A Real Cowboy

Sammy took the lid off and his entire face lit up at the sight of the black polished cowboy boots. “Really? For me?” he asked.

Lucas laughed. “They sure aren’t my size. Why don’t you pull them on and take a little stroll down the sidewalk to make sure they fit.”

Sammy sat on the tailgate and quickly shucked his tennis shoes and then pulled on each boot. When he took off walking down the sidewalk, Nicolette turned to Lucas. “Just tell me how much they were and I’ll pay you.”

“Don’t offend me,” he replied. “This is a gift from me to Sammy and has nothing to do with you.” He smiled at her, tiny lines radiating out from the corners of his eyes. “Besides, if he’s going to be one of the ranch hands, he needs a good pair of boots. Those white tennis shoes won’t last a week in the pasture.”

“Then I guess I’ll just say thank you,” she replied.

Sammy ran back to them. “They fit perfect. I love them. Thank you, Cowboy Lucas.”

“You’re welcome, partner. Now, let’s get in the truck and head back to the ranch.”

Nicolette and Sammy rode in the small seats behind Lucas and Cassie as they headed back home. The conversation was neutral, focused on the weather and the passing landscape. Lucas pointed out other ranches they passed and mentioned who owned them, but Nicolette paid little attention.

The gift of the boots had obviously erased the trauma of the spilled milk for Sammy, and Nicolette was grateful to see her son dancing his feet against the floorboard and adjusting and readjusting his hat on his head.

Despite her desire to the contrary, Lucas Taylor was definitely getting under her skin. If the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, the way to Nicolette’s heart was through Sammy.

When they got to the house, Lucas dropped them off and then drove on toward the bunkhouse in the distance. Nicolette knew he had supplies to drop off and then probably afternoon chores to take care of.

Sammy went up to his room, Cassie disappeared into her bedroom and Nicolette wandered the downstairs restlessly. She tried to keep her mind off the lunch debacle and the way Lloyd’s glare had made her feel.

He’d frightened her more than just a little bit. For just a moment she’d thought he was going to pick up Sammy by the scruff of his neck and slam him against a wall. There had been that kind of wild meanness in his eyes. She’d believed he was going to punch her in the face. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened if Daisy hadn’t intervened.

It was almost nine that night when she tucked a happy and exhausted Sammy into bed. She kissed him on the cheek, but before she could leave he grabbed her hand and indicated he wanted her to sit next to him.

She sat on the edge of the mattress, wondering if he wanted to talk about what had happened at lunch. “I want to stay here forever,” he said. “I don’t ever want to go back to New York. I like it here.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Honey, you know we can’t stay here forever. This is Cassie’s home, not ours, and she isn’t planning on staying long. We have our home in New York.”

He sat up. “We don’t have our own home in New York. We have Cassie’s apartment. Why couldn’t you and me get a home someplace around here where we could visit with Cowboy Lucas all the time and I could always be a cowboy?”

“Sammy, honey. My work is in New York. I have the shop to work in. I can’t just pick up and move here. This isn’t where we belong.”

Sammy flopped back down on his back. “I think we could belong here if we wanted to.”

She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead and then stood. “Just enjoy being here now, Sammy. Besides, Cassie hasn’t made up her mind yet about what the future holds. Who knows what might happen. Good night, my sweet cowboy.”

“Good night, my sweet mom,” he replied, and she left the room to the music of his soft laughter.

“Got the little bug tucked in?” Cassie asked from the sofa when Nicolette entered the great room.

Nicolette collapsed into the comfort of a big easy chair. “He wants to stay here forever.”

“It didn’t take long to get the city out of him. I wonder how long it will take to get the country out of him when we go back home,” Cassie said.

“I have a feeling he’ll have to outgrow those boots before he willingly stops wearing them,” Nicolette said.

“How did Lucas know what size to buy?” Cassie mused. “He got it right on the money.”

“No idea how he did that. I imagine he and the salesman just made a lucky guess.”

“I sure didn’t feel any welcome from anyone around town today,” Cassie said. “We’re definitely the outsiders.”

“Daisy was nice,” Nicolette said.

“Daisy is probably a smart business owner. She has to be nice to everyone who comes into the café.”

Nicolette gazed at her friend thoughtfully. “You should be glad that nobody was particularly friendly. You’re the one who said we shouldn’t get friendly with people since we aren’t sticking around.”

“I know. I’m just feeling perverse. It would have been nice if somebody acted like they wanted to meet the new owner of the ranch.” She curled her slender legs up beneath her. “Adam told me Cass was something of a legend around here. I have a feeling that even if I decided to stay on, I’d never be able to live up to her in the eyes of everyone here.”

“You don’t have to live up to anyone, Cassie, and you’re stronger than you think you are. But thank goodness you don’t have to make any decisions at the moment. There’s still plenty of work to do around here before you make a final decision about selling or staying.”

Cassie nodded. “Adam told me that tomorrow most of the men are going to work on cutting up the trees the tornado blew down. He said the wood would be stacked both here at the house and at the bunkhouse for the fireplaces in the winter.”

She yawned and then continued. “You know that missing woman I mentioned that was in the paper? I guess one of the ranch hands here, Nick Coleman, was seeing her before she disappeared.”

“What have the police said about it?” Nicolette asked.

“They think it’s possible she just left town. Apparently she’d only been in town a couple of months. Adam said there’s no way he believes that Nick had anything to do with her disappearance.”

“Sounds like you and Adam are getting quite cozy,” Nicolette said.

“Strictly business,” Cassie replied. “Tomorrow he’s going to take me on a tour of the entire ranch so I can make notes on what I think needs to be done, and to explain more about the everyday operations.” She yawned again. “And on that note, I think it’s time for me to head to bed. I’m exhausted.”

“It’s all this fresh air and sunshine.” Nicolette grinned. Cassie got up from the sofa, and with good-nights exchanged, she went upstairs.

Nicolette thought about going out on the porch and sitting for a little while, but when she realized that part of her reason for doing so was in hopes that Lucas might show up and share part of the night with her, she dismissed the idea.

They’d been here for only two days and one evening and already she was spending far too much of her time thinking about Lucas Taylor. She should be focusing on what her future would look like when they returned to New York.

Although she hadn’t mentioned it to Cassie, Nicolette was considering having Cassie buy out her half of the business, and that would give Nicolette enough money for her and Sammy to get their own place. Nicolette could finish her schooling and get a teaching job.

Of course, it all depended on what Cassie decided to do, and while she knew Cassie’s initial decision had been to sell the ranch, who knew how her friend would feel in two or three months from now? By then the cowboys wouldn’t be just names on paper, they’d be real people, and that might make it more difficult for Cassie to just walk away.

Realizing she was more tired than she’d thought, she decided to head upstairs. She turned off all the lights and climbed the staircase, trying not to worry about the future or think about Lucas.

As always as she passed Sammy’s bedroom, she paused to peek in at her sleeping son...and saw a person with a ski mask on at his window.

For the space of a heartbeat she froze, her brain not understanding how a man could be at the second-floor window. His glittering gaze caught hers, and it was at that moment she screamed.

Chapter 4 (#ulink_7ea4ea02-9975-5fcf-89e9-ef7778c355e8)

Lucas jumped off his bed at the sound of the big dinner bell ringing through the night, adrenaline instantly exploding inside him. He pulled on his jeans and grabbed his holster and quickly buckled it, the weight of his gun familiar on his hip as he opened his bunk door.

Other men were coming outside, as well. “What’s going on?” Dusty asked.