Texas Rebels: Paxton

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING in the office, Falcon was doling out orders.

“Mr. Busby wants ten heifers. He picked them out two days ago. Elias was with me so he’ll remember which heifers to load.”

“What?” Elias sat up straight in his chair.

“Those heifers we looked at the other day with Mr. Busby. Did you lose your memory?”

“Oh, yeah. Got it.” Paxton knew Elias and he knew every cow and calf on the ranch. He was just jacking with Falcon. Elias leaned over and whispered loudly to Paxton, “All heifers look alike, right?”

“You’re an idiot.”

Their mother’s cell rang before Falcon could figure out what Elias was saying. She clicked off and looked at Quincy. “That was Miss Bertie. She wants to know if you can help her with a cow whose udder is too big for the calf to suck. It was born last night and she’s wants to get it to the pen, but the cow keeps charging her.”

“I don’t mind helping Miss Bertie, Mom,” Quincy said. “But I don’t want to get too far away from Jenny. Her dad and sister are over there now and she made me leave the house for a while. I want to be nearby in case she goes into premature labor.”

Paxton stood. “I’ll go.”

Everyone, including Elias, who had his hat pulled over his face and was teetering on the two back legs of his chair, looked at him. Grandpa’s mouth fell open and everyone seemed to be speechless.

“What? I can’t be neighborly and helpful?”

“It’s just something we’ve never seen before,” Egan said.

“Kind of like Phoenix doing a full day’s work. It’s just something you don’t see too often.” Elias was always cruising for a fight, but today he wasn’t going to get one.

Phoenix threw his arm around Elias’s shoulders. “And like Elias being stone-cold sober all day.”

“Enough with the joking around.” Falcon frowned. “We have work to do. Paxton will help Miss Bertie and the rest of you will saddle up and bring those heifers to the corral to load. Elias and Jude will deliver them. After that, there’s feeding to do.”

His brothers filed out of the office. Falcon followed, still dishing out orders. As Rico passed Paxton, he slapped him on the back. “Didn’t see the sign, did you?”

No one heard Rico but Paxton. He knew he was acting out of character, but he was going to get her sea-green eyes out of his head. One more encounter should do it.

“Want me to go with you?” Grandpa asked. “I’ve known Bertie all my life and she’s a handful. Always was. In school she was tough as leather and still is. But boy, she could dance the soles right off her shoes.”

“I got it, Grandpa, but thanks.”

Grandpa slowly pushed to his feet, and Paxton noticed, maybe for the first time, that Grandpa was slowing down. It was hard to see someone you love getting older, but Grandpa had so much vinegar in him he was going to last a long time.

“Good. I’m going over to see Jenny.”

“Abe, don’t you think you bother them enough? Let Jenny rest.” It was well-known that their mother and grandfather didn’t get along and it was a strain on all of them, but somehow they managed to live on the same property and keep the anger from boiling over. It had to do with their father’s death. They blamed each other when the only person to blame was John Rebel himself. Paxton didn’t want to think about his father and quickly switched his thoughts to the conversation at hand.

“I can visit Jenny anytime I want.”

“Suit yourself.”

Grandpa stomped out.

His mother glanced at him. “Thank you, son, for helping. I appreciate it. You might take a horse. Bertie doesn’t have one anymore.”

“I will.”

“Son?”

He turned back.

“This isn’t about the granddaughter, is it?”

He looked into his mom’s worried eyes and something like fear uncurled in his stomach. “Why are you so worried about me and Remi?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re just so charming and girls fall for you.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, but he was old enough to make his own decisions, even though it might disappoint his mother.

Chapter Four

When Paxton crossed the cattle guard with the trailer clanging behind him, first thing he noticed was Remi standing at the edge of the corral. She seemed to be holding on to it, huddled in a blue coat with the hood over her head. Much as the first time he’d seen her. Her dog was at her feet.

In the distance near a pond he could see Miss Bertie with a stick in her hand trying to shoo a red-and-white-faced cow with a baby calf toward the pen, but she wasn’t having any luck.

He parked the truck and got out. Remi came toward him, holding on to the dog’s collar. It hit him for the first time that she used the dog for balance.

