Austin: Second Chance Cowboy

“I eat, too.” He tapped his bag. “I’ve got a chicken and some potatoes just calling my name.” Eyeing her groceries, displayed for all to see on the conveyor belt, he laughed. “If you eat any more of those diet dinners, you’re going to float away, Dinah.”

She felt her face heat. “Unlike you, I’m not much of a cook. And eating at the Number 1 all the time can get expensive.”

Finally the woman in front of her paid her bill and it was Dinah’s turn to check out. As the clerk started scanning and bagging, she turned to Austin again. “Hope you have a good evening.”

“You, too.” He turned, took two steps, then came back over to her side. “Want to come over?”

“For dinner?”

“Don’t act like I’m wining and dining you, D. It’s just chicken and potatoes.”

His idea sounded a whole lot better than a diet frozen dinner. And there was something brewing between them that was hard to deny. “I’ve got a salad in a bag. I could bring that.” Gosh, did she sound as lame as she felt?

“We’ll have three food groups covered right there. After you take your groceries home, come over.”

“All right. I will.”

After presenting her with a pleased-looking smile, he turned and walked away. Dinah’s eyes followed him, noticing that his jeans today were still awfully snug…and were faded and worn in all the right places.

“Thirty-eight twenty-five,” the cashier said.

As Dinah handed her two twenties, the cashier winked. “I thought I was going to have to bop you on the head, Sheriff.”

“And why’s that?”

“Austin Wright is just about the finest-looking man in these parts. Only a fool would turn down the chance for him to make her dinner.”

There was a flurry of replies on the tip of her tongue. But only one right answer. “I was kind of thinking the same thing,” she admitted.

And with that, she grabbed her bags and hurried out to her car, anxious to spend some time with Austin, just to see if her instincts had been right.

Chapter Five

Sitting across from her, Austin had to admit that spending the evening with Dinah Hart had been one of the most pleasant experiences he’d had in months. He’d asked her over partly to get a rise out of her—sure she’d come to his store for more reasons than to ask him about saddles.

Her saying yes had been a nice surprise, their camaraderie even more so. Dinah had set the table while he’d grilled the chicken. Then she’d opened her bag of lettuce while he microwaved potatoes.

And though she looked at him curiously when he pulled out a pitcher of iced tea, she poured them two glasses. She’d even looked relieved, saying she couldn’t drink anyway since Duke was away for the weekend and she was essentially running a one-woman show in the sheriff’s office.

They’d talked about Leah and Colt, and Flynn and Ace. He’d told her about Cheyenne, and how she was living with their dad and slowly pulling out of her grief from losing her husband way too young. She grinned with him when he spoke about her twin girls, Sadie and Sammie.

Next they talked about Duke and Beau, and Beau’s chances in the latest bull-riding competitions.

From there, it was only natural to talk about Tuf Hart, Dinah’s younger brother. Austin’s heart had gone out to her when she’d talked about how Tuf still hadn’t shown up after getting out of the marines.

Family talk had eased into work, and she’d seemed genuinely interested in his shop. That worked out real nice, because he was genuinely interested in pretty much everything about her.

All too soon, it was almost midnight and she was getting to her feet. “Thanks, Austin. I…I really enjoyed myself.”

“You’re welcome. I liked having you here.” For a moment, he let himself stare at her lips, remembering with sudden clarity what kissing her had been like.

Those lips parted, just as if she had read his mind.

Right there and then, he knew if he leaned forward she wouldn’t be offended if he kissed her.

And he wanted to.

But it wasn’t the right time. He was an emotionally toxic mess. Especially since he hadn’t had the nerve to go to an AA meeting yet. Lord, he was needier than a newborn foal.

“So…good night, Dinah.”

She blinked. “Oh. Sure. Good night.” She looked a little hurt, as though he’d rejected her. Obviously she’d thought he was going to shorten that space between them and finally renew what had been floating between them for months.

He was still reluctant to see her go. “Any chance you going to church tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. I don’t go all that often. Why?”

“I’ll be there. Thought if you were going to be there, too, maybe we could have lunch together after.”

“You want to share another meal?”

