Quick-Draw Cowboy

“I don’t know,” she said, without looking up. “I’m extremely good at saying no.”

She bagged the pastries for the current order and started on the lattes. “What’s your offer?”

“Behind-the-counter help. I can handle pouring coffee, but I could never concoct those fancy drinks you’re making. By the way, my name’s Riley Lawrence.”

Dani looked up, a slightly surprised expression parting her full lips. “You must be Pierce’s brother.”

“Yep, but don’t hold that against me.”

“Never. Pierce is terrific and marrying my best friend. I’m sure he’s thrilled you made it here for the wedding,” she said as she went back to boxing pastries. “He was afraid you’d back out at the last minute.”

“I was a bit afraid of that myself. Actually, I haven’t made it to the Double K yet.”

“Then what in the world are you doing here?”

“Saving your beautiful ass—pardon my French. That is if you want my help.”

“You’re serious?”

“Serious as a bull on steroids.”

“I have no idea what that means, but you’ve got yourself a job.”

“How about we start two lines?” Riley suggested. “One for the people who want specialty coffees and-or want to pay with credit cards. Another line of the people who just want plain coffee or to pick up some bakery items and pay with cash.”

“You’ll handle the cash line?”

“Yep. I’ve had very limited experience with cash registers, but that one doesn’t look too complicated.”

She sighed. “It would be a tremendous help, but I can’t let you do that.”

“Afraid I’ll sneak too many cookies?”

“No. Afraid Esther will kill me for delaying your arrival at the ranch.”

The door opened again. This time a family of four came in, stretching the line around the corner.

“If the line grows any longer, you may have a mutiny on your hands.”

“Okay, but remember you asked for this. Prices are marked on the items on display,” Dani explained. “Preordered items are boxed and in the kitchen right behind us. Name of the customer and price are on the ticket taped to the top of the box. If you have any questions, just ask.”

Dani raised her voice to get everyone’s attention and explained the new lineup procedures. Someone clapped and several more joined in. They moved into the two lines with amazing order and good manners.

That was the Winding Creek he remembered.

“By the way, my name’s Dani Boatman,” she offered.

“Glad to meet you, boss.”

His first customer spoke up. “I’m picking up a dozen cupcakes for Jamie Sandler. She ordered them yesterday.”

“Coming right up.”

And with that Riley was officially on the job. He’d never sold anything in his life, except horses or cattle at an auction and admission tickets once at a local rodeo in Wyoming. His cash-register experience was limited to gate ticket sales.

Turned out this was much easier. Almost everybody was friendly and happier now that the line was moving a little faster.

The guys gave him a howdy, several introducing themselves. It was the Texas way. Young women—and some of the older ones—flirted with him. A little boost for the ego.

None of the females were as tempting as Dani Boatman. He might just be staying around Winding Creek a little longer than originally planned.

* * *

TWO HOURS LATER, the Saturday morning rush had come and gone. Only three tables were occupied and there was no one in line. Constance was off to the movie with her friend.

And Dani Boatman was totally infatuated with the witty, personable, hunky cowboy who’d saved the day. But then he’d charmed almost every woman who’d walked into the bakery. Some men had a knack for winning hearts with just a smile. Riley had it in spades.

“Whew...” Riley said. “Are Saturday mornings always this busy?”

“Unfortunately, no. They’re my busiest day of the week, but not usually this kind of crazy. The sunny day and the wildflowers in full bloom brought out the tourists.”

“I get that. I’m not much of a flower man, but even I noticed the sea of bluebonnets driving in this morning. Damned impressive.”

“You’d be amazed how many people visit the Texas Hill Country every spring just for the scenery.”

“Scenery in here looks pretty good to me.”

“Thanks. I try to make the pastries too tempting to resist.”

He smiled seductively. “I wasn’t talking about the pastries.”

A flush of heat crept up her face. She turned away quickly, hoping he hadn’t noticed the blush. He’d think she was either incredibly naive, or had never had a man casually flirt with her.

Tough to admit, but neither was that far-fetched.