“Could you please help my grandmother? The cow is going to hurt her and she won’t listen to me. She’s so stubborn.”

He tipped his hat. “It must be genetic.”

“What do you mean by that?” Her eyes narrowed.

He unlatched the trailer gate with more force than necessary and then pulled the ramp down so he could unload Romeo. A few years ago Falcon had bought several young geldings and Egan and Jude had broken them. They both had a soft voice that animals reacted to. Paxton liked the chestnut-colored horse with a white blaze on his face and had asked to keep it. Phoenix had named it Romeo and it had stuck. He had turned out to be a great quarter horse.

Paxton placed his boot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle. Mostly, he was avoiding answering her question. “Whatever you want it to mean,” he replied, and rode toward Miss Bertie.

* * *

“HOW RUDE.” REMI watched him ride away and had the urge to throw something at his straight back. But her temper soon cooled as she continued to watch him. He had to be the most handsome cowboy she’d ever seen. The most handsome man, too. He was rugged, strong and charismatic in a way she couldn’t explain because most of the time she just wanted to smack him. Maybe because he reminded her of things she’d forgotten—the touch of a man, the feel of a man’s hands on her body and a masculine scent that took her away to a beautiful place. It had all been snatched from her and she would never...

She shook her head. What was she doing? She couldn’t go back so she had to go forward. But just looking at Mr. Paxton Rebel made her aware that she was still very much alive.

He rode up to her grandmother and they were talking, but it seemed more like they were arguing. Her grandmother waved the stick at him and then stomped to the corral with Memphis on her heels. Remi’s eyes were glued to the cowboy and she wondered what he’d do to get the cow in the pen.

He removed a rope from the saddle horn and made a large loop. Swinging it above his head, he rode toward the cow, yelling, “Hi ya! Hi ya!”

The cow threw up her head, refusing to budge. He popped her with the rope and she spun in a circle and tried to charge him, but once again he stung her with the rope. The cow licked the calf and slowly started walking toward the corral. Halfway there she turned and tried to charge the horse, but the cowboy used the rope to guide the cow toward the open gate that Gran was holding.

Once the cow and calf were inside, Gran closed the gate, and the cowboy dismounted and jumped across the fence as if it was no more than a twig.

Gran shook the stick at him. “Let me tell you something, sonny boy, no man tells me what to do.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His voice was laced with sarcasm, but Gran didn’t seem to notice. She was intent on doing things her way.

“Good. Now let’s take care of this cow. Remi, open the chute.”

What! To do that she would have to climb over the fence and she knew she couldn’t. What did she do?

She looked up and stared into the cowboy’s dark caramel eyes and saw his concern for her.

“I got it. I’m closer.” He marched over and opened the chute, inches away from her.

“Thank you,” she breathed hoarsely.

“Aw. The lady knows the words.” The corners of his mouth turned into a smile and it was lethal to her emotional state. Her heart raced and her hands were clammy. Suddenly, she was hot. She pushed the hood from her head and unbuttoned her coat. She’d never had this experience before and she rather liked it. Only for a moment. She couldn’t be attracted to Paxton Rebel.

“Are you gonna help me or what?” Gran shouted.

In minutes they had the cow in the chute, and Paxton shoved the little calf in butt-first so he was facing the udder. It was swollen and the teats stuck out filled with milk.

Gran had a stool and a bucket and began to milk the cow. It sounded like rain on a tin roof. Paxton slid into the chute with the calf. Once the teats were smaller Paxton pushed the calf’s face toward the udder. The little thing searched for food, but still wasn’t latching on.

Paxton looked at her. “Reach in and pull a teat toward his mouth.”

“Huh. Okay.” She reached into the space between the boards and found a teat. It felt like a tight rubber glove filled with water.

“Squeeze it into his mouth,” Paxton said.

“I don’t know how to milk.”

“Just squeeze it.”

She did and milk squirted onto the calf’s face and he stuck his tongue out. She squeezed it again, and he caught the teat and began to suck.

“He’s sucking!” she shouted, excited. The calf was in full control so she let go and stroked his head and back. “He’s so cute. His red hair even has a curl to it. I think I’ll call him Curly.”