She’d spouted the question as if he’d just asked to get in her pants. He bit the inside of his lip so he wouldn’t smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to ruin your stash of Lean Cuisine dinners. I was thinking maybe we could get lunch at the Number 1 after. My treat.”

After a fresh burst of interest, she looked more than a little hesitant. One of her hands flew to her hair, curling one of the wayward locks around her ear. “Maybe. I’ll see what’s going on in the office tomorrow.”

“Fair enough. If I see you in church, I’ll see you. Night, Dinah.”

He stood at the door and watched her walk to her car, unlock it and finally drive away. He told himself he was just being a gentleman. After all, the sheriff probably didn’t need a man looking after her.

He couldn’t help but think maybe Dinah needed a man looking out for her. It was a real shame he wasn’t the best candidate for the job.

* * *

DINAH HADN’T INTENDED to go to church. But when she called her mom, she sounded beyond pleased at the thought of Dinah sitting in the pew beside her. “We’ve had so many changes going on with the family lately, Dinah. It’s good to take some time to give thanks, don’t you think?”

There had only been one right answer. “Yes, ma’am.”

So that was how she ended up sitting in church on Sunday, and in a dress, no less. She fingered the cotton fabric of her loose-fitting chambray blue dress. She’d paired it with boots and a concho belt. As dresses went, it was fairly casual. But it was a whole different look from her usual jeans and tan sheriff’s shirt.

“You look so pretty, Dinah. So feminine! You should wear dresses more often, honey.”

Her mother’s voice had carried. A few seats over, Flynn chuckled. Ace winked. And then there was Austin, looking way too fine in pressed jeans and a white shirt so starched and bright it looked almost blinding.

But it didn’t match the almost dazzling smile that deepened when he caught her eye.

Oh! Resolutely, she turned back around and concentrated on listening to the pastor. And not fussing with the fabric of her dress.

But though the pastor’s message was a good one, Dinah felt her mind drift. She started thinking about work and filing and to-do lists. And about missing tack and one black stallion that was AWOL.

She began checking her watch every couple of minutes.

When the service ended and they were all filing out, her mother turned to her with a smile. “You coming back to the ranch, honey?”

“No, I should probably stay in town. Duke and Angie are away, you know.”

“I know, but Beau will be there. As will Ace and Flynn. Colt and Leah are coming over, too. He’s got news of Evan.”

Dinah knew her brother was doing everything he could to forge a bond with his twelve-year-old son. Until very recently, Colt had thought Evan’s mom had hoped he would keep his distance. But Colt marrying Leah had changed all that. Now he and the boy tried to spend time together every few weeks.

“I’ve got to work, Mom. The town elected me to be around.”

“But it’s Sunday.”

“That doesn’t matter.” She softened her words with a smile. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to come over later this week.”

“All right.”

Moments after waving off her mother, she practically ran into Austin. He was standing against the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest. Watching her.

Waiting for her.

Well, she certainly couldn’t take him up on lunch at the Number 1 when she’d refused her mother. “Hey,” she said.

“Dinah.” His grin widened. “You look as pretty as a picture today.”

This darn dress! “Thank you.”

“Ready to go to lunch?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t have lunch with you.”

“Because?”

“Because I need to work. And I already refused my mother’s invitation.” And starting up something with Austin was such a very bad idea. She waited pensively, half-afraid he was going to try to talk her out of her decision.

But instead, he pushed away from the wall. “No problem. But don’t forget to eat, okay?”

“I am sorry.”

“It’s no biggie. I’ll be seeing you, D.”

Now she was the one standing in the church’s courtyard watching him.

But that wouldn’t do. She needed to keep to herself and keep on alert. Just in case someone needed her.

Just in case.

* * *

WHEN JACK STILL HADN’T returned his call, Austin had decided to reach out to yet another person who’d tried to help him recently—Vanessa Anderson. Vanessa was now a nurse at the small family-practice doctor’s office. She was also one of Austin’s oldest friends. He’d taken a chance and called her just two hours ago. To his surprise, she’d answered right away and even coaxed him into coming in.