“Did you bake all this?” he asked, motioning to the display cases full of her cookies, cupcakes, scones and other pastries, as well as loaves of bread.

“Yes.”

“And you babysit your niece. When do you have time for a life?”

“This is my life. And I don’t babysit Constance. My sister died this past year. Constance lives with me.”

“So it’s just you and Constance?”

“That’s it.”

“Instant motherhood. That must have thrown your life into a tailspin.”

“It’s been an adjustment, but I’m loving it. We live above the shop so I can be with her as much as possible.”

The door opened again and Sandy O’Malley rushed in, her short skirt swinging around her thighs, her long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. “I’m so sorry, Miss Boatman. My alarm didn’t go off this morning. I mean I know I set it, but it didn’t go off and Mom had gone into work early and I guess I got to bed late and...”

“Take a breath, Sandy,” Dani said, stopping the onslaught of excuses. “We’ll talk later. For now, you can start clearing the tables.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll get right to it.”

“Guess I’m officially replaced,” Riley said.

“Yes, but you saved me from total chaos this morning. If there’s anything I can do to thank you for jumping into the madness...”

“Let me give it some thought. I’m sure we can think of a way. Will I see you at the wedding tonight?”

“Can’t miss me. I’m the maid of honor.”

“How ’bout that? I’m one of the two best men. Pierce had to give his brothers equal billing. I’ve yet to meet the bride, but according to Pierce, she hung the moon and outshines most of the stars.”

“And she’s just as crazy about him. They’re a perfect couple.”

“More than a couple,” Riley said. “They have Pierce’s five-year-old daughter, Jaci, at least part-time. They’ll be an instant family with all the complications that can bring. Glad it’s him and not me.”

Which was in perfect agreement with how Pierce had described his brother. Riley was a rambler, never stayed in one place long enough to get serious about any woman. The love-’em-and-leave-’em type.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Riley said. “Save me a two-stepper. I hear there’s going to be a country-and-western band.”

“Sure.” As if he’d notice a short, plump pastry chef once he was besieged by every other woman there.

“Thanks again for helping out,” she said. “If you ever need a steady job with long hours, low pay and lots of work, give me a call.”

“I appreciate that generous offer, but unfortunately I start to rust if I spend more than a couple of hours indoors. See you tonight.”

She watched Riley walk away. That was when she saw James Haggard staring at her through the window. She braced herself to deal with him, but he made no move to enter the shop. He just continued to stare, every muscle in his face stretched taut.

There was no doubt that he meant to intimidate her, to make her shudder in fear and realize that he’d meant what he said.

She’d lain awake for hours last night, considering his threats, trying to decide what her next move should be. She’d told the truth about the money being in a trust fund—it had been at Dani’s insistence. That didn’t mean that as Constance’s father, Haggard couldn’t challenge her decision.

If he was her biological father.

All she needed was a sample of his DNA to prove him wrong. Or prove him right.

If she could somehow get a sample of his DNA, she could have the testing done without his cooperation. But then why wouldn’t he cooperate? He didn’t want Constance. He wanted to basically sell her for a million dollars.

If he wasn’t her biological father, Dani would report him and his rotten scam to the sheriff. If he was... She couldn’t bring herself to go there now.

She was closing at three today, an hour earlier that her usual time to make the sundown wedding without too much of a rush. She’d search paternity testing labs in San Antonio before she left for the Double K Ranch, to get the facts about how to go about the testing.

And then she’d insist Haggard provide a DNA sample. If he refused, that was as good as an admission that he was lying.

No matter what the results, she had to keep Constance out of the hands of James Haggard. If it came down to it, she’d protect her niece from scum like him with her life.

Chapter Three

Riley propped a booted foot on a bag of feed. It was the first time he’d managed a few minutes alone with Pierce and their younger brother, Tucker. They’d taken a walk out to the barn to get some privacy.

“So you’re serious about staying on here at the Double K?” Riley asked. “As a hired hand?”

“Not exactly. Esther and I have been talking. She’s willing to sell me the ranch as long as she can keep her house, her gardens and her chickens. I’d never dream of taking those from her anyway. As you know, Grace, Jaci and me are living with her now and it’s working out fine.”