“We’re not naming this calf,” Gran snapped. “You don’t name animals you plan to sell, and this one will be sold in the fall to help pay taxes.”

“Oh, Gran.”

Gran stood, shaking her head. “City girls. You just can’t change ’em. Now I’m going to the house to fix lunch. We’ll have hot biscuits and gravy and fried chicken. Remi, help Handsome finish up. There’s square bales in the barn. Give her enough to keep her happy.”

Paxton opened the chute and the cow backed out, the little calf following her, eager to suck.

“It’s barely nine o’clock. Why is she fixing lunch so early?” He leaped over the fence and stood next to her, within touching distance. The cold air was suddenly warm. Too warm.

Her throat went dry. “She, uh, has to kill a chicken first and take the feathers off and whatever.”

“You’re kidding. Nobody does that anymore. I remember my grandma doing that when I was kid, but I thought these days everyone got their chicken at the grocery store or already fried at the chicken place.”

“Gran does everything from scratch, the old way.”

“Well, I don’t have time to stay for lunch. I have work to do at the ranch.” He started toward the barn and then stopped. “I thought you were supposed to help.”

“Oh, oh.” She walked toward him, holding on to Sadie, not knowing what she could do to help him.

Paxton nodded toward the dog. “You use her for balance, don’t you?”

She refused to answer as she followed him into the barn. A pungent hay scent filled the air. He cut the strings on a bale and gathered a block in his hands.

“I’d ask you to carry this, but I know you can’t.”

“You don’t have to be mean about it.”

He sighed. “I’m not. I’m just curious as to why you don’t want your grandmother to know you’re not as strong as you should be.” He walked out of the barn with the hay and she followed more slowly. Leaning on the fence, she watched as he laid the hay on the ground. The cow immediately began to eat.

She loved watching him. His actions were effortless and she knew the muscles beneath his winter coat had to be custom-made from hard work. Gran had said that he was a bull rider. To do that he had to stay in shape and just looking at him she knew that he did.

A honking sound echoed through the landscape and Remi looked up to see Canada geese landing on the pond. “Look, geese.” She slowly headed toward the pond and Paxton caught up with her.

“What’s so special about the geese?”

She sat on the small weather-worn bench Gran had put there to sit and feed the geese and ducks. Paxton sat beside her. Maybe just a little too close. Hay, milk and the musky scent of male surrounded her. She didn’t know why she was so aware of him and she had to stop torturing herself.

“It’s nice out here by the pond,” he said.

Large live oak trees shaded the pond on the right, their heavy branches just inches from the water. The air was fresh and invigorating. A peacefulness came over Remi.

“Yes, it’s nice.” Her eyes met the caramel sweetness of his and she knew she was fighting a losing battle.

Finally, he asked again, “What’s so special about the geese?”

She pointed to two geese on the other side of the pond. “That’s Henry and Henrietta, otherwise known as Henny.”

“It looks like one of them has a broken wing. It’s almost dragging the ground.”

“That’s Henny. Gran said a bobcat attacked her, but she managed to get away. She can’t fly anymore so this is home now. Gran was worried Henry would fly away and leave Henny here by herself, but Henry has never left her side. Canada geese mate for life. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Unbelievable.”

She scooted a little farther away from him. He was so close she was feeling breathless. “Yeah. It would be nice if humans could get it right, but there’s more divorce now than ever.”

“Mmm.” He leaned forward, his hands clasped between his knees. “I don’t want to be nosy, but what happened to you?”

“It’s a long story.” She ran her hand down the thigh of her jogging pants and wondered if he was someone she could confide in.

“I got time.”

“You said earlier you had to work,” she reminded him.

“Aw, that’s just to get away from Miss Bertie. She’s a character.”

“Yes, but she can be lovable, too.”

“I’ll take your word for that.”

The geese squawked on the pond, flapping their wings and ducking their heads into the water. It was peaceful and comforting and she felt as if they were the only two people in the world.

“So what happened?” He was prodding her, but in a nice way.

