughter.

Oh, man.

It felt like a punch to the gut, and Garrett had to get out of there. He needed to get behind a closed door so he could stuff all of these emotions back down. No way could he deal with this now. Maybe not ever.

He hurried past Kaylee only to encounter another obstacle. Nicky. She was lugging a suitcase that she’d apparently just taken from her SUV.

“Sorry if Kaylee was bothering you,” Nicky said, and it seemed as if she was about to walk right past him. But then she stopped, maybe because he looked as unsteady as he suddenly felt. “Are you, uh, going to throw up or something?”

Hell. He must have looked really bad. So bad that Sophie took the trash can from him. “I’ll put this stuff in the guesthouse,” his sister offered. She headed that direction, glancing back as if waiting for him to follow. And he would have, but Nicky stepped in front of him.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nicky pressed.

“Fine. I’m just busy. How about you? Kaylee said you quit puking.”

She nodded, mumbled something under her breath that he didn’t catch. What she didn’t seem to realize was the effect her daughter was having on him. Thankfully, Kaylee hurried into the house, babbling something about showing off the boog. Too bad Nicky didn’t go with her.

“Yes, the puking seems to have run its course,” she explained. “I told you I didn’t have the stomach for bones, blood and such. Not for puke itself, either, which was why it went on for a while.” Nicky paused, took in a weary breath. “Look, I know we got off to a bad start, but I’m asking you not to fight the lease.”

Even though it was hard to think, Garrett forced away the flashbacks. He managed it, sort of, and came up with one argument he hadn’t given her yet.

“You really want to live in a house where someone died?” he asked.

Nicky shrugged. “Your great-grandfather died there. So did his wife.” She looked reasonably strong about that until she shuddered. “But yes, this does creep me out. It’s one thing to have your great-grandparents die there, but this guy might have been murdered. In boxers with hearts on them.”

Yeah. That’d been disturbing to Garrett, too. “Underpants like that suggest a lover’s tryst.”

She made a sound of agreement. “Or maybe he had bad taste in boxers. Or he could have just run out of clean undies and those were his last option.” She stopped. “But you’re right. It feels tryst-y. Which, according to Loretta, points to your Aunt Matilda.”

“Loretta told you about her?”

She nodded. “While I was puking. It’s possible I missed a word or two of what she was saying, but I caught the gist. Your aunt had h-o-t p-a-n-t-s, and I don’t think Loretta meant they were really short shorts.”

“No,” he had to agree. Even though Garrett had never met his great-aunt, it was unsettling to think she could have killed a man. That “unsettling” wasn’t limited to just her though. “I’m holding out that the guy died of natural causes.”