Her Unlikely Cowboy

“First order of business,” she muttered. “Paint that door.”

To say it was bad was the understatement of the year. And hopefully not a foreshadowing of things to come once she opened it and stepped inside.

The two older men came hurrying down the sidewalk, their boots scuffing as they came.

“We’ve been expecting you this morning,” the taller one said, grinning wide. He looked as though he smiled often because of the crinkles around his pale green eyes. “We made sure and got here early, just so we could welcome you. Right, Drewbaker?”

“Right, Chili,” the other man agreed. “We usually show up in the afternoon after we get our cows fed, but we snuck away this morning.” He winked, making her chuckle at the pure teasing in his manner.

“Thank you so much for coming. I’m Suzie Kent.”

“Oh, we know who you are. But I’m Chili Crump and that’s Drewbaker Mackintosh.”

Mr. Mackintosh nodded. “We heard all about you buying the place from Joyce and Lester. Those two were so excited to hook a buyer, they told the world it had sold before the papers were signed.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Mr. Crump said, scratching his jaw. “Why, they packed up their motor home and left town almost before we could wave goodbye. You’d think they couldn’t wait to get rid of us.”

Mr. Mackintosh’s entire face fell with his frown. “Yeah, kind of felt like we weren’t wanted anymore,” he said, then winked again. “They really wanted to get out of town before you changed your mind.”

“That bad?” she asked, enjoying herself, despite the ominous teasing.

Both men grinned and followed her to the door, watching as she stuck in the key. Opening the door felt as if she was opening the best gift at Christmas, even as the musty scent of age wafted out in greeting.

“Well, gentlemen, let’s see what I’ve got, shall we?” She couldn’t help but feel happy walking in. Comical expressions of doom and gloom lit her new friends’ faces—half teasing, she knew, and yet the place had certainly seen better times.

Entering, she had to step lively to get out of their way as they crowded in behind her.

Someone flicked the lights on—not really a good thing, since it illuminated the lost and forlorn look of the empty flower shop. Glass cases that had to be some of the first ever made lined one wall. A single forgotten vase of flowers sat wilted behind the glass. The floors were old planks, rough and worn so that they had a shine to them like pebbles under a constant stream of water. Their footsteps rang out in the cavernous room.

The back room wasn’t any better. The tables all looked as though they were made from leftover wood, with plywood tops that had no charm at all. Turning back to the front room she studied the small front counter, more of a podium, with barely enough room for a purchase tablet much less a computer—even a small laptop. That would have to be remedied. Bad, to say the least, and yet...light streamed in from the large, old plate-glass window and made a sunny spot in the center of the room. It was to that sunny spot that Suzie walked and stood as she readjusted her eyes.

“It ain’t much to look at.”

“Mr. Mackintosh, you’re right, it has its bad points.”

“Call me Drewbaker. Ever’body does.”

“And the same here. Call me Chili, little lady.”

She smiled. “Drewbaker and Chili, then. It does have its bad points. But, for the money I paid, I got a steal of a deal. That’s a huge plus. And look up. Isn’t that tin ceiling amazing? What charm.”

Both of them cranked their necks back and frowned.

“You’ve got better eyes than me,” Drewbaker said. “Ain’t no charm in here.”

Chili agreed with his silence and the skeptical expression on his craggy face.

“Now, it’s not that bad,” Tucker said from the doorway. “Good morning, Suzie. Fellas.”

Suzie’s pulse bucked into rodeo mode upon seeing him—it was very disturbing.

“Good morning,” she said. Then, not waiting for any more encouraging declarations, she walked over to the glass cases and tried the sliding doors. “These work great. That’s a plus. They would be the most expensive pieces for me to purchase, so as long as they keep the flowers cool, everything else is workable. You’ll be amazed what a little paint will do.”

“That’s right,” Tucker said, coming over to test the doors himself. “You have a great attitude.”

“Well, I have two choices. See only the bad or start thinking positive. I want to think positive. Paint will work wonders. And scrubbing and rearranging.

“And flowers,” she added. “Flowers everywhere will change the whole atmosphere.”