“I just never figured she’d sell the Double K.”

“Frankly, she doesn’t have the resources to keep it going, and to be honest, I’ve never been as happy as I’ve been these past few months. I have some money saved and this seems like the perfect investment.”

“Last time we were together, you said you’d never been happier than being a Navy SEAL,” Riley said.

“That was the truth then and exactly what I needed at that time in my life. But this life is the kind of satisfaction that seeps bone-deep. Not just the ranch, though I sure feel I belong here, but it’s Grace and Jaci and, I don’t know, man. It just feels so right.”

“Don’t you just have temporary custody of your daughter until her mother and new stepfather get back to the States?” Tucker asked.

“Yes, but we’re working on more permanent arrangements. It seems Leslie’s new husband will be working on the project in Cuba longer than expected. We’re talking about joint custody, but with Jaci spending summers and most holidays with her mother and the rest of the time with me and Grace.”

“How does Jaci feel about that?”

“She loves the ranch. Well, mostly she loves horses, but she’s handling the divorce like a trouper. We’re family. She even calls Esther ‘Grandmother’ and Grace ‘Mommy.’”

“And Esther seems to love that,” Tucker said.

“So getting married so soon after meeting Grace doesn’t frighten you at all?” Riley asked.

“Not in the least.”

“You’ve definitely been roped and tied,” Tucker said.

“Except I was the one doing the roping. I was hooked from practically the moment I met Grace. When I thought I was going to lose her to a madman, I knew for certain my life would never be complete without her.”

“I guess that explains the rush to the altar,” Riley said.

“I was ready to marry her the day after she said yes. She was the one who encouraged me to wait until you two could actually coordinate your schedules enough to show up for the ceremony. She’s big on family ties.”

“It all sounds great,” Riley agreed, “but you were madly in love before and look how that worked out.”

“I failed in that marriage,” Pierce admitted. “Leslie and I were like two horses pulling in different directions. There was no way we were going to arrive at the same destination.”

“But you got Jaci out of that marriage,” Tucker said. “She’s a terrific kid, so it wasn’t a total loss.”

“Exactly,” Pierce confirmed.

And Riley should probably leave it at that, but what kind of brother would he be if he didn’t say what he was thinking?

“You haven’t known Grace very long. What happens if you and Grace start pulling in opposite directions? Another divorce? More emotional trauma for Jaci?”

“I get your concerns,” Pierce said. “But I have no doubts about Grace or my love for her. It’s about love, but it’s also about shared experiences and trust and knowing that the other person will always be there for you. Grace and I have that.”

“Then I guess you’re ready for the marriage game.”

“It’s not a game,” Pierce argued.

“Right. It’s your life. If you’re happy, then I couldn’t be happier for you.”

Riley meant that. It was just that settling down to one woman, one ranch, one set of options seemed a lot like sticking a horse in one pasture and never letting it taste the grass on the other side of the fence.

“To change the subject, do you guys remember our first day on the Double K Ranch?” Tucker asked.

“All too well,” Pierce said. “I was scared to open my mouth, afraid Esther and Charlie would kick us out if we did anything to annoy them.”

“Same here,” Riley said. “And if we got rejected by the Kavanaughs, that scary old hag of a social worker would take over and place us in three different foster homes.”

“I cried the day the social worker said that,” Tucker said, “but I hid so you two couldn’t see me. At twelve, I figured I was way too old to cry.”

The truth was they’d all had trouble dealing with the grief. One morning they’d had loving parents, a home, security. A few hours later a policeman showed up at the door and told them their parents had died in a car crash.

They’d spent the next ten months with Charlie and Esther before a great-uncle they’d never met showed up and took them to live in Kansas with him until they turned eighteen.

But Riley had never truly gotten over that feeling that he was one second away from a catastrophe. Maybe none of them had. Could be that was why Tucker risked his life almost daily riding two-thousand-pound bulls that would just as soon crack his skull with a hoof as not.

