Once a Cowboy

“I think I can do what I want.”

“Naddy…”

“Ethel’s seventy-six and she doesn’t drive too bad, except she has trouble staying awake.”

“Okay. Okay.” Alex threw up her hands, knowing her grandmother was working her. “I’ll pay for your plane ticket.”

“What about Ethel? I don’t want to go alone.”

Alex gritted her teeth. “Okay. I’ll pay for Ethel, too.”

“You’re such a sucker.” Naddy laughed.

“I knew you were playing me from the start. You wouldn’t do laundry unless you were after something. And you’d better not crow too much or I’ll rescind the offer.” She paused. “Does Buck know you’re going?”

“No. You can tell him after I’m gone.”

Alex shook her head. “Oh, no. You tell him before you leave.”

“Honeychild.” Naddy put an arm around her shoulder and Alex caught a whiff of Ben-Gay. “Why do you always want that family connection to be there? It isn’t. I was a bad mother, a terrible mother. I admit that. Bucky has a right to hate me. I was young, stupid and had no idea how to raise a kid. He grew up the hard way, by himself with a string of step-daddies.”

Alex had heard this a million times and Naddy wasn’t getting around her by using that bad-mother routine. “All the same, you’ll tell him.”

“Did I say you were a sucker? Crafty is more like it.”

“I’ll be upstairs,” she said, walking away.

“Want to help with my laundry?”

“No, thanks,” Alex called, running up the stairs.

She laid the plastic bag with the comb on her dresser. In the morning she’d call a lab they used to run the test. She’d also call Helen so she could give a sample to see if Brodie was her son. One little test, but it could change a lot of lives.

That night she went to sleep seeing the bluest eyes in Texas.

THE NEXT MORNING she awoke to loud voices, which was reminiscent of her childhood. Evidently Naddy had told Buck she was going to Vegas. She didn’t bother going down. They’d yell and scream until one of them was out of breath.

She changed into jeans and a knit top. She brushed her hair and clipped it behind her head. After applying the barest of makeup, she headed downstairs.

“Don’t think I’m paying for this crazy trip!”

“I never asked you for a dime.”

“Yeah, right.”

Alex walked between Buck and Naddy. “Good morning, all. Think I’ll get my coffee on the way to work.” With her hand on the doorknob, she looked at her father. “Is the air fixed?”

“I had to work on the damn thing myself and I got it going for now. Bert’ll fix it this morning.”

“Really? The old push method didn’t work?”

Buck glared at her. “Don’t start with me. I’ve already had it with Naddy. Going to Vegas. That’s insane.” He pointed a finger at his mother. “Don’t come back to this house with a man in tow. That’s all I got to say.”

“Bucky, you take all the fun out of life.”

“Don’t call me Bucky.”

“I had those teeth fixed, didn’t I?”

Buck slammed out the door and Alex stared at her grandmother. “This certainly isn’t the Cleaver household.”

Naddy chuckled. Alex used to sit for hours watching reruns of Leave It To Beaver, wishing she had a mother like June and a father like Ward. How unrealistic was that? Not to mention outdated.

“More like a soap opera,” Naddy muttered.

Alex only grinned. “When are you leaving?”

“Ethel’s daughter is dropping her off and we’re taking a cab to the airport.”

“Be careful.” Alex hugged her.

“If I was careful, I wouldn’t have any fun.”

Alex smiled on her way out the door.

Buck wasn’t in the office so she didn’t know where he was, but at least the air was working. She called the lab to set up the DNA test. She dropped the comb off and called Helen, who was eager to help by giving her DNA. Now they waited.

As Alex worked on other cases, she kept thinking about Brodie. Maybe someday she’d have the opportunity to apologize for stealing his comb.

BRODIE WOKE UP to quiet, like always. That’s the way he wanted it. His friends called him a people person because he acted outgoing on the rodeo circuit, but he was really a loner. He enjoyed the peace and the quiet. Maybe that had something to do with age, too.

When he was younger, partying was in his blood. The more people around him, the better he liked it. Today life was more sedate and that suited him. He was comfortable with his life choices, but he’d probably always regret the rift with his parents. At least they’d tried to work through it as a family. That was important to him.

He showered and slipped into jeans. After shaving, he reached for his comb, but it wasn’t there. He looked in the drawer, then the cabinet. The comb had disappeared. He’d had it yesterday when he’d combed his hair to go see his mother. That was the last time he’d seen it.

No one had been here, not even the cleaning lady. So what could have happened to it? Wait a minute. The lady in the Jeep had used his bathroom. Could she have taken his comb? What the hell would she want it for? It didn’t make any sense, but he was becoming increasingly intrigued. Why would Alex Donovan steal his comb?

Next time he would be more careful who he let use his bathroom. It was a comb, less than five bucks so what did it matter? Sometimes girls who followed the rodeo circuit would steal an item that belonged to a cowboy they had a crush on just to have something to connect them. But Alex didn’t seem like a groupie and she hadn’t come on to him. She was friendly, that’s all.

So what was going on?

Finding another comb, he finished dressing and headed for the barn. He saddled his horse, Jax, a thoroughbred quarter horse he’d gotten from Colter, who raised them. With the dogs trotting behind him, he checked the herd and all the water troughs to make sure the cattle had water in the searing heat.

Riding gave him peace and he enjoyed the movement, the rhythm, even the sun on his face and the calluses on his hands. He knew who he was—a cowboy in control. As his boots touched soil again the comb business nagged at him.

Suddenly he wanted to find the lady in the Jeep—Alex.

Chapter Three