And scent. What was that odor?

Candles. Candles and flowers would change the scent.

Yes, she had a plan.

She dropped her fists to her hips and did a full turn, taking in the room, trying not to think about Tucker watching her.

She came to a halt at the comical expressions of dismay on Chili’s and Drewbaker’s faces.

“This place is a dump. To tell you the truth, we haven’t been in here in years.” Drewbaker scratched his head. “My wife always said I’d pick a neighbor’s rose and give it to her before I’d pay for one, and I reckon she was right.”

Suzie chuckled. “Sadly, you aren’t alone.”

“I bought a few in my day,” Chili said, with a sheepish grin. “But it’s been a while. I might have to buy some once you get this joint up and going. Matter of fact, you put me down as your first customer. You just let me know when you start making deliveries.”

Tucker shot him a glance.

“You’re serious?” Drewbaker asked.

“I am. A man’s got to make a move sometime.”

Drewbaker’s laugh nearly busted out the windows. “Well, I’ll be getting me some entertainment from this. What do you think, Tucker?”

“Might be interesting,” Tucker agreed, his eyes dancing with laughter.

Suzie couldn’t help but be curious, but she’d learned not to ask personal questions about flowers unless it was absolutely necessary. Privacy was part of her business. So she’d wait. “I’ll certainly let you know the date,” she said.

“Okay, Romeo,” Drewbaker grunted. “You and me both have hungry cows waitin’ on us. We bes’ get a move on.”

The two said their goodbyes and were gone, leaving Suzie and Tucker alone. The room seemed suddenly much smaller than it had before.

“How long have you been a florist?” he asked. “You seem to really enjoy it.”

“I do. I started working in a shop for a friend not long after Abe was born. Opening my own place is a dream I’ve had for a long time.”

He smiled and the room grew even smaller. “You’ll make people smile with each arrangement.”

It startled her realizing how easy she found talking to Tucker. She’d just opened up to him about her dreams.... “I need to check out the upstairs,” she said, heading out the door and onto the street, needing to break the moment.

Tucker followed her, of course, opting not to stand alone inside her shop while she came out onto the sidewalk. The man was like a bright, shiny penny, with his badge and buckle both glinting in the sun. And those eyes—and that warm smile spreading across his ruggedly good-looking face had Suzie’s insides fluttering to life with renewed awareness.

Instantly ruining a great morning.

* * *

Tucker hadn’t slept much after leaving the ranch last night. He’d gone home to his place, which was on a small piece of land just on the outskirts of Dew Drop. After moving back, he’d decided to move in closer to town. When he’d become sheriff, he found he was often barraged by calls at all times of the day and night—it was better to be closer to his office. Getting to the office quickly in an emergency situation was important to him. He’d live on the land he loved again, one day, but for now, while he’d taken the oath to serve and protect, he’d live close by. Plus, he’d felt the need to be alone at times. Especially in the beginning when nightmares kept him awake—he pushed the thought away and focused on Suzie. Helping her was the only thing that could give him some redemption from the past.

She seemed different this morning. She was upbeat and striving. He liked that. Liked it a lot that she was fighting, and that would be good for her. The woman he’d seen in the pictures didn’t seem so far away right now.

“I’m sure that old shop will look like a different place when you’re done. I’m pretty sure the apartment isn’t livable, though. It’ll be a good place to store your things until you find what you want.”

“I guess we’ll just go up and look,” she said, starting up the steps.

Tucker followed her. The steps creaked beneath their feet but seemed sturdy. Suzie rested her hand on the banister as she went.

“Did Lester and Joyce live up here?”

“No. They had a little house over near the lake. They didn’t really use this, I don’t think. That’s one reason I thought I might come up with you. I’m not sure if they ever came up here or if they even did anything with the stuff that had been here before they left.”

She paused on the steps. “Everyone is saying they left town quickly. It sounds like they were really ready to not be tied to a business any longer.”

She was a step ahead of him, and that made her almost exactly his height. He could look her straight in the eyes.

She rested her hip against the railing. “Do you think there was some other reason they left so quickly?”