“My parents are very protective of me. It’s smothering sometimes. I wasn’t even two years old when my mom left Horseshoe and she didn’t come back for a whole year. Gran came to see us in Houston and she complained all the time that it was ridiculous Mom couldn’t bring me to visit her. Eventually we started visiting, but we never left the ranch. I guess my mom was afraid of running into Uncle Ira. They had a big fight over Ruger. It even went to court, and since Ruger was eleven, the judge let him decide where he wanted to live and he chose my uncle. My mom was devastated. I’ve called Ruger many times and he’s always tells me to stay away. He’s my brother and I’d like to have some sort of connection with him, but Uncle Ira controls him.”

She took a deep breath and realized she was rambling on like a girl on a first date.

“So your relationship with your brother and the rest of the family is strained.”

“Yes, you could say that.” She watched the geese play on the water. “My mom remarried two years later, and Nathan Roberts adopted me. He’s the only dad I’ve ever known. My mom refuses to talk about Ezra McCray. Everything I know I’ve learned from Gran and she tends to exaggerate. I do know he wasn’t a very nice person, though, because he beat my mother.”

“Everything I’ve heard is bad, too, so maybe you were better off not knowing him.”

She turned to look at him. “Does it feel strange for you and me to be talking?”

“No. Why?”

“Your father killed my biological father.”

“That could be a stumbling block, but it was a tragedy and it’s in the past. That’s the way I look at it. I mean, I didn’t kill your father and you didn’t kill my father. I think it’s time for everyone to move on.”

“Yeah.” She kicked at the grass with her sneaker. “It’s hard sometimes and I know my mother thinks about it constantly. She hates visiting Horseshoe, but I’m happy she allowed me to come and stay with Gran during the summers. I’m glad I know my grandmother, even if she’s a little eccentric.”

“Is that what she is?” His lips twitched into a smile and she found herself smiling back.

“Yes, she is, and she likes you, so count that as a blessing.”

“It’s hard to believe Miss Bertie and my mom are friends. I didn’t even know about the Elvis club.”

“I think it’s nice to stay young in your heart.”

“Mmm. I think the feud is fading in some ways.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked.

“My brother Phoenix married Rosemary McCray in December.”

“Gran told me and I thought it was awesome. She also said that Uncle Ira had disowned Rosemary.”

“Yes. He married her off to a man twice her age and he abused her. Finally she had the courage to get out and make a life for herself, and still Ira wouldn’t accept her back into the family.”

“She’s my first cousin and I’d love to meet her. Gran said I have lots of cousins and I haven’t met any of them.”

“I can tell you for certain that Rosie—that’s what everyone calls her—would love to meet you. She’s that kind of person, sweet, loving and giving. And beautiful.”

“Do you have a crush on her?”

He laughed out loud and the sound echoed through the trees. The geese squawked and flapped around in the water at the interruption. It was in the forties, but his laugh warmed her through and through.

“The Rebel boys made a pact a long time ago to stay away from each other’s girlfriends. Actually, it was something our father told us to do—to never go against our brothers.”

He scooted on the bench to face her. “I think you’re avoiding telling me what happened to you. You’ve talked around it, but you haven’t actually said why you’re so weak.”

She clasped her hands in her lap. “Maybe because it makes me sound impulsive and immature.”

He poked a finger into his chest. “You’re looking at Mr. Immature.”

“I can’t believe that. You always seem so confident and in control.”

“Oh, man, I used to think that way, too. There’s nothing like being knocked off my pedestal. I’ve led a pretty selfish life riding the rodeo circuit, drinking and partying. And then there were the girls.”

“I can imagine.”

“Okay, don’t get snotty. What I’m going to tell you is going to change the way you think of me.”

“How do you know I think about you?” She blinked. “Oh, you think I might have a crush on you because every girl you meet does.”

He frowned. “No, it’s not that. It’s about immaturity. My immaturity.”

She settled back and listened.

“I had this high school girlfriend and we dated for years and then I started riding the circuit and we didn’t see each other that often. And then there were a lot of girls all chasing after me. I cheated on Jenny and slept with other girls. I felt bad about it and told her and you know what she did?”

“I don’t have a clue.”

“She forgave me.”

“She must really love you to be that forgiving.”