He’d readily agreed, though the knot in his stomach and the tremors in his hands revealed that it wasn’t easy for him. To his shame, he was still too chicken to go to an AA meeting. There was something about standing up and admitting his problems to a bunch of strangers that scared the shit out of him.

But he had now gone six whole days without a drop to drink. And that was about six days longer than he could remember ever abstaining in years. It hadn’t been easy. He’d felt a little shaky…and more than a little sick.

But he’d held firm.

So though he wasn’t quite man enough to tell strangers about his problems, he’d decided to take Vanessa up on her offer. He and Vanessa Anderson had known each other forever and had always been firm friends, not lovers.

In addition, he’d heard rumors that she, too, had had to deal with some demons in her past.

“Austin, you did the right thing,” Vanessa said as she sat down on the other vacant chair in the examining room of the doctor’s office. “Asking for help is never easy. Some would say it’s the most difficult thing to ever do.”

Though Vanessa’s heart was in the right place, Austin wasn’t the least bit reassured by her remarks. In his book, a man should be better than his addictions. And so far, he’d done nothing but give in to his weaknesses at every turn.

“I’m just trying to get on with my life,” he said through clenched teeth. “That’s all.”

“So…there’s a meeting tonight. At seven o’clock at church. You going?”

“I’m thinking about it.” Already his palms were sweating at the thought of going. What would they make him do? Tell his whole life story, which was nothing all that bad?

Make him admit over and over that he was an idiot?

And what if he saw people there he knew? His reputation as a Wright wasn’t all that great in the first place. What was going to happen once everyone got a load of his latest batch of problems?

She gripped his shoulder and squeezed lightly. “It’s going to be okay, Austin. Look, this is what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you a tetanus booster, and then I’m going to make sure you have my cell-phone number. It’s sheer luck that I picked up my home line yesterday afternoon. I want you to promise me that you’ll call my cell if you ever want to talk about the meetings. Or anything.”

She wasn’t making a pass at him. She wasn’t treating his problem like a personal failure or like he should have been tougher than a bottle of Jim Beam.

Instead, she was offering him a hand. And that hand was so tempting but also so hard to accept, he could hardly look at her. “I don’t know if I can actually go in that room, Van.”

“Then don’t think. Just go.” She paused. “And if you find you’re sitting in your truck, trying to find the will to open your door, call me. I’ll talk you through it.”

Offers like that didn’t come easily. “Wow. I appreciate it, Vanessa.”

“Hey, now. There’s no need to turn bashful on me, Austin. I’ve been where you are. I promise you that.”

“I still can’t believe you were hooked on painkillers. I never knew until you told me.”

“That’s because I got help. It wasn’t easy, but I did it.” Her eyes shone as she continued. “I promise, there’s a whole life for you on the other side, Austin. You’ve just got to make the choice to change. We both know that not everyone does.”

He blinked, wondering if she was referring to his father. But even if she was, he let it slide. It was what it was—and he kind of figured there was little he could do about his father anyway. Thirty-plus years of being a disappointment pretty much cemented a man’s reputation.

Putting on his hat, he nodded to Van. “Thanks for the shot and the ear. I was feeling like I had to move forward or I was never going to do a thing.”

“Like I said, I’ve been there.” Her gaze softened as she walked with him to the front door. The waiting room was vacant, and after he opened the glass door, she leaned into the opening slightly. The warm sun illuminated her skin just a little more, making her somewhat ordinary looks seem all of a sudden striking.

Before he thought how it might look, he wrapped her in a loose embrace and kissed her forehead. “I owe you, honey. Thank you.”

“You don’t owe me for this, Austin,” she said. Her smile widened, and then she looked thoughtful as she glanced beyond him. “I think I should let you be going,” she said cryptically as she went back inside.

Austin turned around to catch who’d caught her eye.

Then felt as if he’d just fallen over a cliff. “Hey, Dinah.”

She was looking him over as though he was no better than an old Coke can that someone had tossed out the back window of their Chevy.

“Making the rounds this morning?”

Her voice was as sweet as corn syrup left out on the counter too long. It was obvious she’d misread his hug with Vanessa. Well, if she had, he was glad of that. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to know that he’d been at the clinic for testing and rehab advice.