“I don’t know. They’d had the place up for sale for a couple of years, and I think they had almost decided just to leave anyway. Your offer came while they were packing up, so I think they didn’t pause to look back.”

Just as the last words were out of his mouth an ominous crack sounded and the banister Suzie was leaning against broke.

* * *

Suzie felt the board she was barely resting against give under her hip. She tried to catch her balance, arms flailing, but as the board broke there was nothing stopping her from tipping backward into open space. She was twelve feet above the ground with nothing but gravel and dirt below her.

Suddenly, a strong arm snaked around her waist and she was yanked from thin air and pulled hard against Tucker’s firm chest.

“I’ve got you,” he assured her as he swung around, throwing their momentum in the opposite direction. One moment she’d been free-falling and the next she found herself held snuggled in his arms against the brick wall of the building.

Both of them were breathing hard as she stared into his eyes. Her feet dangled beneath her and she was nose to nose, eye to eye with Tucker. Her gaze dropped to the mere inch between their lips.

“Thank you,” she managed as her pulse thundered. Her mouth went dry when she met his gaze and realized he’d watched her studying his beautiful mouth.

What am I thinking! I almost plunged twelve feet to the ground and now I’m thinking about kissing Tucker. What is wrong with me? This is so wrong.

“No thanks required,” Tucker said, taking a deep breath as if he, too, had just remembered to breathe.

She pulled away and they moved in sync, him moving down a step, her shifting up away from him. Even separated from him, her skin tingled with sensation.

“That will have to be fixed,” she said, as if he didn’t realize that. Silly, but it was the first thing that popped out of her numbed brain.

Spinning away from him and keeping close to the building, she stared at the steps. She moved up one step at a time to the small landing outside the door. Key. She needed a key.

Digging in her jeans pocket she produced it and, with trembling fingers, inserted it into the lock and twisted.

Tucker had followed close behind her, not saying anything, but she knew he was as shaken as she was. She’d read it in his eyes. The tension radiated between them as she pushed open the door and stepped into the murky room.

Her thoughts were just as murky as suddenly the lights came on, and she saw Tucker had flipped the switch.

Relief washed over her, seeing that the room wasn’t as full of leftover stuff as she’d feared. She moved farther inside, putting space between them.

In her mind she wanted to be grateful that he’d caught her.

But she was too shaken by the experience.

“What do you think?” Tucker’s baritone radiated through the room.

Think? That I’ve lost my mind. “It, ah, isn’t as bad as it could be.”

“It might take a little while to get it cleaned up if you’re thinking about living up here. But we could help or, if you want some walls moved around and would rather hire it done, I know a great contractor.”

Suzie grabbed hold of this new topic of conversation, glad to focus on something other than how being around Tucker was affecting her. “I think we’ll just store my stuff up here for now. I might decide to find a rental property instead. You know, something with a yard, so Abe could have a dog. After I get the business going, though. Maybe I can think clearer about what would be best then. Tackling the store downstairs should be my priority.”

“That sounds like a plan. And you know, the ranch is your home as long as you want it. There is plenty of room. And Nana will love having you in the house with her.” He was studying her, as if he were trying to read the thoughts flickering through her mind.

“But,” she added quickly, “I need to have that banister repaired.”

“Count it already done. I’m heading over to the lumber company right now, and I’ll have that fixed before lunch.”

She wanted to say she’d get someone else, but she needed it done as soon as possible, before they began traipsing up and down with her things. Anyone could fall and she would blame herself. “Thank you again,” she said. “I seem to be indebted to you over and over.”

Tucker frowned. “No debt. That’s all mine.” With that said, he went to inspect the next room.

Suzie followed, slowly, startled that for an instant she’d forgotten what Tucker had cost her and her child. That if it wasn’t for him Gordon would be alive and they wouldn’t be here.

No thanks required.

That’s what he’d said and it was true.

Chapter Four

Tucker called in Cody, his deputy, so he could take the morning off to get the banister rebuilt. And he needed the physical exertion—needed something to occupy his mind, but it wasn’t working. He’d been thinking of nothing except holding Suzie in his arms all morning.