“I lost my father about the same time Jenny lost her mother and we had a connection because of that. We consoled each other and cried together, but it wasn’t love. Jenny and I were just best friends. I met this actress in Los Angeles and I asked her to marry me. And I didn’t tell Jenny. She was devastated with the news. I was a jackass because I couldn’t tell her the truth.”

“You’re a jerk.”

His eyes crinkled mischievously. “Oh, but this has a happy ending.”

Was he married? She hadn’t even thought of that. She’d swallowed hard. “She forgave you again.”

“No. There’s just so much a woman will take and Jenny had reached her limit. My brother Quincy was there to console her.”

“I thought you said the Rebel boys didn’t—”

“Yeah, but in this instance it was right. They fell in love, and when I found out, I acted like a fool and hit Quincy. Now, if you knew Quincy you’d know he has a soft heart, but he wasn’t going to walk away and let me have Jenny. The truth is Jenny didn’t want me anymore and I realized I didn’t want her, either. We just kept holding on to that relationship for some reason and it wasn’t working. We both knew that and we finally said goodbye. Quincy and Jenny got married and they’re expecting their first child in March.”

The relief she felt at his words was insane. Why would she care that he wasn’t married? She couldn’t imagine any woman giving up Paxton, though. He was just too charming and handsome. But what woman enjoyed being cheated on? Remi certainly didn’t. Her dream man was a cad. And a Rebel.

He leaned closer. “So, you see, I win on the immaturity thing, but I’ve turned over a new leaf and I’m trying to make better decisions for the future. Do you think a bad boy can change?”

She met the gleam in his eyes with a strength she didn’t know she possessed. There was something about the mischief deep in his eyes that changed her whole way of thinking. But she had enough sense not to let it show.

“No.”

Chapter Five

The word slid across Paxton’s cheek like a chunk of ice. Cold. Cold. Cold. The woman didn’t have a sense of humor.

“Hey, I was just kidding.”

“I wasn’t.” The temperature of her voice dropped another degree.

He studied her face, the tight lips and the frosty eyes. “You really believe the guy who helped you to your feet in Port Aransas is a bad guy?”

“I think you’re a charmer and a ladies’ man.”

“Listen, I know I’ve lived a rough life, but I’m trying to change. I would think you’d at least give me the benefit of the doubt.”

“What does it matter what I think? We’ll never see each other again.”

She was right. What did it matter?

“You’re right. We’re two strangers talking, but I’ve been doing most of the talking. You’ve talked about everything except what happened to you. What happened?”

She wrapped her arms around her waist as if to ward off the memories.

“I know it was a motorcycle accident.” He didn’t know why he was pushing it, but he wanted her to talk and share something about her life.

Her eyes were enormous in her pale face. “How do you know that?”

He saw no reason not to be honest. “My mother told me.”

“You asked or was it a topic of conversation?”

He rubbed his hands together. “I asked because I was curious as to why a girl stubbornly refuses to admit she’s not completely well.”

She pulled her coat tighter around her. “You know, you’re very pushy.”

“And charming.” He smiled his best smile and her lips twitched. Maybe she did have a sense of humor.

“Mmm. It’s a long story and you said you have to get back to work.”

He stretched out his legs and crossed his boots at the ankles. “I’ve decided to take some time.”

“You’re not going to stop, are you?”

“Probably not.”

“Since you were so nice opening the chute and helping me in Port Aransas, I’ll tell you. But I want you to know I’m not completely stupid. I had my phone and was going to call the hotel to ask for help.”

“That’s good to know.” But his guess was she would have struggled for hours before doing that.

“I told you my parents are very protective. They don’t seem to think I can live my life on my own and I’ve tried hard to be independent. I have my own apartment, a good job, and I don’t take any money from them. But they still can’t help trying to take care of me.”

She shoved her hands into her pockets as if the next part was difficult. “I was dating this guy, Chuck, and my parents didn’t like him. We were arguing about it one day at my apartment when I was getting ready to go out with him. Finally, I ran out the door and jumped on the back of his motorcycle and we sped off—to hell.”

She drew a deep breath. “Riding away I felt selfish and immature like a fifteen-year-old. Instead of talking to my parents like an adult, I was running away. I wanted to go back and apologize. That’s when I smelled the pot. I asked Chuck to stop so I could get off. He just laughed.”