“I’m getting a couple of things done. You?”

“I’m doing the same.” Hazel eyes skimmed over him again as she tucked in her tan shirt a little more securely into the waistband of her jeans. “Just, you know…making the rounds, too.” She coughed. “But for me, it’s work.”

“It’s always work, right?”

She pursed her lips before answering. “Duke was out of town yesterday. I couldn’t go out to lunch.”

“You told me.” Austin smiled. He couldn’t help it. He liked putting her on the spot, just a little bit. Besides, she was cute. He knew to most people, Sheriff Hart was about the least “cute” woman in town.

A lot of the older men in Roundup didn’t really trust a woman sheriff. They kept waiting for her to mess up. Added to the fact that a number of ranches in the vicinity were on alert because of the recent thefts in the area, and the fact that the Harts’ fancy bucking horse was still missing? Well, a lot of people were just socking it all away as ammunition for the next election.

Others only saw Dinah as a Hart. Part of the rodeo royalty in the area. Though they didn’t have bunches of money, their reputation was as good as gold. They won buckles, they had honor and they were fearless.

They also stuck together like a school of fish. Their ranks were solid and next to impossible to break. So even though he was a Wright—which meant he had a snowball’s chance in hell to ever date her seriously—he couldn’t resist pretending he had a shot with her. “I’m about to go down to the market and grab a couple of sandwiches and eat on the park bench. Want to join me?”

“It’s kind of early for lunch.”

“I know. But I’ve been up for hours. And I’d rather eat outside instead of in the store.” Since she looked interested but just as skittish as a new foal…he kept talking. “Dinah, I know you’ve got to be prepared for just about anything…but I figure if you’re in the town square, you’ll be able to swoop down and stop any jaywalkers that might come upon us.”

“I do more than stop jaywalkers.”

“I know. I’m also starting to get the feeling you don’t eat all that much.”

“I have Snickers bars.”

“Maybe you should supplement your candy-bar diet with some turkey every now and then.” Her eyes widened with surprise. “Just saying.”

“Austin—”

“Yeah?” He braced himself as he waited for a perfect freeze-out.

But instead of that, she nodded. “Sure. I mean, why not?”

Deciding it would be best to not give her any more time to think about things, he said, “Listen, you go scope us out a seat. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, no. I’m coming with you and ordering my own sandwich.”

“You, Dinah Hart, are a bit of a control freak.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

He smiled, but his heart softened. There really was so much more to the woman than most knew.

* * *

DINAH WOULD HAVE NEVER imagined Austin Wright as a tuna-salad type of guy. Roast beef would have been her pick. Turkey, maybe. But tuna salad on whole wheat? It kind of struck her as funny.

But maybe that had more to do with her choice, the Italian Stallion on a hoagie. And of course, barbecue potato chips and a Coke to wash it down.

Austin looked amused as he watched her take her first unhealthy bite. “You’re a regular heart attack waiting to happen, Dinah.”

“Not usually. Usually I watch every little thing.” Except for her stash of Snickers bars, of course. Those she kept on hand for easy access. And emergency purposes.

And whenever she got particularly stressed.

“I’ve got to keep in shape, you know. For the job.”

Frank appreciation appeared in his eyes before he tamped it down. “You’ve done a good job with that shape, too.”

Now she was embarrassed. “I wasn’t fishing for a compliment.”

“I would have given it to you no matter what.” He shrugged. “And I’m not complimenting you as much as stating a fact.” Looking mildly uncomfortable himself, he took a good-size bite of his tuna and chewed.

“So, do you do this often?”

He shrugged. “I like being outside. I like the diner, too, but sometimes this is easier. And cheaper.”

“More of a tuna guy.” She tried hard, but the smile she was fighting still slipped out.

“I like fish. And the deli uses low-fat mayonnaise for me.”

Because no one else was around, she let herself giggle. Just a little bit.

Austin’s gaze warmed. “So you do laugh. I’ve been wondering.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“About what you’d imagine it does. Usually, I only see you with your game face on.”