What a jerk he’d been. He’d rescued her, and then instantly his pulse had ramped up and he’d been looking at her as if she was his long-lost love. And she’d seen it, too.

He slammed the hammer to the nail with enough force to test the foundation poles holding the stairs in the air. He needed the exertion that working with his hands would provide. Riding his horse across the ranch would have been his number one choice to exert his pent-up frustrations—as far away from Suzie Kent as he could get. But she needed the banister and despite knowing that she was just inside the building, it was where he needed to be.

His reaction to her had stunned him. She was the wife of the man he owed his life to. Widow. His brain corrected. And free to find a new love.

That his thoughts had even hinted at going there angered him. He owed Gordon his life, and he owed Gordon’s widow and child his support to help them maneuver through the wreckage he’d caused in their lives. But to think about her in terms of a love interest—nope, she was way out of bounds to him.

And yet there was no denying that he was attracted to her. Or that she’s the kind of woman I’ve been looking for all of my life.

But there was no chance for there to ever be anything between them—and he had no right even thinking about it. Feeling cornered, he placed another nail in the base of the banister railing and then moved up the steps to hammer in the next one. Six more to go, and not near enough to get rid of the anger fighting inside of him.

He was a man who took action. He’d had to watch his mother die of cancer when he was fourteen and there had been nothing he could do about it. He’d sworn then that he’d make a difference in the lives of others and the marines had drawn him. He’d wanted to make a difference in the world. Time after time he’d pulled his men back from death, or as many as he possibly could. He’d been able to make a difference in their lives and those of their families. Unlike his own. Cancer was a war that many were able to defeat, but his mom had not been one of them.

He’d never thought about what watching helplessly as one of his men gave his life for him would cost—not only the soldier’s family, but him.

He didn’t like it. He couldn’t control it. But he was going to fix it. And being attracted to Gordon’s widow was the ultimate betrayal of his friend. Tucker had been sixteen when that first group of boys had started filtering in, and Gordon had been two years younger when he’d come to Sunrise Ranch the year it opened. Tucker and Gordon had hit it off instantly.

It had been a surprise when Gordon had ended up in his marine unit. They’d celebrated, not realizing that it would come down to one of them living and the other dying.

Tucker closed his eyes, thinking about it. Kenny Chesney’s “Who You’d Be Today” played through his mind, as it did so many times when he thought about Gordon and the others who didn’t come home.

“Woo-hoo, Tucker!”

At the excited singsong holler he opened his eyes, to see Mabel Tilsby, owner of the Dew Drop Inn, weaving her way across the street toward him. A tall, stout woman, she had the heart of a missionary, and that was a good thing because Tucker was pretty sure an angry Mabel could take care of herself.

“You are doing one great job,” she said, drawing to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. “These old stairs have been here since the beginning of time, and they did need repairing.” Hands on hips, she grinned up at him. “I was out front this morning when I saw them break. Thank goodness you were there to save our new resident!”

He glanced across the street and saw that she had a straight shot of the stairs from her front door. He groaned inwardly knowing exactly what Mabel saw—him holding Suzie in his arms longer than necessary.

“Yeah, I should have checked these out a long time ago when I was making my rounds at night.” It was known by everyone that he still walked the square on foot each evening to make sure everything was secure. An odd thing, some might say, since Dew Drop was such a small place and the crime rate was low, but even small towns had problems. And it was his job to make sure his tiny hometown stayed safe.

“You can’t fix everything, even though you think you’re our superhero sheriff,” she said jovially.

Tucker had always liked Mabel. She was a tower of a woman, and with her big-boned frame could almost have been a linebacker if she’d been born a male. His mother used to say that a tall person needed bigger feet to balance out their height, and that Mabel needed her larger size to balance out her large and loving personality. He believed it, too. Mabel would just as soon pick you up and hug you in half as shake your hand.

“Nope, but I can try.” He grinned back at her.

She waved him off. “You got it honestly from both sides of your family. I’m going to go inside and introduce myself. Have to tell that girl how much I loved Gordon. I always smile thinking about that boy. Ta-ta for now.”