Maybe that was why Pierce had become a Navy SEAL and had been so good at it. And the reason Riley could never commit to anything. There was no certainty of anything in life.

Or maybe they were all just three brothers out there trying to find where they fit.

“I had a few minutes alone with Esther this morning,” Tucker said. “She still seems to think Charlie was murdered.”

“I know,” Pierce said. “I’ve looked in to it some, but there’s just no evidence to support that.”

“Yet hard to believe he committed suicide,” Riley said. “Were there health issues?”

“Not that Esther’s mentioned,” Pierce said. “But like I said, there are lots of money issues. The ranch is mortgaged to the hilt and Charlie was behind in his payments. His bank account is down to a few thousand dollars and he’d been steadily selling off his livestock since the drought two years ago.”

Riley leaned against a bale of hay. “Looks like your offer to buy in came just in time to save the ranch.”

“It’s working out that way,” Pierce agreed. “It’s great for Esther, too. She gets to stay in her home she shared with Charlie for so many years and still tend to her beloved chickens and her vegetable garden. Charlie’s ranch doesn’t fall into the hands of the bank. It’s a win-win all the way around.”

“Except that you’re buying a ranch that you admit has fallen into a state of serious disrepair.”

“I like a challenge. Besides, I had some money saved, thinking I might buy a ranch. Even after I pay off the debts, I’ll have enough left to hopefully make the Double K a profitable operation again.”

“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” Riley said.

“Yep, and I’m hoping my brother the rambler might settle down for a few months and help me out.”

“Why did I not see this coming?” Strangely, Riley wasn’t put off by the idea. He had to be somewhere; might as well be here helping out his brother and Esther—for a while.

“Just don’t get any ideas that I’m going to settle down in Winding Creek forever, big brother.”

“That possibility never entered my mind.”

So now the cute, little redheaded pastry chef with the sparkling eyes and the heart-melting smile wasn’t his only excuse for hanging around Winding Creek.

“You think we have time to saddle a few horses and race out to the swimming hole like old times?” Tucker asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Pierce said. “I’m banned from seeing my bride until the wedding and it’s not going to take me long to shower and struggle into the monkey suit.”

“Now you’re talking,” Riley said.

The three Lawrence brothers racing on horseback once again. This was as good as it got.

Chapter Four

Riley stood with Pierce and Tucker a couple of yards to the left of the flowered arbor, where the minister was patiently waiting.

Guests had been arriving for the past half hour or more, filling up the rows of folding chairs.

Riley recognized very few of them. “You must be giving away a new tractor to draw this many people.”

“And to think this started out as a small family wedding,” Pierce said.”

“You’ve only been back here on a permanent basis since Christmas. Do you even know half these people?” Tucker asked.

“Not many, but Esther knows them all. Once she got involved in the plans, the size of the wedding at least quadrupled. We didn’t have the heart to reel her in. The busier she is, the better she does with handling the grief over Charlie’s death.”

“This must have cost a fortune,” Riley said. “Did you win the lottery and forget to tell me?”

“Nope. But this is Texas. You have a shindig, everyone chips in to help. The only food we had to furnish were the briskets that I smoked myself. And the booze, of course, though not even all of that. Some old friend of Charlie’s I’ve never even seen before dropped off a few cases of beer today.”

“They’ve been bringing in food for a good hour,” Tucker said. “I guess we’ll find out who the best cooks in the area are.”

“None better than Esther,” Pierce assured them, “though I doubt you’ll find a bad dish in the bunch.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to try them all,” Tucker said. “You lucked out with the weather, but what were you going to do if it rained? If I remember correctly, this area turns into a giant mud puddle with every shower.”

“We had the option of moving the affair to the new community center next to the high school. The folding chairs and tables belong to the center anyway. The portable dance floor, too, though I had to rent it. Cost me a whopping twenty-five dollars.”

“And all the lights you’ve got strung through branches and around poles?”

“Those I bought and Esther’s part-time wrangler, Buck, and some of his buddies set them up.”

“I didn’t buy a wedding present,” Tucker said. “Figured if there was something you needed, you already had it. Why don’t I throw in some money to cover the cost of the reception tent?”