It was tempting to pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about, but she did. “I have to be serious when I’m on the job.”

“And other times?”

“And other times,” she agreed. “Getting reelected is important to me. Keeping everyone’s respect is important to me, too. I don’t want Duke to ever regret working with me. And I especially don’t want the citizens to change their mind.” Already full, she pushed the second half of her sandwich to one side.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. Everyone knows that Duke thinks you’re doing a good job. Other folks think so, too.”

“They might not think that way much longer,” Dinah admitted. “A lot of people are real upset about the string of robberies, and I don’t blame them. Money’s tight right now, and folks are having to put out more money for better security systems and lighting. Some outfits have even had to hire on extra hands to help with patrols. Though everyone knows we’ve got a police force of two and a big area to patrol, that doesn’t always count for much when the bills come in at the end of the month. Plus, people are still missing their tack.”

“I hear you.”

She lowered her voice. “Sometimes I worry that even my family is losing their faith in me.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

She appreciated the trust, but Dinah knew the truth of the matter. “Midnight’s disappearance has stressed out just about everyone, especially my mom. If we can’t track that horse down real soon, I worry that my mom is going to sell the ranch.”

Austin shook his head in that confident way of his. “Ace wouldn’t let that happen. Thunder Ranch is y’all’s legacy.” Eyeing her wrapped-up sandwich, he said, “Think you can eat another two bites?”

“You sound like my mother!”

“Naw, just trying to look out for you. Eat another bite, D.”

Before she knew it, she was unwrapping the sandwich and taking one more bite. Just to please him.

His eyes lit up, looking pleased with himself. And that made her more than a little uncomfortable.

Quickly, she swallowed and got back on track with their conversation. “I know that Ace’s judgment is good, and most times I don’t mind following his directives. But all of us agree that no home is worth our mother’s health.”

“Dinah, I hear what you’re saying, but I’ve got to tell you—you look like you’re almost causing the end of the earth. Surely your family isn’t blaming you for the flurry of thefts in the area. And what happened with Midnight is a crying shame. But if someone had really wanted that horse, then it stands to reason he took it far away. For all we know, that horse could be on the other side of the country by now.”

Though she didn’t like hearing his hypothesis, she appreciated his faith in her. It seemed she spent most of her life keeping up a Teflon front—pretending she was impervious to criticism. “No one in my family has come out to blame me. Not in so many words. But I do know that they’d hoped I’d be better at my job…” Her voice drifted off as she recalled their last meal together.

Sitting at the big oak table, surrounded by everyone who knew and loved her, she could feel their frustration as if it was a tangible thing. It had been that way for weeks, too. The tension was getting so intense she knew it was just a matter of time before one of her brothers or cousins snapped. And the thing of it was that she wasn’t even going to be able to blame them. Obviously she’d done a bad job with the investigation. Though she didn’t know what she would have done differently, she was sure there had to have been a better way to get the answers.

“You okay?”

She started, realizing Austin had been staring at her while she’d been gazing off into nothing. “Sorry, I got caught up remembering something. But that moment of silence was probably a nice break from all of my whining.”

His blue eyes sparkled. “You don’t whine, Dinah. All you’re doing is venting, and I promise, you don’t have the cornerstone on that. Everyone needs to let things out every now and then.”

“Maybe you’re right. But between the horse missing and saddles getting stolen and high school kids acting up…and Duke only working part-time, I’m feeling like I don’t have enough hours in the day to do it all.”

Of course, the moment she spouted off her laundry list of complaints, she wished she could take it all back. What was she thinking? Austin could be working with the thieves!

After swallowing another bite, Austin kicked his legs out. Looking her over, he asked, “Do you mind if we don’t talk about work for a bit?”

She jumped at his change in topic. “What do you want to talk about? Is something wrong? Do you need my help?”

His lips curved. “See, Dinah, that’s your problem. You hardly know what else to do besides work.”

Maybe he was right. Or maybe…she just wasn’t sure what else to talk to him about. Sitting next to Austin made her pulse race a little faster and the rest of her feel suddenly feminine, as if she was still a woman even though she was the sheriff.