And she was gone, disappearing inside the shop. Suzie would hear a lot of good stories about Gordon from Mabel since he’d worked for her as a bellboy whenever she needed help.

Tucker went back to hammering.

And his mind went straight back to thinking about how Suzie Kent had felt in his arms.

* * *

Though the previous owners had left the shop in decent shape, such as it was, there were spiderwebs and dust in the nooks and crannies. She had busied herself cleaning, getting it ready to paint. Paint worked wonders, and she was counting on it for the store.

The thump of the hammer outside was a continual reminder that she’d made a fool of herself by looking up into Tucker McDermott’s eyes like a love-starved widow. How humiliating that cliché was. The more she thought about it, the worse it got.

In addition came the guilt that she’d done so with Tucker. It would have been bad with anyone—but Tucker? It was awful. Guilt engulfed her. And even if Tucker hadn’t been the man she blamed for Gordon’s death, he was in law enforcement. She could never again risk falling for a man who worked in the line of fire. And yet, she couldn’t deny that the man affected her in startling ways.

When a large woman came barreling through the open door, Suzie was more than ready for company.

“Hello, hello. I’m Mabel Tilsby, owner of the Dew Drop Inn—hope you don’t mind me dropping in on you.” She grinned, taking Suzie’s hands in hers for an extended moment.

“Not at all. I’m glad to meet you.”

“I have to tell you that I loved your husband. That Gordon was a good young man. He’d had a rough life, but he came right to this town and brightened it with his smile and good humor. Do you know he rescued me that first summer?”

Suzie couldn’t speak at first, startled by Mabel’s declaration. Of course there would be stories of Gordon. This was his home. She was touched and then remembered him mentioning the owner of the hotel. “He mentioned you,” she said, smiling. “I remember he said you were a wonderful lady.”

That made Mabel blush, her eyes misted. “That boy always was a sweetheart. And just look at you. So beautiful and young. I know he must have loved you very much.”

It was Suzie’s turn to get misty-eyed. She nodded. “He did.”

“Well.” Mabel heaved a deep breath in then expelled it. “He’d be happy you’ve come home and brought his boy. You’ve got a lot of life ahead of you. He’d want you to move forward—or in his case he’d want you to plow forward like he always did.”

Suzie laughed at that. “Yes, he did move at a fast pace.”

Mabel nodded and then studied the shop.

“This old place needed new blood in it. So, what do you think?”

Suzie had been destroying a large web in the upper corner of the ceiling when Mabel burst into the building. She smiled. “Minus all the spiders, let’s just say I’m counting on paint to make a whole new world in here. Paint and flowers.”

“It is ancient.”

“Yes, but serviceable, and that’s what counts. As long as I get some orders for flowers when I open the doors.”

“You’ll get them. And you have such a handsome handyman outside. That has to be a plus.”

“He’s not my handyman. He’s just—” What? Fixing your banister. Being your handyman. “It broke while we were going up to look upstairs. Mr. McDermott and Rowdy are going to come in a little while and help Tucker unload my moving truck and store my things up there for now. I think some of the boys are coming, too, and we didn’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“I understand. Falling from those stairs wouldn’t be good. I saw you almost tumble off this morning. Thank goodness our fabulous sheriff was there. I almost screamed from the steps of the Inn when I realized what was happening. But then, just like that, you were in his arms and safe.” Mabel sighed as she finished and her eyes got dreamy—it was enough to make Suzie worry.

And she felt the heat of a blush race over her as though she’d just been doused in warm cherry juice. “So, come over here and see what you think about the colors I’m going to paint the shop,” she said, changing the subject.

She popped the top of the can of paint in a soft buttery-yellow that she’d picked up at the lumber store.

“Oh, I like that,” Mabel gushed enthusiastically.

Suzie was learning that everything Mabel did was with enthusiasm. It was kind of contagious.

“I think it’s a happy color. It’ll make a perky background for the flowers.”

“I most certainly agree, hon. I’ll go tell the girls and we’ll have a full-scale painting party. How does that sound? All you have to do is tell us where you want it, and we can slap it up there in no time. Matter of fact, have you had lunch?”