Blame It On Texas

“Did you?” Kevin asked, unable to stop being a detective even when he wasn’t working for the Laramie County sheriff’s department.

“Yes.” Lewis lent a hand, prying off the ancient laminate countertop. “And no.”

Will McCabe narrowed his eyes, looking every bit the former fighter pilot he was. “You either did or you didn’t. Which is it?”

Lewis unscrewed the plywood cover from the base cabinet. “Lexie agreed to spend time with me. Starting later tonight, as a matter of fact.”

Brad knelt to remove the doors and drawers from the lower units. “I hear a catch in there.”

Together, the guys carried the trash from the growing junk pile to the pickup parked just outside the back door. “She got the mistaken impression that I wanted to hire her to transform my image.”

Guffaws, all around.

Riley scrutinized Lewis as they all tromped back inside to continue gutting the spacious country kitchen. “So you’re going to be paying her to pay attention to you?”

Not in money. “That’s the good part,” Lewis said, fully aware of just how bad this arrangement he had struck with Lexie sounded.

Kevin scoffed as they worked to remove the base units from the wall. “For whom?”

“We’re bartering services. She wants me to take her riding tonight. At midnight.”

“And then what?” Brad, still the most cynical of them all, asked.

“If all goes well, I intend to keep seeing her,” Lewis said.

Will helped them remove the rest of the unit without tearing out the drywall behind it. “Then I presume you’re going to set Lexie Remington straight when you see her tonight, tell her all you intended was to ask her out.”

Lewis shrugged. “She seems to think I need an image makeover.”

More groans, all the way around. “That may be true,” Kevin said as the guys finished extracting the bottom units. “But once you let a woman start telling you how to dress and what to do, it’s all over. Unless…you want to be with a woman who runs the show in the relationship?”

“Besides, I thought you already did that,” Riley continued helpfully. “You know, hitched your wagon to a woman who couldn’t seem to stop ‘improving’ you and cutting you down.” He paused, as compassionate a brother as he was a physician. “Didn’t do much for the union, as I recall.”

“And yet here you are—enthusiastically signing up for that all over again,” the now happily married Brad said. “Don’t you know that’s the kiss of death for any relationship, trying to make each other into what you want them to be instead of accepting them for who they already are?”

“We’re talking about a few dates,” Lewis said impatiently.

“A few dates built on a lie,” Kevin corrected, all law-and-order again.

Guilt flooded Lewis. That was not something he had intended.

Will looked at Lewis with obvious pity. “How do you think Lexie’s going to feel when she finds out you never had any intention of contracting her professional services? She’s going to think you made a fool of her on purpose, letting her assume something that wasn’t true.”

Lewis hadn’t thought of it that way. He hoped Lexie wouldn’t, either. Aware there was only one solution to this problem that would keep Lexie’s feelings from being hurt, he put down his hammer and clenched his jaw. “Lexie isn’t going to find out.”

Riley scoffed. “How do you figure that?”

Lewis narrowed his eyes. “’Cause none of you are going to tell her.”

Easy to see all four of his brothers thought he was making a big mistake. “Look,” Lewis said firmly, laying down the law as only a McCabe could, “Lexie’s only going to be in Texas for two weeks before she jets off again. I finally get to spend time some quality time with her. I’m not mucking with that, and none of you are going to ruin it for me, either.”

LEWIS FELT LIKE an intruder as he slowed his Yukon in front of the entrance to the Remington ranch. Lexie glided out of the shadows, right on cue, and slipped into the passenger seat beside him. She looked pretty as could be in jeans, boots, a red cotton turtleneck and denim jacket. Her thick strawberry-blond hair had been pulled into a bouncy ponytail on the back of her head. Vibrant color lit her cheeks and eyes.

“What is that delicious aroma?” Lexie demanded in her usual carefree manner. She looked at the paper bag balanced on the console between their seats.

Lewis drove the short distance down the farm road to the entrance of his own ranch, the Lazy M. “A little late night supper. I figured we might want to grab a bite before we saddle up.”

“You figured right,” she said, a mixture of devilry and excitement sparkling in her turquoise eyes. “I’m starving. If my nose is correct, that’s chili from your aunt Greta’s restaurant.”

Lewis gave her an amused glance, aware how much hadn’t changed about her. Lexie was still the most exciting tomboy around. Quick-witted, fun-loving and sexy as all get-out. Trying not to imagine what it would be like to finally have her in his arms, he said, “Extra spicy, just the way you like it.”

“Mmm.” Pleasure radiated in her low tone as she kicked back in the passenger seat. “What else is in here?”

With effort, he kept his glance away from the graceful way she moved and her long, denim-clad legs. “Coffee. Nice and strong. And jalapeño cornbread.” He knew from experience it really packed a punch. “I figured I would show you something while we eat.” Lewis took a separate entrance to the Lazy M Ranch house, near the south edge of the property. Perched on a hill was a bulldozer and several piles of dirt. He parked in the lane and cut the engine.

“What are you building here?” Lexie looked around curiously.

He adjusted the interior lights on the truck, so they could see each other clearly. “A second ranch house—this one is just for me.”

Lexie took off her seat belt and swiveled to face him. “How big is it going to be?”

Lewis unhooked his, too. “Haven’t decided yet. I’m still working with the architect.”

“Where do you live now?”

Aware how cozy it felt to be here with her like this, he handed Lexie a thermal cup of chili and a spoon. “I was bunking in the main house, and Brad had the guest cottage. When he married Lainey Carrington, and she and her son moved in with Brad, it made sense for us to switch places. Now they have two preschoolers, and another baby on the way.”

“So I heard.”

The presence of kids had his yearning for a family of his own growing by leaps and bounds, which was why he’d decided to go ahead and build his dream home, in the hopes that a special woman would follow.

“Anyway, it makes sense for us to spread out a little more now.” He could still have meals with Brad and Lainey and the kids whenever he wanted, but he could have more privacy, too.

Lewis watched Lexie work off the lid, being careful not to spill it, and balance her square of cornbread on her bent knee. He licked a drop of chili off his thumb. “So how come we’re sneaking around like a couple of teenagers?” he asked.

Lexie swallowed the spicy concoction and arched her eyebrows at him flirtatiously. “Aren’t you having fun yet?”

Reminded of how reckless Lexie had always been, Lewis nudged her knee with his and grinned. “You know what I mean. What’s going on between you and your folks?” He’d been wondering about that all evening. From what he recalled, they had always gotten along, until Lexie ran off to California to make her fame and fortune at the tender age of nineteen.

She licked the back of her plastic spoon. “Let’s just say they are overreacting, as usual.”

“They seemed awfully protective,” he noted as he munched on cornbread.

In a way that didn’t make sense. Jake Remington was an accomplished businessman, known for identifying fledgling businesses and turning them into hugely successful operations. Jenna Lockhart Remington was a successful clothing designer known for her one-of-a-kind couture bridal gowns and formal-wear, as well as her boutique line. They were respected members of the community, renowned for their big hearts and Texas hospitality. Yet earlier, they could hardly have been more unwelcoming to him and, apparently, to everyone else who had dared appear at their front door since Lexie arrived home that morning.

She shrugged, took another bite of chili and followed it with a big gulp of coffee. Lewis saw her looking around.

He grimaced. “Sorry. I forgot to bring any napkins.”