“Appreciated, but not necessary. One of Charlie’s good friends, Harvey Mullins, has a son in San Antonio who rents party supplies.”

Harvey had insisted on providing the tent with no charge for it, or for putting it up and taking it down. He said Charlie had helped him rebuild his barn last year when lightning had hit and he was glad to do something to repay the favor.

“Sounds like this is a community affair, so who do I see about filing a formal complaint?” Riley quipped.

“File thirteen is behind the woodshed. What are you complaining about?”

“This straitjacket I’m buttoned into. Shirt’s so stiff I can barely move.”

“I couldn’t get Grace to budge on that, but she did agree to our wearing our cowboy boots as long as we had then cleaned and shined.”

“What a woman,” Riley said. “All heart.”

“The real question is, does she have a friend for Riley?” Tucker said.

Thankfully they didn’t get to finish the conversation. The music started and they were motioned into place by the minister.

Riley watched as someone he didn’t recognize escorted Esther to her seat. He wasn’t sure if Esther was acting as mother of the bride or mother of the groom, but she was smiling and dabbing at her eyes at the same time.

He knew what having the Kavanaughs take them in for ten months after their parents died meant to him and his brothers. He guessed he never fully realized what it had meant to Esther and, no doubt, to Charlie. From now on, he’d see that he kept in closer touch.

He flashed Esther a smile and looked over to see if Pierce was starting to panic yet. Nope. The man had ice water in his veins. Must be all that SEAL training.

When Riley looked up again, Dani was walking down the makeshift aisle between the rows of folding chairs. The wow factor sent his head spinning. She’d been cute and witty in the bakery. She was absolutely stunning in a brilliant green dress that set off her gorgeous eyes.

Damn, he even liked the way she walked. She didn’t glide or prance like some haughty mare. She just walked, like a gal who knew who she was and what she was about.

Would be right interesting to check her out a little further, find out if she was as authentic as she seemed. If he hung around awhile, they could have some good times before he hit the road again.

Horseback riding up to the gorge at Lonesome Branch. Do some fishing for bream or catfish. Maybe even take a dip in the swimming hole if the weather cooperated.

Desire revved inside him at the thought of her in—or out of—a bikini.

When she reached the arbor, her gaze met his. She smiled and suddenly all he could think about was getting the wedding over with and getting his arms around her on the dance floor.

The rest of the wedding procession barely registered with him until it was time for him to hand Pierce the ring. He watched as Pierce slid it onto Grace’s finger. He saw the way they looked at each other and he had to admit it did look like love.

But then this was the easy part of a marriage—when everything about the relationship was new and exciting. Before the ties didn’t bind. Before hard times and resentments started pulling a couple apart.

Riley didn’t see himself ever vowing to love anyone or anything for forever. Yet, when the happy couple were pronounced man and wife and Pierce kissed his bride, Riley hoped with all his heart that marriage worked this time for Pierce and Grace. And mostly for his five-year-old niece, Jaci.

Riley had dreaded coming to this wedding, but now that it was nearly over, he had to admit he’d never seen his brother happier. Even more of a shocker, Riley was looking forward to the rest of the evening. He was downright excited about getting to know Dani better.

For all the roving around from ranch to ranch and from state to state that he did, could it be that he was the one in a rut?

No. He was a born wanderer and he liked it that way.

But if he was ready to settle down, he’d be looking for a woman who had it all together. He’d be looking for a woman like Dani.

“THAT’S GOOD. LET’S get one more shot before we lose that sunset. Just the women this time. Esther, Grace, Dani and our little flower girl.”

Not the words Dani had hoped to hear. The air was cooling off as the sun made its final descent, but the Texas humidity had not let up. She could feel herself starting to wilt like a rosebush in a heat wave.

The wedding had been beautiful and touching and perfect in every way, but the photographer was getting a bit carried away with his after-ceremony wedding-party shots. Dani was not the only one growing restless. Jaci kept sneaking away from the group only to be tugged back by one of the adults.

“If we move a few yards to the left, we can—”